A red light above the nurse’s station began blinking furiously, while a steady alarm sounded. The nurse quickly silenced the alarm, then scanned the computer screen to determine which patient had triggered it. Bed fifteen, Joanna York, set off the alarm. The computer indicated Joanna’s vital signs were rapidly changing. Her pulse rose from sixty beats per minute to seventy and then one hundred. Her temperature began rising. The nurse knew a rapid change in vital signs could be fatal to someone who had been comatose for an extended period. Karen Thompson, the duty nurse, had only been assigned to the Intensive Care Unit for three weeks. She liked the job since it meant more money for her and the young resident she had just married. Why did this have to happen during her shift? Maybe that Price guy had slipped the old lady a drug! Just as hospital policy required, Karen called the Emergency Room to request a physician, then headed back to bed fifteen to get that Price guy the hell out of her ICU.
Joanna’s eyes blinked several times. She struggled to form a word. Eric watched the computer monitor change from a steady to a zigzag pattern. He guessed Joanna was summoning all her strength to speak to him. What was it she had to tell him? He knew it must be important. “Mom, it’s Jason. What do you want to tell me? Go ahead, Mom. Form the words on your lips and I’ll read them. Nod if I’m getting them right.”
Joanna did as instructed. Speech was just too difficult. She puckered her lips, then spread them wide.
“Ken,” Eric translated aloud.
Joanna repeated the word until Eric correctly guessed it was Keenan. She continued with the next word. Her tongue pressed against her lower teeth, then lashed out. That one took longer, but Eric correctly guessed the word ‘lives’.
Eric and Joanna had gotten as far as ‘Keenan lives’ when Karen reached them. “Mr. Price, I’m sorry, but you must leave now,” she announced forcefully to indicate she meant business.
Eric ignored Karen and sounded out the next word as ‘hurt’. When Karen persisted, Eric turned to her, and their eyes locked. “I’ll take responsibility for what happens here. Summon a doctor if you must, but leave us alone!”
When Karen hesitated, Eric pointed at her workstation and shouted, “Go!” Seeing Eric’s determined glare, Karen decided he was a man who lost few arguments and scampered back to her workstation.
Eric turned his full attention back to his mother. “Okay, Mom, you’re doing fine. Keenan lives. Who’s Keenan?”
Joanna’s voice began to return. In a barely audible rasp, she croaked, “Son…..you have a son.”
Eric could barely believe what he was hearing. He had only slept with one woman in his entire life. Did Jackie Johnson have his son? If so, how could Joanna York know something like that?
“How do you know, Mom?” Eric asked.
“Marcus Sloan told us.”
“Is that what you were trying to tell the nurses, Mom?”
“No. Tried to tell them you’re my son, but got it all confused. Wanted to call you.” The words were coming easier for Joanna. Her eyes began to focus on her son. “We never blamed you, Jason. You did what you had to. I’m so proud of you…..as Jason York and as Eric Price.”
Another surprise! “How long have you known, Mom?”
“Several years. Woke up early one morning and knew you were fighting for your life. I felt you slipping away from us. I woke your father and made him pray with me until I could feel you were all right. It sounds crazy, but I could feel you were getting help. I knew you weren’t alone any more. I saw you on TV news a few years later as Eric Price. You were involved in some big merger and the camera caught you for just a few seconds. You had changed, but a mother always recognizes her own son. I was so…..happy…..and afraid. I never told a soul, not even your father. I was afraid if anyone knew the truth you’d be hurt.”
Years of suppressed feelings overcame Joanna. She was finally able to let go of her fear. She lifted a frail hand to her son’s face while tears flowed down her cheeks. “Spartan mothers sent their sons off to war, warning them to return with their shields or on them. Foolish old women!” Joanna scoffed. “I prayed to God each day to let me see you again, just as long as I wouldn’t be looking at a corpse. Everything will be all right now. I can feel it, Jason.”
“Mom, I’m sorry…..for everything. If I hadn’t gotten greedy, maybe my siblings’ lives would be different. And yours.”
