Cutter (54 page)

He looked down at his bandaged arm.

‘Motherfucker’s got me so’s I can’t even take a decent shit. I been takin’ bran and everything, too. Prune juice. The whole fuckin’ nine yards. It’s over. I’ve had enough. I want immunity.’

Doc looked over to me.

‘Prun
e
juic
e
,’ he repeated.

*

‘I’m next,’ I told Gibron and Wendkos. We were taking a walk around the Loop as a break from all the paperwork and interviewing with Sal. The FBI were part of the interview process since they put up all the manpower on Donofrio. A federal prosecutor made the final deal with Sal. He had delivered John Fortuna and he had handed over Marco’s contacts with Europe. We called Interpol and they said arrests were imminent. As for Karrios ... we got a post-office box number and a lock box in a bank where Marco put some of his money. We were putting people at those two locations to try and snag him. But I knew as soon as Marco discovered Sal was missing, he’d figure out what had just happened and he’d avoid checking in for his mail and chump change.

None of the hospitals had a record of a gunshot victim that would match the description for what Sal said had happened to The Farmer. We had all the medical centers under alert. There had been wounds to tend to that night, but none of the wounded even came close to our guy in size and shape. They’d all been positively ID’d.

‘He’s self-medicating,’ Doc said as Jack and he and I circled State and Lake.

‘How many places can he go for an antibiotic?’ Jack wondered.

‘He’s not a doctor. He’ll have to forge something,’ I said. ‘But we could get some help from some Academy manpower. We could have those kids canvass every all-night pharmacy in a ten-mile radius of Sal’s house. I’m guessing Marco’s still in the city, still living somewhere on the North Side. We could take a chance that he’s living upscale, so that would mean the northwest area. It’s a very faint chance but we might get a sighting.’

Doc said he’d take care of it. Jack said he’d call the Academy and try to round up a hundred or so volunteers to canvass the drugstores.

‘He’ll have to come in and present a prescription. He’ll probably have an idea of where to go to get a doctor’s pad. He’s smart enough not to check into a health center. He knows we’ll be watching there,’ I told the two detectives.

‘But he’s hurting, Jimmy. And he’s likely very angry at you and at Martinson for the lovely article you two concocted. He’ll have to move fast, and there’s also the chance that he just won’t be able to get himself any penicillin. If we’re lucky, nature’ll kill its own fuckup.’ Gibron smiled.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Th
e
bulle
t
ha
s
gon
e
clea
n
throug
h
th
e
to
p
o
f
th
e
fles
h
o
f
m
y
shoulde
r.
Bu
t
th
e
bleedin
g
wa
s
sever
e,
an
d
I
barel
y
mad
e
i
t
bac
k
t
o
m
y
apartmen
t
befor
e
I
collapse
d
o
n
m
y
singl
e
be
d
.

Whe
n
I
awok
e,
ther
e
wa
s
a
bloodstai
n
beneat
h
m
e,
soake
d
al
l
th
e
wa
y
int
o
th
e
mattres
s.
Bu
t
m
y
bleedin
g
ha
d
cease
d
an
d
ther
e
wa
s
cake
d
blac
k
bloo
d
ove
r
th
e
entr
y
an
d
exi
t
wound
s.I
checke
d
mysel
f
i
n
th
e
mirro
r.
Havin
g
bee
n
a
medi
c
save
d
m
e
fro
m
havin
g
t
o
ru
n
t
o
a
hospita
l.I
hav
e
t
o
hav
e
a
n
antibioti
c,
howeve
r,
o
r
infectio
n
wil
l
surel
y
se
t
i
n.
Th
e
proble
m,
o
f
cours
e,
i
s
tha
t
I
can’
t
g
o
t
o
a
docto
r.
Th
e
onl
y
physicia
n
I
could’v
e
truste
d
i
s
th
e
dea
d
plasti
c
surgeo
n.
Ironi
c,
isn’
t
i
t
?

I’v
e
bee
n
aroun
d
enoug
h
doctor
s
t
o
kno
w
ho
w
t
o
falsif
y
a
prescriptio
n.
I
t
isn’
t
al
l
tha
t
difficul
t.
I’v
e
don
e
i
t
befor
e
t
o
ge
t
Elle
n
som
e
painkiller
s
i
n
a
dosag
e
tha
t
he
r
famil
y
physicia
n
woul
d
neve
r
prescrib
e.
I’v
e
go
t
a
pa
d
I
ha
d
mad
e
u
p
whic
h
use
s
a
rea
l
doctor’
s
nam
e.
He’
s
i
n
famil
y
practic
e.
I’v
e
onl
y
forge
d
hi
s
nam
e
twic
e,
an
d
bot
h
time
s
I
wa
s
successfu
l
i
n
securin
g
somethin
g
wit
h
codein
e
fo
r
m
y
lovel
y
e
x-
love
r,
th
e
siste
r
o
f
Joh
n
Fortun
a
.

