Snowplows had been working continuously throughout the day to keep the streets clear of the snow, and the lunch hour was over, so the working public was back in its offices and places of business. As a result, Ellie had no difficulty navigating the nearly deserted thoroughfares of the nation�s capitol. Tourists could be seen in the city all year round, but the great crowds of sightseers would not arrive until warm weather returned. In the spring, they would visit in droves to choke the streets and sidewalks and flock to the museums and public buildings, but on that cold snowy Tuesday afternoon in early March, only a few of the most determined tourists braved the weather. Only a couple of people, huddled against the cold, hurried toward their destination, eager to be in out of the weather.
When Ellie arrived at the State Department, she parked her car in Mark�s old parking space, and made her way through the deepening snow to the entrance. She experienced a twinge of sorrow as she opened the door and entered the establishment that had employed her husband, but, driven by the need to locate Alan, she pushed those distressing feelings aside, and approached the security desk.
The security officer looked up and smiled in recognition. "Why, Mrs. Degler, it�s been a long time."
"Yes, it has. I need to see Kevin Buchanan. Is he in?"
"Let me check." He pressed the button on the intercom and spoke into it. "Mr. Buchanan? Mrs. Degler is here to see you."
Kevin�s surprised voice responded through the small speaker on his telephone. "Ellie? Send her up!"
The guard smiled. "Go on up. You remember the way?"
I don�t have amnesia, she thought, but of course she avoided any sarcasm when she said with a cheerfulness she didn�t really feel, "Yes, of course."
She proceeded to the elevator, pressed the appropriate button, and rode in silence to the floor on which Mark�s office had been located.
Sally Newton, the receptionist, looked up and smiled with recognition as Ellie stepped from the elevator into the department lobby, but Ellie could see the discomfort in her eyes. It was the same with almost everyone she knew. No one knew what to say to her. Her voice was a trifle to animated when she said, "Why, Mrs. Degler, how nice to see you again! How have you been?"
"Hi, Sally. I�m feeling better, now," she replied, patiently.
"Mr. Buchanan is expecting you, so go right on back."
"Thank you, Sally," she said, and walked down the long corridor toward the office, aware that the receptionist was still watching her from behind, but she did not know if it was from sympathy, or because of her casual attire. When her husband was alive, she had always dressed up a bit when coming to the office, because Mark had preferred that she look the part of and executive�s wife, but she had not bothered to change from her jeans, today. She no longer cared about attempting to be someone she wasn�t.
Kevin was waiting for her at the door to his office, and he beckoned her inside and embraced the widow of his co-worker and good friend, one of the few people who was not uncomfortable in her presence.
"How have you been, Ellie?" he asked, holding her at arm�s length to gaze at her approvingly. She looked tired and drawn, but there was at least there was a spark of life in her eyes again. That was something. "You�re a bit too thin, but you�re looking better, I think."
"I�m recovering."
"We�ve been worried about you."
"It�s been rough, but I�m getting better."
"I�ve been intending to drop by to see you, but I�m so bogged down with work that I haven�t had the time."
"That�s all right, Kev. Frankly, I�m getting a little tired of all the sympathy." Her words were a polite request to avoid the subject of her loss.
He understood, and changed the subject. "Can I get you something? Coffee? Tea? Donuts? We always have donuts."
"No, thanks."
He gestured toward the easy chairs across from his desk. "Have a seat, and tell me what brought you got out on this cold, snowy day."
Ellie removed her coat and draped it over the back of one of the twin wingback chairs, then sat down in the other one and waited until Kevin was seated at the desk before she spoke. "Kevin, I know this is a bit irregular, but you told me once that if I ever needed a favor, I should let you know."
He nodded and leaned his elbows on the desktop, as if eager to honor her request. "I meant it."
"Well, I have a favor to ask. A big one."
He spread his hands, urging her to continue. "What can I do for you?"
"I�m trying to locate a friend whom I think may be in trouble."
