Free (1988) The Golden Room by Irving Wallace

cents.’
    As he fumbled for the dime, Varney was startled by the costliness of the call. His entire lunch at noon had amounted to three cents — two cents for the hot dog sandwich and one cent for the coffee. Nevertheless, he turned over the dime and gave the young woman the phone number to the mayor’s office. Waiting, he felt an undercurrent of real excitement at what he had accomplished. He knew that the mayor, or whomever was in his office awaiting this call, would be just as excited.
    ‘Here’s your party,’ said the operator, handing up the telephone and receiver.
    He heard a feminine voice on the line. ‘Hello, hello.’ He realized that it was Karen Grant who was on the line.
    Aware that the public operator could overhear him, he decided to make his own tone as inaudible as possible and made his words cryptic.
    ‘It’s Gus,’ he said.
    Karen replied, ‘The mayor asked me to stand by for your call, and to phone him at once if there is good news. He’d come over to meet with you.’
    ‘Good news,’ said Varney softly. ‘Very good news.’
    ‘Oh, that’s wonderful. I’ll see that the mayor is here to meet you.’
    ‘Tell him not to rush. It would take me half an hour to get to the office, but I have to make one other stop first. I can’t explain. It’ll delay me another half-hour.’
    ‘I’ll tell Mayor Harrison.’
    ‘Tell him. See you.’
    ‘See you,’ said Karen Grant.
    Varney hung up, and returned the telephone to the public operator.
    Quickly, he left the Zion Hotel lobby to cross over to the opposite corner and await Fanny before taking a detour to Dr Holmes’s office and then going on to Mayor Harrison’s office.
    He felt triumphant as the hotel door closed behind him. He just hoped that he had not contracted syphilis too.
    Dr Herman Holmes had no sooner pulled on his white medical jacket than the doorbell rang.
    He went from his office to the entrance and opened the door.
    Fanny, whatever her last name was, stood there, wearing a great feathered hat. She was with the man called Simon, whatever his real name was. Both were unable to conceal their nervousness.
    Dr Holmes beckoned them inside, led them to his austere office, and ordered them to be seated.
    He lowered himself into a chair behind his desk. ‘It won’t take long,’ he said, ‘but allow me to explain the procedure. I’m going to examine you once again, Fanny, in better light, just to be absolutely sure of my diagnosis. Then if necessary, I’ll examine you, Mr Simon, to learn if there are any signs of your having the disease.’
    ‘I certainly hope not,’ said Varney.
    ‘There’s a fifty-fifty chance. If you show no evidence of the disease, you have not a thing to worry about. If you do show any signs of syphilis, I’ll treat you just as I’ll treat Fanny.’
    ‘I’ve never had it before,’ said Fanny. ‘What are you going to do to cure me?’
    ‘If the syphilis has been absorbed into your blood, I’ll prescribe the mercury treatment,’ explained Dr Holmes. ‘I’ll give you mercury in the form of pills, and then you’ll need — your friend as well - a mercury vapour bath.’
    ‘It won’t take long, will it?’ asked Varney.
    ‘No more than the examination itself.’ Dr Holmes stood up. ‘Now follow me down the hall to my examining-room.’
    ‘I thought you were going to examine us here,’ said Fanny, rising.
    ‘I prefer to undertake examinations of this sort in an isolated room,’ said Dr Holmes. ‘Please come along.’
    He walked them both to the rear and pushed a button, sliding open the door to his airtight room.
    ‘Come inside,’ he ordered.
    Dr Holmes went into the chamber, followed by a bewildered Fanny and Varney.
    The physician led them to an oversized examining-table in the centre of the room, and waved his hand at the features of the room around him.
    ‘The sheeting and covered windows are to give absolute assurance of privacy. I suggest you both undress and seat yourselves side by