Siblings

by K. J. Janssen

  They did. He had done the job they expected him to do and they had it all on tape. Phase one of their sting was in place.

  ***

  “I heard that everything went well, Big Al.” The voice at the other end was that of George Abbott. “Both contacts said they were impressed with you. I understand that Bill even tested you out to see if you would accept his tip. Don’t worry; you can keep the c-note he gave you. That’s strictly between you and your client. I’ll stop by your place tomorrow morning to pick up the receipts and give you your commission. Have a good sleep, partner.”

  He hung up before Wilson could respond.

  Chapter 30

  Ron sat opposite Robert Rousch at The Diner on Main. It was noon on Thursday; a week after Ron hired the PI to check up on John Hazleton. “I got an email from the club that Stephen Gibbons was my guest there yesterday. Did you find out anything?”

  “No, I didn’t. He only visits the club to play golf or to have dinner with his wife. I verified that it is his wife that he sups with at the club. She’s a member there as well. Word has it that she drinks heavily and there have been several occasions where the management has asked the doctor to take her home.”

  “That’s interesting. What else have you uncovered?”

  “I had him tailed. Yesterday, he visited an apartment that he owns first in the morning, when he carried in two sacks of what appeared to be groceries and then again at around noon. Each time he went in and came out alone. The second time he was there, two women came out of the building while he was still inside, but they gave the appearance of being residents. I took photos of both.” He handed the pictures to Ron.

  “I don’t recognize either, but of course this one is wearing a big hat and sunglasses. That alone, is suspicious to me.”

  “Anything else?”

  “I figured he must use the services of a housekeeper, so today I talked to the super of the building and he gave me the name of a woman who comes in every other week to dust and clean up if necessary. I spoke with her this morning and she told me that she found evidence that he entertained a woman at the apartment yesterday. There was also evidence of sexual activity and high end drinking and dining.”

  Ron sat back in the booth. “That’s interesting. The woman, whoever she is, was either the last woman that your operative saw leaving the building, or else she left after he did.”

  “As I said, my man thought she lived there, so he didn’t pay a lot of attention to her or notice the car she drove away in. He did describe her as middle aged, with a nice shape and well dressed. Her hair was pinned up and she had on a big sun hat and sunglasses, so he couldn’t see what color her hair was. You saw the pictures. She looks like a Gloria Swanson look-alike. That’s all my man got. He was concentrating on keeping tabs on the doctor, but that woman certainly looks as if she has something to hide.” He hesitated for a moment. “So, how do you want to proceed?”

  Ron thought for a while before deciding. “Things have changed in the short time since we met. If you hadn’t found out about the apartment and the mystery woman, I probably would have dropped the investigation, but I’m intrigued now by what you found. I’m going to ask you to limit your investigation to staking out the apartment until you can identify the mystery woman Dr. Hazleton is seeing. Keep in touch with the housekeeper in case she finds out more and if that woman shows up again, get pictures, a license plate number, and tail her.”

  Rousch got up from the table. “I’m on it.”

  Ron finished his coffee as he mulled it over. John and I have patched up our differences, but if he’s cheating on Lorraine, I need to know. It never hurts to have an ace in the hole.

  Chapter 31

  Richard’s phone started vibrating. He was in a staff meeting at the hospital when the call came in. He glanced at the phone, got up, and said, “I have to take this call.” That type of pronouncement from an OB/GYN was not unusual. He stepped into the hall and pressed the message button.

  “Good morning, Dr. Parsons. We’ve made an appointment for you for tomorrow night at eight o’clock.”

  “That’s not a problem, I’ll be there. Incidentally I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”

  “And what is that, Doctor?”

  “I worked with an RN the first time I operated at the clinic and I found her to be very skilled. In fact, I venture to say that things went smoothly in good part due to her experience with these procedures. Do me a big favor and ask the clinic to schedule her with me anytime you set up these appointments.”

  “I don’t know about that, Doctor. I don’t like to interfere with the administration of the clinic. I just contract with them for the operating room and the use of their equipment. I don’t have any say in whomever they chose to assist you.”

  “All that aside, Mr. Steele, you must know that things can go wrong with any operation, abortions especially. Your client would not look favorably on the loss of, or injury to one of their valued employees. I’m not asking for anything out of the ordinary. I’m sure that the doctors that work at the clinic have their favorite nurses to work by their sides. Since I’m not there all the time, I’m not in position to make this request. I’m just asking that this nurse—her name is Betty—be assigned on the occasional times I’m scheduled to use their facilities. Will you please try to do this for me?”

  “Okay, okay, don’t get your shorts all bunched up. I’ll ask them. I’ll tell them that it’s in their interests to do this for you. Of course, I can only suggest it. It’s up to them to do it or not. I guess we won’t know until tomorrow night.”

  ***

  The next night Richard showed up early. He was anxious to see if the clinic honored his request to assign Nurse Betty to assist him with the night’s procedure. He smiled as he saw her name next to the assignment of room 2C for Dr. Parsons.

