Part 14 (1/2)

Chapter 48.

A DIZZYING medical mystery began the following morning. Everyone at North Carolina University Hospital was baffled, especially me. DIZZYING medical mystery began the following morning. Everyone at North Carolina University Hospital was baffled, especially me.

Kate McTiernan had begun to talk very early that morning. I wasn't there, but apparently Kyle Craig was in her room at daybreak. Unfortunately, our valuable witness was making no sense to anyone.

The highly intelligent intern raved incoherently throughout most of the morning. She seemed to be psychotic at times, and almost as if she were speaking in tongues. She experienced tremors, convulsions, and signs of abdominal and muscle cramps, according to the hospital write-up reports.

I visited with her late that afternoon. There was still concern that she had suffered brain damage. Most of the time I was in her room, she was quiet and unresponsive. Once, when she tried to speak, only a terrifying scream came out.

The doctor in charge came by the room while I was in there. We had already talked a couple of times that day. Dr. Maria Ruocco wasn't interested in withholding important information about her patient from me. She was extremely helpful and nice, in fact. Dr. Ruocco said she wanted to help catch whoever, or whatever, whatever, had done this to the young intern. had done this to the young intern.

I suspected that Kate McTiernan believed she was still being held captive. As I watched her struggle against unseen forces, I sensed that she was a terrific fighter. I found myself rooting for her in the hospital room.

I volunteered to sit with Kate McTiernan for long stretches. n.o.body fought me for hospital-surveillance duty. Maybe she would say something, though. A phrase, or even a single word, might become an important clue in the hunt for Casanova. All we needed was one clue to mobilize everything.

”You're safe now, Kate,” I whispered every so often. She didn't seem to hear me, but I kept it up, anyway.

I got an idea, an irresistible notion, around nine-thirty that night. The team of doctors a.s.signed to Kate McTiernan had already left for the day. I needed to tell someone, so I called the FBI and persuaded them to let me call Dr. Maria Ruocco at her home near Raleigh.

”Alex, are you still there at the hospital?” Dr. Ruocco asked when she got on the phone. She seemed more surprised than angry about the nocturnal call to her house. I had already spoken with her at great length during the day. We had both gone to Johns Hopkins and we talked a little about our backgrounds. She was very interested in the Soneji case and had read my book.

”I was sitting here obsessing as usual. I was trying to figure out how he kept his victims subdued.” I began to tell Maria Ruocco my theory, and what I had already done about it. ”I figured he might drug them, and maybe he used something sophisticated. I called your lab for the results from Kate McTiernan's toxic screen. They found Marinol Marinol in her urine.” in her urine.”

”Marinol?” Dr. Ruocco sounded surprised, just as I had been at first. ”Hmmp. How the h.e.l.l did he get Marinol to give her? That's a real bolt out of the blue. What a clever idea, though. It's almost brilliant. Marinol is a good choice if he wanted to keep her submissive.”

”Wouldn't that account for her psychotic episodes today?” I said. ”Tremors, convulsions, hallucinations-the whole package fits if you think about it.”

”You could be right, Alex. Marinol! Jesus. The symptoms of Marinol withdrawal could mimic the most severe D.T.s. But how would he know so much about Marinol and how to use it? I don't believe a layman would come up with that.”

I had been wondering the same thing. ”Maybe he's been in chemotherapy? He could have been ill with cancer. Perhaps he had to take Marinol. Maybe he's disfigured in some way.”

”Maybe he's a doctor? doctor? Or a pharmacist?” Dr. Ruocco offered up another guess. I had thought of those possibilities as well. He could even be a doctor working at University Hospital. Or a pharmacist?” Dr. Ruocco offered up another guess. I had thought of those possibilities as well. He could even be a doctor working at University Hospital.

”Listen, our favorite intern might be able to tell us something about him that can help us stop him. Can we do anything to get her through this withdrawal a little faster?”

”I'll be there in about twenty minutes. Less than that,” Maria Ruocco said. ”Let's see what we can do to help the poor girl out of her bad-dream state. I think we'd both like to talk to Kate McTiernan.”

Chapter 49.

HALF AN hour later, Dr. Maria Ruocco was with me in Dr. Kate McTiernan's room. I hadn't told the Durham police, or the FBI, what I had discovered. I wanted to talk to the intern first. This could be a break in the case, the biggest so far.

