NANOVISION: What Would You Do With X-ray Vision? (9 page)

“Yes, yes, I
understand,” said Ethyl. “I’ll have a talk with him this evening. Doctor, would
it be possible for you to e-mail me a copy of the MRI? I’d like to take a look
myself, so I can explain things to Daniel... Yes, thank you... Yes, I
understand... timing is imperative, we shouldn’t wait... yes, next week should
be fine. I will clear my calendar. Thank you, Doctor. I’ll call you Tuesday
after the holiday. Thank you, again. Good night.”

Ethyl set the
phone down, tears welling up in her eyes. She rubbed her forehead in worry.

“Ms. Santini?
What is it?” asked Alice. 

“My nephew,”
answered Ethyl, “his MRI is showing a small mass behind one of his eyes. The
doctor thinks it may be cancerous. He wants to operate and take out both his
eyes, just in case.”

Ethyl began to
weep, while Alice grabbed some tissue.

*   *   *   *

Mickey almost
looked like a normal businessman, dressed in a suit and tie, as he walked the
hallways of UCLA Medical Center. He was looking for the Records office. Lost,
he spied a nurse.

“Excuse me,” he
said, in the most modest of voices. “Ken yah teel me where aye might find the
Record’s office? Aye’m kinda lost.”

The nurse turned
and pointed. “Sure... just go up the hallway here and take the second right.
You can’t miss it.”

“Thank-yah,
lassie.”

Following the
nurse’s direction, Mickey wandered up the hallway and turned. There, he spied a
small sign over a door that read: ‘RECORDS’. He made his way to it.

The records
department of the medical center was a two room affair, a smaller alcove-like
area with several chairs for visitors and a larger facility for the hospital
record’s staff. The larger room was filled with an array of desks, computers,
and a filing system that held the data for every patient who had stayed at or
visited the hospital over the last ten years. Presently, both rooms were empty
with the exception of two employees, a nurse and a secretary, and Mickey who
had entered unnoticed. Mickey walked to the counter and waited. He listened as
the two young women giggled between themselves−one was showing off her
new engagement ring.

“Maggie, that’s
so beautiful,” he heard one say. “Look at the size... give me a hug.”

The girls were in
the middle of an embrace when they noticed Mickey standing at the counter. It
was an awkward moment, and the two turned red. The one in the nurse’s outfit
broke away. “I’ll see you later...” she said, “... the EDR maybe?”

Maggie nodded.
“Sure, I get another break at two.” She then walked to the counter. “May I help
you?” she asked Mickey.

“Ah, lass... Aye
couldn’t ‘elp but ‘ear yah say that yur getting married. May aye give me
congratulations to yah?”

Maggie beamed.
“Thank you. And what can I do for you?”

Mickey looked
down, giving the saddest face possible. “Well, Lass,” he began. Aye’ve kum a
lookin’ for information. Yah see, me nephew, ‘e wuz injured in Las Vegas about
four years ago. And aye wuz told ‘e wuz sent ‘ere for treatment.”

Maggie moved to
one of the computers on the counter. “What was the patient’s name?” she asked.

“Daniel Raye,
with an ‘e’... aye don’t ‘ave an exact date for yah. Ya see, aye wuz actually
back in Scotland when this ‘appened and the news dinna reach me until now.
Unfortunately, me and my brother we ‘aven’t been on the best of terms, it’s a
long story if yah know whut aye mean. But with ‘im gone and all, aye need tae
find me young nephew.”

Maggie scoured
the computer. “I’m sorry, but I’m not seeing anyone under that name.”

“Could it be that
mebbe they dinna ‘ave ‘is name?” asked Mickey.

“Well, it could
be that he was listed as a John Doe. Do you know why he was brought here? What
kind of injury?”

“The neighbors
said that the hoose burned down... Aye think thar may ‘ave bin an explosion.”

“I’m sorry to
hear that,” noted Maggie.

“Aye...”

Maggie scoured
the data base further.

