Robin Cook - Critical

"I'm sure they drugged her!" Brennan shot back. He didn't like being ordered around by Carlo. "They had to practically carry her out of the bar."

"Okay, okay! Don't take offense."

"You should do some of the running around if you don't trust me."

"I said okay, they drugged her," Carlo said. "Do you think this ridiculous shenanigan was just to pork her? I mean, this has been a lot of effort. There's certainly enough broads out in Queens so that they didn't need to come all the way out here in the sticks."

"It can't be just to get laid," Brennan said disparagingly. "What's the matter with you; are you stupid?"

For a moment, the two men stayed quiet. The strain of the evening's activities had gotten to them. Finally, Carlo spoke: "We shouldn't be busting each other's balls. This has not been a picnic like I thought it would be. With that said, we have to come up with something to tell the boss."

"They made the effort to take the yacht out. I can't imagine they'd bother if they just planned on getting laid, nor would they make such an effort with a chick that certainly wasn't special. We are missing some major piece of information."

"You really didn't hear anything they said back at the bar?"

Brennan glared at Carlo.

"Okay okay you already said you didn't. It's too bad, though. It was the perfect opportunity."

"The music was too loud. It was boom, boom, boom," Brennan said while repeatedly slapping his fist into his open palm. "I couldn't hear myself think, much less someone else's conversation."

"Maybe they took the boat out so after they finish with her, they'll just dump her into the drink."

"That seems like a weak explanation to me," Brennan said, suppressing the urge to make a stronger value judgment. He knew that one of the benefits of a date-rape pill, if that was what they probably gave her, was that the woman remembered zilch.

"Well, we can't follow them anymore tonight unless they come back."

Give me a break, Brennan thought but did not say. Instead, he said, "Thanks to my binoculars, which I brought along, I think I know the name of the boat. I mean, I couldn't see it too well, and it was bouncing up and down, but it looked like Full Speed Ahead. "

Carlo turned to Brennan. "Hey, that might be something Barbera would like to know."

Oh, really? Brennan questioned silently and sarcastically. Sometimes he truly wondered how Carlo had gotten to where he was in the organization.

Carlo got out his cell phone and called Louie Barbera.

When Barbera was on the line, Carlo gave a quick description of their evening so far. Louie was instantly taken aback. His first question was the name of the business where the girl worked, but unfortunately, Carlo and Brennan had no idea. Louie then asked them if by any slim chance they knew the name of the boat.

"We think it is Full Speed Ahead. It was dark and hard to see, but Brennan brought along some binoculars, and that was what it looked like."

Brennan nodded to acknowledge Carlo's giving him the credit. "You guys are doing a good job," Louie said. "That could be very interesting information. As far as I know, no one is aware Vinnie Dominick is hiding a yacht in New Jersey. It could be the answer to how he's getting his drugs these days."

"What do you want us to do?"

"Hang out and see when they come back and whether the girl's with them or not. If it's early enough, go back to the Trump Tower. I want a list of the businesses with office space. Something's going on with one of those businesses, and I'd like to know what it is."

Carlo disconnected with Louie and turned to Brennan. "Did you hear? We've got to sit tight."

"Thanks for giving me credit about the boat's name."

"Hey, you deserved it. What do you say we go find some coffee? Who knows how long these dorks will be out for their romantic cruise."

"That's the best idea you've had today," Brennan said.

"WELL?" FRANCO ASKED when Angelo came back up onto the bridge deck. Franco had the big boat up to a reasonable speed so that it was just planing. He could have gone considerably faster, but there was no need, and the diesels made a tremendous, earsplitting roar when they were pushed much faster.

"She said she liked me better because your dick is so small."

Franco took a playful swing at Angelo, which Angelo easily evaded. Earlier, Franco had won the coin toss, and while Angelo piloted the boat, he'd gone down to have his way with the unconscious Amy. After that, it had been Angelo's turn.

"How far are we going to go?" Angelo asked. He looked out at the New York City skyline to the left and the Jersey shoreline to the right. In the middle distance ahead was the illuminated Statue of Liberty.

"About the same as last night. Did you get the chain out?"

"Not yet."

They rode in silence for a short while until Angelo said, "What are we going to do?"

"Why are you asking? We're going to do just what we did last night. Shoot her and throw her overboard."

"Why bother to shoot her?"

Franco took his eyes off the water in front and regarded Angelo in the half-light of the bridge. "She'd be still alive when we tossed her into the drink."

"So what?"

Franco shrugged. "It doesn't seem right throwing her into the water alive. It's not human."

"So you think you are human. Is that it, Franco?"

Franco redirected his attention to the water in front. He saw some running lights of a boat off the starboard side on a course across their bow. He backed down the engines and the boat slowed quickly.

"What the hell are you driving at?" Franco questioned angrily. "Are you trying to play with my mind somehow?"

"Hell, no!" Angelo exclaimed. "Jeez, calm down! I'm just asking because actually, I feel the same way. It's just not right throwing her in without icing her first. But that makes me wonder if we're two old softies."

"Hey, speak for yourself."

"Franco, this is a discussion, not an argument. In comparison with the wiseguys of old, particularly the enforcers like us, we're pussycats."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I saw a movie once about what it was like when the real bosses were in control. When one of the musclemen of the day took someone out to knock 'em off like we're doing, they tied the person to a chair and put their feet in cement, and while the cement dried, the person being knocked off could think about what was soon to happen. Now, those guys were the real baddies, not like us."

"You're out of your freakin' mind."

"Maybe, but someday I'd like to have a chance to do it. Besides it would be easier and faster today, with stuff like quick-set and the like on the market."

"Well, I can tell you one thing for sure. We're not going back to Home Depot tonight so you can have some fun and games."

Angela hurried out onto Fifth Avenue from the commercial entrance to the Trump Tower, and merged into the heavy pedestrian traffic heading south. She had to wait for the light at 56th Street, and glanced at her watch. She was already late for her scheduled seven-fifteen dinner with Chet McGovern. It seemed that lately she was always running and always late. The pressure was unrelenting. She knew she shouldn't be taking the time to dine formally, but the coincidence of having had a confrontation of sorts with Dr. Laurie Montgomery and being persistently asked to dinner by one of the medical examiner's colleagues on the same day was too much not to take advantage of. Angela was concerned that Laurie Montgomery could be the biggest current threat to the secrecy Angels Healthcare had managed vis-a-vis the MRSA problem and its cash-flow consequence. Angela needed to know how big a threat.