Robin Cook - Death Benefit

“And you’ll take my word that I’ll give up?”

“If you give me your word, yes.”

Pia snorted. It seemed that the only person who could save her was her father, the least likely person on the planet, the person she trusted the least and hated the most, the man who was the cause of all her travails. In a situation that defied comprehension, Pia tried to think dispassionately. The drug wasn’t completely out of her system, she could tell; she was more fatigued than she could ever remember being, and frightened and upset and angry. Yet she had to think.

In order to live, Pia would have to promise to stop investigating, but could she do that? There was very little left to investigate. At the OCME, she had proved that polonium was involved in Rothman’s and Yamamoto’s deaths and she was certain the MEs would be looking into what she had found. The police would surely be all over Columbia, searching for Will’s killers and her kidnappers. There was nothing more she could contribute to the investigation, other than providing evidence, and he hadn’t mentioned anything about that. Her work was finished.

“As if you care about family honor,” she said.

“I do. But if you don’t believe it, take my word that I care about my honor.”

“And that’s all I have to do, stop investigating?”

“But you really have to stop-maybe go away for a while. You have to believe me, they will kill you otherwise. Whatever you think of me, you have to look at the alternative. You have to stay as quiet as you can. If you lead the police to Buda, there’s no chance that you would ever testify against him.”

Pia realized she had no choice. But perhaps there was something her father could do for her and right some of the wrongs she had suffered. Pia turned to face him.

“Okay. But you should know, not all these men have been exactly honorable with me.”

“I’m glad you agree, Pia. But what do you mean?”

“When I got here I was drugged. But I remember one of them at least forced himself on me, the young one for sure. Maybe all of them.”

Burim reacted the way Pia had hoped. He looked at her for a beat, with his face empurpling, then leaped up and threw open the door.

“Mr. Buda! I need to talk to you.”

Buda could see Burim was spoiling for a fight, flashing angry looks at Neri. The girl must have told him what had happened in the house. Everyone in the room stood and the tension was immediate. Buda took Burim by the arm into the kitchen. The packages of takeout sat unopened on the stovetop. Burim spoke quietly but with suppressed fury.

“She is indeed my daughter. And she says she was raped. By the youngest one for certain, maybe more of them. Did you know about this?”

“Listen, I was told that one man did lose control of himself briefly but there was no sex-”

“But-”

“I understand this is shocking to you, all of this, but there was so little chance she was your daughter-”

“That is no excuse. Perhaps it is better if she was killed rather than be shamed like this. I gave my handshake, but perhaps I have to take it back.”

Buda looked Burim in the eye. Was he serious or was he just shaking him down for more money? Ten minutes ago the guy didn’t even know he had a daughter, and now he was concerned about her honor? Some of these guys really were peasants.

“I will punish the men, you can be assured of that.”

Burim shook his head and pulled back his jacket, exposing his shoulder holster.

“It can only be put right if I get to do the punishing. Do you want me to call Berti?”

“No, of course not. The reason I called you was to avoid this kind of situation. A killing will only lead to more killing-that is always the way. Punishment, yes. Killing, no. I will apologize to her myself.”

“I doubt she is going to accept any apology. That’s how I knew it was her, she has the same temper as her mother.”

“Listen, I will apologize. I will pay money to her and to you, money I will take from the three men in there. But I will not have a blood feud over this. It shouldn’t have happened. I regret the situation. Ultimately, I am to blame. But I need you, Burim, to live up to your handshake and for her to give up her investigation.”

Burim paused to think. Buda wouldn’t allow a man from another crew to punish his own men. A blood feud was in no one’s best interests, and he didn’t want to be the cause of a dispute between Aleksander Buda and Berti Ristani.

“Okay. Let me talk to her.”

Burim went back to the bedroom. Pia knew she had to accept Burim’s help, however distasteful it was to her. Now she wanted more than anything to get out of there, to go and find George. Burim closed the door and relayed what Buda had said. Would she be willing to forgo the revenge she was entitled to? Pia knew justice was being twice denied-she was being prevented from implicating Rothman’s killers and also from seeing some street retribution brought down on the person who attacked her.

“If that’s the way it has to be, I want to talk to those men outside,” Pia said.

“Okay,” Burim said. “But I want to shake on our agreement: an Albanian shake.”

Burim thrust out his hand. Pia eyed it. She didn’t care. She shook hands, and her skin crawled when she touched his.

They walked into the living room where everyone was still standing, although in slightly more relaxed poses.

“I am going to accept the offer,” she said to Buda. “I will do what you ask and drop the investigation. But I have a couple of things to say.” Pia walked over to Neri and stood right in front of him. Neri started to shake, looking first at Prek, then at Buda, then at Burim.

“You are a piece of trash.”

“I swear I didn’t do anything. I can’t, it’s impossible-”

Pia jabbed Neri hard in the sternum with her forefinger.

“You’re not so tough when the girl is awake, are you, huh? You know what my father is going to do with you? He’s going to cut off your tiny little prick and shove it up your ass.”

“No, no, I didn’t-”

“I’m sorry?” Pia jabbed Neri again. He was crying now, great shuddering torrents of tears pouring out of his eyes. He held his hands together, pleading with Pia.

“You see how much stronger than you I am? You’re a pathetic little boy.” Pia poked him once more, and Neri collapsed backward onto the couch where he sat whimpering.

“And you,” Pia addressed Drilon. “You will never speak to me or ever come near me again.”

Drilon looked at Burim and raised his hands as if to say, “I don’t understand.” Quickly Pia went on.

“Now I have a question for you.” Pia looked at Buda, who raised his eyebrows.

“Me?”

“Some men paid you money to frighten me?”

“Yes.”

“Some men paid you money to kill me?”

“Yes.”

“Are these the same men who asked you to kill Dr. Rothman and Dr. Yamamoto?”

Buda paused.

“Yes.”

“Why did they do it? When I realized the deaths weren’t accidental, I couldn’t figure out why anyone would want to go to such lengths to kill two medical researchers. The work they were doing-they were about to change the world.”

Buda looked at Burim. Was it possible to control this woman at all?

“Some people had investments that were threatened by the research.”

“Investments? You mean they did this for money ?”

“I guess,” Buda said. Why does anyone do anything? he thought.

Pia was incredulous. She thought back to her heart-to-heart talk with Rothman and how it had seemed to be the start of something meaningful in her life: the father she never had. She recalled Yamamoto’s kindnesses, small and large. And Will, his life snuffed out too. Then she remembered standing in the blue-lit room looking at the pulsating baths of artificial organs and the enormous excitement she had felt. And the even greater joy she experienced at the awe-inspiring sight of the artificial pancreas. Now, it was very likely those two rooms were being closed up and put in mothballs. The research would continue, but not at Columbia and not with her. Pia felt empty and bereft.