Kevin�s hesitation was brief, but enough to indicate that he was apprehensive about the possibility of an unlawful act committed by an acquaintance of his friend�s wife. "What kind of trouble?" he asked, cautiously.
"You�ve heard of Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna?"
A strange expression flickered in Kevin�s eyes, a peculiar look that did not escape Ellie�s notice. It was a look reminiscent of the one she had seen on Mark�s face that last night when she had questioned him about his projects just prior to the fatal accident. "This friend of yours wouldn�t be Dr. Alan Grant, would it?"
She was surprised. "Yes. How did you know?�
For a moment, he was curiously at a loss for words, an affliction that rarely beset Mark�s talkative friend. "Well, I -- uh," he stammered, then paused, regrouped, and started over. "Mark said you and he were friends, and when you mentioned the islands, I naturally assumed . . ." He stopped, noticing that Ellie was watching him suspiciously. "What can I help you with?" he asked.
"I think he may have gone there, to one of those islands. I was wondering if you would be able to locate him without causing him any legal problems. I know the Costa Rican government has declared both islands restricted, and I wouldn�t want to see him arrested for violating those restrictions, but I have to know he�s all right."
Kevin gazed at her steadily without answering, then he nervously reached up to brush a lock of hair from his forehead and scratched his chin.
Instantly, Ellie realized that his animations were not a part of his attempts to think of a solution; he was stalling for time, trying to decide how much to tell her. She narrowed her eyes as her suspicion increased. "You know something," she accused.
Kevin continued to gaze at her, but still he did not reply. Ellie was smart, and he knew he would not be able to fool her into believing a lie.
"You do! Kevin, you have to tell me! Please!"
"Mark didn�t tell you anything, did he?" he asked at last, an ambiguous question with concealed implications that caused Ellie�s pulse to quicken with apprehension, and her already pale complexion seemed to pale even further.
"Tell me what? Kevin, you�re scaring me!"
"I�m sorry," he said, quickly. "That wasn�t my intent. I�m sure Mark didn�t want to worry you. He told me you and Grant shared a past history." With that, he leaned back in his chair to observe her, curious to see her reaction.
Ellie instantly understood the motive behind his intensely curious expression, and she lowered her eyes, briefly. Now it was her turn to determine how much to reveal, but her furrowed brow and worried countenance indicated a relationship much stronger than Mark had revealed to him. A close colleague, his late friend had told him, an old and dear friend. The concern Kevin saw on Ellie�s face suggested that Grant had been more than just a friend; much more.
Looking up again, she nodded. "Alan and I were close for awhile, but that ended when I married Mark. Kevin, please tell me what you know. Is he all right?"
Another brief pause ensued, during which time Ellie was aware of her heart pounding anxiously.
Realizing that Ellie would press him until she was satisfied with his answers, he said, "All right. Grant went to Isla Sorna nearly seven months ago. As far as I know, he hasn�t come back yet."
Ellie drew in a deep breath and released it in a heavy, shuddering sigh of intense worry and anguish. If she lost Alan too, she did not believe she could bear it. "Oh, God." Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "Why didn�t Mark tell me? Why did he keep this from me?"
"He didn�t want to worry you."
"Damn it, Kevin, he should have told me! All those months; how could he look me in the eye and withhold that from me?"
"Don�t feel ill toward him, Ellie. He struggled with his conscience for a long time over whether or not he should tell you, but in the end, he knew you would worry yourself sick." His pensive frown indicated that he was presently concerned about that very possibility. He shook his head, regretfully. "I shouldn�t have told you," he concluded.
She ignored his comment. In a voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid of the answer, she asked, "Is he -- is he alive?"
"I don�t know."
Impatience surged. "Will you stop being so damned evasive?" she demanded. "How did this come about?"
"Don�t do this to yourself, Ellie. You should try to put this out of your mind. You�re not well. You don�t need the stress."
Channeling her fear and anxiety into anger, she snapped, "You unload this bombshell on me, and then tell me to forget about it? Are you kidding?" She leaned forward. "No more secrets, Kevin. I want to know everything."
