Jaye Michael

PART THREE: REVOLUTION

Chapter Twenty Six: Appetencies

An apology for the devil:
It must be remembered that we have only heard
one side of the case.
God has written all the books.
– Samuel Butler

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 6:35 P.M., PAPA PETE’S PIZZA, 44TH STREET AND SEVENTH AVENUE

“If he’s smart he’s going some place public to make whatever exchange he’s got planned.”

“What about the old standbys?”

“What do you mean Lyle?”

“Oh, you know. In the movies, it’s always some tourist attraction, like the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center, the Staten Island Ferry, the Bronx Zoo or Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Some place like that maybe?"

“I don’t think so.” Eunice chimed in. “Dr. Sternlicht would never stand around and wait for someone. He’d make them come to him.”

“Yeah. Good point. Maybe a museum or an art gallery?” Lyle asked between bites of pizza.

“Possible, I wonder how many are open at this time of the evening on a Wednesday?” Kevin began searching through his briefcase and pulled out a thick guide to New York City. While the others ate, he skimmed through the guide.

“Amazing, more than sixty museums in the New York City metropolitan area and none of them are open after 6 on a Wednesday.” Kevin interrupted.

“None? And I thought New York was the City that never slept,” Lyle E. quipped.

“Actually, I think that’s Las Vegas.” Deborah interjected. “Any more ideas, folks? Don’t be shy.”

Eunice L. swallowed some of her cola and placed it back on the table. “Maybe he went to eat? After all, that’s what we’re doing.”

“Also a good possibility, but much more difficult to address. There must be thousands of restaurants in the metropolitan area.”

“True, but Dr. Sternlicht is an epicure. He would only eat at one of the best restaurants around.”

“Would he actually want to eat during what might be a potentially dangerous exchange?”

“That one’s an easy one to answer.” Lyle smiled. “Yes. There is no way that consideration for others would interfere with Dr. Sternlicht’s personal plans.”

“Fine.” Kevin sighed. “Let’s see what we can find in the way of gourmet restaurants in the area.” Once again, he began browsing through his briefcase and pulled out a copy of a restaurant guide.

“What else do you have in that thing?” Lyle was curious. “It reminds me of all the jokes about women’s purses being black holes from which you can pull out just about anything.”

“Airline, train, and bus schedules; a cellular telephone, a copy of Sternlicht’s appointment book, spare ammunition, two sets of handcuffs, some pens, and two pads of paper.”

“Do you two know if Sternlicht had any favorite types of restaurants?”

“He liked French style cooking and...what’s it called?” Eunice turned to Lyle. “The really fancy stuff?”

“Haute cuisine?”

“Yea that’s it. Does that help any?”

“Maybe,” Kevin sighed.

“While you’re going through the restaurant guide why don’t you let me look through the appointment book?” Lyle E. offered. “I used to be his secretary. Maybe I’ll see something that doesn’t feel right.”

“Sure. Here.” The appointment book was handed over.

“While you two are reading, I’m going to the bathroom. Eunice would you like to join me?”

“Ah…sure.”

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 6:55 P.M., PAPA PETE’S PIZZA, 44TH STREET AND SEVENTH AVENUE

“What’s the ‘Old Home’?”

“Excuse me?”

“The ‘Old Home.’ It’s in Sternlicht’s appointment book. Wednesday, October fourth, at seven thirty P.M. I don’t recognize it.”

“I don’t know.” Kevin turned to Deborah and Eunice, just returning from the bathroom and called out to them. “Deborah, see if you can get a telephone book.” He then turned his attention back to the restaurant guide.

“Here’s the phone book. What do you want it for?”

“Lyle found an entry in Sternlicht’s appointment book for someplace called the “Old Home.” It’s not one of his regular places and unless it’s a code of some sort, it might be listed there.”

“I’ll check.” Eunice took the phone book.

