Blood Debt - By Tanya Huff Page 0,91

question out of his captive-without success. In the end, she'd concluded it was better to be safe than sorry. After all, he had been following Richard's vehicle, so he had to know something.

"Obviously, what I do or don't know doesn't matter any more, or you wouldn't be in here."

"Very astute, Detective." Because the guest cot?tages were used by recovering buyers, the ruffles, and comforters, and pillows covered a hospital bed. Sulli?van had installed the standard restraints. "I had a lab run a blood sample last night, and although your cho?lesterol level is slightly elevated, you're a very healthy man."

"Under other circumstances, that might be good news." Twisting his neck at a painful angle, he man?aged to keep her in sight while she lifted equipment out of her case. The clear plastic bags with the hose attached looked very familiar. When she set them on the edge of the table, one end swung free. Blood bags. "Jesus H. Christ... "

Dr. Mui glanced down at him and shook her head. "You needn't look at me like I'm some kind of vam?pire, Detective. Your blood will be put to very good use."

To very good use? All at once, it became clear that hiding just how much he knew would give him no advantage at all. "Pretransplant transfusions to help the new body accept the kidney?"

"Precisely." But she volunteered nothing further, merely continued making her preparations.

Celluci'd given blood before, on numerous occa?sions, but this time he couldn't take his eyes off the needle. It looked about six inches long and as big around as a drinking straw. He jumped when she swabbed the inside of his elbow with alcohol and tried to jerk his arm away from the length of rubber hose.

"This doesn't have to hurt," she told him, needle poised for entry, "but it can. If you move, it may take two or three attempts to find the vein."

"Two or three?" He watched the point descend. "Put like that, I think I'll stay still."

"Very wise."

His blood surged up into the hose and disappeared over the edge of the bed. Oh, yeah, Vicki's going to be really pissed now. It was a comforting thought. He let his head fall back onto the pillow. "What am I to call you?"

"If you must call me something, Doctor will do."

"Can I assume you're not going to spill your guts about your motives, your methods, and the reasons you don't believe you'll be caught."

"You can."

From watching her work, he'd thought it was a fairly safe assumption. There didn't seem to be much else to say, so he kept quiet. In Celluci's experience, few people could handle silence. After a very short time they'd start to talk just to fill it with noise. He'd gotten a number of confessions that way.

He didn't get one today. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, he said, "You'd have gotten away with it if they hadn't found that body in the harbor."

"The body found in the harbor has not been identi?fied. The police will find no record of his operation in any of the local hospitals, so they'll assume he came from out of town." Moving with a speed that said she'd done this many times before, she deftly ex-changed an empty bag for a full one. "The removal of his hands, added to the recent gang-related carnage, will direct the search even farther from the truth. As the entire incident becomes more and more compli?cated, and no one steps forward to advocate for the deceased, budget cuts should kill the investigation entirely."

"The police investigation," Celluci pointed out meaningfully.

"Your investigation has ended," Dr. Mui reminded him. "Your friends don't wish to become involved with the police, and the officers they sent to find you... " She spread her hands. "... did not. Your friends will not find you here."

You have no idea how resourceful my friends can be. But he didn't say it aloud as he had no desire to put the good doctor on her guard. She seemed like the type who'd hang garlic over the door, just in case. "Besides ..." A drop of blood glistened on the end of the needle as she pulled it from his arm. "... you won't be here long." A cotton ball and a bandage later, she was on her way to the door.

"Doctor?"

Her expression, as she turned, clearly said she was not happy about being questioned.

Celluci grinned, figuring a little charm couldn't hurt. "I was just wondering. Will I ever play the piano