by Jack Kilborn
Or trying to speak.
“Whoops.”
Nathan turned and saw Sully standing next to him. The scream finally came out, but it was more like an asthmatic wheeze, so high-pitched only dogs could hear it.
Sully bent down and picked up the box, holding it under Nathan’s face.
“See? You woke him up. Now it must feed on the blood of the living.”
Nathan’s bladder let loose and the blood drained from his head. He was about to pass out.
Sully snapped the lid on and put the box in the back seat.
“You okay, kid?”
“… it’s… it’s… still alive…”
Sully laughed and clapped Nathan on the shoulder. “It’s not alive. Some doctor’s going to use it for experimental research. The battery keeps a small electric charge in the brain so the tissue doesn’t decay, and the jaw moving is just a reflex.”
Nathan began to sob. Sully frowned, clearly embarrassed.
“Look, kid, it’s no big deal. No harm done. You want to come in, get cleaned up?”
Nathan shook his head, his hand reaching into his wet jeans for his car keys. Sully took out the envelope Nathan had given him and removed a fifty dollar bill. He shoved it in Nathan’s vest pocket.
“Here, have a nice dinner on me.”
Nathan mumbled a thanks. It was automatic. He didn’t feel thankful at all.
“If there’s anything left, pick up something for our friend here. Maybe he’d like a pack of gum.”
Sully opened his jaw and clicked his teeth together, doing an eerie imitation of the head.
Nathan climbed into the car, oblivious to Sulley’s laughter. He drove in a daze, way over the speed limit, paying no attention to traffic signals. When he got back to headquarters Nathan quit on the spot, and demanded they remove the box from his back seat and take it to DruTech themselves.
The next day he got a job delivering pizzas.
Jack Kilborn
Disturb
Bill had never been to a funeral where it hadn’t rained.
Today was no exception. He huddled under an umbrella, Theena clutching his arm hard enough to bruise it, trying to remain calm while the minister’s droning voice got lost in the wind.
There had been a wake earlier, loud and good natured, pharmaceutical people mingling with politicians, investors, family members. But it was all bad for Bill. The closed casket brought back memories of his wife’s funeral, and several colleagues he hadn’t seen since then felt the need to ask how he was coping.
Theena hadn’t said a word since this morning, when she apologized for not putting on any make-up. Her nonstop crying since then was the reason why.
But he’d managed to stay strong through the wake, for Theena, for himself. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could last. When he’d learned that the funeral was being held at St. Matthew’s it took all of his will power not to walk out on Theena.
He looked to his right, again, over the rows of graves, to a barren tree on a hill a hundred yards away.
His wife was buried under that tree.
Bill hadn’t visited her once since she’d been interred. The scene had been very much like this one, support people mumbling meaningless words of sympathy in the rain.
A procession had formed before Dr. Nikos’s casket, mourners pulling flowers from an arrangement and setting them on top. Bill tried to ease Theena into line, but she refused to move. The people standing to their left had to walk around them.
Finally, adorned with flora, the coffin was lowered into the muddy earth. Theena wailed, a sound like a tortured ghost, and collapsed onto the ground. Bill knelt next to her, cradling her head, feeling his wife watch them from the hill.
Several people came by, including the minister, offering their assistance. Theena simply sobbed. After a while, she and Bill were the only ones left.
The wind got worse, stinging as it slapped their faces. Bill’s pants were soaked to the thigh. He could imagine how cold Theena was, in a black skirt, sitting on the ground in a little ball.
“We have to get you inside.”
“No.”
“Theena, you’ll get sick out here.”
“I’m not leaving Daddy.”
Bill tried to lift her by the armpits, but she fought him. He had an irrational impulse to slap her, make her get up so he could leave, and that made him feel even guiltier than he already was.
“I want to put a flower on his casket.”
She allowed Bill to help her up, and they approached the grave.
The hole was already filling with water. So cold and wet and alone. Awful.
Theena picked a rose and dropped it. The flower bounced indifferently off the casket and fell alongside. Theena shook herself free of Bill’s arms and ran, across the cemetery, towards the parking lot, her face in her hands.
Bill watched her go. He wanted to follow, but his feet had something else in mind. They took him in the other direction, up the hill.
Kristen’s headstone was black marble. All it listed was her full name, her birth date, her death date. The carver had asked Bill if he wanted anything else, a phrase or line.
To sum up a person’s life in one phrase had seemed so pathetic at the time, and Bill had passed. Now he wished he’d put something, anything there, to set it apart from all of the other nondescript graves, rows and rows of them.
“I’m sorry, Kristen. I’m so sorry.”
He cried, letting it all out, sobbing with his whole body like Theena had. He was so overwhelmed with grief that he didn’t notice the two men approach him from behind.
“Well, lookee here, Franco. It’s the Doc’s wife.”
Bill spun around. It was the two thugs who’d almost killed him the day before.
“It’s nice that you visit her, ain’t it Franco?”
Franco put out a palm and shoved Bill backwards. Bill tripped over his wife’s stone and landed hard on his butt.
“I thought we told you not to call the cops.”
