by Stuart Hopps
‘And so you really believe this doctor has something to do with it all?’
‘Well now I’m truly beginning to think so… I could do with a nightcap, how about you? Let me order two whiskies…’
‘That’s a very good idea. So, tell me more about this doctor.’
Clive called room service, ordered their drinks and then told Shirley that he thought Allen was a very cool operator. He described Allen’s performance the previous evening at the Men’s Center, and explained about the self-help group set there. Shirley seemed most impressed and observed that the local gay community sounded extremely well organised in Columbus.
‘Yes it certainly is,’ Clive continued, ‘and you know, there have already been twenty-two cases here in this town, and so they’ve had to get their act together. I’m also sorry to say that there have been eleven fatalities reported thus far, and consequently there’s a lot being done to educate and offer advice and help in Columbus, and Dr Allen Levitt has been highly instrumental in organising much of what’s going on.’
Shirley thought that he certainly sounded impressive, and wondered why the doctor made Clive feel so uneasy. ‘So tell me Clive, what was his talk actually about?’
The whiskies arrived and Clive set about describing the weekly AIDS talk-in he’d gone along to. All in all, Clive felt that Dr Levitt made his audience feel relaxed and was able to persuade the guys sitting there that they could interrupt at any time and question him as he went along, which they did.
‘Wow! He sounds brilliant,’ Shirley enthused.
‘Oh, I think he’s brilliant all right,’ came Clive’s quick response.
‘And is he very handsome too?’
‘Yes, Shirley … unfortunately.’
‘Now Clive, don’t tell me that Cupid has struck?’
‘Well, as a matter of fact, to start with I did feel the prick of a little dart. But you know how much I detest needles.’
‘Yes, I remember what trouble you caused when you passed out the last time I took you to your dentist.’
Bringing the conversation back to Allen, Clive added that from what he was able to uncover about the doctor’s private life, he felt it all sounded quite complicated. Although he was an openly gay man, Clive informed Shirley that Dr Levitt appeared to have certain religious convictions, and being Jewish, he was somewhat guilt-ridden and seemed to find it difficult to get involved with a guy.
Shirley had a number of Jewish friends and said that she could totally understand where Allen was coming from.
‘But despite his declared honesty,’ Clive continued, ‘there’s just something about him I simply don’t trust. His talk last night seemed to be far too manufactured, as though he’d been professionally briefed and rehearsed. Do you remember that wonderful film The Manchurian Candidate and the leading character, Raymond Shaw?’
‘Of course I do. The Oppenheimer film hit of 1962. Lawrence Harvey was terrific in the role.’
‘Well Shirley, I got the impression that Dr Levitt’s performance was just too perfect. I almost felt he’d been programmed like that character in the film. And then there was that unrelenting sardonic smile of his, like the Cheshire Cat.’
Shirley admitted that the smile did sound a bit disarming, but suggested that Clive was being somewhat unreasonable. She felt it only natural that the doctor should be on top of his subject matter, since if anyone was going to stand up and speak in front of any group of people, they would need to be well prepared. Then she reminded Clive about how much work he’d had to put into the talk he gave to the RADA graduates last year.
‘Come on, Clive, surely it’s not surprising that he was well rehearsed?’
‘I’d like to think you were right,’ admitted Clive. ‘But I just feel there’s something fishy about him: it was like he went into autopilot. He oozes far too much charm and sophistication and he just makes me think he’s a bit of a fake.’
‘You mean like one of our clients, who shall remain nameless, and who we never quite think is being truthful in the part he’s playing?’
‘Exactly. Do you remember that awful King Lear we went to? Well, Allen Levitt’s performance was similar; somehow not quite believable. Added to which there was that strange twitch of the mouth, which also reminded me of the one Lawrence Harvey’s character developed after he’d been hypnotised and programmed.’
‘Now that is scary … So that Spoke nose of yours really does smell a rat?’
