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He thought about a cup of hot black coffee He thought about how he hated hospitals, even when they ar like a rotted tooth, but he could stand that He had no intention of letting Dr Chesney poke around anymore

Anna and her boss were still in anione to He ht himself a cup of coffee and listened to techs, doctors, nurses, cafeteria personnel, and a score of visitors talk about the huge drug bust in Winkel’s Cave He sat down and stretched out his leg and began to lightly rub it He wondered idly if Salazar would survive surgery At least he’d been alive when they’d wheeled him in

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes Here he’d been driving across the country, enjoying seeing relatives and friends, excited about his new assigno it had all changed You never knehat life would dish up, like a gorgeous DEA agent naator when she was nine He called Savich to fill him in on what happened

Anna joined hi roo now, because Anna’s adrenaline levels were crashing, neither of the if Salazar would live or die Mac Brannon was sitting across from them, his cell phone attached to his ear

Salazar had been in surgery for two hours An OR nurse ca his own; he ht not were the unspoken words

Griffin looked up to see Dr Chesney staring at hi as his as in her car He’d hoped Dr Chesney was hoels in her front yard, but no, there she was, looking at hiave it up and s in an e beside him He’d asked her to leave, but that hadn’t worked Dr Chesney said, "Okay, let ent Ha as he pulled his pants down and sat hiain on the side of the bed "Nice boxers," she said "I’ve always preferred coently lifted the bandage from his wound, but it still hurt "You’re lucky," she said after poking around "The stitches have held, despite all the grief you put theh Take soht now"

Anna brought him a cup of cold water from the fountain, and Dr Chesney stood over hihtly touched her palent Hammersmith," and she walked briskly out Not a moment later a code red came over the loudspeaker

"It’s time for another update," Griffin said, and liine a world-fauitarist, a professor at Stanislaus, and, to top it off, a big-ti it would take the inia They ery, but his prognosis is uncertain He’s still unconscious, so there’s no reason for you to reo out and prevent snow accidents As for you, Agent Hammersmith, he said you were luckier than you deserved, that if you’d ruined Dr Chesney’s excellent work by crawling around in Winkel’s Cave, she’d stake you in the snow and leave you"

There was another code red over the loudspeaker, and Griffin thought, Oh, no, not Salazar

Washington, DC

Tuesday afternoon

Savich parked his Porsche a half-block down fro on Willard Avenue, and they walked through the softly falling snow to its pristine lobby They used the stairs and followed the long hallway to the last door on their left to find Mr August Biaggini looking at the yellow FBI cri the open doorway He stood unhtly laid her hand on his arm When he turned, his face was curiously blank She said, "Sir, I’ent Savich Let me say we are very sorry for the loss of your son"

"Yes, I re for Peter’s blue suit to bury hi voice they’d heard two days before was flat, as if he weresimply out of habit, with no emotion at all