  As he was checking out the equipment in the room he noticed a picture hanging on the wall. It wasn’t actually a picture, but rather a number of short notes from patients. He began reading.

  Patient S.—Thank you. I was in no position to have a baby.

  Patient M.—I had an abortion because I was suffering severe cramps and bleeding.

  Patient L.—Heart disease runs in my family. I couldn’t bear to pass that on.

  Patient E.—I have never regretted my decision to get an abortion.

  Patient S.—The hormone change from pregnancy aggravated my bipolar disorder.

  Patient W.—I was in no position to have a baby.

  Patient H.—I’ve had three abortions in five years. Thank you.

  He read about a dozen more. It was so obvious that abortions were playing a significant role in the lifestyles of women. While Richard was aware that many doctors had taken a moral stand against legalized abortions, his personal view was that a woman had the right to make decisions about her body and if that included aborting a fetus, he felt he was duty bound as a doctor to accommodate her; legalities aside. That was the only reason he agreed to this arrangement in the first place.

  He picked up the file for Ms. Black. The questionnaire indicated that she was only twenty years old and that she had had a previous abortion two years ago. He knew it was safe for her to go through the procedure again; that the only danger that sometimes comes from a second abortion is internal scarring that may interfere with future ovulation and conception.

  Nurse Betty came into the room with the patient.

  He acknowledged Nurse Betty and turned to his patient. “Good evening, Ms. Black. I’m Dr. Parsons. I’ll be performing the procedure tonight.”

  “It’s good to meet you, Doctor. I had an abortion two years ago, so I know what to expect.”

  “So I read. Well, then, let’s get to it.”

  She mounted the table and placed her feet in the stirrups.

  As he went through the preliminary steps, he was surprised to see a smile on Ms. Black’s face. He was puzzled, because generally a woman will feel a pain similar to menstrual cramps
during and often following the operation. At the least, there is discomfort, and there certainly was no part of the procedure that was pleasant, unless somehow, the instruments were stimulating certain areas. He glanced at Nurse Betty, and when their eyes met he could tell she was observing the same unusual behavior. She just raised her eyebrows, shrugged, and continued to hand him the required instruments.

  Twenty minutes later, Nurse Betty was over at the steam equipment placing instruments in the chamber holders.

  “I’m sorry that took so long, I had to be certain that everything has been removed. Years ago, it was difficult to inspect the uterus to assure it was swept clean. To get around that, the ending steps of the procedure were partially repeated; adding to the discomfort of the patient and often causing torn tissues.”

  Her voice took on a sarcastic tone. “I gotta give it to you ‘Gyna’ guys. You’re always looking out for our pussies, aren’t you?”

  Slightly embarrassed, Richard turned away as he reached in his jacket for a small baggie containing white pills the size of baby aspirin and handed them to her. “Take one of these every three hours as needed.”

  As she took them, she laughed. “I want to tell you, Doctor, you have a great bed-side manner. You don’t have to be embarrassed, especially after what we’ve just gone through together. Hell, men pay hundreds of dollars to be with me for an hour and don’t play around down there as much as you did in just twenty minutes.”

  Again, Richard had to look away. His eyes glanced at Nurse Betty, who was taking in the conversation. She was apparently amused by the ribbing he was getting. She turned away to conceal the smile on her face. Instead of speeding up what she was doing so she could give him some moral support, she deliberately slowed down, leaving him entirely on his own.

  “Ms. Black, I think this conversation is inappropriate.”

  “What’s the matter, Doc, did you get all hot and bothered working on me down there? Did you like what you saw? Maybe you and I should go someplace and get it on, now that you know me carnally.”

  Richard realized he was in a situation that could easily get out-of-hand, especially if he were to say the wrong thing. “Nurse Betty, would you come here a minute? Please help Ms. Black with anything else she needs. I have an appointment and I must leave immediately. Good evening, ladies.” He left the room abruptly and headed immediately for the front door, not even stopping to remove his white coat. He heard laughter coming from behind the closed door. He couldn’t determine if it was Ms. Black or Nurse Betty doing the laughing; or possibly both of them. The receptionist called after him, but he ignored her as he quickly exited the building. Hasty exits from the clinic were becoming a normal practice for him.

  Richard got into his car and sped down the driveway. Jumbled thoughts were bouncing around his head. He wasn’t sure if he was angry, scared, or maybe somewhere in between. He had been totally unprepared for the exchange that had taken place. He was angry at Nurse Betty for allowing the conversation to go as far as it did. That was very unprofessional behavior and he had expected more from her than the reticence she exhibited. Then, he was also concerned when he thought about how easily the situation could have gotten out-of-hand. He hadn’t bargained on this sort of thing ever happening. One thing was certain. Nurse Betty needed to be reprimanded, even at the risk that she might decide that she didn’t want to assist him in the future. She would have to be cognizant of the operating room atmosphere at all times, so that no situation, which could reflect negatively on either the operating team or the clinic, could fester.

