by Robin Cook
“Where are you going?” Janet asked. As usual, Sean was full of surprises. “I thought you needed lab time. That’s why we rushed here.”
“I do,” Sean assured her. “But I’m afraid I’m going to be interrupted because of Alvarez and also because of that group I locked in the closet in Key West. They must be out and fit to be tied by now. I have to make some arrangements to keep the barbarians at bay.”
“What do you mean by arrangements?” Janet asked warily.
“Maybe it’s better if you don’t know,” Sean said. “I came up with a great idea that’s guaranteed to work, but it’s a bit drastic. I don’t think you should be involved.”
“I don’t like the sound of this at all,” Janet said.
“If anybody comes in here while I’m gone and asks for me,” Sean said, ignoring Janet’s concerns, “tell them that you have no idea where I am, which will be the truth.”
“Who might come?” Janet asked.
“I hope no one,” Sean said. “But if someone does come, it will probably be Robert Harris, the guy who saved the day on the beach. If Alvarez calls anyone, he’ll call him.”
“What if he asks what I’m doing here?”
“Tell him the truth,” Sean said. “Tell him you’re going over these charts to try to understand my behavior.”
“Oh, please!” Janet said superciliously. “I’m not going to understand your behavior from these charts. That’s ridiculous.”
“Just read them and keep in mind what I just told you.”
“You mean about the economic demographics?” Janet asked.
“Exactly,” Sean said. “Now I’ve got to get out of here. But I need to borrow something. Can I have that container of Mace you always carry in your purse?”
“I don’t like this at all,” Janet repeated, but she got the container of Mace and handed it to Sean. “This is making me very nervous.”
“Don’t worry,” Sean said. “I need the Mace in case I run into Batman.”
“Give me a break,” Janet said with exasperation.
SEAN KNEW his time was limited. Alvarez would be regaining consciousness soon if he hadn’t already. Sean was quite confident the guard would eventually get the message to someone that he was no longer guarding the Forbes research building and that Sean Murphy was back in town.
Using the rental car, Sean drove to the City Yacht Basin near the municipal auditorium. He parked the car and went into one of the marinas where he rented a sixteen-foot Boston Whaler. Leaving the yacht basin, he drove the boat across Biscayne Bay and around the Dodge Island seaport. Since it was Sunday afternoon, a number of cruise ships were lined up at the dock with people boarding for Caribbean adventures. There was also a horde of pleasure craft, from jet skis to large oceangoing yachts.
Crossing the sea lane was treacherous because of the chop created by a combination of wind and other waterborne traffic, but Sean made it safely to the bridge connecting the MacArthur Causeway to Miami Beach. Passing under the bridge he saw his objective off to the left: Star Island.
It was easy to find the Masons’ home since their huge white yacht. Lady Luck, was moored to the pier in front. Sean angled his Boston Whaler in behind the yacht where a floating dock was connected to the pier by a ship’s ladder. As Sean expected, by the time he secured his boat, Batman, the Masons’ Doberman, was at the top of the ladder growling and baring his formidable teeth.
Sean climbed the ladder saying “good dog” over and over. Batman leaned out from the pier as far as he dared and responded to Sean’s cajoling by curling his upper lip into a menacing snarl. The volume of his growling rose as he showed more teeth.
Coming within twelve inches of the canine’s canines, Sean gave Batman a blast from Janet’s Mace canister that sent the dog howling toward its lair on the side of the garage.
Confident that there was only one dog, Sean clambered up onto the pier and surveyed the grounds. What he had to do, he had to do quickly, before any phone calls could be made. The sliders opening out from the living room to the pool were cast open. The sound of opera issued forth.
From where he was standing, Sean couldn’t see anyone. As nice a day as it was, he’d expected to see Sarah Mason sunning herself on one of the chaises by the pool. Sean did see a towel, some suntan lotion, and a portion of the Sunday paper, but no Sarah.
Moving quickly, Sean rounded the pool and approached the open sliders. Screen doors obscured his view inside. The closer he got to the house, the louder the music became.
