The hospital was located on the opposite side of town from Zack's house.
Ordinarily, he took the highway bypass around Main Street.
This day, lost in thought, he missed the turnoff and was well into town before he realized it. Traffic was heavier than usual, and it seemed, from the long line of cars at the corner of Birch, that the light was malfunctioning. After a moment's debate, he backed up a foot and made a U-turn, narrowly missing a two-tone Oldsmobile that was speeding past.
It took several seconds before he realized the driver of the Oldsmobile was Jason Mainwaring. Zack began honking and waving, but it was several blocks before Mainwaring became aware of him and pulled over. They confronted one another in a small street side park, circumscribed by an arc of slatted benches arranged about a marble pedestal and bust of one of Sterling's founding fathers. Several grizzled men sat on two of the benches, smoking cigarettes, watching the passing scene, and occasionally sharing surreptitious sips from a brown bag. They watched curiously as the two well-dressed men approached one another. "Jason,"
Zack began, somewhat breathlessly, "God, am I glad to see YOU."
The surgeon looked at him strangely. "I'm sorry, Iverson, " he said after a beat, "but I've signed out to Greg Ormesby. If y'all need any surgical help, I'm afraid you'll have to call-"
"This has nothing to do with surgical help. Jason, we need to talk. I've been trying to locate you for several days."
"I've been at home in-"
"Georgia. I know." He glanced over at the old men, and then motioned to the bench farthest from them. "Please, Jason, what I need to speak with you about is pretty urgent and very private. Could we talk over there?"
"Well, Iverson, I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a rush. Why don't we get together, say-"
"It's about the anesthe ic."
Mainwaring's color drained. "I beg your pardon? " he said. "Over there?
" Zack again motioned toward the bench. By the time they sat down, the surgeon appeared as composed as ever. "Now, then, " he drawled, "just what anesthe ic are you talkin' about?"
"It's the one you and Jack Pearl have been using on your cases, Jason.
The one that allows them to get out of the recovery room three times faster than anyone else's cases."
"I'm afraid I don't understand, " Mainwaring said. But Zack could see from his eyes that he did. "I don't have time to play games, " he said.
"A child is dying, and I have reason, good reason, to believe that your anesthe ic is at fault."
A minute tic developed at the corner of Mainwaring's eye. be hint of understanding disappeared from his face. This time, Zack felt certain, the man was genuinely surprised. "Look, Iverson, " he said, "I just don't have time for this nonsense. If you have something to accuse me or Jack Pearl of, then I'd suggest you do it through channels. I would also suggest you have a shitload of proof."
"Jason, please, " Zack said, trying desperately to keep civility in his tone. "This isn't ethics or charges we're talking about. It's a child's life. Please listen."
Item by item, in a near whisper, he reviewed his investigation into the case of Toby Nelms. Mainwaring listened impassively. Only at the mention of Darryl Tarberry did Zack detect any reaction. "So that's where things stand, " he concluded. "The boy's mother is certain that at least several times he was watching this children's show when he had his seizures. It's a show that features a version of Greensleeves'-the same music you use in the operating room. If I could just get my hands on whatever it is you were using for anesthesia, I think I might be able to help that kid."
"Oh, you do?"
"It's a long shot, but right now, it's his only chance."
"Well, then, " Mainwaring said, "it would appear that the boy has no chance at all. Because, y'see, Iverson, there is no mystery anesthe ic."
Zack stared at the man in disbelief. "Iverson, just who have you shared these charges with? " the surgeon asked. "Jason, these aren't charges. A child is dy-"
"Who?"
"The child's mother."
"That all? "
"Suzanne."
"She believe you?"
"She was willing to listen. But I spoke to her before I learned about the trigger-the music. Now Jason, please-"
"I asked if she believed you."
"Not completely, but after I tell her what I've learned, I'm certain she'll-"
"Not completely," Mainwaring cut in snidely. "Iverson, I sure hope you have one hell of a lawyer. Have you mentioned this nonsense to your brother?"
Zack glanced at his watch. The board meeting was already under way.
"Mainwaring, this isn't nonsense. If that child dies, if anyone who received that drug dies, then it's murder."
"Don't threaten me, " the surgeon said, shaking a finger at Zack. "Don't you ever threaten me. Now, I asked if you had shared this hokum with your brother."
"I did. Dammit, Mainwaring, doesn't any of this have an impact on-"
"When did you tell him?"
"Just a while ago."
"And his response?"
"Mainwaring, there's no time for this-"
"What was his response?"
"He ignored me."
"Just as I intend to do, " Mainwaring said. "Now, if you'll excuse me."
He rose. "Mainwaring, you can't do this." Zack said loudly. The grizzled observers' interest heightened, and one of them sputtered on the contents of the brown bag. "Can, and am," Mainwaring said just as loudly. "Now you just quiet down, Iverson, or you'll have even more charges to deal with than you already do."
"Mainwaring, are you some kind of fucking monster?"
The surgeon turned and headed for his car. "Well, are you? " Zack screamed after him. Mainwaring, now at his car, turned back and shook a finger at him. "Watch it, " he said venomously. "Just fuckin' watch it."
The sun, which had been gliding in and out of hiding all morning, slid behind a dense billow of gray cloud, instantly cooling the air. Zack pulled the camper onto a dirt track off the Androscoggin road and worked his way upward through a forest still sodden by the midnight rain. He felt ill over his unsuccessful encounter with Mainwaring, and could not dispel his anger-not only at the surgeon, but at his own handling of the man. Had he been too aggressive? Too abrasive? Would his arguments have been more effective if he had simply brought Mainwating to the hospital and let him see Toby Nelms for himself.? The questions burned in his thoughts as he picked his way uphill toward the Dortb side of the hospital. Only one thing was certain now. With Frank an enemy, and Mainwaring unwilling to expose himself to charges, Jack Pearl was all the hope the child had left. And without either of the other two men to back him up in a confrontation with the anesthesiologist, that hope was slim, indeed. Through the trees ahead, Zack could see the top two floors of the hospital. The broad glass windows were, he noticed for the first time, tinted just enough to give them an ebony cast. The effect was cold and uninviting. He moved up to the edge of the forest and flattened himself against a thick beech tree. To his left, just beyond an expanse of grass and past the corner of the building, was the patio of the cafeteria. A group of nurses sat laughing and talking at the only table in his line of sight. The entire north side of the hospital was deserted.
Cautiously, he picked his way along the treeline toward the corner farthest from the patio. He would have to dash across, perhaps, twenty yards of lawn to reach the delivery door. From there, he would walk nonchalantly through the kitchen, searching for a route to the corridor that did not take him through the crowded cafeteria itself Ahead of him the tinted windows of the hospital glinted ominously in the muted midday light. If there were faces behind those windows watching him, he would have no way of knowing. His heart was pounding in his ears, more so than even on the most treacherous climbs. A crouch, a final check of the building line, and Zack bolted ahead. He saw the blur of movement and color to his right at virtually the same moment he heard the barked command. "Stop!