Bloodstains
Page 23
Actually, there was a lot of difference, as the pricking pain in my bowel told me.
Chalgrove said easily, ‘OK, Steve, you’ve had your fun, now let’s sit down and talk seriously about what we’re going to do.’ He still had his hand in his pocket.
Steve’s face became completely expressionless. Then, as he stood up and turned, he pulled my face down slightly, then hammered it up with his palm. Blood poured from my bitten tongue.
‘All right, Don, just suppose we do as you say. That’s two people. How many more are we going to have to take on trust?’
As though in answer to his question, the door opened, and Holly’s head appeared. Her eyes opened wide as they took in the three of us, then as if by magic, she disappeared, and the door clicked shut.
For an instant, we were all frozen, then Steve leapt for the door.
‘Stop!’ yelled Chalgrove.
Steve turned and saw the automatic in his hand.
‘Are you nuts? She’ll get away—’
‘You’re really prepared to kill three more people?’
Steve lunged at him, there was a crack and he stiffened and sank to the floor, his astonished eyes on Chalgrove’s face.
Chalgrove looked down and deliberately shot him twice more in the head. He remained looking down for some time, I don’t know how long, then slowly turned to me.
‘You shouldn’t have killed him,’ I said, my voice sounding miles away. ‘You’ve made it worse for yourself.’
‘I don’t think so.’ He gave a twisted smile. ‘A doctors’ supposed to serve mankind. That was the best I could think of in the limited time left to me.’
I knew instantly what he meant.
‘Don’t do it, please,’ I begged. ‘There are still ways you can… serve people.’
‘Serving a life-sentence? But you're thinking of your brother, aren’t you?’ The smile again. ‘Were you really going to join us, Tom?’
‘I don’t know. Were you going to let Steve kill me?’
‘I don’t know either. Correction — no, I was not.’ He raised the gun.
‘Please,’ I said, ‘I’ll do my best for you.’
He hesitated. ‘Your brother, Tom. My advice to you is make as much fuss of him as you can, give him the will to live. Show him the journal I showed you. Offer yourself for marrow transplant. Don’t take no for an answer — if you make enough trouble, they’ll listen.’ He smiled. Believe me, I know the medical profession. I’m one of them.’
He whipped the gun up to his head and there was another crack. He sank slowly beside Steve, twitched once and then lay still.
I flexed my cramped body against the bonds and tried to take in the incredible fact that I was safe.
Holly. My brother. Both of them alive and waiting for me.
What a waste, I thought, looking at Chalgrove, what an imbecile waste.
The blood from the two bodies ran together and trickled slowly towards me.