Step one was to obtain a boatload of both Co-trimoxazole antibiotics and Demerol—his painkillers of choice. Not as difficult to find as one might think. Harland was well aware that virtually every city had an underground means to obtain pharmaceuticals. Pricy, but what else could one do with an infected hand from multiple snakebites? Add to that the recent fractures to his thumb … He needed the meds at any price. Harland sat in his car, having just finished cleaning his infected hand. The black market pharmaceutical punk had thrown in a bottle of Isopropyl rubbing alcohol and several rolls of hospital-grade gauze and medical tape. He’d already downed the antibiotics and enough Demerol to keep a horse off its feet for a week. Three more wraps of the gauze around his wrist and he was done. He placed two strips of tape around the gauze to secure it in place. He turned his hand over several times to inspect his work. Not too bad. Harland’s second errand was to locate Pippa Rosette.
