“Who’s this now?”
“Didn’t get her name,” Teddy said, “but she used to work with you.”
“Oh. And she told you what exactly?”
“She told me the neuroleptics took four days to build up workable levels in the bloodstream. She predicted the dry mouth, the headaches, the shakes.”
“Smart woman.”
“gup.”
“It’s not from neuroleptics.”
“No?”
“No.”
“What’s it from, then?”
“Withdrawal,” Cawley said.
“Withdrawal from what?”
Another smile and then Cawley’s gaze grew distant, and he flipped open Teddy’s notebook to the last page he’d written, pushed it across the table to him.
“That’s your handwriting, correct?”
Teddy glanced down at it. “Yeah.”
“The final code?”
“Well, it’s code.”
“But you didn’t break it.”
“I didn’t have the chance. Things got a bit hectic in case you didn’t notice.”
“Sure, sure.” Cawley tapped the page. “Care to break it now?”
Teddy looked down at the nine numbers and letters:
13(M)-21 (U)-25(Y)- 18®- 1 (A)-5(E)-8(H)- 15(O)-9(I)
He could feel the wire poking the back of his eye.
“I’m not really feeling my best at the moment.”
“But it’s simple,” Cawley said. “Nine letters.”
“Let’s give my head a chance to stop throbbing.”
“Fine.”
“Withdrawal from what?” Teddy said. “What did you give me?” Cawley cracked his knuckles and leaned back into his chair with a shuddering yawn. “Chlorpromazine. It has its downsides. Many, I’m afraid. I’m not too fond of it. I’d hoped to start you on imipramine before this latest series of incidents, but I don’t think that will happen now.” He leaned forward. “Normally, I’m not a big fan of pharmacol ogy, but in your case, I definitely see the need for it.”
“Imipramine?”
“Some people call it Tofranil.”
Teddy smiled. “And chlorpro...”
“... mazine.” Cawley nodded. “Chlorpromazine. That’s what you’re on now. What you’re withdrawing from. The same thing we’ve been giving you for the last two years.”
Teddy said, “The last what?” .
“Two years.”
Teddy chuckled. “Look, I know you guys are powerful. You don’t have to oversell your case, though.”
“I’m not overselling anything.”
“You’ve been drugging me for two years?”
“I prefer the term ‘medicating.’ “
“And, what, you had a guy working in the U.S. marshals’ office? Guy’s job was to spike my joe every morning? Or maybe, wait, he worked for the newsstand where I buy my cup of coffee on the way in. That would be better. So for two years, you’ve had someone in Boston, slipping me drugs.”
“Not Boston,” Cawley said quietly. “Here.”
“Here?”
Four names were written there in block letters six inches high:
EDWARD DANIELS—ANDREW LAEDDIS
RACHEL SOLANDO—DOLORES CHANAL
Teddy waited, but Cawley seemed to be waiting too, neither of them saying a word for a full minute.
Eventually Teddy said, “You have a point, I’m guessing.”