AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He was patient with her and repeated the simple question until she was confident she could speak it clearly. They went through the hospital switchboard, but no calls were being forwarded to Rigoberto’s room. “Now what?” she asked.
“We’ll buy flowers in the gift shop and carry them upstairs to his room.”
“We don’t know where his room is,” she reminded him.
“Watch me.” He led her into the gift shop and selected the largest bouquet they had. The clerk stared at him, frowning as though she knew him but couldn’t recall his name. He paid with cash so there would be no trace he’d been there. He turned to Libby. “Do you remember Rigoberto’s room number? I should have written it down.”
“No, it went right out of my head,” Libby replied with a superbly innocence gaze.
“Could you tell us Rigoberto Avila’s room number?” Santos asked the clerk.
The clerk chewed her lip. “We’re not supposed to release the room numb
ers. You’ll have to go to the front desk and ask.”
“I understand, privacy. We’ll ask, but will you send the flowers up to Rigoberto’s room for us so we don’t have to carry them around with us?”
“Yes, sir, I can do that.”
“Thank you.”
“Wait, don’t you want to sign a card?”
“Of course.” He took a small card from the display beside the cash register. “What should we say? Get well soon seems inappropriate.”
“Maybe just love from your aunt and uncle?” Libby suggested.
“Perfect.” Santos wrote Rigoberto Avila on the envelope and enclosed the best wishes from his aunt and uncle. “Will those reach his room soon?”
“I’ll have one of our other clerks take them upstairs right away.”
Santos thanked her again and led Libby down the hall to the elevators, where they could observe the entrance of the gift shop. He checked his watch. “This should work, but Rigoberto will have the flowers even if it doesn’t.”
“That’s very generous of you.”
Santos touched a finger to his lips. “Try and appear serious, as though we were visiting a desperately ill nephew.”
Libby took a tissue from her purse and dabbed her eyes. “How’s this.”
“Perfect. Look.”
A young man with a clerk’s green knit shirt was walking toward them carrying the beautiful flowers. He pressed the elevator call button and smiled at them. Santos nodded and dipped his chin to avoid being recognized. They entered the elevator together, along with another couple. Santos waited for the clerk to push the button for the fourth floor and stood back. The couple left on the third.
“What beautiful flowers,” Libby said. She leaned close to read the room number written on the card, but there was only Rigoberto’s name.
“Sorry, no English,” the clerk responded, and a bright blush filled his cheeks.
Santos translated for him and added his thoughts on how women adored flowers for every occasion. When the orderly left the elevator, they followed at a discreet distance. The young man turned right at the first corner and entered the intensive care unit. There was a policeman stationed at the door. The clerk spoke to him and left the flowers at the desk. He nodded to Santos and Libby as he walked by.
Santos pulled Libby close. “I’ll bet the guard is there for Avila. We’re not relatives, and they won’t let us in. I should have asked Cazares to find out how Avila is. He probably knows someone here.”
“He’d have sources, and we don’t. Oh no, here comes Nuñez.”
Santos glanced toward the elevators and winced. He forced a smile. “We were hoping to find out how Rigoberto Avila is doing. Do you have an update?”
The detective appeared astonished to see them. “It’s more likely you were hoping to make certain he was deceased and help him into that category if he wasn’t.”
Santos shook his head. “This visit may be ill-advised, but we’re curious, that’s all.”
