AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘She’s lying, but she’s letting you off because she loves you. Jeez, she’s a good kid.’
‘Thanks for talking some sense into me the other—’
‘Time to go. It’s been half an hour,’ she said, getting to her feet.
Bryant fell into step beside her as she headed towards the ITU. It was almost 5a.m. and the corridors were filling with people about to start their day. The middle-of-the-night intimacy was gone.
‘Can you imagine anything worse though?’ Bryant asked.
‘What, than having Keats waiting to cut me open with his selection of serial-killer tools?’
‘Not what I meant, but that’s a tough act to follow. I was talking about being unable to move but your brain still being active. A fertile, conscious mind suffocated by a useless sack of flesh.’
‘Retirement won’t be that bad, I swear.’
Bryant laughed, catching the stern attention of a nurse just entering the ITU.
Her colleague sobered as they reached the door, but the nurse had ensured it had closed behind her.
‘And anyway, I’m not retiring until they throw me out. Jenny said so.’
Kim smiled at the thought of Bryant’s wife. Nope, there was no way she was going to allow him to vegetate in his favourite armchair.
She pressed the intercom button and introduced herself.
The door buzzed open, and Kim allowed herself to hope that she would be able to continue her conversation with Nathan.
However long it took, she could base many informative questions on yes and no answers.
‘May I speak with Nathan Yates?’ she asked.
The kindly looking nurse shook her head with regret, and Kim knew instantly before she spoke.
‘Unfortunately, we lost him about ten minutes ago.’
SIXTY-FOUR
Kim’s mood had improved little as she readied herself for the 7a.m. briefing.
With a heavy heart, she’d left the hospital feeling as though there was more she could have done. She’d extracted little information, and the guy had died anyway.
The need to sleep had long since left her so she’d walked Barney and showered before heading into work.
Unusually, the first person to walk in was Stacey, who didn’t head for her own desk but tapped on the open door of the Bowl.
Kim nodded for her to enter. Even though she’d been expecting this conversation, her back stiffened in anticipation, and she felt no satisfaction from the misery she saw on the constable’s face.
‘You spoke to Devon yesterday?’
‘I did indeed.’
‘And you didn’t tell me?’
‘I figured you’d find out soon enough, and if we’re talking about keeping secrets, you’re still way ahead on that score.’
If Stacey was waiting for any kind of apology, she was going to be waiting a long time.
‘Can I at least have an explanation?’
