"Of course you don't, ' Gerry said. He half turned to Gin and pointed to the ON button on the handle. "Is this the one that makes it work?
" "Yes! " Duncan shouted. "Yes, I did! " He said it! Thank God!
"And how about Lane and Allard and Schulz? " "Yes, yes, yes! " He was on his feet, backing away, his voice rising toward a scream. "Are you satisfied? Yes, goddammit! Now turn that thing off! " "I've heard enough, " Decker said.
"So have I," said Gerry. He placed the handle in its cradle on the ultrasound machine.
It's over, Gin thought, sagging against the counter. Over at last.
Decker turned to the agent next to Gin and pointed to Duncan.
"Reilley, why don't you keep Dr. Lathram company. Everybody else stay right where they are for the moment. I'm going upstairs to make some calls." Gerry stretched his hand across the counter to her. Weak with relief, she clutched it.
"How's it going? he said.
"Much better, now that you're here." He stared into her eyes. "Tell me . . . back at the Tremont . . .
the blood in the bathroom . . . did you . . . ? " She nodded and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When he opened them he was looking away.
"You are incredible. And I'm sorry I doubted you." Those words were music. She took his hand in both of hers. "We were both being manipulated by a master. The important thing is you cared enough not to give up on me. That means the whole world to me." Gerry glanced over his shoulder at Duncan. "He doesn't look like a guy who's going down for two counts of second degree murder and a host of federal crimes. ' Gin saw what he meant Duncan looked cool and calm in his chair now that the ultrasound transducer had been put away. She began to move around the counter to get closer to him.
'"Where're you going? " Gerry said.
"I want a few words with my former boss." My former idol. She had to be careful here. She had something to say but she didn't want her feelings to get in the way. Just looking at him now made her want to burst into tears.
"Do you realize what you've become, Duncan? " He gazed up at her blandly. "I have a feeling you're going to tell me."
"Ever since I came to Washington you've been talking to me about ethics and honesty and probity and how nobody in the government adheres to any moral and ethical standards. And you weren't far off the mark, unfortunately.
But I always assumed you were speaking from higher ground. You weren't. During all that talk you were desecrating your oath as a physician. I know those men hurt you, and they may well have been the crooks, cheats, venal, low-rent, bloodsucking leeches on the public trust you said they were, but that doesn't matter. They came to you as a doctor and you accepted them as patients. They were counting on you being better than they were. That's a sacred trust, primum non nocere, and you defiled it." She noticed Decker slipping back into the room, but he didn't interrupt her. Good. She wasn't finished yet.
"I know what you used to be, Duncan, who you used to be, and I admired that person like no one else in the world. But you became exactly like the people you detest so much, the end justifies the means, anything goes. Look what you tried to do to me." She realized how angry she was becoming. She had to shut up before she exploded. "You be the enemy, Duncan. And you're going to pay for it." - '"Maybe, " he said softly. "And maybe not."
"Don't kid yourself, ' she said, feeling her fury escalating. "You just confessed in front of a roomful of people." He smiled at her.
"Whatever statements I made were coerced from me, elicited under threats of damage." He looked around at the four government agents.
"Ask any of these gentlemen if they think one word of what I said here will ever be admissible in court." Gin looked around. No one had to say anything. Gerry's eyes spoke volumes.
Something snapped inside her. "You mean he's going free? " Gerry started to say something but Gin didn't hear it. All the pain, all the anguish, the terror, the self-doubt, the betrayal, and Duncan was going to walk!
She turned, grabbed the ultrasound handle, thumbed the power button, and slammed it against Duncan's leg.
'"Walk away from that! " Duncan screamed "NO! " and clutched at his thigh. "Oh, God, NO! " The lab was suddenly bedlam, Reilley pushed her away from Duncan, Gerry pulled the handle from her hand, while Decker was saying, "Jesus H.
Christ! Gerry, get her the hell out of here! " Gerry grasped both her upper arms from behind and gently but firmly propelled her toward the door, guiding her past Duncan, who was now bent double as he clawed at his thigh, whimpering and moaning, "Oh-no-oh-no-oh-no, please, God, no-oh-no-oh-no! " And then they were in the narrow passageway outside the lab. Gerry shut the door behind them and turned her around to face him.
"My God, Gin! I can't believe you did that."
"I want him to be as frightened as I was. I want him to know what it feels like to be utterly terrified."
"I can appreciate that. Look, know what he tried to do to you, but after all you just said, I never thought . . . " He ran out of words and stared at her. "Why are you smiling? " She truly loved this man's sense of decency.
"I guess I forgot to mention that Duncan's implant was empty."
" Empty? " She nodded. "Right. He burst in on me before I had a chance to fill it, so I stuck him with an empty one." She watched Gerry's expression slacken, then saw his lips turn up at the corners.
A second later he was shaking his head and grinning.
"I love it. Give him a taste of his own medicine, or let him think that's what he's getting." He slipped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I was so worried about you. Why didn't you call? " "I didn't think you'd believe me." Suddenly she felt weak and shaky.
"Can we sit down? " He guided her to one of the chairs in the lounge area and pulled another up close beside her. He slipped a protective arm over her shoulders.
"That will never happen again, Gin. I'll always believe you. I swear."
"Good. Hopefully I'll never again be in a situation like this."
"That makes two of us. Three of us, counting Martha. She's missed you." He leaned closer. "I think this morning will square me with the Bureau.
Which means I'll probably be moving up. I'm thinking of moving Martha away from the District. How about you? Still itching to work on the Hill? " Gin shook her head. "I've had it with this place. I think I'm going to look for a practice in a nice little town where only things are for sale, not people."
"Great." His eyes held hers.
"Maybe you could pick one with an FBI office nearby. How's that sound?
' "That sounds nice, " she said softly.
The lab door opened behind them. Briggs stepped out and walked past, heading for the stairs. He gave Gin a wary look. As the door swung closed again, Gin heard Duncan's voice.
"You've got to get me to a hospital! Now! Not later! This is an emergency! " And then the door clicked shut.
"How long before we tell him? " Gerry said.
"Tell him? " Gin said. "I'm not going to tell him. He'll figure it out sooner or later. Let the bastard stew till then." Gerry laughed.
"Remind me never to get on the wrong side of you." She grabbed his tie and pulled him closer. "Believe that, buster. Don't ever forget it."
They kissed.