Quoted By:
>Rival acquired
—Probably lying. Even if you and Pat agree on <span class="mu-i">obvious</span> things, like disassociating with Ellery, that doesn't make you the same at all. You didn't shoot her retainer, did you? Of course not. <span class="mu-i">You're</span> driven by heroic fervor, and she's driven by... what... bitter grudges? Cowardly self-preservation?
«Not everybody is so unabashed about risking their necks, Charlie.»
«It is human to cling to life.»
And Richard's the authority on humanity, now? And, sorry, <span class="mu-i">why</span> is he defending Pat? He doesn't get to do that— she's your sworn enemy! She murdered Gil!
«I'm not defending her. I just worry about how prone you are to sorting people into boxes. The world's a complicated place, primrose, and everybody's just trying their best.»
«If you stepped back to acknowledge that, you might find yourself forming relationships with people you'd otherwise discount. I think that'd be healthy for you.»
...You're sorry, what? This joke's gone way too far— it's not funny, it's not mean, it's just scary. He's starting to scare you. If you talk to Pat more, will he stop?
«My intent wasn't to frighten you, Charlie. I apologize.»
«But, yes, I believe you may as well. If you—»
Great. "What do you <span class="mu-i">mean,</span> you feel the same way? You're part of his stupid secret—"
"Our goals are mutually aligned. He's useful to me, and vice versa. That's the extent of it." Pat snorts. "Since we're out of earshot of his <span class="mu-i">girlfriends,</span> the guy's a piece of work. 90% of the time he's just a self-obsessed ass, then the other 10%— it's <span class="mu-i">bad,</span> Charlotte. The man has mental issues, and not in a funny way. The stuff I've seen Anthea deal with... and <span class="mu-i">he</span> broke up with <span class="mu-i">her,</span> can you believe it? They're <span class="mu-i">friends.</span> Girl's a damn doormat, if you ask me."
You hadn't asked her, but okay. Wow. You'll set aside the hatred for now, for the sake of detectiving. "She definitely seemed... agreeable... mental issues?"
"I mean, it's not like his grip on reality is ever that strong, but sometimes he just..." Pat shakes her head and flips a switch. "He loses what he has, I'll put it like that. There's delusions. Calls everybody 'Maddie.'"
Wait a second. "I saw— I saw that! He did that to me! And then he turned into a giant beetle monster..."
"Sounds like him. So, you know, there's kind of a thing— who <span class="mu-i">is</span> Maddie. Anthea's never met her either. He won't talk about her lucid. So I figured there had to be something special, right? Maybe they had a kid? Maybe she was his kid? Nope." She slaps the side of the machine. "Ordinary woman. His ex-girlfriend. <span class="mu-i">Men.</span>"
Men? What about them? And more to the point— "The only reason you know that is cause you kidnapped her."
Her posture hardens.
(1/3?)
