Vector (26 page)

In stead he rolled her slightly onto-her left side facing away from him and got his arms under her armpits. Putting one foot on the edge of the mat tress, he succeeded in slowly dragging her toward him. But then disaster struck.

Just when Yuri had managed to get Connie's torso clear of the bed, the throw rug he was standing on slid out from under him. Yuri fell onto his back and Connie rolled over on top of him, knocking the wind out of him so that he was unable to breathe.

For almost a minute, Yuri struggled for air. Under Connie's weight, he couldn't inhale. The room began to blur, he was afraid he might pass out.

In a final, desperate movement, Yuri was able to twist to the side enough to let him get at least enough air to keep from asphyxiating.

Then it became a matter of disengaging himself from Connie's flaccid, spread-eagle embrace.

Finally, after great effort, Yuri squeezed free from Connie's near mortal clasp. He struggled to his feet gasping for breath. He was tempted to flee but found himself rooted in place while staring down at his wife's now prone figure. He shuddered with a wave of unearthly fear. In her half-dead state, Connie had nearly exacted her revenge.

The distant sound of an approaching siren shocked Yuri into action. He had to do something. Explaining how his battered wife had ended up prone alongside a collapsed bed might be difficult. It would have been better to have left her in the bed where she'd been originally, but getting her back was an impossibility.

Knowing he had little time, Yuri squatted down. Pulling Connie's arms he managed to twist her around so that her head was pointing toward the bathroom. Then, after rolling her over onto her back, he again seized her by the armpits and dragged her into the bathroom. His idea was to make it look as if she'd collapsed in there, hitting her eye on any one of a number of likely fixtures.

As the sound of the ambulance got progressively louder, Yuri checked himself and Connie for any last-minute problems. All seemed to be in order. Then he rushed back into the bedroom, where he hastily straightened the sheets that had been dragged with Connie when he'd pulled her onto the floor.

Vigorous pounding on the front door sent Yuri running. Two uniformed EMTS burst into the room as soon as Yuri pulled the door open. One was a woman, the other a man. Both were carrying equipment.

"Where's the patient? " the woman barked.

Yuri pointed. "In the bathroom through that bedroom." Yuri followed the technicians as they ran to the rescue. They squeezed into the bathroom and began to administer to Connie. The first thing they did was get oxygen on her face. Yuri crossed his fingers that there wasn't going to be a miraculous resurrection.

"She's breathing shallowly and she's got a heartbeat, " the woman said to the man. "But her color's poor. We'd better bag her." Yuri watched as the technicians forced oxygen into Connie's lungs. Her chest rose perceptibly higher than when she'd been breathing on her own.

"No obstruction, " the man said who was compressing the breathing bag at a set interval.

"What happened here? " the woman asked Yuri who was standing in the doorway trying to look tormented. She worked while she talked, putting EKG leads onto Connie.

"I don't know, " Yuri said. "She'd been having a little trouble breathing this evening, but it wasn't bad. Then I heard her fall in here.

That's how I found her." The woman nodded. "Does she have a history of asthma? "

"Yeah, " Yuri said. "Quite a bit."

"How about allergies? " the woman asked.

"Those, too, " Yuri said.

"Did she complain of any chest pain? "

"No, not at all, " Yuri said.

The woman nodded again. She ran a rhythm strip with her EKG. She showed it to her partner and commented that it was slow but regular.

He nodded.

The woman looked up at Yuri. "How much does she weigh? "

"I don't know, " Yuri admitted. "A lot."

"That I can see, " the woman said.

She pulled her radio from its belt holster and called into her base.

She told the dispatcher they needed assistance to carry an unconscious obese patient who seemed to be momentarily stable. She said they'd need at least three more guys.

It took considerable effort for the EMTS to get Connie out of the bathroom, onto a stretcher and out into the ambulance. Yuri was generally ignored through this process, but he was allowed to ride with Connie to the hospital. She was intubated and given oxygen continuously during the ordeal.

