The Doctor eyed the two of them curiously.He was certainly the man Harry had seen outside of Evie's room, the man Maurahad drawn. But in some ways he wasn't. He looked like all of the computerrenderings, but none of them. He would have fit in perfectly behind the counterof a convenience store or piloting a jet. He was nobody and everybody. When hespoke, his voice was mellow, hypnotic, and totally devoid of emotion.
'Well, Ray. It's been a while, hasn't it,'he said. Santana pushed the table away from Perchek with his foot. Even throughthe black greasepaint, Harry could see the tension in his face. Clearly,Perchek sensed it, too.
'You don't look so good, Ray,' he said, asSantana was taping his wrists to the wrought-iron arms of the chair. 'Themuscle wasting in those hands. That twitch by your eye. What is it — drugs?Some sort of disease?'
Harry noticed that The Doctor's arms,especially his forearms, were thickly muscled. His biceps stretched the sleevesof his sky blue polo shirt. Santana checked him for a weapon, but found none.
'The key to Maura's room,' Ray demanded.
Perchek shrugged as if the business wastoo mundane for him to bother with.
'No key,' he said. 'Just a dead bolt inthis side.'
Santana motioned Harry down the shortflight of stairs. In half a minute he was back with her. She was hollow-eyedfrom strain and her lip was swollen and crusted with blood, but otherwise sheseemed unharmed.
'The big guy hit her when they kidnappedher,' Harry explained.
'Anything else?' Santana asked.
'Except for forcing the booze down me,they haven't really hurt me. I managed to spit a lot of it out, and after theyleft me alone I made myself throw up. I was drunk for a while, but I'm sobernow. They thought I'd start begging them for more, but I hated the feeling andeven the taste.'
Harry put his arm around her and held hertightly.
Santana glared down at Perchek.
'Who in the agency helped Garvey disappearso cleanly?' he asked.
Perchek continued smiling at him benignly.
'Ray, you look terrible. Absolutelyterrible.' His speech was as sterile as his eyes. 'You know, I keep thinkingthat back in Nogales I never had the chance to give you the antidote for myhyconidol. That's what's wrong with you, isn't it? My Lord, Ray, what anoversight. I am so sorry. So truly sorry.'
'Shut up and tell me who sent Garvey outwith a new identity.'
'There is an antidote, you know. And adamn effective one it is, too. The biochemical process is quite simple,actually. It's called competitive inhibition. The antidote just floods thebloodstream and replaces those nasty little molecules that have been locked onto those nerve endings of yours all these years, and Bingo, you'recured. No more pain, Ray. Think of it. Why. . why, just look at your eyes.You're addicted, too, aren't you. Oh, Ray. I can just imagine what you've beenthrough all these years. Why, it's a wonder you haven't done yourself in beforenow. .'
Santana listened as if transfixed. Perchekwas soothing, seductive, hypnotic — and totally believable. Harry wanted to saysomething, anything to break the spell of The Doctor's rhetoric. Instead, hetoo stood motionless. It was Santana's pain.
'. . Well, now you don't have to hurtanymore, Ray. Those horrible pain flashes you keep having? I can make them goaway for good. I promise you. No more need for narcotics. You'll feel thedifference in only a few minutes, Ray. Just think of it. No more pain everagain. Guaranteed. You can keep me tied up while you try it. Then you canleave. I promise no one will touch you. All I want is him.' He nodded towardHarry. 'In exchange for the antidote, all I want is half an hour with him.'
Perchek looked over at Harry and for thefirst time, Harry could see emotion in the man's eyes — a consuming,contemptuous loathing, focused directly and completely on him. Harry glancedback at Santana and saw a flicker of uncertainty. Perchek saw it, too, and wasagain smiling benignly.
Santana set his pistol on the table. Thenhe whirled and stretched two-inch-wide adhesive tape tightly across TheDoctor's mouth. Next he pulled out a contraption from his pocket — an arcanemetal frame with five finger rests and pointed screws over each. Perchekstiffened momentarily, but made no move to resist as Ray locked the fingers andthumb of his right hand in place.
'I don't have a pain drug,' he said, 'butI do have this thing I've been hanging on to for years. A friend brought itback from China. I'll bet you've used something like it yourself from time totime. First nail, then flesh, then bone, then through the other side. Eightfingers, two thumbs, millimeter by millimeter. I've been saving it, and Ididn't even know why. . until now.'
He tightened the screws down so that eachnail blanched. Perchek reacted not at all.
'Ray, don't let him make you into him,'Harry begged. 'There's no antidote for that drug. And even if there were,you know he'd never give it to you. I need him, Ray. They want me for murdershe committed. Let's just take him in and get him locked up. Don't sink to hislevel.'
'You don't understand, Harry,' Santanasaid icily. 'Siempre estaba yo a su nivel. I was always at his level.Now get out!' He snapped the words like a whip.
Harry started to protest, but he knew itwould serve no purpose. He took Maura by the arm.
'We'll be right outside,' he said. 'Weonly have about ten minutes before Garvey starts wondering why I haven'tcalled.'
They left as Santana was tightening thefirst screw.
'Who did Garvey own at the agency?' heasked. 'Who's protecting him now?'
Perchek smiled beneath the tape. Santanatightened the screw through the nail. Blood spurted out around the metal.Perchek stared ahead.
'Pain or answers,' Santana said. 'You'vegot a choice to make.'
'No, Ray. It's you who have the choice..'
Sean Garvey spoke to him from just outsidethe front door. He held a gun to Harry's head. They stepped into the room. Thehuge thug followed, roughly dragging Maura by the arm, then shoving her to thefloor. His gun was leveled directly at Ray.
'. . And you don't have a lot of time.'
Chapter41
'Raymond, you were careless seven yearsago,' Garvey said. 'And you were careless tonight.' Still holding his revolverto Harry's temple, he shuffled sideways away from the front door, until his backwas to the river. 'My man big Jerry, here, called the gatehouse to set up agolf game with his pal. And what do you know? No answer. Now then, get thatthing off Dr. Perchek's hand.'
Santana didn't move. 'You son of a bitch,'he said. 'How many of our guys did you get killed? How did you get paid? By thescalp?'
Ray glanced towards the door. It was onlythe slightest movement, but Harry caught it. So did Garvey.
'Don't try to pull that shit with me,' hesaid. 'There's no one out there, and you know it. Face it, Raymond. You tried,you lost. Now take that off Anton's hand.'
Santana again glanced towards the door — just a flick of his eyes. Then he reached over and loosened the screw. Perchekflexed his finger and the device clattered to the oak floor.
'A lot of the guys you sold out hadfamilies,' Ray said. 'Kids that had to grow up without a father. We worked forshit pay and took crazy risks because we believed in what we were doing. We alltrusted you. And you just handed us over one by one. I can understand him.' Hegestured toward The Doctor. 'He works for the highest bidder, whoever ithappens to be. He's a machine. But you. . you're something worse. You'rescum — a soulless, gutless traitor.'
'The tape,' Garvey snapped. 'Take it offhis mouth.' Santana complied, though not at all gently. 'You should have stayedback in Kentucky, or wherever the hell you were, Raymond. Everyone would havebeen much better off. Now we've got to run some sort of damage control in orderto keep my pet project up and running.'