square and contained a bed, also bolted down and
covered by a thin stained mattress, a lidless toilet,
and a zinc washbasin. From the smell of things the
toilet wasn’t in peak condition.
Houten unlocked the door and we walked in.
Baoul looked up with one eye. The other was
blackened and-swollen shut. A crust of dried blood
had formed under his left ear. His lip was split and
the color of raw steak:: Several buttons were missing
from his white silk shirt,, which hung open,
196 Jonatha/(el ./erman
exposing his soft hairy chest. There was a blue-black
bruise along his ribcage. A shirtsleevhad
been ripped at the seam and it dangled vestigially.
His belt, tie, and shoelaces-had-been taken from
him and I found the sight of his alligator shoes,
caked with dirt, the tongue protruding, especially
pathetic.
Houten saw my expression and said, “We wanted
to clean him up but he started fussing so we let it
Raoul muttered something in Spanish. Houten
looked at me, his expression that of a parent faced
with a tantruming child.
“You can go now, Dr. Lynch,” he said. “Dr. Delaware
will drive you home. You can have your car
towed back to Los Angeles at your expense, or leave
it here to ! fixed. Zack Piersall knows foreign
ca–”
‘Tm not going anywhere,” snapped Baoul.
“Dr. Lynch–”
“It’s Melendez-Lynch, and your deliberate failure
to remember that doesn’t intimidate me. I’m not
leaving until the truth comes out.”
“Doctor, you’re in a lot of trouble, potentially:
I’m letting you go with fines in order to simpli
things for all of us. I’m sure you’ve been under a lot
of strain–”
“DOn’t patronize me, Sheriff. And stop covering
for those murderous quacks!”
“Raoul–” I said.
“No, Alex, you dreamt understand. These people-are
close-minded imbeciles. The tree of knowledge
could sprout on their dorstep and they wouldn’t
pick the fruit.”
Houten moved his
cud of patience.
“I want you out of my town;” he Said softly.
“I won’t go,” Raoul insisted, gripping the bench’
with both hands to demonstrate his intransigence.
“Sheriff,” I said, “let me speak to him alone.”
Houten shrugged, left the cell, and locked me in.
He walked away, and after the metal dOor closed
behind him I turned to Raoul.
“What the hell’s the matter with you!”
“Don’t lecture me, Alex.” He stood and shook a
fist in my face.
I stepped back instinctively. He stared at
upraised hand, dropped it to his side and mumbled
an apology. Collapsing as if he’d been fileted, hesat
back down.
“What in the world possessed you to conduct a
one-man invasion of this place?” 1 asked him.
“I know they’re in there,” he panted. “Behind
those gates. I can feel
“You turned the Volvo into an assault tank because
of feelings? Remember when you called intuition
‘just another form of soft-headed hocus-pocus’?”
“This is different. They wouldn’t let .me in. If
that’s not proof they’re hiding something I don’t
know what it is!” He punched his palm with his
fist. “I’ll get in there somehow and tear that place
apart until I find him.”
“That’s crazy. What is it about the Swopes that’s
turned you into a damned COwboy ?”
He covered his face with his hands.
I sat down next to him and put my arm around
his shoulder. He was soaked with sweat.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” I urged.
“Alex,” he said hoarsely, his breath sour and
198
Jonathan Kdlerman
strong, “oncology is a specialty-for those who are
willing to learn how to lose graciously. Not’ to love
failure or accept it, but to suffer with dignity, as a
patient must. Did you know that I was first in my
medical school class ?”
“I’m not surprised.”
“I had my pick of residencies. Many oncologists
are .the cream of medicine. And yet we confront
failure each day of our lives.” –
He pushed himself up and walked to the bars,
running his hands up and down the ragged and
rusty cylinders.
“Failure,” he repeated. “But the victories are
uncommonly sweet. The salvage and reconstruc-
tion of a life. What could create greater illusions of
. omnipotence, eh, Alex ?”
“There’ll be many more victories,” I assured him.