Dead Ringer by Allen Wyler Read Free Book Online

science. For medical research.”
    Maybe some donate for that cause, but not Andy Baer. Especially for a cause as open-ended as “medical research.” That could mean a thousand things, and Andy was very specific and precise. Was? Jesus, he was already thinking in the past tense.
    “Dr. Wong said you brought them with you,” Lucas said. “Is that right?”
    “Yes.”
    “So how does that work?” Lucas asked.
    “Not sure what you’re getting at.” Gerhard’s adenoidal and whiney voice and roly-poly sloppy demeanor seemed the opposite of what Lucas expected. Then again, what did he expect, he wondered? Never thought about couriering body parts before.
    “I’m asking how you physically transport them.”
    “In a Halliburton.”
    “An aluminum suitcase?” This immediately triggered more questions.
    Gerhard gave him a look.
    Lucas asked, “You brought four heads, right?”
    “What’s your point?”
    “I’m interested. Mind explaining how that works? I mean, you show up at the airport with four heads in a suitcase. Is it some kind of specially made suitcase? I mean, the dimensions of a head are pretty specific and I assume you’d want to keep them—or any body parts—pretty well cushioned. And what about the authorities? Every piece of luggage is x-rayed or inspected.” He imagined a TSA agent’s reaction to several human skulls suddenly popping up on the screen. “Doesn’t that raise a few eyebrows?”
    Gerhard laughed dismissively.
    To Lucas, the laugh sounded hollow and strained, and the smile that went with it seemed forced. As Gerhard sipped his drink, Lucas suspected the man was sizing him up, like the kid on the playground who’s deciding whether or not to throw a punch.
    But Lucas was still working up to the main point of the questioning. “Well?”
    “For us, it’s a bit different than when you pass through security. First of all, before we ever begin a transport we got to meet several requirements.”
    “Like?”
    Gerhard’s smile tightened. “Like I said earlier, you got a point to this line of questioning? This don’t seem to me like your typical cocktail conversation.”
    “It’s a little bizarre, walking through an airport with human heads in a suitcase, isn’t it? I’m curious how it works is all.”
    Gerhard studied his drink a moment, rattling the ice cubes. He drained his glass in one long gulp. “Understand something. The business is regulated. We got ourselves a series of hoops to jump through including the CDC. What’s more, the Department of Commerce requires us to carry a certificate at all times. So, before we ever set foot inside an airport, there’s a ton of paper we got to fill out. We got to notify the airline and the TSA. And for international trips like this here, we got to clear it through customs days ahead of time. Once we got all that done”—he shrugged—“we’re free to go. That answer your question?”
    Lucas asked, “Why not just FedEx them?”
    Gerhard snorted. “I’m surprised you got to even ask that.”
    “Well, I’m asking.”
    For a moment Gerhard’s eyes flashed anger but quickly changed into a dead-eyed poker mask. He coughed into a fist and cleared his throat. “You got all sorts of reasons. We got to bring every little chunk of body part back home so it can be buried or cremated just as if it were whole again. That’s the agreement we make with the families. See, they don’t mind their loved ones being used for research, just as long as we bring back the body. Just like in the army, we don’t leave no one behind. Satisfied?”
    “Okay, I understand the process better. Thanks. Bear with me for one more question. You maybe use a head here and a leg somewhere else. How do you keep track of everything?”
    Gerhard seemed befuddled by the question. “Keep track? Simple. I return with everything I take.”
    “No. What I mean is, you came here with four heads, right? What’s to say you don’t go back with an arm and a leg instead?