“Was Jon all right when you saw him last?”
“Yes. Yes he was. Well, he
“Unconscious?”
“Yes, you see I gave the boy something to put him out, so he wouldn’t be any trouble to them in the car. The older man... Charlie? The older man, Charlie, said he wanted me to give Jon something that would keep him out for four hours... which I assume was the approximate length of time they had to travel.”
“You saw them put Jon in their car? What kind of car was it?”
“I... I helped them. We wrapped him in a blanket and put him on the floor in the backseat. Of an Oldsmobile, last year’s model, I believe, blue, dark blue. It... it was a good thing that I gave him a shot and put him out, you know.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because that... that older man, Charlie, he... didn’t seem to like Jon much. Jon... sassed him. And the one named Charlie was... was rough with the boy.”
Nolan heard Karen make a noise behind him. He turned and she was crying. He should have thought about that before, should have known her emotional attachment to the boy would make this hard for her. He should’ve had her leave the room. But he hadn’t. He hadn’t thought of anything, really. Just get to Ainsworth and shake the truth out of him.
“Are you... are you going to let me go, now?” The doctor was much more calm now; his face had returned to its natural color.
“Not just yet,” Nolan said.
Greer was lighting up a cigarette. “You want one, Nolan?”
“No thanks, I gave it up.”
Greer shrugged. “Thought you might have some other use for it.”
Ainsworth’s face turned pale again.
Nolan said, “No. I can do fine with just my hands.”
All at once the doctor began to shake and sweat, as though he were going into a dance routine. “I told you everything, Nolan! Those men forced me to help them, at gun point! I wouldn’t...”
“How much did they pay you?”
“Nothing. I assume I’ll be paid through... nothing.”
“You assume
“Nothing... nothing. I just meant to say I... assumed I was lucky to get off with my life.”
“You said you assumed you’d be paid through somebody. Who?”
“Nolan, please...”
“I don’t want to hit you, Ainsworth. I’m not the sort of guy that gets his rocks off hurting people. Don’t make me do something I find distasteful. That’ll just make me mad and you’re the only one around I’d have to take it out on. So tell me who.”
“His name is Sturms.”
Karen said, “There’s a Sturms in town who has an insurance agency. I’ve heard some rumors about him. Having to do with drugs.”
Nolan turned to Ainsworth. “Well?”
“It’s true,” he admitted. “Sturms is... important in town. I help him out with things. He’s the one that sent those two men to me.”
Nolan turned to Greer. “Untie him.”
Greer nodded and went over to Ainsworth and did so.
Nolan said, “Karen, how you doing?”
She smiled and said, “At least Jon is alive.”
“That’s how I look at it.”
“Do you think you can find him?”
“Yes.” He went over to Ainsworth and picked him up by the lapels. He dragged him over to the couch and plopped him down, kicking the kitchen chair to one side. He picked up the phone from off the end table and tossed it on Ainsworth’s lap. “Call your Sturms. Get him over here.”
“I... I can’t do that.”
“Ainsworth.”
“Okay. Okay, okay, just give me a moment to... compose myself.”
“If you try anything, I’m going to feed that phone to you.”
“Listen, I’m scared of you, all right? Does that satisfy you, Nolan? I’m scared to death of you, is your ego satisfied? I’m scared to death and I’m going to do whatever you say so... so don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried.”
Ainsworth swallowed. He picked up the receiver and dialed. It took a while to get an answer, but finally the doctor said, “Sturms? Ainsworth... I’m sorry, really I’m sorry, but we got a problem... you got to get over here right away, I can’t talk about it on the phone... I can’t... I can’t handle it, I don’t have my bag with me. Okay.” He told him the address and hung up.
Ainsworth smiled and Nolan said, “What did you tell him?”
“What?”
“What did you tell him?”
“What do you mean, what did I tell him? You were right here, you
“You said, ‘I don’t have my bag with me.’ What’s that, some kind of signal, some goddamn code, what?”
“I... I... I just meant, I couldn’t handle it, I mean, you, uh...”
“Do you remember when you were treating me?”
He swallowed again, touched his face where Nolan hit him, his mouth where the blood had been. “Sure I remember.”
“What d’you treat me for?”
“You’d been shot. I... I took care of you after you were shot.”
“And what did you do for Charlie?”
“For Charlie? I... patched him up. Patched up a bullet wound.”
“Let me ask you a question, then. You’re a man of science, you’re a man of logic. What do you suppose happens to people who fuck around with people like Charlie and me?”
Ainsworth said, “I told Sturms he should bring a gun with him.”
“You asshole,” Nolan said, and hit him in the face.
“My nose,” Ainsworth sputtered. “My nose, you broke it, I think you broke my nose, I told you and you hit me anyway, broke my nose. What am I going to do?”