“I’m seeing here
that we had a John Doe flown in from Henderson, Nevada, but the files are sealed.
And unfortunately, I don’t have access. If you like, you can fill out a request
form...” She handed Mickey a form. “And I can have my supervisor look it up
when she gets back.”

“And when might
that be?” Mickey asked.

Maggie glanced at
the clock. It was 12:32. “Oh darn − she won’t be back until around four.
She had a dentist appointment.”

Mickey was beside
himself. “Oh, Lass,” he pleaded in his softest voice. “Aye’m supposed tae catch
a plane at three twenty. Ken yah not mebbe find a way tae teel me where they
sent ‘im? Aye’m just losin’ me mind thinkin’ ‘e might be lyin’ in sum hospital
or foster ‘ome, someplace with no one tae give ‘im the love of family.”

Maggie glanced
behind at one of the empty desks, and Mickey knew instantly she could get the
information he needed−he was good at reading people. He just had to ply
the right technique. He pressed her.

“Aye know that
aye’m askin’ a lot, Maggie, it’s a personal request, but it’s important that
aye find ‘im. Aye’ll teel yah what...” He reached into his pocket and pulled
out a wad of money, counting out five twenties.

“Aye, know ‘ow
expensive weddings ken be... even back in Scotland they cost a lot. Maggie,
aye’d like tae give yah this as a gift, to ‘elp with the flowers and the cake.
Ken yah not ‘elp me find me nephew?”

He pushed the
money across the counter toward her. Maggie was sorely tempted, but afraid.
What
if somebody saw?
Mickey knew the girl was on the edge, so he quickly threw
in another hundred sealing the deal. Maggie stole a quick glance around the
room, then swept the money off the counter and into her pocket. “I think I know
where to get access,” she whispered.

Later that
afternoon Mickey was flying high. Driving to the airport, he booked the first
flight he could get to San Francisco. The timing was perfect. He would find the
kid and kill him before the weekend was over. With any luck at all, he’d be
back in Vegas before Benny knew he was gone. As he sat on the plane gazing out
the window, he fingered the note in his pocket. He pulled it out one more time
and re-read Maggie’s handwritten note:

DR. JOSEPH CURRY

125 N Jackson Ave., Suite 204

San Jose, CA 95112

(408) 911-9999

Mickey slipped
the note back into his pocket and closed his eyes. If all went well he’d find
this doctor’s office and grab the files on Daniel. His address was all he would
need. The boy would be dead soon enough. He had to be. If Benny found out he
was still alive, it would all be over. He just wished he had his
knife−and some coke.
Oh well, he could buy some when he got to Frisco.

*   *   *   *

It was the Martin
Luther King weekend and the end of winter break for Daniel and Katie−both
were antsy to get back to school. The four weeks of break had been fantastic,
but with Christmas long past and the weather chilly, they were eager to see
their friends and teachers again and restart their studies. Presently, most of
their time was spent with Rudy. The old man was keeping an eye on them while
Ethyl worked. He loved their company and bored them to tears with his stories
and exploits about living, working, and partying in Las Vegas. For Daniel, it
was like being back home and he loved the fact that Rudy treated him like a normal
kid.

Rudy’s basement
looked like a miniature casino. The old man had a bar, a half dozen slot
machines, flashing neon signs, a small one-man crap table and two blackjack
tables, complete with felt, chips, cards and six deck shoes. Most of the time
the equipment sat idle unless Rudy was entertaining, which he often did, but
today he was giving another lesson to Katie and Daniel on how to win at
Blackjack.

“So what-yah
think kid?” asked Rudy, as he chomped on his unlit cigar. “Ya got a soft
seventeen... dealer’s showing a six. Katie you’ve got fourteen...” 

Katie jumped in.
“I stand... right?” She waved him off.

“I’m going to
double down,” said Daniel.

“Right yah are,
kid. Come on, put your checks in action.”

Sliding his chips
forward, Daniel doubled down while Rudy drew another card. He snapped a four on
top of Daniel’s soft seventeen.

“Twenty-one kid.
Very nice.” Rudy then proceeded to bust.

“I really love
this game,” said Katie, raking in her chips.