‘Precisely. His smooth delivery and selfless need to constantly be of help somehow just doesn’t convince me. I mean, when I asked him why he chose to practice in Columbus of all places, he went all strange on me.’
‘Maybe he’s got family connections here, or a lover?’
Clive freely admitted that he’d thought of that and asked him, but Allen had said not. Clive said he simply couldn’t imagine why an ambitious, good-looking and talented young gay doctor would want to end up in Columbus, Ohio, of all places, when surely he could have had the choice of more challenging postings in New York, San Francisco or LA?
‘Clive darling, surely it’s not a crime to want to settle in Columbus? Your friend Dennis did.’
‘But Den was born here. Allen also drives a Cadillac and wears a very expensive gold watch.’
‘Maybe he’s on the game too.’
‘Now you’re being naughty.’
‘And you’re sounding a little too unreasonable. It is possible that his folks are rich and he’s inherited his wealth. I mean to say, didn’t you tell me that Susan Carlsberg’s father was a banker and that’s how she got her millions?’
‘You’re certainly right there. And talking of Susan, you remember what she told me last year when I was in New York?’
‘Yes, I do … But going back to this doctor: do you really believe he’s not on the level?’
‘Yes, I’m truly beginning to think so. There’s just something that niggles me about the timing of his appearance in this town. He arrives out of the blue, was responsible for treating Dennis at the STD clinic and then gives Den a blood test just before he catches AIDS. Talking it through with you just now has made me feel that it’s more than pure coincidence. I know for a fact that it is possible to inject the virus at the same time as taking a blood sample. I put a call through to my doctor back in London and checked that was possible.’
After a slight pause, Clive asked Shirley whether she remembered what he’d said on the phone the previous Saturday about Dennis’s connection with the senator, Jim.
‘Yes, but what has that got to do with Dr Levitt injecting Dennis with a lethal virus?’
‘Remember I told you that Jim had found out about a swine virus being developed in a chemical warfare centre near Tucson, Arizona?’
Shirley nodded.
‘But did I tell you the most alarming bit? Shortly afterwards, the marine goes and dies in a car crash and then Jim himself is found dead on a ski slope in Aspen, Colorado in what Steve Leggard – who is to be trusted – says were rather suspicious circumstances.
‘Steve maintains that Jim and his marine could have been placed on the FBI’s Security Index list: Priority Three. Priority Three is only reserved for individuals who are potentially dangerous to US security, and are under active investigation. So I believe that Dennis was on that list as well and was also a target who had to be eliminated.’
‘Wow! This is all sounding very plausible,’ agreed Shirley.
‘I believe,’ Clive continued, ‘that when I went to Aspen, Dennis wanted to share all this information with me, but he changed his mind at the last minute. When he got back to Columbus, he told Steve everything he’d found out from Jim – who, by the way, had gone into hiding in Colorado under an assumed name. Now, if Den had to be got rid of as well, who was better qualified to accomplish such a mission than a brainwashed doctor, posted to Columbus and easily able to administer a lethal injection under the guise of innocently offering a blood test?’
‘This is all beginning to make
total sense.’
‘Shirley, I’m really glad about that! Later on, I also discovered from Allen Levitt that when Dennis was in hospital dying, he told Allen everything about his wipe-out theory. That must have confirmed Den’s involvement and possibly helped Allen justify his actions. As a result of what I’ve discovered, I’ve decided to make an appointment to see him at his STD clinic on Tuesday morning and have a check-up myself.’
‘You’re not serious, are you?’
‘Shirley, my Spoke instinct isn’t worth a penny unless I have some hard evidence to back up my reasoning. I’m hoping I will find some incriminating evidence at Allen’s surgery which will prove me right. Even the good doctor admitted to me that there was no proof positive which could verify Den’s conspiracy theory. Of course not. All the protagonists are dead – that is, apart from Allen.’
‘I suppose you’re right,’ admitted Shirley. ‘Amazing as it all sounds, it is beginning to add up … although, as I said before, it really does sound like some sort of a movie script.’
