Warpath

“Or in case somebody wants to hit him on the head, again?”

“Yeah,” Telemaco said, “that, too.”

“Mind if I keep in touch with you?” Sangster asked. “In case he asks for me?”

“I’d actually prefer that,” Telemaco said.

“Fine.”

Telemaco started to leave, then stopped.

“You comin’?”

“Yeah,” Sangster said, with a last look back at the man in the bed, “I was just leaving.”

Telemaco walked with Sangster to the front door, and out.

“Can I drop you anywhere?” he asked.

“I’ve got a car,” Sangster said.

“Okay, then.”

“Where’s your partner?”

Telemaco jerked his head toward the curb. There was a Crown Victoria there with Williams behind the wheel.

“Oh,” Sangster said, “glad I didn’t need that ride.”

“I’ll see you . . . Stark.”

As the detective started away Sangster asked, “Your partner find anything in Pirates Alley?”

Telemaco just waved and kept going.

When he was sure the cops were gone Sangster turned around and went back inside.

He found Nurse Claire O’Malley in the emergency room, standing at the front desk talking to the nurse behind it.

“Mr. . . .” she said, as he approached.

“Stark,” he said. “Can we talk?”

“Sure,” she said, “I have a few minutes.”

They walked off to one side and stood against a wall. There was plenty of activity going on around them, and no one was paying much attention to them.

Sangster noticed that while she might be called a plain woman, there was still something very attractive about her. Maybe it was the white nurse’s uniform. He’d never understood the appeal of the Catholic school girl look, but a nurse . . . well, that was different.

“Can I assume that you’re the one who spent the most time with Burke?” he asked.

“Well . . . maybe other than the doctor who actually worked on him.”

“Can you tell me if he had any other bruises?”

“Bruises?”

“Yes,” Sangster said, “maybe around his ribs, or torso—”