“Easy, Franco. Can’t you see the guy is grieving here? You gonna kick his ass on top of his wife’s grave? Show some respect.”
The older man, Bill remembered his name was Carlos, held out his hand to help him up. Bill refused to take it.
Carlos shrugged and got down on his haunches.
“Franco is right, though. We warned you not to call the cops, and you went and called the FBI. We feel like maybe you didn’t take us seriously.”
“Fuck you.” Bill spat in his face.
Carlos smiled. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his cheek. Then he backhanded Bill across the face.
“I’m sentimental, so I’ll forgive that. But we need you to understand that no one’s gonna help you, Doc. You could call the CIA, Internal Affairs, the goddamn Governor, and no one will help. But we’ll hear about it. And we won’t be happy.”
Bill probed the inside of his mouth with his tongue, tasting blood. A tooth was wiggly. He stared up at Franco, but there was no fear. There was no pain, either. All Bill felt was a coldness inside him. He embraced it, drew strength from it. This wasn’t going to be a repeat of yesterday.
He made a show of getting to his feet, looking weak and beaten. Then he made a tight fist and hit Carlos with everything he had.
Carlos went down. Franco stood there, immobile and confused. Bill lowered his head and charged the bigger man, connecting solidly with his gut. Franco grunted and doubled over, and Bill swung hard between his legs, an upper cut that he put his whole body behind.
Then he ran.
The grass was slippery, and it was hard to keep his balance. He heard the thugs yelling after him, heard a shot and felt it go over his head, but he didn’t stop. Not until he reached the parking lot and found Theena sitting in his car.
Bill scrambled for the door handle, his free hand digging for the car keys in his jacket pocket.
They weren’t there.
He tried his blazer pockets, vest pocket, pants pockets, patting
his body all over.
No keys. They must have been lost in the scuffle.
Theena hadn’t even noticed him-she was staring blankly out the window, an emotional zombie.
“Theena! We have to get out of here!”
She didn’t bother looking. Bill glanced over his shoulder, saw Franco and Carlos coming down the hill.
He reached in the car and wound his fingers around Theena’s long, black curls. Then he yanked.
She was jerked from her seat, the pain making her yell. Bill locked his hand around one of her flailing wrists and pulled her out the driver’s side door.
“We have to go!”
There was a boom and a crash, and a spider web of cracks blossomed in the Audi’s rear windshield. Theena’s eyes widened, and Bill dragged her away from the car as another bullet smacked into the open door.
With her long legs, Theena had no problem keeping up with him. They ran, hand in hand, through the parking lot and onto the street. There were apartment buildings on either side, for blocks in either direction. Bill tugged her towards the nearest one, heading for the front entrance. The security door was locked. He frantically pressed buzzers, hoping someone would let him in.
“Who is it?”
Bill put his face to the intercom speaker.
“Please! Someone is trying to kill us!”
“Who is this? Lionel?”
“Open the door!”
Another thunderclap, the bullet slapping into the brick wall and peppering Bill’s face with bits of wet rock.
They took off in a crouch, making a beeline for the next apartment building.
No one answered the buzzers.
“They’re coming.”
Theena’s voice was soft, fatalistic. Bill chanced a look. Carlos and Franco were jogging towards them, less than a hundred yards away.
Bill looked in the other direction. The street was deserted, not a vehicle in sight. They ran for it.
Halfway down the block, a car turned the corner and began to approach. Bill released Theena and waved his hands over his head, yelling for the car’s attention.
The car didn’t slow down, and veered slightly out of their direction as if to drive past. Frantic, Bill tried to position himself in front of it, holding out his hands, praying the driver would stop.
The driver slammed on the brakes. The tires couldn’t find purchase on the wet pavement and the car hydroplaned, rushing at Bill faster than he was able to get out of the way.
It slid to a stop just a foot before impact.
Bill placed his palms on the hood. The driver was invisible behind tinted gray glass. He was probably petrified, wondering if this were a robbery or a car jack. The car was a late model Lincoln Continental, the rain beading off the many coats of wax.
Bill motioned for Theena to come over.
“We need help! Someone’s after us!”
The driver’s window rolled down.
“Bill May? Theena?”
It was DruTech President Albert Rothchilde.
Jack Kilborn
Disturb
Theena glared at Rothchilde. He was in all black, except for a blood red rose pined to his lapel. He had come to the funeral late, and left early. But she had a pretty good idea why he’d stuck around.
Rothchilde returned her obvious anger with a blank stare, then focused on Bill. “Are you both all right?”
“Some people are chasing us. They have guns.”
“Guns?” Rothchilde raised an eyebrow.
Theena kept her voice even. “Open the doors, Albert.”
“Of course.”
Rothchilde hit the unlock button. Bill climbed into the back seat, Theena the front. She watched her boss try to feign concern.
“Shall we head to the police station?”
Bill shook his head. “They won’t help. Just get us out of here.”
Theena noticed the faintest of smiles appear on Rothchilde’s lips. “Are you sure you’re okay? Who were those men? Were they trying to rob you?”
“I think they’re organized crime.” Bill opened his mouth to say more, but nothing came out.
He suspects Rothchilde, Theena thought. Maybe the guy isn’t as gullible as he looks.
