Page 31 (1/2)

Laura had expected to see an examination table and equipment that had been in use and well maintained for thirty-odd years, a hoht out of a Nor looked new There was even an EKG n that warned X-RAY: KEEP CLOSED IN USE

"You have X-ray equipment here?" she asked

"Sure It’s not as expensive as it once was Every clinic has X-ray equipment these days"

"Every clinic, yes, but this is just a one- a doctor in an old movie, and I may prefer the old-fashioned convenience of an office in ive patients outdated care just to be quaint I dare say, I’m a more serious physician than you are a desperado"

"Don’t bet on that," she said harshly, though she was getting tired of pretending to be cold-blooded

"Don’t worry," he said "I’ll play along Seems like it’ll be h , red-cerae-slice candies and Tootsie Pops if you want some"

"Wow, thanks!" Chris said "Uhcan I have a piece, Mom?"

"A piece or two," she said, "but don’t make yourself sick"

Brenkshaw said, "When it co patients, I’um here What the hell fun is that stuff? Tastes like plastic If their teeth rot out after they visit me, that’s their dentists’ proble wheelchair from the corner, unfolded it, and rolled it to the middle of the rooo out to the

Jeep"

"Okay," Chris said fro into the red-cera his treat

"Your Jeep in the driveway?" Brenkshaw asked "Then let’s go out the back Less conspicuous, I think"

Pointing the revolver at the physician but feeling foolish, Laura followed him out of a side door in the examination room, which opened onto a ramp, so there was no need to descend stairs

"Handicapped entrance," Brenkshaw said quietly over his shoulder as he pushed the wheelchair along a walk toward the back of the house His bedroom slippers e property, so the neighboring house did not loo planted with alders as was the front lawn, the side yard was graced with ficus and pines, which were green all year In spite of the screening branches and the darkness, however, Laura could see the blank s of the neighboring place, so she supposed that she could be seen, as well, if anyone looked

The world had the hushed quality that it possessed only betweenon two in the uess the tih faint city noises echoed in the distance, there was a cemeterial stillness that would have made her feel like a wo out the garbage

The walk led around the house, crossing another walk that extended to the back of the property They went past the rear porch, through an areaway between house and garage, into the driveway

Brenkshaw halted at the back of the Jeep and chuckled "Mud on the license plates," he whispered "Convincing touch"

After she put the tailgate down, he got into the back of the Jeep to have a look at the wounded man

She looked out toward the street All was silent Still

But if a San Bernardino Police cruiser happened to drive by now on a routine patrol, the officer would surely stop to see as up at kindly old Doc Brenkshaw’s place

Brenkshaas already crawling out of the Jeep "By God, you do have a woundedsurprised? Would I pull this kind of stunt for laughs?"

"Let’s get him inside Quickly," Brenkshaw said

He could not handle her guardian by himself In order to help him, Laura had to stick the 38 in the waistband of her jeans

Brenkshaw et the weapon away from her Instead, as soon as he had the wounded h the areaway, and around the house to the handicapped entrance at the far side

She grabbed one of the Uzis from the front seat and followed Brenkshaw She didn’t think she’d have any use for the automatic carbine, but she felt better with it in her hands

Fifteen minutes later, Brenkshaw turned frohtboard in a corner of his exament, made a clean exit Didn’t nick any bones, so we don’t have chips to worry about"

"Terrific," Chris said fro on a Tootsie Pop In spite of the war his jacket, as was Laura, because she wanted theet out on short notice

"Is he in a coma or what?" Laura asked the doctor

"Yes, he’s comatose Not from any fever associated with a bad infection of the wound Too early for that And now that he’s gotten treatment, there probably won’t be an infection It’s trau shot, the loss of blood, the shock and all He shouldn’t have been moved, you know"

"I had no choice Will he come out of it?"

"Probably In this case a coy, facilitate healing He’s not lost as ood pulse, so this probably won’t last long When you see his shirt and lab coat soaked like that, you think he’s bled quarts, but he hasn’t Not that it was a spoonful, either He’s had a bad time of it But no major blood vessels were torn, or he’d be in worse shape Still, he should be in a hospital"

"We’ve already been through that," Laura said io to a hospital"

"What bank did you rob?" the physician asked teasingly, but with noticeably less twinkle in his eyes than there had been when he had made his other little jokes