chapter
FIFTY

Huckleberry Lindbergh?”

There was a phwump and hiss of hydraulics as the nurse released the torsion boards from his cheeks. They were all that was holding him upright in the chair and he slumped forward in the sack. But the chain connecting him to the track in the roof stopped him from collapsing completely.

“I can’t make sense of it,” said the doctor. “He seemed to have picked up memories of working in an office. Perhaps they are phantom images. I’ve heard it can happen. Anyway, I’ve wiped away a large chunk of memories to make certain he wasn’t hiding anything underneath. But I can’t find anything that would make him want to skip a hack. Strange. But there’s probably a reason. I’ll check my notes later tonight.”

The doctor wasn’t normally perplexed, and this was a mystery that he felt was a worthy adversary to his intelligence.

“Well, I’ll put a copy of his pictures with him.” The nurse trotted off.

Malbranque stirred. He looked sluggish, like a boxer who’d gone way too many rounds in too many fights.

“There, that wasn’t too bad, was it? All done, Mr. Lindbergh,” said the nurse clacking back into the room. “I’m going to staple a copy of your pictures here, to the front of your nice sack. You can have a look at them later. There are some nice pictures of a puppy for you.”

“Where am I?” he said groggily. “And has anyone seen my Spanish homework?”

“We’re just going to send you down to the cells now. We’re all done here. Well done.”

“Am I going to meet the wizard at Christmas? He promised me an owl,” said Malbranque, and then his head fell forward again.

The nurse pressed a button and the sack was hoisted up and swung up to the track in the ceiling. He became conscious again just long enough to say: “He promised me a very happy owl.”

The doctor flipped through the records while he was thinking, but more out of habit.

“Maybe he had his memories altered in some grimy back-street operation.” He paused. “I’ve heard rumors of such things.”

“Shall I get the next one in?” said the nurse.

“Yes. Actually, recommend this one for Fridge Detail. He won’t know anything too much. And we don’t want to make an issue of losing his mind.”

“Fridge Detail recommended,” said the nurse, selecting a huge sticker and placing it on his forehead. She pressed a button.

“I really do like the way there is so much variation in this job. Each day is different isn’t it?” she said as Malbranque was lugged out.