Hjalmar nodded."Anything new on Saylor?"
Nikolai checked his phone."Nothing."How hard could it be to find one man?
"They'll get him.His photo is all over."
"Yeah?"
"Yes.Medlin held a press conference, asking the public to report any sightings of him.I'm not envious of those who have to take the calls."
Nikolai huffed.
"Hey, why don't you head home to shower and change, grab something to eat."
Nikolai was about to protest when Hjalmar raised an eyebrow at him."He'll most likely sleep for some time now, and I promised to get Mom and Dad when they land, and I don't want him to be alone then."
Sighing, Nikolai rubbed a hand over his face."Fine.But I'll be back in half an hour."
"Take your time.I'll call if he wakes."Hjalmar pulled the armchair placed in the corner by the window closer to the bed, sat, kicked off his shoes, and rested his feet on the edge of Frode's mattress.He might be the picture of relaxation, but he wouldn't allow anyone to get close to Frode.
Nikolai sighed, bent over the bed, and kissed Frode's forehead."I'll be back soon."
Hjalmar waved and got his phone out of his pocket.
It was hard to walk away.He followed the corridor to the elevator and hesitated.Maybe it would be better if he stayed.He wasn't planning on seeing anyone, so what did it matter if he wasn't his freshest?Then he remembered Frode's parents would arrive this evening and sighed.He pressed the elevator button and waited.
Riding to the entrance floor, he realized he didn't know where his car was parked.Isaac had handed his key over, but where had he said he'd parked?Nikolai hadn't been paying attention.
He grabbed his phone and called.There were people coming and going, so he tried to find a quiet corner away from the reception desk.
"Elmore."
"Hi, it's me.Where did you say you parked my car?"
An amused huff."Parking garage across the street from the entrance.You're on the third floor, near the end of the row right outside the elevator."
Nikolai headed toward the door."Thank you."
"Is he awake?"
"He woke, the doctor talked to him, but I don't know how much he understood of it.He said there were three clocks on the wall, so...He asked if we've caught Saylor, though, so I think he remembers what happened."
"Green and Ramirez want to talk to him."
"Tell them not until tomorrow."
"I'll see what I can do, but Green is a fucking nightmare."
Nikolai jogged across the street and walked into the parking garage.He spotted the elevator to his left and walked toward it."I didn't think he cared about Frode."
Isaac grunted."I don't think he does, but this will look bad in his report.He kept us there, going through what we'd found over and over when we wanted to go to Frode because we were worried.Had he allowed us to leave ten, maybe even five minutes earlier, we could've caught Saylor before he hurt Frode."Isaac almost sounded gleeful.A testament to how much he disliked Green since Nikolai knew he wasn't pleased about Frode being hurt.
"I'm heading home to shower and change, then I'll be back here."
The elevator arrived, and Nikolai stepped in.
"I'm in the elevator now so the call might disconnect."
"Okay.I'll keep you posted."
