Promise Me Eternity (27 page)

“Aha, good, that’s something at least. You
know, I was concerned whether you could manage on your own. I don’t
know when Dr. Patterson will be back.” It didn’t seem worth
revealing that Dr. Patterson would never be back.

“You needn’t worry, I have enough
experience.”

“Yes, but so far you have always worked as an
assistant surgeon.”

Jerry thought this may be an opportunity for
a promotion. “That’s true, but …. Isn’t it time that I stopped
being an assistant?”

“Slow down, young man. I haven’t called you
in to promote you. You’re here because I wanted to ask you whether
you’re capable of running the department while Dr. Patterson is
away.”

Clearly disappointed, he answered, “Yes.”

“OK, that’s what I wanted to hear. If you’d
said no, I would have had to borrow a surgeon from another hospital
immediately.”

Jerry lowered his eyes.

“So you’ll be able to manage on your own? I’m
asking you again because this is an extremely responsible position
and I’d like—”

“I can cope, don’t worry,” he said through
gritted teeth.

A smile flitted across the director’s face
and he picked up the papers that he had put to one side. “I’m very
glad. Have a nice day.”

“You too. Good-bye.”

Half an hour later Jerry was having lunch
with Anita Carter. He told her about his talk with the
director.

“Did you think that he’d promote you just
like that? That’s just crazy.”

Jerry’s look showed he didn’t understand.

“You’ve got to go about things in a more
thoughtful way. It’s obvious that he’s not going to decide anything
without Dr. Patterson. That would be unethical. What would he say
then if Dr. Patterson came back?”

“And what do you recommend?”

“Let’s give it some time. We’ll see how
quickly they get rid of him. It’s hard to predict anything. The
main thing is that you show you’re capable of operating without
him. The whole time he’s away, everything must run like clockwork.
You must be particularly nice to the patients. You know they often
send thank-you letters and so on.”

He took her hand. “I really am crazy. You’re
right, I’ll show them I’m a good neurosurgeon and then they’ll
promote me.”

“That’s right, unless Dr. Patterson
returns.”

“Then everything will go back to how it
was.”

“Do you think he killed her?” she asked.

“I don’t know. It all seems very
strange.”

She screwed up her face. “I think he did.
I’ve thought for some time that he’s the malicious type. You don’t
know. He’s usually calm enough, but sometimes ….”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am. You know how often he’s lost his
temper for no apparent reason.”

“When, for example? He’s always seemed pretty
calm and collected to me.”

She waved her hand vaguely. “I can’t remember
when exactly. I just know he’s unpredictable. What I’m trying to
say is that the police are sure to be sniffing around. You know,
asking questions.”

“And?”

“It would be better if you said that he was
the excitable type.”

“But he doesn’t seem that way to me.”

“Don’t be stupid, Jerry. We don’t want him
coming back, do we? Say that he had a temper and the police are
more likely to hold him until the trial. That would give you enough
time to get promoted. Do I have to spell it out for you? If he
didn’t kill her, he’ll get off. But I’m telling you that he cut her
throat. Who else could have done it?” She looked into his eyes with
suspicion. “Unless you—”

“Stop it, Anita, I told you, I cut
myself.”

“I hope so,” she joked. Then she picked up
her tray. “See you later.”

“Yes, see you later.” His forehead creased as
he stared after her.

Chapter 49

_______________________

Carlo had always been a good actor. When he
was barely ten years old, the police had caught him in someone
else’s house. He had been sent in by his father, who had told him
to grab anything of value. When they asked him what he was doing in
a strange house, he said he was looking for a hiding place.

Before the age of twelve he was in trouble
with the police again when he set off the alarm in a gallery. He
was lucky that he had put the silver vase he was planning to make
off with back in its place. He told the police that he had tripped
and fallen against the pedestal on which the vase stood. No one
questioned the truth of what he said.

Carlo’s father was especially proud of him.
Of the nine children, Carlo was the youngest and most talented.
Although he was short and skinny, whatever he did he did well. His
mother also adored him. She was a kind woman, with too much weight
for her own good. Neither parent worked. They were a funny-looking
couple: he was short and thin, she was tall and weighing over two
hundred and eighty pounds. He had fallen for her because of her
size which he found arousing, and because they never used birth
control the children came one after the other.

In his estimation, Carlo Vucci had an ideal
childhood. He grew up in a large family where he was allowed to do
whatever he liked. His mother had all the other children to deal
with, plus she spent a lot of her time eating. His father spent all
his time thinking how he could get his hands on money. He was a
great teacher when it came to thieving. He taught his kids to
become focused, careful, and daring thieves. All their stealing was
carefully planned and they never lived in one place for more than a
year. This was the basic rule that helped him avoid the arm of the
law. The other rule was that they move to a new country every other
year. Thus Carlo lived in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and the
United States. He spoke five languages fluently.

The children never went to school. Their
father taught them the basic laws of math and told them about
history and the two world wars. But most important, he taught them
how to survive.

Some days they had nothing to eat. The father
was afraid of such times because he didn’t want his wife to lose
weight. But there were also days of plenty when they could afford
whatever they wanted. They were a really big, happy family.

Carlo left home when he was sixteen. Sick of
moving, he decided to settle somewhere. Of all the countries they
had lived in, he liked America the most.

Even before he reached eighteen, he and the
police were old acquaintances, as they arrested him a number of
times for drug dealing and other offenses. He knew that it was
risky staying in one place, but he wanted to live in San Francisco
where he had made some good friends, so he stayed there and damned
the consequences.

When he was nineteen, he was noticed by Boris
Voyadinov, a Russian crook who had recently come to the States. He
had quite a bit of money and had set himself the target of becoming
a rich American. Bold and dangerous, he killed anyone who got in
his way. He liked Carlo immediately and Carlo became his right-hand
man.