Joanna smiled grimly. “The guilt isn’t yours alone. Have you seen your brothers and sister yet?”
“I visited Harry in prison, and I’ll start looking for Keira and Jerry right away.”
“You’ll help them? All of them?”
Eric kissed his mother’s hand, then laid it carefully on her chest. “I promise I will.”
Dr. Curtiss stood behind Eric. “Mr. Price, I think we should let her rest now. This has been quite a strain on her system. Will you allow me to administer a sedative, sir?”
Eric blinked back his tears before turning to Dr. Curtiss. “All right, but take good care of her.”
Dr. Curtiss nodded.
Eric left the ICU slowly, but his mind was racing furiously. How had Joanna known that he had a shotgun in his mouth, ready to squeeze the trigger? Is that why he stopped? There was still so much he didn’t understand. He began to plan the order and speed of things to be done. Gradually, a sense of calm returned to Eric.
From a hallway window, Eric watched a familiar scene below. Outside the hospital, a middle-aged woman in a wheelchair hugged a young man as he leaned over to kiss her good-bye. He wondered if they were mother and son. It had been years since Eric and his mother had hugged good-bye, but a single image had been seared into his memory forever. The last thing Eric saw before leaving his family so many years earlier had been his mother’s tears. She had forgiven him. Eric wondered if he would ever be able to forgive himself.
CHAPTER 18
“Chairman’s Office, Barbara Stanley speaking. May I help you?”
“Hi, Barb. How’re things at the office?” Eric asked casually.
“Thank God it’s you, Eric! I’ve been going nuts these past few days! Please take me with next time you go away on a secret trip. I don’t care if it’s to Armpit, Iowa!”
Eric chuckled. He considered Barb a friend as well as his executive assistant. She was extremely careful not to abuse her personal relationship with the boss. Within bounds, they exercised a great deal of freedom to tease each other, Eric’s preferred method of showing affection. “What’s wrong, Barb?”
“Calls about the rumored takeover of that communication conglomerate by Foresight are coming in like labor pains........two minutes apart. Your directors, the stock exchanges, bankers, large shareholders, and the target all want to know what’s up. Micky Ryan from American Reporter Magazine wants you to call him. Said his magazine is running a story about you having a brother in prison and both parents stashed away in a state facility for the criminally insane. Then he started talking about a Mexican drug deal that went bad, and wanted to confirm some of the dates for his next story, which is when I hung up on him, but I jotted down his number. Cody’s been calling to see if I’ve heard from you. Jean-Paul has his hands full with the unions. They’re threatening to strike unless they get a fifteen per cent pay increase. Other than that, it’s been quiet.”
Eric was silent. The call from Micky Ryan disturbed him the most. That story had to be killed or discredited.
“You still there, boss?” Barb asked. “Awfully quiet on your end. I know I hit you with a lot.”
“Listen, Barb, I can’t tell you everything, so just trust me and do what I say, all right?”
“Okay,” she sighed. “You gonna tell me where you are, or are we still playing hide-and-seek?”
“I’m at Ada State Hospital in Wisconsin,” Eric replied.
“Oh my God, the reporter was right!” Barb gasped. “How are you? What’s the matter? Is that stuff true about your parents and brother? I thought you said all your family were dead?”
“Whi
ch question would you like answered first?” Eric chuckled.
“All of them and make it snappy! I think I’m about to have a coronary!”
“I’m all right. I’ve been visiting some old family friends. They need my help. One’s in prison, two are in a state institution, and two more skipped the country.”
“Eric, I don’t know what to say! You poor dear! I’m sorry for my earlier whining.”
“Forget it, Barb. When there’s more time, I’ll go into the whole long story. Now listen carefully. First, answer any inquiries by saying I’ll have a statement when I return to the office in a week. That’ll buy some time. Second, tell JP he has complete authority to proceed with the acquisition and settle with the unions. Third, call Dr. Ambrose Murphy and my attorney, Robert Dornfeld. Tell them to join me in Ada and to be prepared to stay at least a week. Fourth, call Jack Gentry, and ask him to come to Ada with four armed guards. Better use the big jet for all those people since there’ll probably be more of us on the return trip. I’ll be making my temporary headquarters at the Ada Holiday Inn, so book rooms for all of them at the same place. All of what I’ve just told you must remain in strictest confidence. Not even your mother must know! Any questions?”
