Terminal Chase by Ehud Peled

Author:Ehud Peled [Peled, Ehud]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-06T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

BACK IN THE HOSPITAL

The phone woke Emil, who had fallen asleep on the carpet at the entrance way. His naked body was covered with a soft sheet. Carmen was not at his side. Emil heard the water running in the shower. The sharp, grating sound of the ringing phone continued. After the sixth ring, the automatic answering machine kicked in: “Emil, this is Julia. I have an answer for you. I’m on duty now, it is eight p.m. I’ll be on break at ten p.m. and go out to the parking lot. Wait for me in your car, where you parked this morning... ‘bye.”

The bathroom door opened and Carmen stepped out wrapped in a towel, her wet hair gathered in a turban.

“Did the phone ring?”

Emil sat up. Carmen came to him; the fragrance of her bath soap filled the air. She kneeled down and cold drops of water dripped on his face. He shuddered. “Sorry,” she wiped his brow, “you fell asleep here like a baby. Come to the living room, I have lots of news to tell you.”

Emil stroked her shiny chin and kissed her wet neck. He gathered his clothes that were still strewn on the floor.

“I’ll just jump in for a quick shower.”

“I’ll bring you clean underwear.”

“Yes, dear wife,” Emil felt he had to make amends for his reticence of the night before, and besides, he was moved by the genuinely warm feeling of home.

“Right away, my dear husband,” she played along with him.

Emil stood under the hot water, letting it massage the back of his neck and shoulders. He forced himself to finish the shower with cold water to get his blood flowing and jolt him awake.

They sat together in the living room, this time quickly and naturally on the ‘right’ sofa.

Carmen cuddled up to Emil, who wrapped his two arms around her and intwined his fingers across her chest.

“While you were in the shower, I heard the message on your machine.”

“Yeah, I heard it now. Julia. Who’s Julia?”

“A nurse in the hospital’s military wing. She was on duty when they brought in the ‘president.’”

“How’s he doing?”

“He died.”

“Died?!” Carmen jumped to her feet.

“Yes, he died. Julia’s certain of it. She says they tried to revive him but he died in the recovery room while she was on call. Security men removed his body.”

“And what answer does she have for you?”

“I asked her to look at the hospital records and try to find out the true identity of man who was shot. She was very scared.”

“Rightly so. She wants to meet with you tonight.”

“Yeah, in the hospital’s front parking lot.”

“How did you get into the military wing?”

“I went through the boiler room that serves both wings. Before I got thrown out, I managed to pass through the ward where the man was hospitalized. Julia was there and heard me asking questions about the president. She already felt that something fishy was going on there.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. She might get spooked.

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