recovered his nerve.
“What is it, nurse? Who is this gentleman?”
“I’m sorry, doctor.” Ginny was puzzled. She hadn’t been working in the hospital for very long, but she thought she knew all the doctors by sight. She had never seen this man before, but her awe of authority made her cautious.
“She’s my wife,” Girland said, pointing to the woman in the bed. “Dr. Forrester said it was okay for me to take her home.”
Smernoff moved into the shadows. He dropped the empty hypodermic into his pocket. He regarded Girland. He immediately decided this tall, wiry man must be one of Dorey’s agents. This could mean trouble, and there was something about this man that stirred his memory. He felt certain he had seen him before.
“Well, that is all right,” he said. “She has had an injection and she won’t wake now until tomorrow morning. Come back then, and she will be quite fit to travel.”
When you enter a hospital, a doctor becomes some kind of god. The white coat, the stethoscope and the know-all manner makes an impression on most people, and Girland was no exception.
“Excuse me, doctor, but I was told I could move her tonight.”
“Well, you can’t,” Smernoff snapped. “Didn’t you hear what I said? She has had an injection. She will be ready to leave tomorrow, but not before.”
Girland lifted his shoulders in resignation and began to move to the door when he suddenly noticed this man was wearing khaki trousers below his white coat and his highly polished shoes were of a military cut. His eyes shifted to the hard, flat face. He had a sudden memory of a man with a rifle, shooting at him in a wasteless desert in Senegal.
“Okay, doctor, then I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” he said mildly, but his brain was working swiftly. He must be mistaken, he was telling himself. The Russian who had tried to kill him in Senegal was dead. He was sure of that.
He opened the door and was confronted by Kordak, pushing a wheel-stretcher before him. Kordak’s automatic rifle lay on the stretcher. With a lightning movement, Kordak snatched up the rifle and levelled it at Girland.
“Don’t move!”
Ginny caught her breath in a gasp. Cursing, Smernoff reached her and clapped his hand over her mouth.
“Scream and I’ll break your neck!” he snarled.
Girland moved cautiously back, his hands held shoulder high as Kordak came into the room.
There was a brief dramatic pause, then Smernoff released Ginny.
“Make a sound and you’ll be sorry,” he said, stripping off his white coat. He jerked out his Service revolver from its polished holster. “Get this woman onto the stretcher! You and you!” His gun swung from Girland to Ginny. “Hurry!”
Girland pulled the stretcher into the room and pushed it close to the bed. As he did so, he removed the radio pill from under his thumbnail.
Ginny white faced, but quite steady, walked around the bed and stripped off the blanket and sheet. The sleeping woman was wearing a hospital nightgown. Girland was too occupied with the situation to admire her beauty. He took her under the armpits, began to lift her, purposely stumbled and half fell on her. In that brief moment as he recovered his balance, he forced the radio pill into the woman’s mouth. As he straightened he hoped she would swallow it.
“Watch what you are doing!” Smernoff snarled. “Hurry!”
With Ginny helping, Girland slid the woman’s sleeping body onto the stretcher. As they did so, their eyes met. Girland gave her a reassuring wink, but it didn’t seem to reassure her.
At this moment, Jo-Jo who had found an unlatched window and had explored all the rooms on the fifth landing, now discovered the nurse he had murdered had lied to him. Cursing, gun in hand, he ran down the stairs to the fourth floor.
Chapter Three
W hen Girland had left Dorey’s office, Dorey flicked down a switch on his intercom and said, “I’m ready now for Kerman.”
As he released the switch he leaned
“What is it, nurse? Who is this gentleman?”
“I’m sorry, doctor.” Ginny was puzzled. She hadn’t been working in the hospital for very long, but she thought she knew all the doctors by sight. She had never seen this man before, but her awe of authority made her cautious.
“She’s my wife,” Girland said, pointing to the woman in the bed. “Dr. Forrester said it was okay for me to take her home.”
Smernoff moved into the shadows. He dropped the empty hypodermic into his pocket. He regarded Girland. He immediately decided this tall, wiry man must be one of Dorey’s agents. This could mean trouble, and there was something about this man that stirred his memory. He felt certain he had seen him before.
“Well, that is all right,” he said. “She has had an injection and she won’t wake now until tomorrow morning. Come back then, and she will be quite fit to travel.”
When you enter a hospital, a doctor becomes some kind of god. The white coat, the stethoscope and the know-all manner makes an impression on most people, and Girland was no exception.
“Excuse me, doctor, but I was told I could move her tonight.”
“Well, you can’t,” Smernoff snapped. “Didn’t you hear what I said? She has had an injection. She will be ready to leave tomorrow, but not before.”
Girland lifted his shoulders in resignation and began to move to the door when he suddenly noticed this man was wearing khaki trousers below his white coat and his highly polished shoes were of a military cut. His eyes shifted to the hard, flat face. He had a sudden memory of a man with a rifle, shooting at him in a wasteless desert in Senegal.
“Okay, doctor, then I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” he said mildly, but his brain was working swiftly. He must be mistaken, he was telling himself. The Russian who had tried to kill him in Senegal was dead. He was sure of that.
He opened the door and was confronted by Kordak, pushing a wheel-stretcher before him. Kordak’s automatic rifle lay on the stretcher. With a lightning movement, Kordak snatched up the rifle and levelled it at Girland.
“Don’t move!”
Ginny caught her breath in a gasp. Cursing, Smernoff reached her and clapped his hand over her mouth.
“Scream and I’ll break your neck!” he snarled.
Girland moved cautiously back, his hands held shoulder high as Kordak came into the room.
There was a brief dramatic pause, then Smernoff released Ginny.
“Make a sound and you’ll be sorry,” he said, stripping off his white coat. He jerked out his Service revolver from its polished holster. “Get this woman onto the stretcher! You and you!” His gun swung from Girland to Ginny. “Hurry!”
Girland pulled the stretcher into the room and pushed it close to the bed. As he did so, he removed the radio pill from under his thumbnail.
Ginny white faced, but quite steady, walked around the bed and stripped off the blanket and sheet. The sleeping woman was wearing a hospital nightgown. Girland was too occupied with the situation to admire her beauty. He took her under the armpits, began to lift her, purposely stumbled and half fell on her. In that brief moment as he recovered his balance, he forced the radio pill into the woman’s mouth. As he straightened he hoped she would swallow it.
“Watch what you are doing!” Smernoff snarled. “Hurry!”
With Ginny helping, Girland slid the woman’s sleeping body onto the stretcher. As they did so, their eyes met. Girland gave her a reassuring wink, but it didn’t seem to reassure her.
At this moment, Jo-Jo who had found an unlatched window and had explored all the rooms on the fifth landing, now discovered the nurse he had murdered had lied to him. Cursing, gun in hand, he ran down the stairs to the fourth floor.
Chapter Three
W hen Girland had left Dorey’s office, Dorey flicked down a switch on his intercom and said, “I’m ready now for Kerman.”
As he released the switch he leaned
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