Chapter 2. (See previous for disclaimers, etc.)
Jenny Lewis was a bit of an eye-opener.
It was Claudia's face, but there was none of Claudia's warmth.
That was to be expected. Jenny Lewis was a recent addition to the team. Everyone was wary about her; the unknown element; except Lester. But since he was the one who had hired her, it was not surprising that Lester was enthusiastic about Lewis's presence. Overly enthusiastic?
Professor Nick Cutter swiped a shaky hand across his tired eyes. He had to find a way out of this situation.
And what was his situation? Trapped, yes, trapped in a reality that was 98 true to what he had known. One percent of the remainder was a missing woman; a woman he had cared about; the other one percent was the loss of his closest friend.
Even if Stephen Hart worked alongside him every day of the week in this new world he found himself in, Cutter still could not bring himself to trust the man completely. Why should he? This Stephen Hart had broken every rule of friendship, every decent impulse, every moral code.
And it showed. It showed in Ste-, Hart's belief that Cutter would stand back and let him die. It showed itself in a hundred little ways. Hart didn't seem to notice, much, beyond the revelation of his betrayal. But Cutter did. Every time he looked at Ste-, Hart, he saw the man who had seduced his wife. And every time he felt that knife twist, Cutter had to look away.
He felt quite hopeful when Lester introduced the new PR guru. Once the initial shock of seeing Claudia's face had worn off, Cutter thought he had handled it quite well. He had clung, briefly, to the thought that it was all some elaborate hoax, that Jenny would drop the pretence, and admit she was Claudia. But that hadn't happened. And after seeing Jenny in action, Cutter had to admit that this woman was not Claudia Brown. Jenny Lewis was as scheming as Lester; she was only concerned about her job; there was nothing of Claudia's sense of justice.
In a way it made what he had to do easier. Nick Cutter knew that Claudia, his Claudia, and his Stephen, were out there, somewhere.
All he had to do was find them.
TBC