At the hospital, Connie was taken into the treatment area while Yuri had to spend time giving the details of Connie's insurance. Then he was relegated to the waiting room. At one point a disheveled doctor with a ponytail came out and went over the history, particularly in regard to the asthma and allergy. Yuri said that Connie had not had much trouble with her breathing recently, at least since they'd been married. He told the doctor that his wife had described lots of hospital visits and trips to the emergency room before they'd met. In regard to specific allergies, Yuri said he wasn't sure what she was allergic to but thought it was things like nuts, cats, dust, and pollen.

"How's she doing? " Yuri asked hesitantly when the doctor got up to leave.

"To be truthful, she's not doing well, " the doctor admitted. "We're afraid her brain was denied oxygen for too long. She has no peripheral reflexes whatsoever, which doesn't bode well for her brain function.

I'm afraid it doesn't look good. I'm sorry." Yuri nodded. He wished he could make himself cry, but he couldn't.

Instead he hung his head. The doctor gave his shoulder a squeeze and then disappeared.

An hour later the same doctor reappeared. This time he had a white coat over his crumpled pajama-like outfit. His name tag said Dr. Michael Cooper. He came over to Yuri and sat down. Yuri looked into the man's gray-green eyes.

"I'm afraid I have bad news, " Dr. Cooper said.

Yuri visibly stiffened. In his mind's eye he could see Connie suddenly sit up someplace within the depths of the emergency room and say it was something in the ice cream that had first made her see double.

"Your wife has passed away, " Dr. Cooper said softly. "We did all we could, but we just couldn't help her. I'm terribly sorry." Tears sprang into Yuri's eyes. That they were tears of joy made no difference. He was thrilled the tears had come to add to his theatrics. But mostly he was thrilled that he'd been right about how to get rid of Connie. Despite all his anxieties, it had worked. He was free, and Curt was going to be pleased.

"I know this must be a terrible shock to you, " Dr. Cooper continued.

"She is such a young person."

"Thank you, " Yuri said. He wiped his tears away with the knuckle of his right index finger, making sure the doctor saw the maneuver. "I suppose I have to make some sort of arrangements for her body. Do you think someone could help me? It's something I don't know anything about."

"Absolutely, " Dr. Cooper said. "I can have Social Service come and talk with you in a few minutes. But I can relieve your understandable anxiety by saying that you don't have to make any decisions tonight."

"No? " Yuri questioned. "Why not? "

"Because your wife is going to be what we call a medical examiner case, " Dr. Cooper explained.

"Does that mean an autopsy? " Yuri asked with consternation.

"Yes, it does, " Dr. Cooper said. "But I can assure you it's done with full respect for the deceased."

"But why an autopsy? " Yuri demanded. "You have the diagnosis."

"That's true, " Dr. Cooper said. "We know she died of acute respiratory distress with a history of asthma. But she is a relatively young person who was, prior to this unfortunate attack, a healthy, albeit obese, individual. We all think it best to have the medical examiner take a look in case we're missing something. I don't want you to be concerned.

It's purely routine in such cases."

"I'm sure you're not missing anything, " Yuri sputtered.

"Thank you for your vote of confidence, " Dr. Cooper said. "But I'm sure even you will have an easier time coming to terms with your loss when the cause for this tragedy is proved beyond the shadow of doubt.

You understand what I'm saying, don't you? "

"Certainly, " Yuri managed to reply as the anxieties he'd felt earlier came back like an avalanche.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19

6:43 A. M. Laurie surprised herself by waking up before her alarm. She couldn't remember having done that for years. It was especially surprising considering her expected jet lag from having flown in from Paris the morning before. But then with a simple calculation she realized that at that moment it was already after noon in the French capital, and even though she'd only been in France for a couple of days, she must have made some adaption to the local time.

At Laurie's first stirring, her eight-month-old cat, Tom-2, stood up, stretched, and came up to the head of the bed for his customary dose of petting. Laurie was happy to comply. In contrast to the mongrel Tom, Laurie's first cat whom she'd rescued from Animal Control and who'd been brutally killed, Tom-2 was a pedigree Burmese she'd purchased from Fabulous Felines on Second Avenue. Tom's hair color was not too dissimilar from Laurie's, but lacked the reddish highlights.

