Andrew Gross - 15 Seconds

“Oh, yes you did. Yes, you did do it to me, Doc. You may not fully know it, but you damn well did it and profited from it, probably laughed about it at parties or bought some fancy car from it, it’s all the same to me. The man who looks away bears all the guilt of the man who sins. Just like all the rest, Doc, you are accountable…”

“The rest…?” He was rambling. What did he mean by “all the rest”? Who had to be made accountable?

“In fact, you are the very source of it, Doc. The heart of the beast. Whether you knew or not, that’s no matter. It came from you.”

“What are you talking about? What came from me?”

Suddenly I realized what he meant. The OxyContin that his daughter must have been on. At the time of the accident. Had it come from me? Had he traced it?

I felt sickened.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry about what happened to your daughter. I’m sorry if I played a role in it. But let it be over now, Hofer, please. You want me. I’ll go wherever you want. Just tell me where to find you. I give you my word. But Hallie’s innocent. Just let her go.”

“I’m not getting through to you, Doc. A little baby was killed. Along with her mother. They were innocent. Not your little Hallie. They were the ones you made bleed.”

“No. It wasn’t me. Your daughter did that, Hofer. And surely not Hallie. Please, I’ll come to you. I’ll do what you want. Just let her go.”

For a moment I thought I might have him convinced. In the background I heard my daughter whimpering. He might be crazy, twisted with blame and guilt. But there might still be some speck of human feeling left in him.

“Don’t worry, Doc. I’ve got something nice cooked up for her. And soon. But for now… remember, our arrangement’s still on. You remember that, don’t you, Henry…?”

“I remember,” I said, squeezing my fists, feeling the blood come to a stop in my veins.

“I don’t have to remind you, do I? How I’m gonna start with her feet, Doc, by skinning them, and then I’m gonna skin my way all the way along her back up to that pretty, little neck of hers…”

I clenched my teeth. “Oh God, you sonovabitch, please…”

“And I’ll be thinking of you, Doc, thinking of how you poisoned my daughter, every inch of the way. Thinking of how you caused those deaths, and knowing I’m doing good, every second I watch her die. You hearing me right…?”

“Yes, Hofer, I hear you. Just don’t touch her. I’m begging you.”

“But don’t worry. Show won’t start until you’re here to see it. I promise you. I’ll call you again, and we’ll figure how we can pick up on that discussion. About the role you might have played in my daughter’s life. About accountability. Your daughter and mine…”

“Let me talk to her again,” I said. “I’ve done everything you asked. Let me talk to Hallie again. Please…”

“Nah, you just get a move on, Doc. Worry about keeping yourself alive. ’Cause you just told me where you are. Bud’s Guns, right? And as soon as I get off this phone, I just might dial up the police over there and tell them who I think might be in their town… Just for the sport of it. And that would mess up all our plans. Wouldn’t it, Doc? Mr. World-Famous Surgeon.”

I didn’t answer.

“ Wouldn’t it? Mess up all our plans. Must be a bad connection. I didn’t hear you.”

“Yes,” I said, looking at Carrie, seething, “it would.”

“Now shoo away. She’ll be all right. Least for a spell. I’ll take care of her, like she was my own. So best get yourself along… Before you don’t have any choice. Ta-ta, there, Doc …”

I heard one more chuckle and then the line went dead.

“What did he say?” Carrie asked.

“He played a sick joke on me. He told me she was dead. He’s going to do it, Carrie, if we don’t find him soon.”

“I’ll call Jack back.”

“No.” I put my hand on hers, stopping her in mid-dial. “Not yet. He warned me not to do it. There were others, Carrie,” I told her. “Martinez and Mike were shot. But he said he’d skin her like the others…”

“Others?” Carrie eyes grew frightened. “Oh my God! He’s going to kill you, Henry,” she said, looking at me. “You know that, don’t you? And then he’s going to kill her.”

“He’s got my daughter, Carrie!”

She took my hand and made me sit down. My legs felt rubbery. Just feeling her steady grip, her smooth fingers massaging and warm… it made me feel stronger, like there was some way out of this. “We’re going to find a way to get her, Henry. We’ve got to let him think he’s got his way with you. And you have to keep demanding proof that she’s okay. We’re going to get her back. Soon as you give me the go-ahead to bring in people who can handle this kind of thing.”

“I don’t know,” I said, thinking of Hofer’s promise. “What if they bungle it? Or if word gets out of what they’re planning? Then Hallie would be dead. I couldn’t live with that. Think about Raef, your son. What would you do?”

I saw by the silent breath she drew that she knew exactly what she’d do.

I had to stay out.

I also knew there was no way we could remain here in Mount Holly. Carrie had already told her brother where we were. If she didn’t get back to him, he’d surely get the local police involved. And I didn’t know if Hofer had been for real when he said he would alert the local police. It sounded just like him! Then I realized, Carrie had given her brother Hofer’s name.

They knew about him! They could easily go to his home. I suddenly realized I might not be able to control the FBI.

I was about to tell her this, that she had to doubly warn them-not to do anything-when I looked past her, to where we had left the car on Main Street.

My stomach fell off a cliff.

Two local cop cars had stopped next to Carrie’s Prius, and a couple of officers were inspecting the car. The plates.

They were on their radios .

“Oh, shit!” My eyes stretched wide.

“What?” Carrie muttered, turning around and saw for herself. “Oh, Jesus, no!”

I think it dawned on both of us at the same time that everything was about to change. That she couldn’t cover for me anymore, and I couldn’t remain here. Not for a second longer. No matter what we had proven. I had to run, and Carrie… couldn’t . I didn’t know if it was her brother who had called it in, or Bud. Or Hofer… It must have been Bud, I realized, if they knew which car to look for.

But it didn’t matter. All I knew was that if they caught me, Hallie would be lost!

I got off the bench, my heart in a frenzy, and started to back away, my eyes fixed on the two cops, and their patrol car lights flashing. A small crowd had gathered around. Flashing lights clearly weren’t routine here. It would only take a minute for them to scan the area and spot us here.

“I’ve got to get out of here, Carrie.”

She nodded, not trying to stop me. “ Go . I’ll do my best to cover for you, Henry. I’ll have to say something… I’ll explain it the best I can to Jack. About Hofer and Fellows and Martinez. I’ll say we split up when I told you that you had to turn yourself in…” She had a look of worry and helplessness on her face. But behind it, I saw something deeper. She was scared. For me.

“Don’t try and call me,” she said. “I have your number. The one you called me on at the diner. Henry…” Tears welled up in her eyes. She was as terrified as I was, and I could see that a part of her wanted to take off with me. My heart was going ka -bang, ka-bang against my ribs. If we had seconds more, I would have gone up and hugged her right there. Carrie glanced around at the cops. “You better go…”