EDGE OF DAY

CHAPTER FIVE

She woke to the sound of the shower. It was the first time she'd slept later than Ed for weeks. Her body ached and the artificial glow from the window hologram blitzed her head, despite its soft dawn landscape.

The doorbell rang. Rosalie was early or Ed was late. Ed's monitor would alert him to the visitor. Day waited, but the shower didn't turn off.

"House," she said, voice muffled by her pillow. "Just let Rosalie in."

"It's not Rosalie," House said. "Would you like me to ask Officer Rink and Officer Stanhope inside?"

The muscles in her chest contracted. Will Van de Berg's voice echoed through the room, except none of his videos were playing.

Your house catches fire, your mother dies, you break your leg. Great! This is your unconscious mind trying to get your attention. Your job is to embrace what's happening. If you can alter your belief that these things are bad, and instead understand them as an initiation, an opening into the deep unknown, then you'll realize that it's not about living the length of your life, it's about experiencing the depth of it.

How could she hear that? Where was it coming from?

"House turn off all sound channels from my preferences."

"They are all off, Miss White."

Another side effect the technicians at Janus forgot to mention?

"Would you like me to ask Officer Rink and Officer Stanhope inside?" House asked again.

"Who do they want to talk to?" It could be Ed, after all.

"They've asked for you."

The numbers on her monitor started climbing. She peeled her head off the pillow, struggling to turn herself upright.

"Don't open," she croaked. "I'm getting up."

She was still dressed in the loose grey trousers and white shirt she'd worn yesterday to the shopping mall. Feebly, she ran a brush over her tangled hair, slipped on flip-flops and headed for the stairs. She descended gripping on to the banister, shoulder bumping against the wall for support.

"Officers," she said, opening the door. Hazy pink sunlight bleached out vision so she could barely see the two men. She reached for Ed's shades, which he kept hanging from his blazer, and fumbled them onto her face.

"Day White?" an Officer asked. "May we come in?"

"Actually, my boyfriend's in the shower and I was sleeping. It's not a good time."

"I'm Officer Rink and this is Officer Stanhope. We have a few questions." Officer Rink had a rugged cowboy look about him, while his partner was tight-lipped, on the anally retentive side of the scale. "You met Ed Wang yesterday for lunch at Stone's. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"You stayed inside Brent shopping arcade for three hours and seven minutes," said Officer Stanhope. "Mr Wang stayed for fifty-nine minutes. What were you doing in the remaining two hours and eight minutes?"

"What's this all about?" Day pressed fingers to her head where it felt like someone was trying to extract a jagged knife from the soft grey matter.

"If you just answer the questions," Officer Rink said, "we'll take up as little of your time as possible."

"I don't know. Wandering around, browsing."

Rink's monitor beeped. He took out his inhaler and sucked at his portable oxygen.