I’v
e
bee
n
hittin
g
a
n
unluck
y
strea
k,
i
t
seem
s.I
misse
d
Fortun
a
an
d
Sa
l
Donofri
o,
an
d
Sa
l
ha
s
pu
t
tw
o
hole
s
i
n
m
y
shoulde
r.
An
d
whe
n
I
opene
d
th
e
newspape
r
recentl
y,I
rea
d
al
l
abou
t
m
y
Marin
a
an
d
m
e.
Writte
n
b
y
som
e
hac
k
name
d
Martinso
n.
Th
e
lis
t
o
f
thos
e
peopl
e
l
nee
d
t
o
encounte
r
i
s
apparentl
y
growin
g.
Paris
i
ha
s
bee
n
quote
d
numerou
s
time
s
i
n
Martinson’
s
colum
n,
an
d
I
reall
y
nee
d
t
o
tal
k
t
o
bot
h
o
f
the
m
.

Marin
a
wa
s
th
e
las
t
insul
t.
Martinso
n
wrot
e
abou
t
he
r
a
s
i
f
h
e
though
t
h
e
kne
w
he
r.
N
o
on
e
kne
w
he
r
a
s
I
di
d.I
love
d
he
r
mor
e
tha
n
anythin
g
I
hav
e
eve
r
care
d
abou
t.
Sh
e
wa
s
th
e
onl
y
huma
n
bein
g
wh
o
mad
e
m
y
lif
e
temporaril
y
livabl
e,
s
o
naturall
y
sh
e
wa
s
take
n
awa
y
fro
m
m
e
.

The
n
I
ge
t
th
e
informatio
n
fro
m
Elen
a
tha
t
Marin
a
i
s
no
t
m
y
siste
r
a
s
I
ha
d
bee
n
tol
d
s
o
ver
y
ofte
n.I
wa
s
informe
d
tha
t
sh
e
wa
s
m
y
biologica
l
mothe
r.
Bu
t
i
t
mad
e
n
o
differenc
e
t
o
th
e
wa
y
l
fel
t
an
d
th
e
wa
y
I
stil
l
fee
l
abou
t
he
r.
Sh
e
wa
s
min
e
an
d
I
wa
s
her
s.
I
t
mad
e
n
o
differenc
e
tha
t
w
e
ha
d
somethin
g
tha
t
i
s
considere
d
a
tabo
o.
Inces
t.
It’
s
suppose
d
t
o
b
e
a
wor
d
tha
t
freeze
s
you
r
bloo
d.
W
e
wer
e
havin
g
inces
t
al
l
alon
g,
eve
n
whe
n
I
though
t
sh
e
wa
s
m
y
olde
r
siblin
g.
Wh
y
woul
d
a
chang
e
i
n
identit
y
alte
r
ou
r
relationshi
p?
I
t
didn’
t,
a
t
firs
t.
Bu
t
the
n
sh
e
me
t
Aaro
n
Blassingam
e
an
d
sh
e
confide
d
i
n
m
e
tha
t
sh
e
ha
d
falle
n
i
n
lov
e.
Sh
e
tol
d
m
e
tha
t
wha
t
w
e
ha
d
wa
s
wron
g,
wa
s
evi
l.
Sh
e
brok
e
m
e
i
n
tw
o
an
d
shattere
d
everythin
g
I
dreame
d
o
f
havin
g.I
tol
d
he
r
w
e
coul
d
shar
e
a
n
apartmen
t
whe
n
I
go
t
ou
t
o
f
schoo
l.
Whe
n
I
go
t
int
o
medica
l
schoo
l
w
e
coul
d
cohabi
t
somewher
e
i
n
th
e
cit
y.
Wh
o
woul
d
giv
e
a
dam
n
wh
o
wa
s
livin
g
wit
h
who
m
i
n
a
cit
y
o
f
million
s?
W
e
coul
d
alway
s
sa
y
w
e
wer
e
marrie
d
o
r
g
o
wit
h
th
e
brothe
r-
an
d-
siste
r
stor
y
an
d
shar
e
a
tw
o-
bedroo
m
apartmen
t.
N
o
on
e
woul
d
giv
e
a
shi
t.
W
e
wouldn’
t
hav
e
t
o
explai
n
anythin
g
t
o
anyon
e
.