'Gayer than laughter,' Spike said. 'But I couldn't quite figure out how I could be a tough guy…'
'Which you certainly are,' Sunny said.
'Got the build for it,' Spike said. 'But I had to figure out that being gay didn't mean I wasn't tough.'
'Somebody helped you with that,' Sunny said.
'One of the shrinks was good.'
'You're not so bad yourself,' Sunny said.
'That's true,' Spike said. 'I did the work. But I did the work with the others and nothing came of it… They were trying to cure me.'
'Think how different we'd be,' Sunny said, 'if you weren't gay.'
'Your loss,' Spike said.
'I don't know,' Sunny said. 'You're awful big.'
'Anyway,' Spike said. 'Even if he is very good, and even if they're legit, he's not going to want a lot of attention paid.'
'Because his credentials raise questions?'
'They do,' Spike said. 'And it wouldn't help business if they came under public discussion.'
'Wow,' Sunny said. ' 'Under public discussion.' Don't you talk good.'
'A natural poet,' Spike said.
'If my girlish calculations are correct,' Sunny said, 'it's considerably shorter from these trees to the road than it is from the front door to the road.'
'So,' Spike said. 'We stay here, and when they appear we dash out before they get her into the car.'
'And you dazzle them with your rhetoric,' Sunny said.
'Or something,' Spike said.
'You have a gun,' Sunny said.
'Yep.'
'Think you'll need it?'
'Usually don't,' Spike said.
37
IT WAS QUIET in the woods. There was a breeze, which kept the bugs from bothering them.
'What did that shrink say that worked for you?' Sunny said.
'Said I couldn't repress a part of myself and expect all the other parts to work well.'
'Was he a gay shrink?'
'No.'
'How do you know,' Sunny said.
'I asked him,' Spike said.
Sunny smiled.
'That would be you,' she said.
'How you doing with Silverman?' Spike said.
'Dr. Silverman,' Sunny said. 'I can't think of her as Silverman.'
'How you and she doing?'
'I feel I'm getting someplace.'
'You know where yet?'
'No.'
'You'll know,' Spike said.
'I hope so,' Sunny said.
'She gay?' Spike said.
'That's not germane to our therapy,' Sunny said.
'Jesus,' Spike said. 'You got the shrink talk down. You think she might be gay?'
'If she is,' Sunny said, 'she's the lipstickiest lesbian I've ever seen.'
A little after eight at night, a small gray Honda SUV pulled up in front of the center and parked on the road.
'Here she comes,' Sunny said.
'You were right,' Spike said.
After a moment, Cheryl DeMarco came out the front door with two orderlies in white coats. Each held an arm. She seemed passive. Behind them came a tallish man in a business suit with a stethoscope around his neck. When they were near the Honda, Sunny came out of the trees and stood between them and the car. Spike stood beside her.
'What's this?' the tallish man said.
'We're taking Cheryl,' Sunny said.
Cheryl showed little interest.
'You can't do that,' the tallish man said.
'Spike,' Sunny said.
Spike shuffled his feet into some sort of fighting stance and hit one of the orderlies with a straight left to the nose. The orderly let go of Cheryl's arm and put his hands up to his face. He was bleeding. In rhythm Spike hit the other orderly with a right cross. The orderly fell down. Sunny took Cheryl's arm and led her toward Spike's car. The orderly with the bloody nose took a black leather sap from his hip pocket and tried to hit Spike with it. Spike stepped inside the looping swing and blocked it with both forearms, then hit the orderly on the side of the head with a backswing. The orderly dropped the blackjack as he went down. Spike kicked it away. Spike looked at the tallish man. The tallish man backed away. Both orderlies were now on the ground.
'See,' Spike said. 'We can do that.'
Spike looked at the tallish man for another moment. On the road behind him the Honda drove away. Spike ignored it. He looked up the road to where Sunny and Cheryl were getting into his car. Then he looked back at the tallish man.
'Dr. Patton, I presume,' Spike said.
'Yes,' Patton said. 'I'm in charge here.'
'No,' Spike said. 'You ain't.'
He reached out and yanked the stethoscope from Patton's neck.
'Don't hurt me,' Patton said.
'Fucking fraud,' Spike said.
He tossed the stethoscope onto the roadway. Then he turned and went toward his SUV, walking sedately. No one attempted to stop him.
When he got there, Sunny was in the backseat with Cheryl. Cheryl was quiet, looking at nothing. Spike got in and started the car.
'She's sedated,' Sunny said.
Spike looked in the rearview mirror. No one was following. 'Where you want to go?' Spike said.
'My place,' Sunny said.
Spike headed up the side road toward Route 9.
'Why not Paradise,' Spike said. 'You got some clout with the cops there. Case there's trouble.'
'I'm Phil Randall's daughter,' Sunny said.
'Ah, yes,' Spike said. 'I guess you got some clout in Boston.'
'Detective,' Cheryl said.
'Yes,' Sunny said. 'Sunny Randall. We talked at the Renewal House.'
'Mother,' Cheryl said.
'You want your mother?'
Cheryl shook her head.
'Okay,' Sunny said. 'We'll go to my place and you can stay with me until the dope wears off and we can decide what to do.'
Cheryl looked at Spike.
'Him?' Cheryl said.
'Spike,' Sunny said.
'I'll stay with you, too,' Spike said.
38
JESSE SAT with Suit and Molly in his office.
'Who's on the desk?' Jesse said.
'Eddie Cox,' Molly said.
