Twenty minutes after his meeting with Special Agent Westenson and Inspector Barbier, Jack was on his way home. Even though he told Mike he’d call him in the morning, he thought about placing a call now to check on him. He was just about to make that call when his phone tang.
“What the devil was all that cloak-and-dagger stuff about?” Madison asked him.
“Nothing, just routine.”
“C’mon, Jack. The FBI and Canadian police hunt you down to speak with you, and you tell me it’s nothing but routine stuff. Are you kidding? I thought you were done trying to con me.”
“I’m not trying to con anybody. I was instructed not to discuss the details.”
“That’s fine. You can skip the details and just give me the highlights.”
There was no doubt in Jack’s mind Madison would persist until he gave her some morsel of information.
“Suffice it to say,” he began with caution, “that the government’s concerned the scientific community may be operating under a rather large misconception in its efforts to cure GNS.”
“That’s what I assumed. So, how does all that affect us?”
“Good question. As soon as I have an answer, I’ll let you know,” he said. “I was thinking of giving Mike a call. Do you mind if I get back to you in the morning?”
Jack was pleased Madison didn’t protest. A few raindrops began tapping against the cab’s windshield. At the same time, an ambulance, with the hi-lo wail of its siren, sped past him. Jack tried in vain to gather his thoughts before calling Mike. He knew that unless something dramatic regarding GNS happened, his best friend wouldn’t change his decision to have Tess undergo a C-section and begin Vitracide therapy.
Finally, he placed the call. Their conversation was brief. It was obvious Mike had made up his mind regarding Tess’s treatment, and Jack knew it would be impossible to convince him otherwise.
Amongst the many things Jack admired about Mike was his sixth sense when it came to evaluating a complex problem. Even as a kid, Mike rarely made the wrong decision. Deep in thought, Jack absently bit his lower lip. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t shake the nagging fear that, in spite of his flawless track record, Mike may have made the first truly bad choice of his life.