He sighed. "All right. Grant came to Washington late last summer, around August, I guess. He requested that we intervene with the Costa Rican government to give him authorization to go back to the island legally. He wanted to spend an unspecified amount of time there alone, studying the animals, their habitat, and their behavior patterns. He also seemed very concerned that some of them might get off the island."
"He went there alone?" Ellie breathed, fearfully, then she shook her head, bewildered. "He never seemed concerned about that before," she mused. "What changed his mind? What does he know now that he didn�t know before?"
"I don�t know. He didn�t offer any thoughts on that. Maybe something happened on that island when he was there last summer. Whatever it was, we could both see that it was bothering him, and the possibility of those animals somehow getting into populated areas would be a nightmare, so Mark personally contacted the Costa Rican officials on Grant�s behalf to discuss his request."
"And they agreed?"
Kevin nodded. "Turns out, they were quite receptive to the idea of him going down there. The Costa Rican military has been keeping close tabs on the island�s coastline, so they apparently share Grant�s concerns, but they�ve offered nothing specific. His reputation as a dinosaur expert, plus his personal experience with the creatures on his two previous visits were major factors in their approval. They don�t know what to do about those islands, you see. They�ve been debating the issue all these years without reaching a definitive solution. They�re hoping an expert of his rank and stature can give them some new insight to their dilemma, and perhaps make some recommendations."
She lowered her gaze, vaguely remembering that last conversation with Mark in the car just prior to the accident, and that peculiar look on his face when she had questioned him about his casework. She had seen the guilt in his eyes, but in the end, he had refused to give her a definitive answer to her question. "I knew he was keeping something from me," she said, quietly.
"I�m sorry, what?"
She shook off the memory. "Nothing. You haven�t heard from him since he left?"
He shook his head. "Grant apparently plays by his own rules. He demanded complete autonomy, and it was given. He doesn�t check in or answer to anyone. Not us, not the Costa Rican government, not even to Hammond himself."
She managed a slight smile, but Kevin noticed that it was forced. "That sounds like Alan. Hammond is aware of this?"
"Yes. We had to clear it with him, since he technically owns the animals."
"He didn�t object?"
"No. He was a bit surprised by the request, given Grant�s outspoken criticism of the theme park, but he is eager to learn how the animals have been fairing since the Malcolm party went there five years ago. Grant is highly respected in his field, and Hammond said he trusted him to observe without disturbing anything. He even paid Grant�s expenses."
"Is there some way I can find out if he�s okay? Does he have a satellite telephone or some method of communication?"
"There�s no way you can contact him directly. He does have a satellite telephone, in case he has an emergency, but he refused to give us the number. He said he�d call if he needs something. I do know that he�s been receiving periodic supply shipments. I can find out when the last shipment was made. If he was all right when the shipment was delivered, it�ll give us some idea of how he�s faring."
Ellie nibbled her lip, experiencing a nagging sensation of nearly overpowering worry in the pit of her stomach, a sense of ominous foreboding that warned of a terrible tragedy about to occur, a tragedy she was certain involved Alan. She knew she had to see him, face to face. "Kevin, I don�t just want to know that he�s all right. I want to talk to him."
Kevin was quiet for a moment, then said, "Well, I guess I could have the supplier give him the message to call you on the satellite phone."
She shook her heard. "That�s not good enough. I want to talk to him face to face."
"What?" Kevin asked, astonished. "Are you crazy? To do that, you�d have to go down to that island!"
She flinched, noticeably. The prospect of going back there was not appealing, but that nagging sensation would not release her from its grip. She had to speak to him, personally, before she would be satisfied of his well-being. "I know."
Kevin�s stare was harsh, as if she had lost her mind. "Are you telling me you want to travel all that way just to see him face to face and ask him if he�s all right?"
His sarcasm sent a ripple of annoyance through her frail body. "Not just to see him. I want to work with him."
Kevin picked up a pencil and twirled it in his fingers as he digested her shocking words. Finally, he dropped the pencil back on the desk, and shook his head. "Ellie, you�ve just recovered from a serious accident. You�re not thinking clearly."
