Terminal (A Medical Thriller)

March 7

Sunday, 4:38 P.M.

It took Sean twenty minutes to convince Janet that the best thing for her to do was join the Masons in the office. It was Sean’s hope that the idea she’d been coerced would be easier to put forth if she was considered a hostage. Janet was skeptical, but in the end she relented.

With that issue decided, Sean packed Helen Cabot’s brain in ice and put it in the cooler he’d used to transport it to the lab. Then with some cord that he’d found in the supply closet, he made a large parcel out of the thirty-three chart copies plus the computer printout of the Forbes Cancer Center travel file. When all was ready, Sean picked up the pass keys and with the cooler in one hand and the charts in the other, he climbed up to the administration floor.

Using the pass key, Sean went into the finance section. After taking out the shelving from the dumbwaiter, he squeezed himself in along with his two parcels. He rode the dumbwaiter down the seven floors to the basement, trying hard to keep his elbows in so they wouldn’t rub on the walls.

The chart vault was a problem. The light switch was at the entrance, and Sean had to negotiate the entire length of the room in utter blackness. Remembering at least the general layout of the shelving, he was able to move with a modicum of confidence although several times he became disoriented. Eventually, he found the sister dumbwaiter. Within minutes he was riding up the two stories to medical records in the hospital building.

When he opened the dumbwaiter door he was thankful for the lights being on but disappointed to hear someone giving muffled dictation. Before stepping out of the cramped car, Sean determined that the voice was coming from a small cubicle that was out of sight. As quietly as possible he got himself out of the hoist; then he crept into the hall, clutching his two parcels, one under each arm.

Once in the hall, Sean could sense the electricity in the air. It was apparent that the clinical chemistry and radiology departments had been informed of the hostage situation in the neighboring building; the excitement provided an almost holiday atmosphere for the weekend skeleton staff. Most of them were in the hall at the floor-to-ceiling windows opposite the elevators that faced the research building. None of them paid any attention to Sean.

Shunning the elevators, Sean took the stairs down to the first floor. When he came out into the main lobby, he felt immediately at ease. Conveniently, it was visiting hours so there was quite a mob of people clustered around the lobby entrance. Despite his bulky parcels, two-day growth of whiskers, and rumpled clothes, Sean was able to blend in.

Sean walked out of the hospital unimpeded. Crossing the parking lot to the research side he began to appreciate the number of people who’d showed up for his hostage show. They were milling about the handful of cars parked there, including his own 4×4.

Passing near his Isuzu, Sean contemplated dropping the brain and the charts off. But he decided it would be better to give them directly to Brian. Sean was confident his brother was still there despite his threats to abandon him.

The police had stretched the yellow vinyl crime scene tape from vehicle to vehicle all the way around the front of the research building. Behind the building they used trees to seal off the area completely. All along the tape at regular intervals uniformed police officers stood guard.

Sean noticed that the police had set up a command central at a card table positioned behind a group of squad cars. A crowd of several dozen police officials were gathered in the vicinity in the central spot. Off to the left was the black-suited SWAT team, some of whom were doing calisthenics, others checking an assortment of impressive weaponry.

Sean paused at the tape and scanned the crowd. He was able to pick Brian out instantly. He was the only man dressed in a white shirt and paisley suspenders. Brian was off to the side locked in an animated conversation with a black-suited SWAT team member with black face paint smeared under each eye.

Stepping over to one of the uniformed police officers manning the crime scene tape, Sean waved to get his attention. He was busy clipping his nails.

“Sorry to be a bother,” Sean said. “I’m related to the individual who took the hostages and that’s my brother over there talking with a member of the SWAT team.” Sean pointed toward Brian. “I think I can help resolve the dilemma.”

The policeman raised the tape without saying a word. He merely gestured for Sean to enter. Then he went back to his nails.

Sean kept clear of Deborah Levy and Robert Harris, who he spotted near one of the squad cars. Fortunately they weren’t looking in his direction. He also steered away from one of the men he’d locked in the closet in Key West, the same man who’d been waiting on the Sushita jet in Naples, whom he saw near the card table.

Sean went directly to his brother, coming up behind him. He caught bits and pieces of the argument which dealt with the issue of storming the building. It was obvious they held contrary views.

Sean tapped Brian on the shoulder, but Brian shrugged the intrusion off with a disinterested shrug. He was busy making a point by pounding a fist into an open palm. He continued his emotional monologue until Sean drifted around into the corner of his vision. Brian stopped in midsentence, his mouth agape.

George Loring followed the line of Brian’s gaze, sized Sean up as a homeless person, then looked back at Brian. “You know this guy?” he asked.

“We’re brothers,” Sean said as he nudged the shocked Brian aside.

“What the hell…?” Brian exclaimed.

