Vector js&lm-4

by Robin Cook

  "Thanks for leaving us out here in the goddamn dark, " Curt snapped.

  "Sorry, " Yuri said. He pulled the door shut behind him. "Things are just coming to a head with Connie."

  "What's that supposed to mean? " Curt demanded.

  "She didn't get the toxin until late, " Yuri explained. He started toward the garage. "She's just starting to have symptoms."

  "But you're sure she's going to check out, " Curt said. He followed Yuri while Steve went around to get into the Wouton truck.

  "That's my guess, " Yuri said. He opened the side door to the garage.

  "Wait a second! " Curt said. He grabbed Yuri's arm and pulled him to a stop. "At this point there's no room for guessing. Any screw up could undermine this whole operation. I'm only interested in sureties."

  "I gave her enough stuff to kill everybody in Brooklyn, " Yuri shot back. "Is that good enough for you?

  Give me a break! " Yuri and Curt glared at each other for a moment in the dark shadows beneath the eaves of the garage.

  "I want to make sure you truly understand the need for security, " Curt spat. "This whole mess with your mystery wife has us as nervous as hell."

  "I'm taking care of it like we agreed, " Yuri retorted.

  "I hope so, " Curt said. "The fact of the matter is, we cannot take any chances from here on out. Earlier tonight I mentioned we'd had an infiltrator in the People's Aryan Army. Brad Cassidy. What I didn't say was that he was working for the FBI."

  "Oh no! " Yuri moaned.

  "What tipped them off? "

  "Nothing about Operation Wolverine, " Curt said. "We believe they're concerned about our militia in general.

  Since none of the troops have even the slightest inkling about the big plan, we're not directly at risk. The bureau must have picked up something from Steve's contacting other militias on the Internet on behalf of the PAA. But the point is, we've got to be extremely careful. And the sooner we launch the operation the better."

  "My feelings exactly, " Yuri said.

  "Have you thought any more about switching the second fermenter to anthrax? "

  "I'm going to do it as soon as I have time, " Yuri said.

  "Probably tomorrow. As soon as this Connie business is over and done."

  "Good, " Curt said. "Now let's get this pest control truck off the street before someone sees the damn thing. I'm sure your neighbors would begin to wonder what kind of pests we're dealing with in the middle of the night." Yuri snapped on the light before entering the garage. He skirted around the back of his taxicab. As soon as he had the rollaway door up, Steve pulled the Wouton pickup inside. Yuri closed the door behind him and locked it.

  Curt stepped around to the back of the vehicle. He unhooked the edge of the tarp and folded it back to reveal the apparatus sitting in the truck's bed. "Do you recognize this thing? " he asked Yuri.

  "Not specifically, " Yuri admitted. "But those orange things look like spray nozzles."

  "Bingo! " Curt said. He reached over and gave the piece of machinery a pat. "It's a Power Row Crop Duster. Whatever powder you're using goes into this hopper." Curt pointed out the component just as the Wouton driver had done that summer.

  "So the agent doesn't have to be mixed with fluid? " Yuri questioned.

  His face had lit up like a young boy with a Christmas bike.

  "Nope, " Curt responded. "Powder in and powder out, and I'll tell you, it's one wicked little engine. We were told the fan in there is capable of putting out a thousand cubic feet of air a minute. The amount of powder you want in that thousand cubic feet can be varied by the dial on the metering device."

  "It's perfect, " Yuri said. He was impressed. It was better than he'd hoped.

  "I'm glad you approve, " Curt said. "I don't mind telling you it took a bit of work and a lot of aggravation getting this thing. Now it's up to you to come through with your end of the bargain."

  "I'm working on it, " Yuri promised. "Have no fear! "

  "I hope so, " Curt said.

  They shook hands before stepping back out into the night. The two Americans climbed into their truck.

  Yuri stood by the side of the road.

  "Let's talk again tomorrow, " Curt said. "We'll be interested in how the rest of the evening goes as far as your wife is concerned."

  "Okay, " Yuri said. He waved as Curt started his engine and drove off.