"This is the most clearly I�ve been able to think in months."
"You should be resting."
Her patience snapped. "I�m tired of resting! I�m tired of those damn pills the doctors put me on because they�re afraid I�ll do something stupid. I�m tired of walking around in a stupor all day, without a clue of what I want to do or how I�m going to spend the rest of my life."
"That�ll come, in time."
"There isn�t any time, Kevin. I have to do this."
"Why? Why is this so important to you?"
She hesitated. She couldn�t tell him the truth; that a strange premonition had warned her that Alan�s life was in grave danger. He would think her insane. Maybe I am insane, she thought, bitterly. No one in her right mind would willingly go to that island, but she knew she had to do just that. "You wouldn�t understand, Kevin."
"You�re right about that. I don�t understand at all why you want to risk your health -- your life -- to go down there to work with a man you�ve seen -- what? -- once in the last five years? No, I can�t allow you to do that ---"
She raised her hand abruptly, cutting him off. "You have no say in this, Kevin, but you�re a good friend, and I know your words are spoken because you care, but do not presume to tell me what I may or may not do."
"I do care." More than she would ever know. "That�s why I think you should take it easy for awhile and allow yourself time to recover from this."
"I can�t recover from this by sitting around the house grieving. Kevin, when I woke up in the hospital, I knew without being told that my husband and my children were dead. I could feel it. I could feel that emptiness that comes when you know you�ve been left behind by the ones who mean the most to you. At the time, I wished they had just let me die, too! All I could do was lie there in my bed, wondering why I lived and they died. Mom is very religious, and she kept telling me there was a reason why I was spared, that I have unfinished business, or something like that. I thought it was ridiculous at the time, but now, I�m wondering if maybe she was right."
"So, you believe you were spared so you could go down to that island and help Alan Grant study dinosaurs?" he asked with a sarcasm that sent another ripple of annoyance through her.
"No. It�s something more profound than that. I don�t know what it is, exactly, and I don�t know why I feel this need to go down there. I only know that I have to do it. Kevin, there has been no purpose to my life since the accident, but now, for the first time, I�m totally focused on doing something."
Gazing at her across the desk, he could see that she was right. She was more alive than he had seen her since before the accident. He had seen her on several occasions following the car crash, and had been struck by the dull listlessness in her eyes, the lack of interest in anything that was spoken to her, the blank look of total depression on her face. There was no question; she was demonstrating more enthusiasm than he had seen in a long time. Still, it was not feasible to allow her to risk her life needlessly. She was not well, and the climate and primitive conditions could be detrimental to her health.
"Ellie, I�m just worried that you�re focused on the wrong thing. If Grant had wanted help from anyone, he would have taken someone, another qualified paleontologist, with him."
"I�m qualified, Kevin. And unlike other paleontologists, I�ve actually seen those creatures."
"People have been killed on those islands," he reminded her.
Her eyes flashed. "Don�t you think I know that? I saw what little was left of two people who had been killed at Jurassic Park. That is something I will never forget. But I�m a scientist, Kevin, and I want to go back to work, and right now, that means it will have to be on Isla Sorna."
Kevin set his jaw, firmly. "I can�t allow you to do that."
"I�m not asking your permission, Kevin," she told him, defiantly. "If you don�t want to help me, then I�ll call them myself. It would be easier with your help, but either way, I am going."
He gazed across the desk at her, observing the determined expression and defiant eyes. She was focused on only one objective, and that was getting to Isla Sorna. Again, he found himself wondering just how involved she had been with Alan Grant. It was clear to see that it was more than just a working relationship. "You�re really worried about him, aren�t you?"
She nodded. "Yes," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
He sighed, heavily, with resignation. It was difficult to deny her, and he knew her well enough to know that she would find a way to make the journey even if he refused to help. "All right. I�ll tell you what. I�ll call them and see what I can find out. At this point, we don�t even know if he�s still on the island. If he�s still there, we�ll discuss the next step."
