Promise Me Eternity

by Ian Fox

  “That’s what I wanted to tell the police. You don’t need to tell me. I know that you didn’t kill her. But then, who did?”

  “I don’t know. However much I rack my brain, I can’t think who it might have been. Of course, I’ll have to come up with an answer. The killer can’t get away with it, that’s for sure.”

  Chapter 46

  _______________________

  “You called me, Dr. Horras?”

  “Yes, Dr. Carter, please take a seat,” said the director of the hospital. “I wanted to speak to you.”

  Anita Carter crossed her legs and made herself comfortable. “In connection with what?”

  “How long have you been with us now?”

  She looked concerned. “About eight years, I think. Why?”

  “The thing is this. You probably know what’s happened to Dr. Patterson?”

  “Yes, that’s all people are talking about.”

  “Of course, I suppose they are, dumb of me!” He blinked a few times and then said, “I’m concerned about Dr. Duncan. He’s completely on his own now, without Dr. Patterson to supervise him.”

  “Yes, and?”

  “I’m worried about him. Is he up to it? These are very demanding operations and I don’t want—”

  She interrupted him with great confidence. “I’m sure that Jerry Duncan is a very capable neurosurgeon. I’ve worked with him for a long time and I don’t remember him ever—”

  “That’s just what I wanted to hear. I am also of the opinion that Dr. Duncan is a capable doctor, but Dr. Patterson spoke about him very little. In fact, he hardly ever mentioned him. I don’t know what that signifies.”

  “Dr. Patterson was getting rather strange, or at least that’s how it seemed to me.”

  “What do you mean, Anita?”

  “I don’t know if it’s right for me to say this. The situation being what it is, it doesn’t seem very …”

  “But of course, you must! How can I manage this hospital if I’m not informed about what’s going on?”

  She straightened her legs and sat more erect. “You can ask others, but it seems to me that recently Dr. Patterson has been pretty touchy. Quite a few times he has lost his temper for no real reason. We’ve often asked ourselves what was wrong with him.”

  The director was shocked. “Is that so? Has it affected his work at all?”

  Anita Carter pretended to give it some thought. A little lie can’t do any harm, can it? “Of course it has. You know, as an anesthetist I see everything that goes on. In fact I’ve handled the anesthesia at brain operations so many times that I could do the operation myself.”

  “That’s exactly why I wanted to talk to you. You’ve worked with Dr. Patterson and Dr. Duncan for quite a few years now and I’m sure you know them both well, isn’t that so?”

  “I can only tell you what I think. You’ll have to ask others for their views.” She was hoping he wouldn’t do that. “Recently, Dr. Patterson has been leaving an increasing number of operations to Dr. Duncan. In other words, Jerry Duncan operated and Simon Patterson assisted.”

  “That doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. After all, the aim of a surgeon is to teach his assistant to be independent.”

  “Of course, but I’ve seen when he made the decision to do so. He never said in advance that Dr. Duncan would be operating. He always decided at the start of the operation. He seemed tense, sometimes his hands were shaking.”

  “Very strange. And why do you think that was? Did he say anything?”

  She rolled her eyes slightly. “Of course there are rumors. You know how it is, people say different things and you can’t believe everything you hear.”

  “And what are people saying?”

  “Everyone knows that Dr. Patterson has his own laboratory at home.”

  Brad Horras agreed. “That’s right.”

  “People are saying strange things.”

  “Come on now!”

  “They say that Dr. Patterson was trying some vaccine on himself. Of course, nobody knows exactly what he was doing in his lab, but they say that the side effects were very bad. You know, he became aggressive and found it increasingly difficult to control himself. And then he turned on his wife ….”

  “My God! Do you really think that he killed her? It never entered my head.”

  “I don’t know, but that’s what people are saying.”

  Dr. Horras covered his mouth with his hand and stared at the floor for a few moments. “I can’t believe it. And this has to happen in my hospital. What the hell am I going to do?”

  “Do you want to hear what I think?”

  “Of course, Dr. Carter. I’d be grateful.”

  “In my view, events involving Dr. Patterson are doing a great deal of harm to the hospital.”

  “That’s true. There have been calls from the board demanding that I take action. But what can I do?”

  “In your position, I’d fire him. You can’t afford this.”

  “But Dr. Patterson is a very skilled surgeon. We can’t afford to lose him.”

  “What use is he going to be to you if he’s in jail? None. To me, the best thing would be to tell him that under the circumstances, you have no choice but to terminate his contract of employment. If he turns out to be innocent, you can always take him back.”

  Dr. Horras got up and paced across the room. “I think you’re right, Anita, these events are causing the hospital a great deal of harm and there’s simply too much talk. I must take action. I’m very grateful for your advice. One of my weaknesses is that I hesitate too much. I should have done this already.” He walked her to the door.

  “Have a nice day,” Dr. Carter said.

  “Good-bye, Anita.”

