The Killing House

21

Gary Corrigan had changed into medical scrubs and wore green neoprene surgical gloves that ran all the way up his forearms. A clear plastic shield protected his face.

Marie placed Rico on the operating table. She removed the rope, along with his clothing, and stepped back to give Corrigan room to work.

Corrigan rubbed a swab of surgical spirit against the crook of Rico Herrera’s elbow. Next he inserted the IV, taped the line down and then began scrubbing and washing away the filth and grime covering the teenager’s bare chest. Water sluiced over the edges of the operating table and ran into the floor drains.

Next came the Betatine. Corrigan swabbed the iodine-coloured liquid over Rico’s chest, picked up a scalpel and made what he called a ‘midline incision’. It started at the suprasternal notch and ended at the pubis. Corrigan had studied a new and rapid technique for multiple organ harvesting that allowed the organs to be cooled in situ using cold intra-aortic and intraportal infusates. The surgery would take no longer than sixty minutes.

Marie found it difficult to stand still. A fevered rush always gripped her at this stage. There was so much to do, so many decisions to make. She needed to maintain patience and calm in the midst of this exciting yet draining emotional storm.

Harvesting organs to fund their operation had been Brandon’s brainchild. He had come up with the idea early on, when their financial resources were extremely limited, back when they were storing the children in the small basement of their home. With the families scattered all over the country, they could afford to take only one child at a time. Driving to a particular state and staying at hotels, the endless days spent watching the family and waiting for the perfect moment to abduct the child and disappear without getting caught — all of this required a significant investment of capital, and it had to be paid in cash because money didn’t leave a visible trail.

And the costs didn’t end once the child was locked away. There was the constant feeding for months and sometimes years at a time. The vitamins, fruit and vegetables needed to keep the child reasonably healthy. The constant monitoring to make sure the child didn’t escape, the unexpected illnesses that always cropped up — colds and stomach flus that required trips to the drugstore; infections that demanded antibiotics. The third child they abducted, Anthony Jacobs, had a life-threatening asthma condition that necessitated using the Internet to purchase enough inhalers to last an entire year.

Then came the return trips to abduct the parent. More costs, more time spent having to save up money, the maddening and seemingly endless waiting… until Brandon told her how they could sell organs to fund their operation. Unbeknownst to her, Brandon had been methodically researching the idea — and he had already made contact with an ‘organ broker’. This man was part of a global network consisting of other organ brokers who represented people who either wanted or needed to bypass the traditional organ waiting lists. Buyers were lined up all over the world, and they were willing to pay a premium, in cash — especially for young, healthy organs.

Brandon’s idea had proved to be extremely lucrative. They purchased the building of a former printing press, which allowed them to abduct and store multiple children and their parents for long periods of time. They paid off the loan for Washington Memorial Park, and Brandon lavished her with gifts. They could afford to do anything they wanted, anything in the world.

Marie inspected the coolers. There were five. Each one would house a separate organ — heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas. The Custodiol HTK solutions were ready. Everything appeared to be in order.

She glanced at her watch. It was almost noon. She checked Corrigan’s progress. Another forty minutes and the harvest would be finished. She could meet the buyers at one thirty. They had flown in last night. Right now they were staying at hotels near the airport, waiting for her call. Marie took out her phone.

Brandon walked back into the room. He joined her and, noticing the phone in her hand, said, ‘I already called the buyers.’

‘When?’

‘After I picked up Corrigan. Once he’s finished, you can head to the office. I know you’re anxious to get there.’

‘What about Ted?’ Ted Keller was the funeral home’s assistant director.

‘I sent Ted home for the day,’ Brandon said. ‘You’ll have the place all to yourself.’

This was Brandon’s way of apologizing for being such an idiot to her at the cemetery.

Tears stood in her eyes. Marie remembered her make-up and, not wanting the mascara to run, tilted her head back and blinked them away.

‘Thank you.’

She kissed him. Deeply.

Then Marie hugged him fiercely. She could see Corrigan removing Rico’s heart.

‘I love you.’

‘I love you too,’ Brandon said. ‘Come home as soon as you’re done.’