‘You know what Shirley, you’re not too far off there, and that’s why I’ve prepared a storyboard. Even if there’s not a shred of truth in any of this, and it’s simply been a case of my imagination running riot, I think it all might provide Spoke Associates with a brilliant idea for a feature film. We could call it The Rainbow Conspiracy!
‘And we could commission Anthony Silver to write the screenplay.’
‘But, Shirl … seriously now. You know me really well. Do you think I’ve lost the plot? … Am I losing my marbles?’
‘Clive darling, I certainly don’t think you’re going crazy. But you’ve just told me one hell of a story and there is rather a lot for me to take in.’
‘You better believe it.’
‘You know what? I’m going to get my notebook out.
‘Good idea! But what am I going to do with all this information? Do you think I should take my story to the press?’
‘Well, not tonight, Clive darling. I think you ought to get some rest: you badly need your eight hours. I know what you’re like without them. I’ve brought some sleeping pills with me and I think you should take one … here!’
‘I don’t normally, but I think tonight I’m going to make an exception. Thank you.’
Shirley got up to go to her room, but Clive clearly wasn’t ready for her to leave just yet and as he hugged her, he confessed: ‘I’m just not sure about this one. Perhaps I shouldn’t go poking my nose into what is ultimately none of my business. I mean the ramifications might be enormous. What if it’s all true and there really is a wipeout conspiracy? For all I know, my own life could now be at stake and I’m just not sure I’ve got the courage to see this through to a satisfactory conclusion. For the first time in a long while, I feel utterly out of my comfort zone and I’m so very glad you suggested that you came out here to Columbus.’
‘Well, now I am too.’
‘I just don’t know what to do for the best.’
Shirley had never seen Clive quite like this before and wondered whether he should make his information public. ‘I could give my friend Sylvia O’Connor a ring tomorrow: she works on the New York Times.’
‘Or there are those Washington lads who spilt the beans on Nixon and the Watergate scandal,’ Clive suggested.
‘But not tonight, Josephine. We both need to sleep on this one and start afresh in the morning. We really do need to talk this thing through over breakfast when we’ve both had a good night’s sleep.’
‘Darling Shirley, as always, you are so wise. Thank you so much for coming out to Columbus.’
‘You are more than welcome, you know that.’
‘What more can I say?’
And with that, Shirley hugged Clive goodnight and blew him a kiss from the door.
In fact she was the one who was in need of the sleeping pills. Clive’s words kept going round and around in her head as she lay in bed, unable to get to sleep until all the facts as she remembered them were clearly listed in her notebook. For her, this wipe-out theory was the most challenging production that Spoke Associates had undertaken in years. And besides, this was no film script or West End play: it was for real. However, although she had not yet met any of Clive’s Columbus players, Shirley was aware that if this Dr Allen Levitt really was a serial killer, Clive, as well as Michael and Steve, were probably also in deep water and now she might be too.
She suddenly sat up, quite wide awake, and came to the realisation that they both should get out of town as soon as possible. She decided that over breakfast the next day, she would firmly suggest that they leave Columbus straight away that morning, before Clive had the opportunity to get himself further involved.
With that resolve, she reached for a sleeping pill, turned out the light, tucked herself up in bed, and hoped that she would wake up refreshed the following morning with enough energy to persuade her boss to leave town immediately.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE DINNER PARTY MONDAY
Over breakfast the next day, Shirley plucked up the courage to advise Clive that in her opinion they both needed to get out of town right there and then. She warned him that should Allen Levitt be an undercover agent, as they both now thought, he was obviously a very dangerous man and Clive’s life was almost certainly in danger. If Allen had killed Dennis because he knew too much, whether Dennis realised it or not, she thought that Clive had put himself in a similar perilous situation and she firmly added that she most certainly had no intention of witnessing her boss’s demise in Columbus.