  When Dr. Carter had gone, the director gave the matter some thought. She’s a good doctor. I’m glad I talked to her. He wondered whether Simon Patterson really had poisoned himself with some vaccine. “Terrible, absolutely terrible,” he said aloud.

  Chapter 47

  _______________________

  As soon as Simon Patterson got home, he called the hospital. “Hello, Dr. Horras, I’m calling you about taking some leave—”

  The hospital director cut in: “Where are you, Dr. Patterson?”

  “At home, why?”

  The director’s voice was deep and serious. “You don’t realize the trouble you’ve caused us.”

  “Me, causing trouble? Someone murdered my wife and—”

  “Listen, Dr. Patterson. The police have been here. They told me that someone cut your wife’s throat with a scalpel. When they showed it to me, I recognized it immediately as the kind we use. I know that you and your wife were having probl—”

  “I didn’t kill Helen!” He was nearly screaming into the phone. “It wasn’t me, damn it!”

  There was silence.

  Then Dr. Horras continued: “We’ve just had a meeting of the hospital board and because of the bad publicity that you are generating for the hospital, we’ve decided to suspend you.”

  At his wit’s end, Dr. Patterson said, “What! How is that possible? You can’t just exclude me. Didn’t you yourself say how essential I was?”

  “Not so essential to let us suffer damage. You don’t know how many people have called us, afraid that you are going to operate on them. I wonder if you realize …”

  “Fine, if that’s what you’ve decided.” Simon sounded resigned to his fate.

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Patterson, there’s no other way. Good day.”

  “Good day!” He slammed the phone down and cursed out loud: “I never even liked the damn job!”

  He poured himself a drink and sat in the armchair. He’d had enough.

  The phone rang. He looked at it wearily and could barely reach out for it. “Yes.”

  “It’s Christine. Simon, what’s happening? Are you alright?”

  Tears of gratitude welled up in his eyes. “I’m good, Christine. I’m so grateful to you for paying the bail money.”

>   “It’s the least I can do. Listen, I can’t talk long. We must meet up to decide what to do next.”

  “Yes, yes, of course.”

  “I’ve reserved a room in the place we met last time. I think it’s too dangerous to meet anywhere outside, don’t you think?”

  His head was full of thoughts. He didn’t really care where they met. All that mattered was that they could talk. “Of course, Christine. When shall we meet?”

  “In two hours.” She put down the phone.

  Chapter 48

  _______________________

  Dr. Jerry Duncan knocked on the door of the director.

  “Come in,” rang out a voice from inside.

  “You wanted to speak to me?”

  “Yes, please sit down.” Dr. Brad Horras pointed to a comfortable chair. He gathered together some of the papers on the desk in front of him and put them to one side. Then he moved his lower jaw left and right as he always did when he was about to say something important. “Dr. Patterson has been arrested. You probably heard?”

  “Yes, yes, very tragic.”

  “He’s actually at home now, but nobody knows how it’s all going to end. It’s hard to believe.” He picked up a pencil and tapped his teeth with it. “How are things going in neurosurgery?”

  “Everything’s as it should be.”

  “How long have you been with us?”

  “About seven years.”

  “Aha, good, that’s something at least. You know, I was concerned whether you could manage on your own. I don’t know when Dr. Patterson will be back.” It didn’t seem worth revealing that Dr. Patterson would never be back.

  “You needn’t worry, I have enough experience.”

  “Yes, but so far you have always worked as an assistant surgeon.”

  Jerry thought this may be an opportunity for a promotion. “That’s true, but …. Isn’t it time that I stopped being an assistant?”

  “Slow down, young man. I haven’t called you in to promote you. You’re here because I wanted to ask you whether you’re capable of running the department while Dr. Patterson is away.”

  Clearly disappointed, he answered, “Yes.”

  “OK, that’s what I wanted to hear. If you’d said no, I would have had to borrow a surgeon from another hospital immediately.”

  Jerry lowered his eyes.

  “So you’ll be able to manage on your own? I’m asking you again because this is an extremely responsible position and I’d like—”

  “I can cope, don’t worry,” he said through gritted teeth.

  A smile flitted across the director’s face and he picked up the papers that he had put to one side. “I’m very glad. Have a nice day.”

  “You too. Good-bye.”

  Half an hour later Jerry was having lunch with Anita Carter. He told her about his talk with the director.

  “Did you think that he’d promote you just like that? That’s just crazy.”

  Jerry’s look showed he didn’t understand.

  “You’ve got to go about things in a more thoughtful way. It’s obvious that he’s not going to decide anything without Dr. Patterson. That would be unethical. What would he say then if Dr. Patterson came back?”

  “And what do you recommend?”

  “Let’s give it some time. We’ll see how quickly they get rid of him. It’s hard to predict anything. The main thing is that you show you’re capable of operating without him. The whole time he’s away, everything must run like clockwork. You must be particularly nice to the patients. You know they often send thank-you letters and so on.”

  He took her hand. “I really am crazy. You’re right, I’ll show them I’m a good neurosurgeon and then they’ll promote me.”

