One Fine Day You're Gonna Die Read Online Free PDF Page B

your needs? For the past six months, I’ve spent every waking hour trying to figure out what happened between us. I’ve talked to a colleague of ours in psychiatry who knows you. In fact, he was one of your conquests. He says you have a fear of being abandoned—that’s why you always leave other people before they can leave you.”
    â€œI will never leave Kali.”
    â€œOh, but you will. Mastery is as necessary to you as oxygen. One day, you’ll decide that Kali hasn’t turned out quite the way you hoped—she’s too tall or too awkward or too dull or just inconvenient. You’ll tell her it’s time she moved along— that you’ve found this great boarding school for her. She’ll plead with you. She’ll promise to change. She’ll vow to do whatever it takes to become the person you want her to be. That’s when you deliver the coup de grâce and tell her that there is nothing she can do that will make you love her again. There is simply no place for her in your life.”
    â€œGabe, I swear to you…”
    â€œYou’re not trustworthy, Robin. You’ve broken your word before.” There’s no anger in Gabe’s voice—just sorrow. “You offer Kali death by a thousand cuts,” he says. “I offer her oblivion. You tell me which is the real act of love?”
    Robin stands so abruptly that her headset is pulled off and clatters noisily onto the desk.
    â€œFor God’s sake,” she says. “Why isn’t anybody doing anything?”
    Nova’s voice over the talkback is urgent. “Help her, Charlie. We’ll go to music. Dr. Harris chose Verdi’s Requiem when we did the pre-interview. We’ll play the opening.”
    â€œGot it,” I say. I turn back to Gabe and our other 150,000 listeners.
    â€œWe all need a chance to let our pulse rates slow. Verdi’s Requiem —the choice of our guest expert tonight—should do the job.”
    â€œThat will be pleasant,” Gabe says. “Kali and I like Verdi, don’t we?”
    I can hear Kali’s giggle. So can Robin. She buries her face in her hands. I flip off the button that controls my microphone and move my chair closer to hers.
    â€œI know this is hard,” I say, “but try to keep it together. Our producer has been on the phone with the police since we heard Kali’s voice. They figure Gabe’s using his cell phone, but they’re having difficulty tracking his location. You and Gabe were close. Where do you think he would he feel safe with Kali?”
    Robin shrugs. “I don’t know—his new condo maybe. He gave me the address, but I didn’t put it in my book. The hospital will have it.” She frowns. “He wouldn’t take her there. He knows that’s the first place the authorities would look.”
    â€œWas there someplace he and Kali liked to go?”
    â€œAlligator Sam’s. It’s near my house. They have slides, play structures, toys—the kinds of things children enjoy. Gabe said they have a little coffee bar where parents can chat while their children play. Gabe and Kali loved it.”
    â€œIt’s late, Robin. A place for kids would be closed by now.”
    â€œMaybe the hospital…? That was always like home to Gabe.”
    â€œWhich hospital?”
    â€œLakeshore.”
    â€œOkay, I’ll pass that along to Nova, but Lakeshore’s huge. Where would they even begin?”
    â€œWe have codes to alert staff. Code black indicates a personal threat—a hostage situation—a threat of injury or attack. The police will know.”
    â€œGood. But, Robin, I have to tell you. I don’t think Gabe took Kali there. Hospitals are noisy places, and I didn’t pick up any background noise on Gabe’s end of the call.”
    â€œThat’s not right,” Robin says. “There was that bell sound. You noticed it, but I