  Yuri stood for a moment watching the Dodge Ram's taillights until they disappeared where Oceanview Lane butted into Oceanview Avenue. He was still tired, but he felt better than he had all day.

  Uncertainties that had been plaguing him earlier had vanished. He knew in his gut that Operation Wolverine was imminently to come to pass as planned. He even allowed himself a half smile as he realized that soon he would stand in the company of other great Soviet patriots, even some of the greatest from the Great Patriotic War.

  A gust of wind rustled dead leaves in the alley and caused Yuri's torn screen door to bang repeatedly against its jamb. The noise yanked Yuri back to the present reality. There was still work to be done before the great event, and the immediate concern was Connie.

  Hurrying back inside, Yuri went to his wife's door. He paused for a moment to listen. All he could hear was the TV. Slowly he opened the door, unsure of what he'd see.

  Connie had not moved, but her color had changed drastically. Her skin had taken on a dark mauve tint, particularly her lips.

  Yuri advanced to the bed.

  "Connie? " Yuri called. He jiggled her shoulder. She didn't move.

  He picked up her arm. It was flaccid. He let it fall back to the bed.

  Leaning down, he put his ear next to her mouth. It was only in that way that he could tell she was breathing, although just barely. He grasped her wrist. He could feel a pulse, but it was rapid and weak.

  He straightened up. He wondered if it was time to call emergency or if he should wait a little longer. It was a hard decision, because he didn't want her waking up when she was given oxygen in the emergency room. If that happened she might be able to tell the doctors and nurses the progression of her symptoms.

  At the same time, Yuri felt it would be best if she was still alive when she got to the hospital. He reasoned there would be fewer questions about why she hadn't been brought in sooner.

  Yuri turned on the bedside light before pulling open her right eye.

  Her pupil was widely dilated and fixed. As far as he was concerned, that meant it was time to call emergency.

  Returning to the kitchen, Yuri used the wall phone. He tried to sound as distraught as possible, claiming he'd found his wife passed out and hardly breathing. He described her color as dusky and said that she'd been wheezing earlier in the evening. He gave the address and was told an ambulance would be there as soon as possible.

  Returning to the bedroom, Yuri looked down at his wife. It was then he started to worry about the swollen left eye. He didn't want anyone to suspect domestic abuse, since it might lead to suspicions of foul play.

  He reasoned that he could say that she'd fallen, but he was worried it would be unconvincing, since she was Lying in bed. Glancing through the open bathroom door gave him an idea.

  Going around to the opposite side of the bed, Yuri tried to get Connie into a sitting position.

  Unfortunately her sheer bulk and weight made it extremely difficult, especially since her body was completely limp.

  In stead he rolled her slightly onto-her left side facing away from him and got his arms under her armpits.

  Putting one foot on the edge of the mat tress, he succeeded in slowly dragging her toward him. But then disaster struck.

  Just when Yuri had managed to get Connie's torso clear of the bed, the throw rug he was standing on slid out from under him. Yuri fell onto his back and Connie rolled over on top of him, knocking the wind out of him so that he was unable to breathe.

  For almost a minute, Yuri struggled for air. Under Connie's weight, he couldn't inhale. The room began to blur, he was afraid
he might pass out.

  In a final, desperate movement, Yuri was able to twist to the side enough to let him get at least enough air to keep from asphyxiating.

  Then it became a matter of disengaging himself from Connie's flaccid, spread-eagle embrace.

  Finally, after great effort, Yuri squeezed free from Connie's near mortal clasp. He struggled to his feet gasping for breath. He was tempted to flee but found himself rooted in place while staring down at his wife's now prone figure. He shuddered with a wave of unearthly fear. In her half-dead state, Connie had nearly exacted her revenge.

  The distant sound of an approaching siren shocked Yuri into action. He had to do something. Explaining how his battered wife had ended up prone alongside a collapsed bed might be difficult. It would have been better to have left her in the bed where she'd been originally, but getting her back was an impossibility.

