security.
He considered, his jaw tight. Little though he liked to admit it, the staff hadn’t done anything wrong. They had no reason to think that Esther Zook was anything other than an accident victim. Maybe it was time to change that.
He leaned on the counter, trusting his size and his uniform to make an impression on the nurse who’d been answering his questions. “Call the security office and ask the officer in charge to come up here right now. We need to talk.”
Her eyes widened slightly, and she grabbed for the phone.
Ten minutes later Adam was closeted in a miniscule waiting room with Lew Thomas, the hospital’s security chief. His first sight of the man had reassured him. Thomas was obviously retired military…he’d seen the type too often to mistake it. Stocky and muscled, even his gray hair didn’t detract from the sense that here was someone to be relied upon in a tight spot.
“Trouble is, the hospital’s security cameras don’t cover this hallway,” Thomas was saying. “I recommended total coverage, but…” He shrugged. “You know the answer to that.”
“Budget won’t allow it. Right.” That was an issue everyone in public service faced.
“You think someone actually penetrated the hospital with the intent of silencing the victim?” Thomas’s tone made it a question.
“I think what happened last night is potentially too serious not to take precautions.”
“Right.” Thomas seemed to be collecting his thoughts, or maybe marshaling his resources. “I can have a camera moved up here from one of the less sensitive areas, and I’ll take a look at the footage we do have from last night to see if any anomalies show up.”
“Good. They might have caught someone leaving the building that shouldn’t have been here.” Although he doubted the man would allow a camera to film him.
“Trouble is, I only have two men on at night, and they have to cover the whole place. I’ll rearrange their routes to bring them through here more often, but otherwise…” Thomas shrugged.
“I’d appreciate it.”
But it wasn’t enough. Adam knew that, even as he thanked the man and headed back toward Esther’s room. He needed more, and his manpower shortage was as bad as the hospital’s was.
He eased the door open to find that only Libby sat next to the hospital bed.
Libby was talking to her friend, he realized, and he stood where he was, not sure whether he wanted to advance or retreat.
“…the time we pretended we were spies and followed the boys all the way to the quarry? Trey and Link and Adam. They thought they were so clever, and they never knew we were there.”
Actually they had. He remembered that day—a fall Saturday, the leaves turning red and yellow and orange, drifting down to crunch underfoot as they made their way toward the forbidden quarry. They’d spotted the two little girls following them, creeping from tree to tree under the illusion they hadn’t been spotted.
Link had wanted to turn the tables and scare them; Trey had wanted to lecture them and send them home. But he’d persuaded them to play along with the little girls. It had been—
Libby’s voice cut off abruptly, and she swung to look at him, as if she’d sensed his presence.
“Adam. What did you find out?” She rose and came quickly toward him.
He let the door swing shut. Hadn’t they recently had a discussion about the fact that he couldn’t share details of the investigation with her? Unfortunately, none of the rules seemed to apply when it came to Libby.
“Not much more than you already know.” He kept his voice low, though it seemed impossible to disturb Esther. “The security chief will increase patrols, but—”
“That’s not enough. She needs a guard on the door all night. Don’t you see that?”
He held on to his patience with an effort. Give Libby an inch and she’d take a mile, especially where someone she cared about was concerned.
“That would be the best solution, but he doesn’t have the manpower,
He considered, his jaw tight. Little though he liked to admit it, the staff hadn’t done anything wrong. They had no reason to think that Esther Zook was anything other than an accident victim. Maybe it was time to change that.
He leaned on the counter, trusting his size and his uniform to make an impression on the nurse who’d been answering his questions. “Call the security office and ask the officer in charge to come up here right now. We need to talk.”
Her eyes widened slightly, and she grabbed for the phone.
Ten minutes later Adam was closeted in a miniscule waiting room with Lew Thomas, the hospital’s security chief. His first sight of the man had reassured him. Thomas was obviously retired military…he’d seen the type too often to mistake it. Stocky and muscled, even his gray hair didn’t detract from the sense that here was someone to be relied upon in a tight spot.
“Trouble is, the hospital’s security cameras don’t cover this hallway,” Thomas was saying. “I recommended total coverage, but…” He shrugged. “You know the answer to that.”
“Budget won’t allow it. Right.” That was an issue everyone in public service faced.
“You think someone actually penetrated the hospital with the intent of silencing the victim?” Thomas’s tone made it a question.
“I think what happened last night is potentially too serious not to take precautions.”
“Right.” Thomas seemed to be collecting his thoughts, or maybe marshaling his resources. “I can have a camera moved up here from one of the less sensitive areas, and I’ll take a look at the footage we do have from last night to see if any anomalies show up.”
“Good. They might have caught someone leaving the building that shouldn’t have been here.” Although he doubted the man would allow a camera to film him.
“Trouble is, I only have two men on at night, and they have to cover the whole place. I’ll rearrange their routes to bring them through here more often, but otherwise…” Thomas shrugged.
“I’d appreciate it.”
But it wasn’t enough. Adam knew that, even as he thanked the man and headed back toward Esther’s room. He needed more, and his manpower shortage was as bad as the hospital’s was.
He eased the door open to find that only Libby sat next to the hospital bed.
Libby was talking to her friend, he realized, and he stood where he was, not sure whether he wanted to advance or retreat.
“…the time we pretended we were spies and followed the boys all the way to the quarry? Trey and Link and Adam. They thought they were so clever, and they never knew we were there.”
Actually they had. He remembered that day—a fall Saturday, the leaves turning red and yellow and orange, drifting down to crunch underfoot as they made their way toward the forbidden quarry. They’d spotted the two little girls following them, creeping from tree to tree under the illusion they hadn’t been spotted.
Link had wanted to turn the tables and scare them; Trey had wanted to lecture them and send them home. But he’d persuaded them to play along with the little girls. It had been—
Libby’s voice cut off abruptly, and she swung to look at him, as if she’d sensed his presence.
“Adam. What did you find out?” She rose and came quickly toward him.
He let the door swing shut. Hadn’t they recently had a discussion about the fact that he couldn’t share details of the investigation with her? Unfortunately, none of the rules seemed to apply when it came to Libby.
“Not much more than you already know.” He kept his voice low, though it seemed impossible to disturb Esther. “The security chief will increase patrols, but—”
“That’s not enough. She needs a guard on the door all night. Don’t you see that?”
He held on to his patience with an effort. Give Libby an inch and she’d take a mile, especially where someone she cared about was concerned.
“That would be the best solution, but he doesn’t have the manpower,
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