Reaching the door, Sean tried the screen. It was unlocked. Silently he slid it open. Stepping into the room he tried to listen for sounds of people over the opera’s sudden crescendo.
Advancing to the stereo, Sean searched among its dazzling array of dials and gauges. Finding the power button, he turned the system off, plunging the room into relative silence. He was hoping that cutting off the Aida aria in the middle would have a summoning effect. It did.
Almost immediately, Dr. Mason appeared at the door to his study, gazing at the stereo with a quizzical expression on his face. He took a few steps into the room before he saw Sean. He stopped, obviously flabbergasted.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Mason,” Sean said with a voice that was more chipper than he felt. “Is Mrs. Mason around?”
“What in heaven’s name is the meaning of this…?” Dr. Mason blustered. He couldn’t seem to find the right words.
“Intrusion?” Sean suggested.
Sarah Mason appeared, apparently equally baffled by the sudden silence. She was dressed, if that was the word, in a shiny black bikini. The skimpy suit barely covered her ample flesh. Over the bikini she wore a diaphanous jacket with rhinestone buttons, but the jacket was so transparent, it hardly made for a more modest appearance. Completing the outfit were black, backless high-heeled slippers decorated with a tuft of feathers over each instep.
“I’ve come to invite you two to the lab,” Sean said matter-of-factly. “I suggest you bring some reading material. It may be a long afternoon.”
Dr. and Mrs. Mason exchanged glances.
“Trouble is, I don’t have a lot of time,” Sean added. “Let’s get a move on. We’ll use your car since I came in a boat.”
“I’m going to call the police,” Dr. Mason announced. He started to turn back into his study.
“I don’t think that is part of the game plan,” Sean said. He pulled out Tom’s gun and held it up in the air to be sure both of the Masons could see it clearly.
Mrs. Mason gasped. Dr. Mason stiffened.
“I was hoping a mere invitation would be sufficient,” Sean said. “But I do have this gun if need be.”
“I think you are making a big mistake, young man,” Dr. Mason said.
“With all due respect,” Sean said, “if my suspicions are correct, then you’re the one who’s made big mistakes.”
“You won’t get away with this,” Dr. Mason warned.
“I don’t intend to,” Sean said.
“Do something!” Mrs. Mason commanded her husband. Tears had formed in the corners of her eyes, threatening her eyeliner.
“I want everybody to stay cool,” Sean said. “No one will get hurt. Now if we can all just go to the car.” Sean motioned with the gun.
“I’ll have you know we’re expecting company,” Dr. Mason said. “In fact, we’re expecting your…”
“That just means we have to get out of here faster,” Sean interrupted. Then he yelled: “Move!” With gun in hand, he motioned to the hall.
Reluctantly, Dr. Mason put a protective arm around his wife and walked her to the front door. Sean opened it for them. Mrs. Mason was sobbing, saying that she couldn’t go dressed as she was.
“Out!” Sean yelled, his impatience obvious.
They got halfway to Dr. Mason’s parked car when another car pulled up to the curb.
Dismayed at this intrusion, Sean slipped the gun into his jacket pocket. He was thinking that he’d have to add this visitor to his pair of hostag
es. When he saw who it was. he had to blink several times: it was his own brother Brian.
“Sean!” Brian called the moment he recognized his brother. He ran up the lawn, his face reflecting both surprise and pleasure. “I’ve been looking for you for twenty-four hours! Where have you been?”
“I’ve been calling you,” Sean said. “What in God’s name are you doing in Miami?”
“It’s a good thing you’ve arrived, Brian,” Dr. Mason interjected. “Your brother was in the process of kidnapping us.”
“He has a gun!” Mrs. Mason warned between sniffles.
Brian looked at his brother incredulously. “Gun?” he echoed in disbelief. “What gun?”
“It’s in his pocket,” Mrs. Mason snapped.
Brian stared at Sean. “Is this true?”
Sean shrugged. “It’s been a crazy weekend.”
“Let me have the gun,” Brian said, extending his hand.
“No,” Sean said.
“Let me have the gun,” Brian repeated, this time more firmly.
