I told him what Simon and Killian had told me and it made him shake his head.

Finally he said, “I guess I’d like to know if the missing rams are related to this. But I was so sure I did know what had happened to me. Did Killian say anymore?”   

“That’s all I can remember. I meant to ask him if he thought the police should be contacted or if he already did it but I got distracted. Do you remember anything else about that night?”

Duncan shook his head. “Nothing except waking up in the hospital when I thought I was home in bed. Awful. And the dream girl. I’m glad you came Jess. I didn’t like the dream girl. Even though she said she would get me out as well.”

“Dream girl?”

“I thought you came to the hospital much earlier than you did. You said you were Jess and I didn’t recognize you at all. But it must have been a dream.” He smiled. “When you really got there you looked just right.”

There was silence while we both considered all that had been said up to that point. And then Duncan went on. “And also why are you here?”

I had a moment of severe disorientation. “I’m here because Killian called me and said you needed me. He also said you asked for me when he picked you up.”

“Well, I don’t remember saying it but it makes sense Jess; I thought I was dying and this is all yours. Only thing is … it’s nice to know that you came when I said I wanted you, or you were told that I needed you but … you have said for years that you couldn’t leave your community. That they wouldn’t let you visit even though you said you wanted to. So how did you come? How did you get them to finally agree?”

“I didn’t.” My voice was shaking. “I just walked out of my job and got on a plane and came. That’s why I have no proper socks, for example.”

“Walked out of your job?”

“Well, Killian tracked me down at the call center where I worked and when my boss realized that I was going to leave, he was listening in on the phone call basically, he fired me and gave me some severance. It was a little odd but I’m not in trouble with him. The family I was nannying for went to Belize the same day. They wanted to take me with them but Marielle had said no to them. So that was my outside responsibilities all up in smoke.”