She nodded her approval. "Okay. Thanks."
"Don�t thank me yet. I still think this is madness."
He opened his desk drawer and withdrew a manila file folder. Stamped across the front in fold red ink was the words C O N F I D E N T I A L.
Catching her curious gaze, he explained, "It was decided that we should keep his trip a secret until we see how it turns out. If it turns out that there is a possibility of the animals getting off the island, it could generate a panic, or send a pack of gun-toting amateur Rambos down there."
He opened the file, lifted the telephone receiver, and dialed a number from one of the pages. When the call was answered, he spent the next few minutes speaking fluent Spanish to the person on the other end of the call.
Ellie remembered almost nothing of her high school Spanish, but she listened intently, trying to pick up words and phrases that would ease her mind about Alan�s safety, but with little success. At last, she heard the words "Gracias" and "Adios�, and knew the conversation was ending.
Kevin hung up the telephone and returned his attention to her anxious face. "The last supply drop was five weeks ago, and he was still alive at that time. The next scheduled drop is in five days. I told them who you are, that you are Grant�s former colleague, that you were on Isla Nublar with him during the first incident, and that you want to join him on the island." He scratched his head, as if puzzled by their response. "I will be honest with you. I was hoping they would say no, but unfortunately, I�m a bit surprised to say that they were receptive to the idea. They said that if you�re serious, they will have Grant�s suppler pick you up at your hotel, and they will take you to him, but Ellie, I�m begging you to reconsider."
The elation she felt at the knowledge that Alan was probably still alive was nearly overwhelmed by the reality that her plan was being put into motion. The pieces were falling into place, and in a few days, she would join Alan on the island.
What would he say to her? Most likely, he would order his suppliers to escort her off the island. She would have to think of a way to prevent that. Marveling at the irony, she realized that Mark�s money would easily convince her escorts, Alan's suppliers, to switch loyalties.
"Ellie?" Kevin prompted, hoping her sudden silence indicated a change of heart.
"Don�t ask me to explain, but I have to do this, Kevin."
"No, you don�t. You can let him take care of himself. He�s obviously doing a good job at that. He doesn�t need the extra burden of looking after you, as well. Have you thought about that?"
She was shaking her head, negatively as he spoke. "My mind is made up," she told him. "I have to see him, and I can take care of myself. Alan knows that."
Kevin gazed at her steadily, a pensive expression on his face as he began to fully comprehend the degree of affection she felt for Alan Grant. He concluded that she was in love with him, and probably always had been. He fought down a twinge of jealousy. "This man means a lot to you, doesn�t he?"
"I think the world of him," she replied promptly, startling him with her direct honesty. "Kevin, why hasn�t anyone bothered to check on him before this?" she asked, a condemning tone in her voice. "You had no idea if he was even alive!"
"Ellie, we�re very busy here. Like everyone else, our resources are stretched thin due to budget cuts and personnel cuts. Everyone is downsizing, including us."
Ellie looked as if his words had left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Don�t you dare tell me you forgot about him!"
He lifted his shoulders in a guilty shrug. "Not forgot, exactly. Just overlooked. This was Mark�s project, Ellie," he told her, compelled to defend himself in response to her critical glare. "I took it over when he died because Mark had spoken to me about it, but I already have a full load." He spread his hands, palms up, a gesture of guilt. "I confess, I haven�t been as diligent or as forthcoming as I should, but ---" He hesitated, an incriminating expression on his face. "The fact is, Ellie, he doesn�t have any family. There is no one to make inquiries about him, to keep this project on our minds, so . . . ."
"So he just slipped your mind?"
He sighed. "In a word, yes. Temporarily."
"Oh, that is cold, Kevin," she snapped, angrily. "That is really cold!"
"It wasn�t intentional," he told her in his own defense. "Please believe that."
"Well, that certainly explains the surprise I saw on your face when I asked about him. I jolted your memory." She took in a deep breath and let it out in a disparaging sigh.