Clive listened patiently to everything Shirley had to say, but when he finally responded, he stubbornly argued his corner. He maintained that he couldn’t just turn his back on all that he’d discovered in Columbus and simply walk away. He also told Shirley that he felt a duty towards Dennis, and really needed to get to the bottom of what his late friend had unravelled, even if it meant there could be deadly consequences. He declared that he fully recognised that his life could be at risk but pointed out that he wasn’t alone and that Steve and Michael were in a similar situation.
‘I’ve never said this to you before, but do you really trust Michael?’ Shirley bluntly asked. ‘You did tell me he had become very close to Allen.’
‘Yes that’s true, but Allen has been very helpful to him since Dennis passed away and … I really don’t feel…’
‘Well, without actually having met him, I just felt I needed to know what you felt, that’s all. And what about Steve?’
‘I think he’s all right.’
‘You sound a bit doubtful about him too.’
‘No. Not really.’
‘Come on Clive, what is that Spoke nose telling you? You don’t think Steve could be in cahoots with Allen?’
‘Not for a moment. He’s just a bit heavy going, that’s all. You’ll see when you meet him.’
‘Yes. I can’t wait.’
‘Now listen here, Shirley, I do value your advice as you well know, but, in this instance, I’m not sure you’re right. I really do need to find out the truth about Allen and this conspiracy business and therefore I hope you’ll understand when I say that I’m simply just not ready to leave Columbus until I’ve got to the bottom of all this … OK?’
Clive rarely adopted such a tone of voice with Shirley and she certainly knew her boss well enough by now to realise that he wouldn’t have spoken to her quite like that unless he was under a good deal of pressure. Also, she’d worked with him long enough to know that once he had reached a decision about anything, it was always hard to get him to change his mind, and with something as serious as the current crisis, she knew it was going to be almost impossible to get him to budge. Consequently, she decided to adopt a much more conciliatory tone and said that she was now persuaded why he needed to remain in Columbus and assured Clive that she would stay on too, and do everything in her power to protect and assist him in any way she could.
Clive was clearly relieved, and the two Brits set about devi
sing a modus operandi. They knew full well that whatever had to be done, it was imperative that their mission be accomplished within the next twenty-four hours. Clive instructed Shirley to go ahead and organise their travel arrangements back to New York with connecting flights on to London. He then called Allen’s clinic and made an appointment for early the following morning, explaining that he had an urgent meeting to get back to in London, and had to catch an afternoon flight, apologising for not being able to join him for lunch as had been suggested. He certainly didn’t mention that Shirley would accompany him to the surgery.
With breakfast now over, they returned to Clive’s room, ordered more coffee and then, after making other necessary phone calls, continued to develop their plan of action. Clive pointed out that he needed to have his check-up interrupted and get Allen called away from the room where the examination was being conducted. He thought that would be the moment when Shirley would play her major role in the scenario and act as a decoy. Shirley loved the idea and suggested that she simulated a fainting fit, which would hopefully cause so much fuss in the surgery that it would eventually disrupt any procedure taking place in Allen’s office. Being diabetic, she had sometimes allowed her blood-sugar level to drop and had even been known to pass out, making her feel more than confident about pretending to faint. Clive thought her suggestion a great idea and commented that it would leave him alone in Allen’s room and free to look for the crucial evidence they needed to obtain. The obvious target of his search would be to find any incriminating needles that he believed might be contaminated and if he could lay his hands on anything that looked like a toxin, that would be an added bonus.
They agreed that in the event of not finding any proof of Allen’s involvement, the worst that could happen is that they came away from the clinic empty-handed, leaving Allen above suspicion and, more importantly, none the wiser. For their part, they would then be prepared to drop the entire ploy and return to London the next day, having at least followed Clive’s instincts. What might have existed in Arizona, or had or had not happened in Columbus, would remain an unsolved mystery. Should that be the case, Clive assured Shirley that he would consider Dr Levitt beyond reproach and forget all about Dennis’s wipe-out theory, or maybe, all joking apart, be tempted to turn the entire saga into a movie.