Robin Cook - Crisis

"Do you think they'll need professional help, like some sort of therapy?"

"I don't think so. Only if their fearfulness is prolonged or blows out of proportion. I suppose ultimately it will be a judgment call. Luckily, I have some colleagues at work who I can exploit for an opinion if need be."

"I've been thinking," Jack said. "Since my presence has caused so much trouble, maybe it would be best for everyone if I move into a hotel in town."

"Absolutely not," Alexis said. "I won't hear of it. You're here, and you are saying here."

"Are you sure? I won't take it personally."

"I'm positively sure. Let's not even discuss it."

The front doorbell chimed yet again. "This has to be the grandparents," Alexis said categorically, pushing off from the kitchen counter where she'd been leaning.

Jack glanced back toward the sitting area where the detectives and children were. It appeared that their interview was coming to an end. The two uniformed policemen and the crime-scene technician had returned to the great room and were dealing with the duct-tape strips that had bound the children.

A few minutes later, Alexis brought in the elder Bowmans. Leonard was a thick, pasty man with a two-day growth of beard, an old-fashioned crew cut, and an expansive gut suggesting he spent far too much time drinking beer in his favorite recliner in front of the TV. When Jack was introduced to him, Jack learned something even more idiosyncratically distinctive; Leonard was a man of few words who would have put the laconic Spartans to shame. When Jack shook hands with the man, he merely grunted.

Rose Bowman was the antipode. When she appeared and the children rushed her, she bubbled with delight and concern. She was a short, stocky woman with frizzed white hair, bright eyes, and yellow teeth.

As the children dragged their grandmother to the couch, Jack found himself momentarily isolated with Leonard. In an effort to make conversation, Jack commented on how much the kids liked their grandmother. All Jack got in return was another muffled grunt.

With the police doing their thing, the kids involved with the grandmother, Alexis busy packing for the kids and herself, and Craig sequestered with Randolph in the library, Jack was stuck with Leonard. After a few more vain attempts to wring words out of the retiree's mouth, Jack gave up. He checked with Liam Flanagan to be sure he would be there for at least another thirty minutes; picked up his pile of clothes and shoes from where he'd stacked them on the hearth; found Alexis, who was up in one of the kids' rooms, and told her he was going to shower; and went downstairs to his room.

As he was showering, he guiltily remembered he'd not yet called Laurie. As he got out of the shower, he glanced at himself in the mirror and winced. He'd completely forgotten about the ice, and his lip was still swollen and blue. Combining that with the left side of his face, which was still red, he looked as if he'd been in a barroom brawl. He considered getting some ice from the refrigerator he'd seen in the basement proper but decided it would have minimal effect since too much time had elapsed, so he passed on the idea. Instead, he dressed and got out his cell phone.

With the signal strength almost nonexistent, Jack gave up on the phone idea as well. He climbed the stairs and met Alexis, the girls, and the grandparents in the main hall. Alexis had finished packing and had already put the luggage in the station wagon. The girls were pleading with Rose to ride with them, but Rose said she had to go with Gramps. It was then that Jack heard Leonard's only words: "Come on, Rose," he said, grimly drawing the words out. It was an order, not a request. Dutifully, Rose detached herself from the children and hurried after her husband, who'd stepped out the front door.

"Will I see you in court tomorrow?" Alexis asked Jack as she herded the children toward the door to the garage. The girls had already said their good-byes to Craig, who was still working in the library with Randolph. "At some point," Jack said. "I honestly don't know what to expect the schedule to be. It's out of my hands."

All at once Alexis spun around, her expression reflecting a sudden realization. "Oh, my gosh," she exclaimed. "I just remembered you are getting married on Friday. Tomorrow is already Thursday.

I've been so preoccupied, I've completely forgotten. I'm sorry. Your wife-to-be must hate me for dragging you up here and keeping you hostage."

"She knows me well enough to know where to assign blame if she's inclined."

"So you'll do the autopsy and then head back to New York?"

"That's the plan."

At the door to the garage, Alexis told the girls to say good-bye to their uncle. Each gave Jack an obedient hug. Only Christina spoke. She whispered in Jack's ear that she was sorry his daughters had burnt up in the plane. The totally unexpected comment took Jack by such surprise that it undermined his emotional equilibrium, and he had to choke back a tear. When Alexis gave him a hug, she sensed his new emotion and pulled back to look him in the eyes, mistaking its origin. "Hey," she said. "We're fine. The kids are going to be fine. Trust me!"

Jack nodded and found his voice. "I'll see you sometime tomorrow, and I hope to hell to have something to offer that will make this all worthwhile."

"Me, too," Alexis said. She climbed into the station wagon and activated the garage door, which rolled up with a fearful clanking.

It was at that point that Jack realized he had to move his car. It was parked next to Craig's Lexus and blocking the driveway. Jack sprinted past Alexis, motioning her to wait. He backed his Hyundai into the street and waited while Alexis did the same. With a beep and a wave, she drove off into the night.

As Jack pulled back into the driveway, he glanced at the two Newton police patrol cars and the two other nondescript, dark sedans belonging to the two detectives parked along the street. He wondered how close to finishing they were, since he was eager to talk to them in private, particularly Liam Flanagan. In answer to his question, all five police officers emerged from the Bowmans' front door as Jack climbed from his car.

"Excuse me!" Jack called. He jogged in their direction, catching up to them midway on the Bowmans' serpentine front walk.

"Dr. Stapleton," Liam said. "We were looking for you."

"Have you finished checking out the scene?" Jack asked.

"For the moment."

"Any luck?"

"The duct tape will be analyzed at the crime lab, as will some fibers from the kid's bathroom. There wasn't a lot. We did find something on the grounds that I'm not at liberty to divulge, which could be promising, but all in all, it was obviously a professional job."

"What about the autopsy that's at the center of this extortion attempt?" Detective Greg Skolar asked. "Is it going to happen or what?"

"If the exhumation happens, then the autopsy will happen," Jack said. "I'll be doing it as soon as the body is available."

"Strange to have such an incident over an autopsy," Detective Skolar said. "Are you expecting some shocking revelations?"

"We don't know what to expect. All we know for certain is the patient had a heart attack. Obviously, this has heightened our curiosity."

"Weird!" Detective Skolar said. "For your peace of mind, as well as the Bowmans', we'll have the house under twenty-four-hour surveillance for a few days."

"I'm sure the Bowmans will be appreciative. I know it will make me sleep better."

"Keep us informed of any new developments," Detective Skolar said. He handed Jack a business card before shaking his hand. The other three uniformed officers shook his hand as well.

"Can I speak to you for a few minutes?" Jack asked Liam.

"By all means," Liam replied. "I was about to ask you the same question."