Miracle Cure (1991) Read online

  "Except assign me shit detail. I should have gotten a shot at tha t m asquerade Killer, but they put someone else on it. I only get the mino r f ag cases because, as the captain puts it, that's my 'field o f e xpertise'."

  "He's a homophobic Neanderthal," Lenny said.

  "Want to go into his office and make out in front of him?"

  Max chuckled.

  "I think not."

  "Don't worry. They'll start accepting you soon. Trust me.

  Progress comes slowly."

  Max took the pencil out of his mouth.

  "Doubt it."

  "Hey, Twitch."

  Max spun toward Willie Monticelli. He had not seen the sergeant sinc e t he day he had made himself a national gay celebrity seven months ago.

  "Hi, Willie. Long time, no see."

  Willie hesitated.

  "Who's this? Your boyfriend or something?"

  "Lenny, this is Sergeant Willie Monticelli. Willie, this is Lenn y w erner."

  "I've heard a lot about you, Sergeant."

  Snickers from nearby cops.

  "What sort of things?" Willie asked suspiciously.

  "That you are a good cop," Lenny replied.

  Willie shrugged.

  "I do my job."

  "What can I do for you, Willie?" Max asked.

  A voice from the corner: "Careful how you answer that, Willie.

  Might get more than you bargain for."

  "Shut the hell up, Owens," Willie shouted back.

  Max's fingers plucked nervously at his shirt.

  "What's up?"

  "Got me," Willie replied.

  "I was assigned to assist you on this Masquerade Killer. Seems the mayo r w as not happy about the results Owens and his buddies were getting.

  Wants to offer us a chance at it."

  "You're kidding."

  "Look, Twitch, let me put it on the line." Willie hitched up his pant s b y the belt.

  "I'm no fag lover, I gotta be honest. But I've seen a lot of cops in m y d ay. Some are straight, some like to do it with whores in the basement , and yeah, some are fairies.

  So you like fondling balls instead of tits as long as they ain't mine, I d on't give a shit. I just want to solve the case, ya know?" Lenny smile d a t Max.

  "You see? Progress already."

  "Mail call."

  The prison guard tossed the envelope threw the bars.

  "There you go, Doctor Loony-Tunes. A letter for you."

  Harvey scrambled for the envelope. His heart lifted when he saw th e r eturn address was from Washington. His hand quickly tore the seal.

  Dear Dr. Riker, Our staff at the National Institutes of Health ha s e xamined the files and evidence that you sent me.

  While we appreciate hearing from anyone who might expedite our searc h f or an AIDS vaccine, we must confess that we no longer consider you a r eputable scientist.

  Moreover, I must take exception to the absurd and unsubstantiate d a ccusations you level in your confidential letter to me. I categoricall y d eny any and all such claims of a "conspiracy," but it seems to me tha t t he government and AIDS movement would be best served by discouragin g y ou from making false charges. For this reason, I believe we can reac h a n arrangement that we will both find satisfactory.

  For my part I will be delighted to update you on the NIH's progress an d p ass on your suggestions to the board. I will do all I can to see tha t y ou are given information on the progress of AIDS research during you r i ncarceration.

  For your part you will never again make mention of your absurd an d u nsubstantiated accusations. The men you mentioned in your letter and I n o longer converse.

  We no longer work together toward the common goal you described as "vile," and what they might do separately is of no concern to me. I hav e p aid my debt to the man you call "pious scum" and hence will no longe r b e communicating with him.

  Thank you for your time. It is encouraging to see that some prisoner s w ish to make productive use of their time while paying their debt t o s ociety.

  With best wishes, I remain Sincerely, Raymond Markey, MD Assistan t s ecretary of Health and Human Services Harvey put down the letter , tucked it away neatly, and sat back.

  That was when he spotted the back page of yesterday's New York Heral d l ying on the cell floor.

  He had been so caught up yesterday in working out new calculations tha t h e had not even glanced at the paper. Now he saw the gigantic back pag e h eadline.

  DOUBLE VICTORY FOR SILVER MA N Triumphs in Comeback Performance And Becomes A Dad In One Night!

  Harvey read down the page.

  (New York) For the first time all season, the sound of classical musi c c ould be heard in the New York Knicks' locker room. It was a sweet soun d f or all.

  "Did you see what he did out there?" close friend and teammate Reec e p orter exclaimed after the game.

  "Mike is most definitely back!"

  After a lengthy illness, Michael Silverman, the New York Knicks' vetera n c o-captain, made a triumphant return last night in front of a Madiso n s quare Garden capacity crowd, leading the Knicks to a 123-107 trouncin g o f the Chicago Bulls.

  "Now that we're heading into the play-offs, we really need him," sai d c oach Richie Crenshaw.

  "He gives our team that extra lift."

  "No one believed he'd make it back," added Jerome Holloway, the odds-o n f avorite to win this year's Rookie of the Year honors.

  "But he showed them tonight."

  Basketball was only part of the story for Michael Silverman last night.

  Right after the game, Silverman got word that his wife, popula r n ewsflash co-host Sara Lowell, had gone into labor. The entire Knick s t eam followed Silverman to the hospital.

  "We all paced around the waiting room like a group of nervous, expectan t f athers," Porter later joked.

  At 11:08 p. m." the suspense was over. A teary Michael Silverman cam e o ut to announce that Sara had given birth to their first child, a h ealthy baby boy named Sam 7 pounds, 6 ounces.

  Harvey put down the paper and smiled.

  It was wonderful news.

  Then he went back to figuring out why the T cell receptor was no t r eacting the way he had predicted.

  Perhaps if he changed the compound ...

  Table of Contents

  Start