Chapter 24 Section 23

Ankensen, who had a cast on one foot and used crutches, ushered Hardy into the cluttered living room.She tossed the children's dirty laundry, which had been strewn about on the sofa, to the floor, and motioned for him to sit down on the sofa.Then he also took a seat opposite.Now that she had heard his opening remarks, he could see that she was racking her brains for how to respond to the conversation. "You are his lawyer, Mr. Hardy, do you have anything else to say?" "I could say a whole bunch of things, Mrs. Kenson. I could say okay he did that, but there's no evidence to back it up. I could say he did that, but it was just an accidental medical error I'd even say he did it, but he had a good excuse to see Mr. Markham lying there, momentarily insane, legally deranged, losing himself Behavior control. Don't laugh. The jurors believed this lame story. But here I am telling you, he said he never did it .I have been a lawyer for a long time, and I have been in this line for a long time. Believe me, it is not once or twice that my client has lied to me. I am used to it. But there is no proof What did your husband do?"

"He told me he did it. He even told me how he did it before anyone else knew. So what?" Hardy nodded thoughtfully. "He also told me this. You actually believed that he would kill people. This thought made him feel insulted. He was very angry with you, so in a hurry, he deliberately said those angry words to ridicule you." "He said he filled him with the damn thing." "Yes, he did. But look, he's a doctor. If he's not running the words through his head for a little while, and just thinking about how to keep you from talking, well, put the medicine in the It's a good excuse to be in the drip, isn't it?" He didn't wait for her to answer.He didn't want her to fall into that restless state again because of the quarrel.Kenson had already warned him that once she was controlled by her emotions, she would do things regardless and get out of control.Moreover, her grief for Markham has not subsided, she dislikes everything, and she is furious at every turn. In this case, it is impossible for her to reason with you.At this moment, he bent down and leaned towards her. "What I want to talk to you about is how quickly we can get your children back to you."

As he'd expected, that calmed her bout of outburst, even though she knew it wasn't enough to take away the anger she felt towards Kenson.She put a hand to her lips and could tell she was thinking something. "I asked Eric if he could bring them back today and he wasn't going to do that." Hardy nodded understandingly. "He told me about it. I asked him to put himself in his shoes. If you really think he killed someone, you'd have to fight him to stop him from taking the kids." He leaned back on the sofa. and put on a straight face, "If you asked me to give my opinion on this matter, I think the problem is that you are both very good parents. You both have the same instinct to protect your children." .It's a good thing, don't you agree?"

"Yes, I think so too." Her tired eyes, dark circled by tears, were now glistening with tears, and a teardrop slid down her cheek, and she lifted her arm feebly and unconsciously to wipe for a moment.It made Hardy feel like she might have been like this lately, crying so often that she didn't even notice her gaffe. "He never hurt them. Honestly I don't think he would either, but after last week, when I think about..." She hesitated, shaking her head. "When you think about him killing Tim Markham?" She nodded. "Mrs. Kenson, do you really think that? From the heart?"

She bit her lower lip. "He probably did. Yeah, he does hate Tim." "He hates Tim. I hear it all the time. Does he hate him more than he did two years ago?" "No, I don't think so." "That is less than then?" "Perhaps. He and I are used to it." "Well. When he hated him the most, did he say he was going to kill him? Was he that angry?" "No, no, Eric wasn't like that. He never..." At this point she paused and looked directly at him, suddenly alert again, "He told me he did." "Yes, he said, he said those things, that's the truth."

"Then how should I understand what he said?" "When did he say that, Mrs. Kenson? Wasn't it last Tuesday, right after you heard of Mr. Markham's death and immediately after you condemned him for killing Markham?" She didn't answer. He went on and on and on. "He told me you were in great pain. You just found out that the man you loved died. You were lashing out at the injustice of the world, lashing out at him, maybe because you thought he was all right Yes. Isn't it the way it is?" He will never get another chance.In court, in front of a jury, she would pour out all she knew without losing time.She would take the witness seat for the prosecution over and over again.She can tolerate her possible misunderstandings in this matter, and will not be embarrassed by her exaggeration, and will do so with peace of mind.In fact, at that time, any doubts will disappear with the truth.Even now, she hopes with all her heart that Kenson will plead guilty.Hardy hoped he could lead her to make concessions with dignity, at least with grace.

