Free Broken Mirror by Cody Sisco

up at the funeral.”
    “Yes, Mother told me about that. Curious . . .” She took a small sip of her tea. “We all understand. Everyone handles grief in his or her own way, and yours . . . happens to be a bit more dramatic.”
    Victor shook his head. “I forgot my dose this morning. I should have doubled up at least.”
    “Are you caught up now?”
    “I will be in a minute.” He ran his hands through his hair and was surprised when they came away with more than several strands. “I know I need to.”
    “Victor, days like today are difficult for everyone.”
    “The problem is I’m still thinking about it.” He scratched along his jawline. “Isn’t it a possibility Granfa was murdered?”
    Circe looked into her mug. “It seems beyond the pale to me. We’ve come a long way since the start of the twentieth century. That kind of corruption . . .” She stumbled a bit over the word and took in another breath. “It’s something we’ve left behind for the most part. Carmichael excepted.”
    Victor shook his head. “There’s something fishy about the timing of it all. Even Granma and Granfa’s dogs seemed to start acting strangely when Oak Knoll closed. And didn’t you see how he looked at the funeral? What’s worse” — as Victor spoke he realized he was thinking more clearly than he had in years — “I get this odd feeling that I wouldn’t have noticed anything if I had taken my dose. Maybe they’re interfering with my — ”
    “I know what you’re thinking. About coming off your meds. It’s a terrible idea. They’re protecting you.”
    “Yes, I know. Protecting me from myself. Protecting everyone else too.”
    Circe looked at him with a blank face. “Your troubles today came from the fact that you forgot to take your pills. Any changes in your medication schedule must be signed off by a Health Board–licensed physician. And for good reason.”
    Victor frowned. “But when I looked through Granfa’s medical records — ”
    “You did what ?” Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t let Mother know what you’re up to.”
    “You don’t think it’s odd it took so long to diagnose heart failure?”
    “I don’t.” A faint smile crept onto her face. “People want medicine to be black-and-white, but the reality is that we’re far more complicated organisms than we often realize. And the care we provide is imperfect.”
    Victor grimaced. She wasn’t listening to him. Maybe she was preoccupied by her responsibilities with the business. “Was there an autopsy?” he asked. “Maybe if I read the report . . .”
    Circe reached out and placed her hand gently on Victor’s shoulder. “I know it helps to talk about your fantasies. But you can’t indulge this tendency. Your reclassification appointment is the thirty-first of May, as you well know. You need to show you’re in command of your senses. We can’t let you go the way of Samuel Miller.”
    Victor felt a chill climb up his spine and icy fingers stroke his face. “Of course not. I’m trying. I am. I’m going to pull my life together. My job — ”
    “I’m certain Gene-Us will continue to be a useful outlet for your intellect. Karine speaks highly of you, and, believe me, she can be a powerful ally.”
    Karine was Victor’s boss and an old friend of his aunt’s for as long as he could remember. Karine had always treated him with respect but also a frosty formality. He said, “I don’t think she likes me.”
    “That’s just her personality. Besides your job, though, Victor, don’t forget to nurture your social connections as well. I saw Elena at the funeral. I’m sure you’re glad she’s back.” Circe smiled and drank her tea in several gulps. “Don’t miss any more doses, okay?”
    Victor nodded. “It’s just that it seems like something changed with Granfa around the time he shut Oak Knoll. And he was trying to tell me something.”
    Circe raised an eyebrow. He had her full attention. “Tell you what?”
    “I