“Brian, there’s more involved here than meets the eye,” Sean said. “Please don’t interfere right now. Obviously I’m going to need your legal talents later, so don’t go away. Just cool out for a few hours.”
Brian took another step closer to Sean, bringing him within arm’s reach. “Give me the gun,” he repeated. “I’m not letting you commit this kind of crime. Abduction with a deadly weapon is a serious felony. It carries a compulsory prison term.”
“I understand you have good intentions,” Sean said. “I know you’re older, and you are a lawyer. But I can’t explain everything right now. Trust me!”
Brian reached out and jammed his hand into Sean’s jacket pocket, groping toward the conspicuous bulge. His fingers wrapped around the gun. Sean grabbed Brian’s wrist in an iron grip.
“You’re older,” Sean said, “but I’m stronger. We’ve been through this before.”
“I’m not letting you do this,” Brian said.
“Let go of the gun,” Sean ordered.
“I’m not about to let you throw your life away,” Brian said.
“Don’t make me do this,” Sean warned.
Brian tried to wrench his arm from Sean’s grip while maintaining a hold on the gun.
Sean reacted by throwing a left uppercut into the pit of Brian’s stomach. With lightning speed, he followed his punch with a sharp jab to the nose. Brian went down like a sack of potatoes, curling into a tight ball as he struggled to catch his breath. A bit of blood trickled out of his nose.
“I’m sorry,” Sean said.
Dr. and Mrs. Mason, who’d been watching this exchange, bolted for the garage. Sean leapt after them, catching Mrs. Mason first. Dr. Mason, who had hold of Mrs. Mason’s other arm, was pulled up short as well.
Having just struck his brother, Sean was in no mood for further argument. “In the car,” he growled. “Dr. Mason, you drive.”
Sheepishly, the Masons complied. Sean got in the back seat. “The lab, please,” he said.
As they pulled out of the driveway, Sean caught a glimpse of Brian, who’d managed to push himself into a sitting position. Brian’s face reflected a mixture of confusion, hurt, and anger.
“IT’S ABOUT time.” Kurt Wanamaker snapped as he, Sterling, and Wayne stumbled out of the storage closet. They were dripping with perspiration. Despite the air-conditioning in the main lab, the temperature in the unventilated closet had soared.
“I just heard you,” the technician explained.
“We’ve been shouting since noon,” Kurt complained.
“It’s hard to hear from downstairs,” the technician said. “Especially with all the equipment running. Plus, we never come up here.”
“I don’t understand how you couldn’t have heard,” Kurt said.
Sterling went directly to a phone and dialed Dr. Mason’s private number. When Dr. Mason didn’t answer, Sterling cursed as he pictured Dr. Mason spending a relaxing Sunday afternoon at a country club.
Replacing the receiver. Sterling considered what he should do next. With decisive speed, he rejoined Kurt and Wayne and said that he’d like to go back to the airport.
As they descended the stairs, Wayne broke the strained silence. “I never would have picked Sean Murphy for somebody carrying a piece.”
“It was a definite surprise,” Sterling agreed. “I believe it is further evidence that Sean Murphy is a far more complex individual than we have surmised.”
When they got to the front of the building, Kurt Wanamaker was thrown into a panic. “My car’s gone!” he moaned.
“Undoubtedly compliments of Mr. Murphy,” Sterling said. “He seems to be thumbing his nose at us.”
“I wonder how Murphy and his girl got out here from the center of town,” Wayne said.
“There’s a motorcycle in the back that doesn’t belong to anyone who works here,” the technician said.
“I guess that answers it.” Sterling said. “Call the police and give them the details about your missing automobile. Since he took the car I think it’s safe to presume he’s left the island. Perhaps the police can pick him up.”
“It’s a new car,” Kurt whined. “I’ve only had it three weeks. This is awful.”
Sterling held his tongue. He felt nothing but contempt for this nervous, tiresome, balding man with whom he’d spent more than five uncomfortable hours crammed into a tiny closet. “Perhaps you could ask one of your technicians to give us a ride to the airport.” He took solace in the hope that this would be the last thing he’d ever have to say to the man.
