Slaughter's Hound (Harry Rigby Mystery) by Burke Declan

Author:Burke, Declan [Burke, Declan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Perseus Faber
Published: 2012-08-15T04:00:00+00:00

23

Tohill locked the door, mumbling something I couldn’t hear to the cop parked outside. I gave it half an hour to let everyone settle down, then availed of the phone on the bedside locker, one of the very few perks that go with being unofficially jailed in a private hospital room under a false name while the Guardians of the Peace wait to see if black ops will work the oracle.

Directory Enquiries put me through to the hospital’s reception desk, where I asked the receptionist to connect me with Pamela Devine. There followed a couple of minutes of clicks, brrrs and false starts, and then she picked up.

‘Hello?’

‘Hey. It’s Harry.’

A sigh not notable for its quality of unrequited longing, then: ‘Did you get to see him?’

‘Not exactly. But I just wanted to say thanks.’

‘My arse. What do you want?’

‘It’s my eye.’

‘Don’t worry about it. The trauma to the—’

‘Not that one. My good eye. It’s dazzled.’

‘Dazzled?’

‘By your radiance. I’m thinking martinis on the terrace at dusk.’

The old familiar dirty chuckle. ‘Let’s just get through to dawn first. We’ll see how we go after that.’

‘It’s a date. Meanwhile, I need an X-ray. I’m getting shooting pains in my eye.’

‘Which one?’

‘My Jap’s eye. Which one d’you think?’

‘Then that’s perfectly normal. Buzz the nurse, ask for some pain relief. No, wait – did you take the Dilaudids?’

‘One of them.’

‘Okay. Then you’ll just have to sweat it out.’

‘No kidding, Pam. It’s pretty intense. And I don’t want to go blind and have to sue you for negligence.’

‘If you’re blind, how’ll you find me?’

‘I’ll be like Homer, seeing all. C’mon, do the right thing here. Who’s one X-ray going to hurt at this time of night?’

‘It’d need to be an emergency. You’re seriously in pain?’

‘Is there any other way?’

I heard the tappity-tap of fingernails on plastic. ‘Okay, hold tight. I’ll see what I can do. I’m making no promises, though.’

‘You’re a star. Oh, and Pam? The cop in the corridor, he’ll try to keep you out.’

‘Good. He looks like he could use the exercise.’

Never tell a woman what she can’t do on her own turf.

*

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