Barb was an excellent speed writer and kept pace with Eric throughout his instructions. She had seen a lot of action as Eric’s executive assistant, but couldn’t believe the number of sensitive issues he was struggling with simultaneously. “Eric, are you in trouble?”
“Not yet,” he assured her.
“The thing about the guards scares me. You don’t need four just to keep the press at bay.”
“No details on the phone, hon.”
“All right, boss. I wish there was something more I could do.”
Momentarily, Eric forgot everything else, grateful for Barb’s help. He trusted her implicitly. “You’re doing more than your fair share, Barb. Now, I’ve got to run so I can call Cody.”
Several hours later, Cody’s jet was on its way to Ada, Wisconsin.
Eric notified Dr. Curtiss that his personal physician would begin a thorough examination of the Yorks the following day to help prepare for their trip to his home. Eric thanked him for his help, then drove to his motel.
Once again Eric tried to sleep, but managed only an hour nap before a series of nightmares woke him in a cold sweat. He occupied himself by making notes on legal pads, drafting instructions for his attorney, physician, and security chief.
At nine p.m. all three of Eric’s advisors arrived. Eric quickly briefed them as a group, requesting that everything remain confidential. Under no circumstances were any of them to give the press any information, especially regarding the assignments they received. Since Robert and Dr. Murphy couldn’t do anything until the following morning, Eric spoke with his security chief first.
When they were seated alone in Eric’s bedroom, Eric rubbed his bloodshot eyes for several seconds before he spoke. “Jack, I believe someone has been making life for the York family miserable. There have been too many accidents to be mere coincidence. I’ve drawn up a list of people with their approximate age and as much biographical data as I can recall. I want to know where these people are now and what they’re doing. Then we can begin eliminating suspects. The background checks must be done very discreetly, so spread the work among your staff. Foresight is sitting on top of a mountain of data, so use our internal databases first. We maintain files on millions of people for credit and employment purposes, so most of these people are probably in one of our databases. Don’t let any of your staff put all the pieces together. I want this ASAP. If you run into roadblocks, sidestep them for now. Let’s see what we come up with before we use all our muscle to fill in the blank spaces. Understand?”
Jack nodded his head doggedly. “Yes, sir, Mr. Price.”
Eric trusted Jack Gentry immensely. What Jack lacked in sheer brilliance, he more than compensated for with a combination of loyalty, attention to detail, and plain old hard work. Jack had a vast network of sources, and political IOUs worth their weight in platinum. He was an asset whose value would never be accurately reflected on any corporate balance sheet.
“That’s the first part of your assignment, Jack. I want daily reports on your progress. The next part involves locating the two Yorks who fled to Mexico. You might be able to get recent photos from the U.S. Passport Service or Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles. If they’re still in Mexico, they’re probably in one of the major resort cities. I’ve written down everything I obtained from a friend of the family. It’s the most recent biographical stuff there is on them. This assignment is urgent, too, so hire as many private investigators as you need. I don’t care how much it costs. When Jerry and Keira are located, I want someone to stay with them, but have them keep out of sight. I am to be contacted immediately. This investigation is to be conducted with discretion, too.
“The final part of your assignment is to find Micky Ryan and hold him for me in one of our leased spaces in LA. My assistant can tell you how to reach him. I recommend using outside help for this job. Keep him isolated until I can talk to him in person. You’ve got some tough assignments, Jack. I’ve handcuffed you with secrecy and time limits, but the sky’s the limit as far as greenbacks or pesos. Don’t hesitate to call me any time night or day with updates. This is extremely important to me, so you’ve got my attention one hundred percent of the time.”
“I’ll get started just as soon as I leave this room,” Jack assured his boss. “Should have a good portion of this list checked out by the time you order your breakfast, sir.”
