The Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme 12)

The man looked her over, the incision site, the IVs.

"Looking good, looking very good."

Rose said, "And Mr. Herrando knows what he's talking about. Now, Lincoln, I think I'll get some rest."

"Sure. We'll be back tomorrow."

Rhyme left the room and headed up to the nurse's station, where Sachs was finishing a call.

He said, "She's good, getting some sleep."

"I'll peek in."

Sachs stepped into her mother's room and returned to Rhyme a moment later.

"Like a baby."

Together Sachs and Rhyme walked and wheeled down the corridor. Not that he cared much, but Rhyme noted that he received not a single glance his way, unlike on the streets of the city. Here, of course, one would expect to find someone in a fancy wheelchair. Nothing extraordinary, nothing worth staring at. Indeed he was mobile and moving breezily down the hall beside a companion, far more fortunate than many of the people in the dim, silent rooms they passed.

In regione caecorum rex est luscus, he thought.

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Side by side, they negotiated the crowded lobby and headed out into the overcast spring afternoon, turning toward the van, which was sitting in the disabled zone.

"So," Rhyme asked Sachs. "Any more thoughts on what to do during your three-month retirement?"

"Aside from being pissed off?"

"Aside from that."

"Taking care of Mom. Working on the Torino. Shoot a hell of a lot of lead through paper out on the range. Take up cooking."

"Cooking?"

"Okay, not that."

As they approached the van she said, "I have a feeling you're agendizing something."

Rhyme chuckled. Ah, Lon Sellitto... what would we do without him?

"Evers Whitmore came to see me, the lawyer. You know I'm not working for him anymore on the Frommer case. Conflict of interest, now that I'm handling the criminal side."

"What's this about, Rhyme?"

"I need a favor, Sachs. You're going to want to say no, but just hear me out."

"This sounds familiar."

His eyebrow rose. "Hear me out?"

Sachs put her hand on Rhyme's and said, "Deal."