Treadmill (19 page)

Upon entering his apartment, Cooper’s first act was to call Susan. To his surprise, she answered almost immediately.

“My God, Jack, I’ve been trying to reach you for hours.”

Her voice was soothing with its tone of affection and concern.

“I just got in.”

“Where were you?”

He paused. “Looking for a friend.”

“Who?”

“I’ll explain everything when I see you,” he said.

“Which I hope will be soon,” she said coyly. “Like tonight.”

“Tonight…? I thought…”

“A reprieve,” Susan said. “Dr. Kramer left early for his vacation.”

“Good old Dr. Kramer,” Cooper said, elated. “I hope he has a long, long vacation.”

Susan giggled like a teenager.

“You think we can escape the wrath of good old Carlton?” Cooper asked. “He was on my tail last night. Nearly ran me over.”

“That will never happen again, I promise.”

“You knew?”

“He was very embarrassed. I know he must have frightened you. Blames it on his blind jealousy. We had a long talk. It’s over now, Jack. Never again.”

“You don’t know how that makes me feel.”

“I feel even better about it, Jack. It’s over. Officially over. He recognizes his weakness and will not interfere in our lives.”

“Great!” Cooper said with an air of finality. But he did not hang up. There were still dark clouds lingering on the horizon.

“Susan?”

“Yes.”

“Is Carlton a resident at Martin Luther King?”

“I told you that.”

“An anesthesiologist?”

“That’s what he would like to be, yes. Is there something strange about that?”

“No. Not at all. Tell me…” Cooper hesitated. “Has he ever been involved with transplants?”

There was a long cold silence.

“Susan?”

“Yes. I’m here.”

“It’s important.”

“Why?”

“I just need to know.”

“Has anyone referred to him being involved in that kind of work?” she asked.

“Actually, yes. But I’ll tell you when I see you.”

There was another long pause at Susan’s end.

“I still don’t understand its relevance,” Susan muttered.

“I’ll explain everything when I see you. It’s nothing.”

“Well you better hurry,” she said sweetly. “I’ve got something very hot that needs your attention.”

He laughed, feeling lighthearted. His load had been lightened considerably. He was certain that all doubts would soon be dispelled. Prentiss had almost made Susan part of it. Now if only Laura would surface unharmed, he would be one step closer to total relief. He would wash his hands of everything, capitulate fully to his new life of hope and desire.

****

He ran up the stairs to Susan’s apartment two steps at a time. She was in the doorway waiting for him, her arms open for an embrace. They kissed deeply, their bodies grinding into each other. When they disengaged, she led him into the apartment. On the little table next to the couch was an open bottle of champagne in an ice bucket and some caviar. Soft candlelight threw subtle shadows around the room.

“I want this to be festive,” she said. “A celebration.”

She poured the champagne into two fluted glasses and spread some caviar on toast, and popped it into his mouth. She looked incredible in a long flowing skirt and fitted blouse. Her long blonde hair and her green eyes behind her little round glasses glistened in the candlelight. If there was any lingering suspicion that Susan Haber was not what she seemed, it dissipated with her presence.

They clinked glasses and sipped as she sat down beside him on the couch.

“I can honestly say, darling, that Carlton is past tense. He’s very contrite about what happened.”

“He should be,” Cooper said, smiling, “He nearly killed me.”

She paused, smiled, sipped her champagne and looked directly into his eyes.

“I was curious about this business of transplants, Jack,” Susan said, moving closer, putting her hand in his. He bent over and kissed the side of her neck, breathing in the sweet smell of her flesh. “Whoever put that in your head?” she asked.

“It’s not that important. We’ll talk about it later.”

“I was just curious,” Susan said. “It seems so…so odd.”

He moved her face towards his and kissed her deeply on the lips. He would be happier to eliminate all talk, especially talk that brought back all the tension of the last few days.

“But why organ transplants?” she asked when they had finished their kiss.