  Oh well, at least that’s two down. Only twenty more to go, he thought as he calmed down and resumed normal speed.

  Chapter 32

  “So, what do you think? Are you game for another trip? It’s been three weeks.”

  “Sure, when do you want to do it?”

  “How about Friday night? I’m off on Saturday in case I need to recover.”

  “I’m on the late shift Saturday, so that should work out for me too.”

  “Great, I’ll see you about eight.”

  Jason showed up at Margaret’s door on the dot of eight.

  “I’m anxious to try Marco again.”

  “Me too, but let’s have some wine first. The combination seemed to work out well last time. Why don’t we get naked first? We could do some heavy petting right before we take the pill. That along with the wine could make for a very stimulating ride for both of us.”

  “I’m game if you are,” he said as he began stripping. They sat next to each other on the couch. In between sips of wine, they fondled each other and French kissed.

  Finally, Maggie said, “That’s enough of that. I’m about ready to jump your bones. Let’s take the pill now before we get any hotter.”

  She started playing Bolero as they each took a last mouthful of wine, swallowed the purple capsule, and sat back on the couch and waited.

  For Maggie, it didn’t take long. Unbeknownst to Jason, she had started drinking wine about a half-hour before he arrived. Her body was well on its way to welcoming the new guest that would soon be absorbed by her system. Marco hit her bloodstream within a few minutes and she was off on another psychedelic adventure.

  ***

  It started with an itch on her arm; she scratched at it. That didn’t help, and before she reached over to scratch it again, she had the same sensation on the other arm and then both legs. She twisted her body as if trying to shake off whatever was causing the itching, but to no avail.

  This isn’t fun, she thought. This is nothing like last time. Where are the colors and the beautiful forms? In her mind she thought she saw spiders the size of a quarter crawling all over her body. Feverishly, she tried to swat them away, but her hands seemed to go right through them. They weren’t biting her, just scratching at her skin. Oh my god, she thought, they’re trying to lay their eggs under my skin. This went on for several minutes and then suddenly, the itching stopped. Thank god they’re gone. She looked down at her naked body and was shocked to see the spiders had returned. No, wait a minute, those aren’t spiders—they’re little men; they’re like Lilliputians. Lilliputians by the hundreds were swarming all over her, trying to pull her to the ground. She tried to brush them off, but the weight of so many prevented her from moving her arms. They ran over her body like swarming ants protecting an anthill. She finally gave up resisting them and as soon as she did, they pulled her to the ground (coinciding with her fall from the couch). They secured her with vines tied to pegs they had hammered into the ground. Hundreds of these little people climbed up on her prone body. When one finally reached her left cheekbone, she was able to focus on the reality of these creatures. Oh, my god, he’s a miniature human, penis and everything. How can this be? Gulliver’s Travels was the creation of Jonathan Swift’s imagination. They don’t exist, yet hundreds of them are crawling over me. This is absolutely crazy, it can’t be happening. But it was not only happening, it was about to get even more terrifying.

  Maggie turned her head to one side. She saw a caravan of these creatures headed towards her. In the center of the procession, a figure was being carried by a dozen bearers. Immediately, the activity on her body stopped and hundreds of little figures quickly descended. It took the procession many minutes to cover the five or ten feet to where she was being held. She could do nothing but watch them making slow progress as they moved towards her. The bearers stopped within a foot of her. She could see that the figure they carried was one of them—a Lilliputian, that is—but he was at least an inch taller than the rest. Maggie supposed that his physical height earned him a special position in their society. He stood silently for a few minutes, looking at her from one end to the other. Then he started to walk around her. She lost sight of him as he walked behind the top of her head. She turned her head to the other side and waited for him to reappear. It took several minutes for his short legs to transport him to the opposite side of her body, but eventually she caught sight of him. She could see clearly enough
to make out his facial expression. It was one of awe. He moved out of view again and Maggie could do nothing but wait to see if his journey around her body would change her situation. She was certain that he had some authority over them. Maybe he will order them to release me.

  More minutes passed. Maggie could hear the sound of her heart pounding as she anticipated their next move. She could hear a low murmuring; as if orders were being given, but she did not realize the significance of it until she felt a movement on her right leg. Moments later she felt something going on in her vagina; something was probing inside her. Oh, my god, he’s trying to climb inside of me.

  Maggie screamed and was jolted back to reality. Instead of lying pinned to the ground and being overrun by Lilliputians, she found herself lying once again atop Jason. He was still inside of her, but she gently extricated herself, stood up, and got a blanket to warm herself and put one over Jason, who was still tripping. She poured a full glass of wine and sat down on the sofa. Her breathing was labored and she shuddered as she briefly recalled the situation she had been in just minutes before.

  Maggie looked down at Jason. From the smile on his face he was enjoying his trip. She covered herself with a blanket. Exhausted from her experience, Maggie fell asleep, providing a temporary respite from the memories of the little men.