“Just take us home, Albert.”
“Well, I still think we should call the authorities. Do you want to go home, Dr. May?”
Bill said nothing.
Theena could understand his trepidation. They knew where he lived.
“You can stay with me, Bill.”
“Are you sure?”
Theena nodded. Rothchilde gave her a slight jab in the ribs, which she ignored.
“If I can stop at my place and pick up some things.”
“Of course. Just show me the way.”
Bill directed Rothchilde to his condo and told them he’d only be a minute. When he was out of the car, Theena turned to Rothchilde and slapped him.
“You asshole! They were shooting at us!”
Rothchilde’s eyes twinkled.
“They missed. They’re pros, Theena. They were just delivering a message to Bill. You weren’t even supposed to be involved.”
“You’re a bastard.”
He gave her knee a squeeze.
“We both have the same goal here, darling. I see you’re playing your part to the hilt. How was Dr. May? It’s been a while for him, I understand.”
Theena refused to be baited.
“Have you found out who killed my father, yet?”
“Not yet. I’ve got the whole Chicago PD on it.”
“Maybe they aren’t looking in the right place.”
“Meaning?” Rothchilde moved closer. “Oh, I understand. Maybe they should be looking in this car, right?”
Theena looked into his eyes. Beneath the amusement they were blank, dead. She wondered, not for the fist time, what she’d gotten into.
“You killed Mike Bitner, didn’t you?”
“There’s no way to prove that.”
He did, the bastard. And he was reveling in it. Theena felt a tickle of fear spider-walk up her spine.
“How do I know you didn’t kill my father, too?”
“You know I didn’t. It wouldn’t make sense. He was worth too much.”
“What does that matter? Maybe you had your own warped little reason. Once a killer, always a killer.”
Rothchilde pinched her cheeks and squeezed them together, making her lips pout. “And once a whore, always a whore.”
She shook out of his grip. He put his hand on her knee again, rubbing.
“I didn’t kill your father, Theena.”
His caress was cold, oily. She didn’t know if she believed him or not.
“How about Dr. Townsend and Dr. Fletcher?”
“What about them?”
“They weren’t at the funeral.”
Rothchilde frowned. “Yes, I noticed that, too. I’ll have Halloran check on them. I should probably put some men on you as well. If someone’s trying to sabotage me, they may go for you next.”
Theena folded her arms.
“I can take care of myself.”
“Of course you can, dear. If the bad guy comes to your door, you can always fuck your way out of danger.”
She made a fist, intent on putting a permanent dent in his long pointed nose. But Bill was leaving the building. He’d changed into jeans and a new jacket, and was lugging an overnight bag.
Rothchilde blew her a kiss. “It’s that fire in you that makes you so dynamite in the sack.”
Bill climbed into the back of the car, putting his suitcase on the seat next to him. “All set.”
Rothchilde didn’t need directions to Theena’s apartment, but she gave them anyway. Bill may have suspected Rothchilde, but he gave no signs that he suspected her. She wanted to keep it that way.
They drove in silence. Theena harbored so many doubts that sorting them out was difficult. She had originally aligned herself with Rothchilde because they shared a common goal. Whomever sp
onsored N-Som needed to have deep pockets and major clout. Theena was a large part of the reason that American Products acquired DruTech. She’d slept with him at her father’s request.
But sex and murder were two entirely different things.
Theena knew men, what they wanted, and how to control them. She thought she had Albert wrapped around her finger. Now she wasn’t so sure. And the stakes had gotten higher than simply getting N-Som approved.
Theena thought about Townsend, and O’Neil, and Julia and Red. She’d been working with these people for years. They were her family. Now Townsend and Red were missing, Manny had been attacked twice, and her father was dead.
Could she be next?
Theena furrowed her brow, trying to come up with a solution. Rothchilde owned the police. He had friends in both the state and federal government. He was in bed with organized crime. If Rothchilde wanted them all dead, who could she go to?
Don’t panic, she told herself. Maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe it would all work out for the best.
She knew it was a lie, but she clung to it anyway.
It was all she had.
Jack Kilborn
Disturb
Carlos was holding a napkin to his swollen lip when the car phone rang. He had a pretty good idea who it was.
“Yeah?”
“You were supposed to scare them, not shoot them.”
Carlos spat some blood out the window. He pretended it was in Rothchilde’s face.
“The prick sucker punched me.”
“I thought Gino told you to follow my orders exactly. Shall I tell your boss you’re having a listening problem?”
What was with this guy? They were doing him a favor. He could show a little respect. These big business types felt like the whole world should bow at their feet.
“No, Mr. Rothchilde.”
“I’m glad we understand each other. I just dropped them off at Theena’s place. The situation has changed. I want them out of the picture.”
“Out of the picture?”
“Theena and Dr. May have worn out their usefulness to this organization.”
Carlos shook his head. At the first little bump in the road, Rothchilde wanted to whack everybody. And saying this on an open line, yet. Gino must have been making a real mint off of this idiot to keep him around.
“That’s not a smart idea, Mr. Rothchilde. Two FDA agents dead, both on the same case, plus her father and her.”