“Parrish,” he whispered, yielding to her obvious determination to know more. “Somebody got it into their heads that Parrish was the reluctant donor who gave Vice President Riggs Haley a new lease on life.”

Susan stiffened. She stood up abruptly. Cooper was startled by her reaction.

“But I told you he was in California,” she said.

“Susan, this has nothing to do with us,” Cooper said, trying to put all that behind him for now. All he wanted now was to make love to her.

“But it has. I told you he called me from California. As a matter of fact, he called me again.”

“He did?”

“Early this afternoon.”

“Did he give you his number?”

“Believe it or not, yes, he did.”

“That’s great,” Cooper said. “That ought to blow her theory to pieces.”

“What theory? And who do you mean by her?”

“The theory about Parrish,” Cooper said.

“And who is her?”

“Prentiss, Gail.”

“And who is Gail?”

“A six foot two black Amazon who likes her liquor.”

“Nothing is making sense to me, Jack,” Susan said, still pacing.

“Come sit beside me, and let’s forget about all this,” Cooper said. She hesitated for a moment, then sat down. He put his hand on her arm and tried to move her toward him for another embrace. Her resistance surprised him.

“Who are these people, Jack?” she asked.

“Why is it so important?”

“Somebody is trying to create something…well, nasty. Did you tell them who told you about Parrish being in California?”

“No, I didn’t. I would never involve you in this.”

“In what?”

“If I don’t tell you, you won’t be involved,” Cooper said. “Let’s just leave it like that.”

“Well, apparently Carlton is involved.”

“Only in the theory…. But your speaking to Parrish throws everything out the window.”

“You’re not telling me everything, Jack.” He felt her eyes boring into him. Where he once saw gentleness, he saw fierceness now. Her attitude was confusing. She was pressing him for information. This was not what he had expected.

“Look,” he said, trying to keep his mind free of suspicion. Certain conclusions were beginning to pop into his mind. “Let’s just call Parrish. Say hello. Then I’ll tell you everything.”

“You don’t believe I spoke to Parrish today, do you?”

He noted that she suddenly looked at her wristwatch, then walked to the window overlooking the parking lot, and looked out into the darkness. Then turning, she watched him, shaking her head, her green eyes blazing behind her round glasses.

“You poor dumb bastard,” she hissed.

Cooper felt a shudder run through him.
Margo again
.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, he felt two strong hands grasp him by the shoulders and pull his arms behind him. Something metallic clicked behind him, pinning his hands together and he was roughly manhandled to a sitting position on the couch.

“Welcome, Pal.”

It was Blake, moving in front of him with heavy metal manacles. With precision he put them around his ankles and clicked them closed. Cooper was suddenly encased, helpless. Worse, he felt duped, betrayed. His eyes searched for Susan’s. She glared back at him without gentleness or compassion. Like Margo, she had worked out her justification.

“I wouldn’t worry about him, Suze,” Blake said. “He’s an asshole.”

“Shut up, Blake,” Susan said as she came forward and bent over Cooper. Whatever attractiveness he had attributed to her just moments ago had vanished. “Exactly what do they know?” she snapped.

Cooper didn’t respond. Their actions had at last answered his ultimate question.
So the puzzle is over
, he thought. So was he.

“Don’t even bother with him. He’s full of shit.”

“Let’s just get the hell out of here.” She looked at her watch. “He should be here in a few minutes.”

She picked up the phone and dialed a number.

“How long?” Cooper heard her ask. She whispered something, nodded, then hung up. He saw Blake pull a gun from his belt, inspect it, then replace it.

“They know everything,” Cooper said. With stunning clarity, the reality of his situation ripped through his heavy armor of denial. Like Dale Chase and Anni Corazon, he had come to the end of the line.

Cooper forced his bravado, although his voice shook with tremors. With difficulty, he held down any display of panic. “You think I’m full of shit, Blake? They know.”

