“Don’t move,” David commanded. Keeping the shotgun aimed at him, David stepped around the front of the car and opened the driver’s side door. Van Slyke didn’t budge, but he kept his eyes on David.
“Where’s the gun?” David demanded.
“Gun run done fun,” Van Slyke said.
David grabbed Van Slyke by the arm and pulled him out of the car. Angela yelled at David to be careful. She’d heard what Van Slyke had said. She told David that he was clanging; he was obviously still acutely psychotic.
David pushed Van Slyke around so that he was facing the car. Then he frisked him for any weapons. He didn’t find the pistol.
“What did you do with the gun?” David demanded.
“I don’t need it anymore,” Van Slyke said.
David peered into Van Slyke’s calm face. His pupils were no longer dilated. The transformation was remarkable.
“What’s going on, Van Slyke?” David asked.
“On?” Van Slyke said. “On top. Put it on top.”
“Van Slyke!” David shouted. “What’s happened to you? Where have you been? What about the voices you hear? Are you still hearing voices?”
“You’re wasting your time,” Angela said. She and Nikki had come around the front of the car. “I’m telling you, he’s acutely psychotic.”
“No more voices,” Van Slyke said. “I made them stop.”
“I think we should call the police,” Angela said. “And I don’t mean the local bozos. I mean the state police. Is your cellular phone in the car?”
“How did you quiet the voices?” David asked Van Slyke.
“I took care of them,” Van Slyke answered.
“What do you mean you took care of them?” David was afraid to learn what Van Slyke meant.
“They won’t be able to use me as a dupe,” Van Slyke said.
“Who do you mean by they?” David asked.
“The board,” Van Slyke said. “The whole board.”
“David!” Angela said impatiently. “What about the police. I want to get Nikki away from here. He’s talking nonsense.”
“I’m not so sure,” David said.
“Well, then, what does he mean by the board?” Angela asked.
“I’m afraid he means the hospital board,” David said.
“Board sword ford cord,” Van Slyke said. He smiled. It was the first time his expression had changed since they’d confronted him in the car.
“David, the man is not connected to reality,” Angela said. “Why are you insisting on having a conversation with him?”
“Do you mean the hospital board?” David asked.
“Yes,” Van Slyke said.
“Okay, everything is going to be all right,” David said. But he was trying to calm himself more than anyone else.
“Did you shoot someone?” David asked.
Van Slyke laughed. “No, I didn’t shoot anyone. All I did was put the source on the conference room table.”
“What does he mean by ‘source’?” Angela asked.
“I have no idea,” David said.
“Source force course horse,” Van Slyke said, still chuckling.
Feeling frustrated, David grabbed Van Slyke by the front of his shirt and shook him, asking him again what he’d done.
“I put the source and the force on the table right next to the model of the parking garage,” Van Slyke said. “And I’m glad I did it. I’m not a dupe for anybody. The only problem is, I’m sure I burned myself.”
“Where?” David asked.
“My hands,” Van Slyke said. He held them up so David could look at them.
“Are they burned?” Angela asked.
“I don’t think so,” David said. “They’re slightly red, but otherwise they look normal to me.”
“He’s not making any sense,” Angela said. “Maybe he’s hallucinating.”
David nodded absently. His thoughts were suddenly somewhere else.
“I’m tired,” Van Slyke said. “I want to go home and see my parents.”
David waved him off. Van Slyke walked across the street and into his yard. Angela stared at David. She’d not expected him to let Van Slyke go. “What are you doing?” she asked. “Shouldn’t we call the police?”
David nodded again. He stared after Van Slyke while his mind began pulling everything together: his patients, the symptoms, and the deaths.
“Van Slyke is a basket case,” Angela said. “He’s acting like he just had electroshock therapy.”
“Get in the car,” David said.