  “That’s right, unless Dr. Patterson returns.”

  “Then everything will go back to how it was.”

  “Do you think he killed her?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. It all seems very strange.”

  She screwed up her face. “I think he did. I’ve thought for some time that he’s the malicious type. You don’t know. He’s usually calm enough, but sometimes ….”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, I am. You know how often he’s lost his temper for no apparent reason.”

  “When, for example? He’s always seemed pretty calm and collected to me.”

  She waved her hand vaguely. “I can’t remember when exactly. I just know he’s unpredictable. What I’m trying to say is that the police are sure to be sniffing around. You know, asking questions.”

  “And?”

  “It would be better if you said that he was the excitable type.”

  “But he doesn’t seem that way to me.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Jerry. We don’t want him coming back, do we? Say that he had a temper and the police are more likely to hold him until the trial. That would give you enough time to get promoted. Do I have to spell it out for you? If he didn’t kill her, he’ll get off. But I’m telling you that he cut her throat. Who else could have done it?” She looked into his eyes with suspicion. “Unless you—”

  “Stop it, Anita, I told you, I cut myself.”

  “I hope so,” she joked. Then she picked up her tray. “See you later.”

  “Yes, see you later.” His forehead creased as he stared after her.

  Chapter 49

  _______________________

  Carlo had always been a good actor. When he was barely ten years old, the police had caught him in someone else’s house. He had been sent in by his father, who had told him to grab anything of value. When they asked him what he was doing in a strange house, he said he was looking for a hiding place.

  Before the age of twelve he was in trouble with the police again when he set off the alarm in a gallery. He was lucky that he had put the silver vase he was planning to make off with back in its place. He told the police that he had tripped and fallen against the pedestal on which the vase stood. No one questioned the truth of what he said.

  Carlo’s father was especially proud of him. Of the nine children, Carlo was the youngest and most talented. Although he was short and skinny, whatever he did he did well. His mother also adored him. She was a kind woman, with too much weight for her own good. Neither parent worked. They were a funny-looking couple: he was short and thin, she was tall and weighing over two hundred and eighty pounds. He had fallen for her because of her size which he found arousing, and because they never used birth control the children came one after the other.

  In his estimation, Carlo Vucci had an ideal childhood. He grew up in a large family where he was allowed to do whatever he liked. His mother had all the other children to deal with, plus she spent a lot of her time eating. His father spent all his time thinking how he could get his hands on money. He was a great teacher when it came to thieving. He taught his kids to become focused, careful, and daring thieves. All their stealing was carefully planned and they never lived in one place for more than a year. This was the basic rule that helped him avoid the arm of the law. The other rule was that they move to a new country every other year. Thus Carlo lived in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and the United States. He spoke five languages fluently.

  The children never went to school. Their father taught them the basic laws of math and told them about history and the two world wars. But most important, he taught them how to survive.

  Some days they had nothing to eat. The father was afraid of such times because he didn’t want his wife to lose weight. But there were also days of plenty when they could afford whatever they wanted. They were a really big, happy family.

  Carlo left home when he was sixteen. Sick of moving, he decided to settle somewhere. Of all the countries they had lived in, he liked America the most.

  Even before he reached eighteen, he and the police were old acquaintances, as they arrested him a number of times for drug dealing and other offenses. He knew that it was risky staying in one place, but he wanted to live in San Francisco where he had
made some good friends, so he stayed there and damned the consequences.

  When he was nineteen, he was noticed by Boris Voyadinov, a Russian crook who had recently come to the States. He had quite a bit of money and had set himself the target of becoming a rich American. Bold and dangerous, he killed anyone who got in his way. He liked Carlo immediately and Carlo became his right-hand man.

  Over the years, Carlo got together enough money to set up his own business. First, he bought a restaurant and did it up to suit his own taste. Later he bought another and a small shop. When his income was high enough he decided to go legal. Of course, it wasn’t that simple. Voyadinov would never want to let him go because Carlo knew too much about him.

  For months, Carlo thought about how to free himself from Voyadinov. It was clear that he had to get rid of him because sooner or later he would be killed himself. But he didn’t know how. Boris Voyadinov had a lot of friends and relatives who were sure to avenge his death.

  After two more years, he could wait no longer. He called a former Italian secret agent who he had heard carried out killings. He told him all about Voyadinov, his habits, the things that only he knew, and offered the agent an enormous sum of money. Less than a month later, Boris Voyadinov was dead. It was never established who killed him. The former secret agent disappeared. Carlo buried him in nearby woods. By way of thanks, he left a ten-dollar bill on the ground.

  Carlo went straight for a while, living on the income from his three businesses. He’d thought he would be happy, but instead became depressed and gloomy. Every evening he drank in one of his restaurants, getting so drunk that the waiters had to carry him to bed.

  One day, he realized what the problem was. He hated the life he was leading. It was too quiet, boring. He missed the kind of business he had organized with Voyadinov. He missed killing someone now and then. He missed the sense of power he had felt before. He decided to go back.