Bea Cannon - A Small Gray Dot

I pulled into the doctor’s driveway. I noticed he was already at the door.

“Why are we stopping here?” asked Talbert. “He’s probably one of them, too!”

“He isn’t,” I said getting out of the car.

Percy got out and reached back in for Morgan. I took her from him, got her over my shoulder and started for the door. I paused and handed Duncan the car key.

“Everyone into the house. Lem and Percy, watch those two. Duncan, take the car somewhere and leave it. I don’t want to take the chance of any of Henderson’s goons seeing it parked here.”

It didn’t take much to figure out that someone might start cruising the neighborhood, looking for us. Henderson would probably be trying to contact his head of security and it wouldn’t take him long to learn he was no longer available. I thought about Abe Harlow handcuffed to the sink. If they went in, they’d find Bedlow’s body and were likely to simply leave. If Harlow wasn’t totally stupid, he’d keep quiet so they wouldn’t find him. Of course, Harlow wasn’t particularly smart. I shrugged. I wasn’t very concerned about Harlow.

We got in and everyone followed me to the livingroom where I laid Morgan on the couch. She was all the way out.

Dr. Bennett went to her, his eyes worried. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Talbert here gave her something.” I turned to him “Harlow said you gave her two pills. What were they?”

He looked contrite. “Um, Mr. Henderson sent me to the drug store to pick them up. They’re one of them new sleeping pills.” He reached in a pocket and brought out a bottle. “He said they’re harmless, that they’d just make her sleepy. But then she about passed out. When we got her down there, he said she had to be conscious so she could talk to her sister and he had me give her one of these other pills to bring her around.” He pulled another bottle. “One of these. She got a little better but started throwing up. Then she got groggy again and he told me and Slim to stay with her until she came around.”

Dr. Bennett took the bottles from him. He read the labels and shook his head, frowning. He pointed to the first bottle. “This is not a sleeping pill. It’s gamma hydroxybutyrate.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Back in the nineteen-nineties, when I was a teenager, they called it “liquid ecstasy”. They’ve tinkered with it since then, to make it safer, but it’s still a horrid drug. There’s a warning on here not to mix it with alcohol and Morgan had two stiff drinks before she left here.”

Well, I never did drugs – except alcohol – but I’d heard of ecstasy. It had a bad reputation.

He shook his head again. “It was causing so many problems that a concerted effort was put forth to create an easily administered antidote because it proved impossible to keep it out of the hands of people who abused it. Right before the Event several methods were developed. I know what will counteract it and this other drug wasn’t the thing to give her.”

He turned to me. “Take her upstairs to her room, Tennessee. I have something that will act as an antidote and it’s simple but it’ll take a while to work.” He left and I heard him going down the hall. He wasn’t a medical doctor so I hoped he knew what he was talking about.

I picked her up. “Everyone take a seat and stay here until I get back.”

Lem already had Harlow’s .45 out and was holding it on the two. Percy had the rifle but it was awkward to hold on someone in close quarters. I fumbled my jacket open and handed him the little .25 I’d taken from Talbert.

“Here. Take this. It won’t hurt them much if you have to shoot them. If you want to hurt them, let Lem use the .45.”

I left them staring silently at each other and headed up the stairs. I settled her onto the bed as comfortably as I could and removed her boots. In a few minutes, the doctor came in. He was carrying what appeared to be two spice bottles. Spice? I didn’t ask.

“I need to get back downstairs, Doctor. I’ve got to figure out what to do with those two blockheads down there, and I’ve got to call Madison.”

He nodded. “Go on, son. I’ll take care of Morgan.”

I started to leave when I thought of the boy. “Hey, where’s Terry?”

He smiled fondly. “Poor little fellow was tuckered. I put him in a bedroom. He’s all right.”

Relieved he hadn’t let the boy go back out alone, I went down stairs.

As I stepped into the silent livingroom, Talbert looked up, his eyes guarded, and said, “The doc called you “Tennessee”. You wouldn’t be Tennessee Murray would you?”

“Yes.” I regarded the two idiots. I didn’t want to have to keep a constant eye on them but I wasn’t letting them go, either. The aliens may have duped them about their agenda but even so, they had agreed to the kidnapping of an innocent young woman.

Slim said his eye stretching, “Gawddam! I heard of you! You that tracker what always finds your man.”

Apparently, Talbert had heard of me, too. He said, “Um, hey, listen man, um, I didn’t know ‘bout them aliens or I never woulda got involved in all this and I wouldna hit you back there. I didn’t see the ugly blood ‘til after that, then me and Slim, well, we knew it wasn’t right. That’s why when we got y’all to the lounge, we made the rest of them put down their guns.” He gave a sick smile.

I just stared at him. None of that made a rat’s ass worth of difference to me.

When I said nothing, he dropped the smile and asked, “Uh, where’s Mr. Bedlow? And Abe?”

“Bedlow was one of them and he’s dead. Harlow’s in a safe place.” Pissy, but safe. “Now, I need to decide what to do with you two.”

“Oh, we ain’t gonna do nothing, Mr. Murray!” said Slim, with a cheesy grin. “We sho ain’t going back down to the Semptor with them UFO aliens. We jist wanna leave.”

I stared at them. Did they really think I’d be dumb enough to let them go? I shook my head. “You’re not leaving.” I heard the doctor coming down.

He came in, and to my questioning look, said “She will awaken in a few hours. She’ll have a bad headache but otherwise, she’ll be fine.” He turned to Talbert, frowning. “No thanks to you. What you gave her could have very well killed her, you know.”

The fool had the nerve to look aghast. “But… but… Mr. Henderson said—”

“I don’t care what he said!” the doctor snapped. “You don’t give someone drugs without knowing what it is you’re giving them, and you don’t do it against their will.” He looked at me. “She also has a bad bruise on her temple. Did this… this… man … do that?” He glared at Talbert.

“No. But I’ve taken care of the one who did. Sir, I need to put these two men somewhere secure. Do you have a room that will hold them for a while?” No telling when we could get law enforcement out here but I wanted them out of commission until we could.

He smiled. “Yes. Bring them and come with me.” he started for the kitchen.

Lem, motioning with the .45 said, “Git up. Don’t do nothing stupid and y’all might live to see another day.”

I followed the doctor to the kitchen to find him standing before a door.

“This leads to my basement. The only way in or out is through this door. And, it can be locked from this side.” He indicated the deadbolt lock. “They’ll be comfortable down there.” He opened the door.

It opened inward into the basement, so not much danger of them kicking it open from the other side. I was curious as to why it operated in that fashion since any other basement door I’d seen opened outward, but it was an old house. Maybe it was simply the way they built them back then.

“Okay.” I marched them down the stairs and I saw why the doctor said they’d be comfortable. It was not a bare-bones basement stuffed full of junk. The place was set up as a lounge with wood paneled walls, and nice chairs and tables. There were magazines, and books on a shelf – not that those bozos were likely to be readers. I noticed a bar in one corner.