Laurie bounded out of bed with more than the usual enthusiasm. Over the month since she'd met Paul, her spirits had been buoyant. In the kitchen she started her coffee machine, which she'd prepared the night before.

Back in her tiny bathroom she climbed into the shower.

Laurie had lived in her small, one-bedroom apartment ever since she'd started working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New York eight years ago. By now she could afford cushier digs, but she'd grown accustomed to her old fifth-floor flat. Also, being only eleven blocks from the office, she often walked both directions. That was a convenience that few of her colleagues enjoyed.

As Laurie washed her hair, she mulled over the previous evening's dinner party and couldn't help suppressing a smile. Initially she'd been disappointed at Jack and Lou's response to her news, but after she'd thought about their behavior, she changed her mind. Now she thought there was an element of humor in their obvious shock and inability to wish the best for her. And she had to admit to a sense of satisfaction.

Neither had been willing to make even the most modest commitment. What had they expected her to do, let life pass her by?

Laurie had long suspected that both men were attracted to her romantically but were afraid to follow up on their feelings. Although she valued their friendship, the situation had been frustrating for Laurie, especially since she'd always known that she'd wanted children.

She understood that Jack in particular needed plenty of time to recover from the painful loss of his family. So she'd been patient.

But could she really put her future on hold indefinitely? In the years that Laurie had known him, Jack had shown no signs of getting over his grief. To Laurie, his whole life still seemed defined as a reaction to that tragic incident.

With Lou, it was different. His ingrained inferiority complex seemed to be immune to Laurie's efforts. Laurie had tried to dent his defensive shield with multiple ploys, but with no luck. In fact, the harder she had tried, the more defensive he'd become, to the point of argument.

Ultimately, she'd given up and was content with his enduring friendship.

Laurie vigorously toweled her hair, then combed it out before using the electric hair drier. As far as she was concerned, it was far better to concentrate on the positive, and that meant thinking about Paul Sutherland. Such thoughts brought an even bigger smile to her face.

Over the last few years Laurie had developed progressively greater insights into her personality. She realized that she'd made careful, rational decisions all her life, a trait that had obviously stood her in good stead career-wise but that at times might have been limiting.

She'd taken few chances except for a minor teenage rebellion or two.

Now with Paul there was an opportunity. It was like being offered the brass ring on the whirling carousel of life. All she had to do was reach out and seize it.

With her hair done to her satisfaction, Laurie turned to her makeup routine. She didn't wear a lot of makeup, so it didn't take long.

While she was applying it, she mused about her whirlwind romance with Paul.

Thanks to his generosity and spontaneity, they'd not only been to Paris, they'd spent weekends in Los Angeles and Caracas as well. In New York they'd eaten out almost every night at some of the best restaurants in the city. They'd been to the theater, dance recitals, and the symphony.

After dressing, Laurie went back into her kitchen for her breakfast of cereal, fruit, yogurt, and coffee. While she ate, she admitted to herself that she was a bit overwhelmed by the speed of the courtship.

She was still somewhat stunned by Paul's proposal. He'd taken her totally by surprise. She was also immensely pleased and flattered to be with a man who seemed to appreciate her and was desperate not to let her get away.

The main reason she'd not officially accepted was her desire to have a last word with Jack and with Lou, but particularly with Jack. She knew they'd squirm, but they deserved to. And she felt she owed it to them and to herself to present her situation openly and honestly. They could act if they so chose, or forever hold their peace. And if they decided to hold their peace, Laurie intended to grab the brass ring and make her future with Paul, even if she and Paul didn't share that immediate animal attraction she'd had so abundantly with Jack.

Laurie's door buzzer pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced at the clock. She couldn't imagine who could be there at seven-thirty in the morning. Laurie moved over to the ancient intercom device and put the earphone to her ear. She pushed the speak button and said hello.

Despite the static she recognized the voice that came back. It was Paul.

Laurie buzzed him in. Then she raced around the apartment snatching panties off the arm of the couch, a bra from a side table, and stockings from the floor. When she'd arrived home the night before, she'd been exhausted and had undressed en route to her bed, dropping clothing in her wake.