But she couldn't let it go so easily.Her hands pressed hard against her lips, her knuckles pale from the strain.She closed her eyes, seeming to be concentrating on something and remembering something. "I'm just... lost and hurt. I just want him to suffer." "You mean Eric? You accuse him of killing Tim, and you know it hurts him too?" "Yes." She opened her eyes suddenly, letting out a pent-up breath, "Yes. And he said, 'I did.' He did." She repeated the phrase talk. "Do you take that to mean his admission of what you allege he killed Tim?"

"Yes, I think so." "But when you go back and think about it, do you still think that now? Do you think that's what he really meant? Did he actually do it? Or was it just you two arguing and making angry remarks in that situation? what?" Hardy lowered his voice and became more affectionate, "Mrs. Kenson, please allow me to make you think about something else. From the moment you leave the hospital and come back to your real life here, to the police coming. You had about a day to come to terms with the tragedy before I spoke to you, am I right?" "What else could I do? It was around Wednesday. The kids were going to school and it was just me and them at home."

"Of course, I understand. Frozen in that time, before you heard about the potassium thing, before you said you believed it was Eric who killed Tim, you still had a lot of time, and you still Haven't you thought about going to the police station to report him in person?" This question surprised her, and she hesitated for a while, probably wondering why she had to answer it. "No, I do not know." "Why don't you think about it, if you don't mind?" "Because I think... I mean, I guess I believe... I heard Tim died in a car accident." "And did you believe that statement? For two days? Even after Kenson told you plainly that he killed it? Mrs. Kenson, did you sleep during those two days?"

She shook her head, sobbing silently, but Hardy had to press on. "So what did you think when you heard that Tim was killed on purpose and not by accident?" "I don't know. When I heard... confuse, I couldn't believe it was real. It was like he died again, a second time." "Is that your first reaction when you think about what Eric told you?" "yes." "Despite Eric's blatant admission, have you ever seriously considered the cause other than that Tim died in that hit-and-run accident?" "But he said—" "But you didn't believe him then, did you? You didn't believe what he said, because you knew he didn't mean what he said, that he said irony, not the truth. He said it to make you Painful, isn't it? It was meant to wake you from your slumber, but a hurtful way, wasn't it? Because he thought you asked him a question he hadn't even thought about."

She looked at him with anxious eyes, forcing him to relax a little. "I'm not trying to teach you how to talk, Mrs. Kenson, I'm just trying to figure out what's going on. Tell me something that comes to mind now, or today." Hardy waited patiently for her to speak, until she broke the long silence. "I think," she said, "if Tim was killed, that would change everything, wouldn't it?" "I agree that it changes the nature of the case. It's no longer an accident." He paused again for a long time to let her accept the fact. "I don't want to lie to you, Mrs. Kenson. It's important, and as I told you when I first got here, I'm Eric's attorney, and it's my vested right to keep Kenson out of jail." He paused again, waiting until she looked Then he continued, "If you really believe in your heart that Kenson killed Tim, and you really think that's what happened when he said he did, I'm not even going to bother What the hell is talking you out of it. You know what you know. But of the things you know, Kenson is the one you know best, no? And he's always been a good father, and so are you I think so. He's a good doctor. Even in your own judgment, he's a good man, isn't he?" She nodded, her heart softened