dk.nightchills-第16章

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　length　of　cloth　and　a　long　wooden　tasting　spoon；　he　fashioned　a　tourniquet　for　the　waitress's　left　arm。　He　twisted　the　wooden　spoon　with　his　right　hand　and　covered　the　handle　of　the　meat　fork　with　his　left。　To　Jenny　he　said；　〃e　around　here　and　take　the　tourniquet。〃
　As　soon　as　her　right　hand　was　free；　the　waitress　tried　to　get　to　the　handle　of　the　fork。　She　clawed　at　Paul's　fist。
　Jenny　took　hold　of　the　spoon。
　Pressing　down　on　the　waitress's　wounded　hand；　Paul　jerked　up　on　the　fork；　which　was　sunk　into　the　wood　perhaps　half　an　inch　past　her　flesh；　and　pulled　the　tines　from　her　in　one　sudden；　clean　movement。　He　dropped　the　fork　and　slipped　an　arm
　around　her　waist　to　keep　her　from　falling。　Her　knees　had　begun　to　buckle；　he　had　thought　they　might。
　As　he　stretched　the　woman　out　on　the　floor；　Jenny　said；　〃She　must　be　in　awful　pain。〃
　Those　words　seemed　to　shatter　the　waitress's　terror。　She　stopped　screaming　and　began　to　cry。
　〃I　don't　see　how　she　did　it；〃　Paul　said　as　he　tended　to　her。　〃She　put　that　fork　through　her　hand　with　incredible　force。　She　was　pinned　to　the　board。〃
　Weeping；　trembling；　the　waitress　said；　〃Accident。〃　She　gasped　and　groaned　and　shook　her　head。　〃Terrible　。　。　。　accident。〃
　6
　Fourteen　Months　Earlier：
　Thursday；　June　10；　1976
　NAKED；　THE　DEAD　MAN　lay　on　his　back　in　the　center　of　the　slightly　tilted　autopsy　table；　framed　by　blood　gutters　on　all　sides。
　〃Who　was　he？〃　Klinger　asked。
　Salsbury　said；　〃He　worked　for　Leonard。〃
　The　room　in　which　the　three　men　stood　was　illuminated　only　in　the　center　by　two　hooded　lamps　above　the　autopsy　table。　Three　walls　were　lined　with　puter　housings；　consoles；　and　monitor　boards；　and　the　tiny　systems　bulbs　and　glowing　scopes　made　ghostly　patches　of　green；　blue；　yellow；　and　pale　red　light　in　the　surrounding　shadows。　Nine　TV　display　screens…cathode…ray　tubes…were　set　high　on　three　walls；　and　four　other　screens　were　suspended　from　the　ceiling；　and　all　of　them　emitted　a　thin　bluish…green　light。
　In　that　eerie　glow　the　corpse　looked　less　like　a　real　body　than　like　a　prop　in　a　horror　film。
　Somber；　almost　reverent；　Dawson　said；　〃His　name　was　Brian　Kingman。　He　was　on　my　personal　staff。〃
　〃For　very　long？〃　Klinger　asked。
　〃Five　years。〃
　The　dead　man　had　been　in　his　late　twenties　and　in　good　condition。　Now；　circulation　having　ceased　seven　hours　ago；　lividity　had　set　in；　the　blood　had　settled　into　his　calves；　the　backs　of
　his　thighs；　his　buttocks；　and　his　lower　back；　and　in　these　places　the　flesh　was　purple　and　a　bit　distended。　His　face　was　white　and　deeply　lined。　His　hands　were　at　his　sides；　his　palms　up；　the　fingers　curled。
　〃Was　he　married？〃　Klinger　asked。
　Dawson　shook　his　head：　no。
　〃Family？〃
　〃Grandparents　dead。　No　brother　or　sisters。　His　mother　died　when　he　was　born；　and　his　father　was　killed　in　an　auto　accident　last　year。〃
　〃Aunts　and　uncles？〃
　〃None　close。〃
　〃Girl　friends？〃
　〃None　that　he　was　serious　about　or　that　were　serious　about　him；〃　Dawson　said。　〃That's　why　we　chose　him。　If　he　disappears；　there's　no　one　to　waste　a　lot　of　time　and　energy　looking　for　him。〃
　Klinger　considered　that　for　a　few　seconds。　Then　he　said；　〃You　expected　the　experiment　to　kill　him？〃
　〃We　thought　there　was　a　chance　of　it；〃　Ogden　said。
　Smiling　grimly；　Klinger　said；　〃You　were　right。〃
　Something　about　the　general's　tone　angered　Salsbury。　〃You　knew　the　stakes　when　you　came　in　with　Leonard　and　me。〃
　〃Of　course　I　did；〃　Klinger　said。
　〃Then　don't　act　as　if　Kingman's　death　is　entirely　my　fault。　The　blame　belongs　to　all　of　us。〃
　Frowning；　the　general　said；　〃Ogden；　you　misunderstand　me。　I　don't　believe　that　you　and　Leonard　and　I　are　to　blame　for　anything。　This　man　was　a　machine　that　broke　down。　Nothing　more。　We　can　always　get　another　machine。　You're　too　sensitive；　Ogden。〃