Maria Ruocco examined her important patient for nearly an hour. She was a no-nonsense, but user-friendly, doctor. She was very attractive, ash blond, probably in her late thirties. A little bit of a Southern belle, but pretty terrific, anyway. I wondered if Casanova had ever stalked Dr. Ruocco.

”The poor kid is really going through it,” she said to me. ”She had nearly enough Marinol in her system to kill her.”

”I wonder if that was the original idea,” I said. ”She might have been one of his rejects. Dammit, I want to talk to her.”

Kate McTiernan seemed to be asleep. A restless sleep, but sleep. The instant Dr. Ruocco's hands touched her, though, she moaned. Her bruised face twisted into a stark, fearful mask. It was almost as if we were watching her back in captivity. The terror was palpable, scary.

Dr. Ruocco was extremely gentle, but the soft moans and groans continued. Then Kate McTiernan finally spoke without opening her eyes.

”Don't touch me! Don't! Don't you dare you dare touch me, you f.u.c.ker!” she shouted. Her eyes still didn't open. She was squeezing them very tightly, in fact. ”Leave me alone, you son of a b.i.t.c.h!” touch me, you f.u.c.ker!” she shouted. Her eyes still didn't open. She was squeezing them very tightly, in fact. ”Leave me alone, you son of a b.i.t.c.h!”

”These young doctors,” Dr. Ruocco made a joke of it. She was a cool head under pressure. ”Incredibly disrespectful as a group. And the G.o.dd.a.m.n language. language.”

Watching Kate McTiernan now was like seeing someone being physically tortured. I thought of Naomi again. Was she in North Carolina? Or in California somehow? Was the same thing happening to her? I chased the disturbing image out of my head. One problem at a time.

It took another half hour for Dr. Ruocco to treat Kate McTiernan. She put her on an IV dose of Librium. Then she reconnected the heart monitor Kate was on because of her injuries. When she had finished, the intern drifted off into an even deeper sleep. She wasn't going to tell us any of her secrets tonight.

”I like your work,” I whispered to Dr. Ruocco. ”You did good.”

Maria Ruocco motioned for me to step outside with her. The hospital corridor was in semidarkness; it was very quiet, and as eerie as hospitals can be at night. I had the recurring thought that Casanova could be a doctor at University Hospital. He might even be inside the hospital now, even at this late hour.

”We've done everything we can do for her right now, Alex. Let the Librium do its job. I count three FBI agents, plus two of Durham's finest, guarding young Dr. McTiernan from the bogeyman for tonight. Why don't you go back to your hotel. Get some sleep yourself. How about a little Valium for you, kind sir?”

I told Maria Ruocco that I preferred to sleep at the hospital. ”I don't think Casanova will come after her here, but there's no way to tell. He just might.” Especially if Casanova was a local physician, I was thinking, but I didn't mention that to Maria. ”Besides, I feel a connection to Kate in there. I have from the first time I saw her. Maybe she knew Naomi.”

Dr. Maria Ruocco stared up at me. I had at least a foot in height on her. She spoke with a total deadpan look on her face. ”You appear appear sane, you sane, you sound sound sane at times, but you're certifiable,” she said and smiled. Her bright blue eyes twinkled playfully. sane at times, but you're certifiable,” she said and smiled. Her bright blue eyes twinkled playfully.

”Plus, I'm armed and dangerous,” I said.

”Good night, Dr. Cross,” Maria Ruocco said and she blew me a feathery kiss.

”Good night, Dr. Ruocco. And thank you.” I sailed a kiss back at her as she walked down the corridor.

I slept restlessly on two uncomfortable club chairs pulled together inside Kate McTiernan's room. I kept my revolver cradled in my lap. Pleasant dreams, I'm sure.

Chapter 50.

WHO ARE you? Who the h.e.l.l are you, mister? Who the h.e.l.l are you, mister?”

A loud, high-pitched voice woke me up. It was close by. Almost in my face. I remembered immediately that I was at the University of North Carolina Hospital. I remembered exactly exactly where I was in the hospital. I was with Kate McTiernan, our prize witness. where I was in the hospital. I was with Kate McTiernan, our prize witness.

”I'm a policeman,” I said in a soft and hopefully rea.s.suring voice to the traumatized intern. ”My name is Alex Cross. You're in North Carolina University Hospital. Everything is okay now.”

At first, Kate McTiernan looked as if she might cry, then she seemed to take hold of herself. Watching her grab control like that helped me understand how she had survived both Casanova and the river. This was a very strong-willed woman I had been watching over.