and shed more tears. "I always thought he was that way, and he still is." Finally, he got to the crux of the problem. "Do you really believe he killed Tim? Did he really do that? Because if he didn't, Mrs. Kenson, it was someone else, and that's who I'm looking for, whoever it is .and I need your help to do this." Unbeknownst to Hardy, Griski has assigned a police officer to protect Mrs. Kenson and prevent her husband from going back and trying to kill her again, which is very detrimental to Eric and Ann's reconciliation.When Hardy rang the doorbell an hour earlier and was allowed into Mrs. Kenson's residence, the officer did not obstruct Hardy in any way, but he called Griski to report the situation. So at five thirty-five, Griski himself came and rang Mrs. Kenson's doorbell.Ankensen got up to answer the door, thinking it was her husband and children.Hardy, who was still sitting in the living room at this moment, couldn't help jumping up when he heard the voice of someone coming, but it was too late - Griski had already stepped into the threshold with one foot, and he raised his Police badge, ask yourself if you can come in.Ann could not find any reason not to let him in. Hardy came to a halt in the hallway, burning out in a fit of intense defensiveness. "What the hell are you doing here? Are you following me?" Then turning to Ann, "You can ask him to leave. He doesn't have a warrant." But in this round of contest, Griski won. "She let me in. I don't need a search warrant." "Then what's your purpose?" Hardy said in his mouth, and took another step towards him, "Is it just a general disturbance this time? Just don't follow the rules and do whatever you want?" Griski ignored him and turned to Ann: "I thought you might want some moral support before your husband partners with this Mr. Hardy. Has he threatened you in any way?" "No." She looked back and forth at the two angry men, "Forget it, it's just—" Hardy interrupted Ann with a wave. "Ann, please don't talk." "Just what, Mrs. Kenson? You mean he threatened you?" "No. But he told me some rights, so maybe—" Now it was Grisky who interrupted. "Is he your lawyer too? I hope you haven't been convinced by him yet." "No, he has..." Now that the conversation was out of the way, Hardy couldn't help but complete her thoughts, which, he was sure, would win him the next bout. "There was absolutely no confession these days, and you got my client's statement without any trouble." Grissky remained motionless on the spot, but his heart shook unceasingly under the impact of these words.Although he had expected that things might be like this, and had made some psychological preparations, the confirmation of the news at this time still gave him a powerful blow.His scar suddenly swelled up, and anger burst out of his eyes.He tried to adjust his mood to calm himself down. "Okay," he finally said, softening his tone, "but now you two have to listen to me." He controlled his emotions, and in as restrained a tone as possible, he gave her a call to the police. The reprimand that usually comes when you lose your temper. For example: "Mrs. Kenson, you said that your husband admitted to committing murder. That is part of the case file. If you were to change your sworn testimony, someone might conclude that you were committing murder. Perjury, you could be in big trouble. Do you understand what that means?" For example: "It is clear to you that Mr. Hardy is using your child as a bargaining chip to induce you to help him get his client off. Could it be any clearer?" For example: "Of course, your husband didn't bring any charges against you for what happened on Saturday. He's glad he didn't get in trouble for it. Just be aware that he can't decide what charges will be put on the record." , that’s for the District Attorney to decide. Try to think about it, he’s trading what he’s going to get for the misdemeanor you might get.” For example: "You don't have to make this