“If they did, they’d be here with you,” Blake said. “C’mon. We all know what you came here for, right, Cooper? You came to get your dick wet.”

“That’s enough. We’d better hurry,” Susan said. She moved swiftly into the bedroom, unbuttoning her blouse. Blake smiled at Cooper, picked up a glass half-filled with champagne, and then raised it toward him. “Like a lamb to the slaughter,” he chuckled, drinking it all down.

“Not too good,” Blake said. “But we didn’t think you’d know the difference. Why waste the good stuff?”

Blake walked to the window and looked out. He turned suddenly.

“He’s here,” he said.

“We’d better get him ready,” Susan called from the bedroom.

Ready for what?

“The FBI knows, too. They have your names.”

“How about the CIA? They in on it, too?” Blake chuckled.

Cooper felt his credibility wane. He searched his mind for the tiniest glimmer of hope. He found none.

Susan came out of the bedroom, buttoning the smock of a nurse’s uniform and carrying a doctor’s bag.

“They’re out there,” Cooper said. “You don’t think I was stupid enough to come here alone, do you?” He felt the onslaught of panic setting in. He had begun to sweat, and every part of his body was beginning to tremble. He saw himself confronting the black pit of death.

“I don’t see nobody else,” Blake said, mocking him by looking around the room. Then he smiled and looked over at Susan.

“Did you know that Blake’s got a police record? Molestation and rape,” Cooper said. He turned to Blake. “You like little kids, huh, Blake? Girls or boys?”

The remark caught Susan’s attention, and she shot Blake a querulous look. At the same time, Blake slammed Cooper hard in the face.

“Fuck you, Cooper. He’s bullshitting again, Suze. Aren’t you, Pal?”

“Don’t touch him,” Susan snapped with a proprietary air. “Dietrich doesn’t want him injured.”

Dietrich
. Now it was clear. He was going to be a donor, just like Parrish. A good choice, Prentiss had told him; an unidentified man. He saw himself suddenly as a good second choice. A man with no spouse, no children, no living relatives, no job. They would give notice on his apartment, destroy his meager possessions, his books. Who would be around to search for him, to mourn him? Who would miss him?

Blake bent down and pinched Cooper’s cheek hard.

“You’re just a sweetheart, aren’t you? In fact, you’re all heart,” he said, laughing. “All heart. That’s good.”

“Just cool it, Blake,” Susan snapped.

“And you’re too fucking touchy,” Blake sneered. “Bitch,” he mumbled.

“And you’re an animal,” she retorted.

Susan walked toward the window overlooking the parking lot and peered out. Blake came up behind her and ground his pelvis against her buttocks. Startled, she turned and started to lift her arm, which he grabbed by the wrist.

“You’re sick,” she said between clenched teeth.

“You don’t know what you’re missing.”

“I don’t want to know.”

For a long moment there was silence. Cooper saw the enmity between them and searched his mind for something that might provoke them even further.

“You killed Parrish. Didn’t you, Blake?” Cooper stammered.

“Didn’t the bitch tell you?” Blake said, letting go of her wrist. “Parrish is in California. Parts of him anyway.”

“They know that too. How you dismembered him.” Susan turned to observe him, then shook her head and swung back to the window.

“Yeah? Well, it turns out your buddy Parrish fucked us,” Blake said. “Heart didn’t work.”

So, it was the heart
. Another speculation fell into place. Haley had rejected Parrish’s heart. They needed another one. Cooper assumed that his was the next in line.

“I wish you’d stop talking so much, you idiot,” Susan said. Then she straightened. “He’s here.”

She opened the doctor’s bag and held up a hypodermic needle and vial to the light. She sucked the liquid into the needle, and then shot a little out. She bent close to Cooper and with a little scissors cut open his shirt. Cooper searched for her eyes, but she turned away, concentrating instead on his arm.

“It’s a light sedative,” she said to Cooper, as if she were offering reassurance.