Sound of Darkness

Ragnar was okay, the dog was great, and Colleen was even beginning to find Mark bearable. She liked that he didn’t rush in to say nothing would happen to her with him around. He had given her credit for being able to take care of herself.

Of course, Carver had been right.

No one was invulnerable.

“Divide and conquer?” Ragnar asked.

“Sure, divide and switch—going gently, of course,” Mark said.

“Is Red allowed in the hospital?” Colleen asked.

“Red is a service dog. He can’t go into surgery, but he’s allowed to be with me,” Mark said. He smiled at her. It was a good smile.

Okay, to his credit—he loved his dog.

“This hospital works with service dogs, especially in the kids’ cancer ward,” he told her. “When I can, I bring Red there. It’s amazing how much a dog can do for a sick kid.”

“That’s great,” she said. “So, what’s the plan?”

“We’ll talk to Dierdre and you take Sally,” Mark said, looking at Ragnar.

Ragnar nodded.

Sally Smithson and Dierdre Ayers were both on the same floor of the hospital. The woman working security at the desk apparently knew Red. She greeted him happily, but then looked at the three of them. “Of course, you’re not taking my favorite pooch anywhere he’s not supposed to be, right?” she asked.

“Gloria, you know me better than that,” Mark said.

“I do. I still have to ask,” she said. She was wearing a uniform and had a friendly but no-nonsense look about her. “And you know I have to snap your pics for your name badges—”

“Yes, we know that too,” Mark assured her.

They all handed over ID and stood to have their pictures taken for name badges.

Even Red got one for his collar.

“And, Gloria, the local police—” Ragnar began.

“They’ve had a man on duty all day, watching both rooms. Sally Smithson is in 407 and Dierdre Ayers is in 420.”

“Thanks,” Mark told her.

They headed for the elevator.

“You guys come here a lot?” she asked.

“Sadly,” Ragnar said.

“Well, not so sadly,” Mark said. He looked at Colleen and grimaced. “Better here than the morgue.”

She nodded. “Right.”

“I’m off to 407,” Ragnar said.

Mark indicated room 420 to Colleen. He tipped his head to the uniformed officer who stood between the two rooms.

Evidently the cop knew Mark.

“You work closely with the police often?” she asked him.

He nodded. “I tend to work Northern Virginia, Delaware, and Southern Maryland. That’s a lot of different police forces, but we wind up at various departments for task forces.”

“Ah,” Colleen murmured. She realized he had her curiosity. She didn’t know where he’d come from originally. Or what had drawn him to the FBI and the Krewe of Hunters.

But now wasn’t the time to be asking him questions.

A nurse came out of Dierdre’s room as they approached it.

She smiled a little grimly.

“FBI?” she asked, and then frowned, looking down at Red.

“Yes,” Mark said.

The nurse was confused. “The dog is FBI?”

“Yes, he is,” Mark said. “Red has hospital clearance for regular rooms.”

“Red saved the young woman’s life,” Colleen said.

“Oh! He finds people,” she said. “Well, the doctors just warned Dierdre isn’t to be worn out. You may speak with her, but please—”

“Oh, we won’t upset her, I promise, and we’ll be brief,” Colleen said.

The nurse nodded. “Okay, then.” She paused. “That is a beautiful dog!”

Red made a sound and wagged his tail. It was almost as if he was far too polite to bark loudly in a quiet hospital.

Colleen felt Mark’s hand on her shoulder, indicating she should go in first.

She did so.