Free Community by Graham Masterton Page A

explain why, but that was all she said on the subject. Instead, she lifted up her hand as if she were holding up a wine glass and said, ‘How about that drink?’
    â€˜OK, but just one. Talking of death, Doctor Connor would absolutely murder me, if she knew.’
    Isobel brought in two large glasses of red wine and made herself comfortable on the couch, very close to him. She was wearing a plain red needlecord dress with the top three buttons undone to show the sparkling red crystal necklace that rested between her breasts.
    â€˜Here’s to us,’ she said.
    Michael clinked glasses with her. Then he nodded toward the TV and said, ‘You want me to turn this off?’
    â€˜No, watch it if you want to.’
    â€˜I find it pretty interesting, that’s all. The heroine is a detective who has hyperthymesia, which is like the total opposite of amnesia. She can remember every single detail of every single thing that she ever saw or heard – every conversation, every person’s face, every fact, every clue, everything.’
    â€˜You wouldn’t want to be like that, would you?’ Isobel asked him.
    â€˜I don’t know. I think I’d rather remember everything than nothing.’
    â€˜I don’t remember
my
accident.’
    â€˜What happened?’
    Isobel shrugged. ‘This is only what I’ve been told. I had just finished a teaching seminar at Raleigh College in Portland. But when we were all leaving for lunch, the elevator doors opened and there was no elevator car. I was talking to my friend and I stepped into the elevator shaft and fell three stories and dislocated my spine. Like I say, though, I don’t remember doing it.’
    Michael took her hand and squeezed it. ‘You’re OK now, though?’
    â€˜I’m fine. Absolutely one hundred per cent. No pain, no stiffness, nothing. They work miracles at TSC, believe me.’
    â€˜I still don’t get this community thing. I agree with that guy Jack I was talking to this morning. Like, it’s all a little weird. Look at the way that girl started screaming at me like that.’
    â€˜There’s nothing sinister about it, Greg. The clinic uses Trinity to support people recovering from serious accidents, like me, and like you, and sometimes they’re a little off-balance. Trinity is like a convalescent home except that it’s a community, and not everybody who lives here is a clinic patient, by any means. There are some very high-end people here. Doctors, lawyers, scientists.’
    â€˜I still don’t get it. Why would they
want
to live here, people like that, right in the middle of no place at all? There aren’t any bars … not that I’ve seen, anyhow. There’s no nightlife. There are no restaurants. As far as I can make out, you don’t even have a market.’
    Isobel lifted her hand and touched Michael’s cheek, very gently. ‘Sometimes, you know, people have no choice.’
    â€˜What does that mean? Everybody has a choice of where they want to live. I just can’t work out why anybody would want to live
here.
I mean, the natives are friendly enough, aren’t they? There’s a good warm community spirit. But what the hell are they doing here?’
    â€˜You know why
you’re
here.’
    â€˜Of course I do. I can’t remember a goddamned thing about anything, so it’s probably the best place for me until I get my memory back. But if it wasn’t, I’d be off to San Francisco like a shot.’
    Isobel knelt up on the couch and kissed him, first on the forehead and then on the lips. Then she sat back with a challenging look on her face.
    â€˜I could give you at least one reason to stay,’ she said. ‘Even if you do get your memory back.’
    Michael said nothing, but looked back at her, directly in the eyes, searching for meaning. He was breathing hard. He noticed for the first time that she had a small