That was a truly horrifying thought. Imaginulg what would happen to him if it ruptured before he could have it removed broke him out in a sweat.
He'd have to be very careful for the next few hours. And by this afternoon, when everything settled down, he'd have the implant removed.
Any one of his many friends among the surgeons of the area would take care of that on a moment's notice.
He rinsed his hands. As he dried them he stared at himself in the mirror.
It's over, he thought. Maybe you accomplished something by disrupting the Guidelines committee, maybe you didn't. At least Lisa is avenged.
Any regrets?
Only having to act against Gin. And having to pass up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strike against that wampus in the White House.
He sighed. But a man had to know when to quit. And that time was now.
He dried his hands and stepped back into the hall.
"Dr. Lathram." It was Agent Decker's voice.
He turned and saw a small crowd approaching him. Gin, The three Secret Service men, and a fourth man. Canney, the FBI man. What was he doing here?
"Can we go downstairs? " Decker said. 4We're trying to dear up a few things here and I wonder if you could help us." Duncan didn't like the sound of that, and he didn't like the predatory look in Gin's eyes.
For an instant he considered calling a lawyer, but decided against it.
That would look suspicious and only draw things out.
He could handle these people.
* * * Gin listened as Agent Decker began talking. He was a cool character, seemed almost imperturbable. But his blue eyes never stopped moving.
This guy didn't miss a trick.
"Now Dr. Lathram, you stated earlier that Dr. Panzella stabbed you.
Are you willing to file assault charges? " Gin saw a look of relief flicker across Duncan's features.
"No. Absolutely not. She's nor herself. I don't want her jailed, I simply want her to receive the proper therapy." Gin clamped her jaws to keep from shouting. As planned, the red-haired agent, his name was Reilley, she'd learned, had positioned her on the far side of the lab bench. Gerry stood on the near side, partially blocking her from Duncan's Ylew.
Dear Gerry. She'd never been so glad to see anyone in her life as when he'd cruised into the parking lot this morning. He hadn't given up on her, hadn't written her off. He'd been up all night searching for her.
She'd wanted to throw her arms around him.
"That's very generous of you, ' Decker was saying, "but we're concerned about your safety. Dr. Panzella said she left some sort of poison pellet under your skin when she stabbed you."
"Ridiculous, " Duncan said. "It's part of her delusional system. She imagines I've been doing that to other people, including herself, so now she thinks she's done it to me. She needs therapy, gentlemen. And the sooner you get her to a facility that can care for her, the better." So damn glib, Gin thought as she quietly reinserted the plug of the ultrasound's power cord into the wall socket. The "silver-tongued devil" made flesh.
She pressed the ultrasound's power switch to ON. The red light began to glow.
'"Ready, " she whispered.
Gerry turned and winked at her as he picked up the transducer handle.
He turned back to Duncan and held it up where he could see it.
'"If that's true, Dr. Lathram, then I don't suppose you'd mind if I ran this over your leg." Gin saw Duncan's eyes widen, saw his gaze dart to the glowing power indicator on the machine. He spun and tried to flee, but Briggs was at the door, and Duncan wasn't getting past him.
"Keep that away from me! " he cried. "For God's sake, turn that thing off! " Decker glanced Gin's way and gave her a little nod of acknowledgment .
Triumph burned through the haze of her fatigue. Yes! Add one more to the believer list.
Decker's features hardened as he turned back to Duncan, but he didn't get a chance to speak. Gerry had taken over.
"Sit down, Dr. Lathram, " Gerry said, gesturing carelessly to a chair near the counter with the transducer.
"Please, " Duncan said. "Be careful with, " "Sit down! " Duncan sat. Gin watched admiringly as Gerry commanded the room.
'"Is there an implant filled with something called TPD in your leg? " "No." Gerry examined the transducer handle. "Then I guess there'd be no harm in my turning this thing on and, '' "All right! " Duncan cried.
"Yes! Yes, there is! There's an implant in my leg! " He was visibly trembling now. "Please put that thing away! " '"Just a couple more questions. Did you stick a similar implant in Senator Vincent's leg after you did plastic surgery on him? " "I don't have to answer that, " Duncan said.
"Of course you don't, ' Gerry said. He half turned to Gin and pointed to the ON button on the handle. "Is this the one that makes it work?
" "Yes! " Duncan shouted. "Yes, I did! " He said it! Thank God!
"And how about Lane and Allard and Schulz? " "Yes, yes, yes! " He was on his feet, backing away, his voice rising toward a scream. "Are you satisfied? Yes, goddammit! Now turn that thing off! " "I've heard enough, " Decker said.
"So have I," said Gerry. He placed the handle in its cradle on the ultrasound machine.
It's over, Gin thought, sagging against the counter. Over at last.
Decker turned to the agent next to Gin and pointed to Duncan.
"Reilley, why don't you keep Dr. Lathram company. Everybody else stay right where they are for the moment. I'm going upstairs to make some calls." Gerry stretched his hand across the counter to her. Weak with relief, she clutched it.
"How's it going? he said.
"Much better, now that you're here." He stared into her eyes. "Tell me . . . back at the Tremont . . .
the blood in the bathroom . . . did you . . . ? " She nodded and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When he opened them he was looking away.
"You are incredible. And I'm sorry I doubted you." Those words were music. She took his hand in both of hers. "We were both being manipulated by a master. The important thing is you cared enough not to give up on me. That means the whole world to me." Gerry glanced over his shoulder at Duncan. "He doesn't look like a guy who's going down for two counts of second degree murder and a host of federal crimes. ' Gin saw what he meant Duncan looked cool and calm in his chair now that the ultrasound transducer had been put away. She began to move around the counter to get closer to him.
'"Where're you going? " Gerry said.
"I want a few words with my former boss." My former idol. She had to be careful here. She had something to say but she didn't want her feelings to get in the way. Just looking at him now made her want to burst into tears.
"Do you realize what you've become, Duncan? " He gazed up at her blandly. "I have a feeling you're going to tell me."
"Ever since I came to Washington you've been talking to me about ethics and honesty and probity and how nobody in the government adheres to any moral and ethical standards. And you weren't far off the mark, unfortunately.
But I always assumed you were speaking from higher ground. You weren't. During all that talk you were desecrating your oath as a physician. I know those men hurt you, and they may well have been the crooks, cheats, venal, low-rent, bloodsucking leeches on the public trust you said they were, but that doesn't matter. They came to you as a doctor and you accepted them as patients. They were counting on you being better than they were. That's a sacred trust, primum non nocere, and you defiled it." She noticed Decker slipping back into the room, but he didn't interrupt her. Good. She wasn't finished yet.
"I know what you used to be, Duncan, who you used to be, and I admired that person like no one else in the world. But you became exactly like the people you detest so much, the end justifies the means, anything goes. Look what you tried to do to me." She realized how angry she was becoming. She had to shut up before she exploded. "You be the enemy, Duncan. And you're going to pay for it." - '"Maybe, " he said softly. "And maybe not."