F Paul Wilson - Novel 02 (55 page)

 
          
"You
are incredible. And I'm sorry I doubted you." Those words were music.

           
She took his hand in both of hers.
"We were both being manipulated by a master. The important thing is you
cared enough not to give up on me. That means the whole world to me."

           
Gerry glanced over his shoulder at
Duncan
. "He doesn't look like a guy who's
going down for two counts of second degree murder and a host of federal crimes."

          
Gin saw what he meant
Duncan
looked cool and calm in his chair now that
the ultrasound transducer had been put away. She began to move around the
counter to get closer to him.

 
          
'"Where're
you going?" Gerry said.

 
          
"I
want a few words with my former boss." My former idol. She had to be
careful here. She had something to say but she didn't want her feelings to get
in the way. Just looking at him now made her want to burst into tears.

 
          
"Do
you realize what you've become,
Duncan
?"

           
He gazed up at her blandly. "I
have a feeling you're going to tell me."

 
          
"Ever
since I came to
Washington
you've been talking to me about ethics and honesty and probity and how
nobody in the government adheres to any moral and ethical standards. And you
weren't far off the mark, unfortunately. But I always assumed you were speaking
from higher ground. You weren't. During all that talk you were desecrating your
oath as a physician. I know those men hurt you, and they may well have been the
crooks, cheats, venal, low-rent, bloodsucking leeches on the public trust you
said they were, but that doesn't matter. They came to you as a doctor and you
accepted them as patients. They were counting on you being better than they
were. That's a sacred trust, primum non nocere, and you defiled it." She
noticed Decker slipping back into the room, but he didn't interrupt her. Good.
She wasn't finished yet.

 
          
"I
know what you used to be,
Duncan
, who you used to be, and I admired that person like no one else in the
world. But you became exactly like the people you detest so much, the end
justifies the means, anything goes. Look what you tried to do to me." She
realized how angry she was becoming. She had to shut up before she exploded.
"You be the enemy, Duncan. And you're going to pay for it."

           
"Maybe," he said softly.
"And maybe not."

 
          
"Don't
kid yourself, ' she said, feeling her fury escalating. "You just confessed
in front of a roomful of people."

           
He smiled at her. "Whatever
statements I made were coerced from me, elicited under threats of damage."
He looked around at the four government agents. "Ask any of these gentlemen
if they think one word of what I said here will ever be admissible in
court."

           
Gin looked around. No one had to
say anything. Gerry's eyes spoke volumes.

 
          
Something
snapped inside her. "You mean he's going free?" Gerry started to say
something but Gin didn't hear it. All the pain, all the anguish, the terror,
the self-doubt, the betrayal, and
Duncan
was going to walk!

 
          
She
turned, grabbed the ultrasound handle, thumbed the power button, and slammed it
against
Duncan
's leg.

 
          
"Walk
away from that!"

           
Duncan
screamed "NO!" and clutched at
his thigh. "Oh, God, NO!"

           
The lab was suddenly bedlam,
Reilley pushed her away from
Duncan
, Gerry pulled the handle from her hand,
while Decker was saying, "Jesus H. Christ! Gerry, get her the hell out of
here!"

           
Gerry grasped both her upper arms
from behind and gently but firmly propelled her toward the door, guiding her
past Duncan, who was now bent double as he clawed at his thigh, whimpering and
moaning, "Oh-no-oh-no-oh-no, please, God, no-oh-no-oh-no!" And then
they were in the narrow passageway outside the lab. Gerry shut the door behind
them and turned her around to face him.

 
          
"My
God, Gin! I can't believe you did that."

 
          
"I
want him to be as frightened as I was. I want him to know what it feels like to
be utterly terrified."

 
          
"I
can appreciate that. Look, know what he tried to do to you, but after all you
just said, I never thought . . . "

           
He ran out of words and stared at
her. "Why are you smiling?"

           
She truly loved this man's sense of
decency.

 
          
"I
guess I forgot to mention that
Duncan
's implant was empty."

 
          
"Empty?"
She nodded. "Right. He burst in on me before I had a chance to fill it, so
I stuck him with an empty one." She watched Gerry's expression slacken,
then saw his lips turn up at the corners.

 
          
A
second later he was shaking his head and grinning.

 
          
"I
love it. Give him a taste of his own medicine, or let him think that's what
he's getting." He slipped his arms around her and pulled her close.
"I was so worried about you. Why didn't you call?"

           
"I didn't think you'd believe
me." Suddenly she felt weak and shaky. "Can we sit down?"

           
He guided her to one of the chairs
in the lounge area and pulled another up close beside her. He slipped a
protective arm over her shoulders.

 
          
"That
will never happen again, Gin. I'll always believe you. I swear."

 
          
"Good.
Hopefully I'll never again be in a situation like this."

 
          
"That
makes two of us. Three of us, counting Martha. She's missed you." He
leaned closer. "I think this morning will square me with the Bureau. Which
means I'll probably be moving up. I'm thinking of moving Martha away from the
District. How about you? Still itching to work on the Hill?"

           
Gin shook her head. "I've had
it with this place. I think I'm going to look for a practice in a nice little
town where only things are for sale, not people."

 
          
"Great."
His eyes held hers.

 
          
"Maybe
you could pick one with an FBI office nearby. How's that sound?"

 
          
"That
sounds nice," she said softly.

 
          
The
lab door opened behind them. Briggs stepped out and walked past, heading for
the stairs. He gave Gin a wary look. As the door swung closed again, Gin heard
Duncan
's voice.

 
          
"You've
got to get me to a hospital! Now! Not later! This is an emergency!" And
then the door clicked shut.

 
          
"How
long before we tell him?" Gerry said.

 
          
"Tell
him?" Gin said. "I'm not going to tell him. He'll figure it out
sooner or later. Let the bastard stew till then."

           
Gerry laughed. "Remind me
never to get on the wrong side of you."

           
She grabbed his tie and pulled him
closer. "Believe that, buster. Don't ever forget it."

 
          
They
kissed.