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So for the door when the bell rang, and a new person ca her breath, and a man and woman she didn’t knoalked into the foyer The wo, and had to be supported as she ht consultation?

The couple went straight for the base them, and then looked at the front door It was like Grand Central; one ht? And she could just run Run like hell, flag down a car, get out of here …

Except now she was curious Deeply curious Was Fideli right? Were they running so lab down there? Fairview had talked about how trade had fallen off She supposed he’d do al

She walked over to the basement door and eased it open a crack Just to listen The probleh she could hear voices, they weren’t very loud, and shesaid

She ca

Down a couple of steps, very quietly

Then all the way down, drawn by what the voices were saying

"… need it!" aNot Freddy or Mr Fairview, or even Joe … She was hearing the uessed "I know that’s not the areed on, but it’s all we have; please, she needs the shot right now…"

"This isn’t a charity hospital, Mr Jones," Mr Fairview’s voice said, rich with regret and sympathy "I’m afraid that miracles are, by their very definition, rare--and rare means expensive The terms were spelled out for you clearly, weren’t they? Ten thousand up front, and five hundred dollars cash per shot?"

"I can get it for you; it’s just … it’s thirty-five hundred a week…"

"Thirty-five hundred a week to keep your beloved wife alive," Mr Fairview said "I have to believe that you value her life e you to act quickly She’s clearlyvery distressed After four days, the skin begins to slip; muscles loosen It’s a very nasty process"

Bryn couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing Joe Fideli had been right: her boss was selling drugs--bad ones And they were extorting money from sick, desperate people

It was horrible

"I’m very sorry," Mr Fairview continued "But I really ive her the shot This was "

"I lost"I can’t … We already had to give up our house I can’t afford to pay you this ot kids!"

There was a second of silence "I’h we talked about this, you still don’t understand She’s dead, Mr Jones We haven’tI explained to you that you were si the inevitable dissolution, and now it appears that the inevitable is upon you"

Not only were they selling so people How could Fairview possibly be telling people he was bringing back the dead? Who’d believe that? Maybe the drug induced some kind of coma, then woke up the addicts… It didn’t really matter Bryn felt deeply sickened She’d been trained to help people in their darkest, worst moments, and this was an obscene, horrible perversion of what she’d believed A betrayal of the worst kind

She turned to go back up the steps, but a shadow blocked her path at the top of the stairs She had a rave; vu, but it wasn’t Joe Fideli

It was, unfortunately, Freddy Watson

He descended the stairs faster than she could scrarip She tried to knee hiroin, but he was obviously an old hand at that one; her patella caught theher off balance, turning her, and locking his arm around her throat She tried to stamp on his feet, but her Payless heels weren’t that sturdy He just laughed in her ear and dragged her, off balance, through the double doors into the prep room

"Surprise visitor," he said, and it obviously was, to the three people standing there Mr and Mrs Jones, and Mr Fairview

Mr Fairview looked wearily disgusted "I left her upstairs And, Freddy, I thought you were supposed to scare her off fro around down here"

"I did," Freddy said "I played the Big Bad Wolf as hard as I could, but she’s tougher than she looks I caught her listening on the stairs"

"Really? What did you hear, Bryn?" Mr Fairview asked

"Nothing," she said, and tried to jah that he let up on the grip, and she slipped away and put the prep table between them "He attacked me!"

"Yes, well, he does have impulse-control issues," Mr Fairview said "It’s the reason I can’t have hi intakes He doesn’t inspire confidence in others And I don’t believe you, Bryn"

"You saw--"