Sidney Sheldon - The sky is falling

Ahead of Dana was the Washington Pharmacy. Dana went inside.

The pharmacist said, «Ah, Miss Evans. Can I help you?»

«Yes, Coquina. I'm curious about this.» She took out the small packet. The pharmacist glanced at it. «BuSpar. It's an anti-anxiety agent. White crystal, water soluble.»

«What does it do?» Dana asked.

«It's a relaxant. It has a calming effect. Of course, if you overdose, it can cause drowsiness and fatigue.»

He's asleep. Shall I wake him up?

When he came home from school, he felt tired, so I thought a nap would be good for him…

So that explained what had been going on. And it had been Pamela Hudson who had sent Mrs. Daley.

And I put Kemal in that bitch's hands, Dana thought. She felt sick to her stomach.

She looked at the pharmacist. «Thank you, Coquina.»

«My pleasure, Miss Evans.»

Dana went out the door back into the street. The two men were approaching her. «Miss Evans, could we talk to you for a min—» Dana turned and ran. The men were at her heels. Dana reached the corner. A policeman in the middle of the intersection was directing the heavy traffic.

Dana ran out into the street toward him.

«Hey! Go back, miss.»

Dana kept coming.

«You're moving against the light! Did you hear me? Get back!»

The two men were waiting at the corner, watching.

«Are you deaf?» the policeman yelled.

«Shut up!» She slapped the policeman hard across the face. The furious officer grabbed Dana's arm.

«You're under arrest, ma'am.»

He pulled Dana back to the sidewalk and held on to her while he talked into his radio. «I need a black-and-white.»

The two men stood there looking at each other, uncertain what to do.

Dana looked across at them and smiled. There was the sound of an approaching siren and a few seconds later a police car came to a stop in front of them.

The two men watched helplessly as Dana was put into the backseat of the patrol car and driven away.

At the police station, Dana said, «I'm entitled to one phone call, right?»

The sergeant said, «Right.»

He handed Dana a phone. She made her call.

A dozen blocks away the man holding Kemal by his shirt collar was pulling him toward a limousine waiting at the curb, its motor running.

«Please! Please let me go,» Kemal pleaded.

«Shut up, kid.»

Four uniformed marines were passing by.

«I don't want to go in the alley with you,» Kemal yelled.

The man looked at Kemal puzzled. «What?»

«Please don't make me go in the alley.» Kemal turned to the marines. «He wants to pay me five dollars to go in the alley with him. I don't want to.»

The marines stopped, staring at the man. «Why, you dirty pervert…»

The man backed away. «No, no. Wait a minute. You don't understand…»

One of the marines said grimly, «Yes, we do, buddy. Get your hands off the kid.» They surrounded the man. He put his hands up to defend himself, and Kemal quickly slipped away.

A delivery boy with a package was getting off a bicycle and starting toward a house. Kemal jumped onto the bicycle and pedaled furiously away. The man watched, frustrated, as Kemal rounded the corner and disappeared. The marines were closing in on him.

At the police station, Dana's cell door clanged open.

«You're free to go, Miss Evans. You're out on bail.»

Matt! The phone call worked, Dana thought happily. He didn't lose any time.

As Dana started toward the exit, she stopped in shock. One of the men was standing there, waiting for her.

He smiled at Dana and said, «You're free, sis. Let's go.» He gripped Dana's arm tightly and started herding her out to the street. As they stepped outside, the man stopped in astonishment. A full television crew from WTN was waiting in front.

«Look this way, Dana…»

«Dana, is it true that you slapped a policeman?»

«Can you tell us what happened?»

«Did he harass you?»

«Are you going to press charges?»

The man was shying away, covering his face.

«What's the matter?» Dana called. «Don't you want your picture taken?»

He fled.

Matt Baker appeared at Dana's side. «Let's get the hell out of here.»

They were in Matt Baker's office at the WTE building. Elliot Cromwell, Matt Baker, and Abbe Lasmann had been listening to Dana for the last half hour in shocked silence.

«…and the FRA is involved, too. That's why General Booster tried to stop me from investigating.»

Elliot Cromwell said, «I'm stunned. How could we all have been so wrong about Taylor Winthrop? I think we should inform the White House about what's happening. Let them call in the attorney general and the FBI.»

Dana said, «Elliot, so far we only have my word against Roger Hudson's. Who do you think they're going to believe?»

Abbe Lasmann said, «Don't we have any proof?»

«Sasha Shdanoff's brother is alive. I'm sure he'll talk. Once we pull a single thread, the whole story is going to unravel.»

Matt Baker took a deep breath and looked at Dana admiringly. «When you go after a story, you go after a story.»

Dana said, «Matt, what are we going to do about Kemal? I don't know where to look.»

Matt said firmly, «Don't worry. We'll find him. Meanwhile, we have to get a place for you to hide where no one can findyou. »

Abbe Lasmann spoke up. «You can use my apartment. No one will think of looking for you there.»

«Thank you.» Dana turned to Matt. «About Kemal…»

«We'll get the FBI on it right away. I'll have a driver take you to Abbe's apartment. It's in our hands now, Dana. Everything's going to be fine. I'll call you the minute I hear something.»

Kemal pedaled along the icy streets, anxiously looking behind him every few moments. There was no sign of the man who had grabbed him. I've got to get to Dana, Kemal thought, desperately. I can't let them hurt her. The problem was that the WTN studio was at the other end of downtown Washington.

When Kemal came to a bus stop, he got off the bicycle and pushed it onto the grass. As a bus approached, Kemal felt in his pockets and realized he had no money.

Kemal turned to a passerby. «Excuse me, could I have a—»

«Get lost, kid.»

Kemal tried a woman who was approaching. «Excuse me, I need bus fare to—» The woman hurried by.

Kemal stood in the cold, without a coat, shivering. No one seemed to care. I've got to get bus fare, Kemal thought.

He yanked off his artificial arm and laid it on the grass. When the next man passed by, Kemal held out his stump and said, «Excuse me, sir. Could you give me enough money for bus fare?»

The man stopped. «Of course, son,» he said, and handed Kemal a dollar.

«Thank you.»

When the man walked away, Kemal quickly put his arm back on. A bus was approaching, just a block away. I've made it, Kemal thought jubilantly. And at that moment, he felt a sting in the back of his neck. As he started to turn, everything grew faint. Inside his head a voice was screaming, No! No! Kemal slumped to the ground, unconscious. Passersby began to gather.

«What happened?»

«Did he faint?»

«Is he all right?»

«My son is diabetic,» a man said. «I'll take care of him.» He lifted Kemal up and carried him into a waiting limousine.

Abbe Lasmann's apartment was in northwest Washington. It was large and comfortably decorated with contemporary furniture and white rugs. Dana was in the apartment alone, pacing back and forth, panicky, waiting for the phone to ring. Kemal must be all right. They have no reason to harm him. He'll be fine. Where is he? Why can't they find him?

When the phone rang, it startled Dana. She snatched it up. «Hello.» The line was dead. It rang again, and Dana realized it was her cell phone. She felt a sudden sense of relief. She pressed the button. «Jeff?»