  Knowing he had little time, Yuri squatted down. Pulling Connie's arms he managed to twist her around so that her head was pointing toward the bathroom. Then, after rolling her over onto her back, he again seized her by the armpits and dragged her into the bathroom. His idea was to make it look as if she'd collapsed in there, hitting her eye on any one of a number of likely fixtures.

  As the sound of the ambulance got progressively louder, Yuri checked himself and Connie for any last-minute problems. All seemed to be in order. Then he rushed back into the bedroom, where he hastily straightened the sheets that had been dragged with Connie when he'd pulled her onto the floor.

  Vigorous pounding on the front door sent Yuri running. Two uniformed EMTS burst into the room as soon as Yuri pulled the door open. One was a woman, the other a man. Both were carrying equipment.

  "Where's the patient? " the woman barked.

  Yuri pointed. "In the bathroom through that bedroom." Yuri followed the technicians as they ran to the rescue. They squeezed into the bathroom and began to administer to Connie. The first thing they did was get oxygen on her face. Yuri crossed his fingers that there wasn't going to be a miraculous resurrection.

  "She's breathing shallowly and she's got a heartbeat, " the woman said to the man. "But her color's poor. We'd better bag her." Yuri watched as the technicians forced oxygen into Connie's lungs. Her chest rose perceptibly higher than when she'd been breathing on her own.

  "No obstruction, " the man said who was compressing the breathing bag at a set interval.

  "What happened here? " the woman asked Yuri who was standing in the doorway trying to look tormented. She worked while she talked, putting EKG leads onto Connie.

  "I don't know, " Yuri said. "She'd been having a little trouble breathing this evening, but it wasn't bad.

  Then I heard her fall in here.

  That's how I found her." The woman nodded. "Does she have a history of asthma? "

  "Yeah, " Yuri said. "Quite a bit."

  "How about allergies? " the woman asked.

  "Those, too, " Yuri said.

  "Did she complain of any chest pain? "

  "No, not at all, " Yuri said.

  The woman nodded again. She ran a rhythm strip with her EKG. She showed it to her partner and commented that it was slow but regular.

  He nodded.

  The woman looked up at Yuri. "How much does she weigh? "

  "I don't know, " Yuri admitted. "A lot."

  "That I can see, " the woman said.

  She pulled her radio from its belt holster and called into her base.

  She told the dispatcher they needed assistance to carry an unconscious obese patient who seemed to be momentarily stable. She said they'd need at least three more guys.

  It took considerable effort for the EMTS to get Connie out of the bathroom, onto a stretcher and out into the ambulance. Yuri was generally ignored through this process, but he was allowed to ride with Connie to the hospital. She was intubated and given oxygen continuously during the ordeal.

  At the hospital, Connie was taken into the treatment area while Yuri had to spend time giving the details of Connie's insurance. Then he was relegated to the waiting room. At one point a disheveled doctor with a ponytail came out and went over the history, particularly in regard to the asthma and allergy. Yuri said that Connie had not had much trouble with her breathing recently, at least since they'd been married. He told the doctor that his wife had described lots of hospital visits and trips to the emergency room before they'd met. In regard to specific allergies, Yuri said he wasn't sure what she was allergic to but thought it was things like nuts, cats, dust, and pollen.

  "How's she doing? " Yuri asked hesitantly when the doctor got up to leave.

  "To be truthful, she's not doing well, " the doctor admitted. "We're afraid her brain was denied oxygen for too long. She has no peripheral reflexes whatsoever, which doesn't bode well for her brain function.

  I'm afraid it doesn't look good. I'm sorry." Yuri nodded. He wished he could make himself cry, but he couldn't.

  Instead he hung his head. The doctor gave his shoulder a squeeze and then disappeared.

  An hour later the same doctor reappeared. This time he had a white coat over his crumpled pajama-like outfit. His name tag said Dr. Michael Cooper. He came over to Yuri and sat down. Yuri looked into the man's gray-green eyes.

  "I'm afraid I have bad news, " Dr. Cooper said.

  Yuri visibly stiffened. In his mind's eye he could see Connie suddenly sit up someplace within the depths of the emergency room and say it was something in the ice cream that had first made her see double.