Kevin scrutinized her across the desk, a mildly judgmental frown puckering his brow. That she was obviously in love with another man was a character flaw he had never suspected from her. It was definitely going to look bad for his best friend�s widow to spend an unspecified length of time alone on an island with a man she had apparently loved even during her marriage.
"Ellie, I don�t like this; I don�t like it at all," he told her. "The danger aspect aside, have you even considered how this will look? You�re a woman, recently widowed, and you�ll be living alone on an island with an unmarried man, a man who hasn�t even seen a woman in nearly seven months, let alone ---" He stopped abruptly, his eyes darting to her face, sensing that he had overstepped the bounds with his careless choice of words.
Ellie�s expression left no doubt that she was greatly offended. "I don�t like the direction this conversation is going, and I don�t appreciate your implications." Snatching up her coat and her purse, she strode toward the door.
"Ellie, wait!" Kevin called after her.
Hastily, he bolted from his chair so quickly that it rolled back, slamming into the expensive credenza. He cast one brief, pained glance at the scuffmark it left on the fine wood, then he raced around the edge of the desk, anxious to catch her before she left. In his haste, he caught the toe of his shoe on the power cord of his calculator, which crashed to the floor with an alarming clatter. Still tangled in the cord, he did a funny little dance in an attempt to regain his balance. Finally, he managed to kick free of the cord, and rushed to the door, catching her by the arm just as she was turning the knob.
"Ellie, wait," he pleaded.
She turned to face him, her eyes flashing with resentment.
He released her arm and took a step back, raising his hands as if in surrender. "I�m sorry," he apologized. "I was out of line. Mark wasn�t just a co-worker; he was also my friend, and I care very much about what happens to his wife. Ellie, I don�t want to see you make an impulsive decision that could get you hurt, or worse."
"Excuse me, Kevin," she said, her voice coldly indifferent. "I have travel arrangements to make."
"There�s nothing I can do to change your mind?"
"Nothing."
He sighed in resignation. "All right, then. If you�re determined to go through with this, let me make the arrangements for you."
Her expression softened, and she cocked her head, slightly, a trace of the old, mischievous Ellie briefly returning. "Why would you do that for me?"
"I want to make sure you�re taken care of. I can pull a few strings to get you decent plane fare and accommodations. Remember, you�re going to a foreign country by yourself, and will have to spend one night in San Jos�. I want to make sure you have a satisfactory hotel. Also, Grant isn�t aware you�re coming. He�s only been ordering enough supplies to sustain one adult. He�s going to have to have additional supplies to accommodate you. I�ll call his supplier and increase his supply order with sufficient groceries and necessities to include you. You can pay your share when you arrive." He paused to clear his throat. "I�ll leave your personal hygiene preferences to you."
"What kind of food have they been taking him?"
He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I don�t know for certain, but I would assume primarily canned goods: vegetables, soups, things like that which store easily."
"Does he have any electricity to power a refrigerator or stove?"
"Hammond paid for a generator to run a freezer and other appliances. He said he would need them to preserve biological samples, whatever that means."
"Blood, feces, anything he can acquire for examination and study," she told him. "What about a refrigerator?"
"Yes, I believe so. My guess it would be an industrial sized side-by-side."
She nodded. That opened up additional food possibilities.
"As for a stove, I�m really not sure. There must be a stove of some kind. I don�t know how if it runs on propane, electricity, or wood."
"I�ll work up a list of foods I want."
"Okay. I�ll call you with the travel details. Are you still staying with your parents?"
"Yes."
"I�ll call you there when the arrangements are made." He embraced her again. "Ellie, promise me you�ll be careful."
"I promise. By the way," she added with a teasing smile, the previous offensive encounter apparently forgotten. "are you planning to write a song to go with that little jig you did just now?"
He felt his cheeks grow warm. "Have you got eyes in the back of your head?"
"I�ll never tell!" she declared, then opened the door and walked away.
He stepped into the hall, and watched her get onto the elevator, wondering if he would ever see her again.
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