Prisoner of Dreams

Chapter Twenty-Four

At a quarter to eleven that evening Corey left his room at the hotel, again formally dressed, and stepped into a taxi. He didn't look behind him to give away that he was aware of the Fed's or anyone else's clandestine presence in or around the hotel.

"To the Bayview Sleep Clinic . . . over on Bay Circle Drive," he told the driver.

At that hour the traffic was minimal, and he arrived at the clinic exactly on time. Going to the front entrance, he was met by a middle-aged African American uniformed guard, obviously working security for the university.

"I have an appointment with Dr. . . "

"Yes. Could I have your name, Sir?"

"Jameson's the name."

The guard looked at a clipboard he carried. "First name?

"Lawrence. . ."

"Fine. Right this way."

The uniformed man took him around the building to a side door along a dimly lit sidewalk. Corey could feel his pulse speeding up as he realized his present vulnerability at that moment.

The guard took out a set of keys and opened the door. He stepped in first and turned-on lights that showed the way across the marbled-floor interior of the clinic. The guard closed the door behind them and proceeded to the elevators. There he took out another key to activate the power to the lift. The well-lit doors opened, and the guard held an open hand outstretched for Corey to enter.

"You'll find Dr. Dimaras on the fourth floor," he said quietly. "He often works late. He'll be expecting you this evening."

"Thank you . . . And when I . . ."

"I'll be waiting here on the ground floor when you return, Sir. To show you out."

"Perfect. Thanks, man."

"Not a problem."

Corey entered the elevator and took it to the fourth floor as he had done earlier that day. Arriving with a jolt, he was surprised to see Dr. Dimaras standing in front of the doors as they opened."

"Thank you for your punctuality, Mr. Jameson. May I call you Lawrence?"

"Sure. And I thank you for this opportunity."

The research coordinator led the way along a brightly lit hallway to his office. There he invited him to sit as he had done before.

"Well, as you know, Hopkins leads the way in a number of medical disciplines, and we are proud of our work here in psychology, studying all matters of sleep and dreaming behaviors."

Corey nodded.

"As told you we do have several programs going on presently that your benefactor's family may be interested in to help fund. However, you specifically requested dream research. And something cutting-edge. Apparently you feel the third option I shared with you would be the most desirable to your clients."

"That's correct, Doctor. This estate I'm representing would certainly be interested in that program, the last of those summarized for me earlier today. The anonymity of the gift would appropriately be then beneficial to both parties."

The coordinator smiled and nodded. "Well, it's not something we do every day, enlighten someone outside our labs about our work. And especially the a project I'm about to introduce you to. It will understandably be a brief view, and unfortunately quite limited."

"Yes. I realize and respect your security here, Doctor."

"Excellent. So let me explain a bit about the background of this program. After that, I'll give you a peek into the laboratory being currently used for its experimental design."