  "Your wife has passed away, " Dr. Cooper said softly. "We did all we could, but we just couldn't help her. I'm terribly sorry." Tears sprang into Yuri's eyes. That they were tears of joy made no difference.

  He was thrilled the tears had come to add to his theatrics. But mostly he was thrilled that he'd been right about how to get rid of Connie. Despite all his anxieties, it had worked. He was free, and Curt was going to be pleased.

  "I know this must be a terrible shock to you, " Dr. Cooper continued.

  "She is such a young person."

  "Thank you, " Yuri said. He wiped his tears away with the knuckle of his right index finger, making sure the doctor saw the maneuver. "I suppose I have to make some sort of arrangements for her body. Do you think someone could help me? It's something I don't know anything about."

  "Absolutely, " Dr. Cooper said. "I can have Social Service come and talk with you in a few minutes. But I can relieve your understandable anxiety by saying that you don't have to make any decisions tonight."

  "No? " Yuri questioned. "Why not? "

  "Because your wife is going to be what we call a medical examiner case, " Dr. Cooper explained.

  "Does that mean an autopsy? " Yuri asked with consternation.

  "Yes, it does, " Dr. Cooper said. "But I can assure you it's done with full respect for the deceased."

  "But why an autopsy? " Yuri demanded. "You have the diagnosis."

  "That's true, " Dr. Cooper said. "We know she died of acute respiratory distress with a history of asthma. But she is a relatively young person who was, prior to this unfortunate attack, a healthy, albeit obese, individual. We all think it best to have the medical examiner take a look in case we're missing something. I don't want you to be concerned.

  It's purely routine in such cases."

  "I'm sure you're not missing anything, " Yuri sputtered.

  "Thank you for your vote of confidence, " Dr. Cooper said. "But I'm sure even you will have an easier time coming to terms with your loss when the cause for this tragedy is proved beyond the shadow of doubt.

  You understand what I'm saying, don't you? "

  "Certainly, " Yuri managed to reply as the anxieties he'd felt earlier came back like an avalanche.

  TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19

  6:43 A. M. Laurie surprised herself by waking up before her alarm. She couldn't remember having done that for years. It was especially surprising considering her expected jet lag from having flown in from Paris the morning before. But then wit
h a simple calculation she realized that at that moment it was already after noon in the French capital, and even though she'd only been in France for a couple of days, she must have made some adaption to the local time.

  At Laurie's first stirring, her eight-month-old cat, Tom-2, stood up, stretched, and came up to the head of the bed for his customary dose of petting. Laurie was happy to comply. In contrast to the mongrel Tom, Laurie's first cat whom she'd rescued from Animal Control and who'd been brutally killed, Tom-2

  was a pedigree Burmese she'd purchased from Fabulous Felines on Second Avenue. Tom's hair color was not too dissimilar from Laurie's, but lacked the reddish highlights.

  Laurie bounded out of bed with more than the usual enthusiasm. Over the month since she'd met Paul, her spirits had been buoyant. In the kitchen she started her coffee machine, which she'd prepared the night before.

  Back in her tiny bathroom she climbed into the shower.

  Laurie had lived in her small, one-bedroom apartment ever since she'd started working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New York eight years ago. By now she could afford cushier digs, but she'd grown accustomed to her old fifth-floor flat. Also, being only eleven blocks from the office, she often walked both directions. That was a convenience that few of her colleagues enjoyed.

  As Laurie washed her hair, she mulled over the previous evening's dinner party and couldn't help suppressing a smile. Initially she'd been disappointed at Jack and Lou's response to her news, but after she'd thought about their behavior, she changed her mind. Now she thought there was an element of humor in their obvious shock and inability to wish the best for her. And she had to admit to a sense of satisfaction.

  Neither had been willing to make even the most modest commitment. What had they expected her to do, let life pass her by?

  Laurie had long suspected that both men were attracted to her romantically but were afraid to follow up on their feelings. Although she valued their friendship, the situation had been frustrating for Laurie, especially since she'd always known that she'd wanted children.

  She understood that Jack in particular needed plenty of time to recover from the painful loss of his family. So she'd been patient.