kind of deal. We can just ask the judge to sign a temporary restraining order and get your kids back to you." Finally, Hardy had had enough of his routine.Griski has gone too far.Beyond that, it is time to stand up for her, out of self-interest. "Actually, the Captain was very, very wrong. There isn't a single judge in the world who would grant a temporary restraining order for what happened here," he said to Mrs. Kenson, "unless, it has to be said, he It was signed against you. You are the only one with pending charges here, not your husband." As he turned to face Griski, his voice hardened. "You know that this woman has a right to talk to me anyway, Captain. We need to know for sure what Dr. Kenson is saying is true, and maybe your agents are eager to know that too. Mrs. Kenson just started Misunderstood this at the time and now she realizes it and wants to restore some sort of friendly relationship with her ex-husband so they can work together to raise their kids like they did before. I don't understand how you can think this Something is wrong." Grisky's scar glowed red in the dim light. "Didn't you? Don't you think all you're doing is buying this witness?" "of course not." "Do you deny that you are exerting undue influence on witnesses?" Hardy's first instinct was to bite back, to say something vulgar and vicious that Griski would loathe.But after thinking about it, he still held back and didn't do it.Instead, he turned again to Mrs. Kenson. "Am I forcing you to do anything?" "He didn't, Captain." Grisky believed it to be true, just as he never doubted the words of the Easter Bunny.He wanted to drag Hardy into another room where they could fist-punch some of the rift that existed between them without the woman around, but he knew that if he brought up the idea, it would give She leaves the impression that he has something to hide from her.But he actually had nothing to hide.It seems that there is no better choice now, so he simply said what he wanted to say directly. "Well, let me tell you, lawyer. I could call it bribery. If it wasn't outright coercion, I could call it undue influence. Yes, Jackman made an amicable agreement with you, but That's not a carte blanche to get in the way of our case. I think he'll find out about your overstepping the line on this one, not to mention the hypocrisy I learned about your autopsy from Strout .And now he’s telling me you’ve brought Wes Ferrell in, and you’re going through this mess with me.” "Wes is not my partner, Captain. He has his own clients and his own problems to solve." "Yes, including the others who died at Portola Hospital? Did it just surface at this time? You expect me to believe this? It's just a coincidence, isn't it?" "I don't expect you to believe anything I say. But I don't want to obstruct the case. I want to figure it out, see what's going on here, and solve it." Grisky was almost gnashing his teeth with anger. "Okay, come on, that's my job." Hardy also fired back unceremoniously. "Then you do it." "I was about to do it, but Jackman made me stop." "He did you a favor." Griski snorted and said dismissively, "Are you telling me I got the wrong guy? Well then I'll go back and see what happens every time, you're hiding in the corner behind him playing some kind of Legal tricks - making a deal with Jackman, muddying the waters with Strout, talking to my witnesses here. You know what that makes me think? I think you're hiding something. Everything you do To try to keep your client from punishment, and to do so by trampling the law and trampling the facts." "That's not me, and you understand that." "Oh, admit it..." Grisky turned to Ankensen. "You made a mistake here," he told her. phone number." Hardy is really burning with anger now.He kept walking around the two of them, his words full of contempt. "If you're going to do that, make him promise not to charge you with perjury." Grisky glared. "Do you think that's funny?" "No," Hardy