Bad Doctor

34

“You’re planning to rob me?” I say.

“No. I was just messing with you.”

Willow walks over to the couch, picks up my clothes, and tosses them back to me.

“You can get dressed now,” she says. “But don’t stand up till I say you can.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

While I put my clothes on, she says, “I actually did bring you something.”

“What, nunchucks? A bazooka?”

“A peace offering.”

She pulls a zip-lock plastic bag from her suitcase.

“Recognize this?” she says, holding it up.

“Looks like a garage door opener.”

She tosses it to me and says, “Think about it, Gideon.”

I do. It’s Chris Fowler’s garage door opener. The one I removed from the burgundy Escalade in his garage after breaking into his home. I must have left it in the rental car.

Perhaps I’m not suited to a life of crime.

“How’s this a peace offering?” I say.

“The police are seeking the hit man who killed Kathy Fowler. Your fingerprints are all over her garage door opener.”

It hits me like a ton of bricks.

“You could have framed me for murder,” I say.

“Yes.”

“But you didn’t.”

I think about it some more. “A few minutes ago you said you were dying, angry, and had nothing to lose. But you weren’t angry. If you were angry, there are a thousand ways you could have gotten this into the hands of the police.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t want me to go to jail.”

“No.”

“Because you want me to help you.”

“It would be nice if you helped me. But I would’ve given this to you either way.”

“Because you know I didn’t kill Kathy.”

“And because I’m not a vindictive person.”

“Except you humiliated me just now.”

“Except for that. And that was for your benefit, not mine.”

“ My benefit?”

“You didn’t just humiliate me and Cameron that night, you scared the shit out of us. And I could tell it gave you a rush.”

“You and Cameron snort cocaine for a rush.”

“Yeah, but we never broke into anyone’s house or stole things.”

She catches my look and adds, “Until we met you, anyway.”

She sighs. “Look, I’m sure you do good things at the hospital. But you do some really shitty things in the real world.”

“You wanted me to see what it feels like to be on the receiving end.”

She nods.

“It worked. I felt humiliated and shamed.”

“Good.”

“But if I’m being completely honest, what you did to me won’t change my behavior. If you had done this a few weeks from now, I would’ve felt exhilarated instead of shamed. Assuming I thought you might kill me.”

“Why?”

“Like we said, I have issues. These kids I work on? They’re rag dolls that have to be brought back to life. I…have to bring them back to life. And if I manage to do it, the orderlies quickly wheel in another one. After a few months of that, a bomb goes off inside me. I have to find new ways to keep myself from going insane.”

“I think you’re overlooking the real problem here, Gideon.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re already insane.”

“I know. But I’m still saving lives.”

“Are you, Gideon? Because on my scorecard, you’re oh and two.”

I shake my head. “That’s not fair. I’ll take full responsibility for Bobby’s death. But I’ve never even met Kathy Fowler.”

“I’m not talking about Kathy.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Cameron died.”