Eric stood to walk Jack to the door. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Jack. I’ll find a way to show my appreciation.”
“Just doing the job I know and love,” Jack winked at his boss.
Next, Eric briefed his doctor. “Ambrose, the facility looks okay, but what the hell do I know about hospitals? I want you to give both Yorks the most thorough exam you can. Just because they’re old, I see no reason to give up on them. I don’t expect miracles, but I’d like your prognosis for recovery. In fact, I’d like to know what the odds are that they can lead normal, active lives again.”
Dr. Murphy nodded as Eric spoke. He knew Eric was a quick study in most fields, including medicine. During their conversations, Eric continually surprised Dr. Murphy with his extensive knowledge of drugs, diseases, and the latest surgical techniques. What really fascinated Dr. Murphy was that Robert Dornfeld had told him the same thing regarding Eric’s grasp of law. Ambrose was fairly certain Eric already knew the Yorks’ exact condition, prognosis for the future, and the quality of care Ada was providing. Since Eric did not have the luxury of time to verify his conclusions, he was sending an expert to do the legwork.
Finally, Eric spoke with Robert. His primary assignment was to get Harry York released from prison. Eric hadn’t decided what his strategy would be, so it developed as the two men talked.
“Where Harry is concerned,” Eric began, “time isn’t nearly the critical factor it is with the rest of my family. Harry might be better off than the rest of us right where he is. At least no one can get at him in prison.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Robert corrected him. “Many murders, rapes, and assaults occur behind bars each year. Some are contract hits. Others are simply the nature of prison life. The sooner we get Harry out, the better off he’ll be.”
Eric gazed at Robert. “Perhaps you’re right. Let me give you the constraints you’ll have to work with and you recommend a course of action. By the way, even if it’s not important to you, I believe my brother is innocent.”
“It’s important,” Robert nodded.
“I want him out of that place, but I want his reputation restored, too. His freedom is most important, but his reputation is a damn close second. Without the latter, the former isn’t worth much. I’m not keen about the media claiming Harry’s release was due to special privilege, but I’m not above using my influence either. I’m convinced the re
al murderer is still at large, and I want that person brought to trial. Though not your primary task, it’s not outside the scope of your assignment either. I want you to hire top-notch investigators to follow any leads which point the finger at someone else. I don’t want another innocent person to take Harry’s place, so let’s be careful. Now, how do you think we should proceed?”
Robert had made an outline while Eric was talking, organizing his own thoughts. He jotted a few more words, glanced back over his notes, and then shoved the yellow legal pad away. “Since money isn’t an issue, I suggest we use a shotgun approach. I’ll file a motion as quickly as I can to get a new trial. We’ll scour the transcripts to find even the smallest technicality to reopen the case. I’ll get investigators out pounding the pavement tomorrow to examine every shred of evidence, take affidavits, talk to key witnesses, and find new ones. I’ll also find grounds to draft a request for pardon. If I have any trouble submitting briefs, getting a response on my motions, or setting court dates, you can use your influence to speed things up. Perhaps we can use your relationship with Senator Adamson to keep you totally out of the picture. How’s that sound?”
The strain and lack of sleep were beginning to show. Eric was having trouble keeping his eyes open. He wanted the meeting to be over. “Fine, Robert. Just fine. You know how important this is to me, so keep me posted. Often.”
“I will, Eric. You look beat. I’ll get outa here, but I’ll be back in touch soon. Anything else?”
“One more thing,” Eric nodded wearily. “Somehow Micky Ryan knows a few pieces of my past. I have to keep him quiet. If we can’t buy his silence, we have to discredit him. Let's buy the magazine where he works. I don’t care what it costs, but we need to control his employer. Use a third party so they don’t know I’m involved in the acquisition. Could you also find out as discreetly as possible if there are any arrest warrants outstanding for Jason York?”
Eric rose from the small circular table and walked Robert into the living room, more aware of his fatigue with each step. They hugged lightly by the door. “Thanks for coming, Robert. From all of my family.”
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