said angrily, "I don't find it funny at all." Kenson's children adjusted to their mother's new look—with plaster casts on their feet and tape on the back of their heads.Their father stayed away from her.He ordered a takeaway pizza, used the next half an hour to tidy up the house, threw all the clothes that would have to be washed twice into the washing machine, and washed all the dishes and other tableware he could find It was all in the dishwasher and the kitchen floor was mopped again with a sponge mop. Hardy called Franny and told her she would be back later.yes, sorry.He knew it wasn't right.He was still trying to get back in time for dinner, though, and this past weekend they moved dinner to eight instead of six-thirty or seven to better fit Hardy's work hours.He also took an extra minute to say a few words in passing about the big fight he had with Grisky.He needed to talk to her, he needed her.And he will definitely be home by eight o'clock.She could set the alarm clock to see if he broke his promise. Hardy went into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face, hoping it would suppress the sick feeling that was rising in his heart, which was the aftermath of his argument with Grisky.He felt as if he had swallowed a fly, and he couldn't help feeling sick.He went back to the living room, where the kids were wolfing down pizza in the kitchen, and the TV was already on, playing cartoons and turning the volume up on purpose. In the living room, Ann and Kenson were sitting in their respective corners. They ignored each other, and they didn't even want to face each other, just sitting silently waiting for Hardy. At first he wanted to go back to where he was before, on the couch with Ann, but he felt that doing so would give the impression that he was taking sides, so he stopped and sat down. By the hearth filled with rubbish and ashes. "You're both doing the right thing," he began. "I know it's not easy." He looked at him, then at her.Obviously, both of them were still angry, and they looked like their swords were on the verge of breaking out.He went on. "It's been a week since I took on the case and there's still so much that isn't known. We need to sit down and talk about this - who might have killed Mr. Markham." Ann took Hardy's words as a preface, and she wasted no time in getting to the heart of the matter. "Okay. I heard your lawyer tell me you didn't do that, Eric. Here's another chance for you. Why don't you tell me yourself?" He turned his head to face her, then shook his head in boredom, glanced at her in a daze, and replied to her as if there was no reaction in his mind. "Go to hell." "That's it!" she raged at Hardy. "See? That's him. That's what he is." Kenson got up from the chair he was sitting in, went straight to her, and whispered so that the children would not hear him, "You don't even know who I am now. I Enough of your bullshit. For God's sake, did I kill Tim? Fuck you, fuck you!" "Eric." Hardy said. But now his client has turned to him for help. "I don't have to listen to this nonsense again, do I? It won't do her any good. You can see for yourself that she's a no-nonsense nuisance. I'm taking the kids out." "You are not allowed to touch them again!" In desperation, she ignored her sprained ankle and did not use crutches, but rushed to the entrance leading to the porch, blocking Kenson who had just walked three steps away. Hardy also stood up, hurried over, and stood between the two of them.For a split second he thought he and his client were going to screw this up. "Don't stop me, Deeds." "Don't do that," said Hardy, "are you making me?" "Don't force me." "See?" said Ann. "That's what happened on Saturday. That's what he did." "I didn't do anything on Saturday!" he said, pointing his finger over Hardy's shoulder. "You want to talk about that in here! You want to say things that shouldn't be heard by the children, and you want to say things that are false