Over the years, Carlo got together enough
money to set up his own business. First, he bought a restaurant and
did it up to suit his own taste. Later he bought another and a
small shop. When his income was high enough he decided to go legal.
Of course, it wasn’t that simple. Voyadinov would never want to let
him go because Carlo knew too much about him.

For months, Carlo thought about how to free
himself from Voyadinov. It was clear that he had to get rid of him
because sooner or later he would be killed himself. But he didn’t
know how. Boris Voyadinov had a lot of friends and relatives who
were sure to avenge his death.

After two more years, he could wait no
longer. He called a former Italian secret agent who he had heard
carried out killings. He told him all about Voyadinov, his habits,
the things that only he knew, and offered the agent an enormous sum
of money. Less than a month later, Boris Voyadinov was dead. It was
never established who killed him. The former secret agent
disappeared. Carlo buried him in nearby woods. By way of thanks, he
left a ten-dollar bill on the ground.

Carlo went straight for a while, living on
the income from his three businesses. He’d thought he would be
happy, but instead became depressed and gloomy. Every evening he
drank in one of his restaurants, getting so drunk that the waiters
had to carry him to bed.

One day, he realized what the problem was. He
hated the life he was leading. It was too quiet, boring. He missed
the kind of business he had organized with Voyadinov. He missed
killing someone now and then. He missed the sense of power he had
felt before. He decided to go back.

When he got older and calmed down somewhat,
he got tired of San Francisco and decided to move to Medford. Over
the subsequent years, he amassed so much money he didn’t know what
to do with it. He gave some of it to the mayor and some for health
services and the police. He regularly gave to charitable causes and
gained the reputation of a do-gooder who didn’t turn a blind eye to
poverty. He became a very influential and respected figure in town
and was frequently mentioned in public documents. Nobody dreamed
what kind of business he was really involved in.

When he reached the age of forty-seven, he
decided it was time to marry. Before, it had never entered his head
to tie himself to some woman. Since he was happy to throw his money
around, plenty of young women were willing to spend time with him.
Carlo eventually tired of each one of them. Until he saw
Christine.

When he spotted her splashing in the waves,
she appeared to him like a mermaid sent from God himself. From that
moment on he admired her and was angry with himself for letting
himself go the way he had. He felt the flab on his stomach and
grimaced. He immediately called his personal physician, telling him
to board a plane so that he could come and advise him about a
suitable diet.

Then he enjoyed one of the most wonderful
weeks of his life.

Chapter 50

_______________________

It was warm and humid, clouds were gathering
in the sky, there was hardly a breath of wind. Dr. Miner opened the
window of his luxury limo and extended his arm so that the breeze
ruffled his hair. He was driving himself for a change, at about
fifty miles an hour, and thinking of her. He could still smell her
perfume and clearly see her face. She was beautiful, elegant,
smart, and incredibly strong. He remembered her hands pushing him
away, slapping his face. It had never happened before that a woman
had beat him like that without his having to request it beforehand
and pay her well afterward. And it was this coincidental nature of
events that made the blood in his veins so hot that he was scarcely
able to breathe.

He barely audibly said her name, shaking his
head. “Why were you so stubborn? Why didn’t you want to stay with
me?”

He slowed the car as he approached his house.
The automatic electric gate was already sliding along its track.
Dr. Miner turned into his drive and a moment later switched off the
car engine in the garage.

He stopped again on the porch and put his
hand on his heart. He felt a stab. “Damn it, why did you resist
me?” He couldn’t believe she was gone.

He walked downstairs and entered the large
room. As soon as the red lights came on, he saw her again,
furiously taking off her sweater and slapping his face. He knew he
would never forget her eyes, so full of determination and anger.
She really was a fighter. He shook his head again.

Then Robert Miner lay in the same spot as
when she had stood over him. He closed his eyes and gave himself
over to the wonderful memories.

“Helen,” he said, “Helen. Why were you so
stupid? Why did you have to die?”

Chapter 51

_______________________

Carlo Vucci was holding a large red
strawberry, looking at it. His face was motionless and cold, but
inside he was neither. Something was worrying him.

He bit into the fruit, enjoying the flavor as
it spread around his tongue. At that moment, Christine walked
by.

“You look kind of nervous, darling,” he
said.

“Me, nervous? No, you must be imagining it.”
And she walked on.

Carlo wasn’t stupid. He had noticed a certain
change in Christine. He couldn’t explain what it was, but he knew
she wasn’t the same. Maybe she was more energetic, happier. And
sometimes more irritable.

When he discussed this problem with the
influential Bill Craft, who also had a reputation of being involved
in everything dishonest, Bill said to him, “Usually, there are two
reasons for a woman to change profoundly. The first reason is
pregnancy and the second, a lover.”

Carlo noticed that she was getting ready to
go somewhere. “What’s the hurry?”

“I’ll be back shortly, darling. I just have
to buy some clothes as I simply don’t know anymore what to put on.
I won’t be more than three hours.”

He nodded. He had never opposed her desire to
shop. Making a quick decision, he asked, “Christine, you aren’t
pregnant by any chance, are you?”

She gave him a frightened look. “Have I put
weight on? Do I look fat?”

“No, not at all, I just wondered ….”

“Luckily, I’m not pregnant, darling. I don’t
think it’s time yet. Be good. I’ll be back soon.” She took her bag
and ran out lightly, like a young deer.

From a large bowl on the kitchen table, Carlo
picked up another strawberry and turned it in his fingers.
Is it
possible she has a lover?
An invisible dagger pierced his
heart
. If it’s true, I’ll have to kill him.
He dialed his
cell phone.