“As long as you
keep it in perspective,” noted Rudy. “Ya gotta play smart. I’ve seen too many
people throw their lives away thinking they could take down the casino.”

“What about card
counting?” asked Daniel, “... not that I could do it, being blind and all.”

“Most card
counters beat themselves,” answered Rudy, matter-of-factly. “They draw too much
attention to themselves by not drinking, playing too long and structuring their
bets, and worst of all−most don’t tip! Blackjack is a superstitious game
and you never want to piss off the dealer−so make sure you show some
appreciation. It’s never good if yah got a dealer who wants to kick your butt because
you’re too tight-assed to give a little − excuse my French. And most
importantly, don’t draw unnecessary attention to yourself, keep it simple. If
you get lucky and hit a streak, say thank you and get out the door. The secret
to winning in a casino is leaving with the money.”

“You know what I
wish?” interjected Katie. “I wish I could see the next card−like
superman. That would be so cool.”

Rudy and Daniel
laughed. “Yeah kid...” responded Rudy “... you and everybody else in the
world.”

 Unexpectedly,
the phone rang, but Rudy didn’t seem to notice. On the third ring Katie spoke
up. “Uncle Rudy... your phone’s ringing.”

“What?”

“Your phone...”

“Oh,” he
responded. He tapped his finger on his hearing aid. “Must need a new battery.”
The phone rang again. This time he heard it. “It’s probably the Nevada gaming
commission,” he boasted. “I’ll be right back. Last month they needed my help
spotting a dice cheater.”

Katie and Daniel
laughed as he disappeared from view.

“Is he really
going to take you to Reno during spring break?” asked Katie, in his absence.

Daniel grinned.
“I hope so. Now that I’m legal I can play for real. I even got my ID from the
DMV. It came yesterday.” He pulled it out and showed her.

“I wanna go...”
whined Katie.

Daniel chuckled,
then mimicked Rudy. “Sorry kid... yah ain’t twenty-one.”

Upstairs, in the
hallway, Rudy answered his phone. The call was from Ethyl and the look on
Rudy’s face was serious. “Yeah, Eth... sure I can bring him by... no... it’s
not a problem. I’ll take her out for some ice cream or something. You don’t
need to worry about nothin’.” He glanced at his watch. “We’ll be there in about
thirty minutes.”

*   *   *   *

The employee
parking lot at Nanobytes was pretty much empty by the time Rudy arrived with
the kids. Driving his restored 1970 Cadillac Eldorado, he followed Ethyl’s
instructions and pulled around to the rear of the building where Ethyl was
waiting. He stopped and parked−Katie was instantly out of the car and
bouncing across the sidewalk.

“Hi, Nanna,” the
young girl exclaimed, giving her Grandmother a quick hug.

“Hey, sweet pea,”
replied Ethyl, squeezing her back.

“Wow, you should
have seen me at blackjack,” she announced, excitedly. “I won twenty
dollars−well, it wasn’t real money, but still, I was winning...” She then
noticed her grandmother’s face−her eyes were red and puffy. “What’s
wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing,
Darling, I’ve just had a hard day.” Ethyl said nothing else. Her eyes were
glued on Daniel, watching him as he made his way around the car toward the
sidewalk.

“Hey, Aunt Ethyl,
what gives?” Daniel called out cheerfully as he joined the two.

“Hey,
sweetheart,” she answered, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Daniel, would
you excuse Katie and me for a moment.”

“Sure,” he
replied.

Taking Katie by
the hand, Ethyl walked her granddaughter back to the car while quietly talking
to her.

“Katie, honey, I
need to have a talk with Daniel, and Uncle Rudy has offered to take you out for
some ice cream. You think you might give us a couple of hours? It’s important.”

Katie knew
instantly that something was wrong. “Is he okay?” she asked, glancing over at
Daniel−concern etched upon her face.

“Katie, I’m not going
to lie. Dr Muller called. He wants to operate on Daniel’s eyes. It’s serious,
but not life threatening−he’ll be okay. Now be a good girl and go have
some ice cream. Daniel and I have a lot to talk about.”