Twins by Wood Bari & Geasland Jack

Author:Wood, Bari & Geasland, Jack [Wood, Bari & Geasland, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction.Horror
ISBN: 9780451136541
Google: mUzuAQAACAAJ
Amazon: 0595179274
Barnesnoble: 0595179274
Goodreads: 9222978
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2014-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“Bill, what’s wrong with my brother?” David asked.

You are, Friedman wanted to say; and if you’d take a flying fuck to the moon, Michael and his wife would be just fine, there wouldn’t be any abortion tomorrow afternoon, and I wouldn’t have to spend the rest of my life lying to my best friend, wondering what his kid would have been like. He stared at David, and couldn’t understand why people thought the twins looked so much alike. He didn’t. David was handsomer for one... prettier, Friedman thought nastily, everything about him looked groomed—his hair, his clothes, even his nails. He was so angry at David that he couldn’t talk.

David waited and finally Friedman was able to say, “Michael’s working too hard. All of his patients die and he cares too much. It’s a bad mix.”

“Is it just the work?”

Friedman didn’t answer.

“Is it?” David asked again.

Friedman looked around. It was almost three and the cafeteria was practically empty. No one was at the next table.

“No,” he said quietly. “I don’t think that is all.”

David waited.

“I think Mike’s taking something.”

As far as Friedman could tell, David’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t even look surprised.

“Taking what?” he asked calmly.

“I’m not sure, but I think he’s on the upper-downer go around.”

“If you’re right,” David said, “then the downer could be a real problem, couldn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think it is?”

“I’m guessing it’s Seconal.”

Friedman saw a tic of something on the twin’s face, but he couldn’t identify it.

“It’s addicting, isn’t it?” David asked.

“A lot of people seem to think so.”

“How long does it take?” David asked softly.

“I’m not a pharmacologist, David.” He was going to scream.

David sensed the anger and took another tack. “I’ve told him to give up the fellowship, Bill. I want him to go into practice. I think that’s the only answer for him.”

Friedman thought so too.

Then David said, “I even offered to set up with him.” He saw the look on Friedman’s face and stopped talking.

Friedman stood up slowly, deliberately, and just as deliberately he dropped his spoon on the plastic-topped table.

“You want to help your brother, David? Then leave him alone. Just leave him alone.”

He didn’t wait for David to answer; he walked across the cafeteria and out the door into the hall, knowing David was watching him.

Friedman couldn’t forget David’s reaction. He couldn’t forget about Kathy and tomorrow, and he started thinking that the Rosses were taking over his life. He wanted to tell his wife about Kathy, but he couldn’t. He did tell her about David. But David was Beth’s favorite, so she defended him the way she always did.

“Of course David looked odd,” Beth said. “You’d just told him that his twin brother was becoming a junkie.”

“I didn’t tell him any such thing.”

“Not in so many words, maybe; but that’s what it comes down to. So he’s worried about Michael.” She was clearing the table in double-time, trying to get the pot roast into the kitchen before they ate any more of it.

“But that’s just

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