"Just what you'd like people to think, isn't it? Well, listen, Duncan, " "Have you heard enough, Barbara? " And then Gin heard Barbara's voice, husky with pity. "Gin, you've got to calm down.
We're you're friends here.
We only want to help you.
Please. You've got to believe that." Gin nearly dropped the phone.
"Oh my God! Barbara! He's conning you! " The bastard! He'd put Barbara on the line while she was on hold. Now he had a witness that she was making wild accusations before her complete breakdown.
'"Just stay where you are, Gin, " Duncan said. "I'm calling an ambulance to come to your place. We'll get you to where you can receive the help you need."
"NO! " She slammed the phone down and ran for her bedroom.
"Damn me! How could I be so stupid! " She pulled on her clothes. She had to get out of here. She could see it all now . . .
He had set all this up, and so cleverly. First the fake-out on , r, i.
.
Marsden. She must have made it too obvious that she suspected something.
So he'd pulled a reverse on her by puncturing the senator's thigh with an empty trocar. He'd led her into making a complete fool out of herself. But that was the least of it. Now her rationality and soundness of judgment were suspect.
But how in the world did he know how much she knew? Unless he had a security camera in the office or something.
My God! Was that possible? Then he would have seen her picking the lock on his desk drawer, seen her peeking behind that book two days ago. She groaned. No wonder he wanted her out of the way.
She pulled on a sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers, grabbed her purse, and headed for the door. She stuttered to a halt at the threshold.
Where am I going?
Home? But that was the first place he'd look for her. And she did not want to get her folks involved.
Gerry? He had awful doubts about her reliability. But this time she had proof. Right here in her leg. An implant nestled there in the fatty layer.
She leapt back to the phone and dialed Gerry's home. He'd still be there now. At least she hoped so. As the phone began to ring, she worked to keep her voice under control. She wanted to sound sane while she explained something insane. How to say it all in as few words as possible? And make it believable. She had to make Gerry believe.
"Gerry, it's Gin." Gerry felt a small glow of pleasure at the sound of her voice, also a stab of guilt and, in a way, relief. He'd wanted to talk to her but had been hesitant about making the call. He'd been pretty rough on her last week. He was glad she'd taken the first step.
On the other hand, he couldn't help being more than a little apprehensive about what she might have to say, especially since her voice sounded strained.
"Hello, Gin. I've been meaning to call."
"I don't have much time, so please listen to what I have to say. Last night Duncan put one of those implants in my leg while I was asleep.
It's still in there. ' He groaned. Not again.
"Oh, Gin. You've really got to get, " Her voice rushed on. "Listen to me, Gerry. I beg you. This isn't fantasy. There are two hard facts you can check out. One is, obviously, the implant in my leg. I know it's there. I can feel it. We can get a scan to prove it, but what I really want is someone to operate and remove it. The second is the reason Duncan did this to me, He's doing cosmetic surgery on the president tomorrow morning. ' Gerry closed his eyes. Poor Gin.
Duncan Lathram strikes again, first Senator Marsden, now the president.
"I know what you're thinking, Gerry, " she said, 'and I don't blame you.
But just check it out. You've got to know someone in the Secret Service."
"Yeah. I know a couple of guys." Bob Decker immediately came to mind.
He was on the White House detail.
If anyone would know the president's hour-to-hour whereabouts, it would be Bob.
"Good. Call one of them. Call them all. Confirm what I said about the surgery. Once we've established that, maybe you'll be more willing to believe that I'm not completely . .
crazy.
"I don't think you're crazy, ' he said, hoping he sounded convincing.
"You're a terrible liar. But please don't leave me hanging. Check this out. Then we can get on with removing this thing from my leg and put a stop to Duncan before he does something catastrophic. Please.
I'm begging you." The note of plaintive desperation in her voice cut through all his rational objections to getting sucked in again.
She's frightened, he thought. Deeply frightened.
"Okay. I'll call'the White House." It was the least he could do. And what would it hurt? "But it may take me a while to get an answer.
Those guys aren't just sitting around waiting for calls. If the president's out somewhere, they'll be with him."
"It's still early.
Maybe you can catch somebody."
"I'll try."
"Thanks. That's almost more than I could hope for." She sounded not only frightened, but lost. Not a friend in the world.
"Where will you be? Home? " "God, no. He's coming for me. I've got to get moving. I'll call you back in a little while. When I get to a safe place." Oh, Gin.
"Do you want to stay at my place? " he said. "Martha will be in school.
You could stay here till I hear from the Secret Service guys." He wanted her safe. What should he do with her? He had to get some help.
Maybe get in touch with her parents, let them know she was having a breakdown.
"Maybe later. After we get this thing out of my leg, I'll need a place to rest up. Right now I'd better keep on the move." Gerry chewed his lip. He didn't want to push her, not in her mental state.
"Okay. Do what you have to do. But stay in touch. Keep calling in.