　〃Poor　boy；〃　Dawson　said；　regarding　the　corpse　sadly。　〃He　would　have　done　anything　for　me。〃
　〃He　did；〃　the　general　said。　He　stared　thoughtfully　at　the　dead　man。　〃Leonard；　you've　got　seven　servants　in　this　house。　Did　any　of　them　know　Kingman　was　here？〃
　〃That's　highly　unlikely。　We　brought　him　in　secretly。〃
　For　thirteen　months；　this　wing　of　the　Greenwich　house　had　been　sealed　off　from　the　other　twenty　rooms。　It　had　been　provided　with　a　new　private　entrance；　and　all　of　the　locks　had　been　changed。　The　servants　were　told　that　experiments；　none　of　them　dangerous；　were　being　conducted　for　a　subsidiary　of　Futurex；　and　that　the　security　precautions　were　needed　to　protect　the　operation's　files　and　discoveries　from　industrial　espionage。
　〃Is　the　household　staff　still　curious　about　what　goes　on　here？〃　Klinger　asked。
　〃No；〃　Dawson　said。　〃So　far　as　they　can　see；　nothing's　happened　in　the　past　year。　The　sealed　wing　has　lost　its　mystery。〃
　〃Then　I　think　we　can　bury　Kingman　on　the　estate　without　too　much　risk。〃　He　faced　Salsbury。　〃What　happened？　How　did　he　die？〃
　Salsbury　sat　on　a　high；　white　stool　at　the　head　of　the　autopsy　table；　hooked　his　heels　around　one　of　its　rungs；　and　spoke　to　them　across　the　corpse。　〃We　brought　Kingman　here　for　the　first　time　in　early　February。　He　thought　he　was　helping　us　with　some　sociological　research　that　had　important　business　applications　for　Futurex。　During　forty　hours　of　interviews　with　him；　I　learned　everything　I　wanted　to　know　about　the　man's　likes；　dislikes；　prejudices；　personality　quirks；　desires；　and　basic　thought　processes。　Later；　at　the　end　of　February；　I　went　through　the　transcripts　of　those　interviews　and　selected　five　test　points；　five　of　Kingman's　attitudes　and/or　opinions　that　I　would　try　to　reverse　with　a　series　of　subliminals。〃
　He　had　chosen　three　simple　test　points　and　two　plex　ones。　Kingman　craved　chocolate　candy；　chocolate　cake；　chocolate　in　every　form；　and　Salsbury　wanted　to　make　him　ill　at　the　first　taste　of　chocolate。　He　couldn't　and　wouldn't　eat　broccoli；　but　Salsbury　wanted　to　make　him　like　it。　Kingman　had　an　ingrained　fear　of　dogs；　an　attempt　to　transform　that　fear　into　affection　would　constitute　the　third　of　the　simple　test　points。　The　remaining　two　indices　presented　Salsbury　with　a　far　greater　chance　of　failure；　for　to　deal　with　them　he　would　have　to　design　subliminal　mands　that　bored　especially　deeply　into　King…
　man's　psyche。　First　of　all；　Kingman　was　an　atheist；　a　fact　he　had　hidden　successfully　from　Dawson　for　five　years。　Secondly；　he　was　extremely　prejudiced　against　blacks。　Making　him　over　into　a　God…loving；　prayer…saying　champion　of　the　Negro　would　be　far　more　difficult　than　twisting　his　taste　for　chocolate　into　a　loathing　of　it。
　By　the　second　week　of　April；　Salsbury　pleted　the　subliminal　program。
　Kingman　was　brought　back　to　the　Greenwich　house　on　the　fifteenth　of　that　month…ostensibly　to　participate　in　additional　sociological　research　for　Futurex。　Although　he　wasn't　aware　of　it；　he　was　fed　the　subliminal　primer；　the　drug；　on　April　15。　Salsbury　put　him　under　close　medical　observation　and　ran　tests　on　him　for　three　days；　but　he　could　find　no　indications　of　a　temporary　toxic　state；　permanent　tissue　damage；　a　change　in　blood　chemistry；　noticeable　psychological　damage；　or　any　other　deleterious　side…effects　attributable　to　the　drug。
　At　the　end　of　those　three　days；　on　April　19；　still　in　excellent　health；　Kingman　took　part　in　what　he　thought　was　an　experiment　in　visual　perception。　He　was　shown　two　feature…length　motion　pictures　in　one　afternoon；　and　at　the　conclusion　of　each　film　he　was　required　to　answer　a　hundred　questions　that　dealt　with　what　he　had　just　seen。　His　answers　were　unimportant；　and　they　were　filed　only　because　Salsbury　habitually　filed　every　scrap　of　paper　in　his　laboratory。　The　experiment　actually　had　only　one　purpose：　while　Kingman　was　watching　the　films；　he　was　also　unwittingly　absorbing　three　hours　of　subliminal　programming　that　was　meant　to　change　five　of　his　attitudes。
