Blood Debt - By Tanya Huff Page 0,87

that none of the nuns had been Asian-Potter cleared her throat and glanced down at her occurrence book for support. "We had hoped we could have a look around without having to get a warrant."

"Had you. I see."

"We can get one if we need one." PC Kessin wished he'd kept his mouth shut as the doctor's level gaze moved over to him. He couldn't help the sudden sus?picion she was measuring him and finding him want?ing. We'll take none of his organs. He's an idiot.

"Of course you can." Her inflection suggested the exact opposite but before either constable could de?cide to be insulted, she continued. "Fortunately, since I've arrived, that won't be necessary." When it ap?peared that PC Potter was about to speak, she added with some exasperation, "We have a dozen very sick people in this building, Officers. I'm sure you didn't expect Nurse Damone to allow you to wander about on your own or to leave her station and accompany you. Since I'm here, that's no longer a problem. What would you like to see first?"

Just In from the back door, the hall jogs to the left. You'll find a door marked electrical room. Behind it is a short corridor. Off that corridor is a hospital room ..."

"I think we can start at the back door, Doctor."

"Fine. Nurse... "

Hope rose in the breasts of both constables that Nurse Damone would be going with them while the doctor watched her station.

"... I won't be long."

Hope crashed and burned.

"There's no alarm on this door?"

"As I mentioned before, Constable Potter, we have a dozen very sick people in this building. Should any?one need to exit the building, an unnecessary alarm could easily cause enough excitement to kill one or two of them."

"They're that sick?"

"They come here when their only options remaining are death or transplant-yes, they're that sick."

PC Kessin frowned at the heavy steel door. "But suppose someone came in from outside the building?"

"This door doesn't open from the outside."

"There are always people who can get a door open, Doctor."

Dr. Mui smiled tightly. "And what good would an alarm do against those kind of people?"

"Do you always keep the door to the electrical room locked?"

"Two points, Constable." Dr. Mui pulled out her keys and slid one into the lock. "First of all, this is not the door to the electrical room. It leads to a short access hall. Secondly, no, we don't always keep it locked."

"Then why is it locked now?"

"I don't know."

"The room you're searching for looks like any other hospital room except that the walls are painted cinder blocks and there's a high, inaccessible window. There'll be a man on the bed ..."

PC Potter stopped just over the threshold and had to be pushed gently ahead by her partner. For some strange reason, she felt as though she were stepping up out of a deep, dark well. It must have been the lights-the room was all hard, high-gloss surfaces with nothing to soften the intensity.

Blinking and grumbling in the sudden glare, the large man on the bed sat up and rubbed at his eyes.

"A hidden room, a man who is obviously not a patient; do you have an explanation for this, Dr. Mui?"

"This room was originally supposed to be the laun?dry, but we found it much more cost effective to send the laundry out. Since the plumbing was already in?stalled, it took little effort to turn it into a temporary residence room. As for the man on the bed... " Her tone changed from weary lecture to distinct pique. "... his name is Richard Sullivan, he's one of our orderlies, and he is not supposed to be in here-which explains why that last door was locked."

"Orderly," Kessin repeated. "That explains the uni?form." He took half a step back as the doctor shot him another less than complimentary look.

Sullivan, standing now, stared down at the mattress and muttered an inaudible protest.

"Again, Richard. Louder."

"The cot's uncomfortable."

"Are you the orderly the nurse told us was asleep in the staff room?" Potter asked, wondering why it felt as though she'd changed channels in mid-program.

"Obviously not. He's the orderly who was supposed to be asleep in the staff room." Dr. Mui indicated the door with a sharp jerk of her head. "Go to my office, Richard. I'll speak with you later."

"Just a minute, Mr. Sullivan." As he turned toward her, Potter saw that he had the longest eyelashes she'd ever seen on a man-long and thick and fringing deep brown eyes so mild they