spinal area. Both concluded, "Disability almost certainly psychosomatic, but unresponsive to any and all treatment."
Psychosomatic. She'd heard that many times before, but all she found in these reports was more of that mumbo jumbo on how and why it might have developed, none of which made much sense to her or hit any raw nerves. She was not willing this on herself, no matter what they said.
She abandoned her own file, and looked up Greg's. She was pleased to discover that he had been honest with her about his past. There was a lot more detail, but nothing he'd told her was false. He was not a Catholic; he was, in fact, a nominal Presbyterian without any real connection to a church at all. His marriage had been a civil one, made in civil court, as was his divorce.
Oddly, although the Sisters back at the convent would have been upset, this excited more than depressed her. A civil marriage was no marriage in the eyes of the Church, and while non-Catholics were allegedly the object of pity, there had been so few of them in her life that she found the idea rather exotic. There was a photo of his ex-wife in the file, and she was rather pretty, although not much like Angelique herself. It was interesting to her, none the less.
His psychological profile, however, was far more general and shorter than hers, and she had the strong feeling that much of it simply wasn't there, almost as if it had either been excised or not put in the system deliberately. Still, it was instructive. He had a fine, analytical mind, and a rather high IQ, as those things went. He was tenacious, stubborn, and seemed to have little regard for his own safety or well-being when in the course of a project or an investigation. One psychologist noted, "Subconsciously, he either thinks he's Sherlock Holmes or would like to be." He was attracted to pretty women, and had never shown much interest in the acquisition of wealth and material things. He also had a distaste for the upper class, a disrespect for any authority not based upon merit as he saw it, and a strong streak of insubordination.
She wanted very much to ask the computer whether or not someone like him could ever be really interested in someone like her, but she did not. She wasn't sure whether she thought it was too personal and revealing a question to ask the computer or whether she didn't really want to know the answer.
"SAINT, do you have any information on the Dark Man?"
"Which dark man do you mean, Miss Montagne? There are quite a number."
"No, no. The one recently reported by—superstitious people around the island and elsewhere."
"Oh, you mean that one. There are no specific files, although Security might have something, which would require their access codes. I wouldn't know, otherwise. However, it is an old legend in the lower Caribbean, this Dark Man, who inhabits the night and the shadows, has no real substance, but foreshadows disaster. He is connected in legend to obi and voodoo and other dark rites like devil worship. Some such cults have a belief that when the Dark Man ceases being a spirit and becomes real—that is, tangible—he will be the harbinger of the end of the world. Will that do?"
"That is quite enough, thank you. Um, SAINT—this may be a ridiculous question, but do you have any idea who or what killed my father?"
"Logic suggests that he was either killed by a beast of an unknown type or a mechanism simulating it, certainly to induce fear, possibly to attempt to get this island either closed down or opened up to outside authority. It generates insecurity to those corporations and nations who use these facilities because of the tight security. As to who—disallowing the very real but not very probable motive of insanity or personal grievance—the list of suspects, both individual, group, and institutional, is, I'm afraid, far longer than your report."
"Do you think it—likely—that they will strike again?"
"That will depend on the motives. If the motive was to
Psychosomatic. She'd heard that many times before, but all she found in these reports was more of that mumbo jumbo on how and why it might have developed, none of which made much sense to her or hit any raw nerves. She was not willing this on herself, no matter what they said.
She abandoned her own file, and looked up Greg's. She was pleased to discover that he had been honest with her about his past. There was a lot more detail, but nothing he'd told her was false. He was not a Catholic; he was, in fact, a nominal Presbyterian without any real connection to a church at all. His marriage had been a civil one, made in civil court, as was his divorce.
Oddly, although the Sisters back at the convent would have been upset, this excited more than depressed her. A civil marriage was no marriage in the eyes of the Church, and while non-Catholics were allegedly the object of pity, there had been so few of them in her life that she found the idea rather exotic. There was a photo of his ex-wife in the file, and she was rather pretty, although not much like Angelique herself. It was interesting to her, none the less.
His psychological profile, however, was far more general and shorter than hers, and she had the strong feeling that much of it simply wasn't there, almost as if it had either been excised or not put in the system deliberately. Still, it was instructive. He had a fine, analytical mind, and a rather high IQ, as those things went. He was tenacious, stubborn, and seemed to have little regard for his own safety or well-being when in the course of a project or an investigation. One psychologist noted, "Subconsciously, he either thinks he's Sherlock Holmes or would like to be." He was attracted to pretty women, and had never shown much interest in the acquisition of wealth and material things. He also had a distaste for the upper class, a disrespect for any authority not based upon merit as he saw it, and a strong streak of insubordination.
She wanted very much to ask the computer whether or not someone like him could ever be really interested in someone like her, but she did not. She wasn't sure whether she thought it was too personal and revealing a question to ask the computer or whether she didn't really want to know the answer.
"SAINT, do you have any information on the Dark Man?"
"Which dark man do you mean, Miss Montagne? There are quite a number."
"No, no. The one recently reported by—superstitious people around the island and elsewhere."
"Oh, you mean that one. There are no specific files, although Security might have something, which would require their access codes. I wouldn't know, otherwise. However, it is an old legend in the lower Caribbean, this Dark Man, who inhabits the night and the shadows, has no real substance, but foreshadows disaster. He is connected in legend to obi and voodoo and other dark rites like devil worship. Some such cults have a belief that when the Dark Man ceases being a spirit and becomes real—that is, tangible—he will be the harbinger of the end of the world. Will that do?"
"That is quite enough, thank you. Um, SAINT—this may be a ridiculous question, but do you have any idea who or what killed my father?"
"Logic suggests that he was either killed by a beast of an unknown type or a mechanism simulating it, certainly to induce fear, possibly to attempt to get this island either closed down or opened up to outside authority. It generates insecurity to those corporations and nations who use these facilities because of the tight security. As to who—disallowing the very real but not very probable motive of insanity or personal grievance—the list of suspects, both individual, group, and institutional, is, I'm afraid, far longer than your report."
"Do you think it—likely—that they will strike again?"
"That will depend on the motives. If the motive was to
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