　The　events　of　the　following　day；　April　20；　proved　the　effectiveness　of　Salsbury's　drug　and　subliminal　programs。　At　breakfast；　Kingman　tried　to　eat　a　chocolate　doughnut；　dropped　it　after　one　bite；　quickly　excused　himself　from　the　table；　went　to　the　nearest　bathroom；　and　threw　up。　At　lunch　he　ate　four　portions　of　broccoli　in　butter　sauce　with　his　pork　chops。　That　afternoon；　when　Dawson　took　him　on　a　tour　of　the　estate；　Kingman　spent　fifteen　minutes　playing　with　several　of　the　guard　dogs　in　the　kennel。　After　dinner；　when　Ogden　and　Dawson
　began　to　discuss　the　continuing　efforts　to　integrate　the　public　schools　in　the　North；　Kingman　came　on　like　a　life…long　liberal；　an　ardent　advocate　of　equal　rights。　And　finally；　unaware　of　the　two　videotape　cameras　that　monitored　his　bedroom　in　the　sealed　wing；　he　had　said　his　prayers　before　going　to　sleep。
　Standing　now　beside　the　corpse；　smiling　beatifically；　Dawson　said　to　Klinger；　〃You　should　have　seen　it；　Ernst！　It　was　terribly　inspiring。　Ogden　took　an　atheist；　a　soul　condemned　to　burn　in　Hell；　and　converted　him　into　a　faithful　disciple　of　Jesus。　And　all　on　one　day！〃
　Salsbury　was　uneasy。　He　shifted　on　the　stool。　Ignoring　Dawson；　staring　at　the　middle　of　the　general's　forehead；　he　said；　〃Kingman　left　the　estate　on　April　twenty…first。　I　set　to　work　immediately　to　design　the　ultimate　series　of　subliminals；　the　one　we　three　have　discussed　a　hundred　times；　the　program　that　would　give　me　total　and　permanent　control　of　the　subject's　mind　through　the　use　of　a　code　phrase。　I　finished　it　on　the　fifth　of　June。　We　brought　Kingman　back　here　on　the　eighth；　two　days　ago。〃
　〃He　wasn't　suspicious？〃　Klinger　asked。　〃Or　upset　about　all　of　this　travel　he　was　asked　to　do？〃
　〃To　the　contrary；〃　Dawson　said。　〃He　was　pleased　that　I　was　using　him　for　such　a　special　project；　even　if　he　didn't　fully　understand　what　it　was。　He　saw　it　as　a　sign　of　my　faith　in　him。　And　he　thought　that；　if　he　made　himself　available　for　Ogden's　work；　he　would　be　promoted　much　sooner　than　he　might　have　been　otherwise。　His　behavior　wasn't　peculiar。　I've　seen　it　in　every　ambitious　young　executive　and　management　trainee　I've　ever　known。〃
　Tired　of　standing；　the　general　went　to　the　nearest　puter　console；　swiveled　the　mand　chair　away　from　the　keyboard；　and　sat　down。　He　was　almost　entirely　in　the　shadows。　Green　light　from　a　display　screen　washed　across　his　right　shoulder　and　that　side　of　his　brutal　face。　He　looked　like　a　troll。　〃Okay。　You　finished　the　program　on　the　fifth。　Kingman　came　up　here　again　on　the　eighth。　You　fed　him　the　primer…〃
　〃No；〃　Salsbury　said。　〃Once　the　drug　has　been　administered
　to　a　subject；　there's　no　need　to　give　him　a　booster　dose；　not　even　years　later。　When　Kingman　arrived；　I　began　at　once　with　the　subliminal　program。　I　ran　two　films　for　him　during　the　evening。　That　night；　the　night　before　last；　he　had　a　very　bad　dream。　He　woke　up；　sweating；　chilled；　shaking；　dazed；　and　nauseated。　He　had　trouble　getting　his　breath。　He　vomited　beside　the　bed。〃
　〃Fever？〃　Klinger　asked。
　〃Do　you　think　he　had　a　delayed　reaction　to　the　drug…a　month　and　a　half　delayed？〃
　〃Maybe；〃　Salsbury　said。　But　he　obviously　didn't　think　that　was　the　case。　He　got　off　the　stool；　went　to　his　desk　in　a　dark　corner　of　the　room；　and　came　back　with　a　puter　print…out。　〃This　is　a　record　of　Kingman's　sleep　patterns　between　one　o'clock　and　three　o'clock　this　morning。　That's　the　crucial　period。〃　He　handed　it　to　Dawson。　〃Yesterday；　I　showed　Kingman　two　more