Heathern by Jack Womack Read Free Book Online Page A

circumstances you'd risk it?"
    "I wouldn't be putting in an investment to lose, if you
fell. You get used to taking risks in business like you get
used to breathing, you know. It seems to me that there's
mighty big stuff being hinted at here and I'd like to see
something more impressive. I want to know if you're all you
say you are."
    "I'm nothing," said Macaffrey. "I'm here at your request.
If you're so sure of what you see, why should I give you
glasses?"
    "Gus," said Thatcher, "go out in the hall, bring Jake in
here a minute."
    "Why?"
    "I won't hurt him." Gus went to retrieve, and the
dialogue continued.
    "Is there something you're planning?" asked Macaffrey.
    "You're probably aware that most everybody in your line
claims some degree of medical skill," said Thatcher. "None
of 'em ever come saying they're a psychic accountant, for
example. Guess God never has to balance His own books."
    "I'm no doctor."
    "Bringin' somebody back to life's damn good doctoring,
long as they were dead," said Thatcher. "Course if you can
do that we have a new problem, deciding who to keep--

    Gus returned with his protege. Jake stood silently, awaiting his orders, clasping his hands over his groin.
    "You been working over a year for us now, right?" asked
Thatcher.
    Jake nodded. I don't believe he'd ever been in the
boardroom before.
    "You've done a good job for us. Good potential. You
don't fuck around, Jake."
    "I sting the bees." With quick fingers Jake smoothed his
clothes, an unconstructed white jacket and ironed jeans.
    "That's the way God planned it. I hear you never let on
when it hurts."
    "Not overmuch, nada nohow."
    "What does hurt you?"
    "Tooth Nazis," he said.
    "No root canal this trip," said Thatcher. "You don't mind
blood tests, do you? How often you get those?"
    "Bimonthed as required."
    "Think of this as a blood test," said Thatcher. "Jake, Gus
is going to break one of your fingers and then we'll see if
this boy can fix you up. You pick the finger."
    After a moment's hesitation Jake lifted his left arm,
extending a pinky no larger than my own.
    "There's a purpose to this, Mister Dryden?" Gus asked.
    "Told you I wasn't going to hurt him," said Thatcher,
smiling. "Get to it, Gus, don't have all day."
    Gus broke bones with the greatest finesse, I was told;
even so, I closed my eyes and covered my ears. Looking
again I saw Jake motionless, as a statue of smooth cold
marble. His arm was pressed against his side; his finger
jutted away from his hand at an unnatural angle.
    "What do you suggest?" Thatcher asked Macaffrey.
Macaffrey's look held no threat of trance.
    "Take him to the hospital," he said. "He'll go into shock."
    "You don't think you can fix it?" asked Thatcher.
    "I always fail tests."

    "But you passed, son. If you'd tried faking it you'd've
already hit the street. Jake, that hurt much?"
    Jake's lips barely moved. "No."
    "AOK then. Gus, take him to the clinic." Jake shook
Gus's hand from his shoulder as they walked away. Bernard
tapped his pencil against the tabletop. Susie's eyes were
unreadable behind her sunglasses. I tried convincing myself
that I wasn't fully there.
    "You're everything I've heard, Mister Dryden," said
Macaffrey, standing. "I'll be on my way."
    "I understand gut reactions," said Thatcher. "Sit back
down. I want you to see how valuable you could be to my
organization. Sit down."
    "What good could I do?" Macaffrey asked.
    "You got to have more self-confidence than that. Haven't
you once stopped to think what you could be painting if
you had a bigger brush?"
    "What do you want from me?"
    "People always want more than what those who have can
give," said Thatcher, seeing no paradox. "But it's gotten to
the point where we can't let expectations get much
lower-"
    "How could they?" asked Bernard.
    "Time's come to raise a few hopes. We need to give 'em
inspiration. Help 'em get out of bed in the morning. Help us
keep a lid on things when the situation warrants it. Main