Chapter 90
I was dizzy and swayed as I walked. When I got home Avery had to hold my arm as I made my way to my bedroom. When she lay me on the bed I closed my eyes, peaceful out of sheer exhaustion, my quiet disturbed only by the speed of my heartbeats, their pace resonating in my ears. I heard Avery walk around in the room, moving something. Then I felt her come close, and when I opened my eyes I saw she had pulled a chair beside my bed and was sitting next to me. There was worry in her eyes.
“Do you want me to call Jack for you?”, she asked, and I nodded yes, before closing my eyes again
“Jack? This is Detective Avery”, I heard her say after a moment
“I am calling from Iris’ place…No, she is not well”
There was a pause
“Yes, I’ll be here”, she concluded and hang up
“He said he will be here in about an hour”, Avery told me
“Ok…”, I said almost in a whisper
My sensations were muffled and my anxiousness contained. But this was a precarious equilibrium, that one hasty movement, one loud sound could break. I felt extremely vulnerable.
“Why don’t you go see a doctor?”, Avery suggested
“It’s nothing…I just need some peace”, I replied
There was a moment of silence, and then I asked, “Will you speak to Michael Gill?”
“I’ve asked a colleague to verify if he has been at McMurrich’s place. My colleague has been in the parking lot to check his car today, and we had a policeman in disguise get his fingerprints”
“How?”
“From some objects he touched. We’ll get better ones once after making a preliminary investigation”
I felt my heartbeat accelerate further, the equilibrium was broken. And then the phone rang. I moaned and stirred slightly.
“Do you want me to get the phone for you?”, Avery asked
“Yes, please…”, I said
It was Christine. I didn’t want to speak to her, she was way too bubbly for me to keep her pace in my current state. Nonetheless I got up from the bed, slowly, and reached the phone.
“Christine…”, I said
“Hey hello darling, how are you?”, she said with her high pitched tone
“Could be better…I really don’t feel too hot now. What about you?”
“I am great, I am great! But why are you not well?”, she said
“Ah, there has been lots going on…”, I started
“Ok, but I discovered things that might interest you!”, Christine said excitedly, cutting the pause in my fading sentence
“Which news?”
“The police found out what was happening at the hospital here in New York you know, this is a piece of information that hasn’t even been released yet, but I have my ways to find out!”
“And so what happened?”
“A doctor was testing new pharmaceuticals on the patients, some were terminal and some…some could be cured with well-established methods, but he still decided to give his new products a shot”
“I see…”, I said, and felt the nausea bound like when I had been in the car
“And many patients died, there are strong indications that there is a link. I spoke with the families, they want to see clear through this and they’ve helped me understand a lot of what was happening. I also have other sources of course…”
I was listening in silence
“Are you still there?”
“Yes”, I said
“This doctor, Alfred Bloomberg, is collaborating with a guy who works at the Cross cancer institute”
“Sandeep Rana and Wilhelm Larson?”, I asked
“No, not directly. Well…they certainly know each other and there are pictures of them together at conferences and events, but Alfred Bloomberg mainly collaborates with Dr. Jonathan Woods, who practices in the same institute where Sandeep Rana and Wilhelm Larson work. Now, does Jonathan Woods collaborate with Sandeep Rana and Wilhelm Larson? Is there a circular link there? I don’t know yet, but maybe since you are there…”
“I will talk to the police…”, I begun saying
“No”, Christine cut me off, “This is unofficial information, and whatever I have learned from the police here was told to me in private, in exchange for other favours”
“Other favours?”
“Other information, other types of help”, she said
“You’re secretive now?”, I asked, and for this first time since we started talking I giggled
“I can give you the details if you want, but I don’t think you’d be interested”
“I wouldn’t be. Anyways there’s a detective I trust, I will tell her about this”
“Who is she?”
“No, I won’t tell. I don’t know if she wants me to…the situation here is messy”
“So, who is being secretive here?”, Christine poked me
I giggled again
“Ok Christine, I have to go now. I’ll call you again, but now it’s even hard to stand for me…”
“Yes yes, of course. Take care, will you darling?”
“I will Christine”
“Bye, call me back and if you don’t I’ll chase you down!”, she said, her tone merrily carefree as usual
“All right”, I said smiling and hang up
Avery was standing at the bedroom door. I had turned my back to her as I spoke and almost forgotten she was there listening to my conversation. I dragged myself back to the bedroom, collapsed on the bed and closed my eyes.
“What happened?”, she asked after a moment
I opened my eyes and saw she was on the chair again. Real scenes seemed to float in a lake of dreams, as I was under the effect of some drug. I heard my voice describe the conversation I had with Christine.
“I will have to look into this. I will call my colleague, get the investigation started”, Avery said
“Yes you should…”, I replied, smudging the words
And that’s the last thing I remember. My words, my heart beating fast and then slow down. One, two, three heartbeats, loud but far, very far, from one another. I felt the strength flow out of me. And then my eyes filled with charcoal black, and my body plunged in a state of peaceful lightness.