“We’ve got three ‘Old Homes’ in the book.” Eunice reported. “Old Home Hardware in the Prospect Park area of Brooklyn, Old Home Industries located about thirty blocks from here. It seems they manufacture and sell fabrics according to their advertisement and finally an Old Home Restaurant on Fifty-Sixth Street and Ninth Avenue.”

“I’ll have our NYPD contact check out the two homes. I think we can rule out a hardware store or a fabric company. That leaves the restaurant. Is it in the gourmet restaurant guide?”

Kevin rapidly turned some pages. “No. Shall we give it a try anyway?”

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 7:00 P.M., THE OLD HOME RESTAURANT, 56TH STREET AND 9TH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Dr. Sternlicht had just completed as much as she could of an excellent prime rib dinner, less than half of the huge serving, and wondered idly why the place was not rated higher than it was on the various restaurant guides. Admittedly, such simple fare was not her normal preference, but it was still quite good, and the portions were magnificent. Even her “Kid’s Cut” was too large for her to finish.

Glancing at her watch she wondered if her contact would be on time, then she noticed the matre’d ushering a strikingly familiar looking woman in an off the rack black pantsuit and carrying a briefcase, toward her table. He escorted her to Dr. Sternlicht’s table and after a nod from Dr. Sternlicht, he seated her.

“Ms. Maldonado I presume. That pageboy cut looks quite fetching.”

“Thank you,” she growled. “Can we get on with this?”

“My, my, aren’t we the cantankerous one. This wouldn’t be our time of the month perchance?”

“Very funny, you son of a bitch. You are the reason I look this way. You changed me into...this.” She gestured to herself. “Why? Why did you do this to me?” She was near tears in her rage.

“Why? Because I could. You importuned me for proof and I bestowed it in a guise that would be convincing beyond challenge for you and your superiors.” Dr. Sternlicht sipped her wine. “Would you like some? It’s a bit rude, but has a pleasant, if plebeian, bouquet.”

“You do understand that you’ve ruined my life, don’t you? My employer will never trust me again, not as a female. My wife has left me and taken our children. My church has ex-communicated me. My friends have shunned me as some kind of freak.” She paused for a breath.

“Not a freak, Ms. Maldonado, merely the first. You are the first of a new generation who will have their bodies sculpted to meet their concepts of perfection. If anything, you should thank me for providing you this opportunity, especially at such a bargain basement price. What was it a cup of coffee? After all, how old were you? Forty five? Fifty? No matter. As you sit there before me, you are a beautiful woman whose age would appear to be between twenty and thirty summers. Several men at surrounding tables are surreptitiously glancing your way with lustful countenances. Your wife and family are irrelevant. You are a new person with a new life ahead of you.”

“But I never asked for a new life, certainly not as a female. I don’t want it and you had no right to do this to me.”

“Enough. Such debate is fruitless. You were to bring fifty thousand dollars in small bills, hundreds or less, and the codes for an account in the Cayman Islands. I presume those items are in there.” Dr. Sternlicht gestured to the briefcase her tablemate was holding.

“Yes. You are to provide me with a similar briefcase with 100 cc of the virus and all the research notes regarding its creation, growth, administration and limits.”

“Here.” Dr. Sternlicht brought out a similar briefcase from under her seat.
“Shall we exchange?” Ms. Maldonado nodded. Each opened the briefcase they had just received and examined the contents.

“It would seem that our business is concluded.” Dr. Sternlicht took a fifty-dollar bill from her purse and dropped it on the table before standing to leave.

“Hold on. I’ll walk out with you.”

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 7:15 P.M., 56TH STREET AND 9TH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

The two women stood in front of the restaurant.

“Wait, Doctor. Before you leave I have a personal gift for you.”

“That’s not necessary, Ms. Maldonado.”

“But I insist.” She reached into her purse for something.

The conversation was interrupted as a dark colored car pulled up in front of the restaurant entrance and several people piled out. Suddenly there were guns in the hands of two of the people. “Dr. Sternlicht! You’re under arrest. Put down the briefcase and raise your hands,” Kevin’s voice called out from his position by the driver’s side front door.

