| 3H Victoria |
| "Nash?" Evan tapped his cell phone. No response. "Hello?" Dead. Just then the nurse motioned to him. Worried, Evan forgot about Nash and inquired after his friend's condition. "What's wrong Cecile? Is he ok?" "Yes." The nurse smiled. "Harvey's awake and asking to speak with you." "Great-" "His breathing is a bit shallow from the chest trauma, and he's just been given an anesthetic. You have a few minutes before we take him upstairs." Cecile closed the tattered curtain around Harvey's narrow bed before she slipped away. "Hi bro. You up for a game of 21?" "Sure-" Harvey smiled weakly and grimaced. "Hey! Take it easy." Evan felt pangs of guilt when he realized that he had inadvertently caused his friend more pain. "You able to answer a few questions?" Harvey nodded wordlessly. "Nash can't figure out what happened to you in there. We know that you pulled the fire alarm. Why were you still inside the school when the bomb went off?" "Couldn't-" Harvey's eyes closed briefly. Every breath he took into his lungs was more difficult than the last. "-diffuse bomb. Handcuffed-" "Someone handcuffed you? Do you know who-?" "Art-lett." Harvey's voice was barely audible. "Tyson B-" "Who?" Evan leaned forward, trying to catch his partner's words. "Barnett-?" "Unsolved. Red-." Harvey hesitated before continuing. "shoes." "What?" "Ask Joe-" "I don't understand-" It was no use. The medication had finally taken hold. Harvey was in a deep sleep. Evan sat down next to the bed, and leaned back against the wall helplessly. Who was this Tyson guy? And why had he handcuffed Harvey in the basement? Hopefully Joe would know what Harvey was talking about. It was the only lead they had. One thing was certain, however, Evan was going to make sure this guy was held accountable for what he had done. Positioning a hand against his sore temples, Evan closed his eyes. He needed to rest for a few seconds. The events of the past 36 hours had finally taken their toll on the young detective. The drapes hissed open and a young orderly poked his head inside the small cubicle. "Are you Inspector Cortez?" he whispered. Evan's head snapped up. "Yes." "I have a message for you. You're supposed to meet Nash and Joe at this address right away. The guy said it was important." "Thanks." Evan collected the slip of pink paper and headed out of the ER. Hailing a nearby cab, he crawled into the back seat and gave the driver the address. Hopefully the cabbie would be able to find it as the message Evan had been given was in blotchy purple ink. ~~~~~~~ Bartlett's upper lip curled into a crooked snarl. "Did you make the call?" "Yes. Cortez is on his way." "Good. And is everything in place like I asked?" "Yes sir." "Excellent." Tyson poured himself a tumbler full of whisky and raised his glass in a mock toast. "Happy Anniversary Inspector!" ~~~~~~~ |
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