“Don’t make a scene!” Sean warned, pulling his brother further away. “If you’re still mad about me tagging you, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hit you, but you left me with little choice. It was an inconvenient moment for you to pop up.”

Brian threw a quick but concerned glance toward the command post a mere forty feet away. Redirecting his attention to Sean, he said: “What are you doing here?”

“I want you to take this cooler,” Sean said, handing it over. “Plus these chart copies. But it’s the cooler that’s most important.”

Brian adjusted his posture to deal with the weight of the charts. “How on earth did you get out of there? They assured me the place had been sealed off: that no one could go in or out.”

“I’ll tell you in a few minutes,” Sean said. “But first about this cooler: it’s got a brain in it. Not a very pretty brain, but an important one.”

“Is this the brain you stole?” Brian asked. “If it is, it’s stolen property.”

“Hold your legal blarney,” Sean said.

“Whose brain is it?”

“A patient’s,” Sean said. “And we’ll need it to indict a number of people here at Forbes Cancer Center.”

“You mean it’s evidence?” Brian asked.

“It’s going to blow a lot of people’s minds,” Sean promised.

“But there’s no appropriate chain of custody,” Brian complained.

“The DNA will solve that,” Sean said. “Just don’t let anybody have it. And the chart copies are important too.”

“But they’re no good as evidence,” Brian said. “They’re not authenticated copies.”

“For crissake, Brian!” Sean snapped. “I know it was thoughtless of me not to have had the foresight to have a notary with me when I copied them, but we can use them for the grand jury. Besides, the copies will show us what we need to subpoena, and we can use them to be sure they don’t change any of the originals.” Sean lowered his voice. “Now, what do we do to end this carnival with no loss of life, particularly mine? These idle SWAT team guys give me the willies.”

Brian glanced around again. “I don’t know,” he said. “Let me dunk. You’re always throwing me off balance. Being your brother is a full-time job for several lawyers. I wish I could trade you in for a nice sister.”

“That’s not how you felt when we sold the stock in Immunotherapy,” Sean reminded him.

“I suppose we could just walk away from here,” Brian said.

“Whatever is best,” Sean said agreeably.

“But then they could charge me as an accessory after the fact,” Brian mused.

“Whatever you say,” Sean said. “But I should tell you that Janet is upstairs.”

“Is she that rich girl you’ve been dating in Boston?” Brian asked.

“That’s the one,” Sean said. “She surprised me and showed up down here the same day I arrived.”

“Maybe it’s best if you just give yourself up right here,” Brian reasoned. “It will probably sit well with the judge. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Come on, I’ll introduce you to Lieutenant Hector Salazar. He’s running the show, and he seems like a decent guy.”

“Fine by me,” Sean said. “Let’s do it before one of these black-suited SWAT team members doing calisthenics pulls a groin muscle and I get sued for loss of consortium.”

“You’d better have one hell of an explanation for all of this,” Brian warned.

“It’ll blow your socks off,” Sean said. “Guaranteed.”

“Let me do the talking,” Brian said. They started toward the card table.

“I wouldn’t think of interfering,” Sean said. “It’s the one thing you do well.”

As they approached the card table Sean eyed Sterling Rombauer and Robert Harris, who were arguing off to the side. Sean tried to turn away from them and walk sideways lest they recognize him and cause some kind of panic. But he needn’t have been concerned. They were too engrossed in their conversation to notice him.

Coming up behind Hector Salazar’s bulk, Brian cleared his throat to get the policeman’s attention, but to no avail. Hector had taken over where Brian had left off with George Loring. George was eager to get the nod for action. Hector was advocating patience.

“Lieutenant!” Brian called.

“Goddamn it,” Hector bellowed. “Anderson, did you call complaints about that TV chopper? Here it comes again.”

All conversation had to halt as the Channel 4 helicopter flew low overhead and banked around the parking area. Hector flipped the cameraman a finger which he’d later regret when he had to watch it replay again and again on TV.

Once the helicopter disappeared, Brian got Hector’s attention.

“Lieutenant,” Brian said buoyantly. “I’d like you to meet my brother Sean Murphy.”

“Another brother!” Hector said, not making the proper connection. “What is this, a family reunion?” Then to Sean he said: “Do you think you might have some influence on that nutty brother of yours up in the lab? We have to get him to start talking to our negotiating team.”

“This is Sean!” Brian said. “He’s the one who was up there. But he’s out now, and he wants to apologize for all this trouble.”

Hector looked back and forth between the two brothers as his mind tried to make sense of this sudden, mind-boggling turn of events.

Sean stuck his hand out. Hector took it automatically, still too stunned to speak. The two men shook hands as if they’d just been introduced at a cocktail party.

“Hi!” Sean said, giving Hector one of his best smiles. “I want to personally thank you for all your effort. It really saved the day.”