“You too, Miss,” Deborah called from the front passenger side of the car.
There was a shot and Eunice L. and Lyle E. flinched. Kevin yelled, “Put down that gun and step to the wall now! Do it!”

The woman with the short black hair dropped her purse and briefcase stepped back against the wall. Eunice and Lyle looked frantically about for a source for the gunshot. Then, as if in slow motion, the blonde woman began to crumple to the ground as a bright red stain formed on her chest. Kevin moved to the standing woman and gruffly turned her about and shoved her firmly into the wall. He began reading her rights to her while the others clustered about the fallen woman. Deborah tried to administer first aid.

“Call nine-one-one.” Lyle E. ran for the cellular phone in Kevin’s briefcase.

“Eunice. See what you can do for her.” Deborah stood up, picked up the briefcases and placed them in the trunk of the car while Kevin finished reading and placed handcuffs on the woman’s back. Walking to the purse the dark haired woman had dropped; she opened it and peered inside. Taking a pen from her pocket, she fished around in the purse and pulled out a small caliber revolver by its finger guard. Holding it to her nose, she sniffed freshly burned powder. Bringing it to the still open car trunk, she carefully placed it in a plastic bag, labeled the bag and placed it in a suitcase in the trunk. Kevin moved the other woman to the back of the car and, with his hand on her head, pushed her into the car.

Lyle E. had since returned to Dr. Sternlicht’s side and, with Eunice L., was trying unsuccessfully to stem the flow of blood. As they stood there, the bleeding woman moaned and shivered. Her eyes seemed to glaze over. With one final convulsion and a long sigh, her eyes closed.

There were sirens in the distance which rapidly moved closer. Kevin stood by the car and waved the police car over as a second siren began to approach. The second siren turned out to be an emergency vehicle whose paramedics ran to Dr. Sternlicht’s side as Eunice and Lyle backed away.

“Hey. You two. Don’t leave.” One of the cops stopped their discussion with Kevin to call out.

“It’s okay. They’re with us.” Lyle and Eunice walked over to Kevin, Deborah and the two officers.

Deborah saw them coming and intercepted them. “They’re arguing jurisdiction, let’s not confuse the issue. Is she dead?”

“The paramedics just started. With luck they might save her, but I think she’s gone.” Lyle spoke somberly while Eunice cried.

“Was that really Dr. Sternlicht?” Eunice asked blowing her nose.

“The identification was for a Maxine Stern, the same name used to sign out of the hotel. Her briefcase had nothing but money and a bank account. The other briefcase, however, had ten vials of a clear liquid and copies of what look like Sternlicht’s research notes, so yes, I think it’s safe to say that was Dr. Sternlicht.”

“What a way to go.” Lyle shook his head and turned away so the others would not see the moisture filling his eyes.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 11:45 A.M., AN ISOLATED FARM, LOCATION DELETED CONSISTENT WITH PROVISIONS OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ACT

“Thank you for making Dr. Sternlicht a nice funeral. He was a bastard, but even he didn’t deserve to die so horribly.”

Captain Schultz accepted the gratitude as he gestured for Lyle and Eunice to sit down at the farmhouse’s dining room table. “Not the way I would have preferred it but that does pretty much wrap things up. Dr. Sternlicht was not successful in giving away the virus. His murderer is in jail awaiting trial. We’ve successfully transformed the rat people back to humans using DNA from the two of you and so you’ve both got several new brothers and sisters now. Dr. Harriman has decided to continue work on the virus and will be moving back to New York University. As you know from Dr. Harriman, he has already developed a cure using H. Pylori and all the other victims of the virus have been cured. About all that’s left is to finish with you two.

“What do you mean?” Lyle asked worriedly as Eunice’s hand stealthily moved to hold his.

“Oh, please,” Captain Schultz laughed. “I’m not going to kill you or imprison you. I’m not the ogre you apparently think me to be. I just meant you two need to decide if you want to get your old bodies back and then take the cure.”