Side Effects by Michael Palmer
Authors: Michael Palmer
Tags: Fiction, thriller, Suspense, Medical, Mystery, Mystery & Detective - General, Fiction - Espionage
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design consulting firm that she had run alone for several years from their home and more recently from a small studio cum office in town.
Sandy, with his flamboyance, his stature as a 747 captain, and his versatile wit, was the magnet that drew many fascinating and accomplished people into the Sandlers' social circle. Ellen, Kate believed, was the glue that kept them there.
"So, Sandy," she said, dropping a celery stick into his drink and sliding it across the table, "what brings Page 20
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you north of Boston? How are Ellen and the girls?" It was at that moment that she first appreciated the sadness in his eyes.
"I ... well actually, I was just driving around and decided to cruise up here. Sort of a whim. I ... I needed to talk to Jared ... and to you."
"You and Ellen?" Jared's sense of his friend told him immediately what to ask.
"I ... I'm leaving her. Moving out." Sandier stared uncomfortably into the center of his drink. At his words, Kate felt a dreadful sinking in her gut.
Ellen had stated on many occasions and in many ways the uncompromising love she bore for the man. How long had they been married, now? Eighteen years? Nineteen, maybe?
"Holy shit," Jared whispered, setting a hand on Sandler's forearm. "What's happened?"
"Nothing. I mean nothing dramatic. Somewhere along the way, we just lost one another."
"Sandy, people who have been married for almost twenty years don't just lose one another," Kate said.
"Now what has happened?" There was an irritability in her voice which surprised her. Jared's expression suggested that he, too, was startled by her tone.
Sandier shrugged. "Well, between running the house and entertaining and taking the girls to one lesson or another and scouts and committees at our club and that business of hers, Ellen simply ran out of energy for me. In some areas, meals and such, she still goes through the motions, but without much spark."
"How is Ellen handling all this?" Kate asked, checking Jared's face for a sign that she might be interloping with too many questions. The message she received was noncommittal.
"She doesn't know yet."
"What?" Her exclamation this time drew a be careful glare.
"I just decided yesterday. But I've been thinking about it for weeks. Longer. I was hoping you two might have some suggestions as to how I should go about breaking the news to her."
"Have you been to a counsellor or a shrink or something?" Jared asked the question.
"It's too late." "What do you mean? You just said Ellen doesn't even know what you're planning to do." Jared sounded baffled.
Across the table, Kate closed her eyes. She knew the explanation.
"There's someone else," Sandier said self-consciously.
"A flight attendant. I ... we've been seeing one another for some time." For Kate the words were like needle stabs. Jared was pressing to get a commitment from her to alter her life along pathways Ellen Sandier could negotiate blindfolded.
Yet here was Sandy, like Jared in so many ways, rejecting the woman for not devoting enough energy to him. The image of Ellen sitting there while he announced his intentions made her first queasy and then frightened. The fear, as happened more often than not, mutated into anger before it could be expressed.
"Ellen doesn't deserve this," she said, backing away from the table. " 'We just lost one another.' Sandy, don't you think that's sort of a sleazy explanation for what's really going on? How old is this woman?"
"Twenty-six. But I don't see what her ..."
"I know you don't see. You don't see a lot of things."
Jared stood up. "Now just one second, Kate."
"And you don't see a lot of things either, dammit."
There were tears streaming down her face. "You two boys work out how you're gonna break the news to Ellen that she did everything she goddamn well could in life--more than both of you put together, probably--but that it just wasn't enough. She's fired. Dismissed. Not
Sandy, with his flamboyance, his stature as a 747 captain, and his versatile wit, was the magnet that drew many fascinating and accomplished people into the Sandlers' social circle. Ellen, Kate believed, was the glue that kept them there.
"So, Sandy," she said, dropping a celery stick into his drink and sliding it across the table, "what brings Page 20
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
you north of Boston? How are Ellen and the girls?" It was at that moment that she first appreciated the sadness in his eyes.
"I ... well actually, I was just driving around and decided to cruise up here. Sort of a whim. I ... I needed to talk to Jared ... and to you."
"You and Ellen?" Jared's sense of his friend told him immediately what to ask.
"I ... I'm leaving her. Moving out." Sandier stared uncomfortably into the center of his drink. At his words, Kate felt a dreadful sinking in her gut.
Ellen had stated on many occasions and in many ways the uncompromising love she bore for the man. How long had they been married, now? Eighteen years? Nineteen, maybe?
"Holy shit," Jared whispered, setting a hand on Sandler's forearm. "What's happened?"
"Nothing. I mean nothing dramatic. Somewhere along the way, we just lost one another."
"Sandy, people who have been married for almost twenty years don't just lose one another," Kate said.
"Now what has happened?" There was an irritability in her voice which surprised her. Jared's expression suggested that he, too, was startled by her tone.
Sandier shrugged. "Well, between running the house and entertaining and taking the girls to one lesson or another and scouts and committees at our club and that business of hers, Ellen simply ran out of energy for me. In some areas, meals and such, she still goes through the motions, but without much spark."
"How is Ellen handling all this?" Kate asked, checking Jared's face for a sign that she might be interloping with too many questions. The message she received was noncommittal.
"She doesn't know yet."
"What?" Her exclamation this time drew a be careful glare.
"I just decided yesterday. But I've been thinking about it for weeks. Longer. I was hoping you two might have some suggestions as to how I should go about breaking the news to her."
"Have you been to a counsellor or a shrink or something?" Jared asked the question.
"It's too late." "What do you mean? You just said Ellen doesn't even know what you're planning to do." Jared sounded baffled.
Across the table, Kate closed her eyes. She knew the explanation.
"There's someone else," Sandier said self-consciously.
"A flight attendant. I ... we've been seeing one another for some time." For Kate the words were like needle stabs. Jared was pressing to get a commitment from her to alter her life along pathways Ellen Sandier could negotiate blindfolded.
Yet here was Sandy, like Jared in so many ways, rejecting the woman for not devoting enough energy to him. The image of Ellen sitting there while he announced his intentions made her first queasy and then frightened. The fear, as happened more often than not, mutated into anger before it could be expressed.
"Ellen doesn't deserve this," she said, backing away from the table. " 'We just lost one another.' Sandy, don't you think that's sort of a sleazy explanation for what's really going on? How old is this woman?"
"Twenty-six. But I don't see what her ..."
"I know you don't see. You don't see a lot of things."
Jared stood up. "Now just one second, Kate."
"And you don't see a lot of things either, dammit."
There were tears streaming down her face. "You two boys work out how you're gonna break the news to Ellen that she did everything she goddamn well could in life--more than both of you put together, probably--but that it just wasn't enough. She's fired. Dismissed. Not
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