Paige sighed. “What else is new?”
Kat strode down the corridor and took an elevator down to the emergency room. Inside were two dozen cots, all of them occupied. Kat thought of it as the suffering room, filled day and night with victims of automobile accidents, gunshots or knife wounds, and twisted limbs. A kaleidoscope of broken lives. To Kat it was a small corner of hell.
An orderly hurried up to her. “Dr. Hunter…”
“What have we got?” Kat asked. They were moving toward a cot at the far end of the room.
“He’s unconscious. It looks as though someone beat him up. His face and head are battered, he has a broken nose, a dislocated shoulder blade, at least two different fractures to his right arm, and…”
“Why did you call me?”
“The paramedics think there’s a head injury. There could be brain damage.”
They had reached the cot where the victim lay. His face was caked with blood, swollen and bruised. He was wearing alligator shoes and…Kat’s heart skipped a beat. She leaned forward and took a closer look. It was Lou Dinetto.
Kat ran skillful fingers over his scalp and examined his eyes. There was a definite concussion.
She hurried over to a telephone and dialed. “This is Dr. Hunter. I want a head CAT scan done. The patient’s name is Dinetto. Lou Dinetto. Send down a gurney, stat.”
Kat replaced the receiver and turned her attention back to Dinetto. She said to the orderly, “Stay with him. When the gurney arrives, take him to the third floor. I’ll be waiting.”
Thirty minutes later on the third floor, Kat was studying the CAT scan she had ordered. “He has some brain hemorrhaging, he has a high fever, and he’s in shock. I want him stabilized for twenty-four hours. I’ll decide then when we’ll operate.”
Kat wondered whether what had happened to Dinetto might affect Mike.
And how.
Paige stopped by to see Jimmy. He was feeling much better.
“Did you hear about the flasher in the garment district? He walked up to a little old lady and opened up his raincoat. She studied him a moment and said, ‘You call that a lining?’”
Kat was having dinner with Mallory at an intimate little restaurant near the bay. Seated across from Mallory, studying him, Kat felt guilty. I should never have started this, she thought. I know what he is, and yet I’m having a wonderful time. Damn the man! But I can’t stop our plan now.
They had finished their coffee.
Kat leaned forward. “Can we go to your place, Ken?”
“You bet!” Finally, Mallory thought.
Kat shifted in her chair uncomfortably and frowned. “Uh, oh!”
“Are you all right?” Mallory asked.
“I don’t know. Would you excuse me for a moment?”
“Certainly.” He watched her get up and head for the ladies’ room.
When she returned, she said, “It’s bad timing, darling. I’m so sorry. You’d better get me home.”
He stared at her, trying to conceal his frustration. The damned fates were conspiring against him.
“Right,” Mallory said curtly. He was ready to explode.
He was going to lose a precious five days.
Five minutes after Kat returned to the apartment, the front doorbell rang. Kat smiled to herself. Mallory had found an excuse to come back, and she hated herself for being so pleased. She walked over to the door and opened it.
“Ken…”
Rhino and the Shadow were standing there. Kat felt a sudden sense of fear. The two men pushed past her into the apartment.
Rhino spoke. “You doin’ the operation on Mr. Dinetto?”
Kat’s throat was dry. “Yes.”
“We don’t want anything to happen to him.”
“Neither do I,” Kat said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m tired and—”
“Is there a chance he’ll die?” the Shadow asked.
Kat hesitated. “In brain surgery there’s always a risk of—”
“You better not let it happen.”
“Believe me, I—”
“Don’t let it happen.” He looked at Rhino. “Let’s go.”
Kat watched them start to leave.
At the door, the Shadow turned and said, “Say hello to Mike for us.”
Kat was suddenly very still. “Is…is this some kind of threat?”
“We don’t threaten people, doc. We’re telling you. If Mr. Dinetto dies, you and your fucking family are gonna be wiped out.”