"Is something wrong? " "Something might be. Can I tell you about it over lunch? " "Nothing about Martha, is it? " He stared at her, then put his arm around her shoulder. "No. Nothing at all to do with Martha." They walked down to Mass. Gerry tried to make small talk but didn't do a very good job.
Summer wasn't letting go just yet. The sun was high and 0 the air warm. Gerry pointed to an array of red-and-white Tecate umbrellas on a patio in front of a converted brownstone about a block and a half down from Union Station.
"How about T-Coast? " Gerry said.
Gin looked at the sign, Tortilla Coast. Mexican food. "It's not a Taco Bell, but I guess we can make do." She was too wound up to eat, but just sitting in the sun would be good.
They took a corner table near the sidewalk.
"So what's the problem? " she said as the hostess left them with their menus.
"I heard about Senator Vincent."
"It was terrible."
"You realize, don't you, that he's the third member of your committee to bite the dust. ' "Yes. Senator Marsden and I were just discussing it. But what, ? " "I did some quick background on him. Checked if he'd had any surgery recently." He paused, staring at her. "You know what's coming next, don't you." It wasn't a question. What was he getting at? Why was the FBI interested?
"Duncan."
"Right. That makes four." "Four what? " "Four dead or disabled legislators, two senators, two congressmen, all Lathram patients. Three of them on the Guidelines committee. Could your Dr. Lathram have it in for that committee or something? " Gin suddenly felt a little queasy.
He was echoing her own crazy thoughts.
The waitress arrived then. Gin agreed to share Gerry's nacho platter and ordered a Pepsi. Considering what the morning had been like, she could have done with a brew, she'd acquired a taste for Dixie while at Tulane, but she didn't want to show up at the senator's staff meeting this afternoon with beer on her breath.
"He was there this morning, you know, " she said when they were alone again.
"Who? " "Duncan. And he was on the Capitol steps when Allard took his fall."
"You were there? You never told me. How close was he? " "You mean, did Duncan push him? Come on. But he . . . " She hesitated, wondering if she should mention it, then plunged ahead.
"Duncan's last words to Allard were something about Lisa."
"His daughter? The one who, ? " '"Committed suicide. I think so. He said something about an eighteen-year-old named Lisa. Had to be her.
" Gerry was silent a moment, then, "On the subject of Lisa, I dug a little deeper after reading her death certificate. Got a copy of the coroner's report." Gin's heart kicked its rhythm up a notch. "You have it with you? " "No. It's back at my office. But I read it through a couple of times.
It summarized her whole medical history. Let me tell you, Lisa Lathram was one troubled kid."
"You mean she tried it before? " He nodded.
"Twice. Once with pills. Once with a razor to the wrists." Gin slumped in her chair. "How awful."
"Apparently neither attempt was that serious."
"But she got it right the third time"
"That was the real tragedy. According to the report, Lisa had been doing extremely well on Prozac, which I understand was pretty new at the time Then suddenly, boom, something happened and she went over the edge.
Gulped all the old antidepressants she'd squirreled away over the years.
But the worst part was she didn't take enough to kill her.
Just enough to make her dopey and clumsy. She toppled over a balcony and landed on a hard the floor. Doctor Lathram came home and found her.
"Oh, God. Poor Duncan." That explained it then, the sudden radical change in Duncan's life.
Everything must have fallen apart for him.
But it didn't explain his mentioning Lisa to Allard two weeks ago.
"Any hint in the report of a connection between Lisa and Congressman Allard? " Gerry shook his head. "Not that I saw. Of course, I wasn't looking for one. I'll make you a copy. But in the meantime . .."
He leaned forward." I understand Lathram's putting some sort of implants into his patients."
"How . . . how'd you know about that?
" He shrugged. "It's no secret. The FDA has him down as approved to do a clinical study. What's in those implants anyway? " "Just some enzymes and such to reduce scarring."
"Well, could there be something wrong with, ? ' She gave in to a sudden urge to defend Duncan. "Gerry, he does a dozen or more cases a week.
Very visible people. If there were something wrong with the implants, there'd be nobody left to go to all those embassy parties."
"What if he puts something different in certain implants . . . so he can get to certain people . . . ? " "Do you hear yourself, Gerry?
Dr. Duncan Lathram is lacing his implants with some mystery substance that causes people to get drunk and wreck their car, commit suicide, fall down steps, or have seizures.
That's one hell of a versatile drug."
"Who says it has to be one drug? " '"All right. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on that.
But let's take Senator Vincent today. You're saying that Duncan has such control over whatever drug he supposedly used that he can make it go into effect on command, right in the middle of a committee hearing.
Is that what you really think? " Gerry leaned back in his chair. Gin could feel the frustration pouring out of him.
He sighed. "Does sound pretty far Out, doesn't it? " He was silent for a while, then he leaned forward again. "But something doesn't smell right, Gin. I can't tell you how I know, or why, but my gut tells me something's going on here."
"I know what you mean, but it's just a string of coincidences. Duncan has his eccentricities, but he's not . . . he isn't . . . " "Look, just to shut me up, could you bring me a sample of whatever it is he puts in those implants? " "No, Gerry.
I can't. That's Oliver Lathram's concoction and it's not patentable.
What do you want to do, have it analyzed? " "Just to see if there's anything toxic in it."
"I can assure you there's nothing toxic in that solution."
"Ever hear of a binary poison? " Gerry said.
"No. I don't know much about poisons."
"They come in two parts. Neither half is toxic by itself, but when they meet in the bloodstream and bind, wham."
"Very interesting. But I'm still not getting you a sample. I couldn't.
It would be a breach of trust." He nodded slowly. "Okay. I can respect that. But keep your eyes open up there. And be careful. I don't want anything happening to you." Something happen to her?
Absurd.
Gin tried to lighten the mood by smiling and saluting him. "Aye, Captain Queeg. And how would you like your strawberries, sir? " Finally a smile broke through. "You think I'm crazy, don't you? " "No crazier than I. " '"See? We were made for each other. Have dinner with me tonight? " "Sure. How about my place? I'll cook." His eyes lit. "Really? " '"Bring Martha." A little of that light faded in his eyes. "Oh. I thought maybe you, " "Surely you've figured out by now that I only put up with you so I can see Martha." '"I can live with that, " he said. "Whatever it takes." Gin was touched. She reached across and laid her hand on his. He gripped her fingers.
And then the nachos arrived.
But as Gina watched Gerry pile his plate, she heard, Could your Dr. Lathram have it in for that committee or something?