Read The Cradle Will Fall for Free Online Page B

and
    screamed...

     
    But her back was to him. Wearing a woolly blue robe, she sat
    slumped at the table, one hand next to a cocktail glass, the other in
    her lap. A tall pitcher was almost empty. Her head was on her
    chest. She must be asleep.

     
    Quickly he appraised the situation. His eye fell on the hissing
    radiator to the right of the door. It was the old-fashioned kind

     
     
    with sharp, exposed pipes. Was it possible he didn't need the
    paperweight after all? Maybe ...

     
    "Edna," he whispered softly as he came around the table.

     
    "Wha . . ." She looked up at him with bleary eyes. Confused,
    she began to rise, twisting in her chair. "Doctor . . ."

     
    A mighty shove sent her smashing backward. Her head cracked
    against the radiator. Blinding lights exploded in her brain. Oh, the
    pain, the pain! Edna sighed, floated into darkness.

     
    He jumped clear of the spattered blood. As he watched, the
    pulse in her throat flickered and stopped. He bent over her carefully.
    She had stopped breathing. He slipped the paperweight back
    into his pocket. He wouldn't need it now. He wouldn't have to
    bother robbing her. It would look as though she'd fallen.

     
    Quickly retracing his steps, he went back into the bedroom. He
    scanned the parking area, then stepped out the window, replaced
    the plant, pulled down the shade and closed the window to the
    exact place where Edna had had it. As he did, he heard the persistent
    chiming of a doorbell—her doorbell! Frantically he ran back
    to his car. He started the engine and drove out of the apartment
    complex, not turning on his headlights until he approached
    Route 4.

     
    Who was standing on Edna's doorstep? It had been close, so terribly
    close. Adrenaline pounded through his veins. Now there was
    only one threat left: Katie DeMaio. He would begin to remove
    that threat at once. Her accident had given him the excuse he
    needed to start medication.

     
    It was a matter of hospital record that her blood count was low.
    He would order another transfusion for her on the pretense of
    building her up for the operation. He would give her large doses
    of Coumadin pills to short-circuit her blood-clotting mechanism
    and negate the benefits of the transfusion. By Friday, when she
    came to the hospital for surgery, she'd be on the verge of hemorrhaging.
    The surgery would then be very dangerous, and he would
    make it even worse by giving her heparin, another anticoagulant.
    The initial low blood count, the Coumadin and the heparin would
    be as effective on Katie DeMaio as the cyanide had been on Vangie
    Lewis.

     
     
    AFTER THE MEETING IN SCOTT MYERSON'S office, Richard drove
    Katie to a rustic restaurant perched precariously on the Palisades.
    The small dining room was warmed by a blazing fire and lighted
    by candles. The proprietor obviously knew Richard well. "Dr. Carroll,
    a pleasure," he said as he guided them to the table in front
    of the fireplace.

     
    Richard ordered a bottle of wine; a waiter produced hot garlic
    bread. They sat in companionable silence, sipping and nibbling.

     
    Richard was a big man with a wholesome look, a thick crop of
    dark brown hair, strong, even features and broad, rangy shoulders.
    "Do you know I've been wanting to ask you out for months?" he
    said. "But you release a do-not-disturb signal. Why?"

     
    "I don't believe in going out with anyone I work with."

     
    "I can understand that. But that's not what we're talking about.
    We enjoy each other's company. We both know it. And you're having
    none of it. Here's the menu."

     
    His manner changed, became brisk. "L'entrecote and steak au
    poivre are the specialties here," he told her. When she hesitated,
    he suggested, "Try the steak au poivre. It's fantastic." He ordered
    salads and baked potatoes, then leaned back and studied her.

     
    "Are you having none of it, Katie?"

     
    "The salad? The steak?"

     
    "All right, I'm not being fair. I'm trying to pin you down and
    you're a captive