THE ANTIDOTE

     Pratt had to retrieve the antidote to save Sabine before it was too late.  He wasn't a hundred percent sure it would work but he had to try.  He had to get to his apartment and make it to Sabine's in time.  He got on the C train and arrived at Third Avenue fifteen minutes later.  He went into his fridge where he kept the vials.  The ones with blue liquid were the antidote.  There were two vials.  His hand was shaking, he took one out then dropped it on the floor causing it to shatter.  Figures.  Pratt cursed himself.  Good thing there were two.  He put it in his pocket and ran down the stairs without wiping it off the floor.  He ran into his neighbor who tried to say hello, but rushed out the building.

     Pratt ran into the building and practically screamed at the doorman. 'I'm here to see Sabine Gallows!" he yelled.  The doorman was taken by surprise.  He couldn't believe Sabine could be acquainted with an individual like this. He said, 'Wait til i call her.  Just calm down, mister.  What's your name?'

     Pratt felt foolish.  He tried to catch his breath.  He took his inhaler out and took a deep breath.  He was still anxious but he could not show his terror.

     The doorman hung up the phone and said to go up to 9D, eyeing him with suspicion.

     Sabine was waiting for him outside the door.  'Nimo.  What a wonderful surprise.  You don't want me to cook that dinner I promised you now, do you?'

      'Uh, I just wanted to drop in and say hello,'  he replied.

     'Well, won't you come in for a cup of tea?'

     'That would be just fine, Sabine,'

     They entered a large room with a spiral staircase off to the side.  Sabine put out some mugs and began boiling water.  They made chitchat, Pratt telling her that he just got back from India where he and his team of marine biologists cleaned out a rotting river that killed the trout and other marine life.

     She poured the tea and sat down beside him on the couch. 'Wow, that is so fascinating.  It was so good of New Zealand's institute to allow you to transfer all that trout to fill up the Tirthan River.'
     'Yes, it was a memorable trip' he said, sipping his tea.

     A half hour into the conversation, Sabine started to sound loopy.  He just observed her, grateful that he made it on time.  However, he had to wait until paralysis came on before he could administer the drug so she wouldn't be aware of what was happening to her.  Luckily, she wouldn't remember all that happened. That was the side effect of the antidote.

     'Nimo' 'she said drowsily.  'I can't feel my legs.  I can't move.'  She began to panic.

    'It's okay,' Nimo assured her.  He took the vial out with the syringe.  He filled it up with the tetrodoxin.  Meanwhile, Sabine was losing her ability to talk, now that her mouth was paralyzed.  Her eyes closed.

     He took her arm, rolled up her sleeve and gingerly injected it into her arm.  It would take about twenty minutes for her to wake up and regain her movement.  He left Sabine reclining on the couch.  She would think that she had fallen asleep.  He began putting the mugs away.  At that moment the phone started ringing.  The answering machine came on and a loud, incoherent voice kept repeating 'Sam's dead.'  He said that Sabine should come to bellvue to i.d. the body.

     Pratt was dumfounded.  Finch was really dead.  He must have drunk the wine.  His plan materialized.  There would be no blackmailing him now.  He got on the train and got home.  He entered the bar that was beneath his apartment.

     'I never liked Jimmy Cho anyway,' mused Pratt. 'Maybe the rock I threw did kill him.  They were throwing rocks at me.'  He was just defending himself from the two bullies.  Pratt couldn't get it out of his mind.  He would occasionally have night terrors about that day.  He would have a mental breakdown for a couple of days that made it necessary for him to admit himself to Silver Lake Pines.  Rage is a personal affair.