“Does the American Academy of Otolaryngology know anything about medicine?”
Mike did a double take. Now he was impressed.
“Because I happen to know for a fact,” Baxter continued, “that they don’t think it works. They say a lighted candle could never create enough suction to draw wax or much of anything else out of the ear. They say that stuff that shows up when you cut open the candle is just melted wax.”
“That’s absurd! It’s-it’s-ear mites, and-”
“Dogs get ear mites, Doctor. Dogs and cats. Not people. And ear wax is good for you, at least up to a point. It traps dust and dirt and prevents infection. Ear canals are hard to get at for a reason-to protect the eardrum.”
“It helps relieve headaches. Stress. You’re totally ignoring the psychological benefits.”
“What, the pleasure of lying on a table for an hour with a decent-looking guy in the room?”
“My business has been thriving.”
“You’ve got other customers? Besides Erin?”
“I’ve never been so busy. Does that surprise you?”
“Well, frankly, yes. I mean, I know Erin was kinda messed up-”
“Excuse me,” Harris said, cutting him off, “but I don’t agree with that at all.”
“You don’t?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t talk about it.”
Mike sighed. “Dr. Harris, surely you realize that a report from us to the state licensing board or the AMA could get you shut down inside of a week. What’s more”-he glanced at his partner-“it should be fairly apparent to you by now that Sergeant Baxter would really enjoy doing it. I think you better talk to us, Doctor. Don’t you?”
“Okay,” Jones was saying to Loving as Ben entered the office, “I understand about the food and the water and the weapons. But why do you need the metal helmet?”
Ben’s eyes diverted to Jones’s desk, which was currently ornamented by an underwater diving helmet that had been tricked out with mirrors and an antenna. It looked like something Commander Cody might wear in an old movie serial.
Ben pulled up a chair. This was an explanation he wanted to hear.
“Two words,” Loving said, his face grave. “Mind control.”
Jones was not impressed. “I’m supposed to believe someone wants to control your mind?”
“It ain’t just me, wise guy. When they come, they’ll come for everyone.”
“And they is-?”
“The Council on Foreign Relations. The UN. The CIA. The Trilateral Commission. The Rhodes scholars.”
“The Rhodes scholars?” Ben echoed.
“Hell, yes. Cecil Rhodes was a One World nut from the get-go. What did you think he was doing out in Africa?”
“Well, as I recall-”
“The Rhodes scholars exist to implement his totalitarian dream. That’s why the Trilaterals make sure they’re put in positions of power.”
“They do?”
“Of course they do. How did you think Bill Clinton managed to become president?”
“I’ve wondered about that, actually.”
“It’s all part of a scheme orchestrated by the CIA-but of course the CIA is controlled by the NWO.”
“Of course.”
“It’s well documented. Just like the CIA mind-control experiments.”
“CIA mind control?” Jones said. “Give me a break.”
“It’s a fact, chump. Ever hear of MK-ULTRA? Congress had to pay big bucks to the survivors of that early shot at LSD-induced mind control. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a dozen more that Congress knows nothin’ about.”
“But you do.”
“I try to stay informed.” Loving jabbed a thumb toward his massive chest. “They’ve expanded their reach. Programmed suicides. Jonestown. Heaven’s Gate.”
“All CIA experiments?” Jones said. “And here I thought those people were just easily manipulated losers.”
“I gotta friend who downloaded a top secret NATO report off the Internet. Shows how the New World Order plans to soften up America with treaties like NAFTA that suck away all our jobs, then terrorize us with operations like Ruby Ridge and Waco. When all hell breaks loose, the UN so-called peacekeepers will be sent in to quiet things down. Those troops are already stationed in our national parks. They’re just waiting for their cue to spread out and take over. And our military will go along with it. You know why?”
“Uh… mind control?” Ben hazarded.
“Damn straight. Been setting this up for years. And the American public won’t resist. Know why?”
Ben and Jones spoke in unison. “Mind control.”
“Right as rain. But they won’t get me.” Loving patted the big round hunk of metal on the desk. “ ’Cause I’ll be wearing my helmet.”
“Well, not in the office,” Ben said. “Violates the dress code.”
Loving appeared miffed. “This is serious, Skipper.”
“Seriously deranged, you mean. This is the most paranoid stuff I’ve heard since… well, since the last time we talked, anyway.” Ben pushed himself out of his chair. “But enough fun. I want a status meeting in the main conference room in ten minutes. Be prepared to tell me what you’ve learned.”
Jones scowled. “And if we haven’t learned anything?”
Ben checked his watch. “You’ve got ten minutes.”
“Let’s try this again,” Mike said. “Why don’t you agree that Erin was pretty messed up?”
Dr. Harris pursed his lips, obviously unhappy. But given a choice between talking and facing the wrath of Sergeant Baxter, he apparently decided he could be a bit more garrulous. “I had a chance to talk with her on a regular basis for more than two years.”
“And you found her perfectly normal?”
“I don’t know what perfectly normal is.” Harris spread his hands expansively. “Certainly I’ve never seen it. But Erin was no worse than most of the women I see. To the contrary, when you take into account all that she had been through, all that she had experienced, I think she coped rather well.”
“I would agree with you. Right up until she killed herself.” He saw Baxter glare at him, but chose to ignore it.
“I don’t believe that, either,” Harris shot back. “The Erin Faulkner I knew would never give up like that.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Think about it for a moment. If she didn’t give up when she was trapped in that basement-alone, abandoned, chained like a wild dog, listening to the tortured screams of her family-when would she?”
Mike didn’t answer.
“I think Erin had an inner strength she was only beginning to tap. She had some problems, yes. Something was eating away at her. She kept telling me there was something she had to fix. Something she had to make right.”