Michael Palmer - Extreme Measures

Suddenly, his words registered.

"What do you mean she's dead?" he asked, a horrible emptiness swelling in his chest.

"Please, Officer," Haven Darden cried. "This man's crazy. Please get him to pull this needle out.

He's trying to kill me."

"Oh, I know what he's doing," Lester Wheeler said. "Why, thanks to the miracle of modern telecommunications, I knew what he had in mind almost as soon as he did. You really should have paid more attention to the two men repairing the phone line outside that apartment you were staying in, Doc." Eric's eyes narrowed.

"Wheeler?" he asked.

"At your service. Now, if you would be so kind as to administer that drug-"

"No, wait! You don't understand," Darden pleaded.

"I understand exactly," Wheeler said. "Unfortunately, the good doctor has already shared far too much with you."

"Darden's not Caduceus?" Eric said, loosening his grip around the man's neck.

Before Darden could respond, Wheeler leaped forward and, with animal quickness, slammed his fist down on the top of the syringe, emptying its contents into him. Darden screamed in pain as the policeman whirled and jammed the muzzle of his pistol up under Eric's chin.

"Not a move!" he ordered.

"Jesus," Eric said. "You just killed this man."

"No, Doctor," Wheeler said smugly. "You did." He glanced at his watch and then looked down at Darden, who sat staring numbly up at the two of them. "Fifteen or twenty seconds. Isn't that what you said?"

"I… I don't know," Eric said, now forced to his tiptoes by the gun barrel. "Succinylchohne is the most powerful anesthetic we have, but its onset of action is unpredictable. I… I never really intended to use it.

Now please, if you'll just let me get to some equipment, I can save him."

Haven Darden tried to rise, but Wheeler reached out and shoved him back into his seat.

"Please," Darden whimpered. "Please help me."

Already his speech was beginning to thicken and slur. In just another ten seconds, his arms and hands began to tremble.

"No!" he cried. "Oh, God, no!"

Wheeler forced Eric several steps back as the medical chief's body jerked spasmodically, his head twitching uncontrollably. Then, suddenly, he pitched from his chair onto the floor, his legs snapping and kicking. In less than half a minute it was over. The hideous contractions in his limbs vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

His head lolled to one side and stopped moving, his cheek pressed helplessly against the linoleum, spittle oozing from the corner of his mouth.

Wheeler quickly manacled Eric's hands behind him. Then he knelt down and peered at Darden for fully half a minute, assuring himself that the drug had done its job.

"Okay. Now, Doc," he said, standing. "You and I are going right out the front door of this hospital to my cruiser. If you want to scream and kick, that's okay with me. I want everyone who will listen to know what you've done, and why I'm taking you in. They all think you're insane anyway."

"What happened to Laura?"

"Oh, yes, sweet Laura. Well, I'm afraid she and her brother discovered that the water in Boston Harbor wasn't to their liking."

"She found Scott?"

"She did. They were even together at the end.

Now, let's get out of here."

"You can't possibly get away with this," Eric said.

Wheeler grabbed Eric by the back of the neck and shoved him over Haven Darden's inert body and out the door.

"Wanna bet?" he asked.

Yu have the right to remain silent," Lester Wheeler said as he half-shoved, half-dragged Eric into the elevator of the research building. If you choose to speak, anything you say may be used against you in a court of law or other proceeding… He pushed Eric out of the elevator and into the bustling main thoroughfare of the hospital.

"What happened to Laura? What did you do to her?" … You have the right to consult with an attorney before answering any questions and you may have him present with you during questioning…

"Dammit, Wheeler, give it up. You're not taking me out of this hospital," Eric said, increasing his resistance as they approached the main lobby.

"Do us both a favor and make a break for it," Wheeler whispered.

He continued in a voice loud enough for everyone around to hear."..

If you cannot afford a lawyer and you want one, a lawyer will be provided for you by the Commonwealth without cost to you. you understand what I have told you? Okay, move aside, folks. Please move aside."

The crush of bewildered early-evening visitors parted like the Red Sea to allow the policeman and his prisoner to pass. Eric recognized several of the nurses and residents who were watching.

"Find Dr. Silver for me, please," he called. out as Wheeler hurried him past.

"You've got no friends around this place," Wheeler said. "Least of all Dr. Silver. Earlier today he had the hospital attorneys file a restraining order to keep you out. Face it, you're finished." He tightened his grip on Eric's arm and continued loudly: "… You may also waive the Not to counsel, and your right to remain-"

"God damn it, I'm not going with you!" Eric screamed as they entered the busy main lobby.

Instantly, the huge reception area was silent. A hundred or so people stopped miwng about and froze, as one. A security guard, who was standing off to one side, spoke quickly into his radio and began moving toward the two men. Eric stumbled forward and fell to his knees, shouting words of protest. Wheeler grasped the handcuffs and pulled him to his feet by jerking his arms straight up behind his back.

Eric hollered out in pain, twisted his body to one side, and fell heavily to the tiled floor. Bystanders tripped over one another, trying to move away. The guard reached them just as two more security men raced into the lobby.

"Can we help?" he asked Wheeler.

The captain flashed his shield.

"I've just arrested this man for the murder of Dr. Haven Darden," he said. "His body is up in his lab."

Several in the crowd gasped. A woman cried out.

"We know Dr. Najarian," the guard said. "He was alone with one of our nurses when she died this morning. There's a restraining order out against him.

We've been on the lookout for him all day."

"Please," Eric begged, still on his side on the floor. "You've got to help me. I didn't kill anyone. He did. He did!"

The two other security men arrived and spoke briefly with their colleague- One of them immediately sprinted off for Darden's office.

The remaining pair helped Wheeler pull Eric to his feet. At that moment Joe Silver and two residents arrived.

"I'm this man's chief of service," he said. "What on earth is going on now?". He looked stonily at Eric as he spoke.

"Captain Wheeler, BPD," the officer explained calmly. "I've just arrested this man for the murder of Dr. Haven Darden by some sort of lethal injection.

Haven is a personal friend of mine. He called me a short while ago and told me Najarian here had phoned and threatened him. I hurried over to escort him home, but when I got there, I was too late. I found this man with an empty syringe in his hand, standing over Haven's body."

"Damn you, Najarian," Joe Silver said.

"I didn't do anything," Eric pleaded. "It was this man. He's crazy.

He's working with Dr. Darden. Craig Serell was involved with them too.

They're responsible for everything. For Norma, for Loretta Leon-everything.

"Eric, just shut up and get the hell out of here, Silver said.

"Come along now," Wheeler ordered. "And do it quietly."

"I didn't kill anyone! They did! Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

"I believe you," Haven Darden said loudly.

The crowd fell away, revealing the medical chief standing calmly beside the security guard.

"Now you must believe me that I had nothing to do with this Caduceus, or any other plot."