Is it?" Then he turned on her directly, "Do you really think I'm a man who's going to kill people? Let me stop, Ann. My whole life is keeping people alive. But you locked me up Outside the door, there was a lot of nonsense, saying that I might kill my own children when I came here. It was really absurd and crazy, and it was scary to think about it." Hardy has to find an opportunity to get in, or end the scene before it begins. "Speaking of being scared, she's scared, Eric." "She can't be afraid of me, I've never done anything to hurt her. If she didn't know it would be..." He turned his attention from Hardy to her, and the anguish in his heart came out of his voice. It's clearly shown in, "What are you thinking, Ann? What's the matter with you?" Finally, he almost begged her, "Will I hurt a child? My child? How could I do that something?" An was almost out of breath at this moment, taking deep breaths one after another. "When the police told me, I was... I was afraid... I didn't..." Hardy thought she would cry again, but this time she controlled her emotions, "I don't know what to think , Eric. Can you understand? I love Tim, but he's dead. I haven't slept in two days. I'm so scared." "Are you afraid of me? How can you be afraid of me?" Now she begged for his forgiveness. "I'm just scared, okay? Everything." Her voice trailed off. "I don't want to make mistakes again. But then, of course, I was wrong." It was the closest thing Kenson could sound to an apology.Hardy realized this and seized the moment. "Why don't we go back and sit down and talk?" "Did Ross go in, too?" Hardy asked. "It must have been a few minutes before the monitor stopped working." "Maybe he's there, I don't know." "Where were you at that time?" Ann's anger had not completely dissipated, "I think you were there. The place is not big, how could you not know about it?" Kenson didn't hold anything back in his answers, as straightforward with Ann as he was with Hardy. "We had three patients in the hall. One of them came out of anesthesia and had a problem, so Lajan -- who was one of the nurses on duty -- and I were busy going over the patient's several The big organ situation. Anyone could have walked behind me during those few minutes — I’m sure someone has — but I probably wasn’t paying attention. An hour ago, Brendan Driscoll didn’t know I went in anyway." "How could that happen?" Hardy asked. Kenson shrugged. "Nobody stopped him. It's no wonder you understand the situation. He has a ton of power in his hands. If any of the nurses had anything to say about it, all he had to say was, 'It's okay, I'm supposed to be here. ’, they would probably accept his reason and let him in.” "I hate that little bastard," Angga said. "He thinks he can run Tim around." "Really?" asked Hardy, "directing him around?" "He thought about it, especially when he had the opportunity, on Tim's activity schedule." "What does Tim think about this?" "Tim couldn't live without him," Eric interjected, with a bitterness in his voice. "Brendan probably did half the work for him." "No!" Ann Kenson didn't want Eric to slander Tim. "Tim thinks about big things. Brendan is good at doing specific things. But Brendan didn't do what Tim was supposed to do. He just accepted it." Order……" Eric scoffed at that. "There's no question about who's the boss." "Then there is friction between them?" "It's important," Eric said, "that you know how much Brendan appreciates him. There's a saying, 'Little people make a big difference.'" Hardy's eyes returned to Ann. "Did they quarrel about anything else? Besides yours?" She hesitated. "I think it's about some of the financial decisions that Tim made. He's more of a risk taker in that regard." "About Parnassus's money?" Hardy's main interest was in the murder case, but he'd be happy to spot some commercial taint along the way that might be of use to Jackman. "I don't know much about this. They were in a bad business a few