“Exactly what do you mean by a ‘double’?” Jack asked.

“Are you people part of the Pittsburgh team?” Horace asked. He looked over at Laurie.

“No, we’re part of the New York team,” Jack said. “And we’re fascinated by your case. We’re glad you are doing so well, and we’re here to learn.” Jack smiled and spread his hands palms up. “We’re all ears. Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

“You mean how I got sick?” Horace asked. He was plainly confused.

“No, how you arranged to have your transplant here in Africa,” Jack said. “And I’d like to know what you mean by a double. Did you by any chance get a liver taken from some kind of ape?”

Horace gave a little nervous laugh and shook his head. “What’s going on here?” he questioned. He glanced again at Laurie and then at Natalie and Warren, who were still standing in the doorway.

“Uh-oh!” Laurie suddenly voiced. She was staring out the window. “There’s a bunch of soldiers running this way across the square.”

Warren quickly crossed the room and looked out. “Shit, man. They mean business!”

Jack stood up, reached out, and grasped Horace by the shoulders. He leaned his face close to the patient’s. “You are really going to disappoint me if you don’t answer my questions, and I do the strangest things when I’m disappointed. What kind of animal was it, a chimpanzee?”

“They’re coming to the hospital,” Warren yelled. “And they all have AK-47’s.”

“Come on!” Jack urged Horace while giving the man a little shake. “Talk to me. Was it a chimpanzee?” Jack tightened his hold on the man.

“It was a bonobo,” Horace squeaked. He was terrified.

“Is that a type of ape?” Jack demanded.

“Yes,” Horace managed.

“Come on, man!” Warren encouraged. He was back at the door. “We got to get our asses out of here.”

“And what did you mean by a double?” Jack asked.

Laurie grabbed Jack’s arm. “There’s no time. Those soldiers will be up here in a minute.”

Reluctantly, Jack let go of Horace and allowed himself to be dragged to the door. “Damn, I was so close,” he complained.

Warren was waving frantically for them to follow him and Natalie down the central corridor toward the back of the building, when the elevator door opened. Out stepped Cameron with his Beretta clutched in his hand.

“Everyone halt!” Cameron shouted the moment he saw the strangers. He grabbed his gun in both hands and trained it on Warren and Natalie. Then he swept it around to aim at Jack and Laurie. For Cameron, the problem was that his adversaries were on either side of him. When he was looking at one group, he couldn’t see the other.

“Hands on top of your heads,” Cameron commanded. He motioned with the barrel of his gun.

Everyone complied, although every time Cameron swung the gun toward Jack and Laurie, Warren approached another step toward him.

“No one is going to get hurt,” Cameron said as he brought the gun back toward Warren.