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"Maybe it’s at his house Or…uave it to soave it to Crow"

Another pause "Shit," Vic said at last, "that sounds about right Dauessing what Vic would say "You want o back to watching the hospital and I’ll get back to you"

Vic hung up and Polk sagged against the wall His armpits were soaked and he felt sick to his stomach With Vic it was never easy to tell whether he believed soht it up face-to-face Polk fumbled a bottle of aspirin out of his pocket and dry-sed three of the the door open

3

"That’s funny," Weinstock said as he reached for the doorknob, "this should be locked"

The door was open just a crack, showing a vertical line of shadows inside the ue Cro it and immediately pushed Weinstock’s hand away "No! Don’t"

"You don’t think--"

"I don’t like this one bit, Saul So let’s just back away," Crow said softly as he pulled his friend away froether they moved to the far side of the hallway and Crow looked up and down the corridor, seeing things he hadn’t seen when they’d first come off the elevator The concrete was scuffed with dirt and mud that had been tracked in from the access door to the outside There was a beer can on the ground and a couple of cigarette butts He squatted down to exaarette butts--they were the roach ends of a couple of joints "What the hell?" He glanced at the door as he straightened "Saul, call security Get soave a curt nod and hurried back up the corridor to where a white plastic phone was inset into the cinderblock wall He lifted the handset and punched in a three-digit code

"Security," a crisp female voice answered "Molly Siue It looks like there’s been a break-in"

"Another one?" Her voice rose three octaves

"Get soht now!" He slammed down the phone and crept back to join Croas peering at the mud Mixed in with ordinary dirt there was a darker,to chocolate brown

"I think some of this is blood," Crow said softly "Christ, are we looking at just another break-in, or is did so break out?"

Weinstock paled "I really wish you wouldn’t say things like that" He shifted to try and peer through the narrow crack, but the roo Boyd?"

"Yeah," Crow said Or Mark, he thought, but didn’t say it "Wait here" He hurried back to the elevator-end of the hall to where a heavy fire ax was lass and took the ax

Weinstock nodded approval "Should do the trick if anything co in"

Crow smiled faintly "Dude, in the movies the hero alalks into soy and hairy is going to jump out Doesn’t work for me--I’m not a total idiot and I’m comfortably chicken shit, so I’ll wait for the cavalry to arrive This," he hefted the ax again, "is to make me feel better while ait"

They waited Every other second one of the for the little white light above the door to go bing! Long seconds passed

"Your security tea"

Weinstock was scowling at the elevator "Ever since we got down hereup into my pelvis If my nuts uards get here, heads will roll" He nodded at the ax "And I don’t ed and the doors slid open as five people burst out into the hall--three hospital security officers and two cops Polk was one of the cops Everyone had their guns drawn and they raced down the hall, pistol barrels pointed up to the ceiling, eyes shifting back and forth,just like each of them had seen real cops do on TV