years ago, and then there were some personnel problems—" "Like me." Ann shrugged noncommittally.What Kenson said was true. "Yes, yes, you are among them." Kenson went on to explain further. "Three or four years ago, Brendan wanted Tim to fire me. Use me as a show to kill a chicken." "Why? What did you do?" "I think it's nothing but my position. I don't have the respect they think they deserve. On the issue of medical bills, I'm like the one who takes the lead in speaking for the patients." Ann couldn't help but interjected to correct Kenson's statement. "Tim will say you're against the company by doing that—" Hadi broke off the conversation, which could have sparked war. "So how did this secretary get involved in all this? He doesn't have real power, does he?" "How did Rasputin get involved?" Eric asked. "He also has no real power." Hardy still couldn't understand the mystery of this. "Isn't this guy a secretary, right?" For the first time, Ann and Kenson responded in the same way—a joke they both understood. "Mr. Driscoll," Eric explained, "was an administrative assistant and was never—not a secretary." "And I hope it will be clear to you when I say this." Ann added, with a pale smile on his face. "As for how he got there," Eric continued on the subject, "as Ann said, he's a concrete guy. Well, if you're doing a bunch of concrete work, other people It's easy to think you're running the store." Ann was about to say something, perhaps to defend Markham again, but Eric stopped her with his hand. "Look, here's what it goes like: You get a call to go into the CEO's office, and you don't know what's going to happen, and you're in a tizzy at first. So you get there, and you Waiting by Brendan's desk just outside Markham's office, his attitude tells you that even if you've thought you'd be in trouble, you didn't expect it to be worse than you thought. "And then you wait and wait and see that Markham will let you in, and you just wait, stupidly, while Brendan, a well-dressed, rigid administrative assistant, usually explains the basics to you. Ma Mr. Cam doesn't like to see personal conflicts happen. He likes to have a quick conversation instead of wasting time in one endless meeting after another. He tells you that within a week, you will receive a written summary , which contains the main opinions and practices you have discussed, and has been adopted and implemented. You should sign and agree to the contents of this letter and return it to the office. "The opinion has been decided. This guy has already brewed this unbelievable long list of rules and terms of agreement, and all the content is handled to avoid the responsibility of his boss and protect the boss. I mean, He’d put all this stuff in the unsigned postscript at the bottom of the letter, and you’d think it was all from Tim. It wasn’t.” Hearing this inside story, Hardy suddenly fully understood what was going on.Phyllis, the receptionist in David Freeman's office, is a miniature Brendan Driscoll.Funny enough, Hardy had been begging Freeman to fire her for the past five years, but the old man wouldn't listen, saying he couldn't do his job without her.Perhaps he was convinced of it.However, Hardy has seen several times that Phyllis categorically prevents others from visiting Freeman, and also shows a very sincere pity and sympathy, making the rejected people think that she is actually a reasonable person, just because Freeman Man has always been strict with this kind of thing, so she dare not be flexible. "Does Tim just let that happen?" Hardy asked. "Actually, that's not the case," Ann said. "When he finally realized the danger of this situation continuing to develop, he couldn't ignore it. I think it was just some inconspicuous little things at the beginning, not a big deal. Big issues, you know, and then over time you lose your grip." "Severe enough to fire Driscoll?" Hardy asked. Ann hesitated for a moment, and stroked back a few hairs that fell to his forehead with his hands. "The truth is, Tim feels like he's going through some kind of midlife crisis. The business keeps going down and he's out of control, then his marriage, his kids, et cetera, it's all he's got to get back to Kara.