sent two Irish boys to get her statement. They proclaimed ignorance about what was going on up north, so she gave them a vague rehash of what had happened that night and told them that if they wanted to know the particulars, they had better come back with someone who could answer her questions. The same pair returned the following day with no answers for her and took another shot. She ignored them until they finally gave up and left, frustrated.
Now her new friend Billy Fitzgerald had said the feds sent two bigwigs from Washington – the two bozos who had rushed into her quarantine room sans hazmat gear. She had assaulted two federal officers, put both men in the hospital, and instead of being cuffed and hauled away, Army Boy was telling her all she had to do was sign these forms and she would be free to go, no charges filed and no more questions.
Interesting.
Darby shifted in her chair, the other strap digging into her arm.
‘What am I signing?’
‘Medical release forms and some other things,’ he said. ‘Go on and give it a read. You’re going to love it. It’s a real page-turner.’
21
Darby flipped through the stack of sheets with her free hand. Fifty-two pages packed with fine print. She started to read.
The front part, the first fourteen pages, consisted of forms releasing the BU Biomedical lab from any medical liability. After that came page after page of confidentiality agreements that spelled out, in excruciating detail, all the legal ramifications: ten years in prison along with a multitude of fines that, if they were ever enforced, would successfully bankrupt her – if she should ever feel oh so inclined to share any information about what she had seen or heard here during her treatment.
The bulk of the pages, though, concerned the events of that night in New Hampshire. Lots of fine print crammed with that mind-numbing legalese that made her head spin. She kept seeing the phrase ‘the USA Patriot Act’ in almost every line. The Patriot Act, a law enacted by former president George W. Bush the month after 9/11, gave law enforcement agencies the right to search anyone’s telephone, email, financial and medical records – any record, for that matter – without a court order.
She looked up and said, ‘A little extreme, don’t you think?’
‘When it comes to matters of domestic terrorism and national security, you bet we’re extreme.’
Especially when you’re trying to hide something . Darby didn’t need to voice this; it hung in the air between them. She looked at the man’s cold gaze and wondered what, exactly, he was so afraid she was going to find.
‘I need my lawyer to review this before I sign,’ she said. ‘There’s a lot of legal language in here I don’t understand.’
‘Really? I think it’s pretty straightforward.’
‘I’d still like my lawyer to look at it.’
‘Sure, we can do that. Might take, oh, a week or two before our guys can get to it. You know how busy lawyers are. While they’re working it out, you’re going to have to stay here.’ He grinned. ‘Liability issues.’
‘Do I get copies after I sign?’
‘We’ll forward them to you after we get the appropriate signatures.’
‘From whom? I don’t see any names listed here except mine.’
‘Make sure you read pages fifteen through twenty real carefully, as they spell out in great detail what will happen if we catch you poking that pretty little nose of yours into this matter. In simple terms, we’ll have you arrested. That wouldn’t go over too well with the Boston brass, given your rather, ah, tenuous position with them over that matter involving the police commissioner. You wouldn’t want to deep-six any remaining chances you might have for reinstatement – or any future employment opportunities, say, in another state.’
Billy Fitzgerald’s eyes were dancing, all bright and confident. ‘In other words, the US Army owns that pretty little ass of yours.’
Darby felt her face flush
Now her new friend Billy Fitzgerald had said the feds sent two bigwigs from Washington – the two bozos who had rushed into her quarantine room sans hazmat gear. She had assaulted two federal officers, put both men in the hospital, and instead of being cuffed and hauled away, Army Boy was telling her all she had to do was sign these forms and she would be free to go, no charges filed and no more questions.
Interesting.
Darby shifted in her chair, the other strap digging into her arm.
‘What am I signing?’
‘Medical release forms and some other things,’ he said. ‘Go on and give it a read. You’re going to love it. It’s a real page-turner.’
21
Darby flipped through the stack of sheets with her free hand. Fifty-two pages packed with fine print. She started to read.
The front part, the first fourteen pages, consisted of forms releasing the BU Biomedical lab from any medical liability. After that came page after page of confidentiality agreements that spelled out, in excruciating detail, all the legal ramifications: ten years in prison along with a multitude of fines that, if they were ever enforced, would successfully bankrupt her – if she should ever feel oh so inclined to share any information about what she had seen or heard here during her treatment.
The bulk of the pages, though, concerned the events of that night in New Hampshire. Lots of fine print crammed with that mind-numbing legalese that made her head spin. She kept seeing the phrase ‘the USA Patriot Act’ in almost every line. The Patriot Act, a law enacted by former president George W. Bush the month after 9/11, gave law enforcement agencies the right to search anyone’s telephone, email, financial and medical records – any record, for that matter – without a court order.
She looked up and said, ‘A little extreme, don’t you think?’
‘When it comes to matters of domestic terrorism and national security, you bet we’re extreme.’
Especially when you’re trying to hide something . Darby didn’t need to voice this; it hung in the air between them. She looked at the man’s cold gaze and wondered what, exactly, he was so afraid she was going to find.
‘I need my lawyer to review this before I sign,’ she said. ‘There’s a lot of legal language in here I don’t understand.’
‘Really? I think it’s pretty straightforward.’
‘I’d still like my lawyer to look at it.’
‘Sure, we can do that. Might take, oh, a week or two before our guys can get to it. You know how busy lawyers are. While they’re working it out, you’re going to have to stay here.’ He grinned. ‘Liability issues.’
‘Do I get copies after I sign?’
‘We’ll forward them to you after we get the appropriate signatures.’
‘From whom? I don’t see any names listed here except mine.’
‘Make sure you read pages fifteen through twenty real carefully, as they spell out in great detail what will happen if we catch you poking that pretty little nose of yours into this matter. In simple terms, we’ll have you arrested. That wouldn’t go over too well with the Boston brass, given your rather, ah, tenuous position with them over that matter involving the police commissioner. You wouldn’t want to deep-six any remaining chances you might have for reinstatement – or any future employment opportunities, say, in another state.’
Billy Fitzgerald’s eyes were dancing, all bright and confident. ‘In other words, the US Army owns that pretty little ass of yours.’
Darby felt her face flush
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