12
March 7
Sunday, 2:30 P.M.
As soon as Dr. Mason pulled into the Forbes parking lot, Sean tried to peer into the research building foyer to see if anything had changed since he’d left. With sunlight reflecting off the windows, it was impossible to see in. Sean couldn’t tell if another guard had come on duty or not.
It was only after they’d parked, and Sean entered the building, keeping the Masons close ahead, that he saw another guard had indeed come on duty. The man’s ID badge read “Sanchez.”
“Tell him who you are and ask for his pass keys,” Sean whispered as the trio neared the turnstile.
“He knows who I am,” Dr. Mason snapped.
“Tell him you want no one else in the building until we come down,” Sean said. He knew such a command would be ignored as the afternoon progressed, but he thought he might as well try.
Dr. Mason did as he was told. He passed the large key ring to Sean as soon as Sanchez had given it to him. The guard eyed them strangely as they went through the turnstile. Big-breasted blondes wearing black bikinis and feathered high heels weren’t exactly regulars at the Forbes research building.
“Your brother was right,” Dr. Mason said after Sean closed and locked the entrance doors beyond the turnstile. “This is a serious felony. You’ll go to prison. You’re not going to get away with this.”
“I told you, I don’t intend to get away with it,” Sean said.
Sean locked the stairwell doors. On the second floor he closed and locked the fire doors leading to the bridge to the hospital. Once they got to the fifth floor he locked off the elevator, then summoned the second car. When it arrived, he locked that off as well.
Ushering the Masons into his lab, Sean waved to Janet. She was inside the glass-enclosed office reading the charts. She came out and looked quizzically at the Masons. Sean hastily introduced them, then sent the Masons into the glass-enclosed office, telling them to stay put. He closed the door behind them.
“What are they doing here?” Janet asked with concern. “And what’s Mrs. Mason doing in a swimsuit? It looks like she’s been crying.”
“She’s a bit hysterical,” Sean explained. “There wasn’t time for her to change. I brought them here to keep others from disturbing me. Besides, as soon as I do what I’m planning on doing, Dr. Mason is the first person I want to tell.”
“Did you force
them to come here?” Janet asked. Even after everything else Sean had resorted to, this had to be past the limit.
“They would have preferred to listen to the rest of Aida,” Sean admitted. He began clearing a work area on his bench, particularly under one of the exhaust hoods.
“Did you use that gun you’re carrying?” Janet asked. She didn’t want to hear the answer.
“I had to show it to them,” Sean admitted.
“Heaven help us,” Janet exclaimed, looking up toward the ceiling and shaking her head.
Sean got out some fresh glassware including a large Erlenmeyer flask. He pushed away some of the debris near the sink to make space.
Janet reached out and grasped Sean’s arm. “This whole thing has gone too far,” she said. “You’ve kidnapped the Masons! Do you understand that?”
“Of course,” Sean said. “What do you think, I’m crazy?”
“Don’t make me answer that,” Janet said.
“Did anybody come by while I was gone?” Sean asked.
“Yes,” Janet said. “Robert Harris came like you thought he might.”
“And?” Sean asked, looking up from his work.
“I told him what you told me to say,” Janet replied. “He wanted to know if you’d gone back to the residence. I said I didn’t know. I think he went there to look for you.”
“Perfect,” Sean said. “He’s the one I’m the most afraid of. He’s too gung ho. Everything has to be in place by the time he returns.” Sean went back to work.
Janet didn’t know what to do. She watched Sean for a few minutes as he mixed reagents in the large Erlenmeyer flask, creating a colorless, oily liquid.
“What exactly are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m making a large batch of nitroglycerin,” he said. “Plus an ice bath for it to sit in and cool.”
“You’re joking,” Janet said with fresh concern. It was hard to keep up with Sean.
“You’re right,” Sean said, lowering his voice. “It’s show time. This is really for the benefit of Dr. Mason and his beautiful bride. As a doctor, he knows just enough chemistry to make this believable.”
“Sean, you’re acting bizarre,” Janet said.