原因，看看是否能够换回他打拼了多年才拥有的东西，不过这也是他不能解雇布伦丹的原因。虽然他知道应该那样做，但是他不可能在自己的生活陷入动荡不安时来做这件事，他太依赖布伦丹了。” 哈迪不知道这些话里面有多少是真实的，有多少是马卡姆为了替自己辩解而向情人举出的借口，以此来体现自己明察秋毫而又宽宏大量的一面。然而有一点是确定无疑的，就是安相信他。 “蒂姆跟他谈过吗？”哈迪问，“给过他任何形式的警告吗？” “当然。布伦丹知道，我想，蒂姆曾下定决心要让他走人。那只是个时间问题。蒂姆不可能瞒得住他，我认为就算他想瞒也瞒不住。这或许是你要的答案。” 猛然间，哈迪想到德里斯科尔起码是某种意义上的嫌疑人。“他是怎么看待卡拉的？” “你是指他会杀她吗？还有那些孩子吗？这样做是为了什么呢？” “这也是我问你的问题。” 哈迪已经找到答案时，她还在考虑该如何回答这个问题。“如果他感到蒂姆要亲自把他甩掉的话，我就不难理解他想清除与他有关的任何东西，包括他的全家。” 不过这是旧金山，是个法治严明的地方。哈迪不得不问这个问题。“安，你确信蒂姆是个纯粹而完全的男人，我指的是在性方面。他和布伦丹之间没有别的事吗？” “蒂姆不是同性恋，”安嘴里一边说着，一边摆手示意这种想法根本不值得考虑，“我保证。” 哈迪知道，她的话当然并不能代表这件事就秀明白了。 埃里克再次大声说出了自己的想法。“不过如果布伦丹杀了蒂姆，他就失业了。” “不过他没有被解雇，不是吗？直到最后一刻他都是个忠心耿耿、工作努力的行政助理。蒂姆死后的十五分钟，他就得到了另一份工作。”哈迪思路一转，脑子里又有了另一个想法，“你把他扔出重症监护室时，他去了哪里？” “我不清楚，反正是从那儿出去了。”事发当时肯定是没有一点愉快可言的，不过现在肯森却在津津乐道地讲述着关于这件事的一些回忆，“他似乎还不敢相信我会对他那样做。我命令他从那儿出去，他就夺路而逃了。” “你确定在指示灯变绿之前他没有回去过吗？” “我想他没有，但我不能肯定。我告诉过你，我在外面的大厅里忙着为一个病人做检查。” “至少，他肯定还待在医院里。” “哦，是的。蒂姆死后……”他又叹息了一声，“他没能控制住自己的情绪，大为失态。其实，那样子看上去让人怜悯。真难堪啊。” 哈迪抬腕看了看时间，离赶回家的时限还有四十五分钟，而且他不想扯出一些他不能谈完的话题来。不过事实证明把这两人弄到一块儿效果相当不错，而且安——作为马卡姆的情人——有了解他内心深处不为别人所知道的途径。“请允许我问你，安，”他开口说了起来，“在那些与罗斯有关的原始备忘录里，让蒂姆如此发疯的是什么东西？” “让我猜猜，”肯森说，“是抗鼻炎药斯鲁斯托普吧？” 安点了点头。“就是它。”她看着哈迪问，“你听说过吗？” “那是一种新的治疗花粉过敏症的药丸，对吧？”哈迪对这个有点模模糊糊的记忆，“不过它有什么问题吗？” “不是对大多数人，”肯森说，“然而，对有些人来说，不幸出现了致命的副作用。这种事发生在那些推销员一股脑将成千上万的试用药甩给我们之后，而且接受这种药的指示是直接从我们公司的办公室里发出来的——” “从罗斯医生那儿发出来的，”安插了话，“是他作的那些决定，不是蒂姆。” “随你怎么说吧。”肯森的表情告诉哈迪他并不相信这个说法，“反正，”他继续往下说，“这种东西如此便宜且疗效神奇，因此我们都被强烈要求，只要有过过敏症状的病人，就给他们开这种药。你对试用药有所了解吗？” “知道得不多，”哈迪答道，“给我讲讲。” “好吧，任何一种新药出来，推销员就到处奔走，想方设法让医生给病人免费使用。当然了，这样做的目的是让这个新牌子得到认可。这种药要是有效，它就会被列入医院的用药目录里，我们就向病人开这种药。真奇妙，一种神奇的药品就诞生了。不过斯鲁斯托普的试用活动声势之大、范围之广、数量之多，简直让人不可想象。全国范围之内，他们肯定拿出去了数十亿粒药丸。” “这是不正常的吗？” 肯森严肃地点了点头。“那个数字不正常，是的。” “那马卡姆和罗斯之间的问题是什么？”哈迪问。 安看了埃里克一眼，然后目光又回到哈迪身上。“蒂姆听说了这种药引起的第一例死亡，而且有一种要出问题的不好的直觉。他要罗斯召回所有的试用药品，并且在他们进一步核实清楚问题之前，把它从公司的用药目录中拿掉。” “但他没有那样做吗？” 安摇了摇头。“事实上，比那还要更严重。他和蒂姆从前也有过这样的争吵，不过在这件事上罗斯更有发言权。他告诉蒂姆他是医疗主管，他了解这种药。蒂姆只负责经营就行了。为什么他不守在自己的地盘上，却要把鼻子伸到自己一无所知的药品上来多管闲事呢？” “那他们在这件事上争执不下了？” 这一问似乎让肯森从沉默中惊醒了过来。“等一下，等一下。我希望，你这不是在说蒂姆是好人吧？” 她脸上现出愤怒而又冷酷的神色，毫不示弱地直面着他。“他应该做什么，埃里克？你跟我说说吧。” 哈迪不想再任由他们两人之间的摩擦发展下去。肯森有足够的理由去恨马卡姆——他不会因为蒂姆这个首席执行官或许比他想象的要好，就改变自己的看法。 “那蒂姆和罗斯共事有多久了？” “他们两个都是公司的创立人之一。”她耸了耸肩，“这个你可以去查一下。” “最近他们之间不止一次地发生过斯鲁斯托普之类的争吵吗？” 她皱起眉头想了想。 “有几次吧。蒂姆认为罗斯选定的都是些不好的药品。他认为我们必须坚持向病人们提供好的产品——” “产品，”埃里克不屑地哼着鼻子说，“我喜欢这个叫法。” 哈迪没有理会这次打断。“不过接下来在斯鲁斯托普这事上，情况变得更糟了是吗？最后怎么样了？” “这个，罗斯如愿以偿了，他们没有把试用药收回去——” 肯森张口替她说出了下半句。“在全国范围内有十六个人死于服用这种药引起的副作用，其中有两人在帕纳塞斯。” 在这些讲述中，哈迪已经清晰地回想起了这桩丑闻。不过尽管当时它一直在新闻报道中占据着显著的位置，他仍然想不起有消息透露过帕纳塞斯曾是这桩丑闻的组成部分，而且他还预言过帕纳塞斯也难逃干系。 安急不可耐地为马卡姆辩解。“蒂姆替罗斯把这事掩盖了过去，这就是原因所在。” 肯森不以为然地摇了摇头。“不是这样的，”他对哈迪说，“蒂姆发表了一个声明，称第一例死亡被报道出来之前，那两个死在帕纳塞斯的病人就已经服用了那些试用药——显然这一点是真的——而且一旦发现了问题，我们就收回了所有的试用药品，并把斯鲁斯托普从用药目录中去除掉了。事实上并非如此，这话是假的，而且如果你把这称做是替罗斯掩盖……” “那就是他所做的。”安没好气地冲他大声说道。 在郁积在这房间里的怒火可能再次爆发出来之前，哈迪赶紧插了话。“算了，不错，”他说，“那是我要你们两个都去继续考虑的事情。”他扭头挨个几看了看他们。从两人的样子来看，气氛仍然是相当紧张。 他不敢再抱着侥幸心理指望能进一步推进这次谈话了。他站起身来，嘴里不停地念叨着他那套惯用的辞令来阻止他们两个人纠缠到一起。“恐怕我得去赶另一个约会了。肯森夫人，谢谢你为我抽出时间来。关于孩子的事情，我们都放下心来了，对吧？他们在那儿都很好吧？埃里克，我有几句话想跟你边走边说。你去跟孩子们说晚安道别吧，我等着你。” “亲爱的，我到家了。”他不是里奇里卡多，不过在他们婚后的前些年，哈迪只要从外面回来，脚一跨过前门嘴里就会迸出这句他从明星那儿模仿过来的经典台词。看看自己的手表，他遵守了八点钟回家的承诺，还提前了四分钟。而且他成功地在短短几小时内就解决了一件极其复杂的事情，他觉得自己已经做得很好了。胳膊腿都瘦长瘦长的瑞贝卡飞也似的来到了门厅里。“爸爸，你回家真是太好了！”她急切地冲向他，并用自己的小拳头撒欢似的捶打着他的后背。他把她抱起来转了一圈。 餐厅里，饭菜都已摆到了桌上。弗兰妮双臂交叉抱在胸前来到了厨房的门口，她脸上堆满了笑容。“真准时啊，老兄，非常非常准时啊。” “我会做得更好的，我保证。” 他们像婚礼仪式上的新人那样正正经经地吻了对方。文森特犹犹豫豫地停下了本来要进入餐厅的步子，嘴里说道：“真肉麻。” 这两个大人听到这话都不觉一怔，面面相觑，接着他们突然张开自己的胳膊紧紧地环抱着对方，那样子就像激情迸发的少男少女。他把弗兰妮从地上抱了起来，她则若无其事地任由他这么做，一点也没有挣扎。 “恶心死我了！”文森特嚷道。 “行了吧，你们这些家伙！我求你们了。现在就停下来，好吧？”这是瑞贝卡在说话，此时她俨然就是全家的道德维护者。 “我情不自禁这样做，”哈迪终于停下来，嘴里说道，“你母亲，让我疯狂。” “吻我吧，吻我吧，吻我吧。”弗兰妮故意乞求道。 哈迪顺从地照她的话做了，这突如其来的浪漫把两个孩子都赶到了前厅，他们恣意地放声笑着。这最后的一吻成为半真半假的表演，当它结束时，弗兰妮都有点窒息得喘不过气来，缓过气来后才说：“哦，这倒提醒了我，特雷娅今天上午打来电话，我们聊了近一个钟头。” 哈迪想这真是个不错的消息。妻子们要来调解他们之间发生的不快了，而且会化解他们俩对彼此的怨气。 “说些什么？”他问道。 “她怀孕了。”