9. BETRAYAL
I'd pinned my hopes on a swift response from Eric Van Sant, my mentor's esteemed colleague. But weeks crawled by, devoid of letter or call. The scientist could have vanished, or worse, dismissed my plea for help unread. Panic gnawed at me.
Vincent, true to his word, became a ghost for the rest of November. Every encounter yielded a vague response to my whereabouts inquiries. At least Maratoni wasn't actively tormenting me. For the most part, he was busy avoiding me,