I wanted to say there are things you can’t unsee. But I remembered telling her about Quinn’s mutilation, how she’d taken it as a hint of my inability to write a story like this. I still feared her cutting me loose and going with USA Today or something.

“I’m fine,” I said.

“How did it happen?”

The only explanation I could offer was that, when I’d seen him, the medication had knocked him out with a lit cigarette in his hand. “It’s horrible to imagine,” I said, “but he might’ve set himself on fire.”

Dr. Kriss let out a long, defeated sigh. “Christ. When I heard about the fire, it just took the wind out of my sails. We got some really good news this week, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“What was it?”

“Remember I told you we were courting a military contract?”

“You got it?”

“You’ll be able to read all about it in Medical Businessweek. Everyone at Inland is celebrating. They’re expecting a bump in stock price in the wake of the news.”

Once again I felt the panic of losing my exclusive.

“Does that mean they’ll make an announcement about the solution?” I asked.

“Not necessarily. People don’t need to know exactly what we’re working on, not yet. But you have everything you need to start writing, right?”

“I think so, yeah.”

My suitcase flopped onto the carousel, end over end.

“I only ask because I’d understand if you had to take some time after, you know. And we won’t be able to hold off the public’s curiosity much longer. But don’t worry—now that they’re reconciled to your story coming out, I think my bosses see another big stock boost from the publicity.”

“What about you?” I said, hauling the case off the track. “You’re a major shareholder, after all.”

“It’s incredible to think what I’ll be able to do,” she said. “Imagine just one share of Rubicon applied to a place like west-side Mimico.”

Turning from the carousel, I saw Annette, the woman I’d gone for drinks with once. She was seated on a bench eating an airport salad, half a hard-boiled egg on the plastic tines. I said goodbye to Dr. Kriss.

I considered just walking past. Annette hadn’t seen me yet, and she’d evaded all my invitations. Why impose myself, humiliate myself? The call with Dr. Kriss, that was something—not friendship, but not far off. Real events played out in time and we connected through them. By comparison, Annette was just a face in the city, an allure blurring by.