Skylark by Sheila Simonson Page A

flat and straight to bed. I saw nothing suspicious. I didn't
hear the dog. I slept until Ann came home, because my internal clock was haywire."
    "You woke around five." He no longer pretended to sound skeptical about my two hour
nap. Progress. He led me through the rest of the evening, from the lamb chops to our return on
the Tube, and this time, when I wound down, he rose from his chair. "All right, Mrs. Dodge.
That's all for now. I must ask you to leave your passport with us."
    That was a blow--not as heavy as being booked into jail on a week-end, but a blow
nonetheless.
    "How am I supposed to cash checks?" I had no travelers' checks left, but he didn't need
to know that.
    He was unmoved by my possible fiscal plight and added that I was not to leave London
without notifying him.
    Caffeine from the tea jangled in my bloodstream. I was damned well going to meet Jay
at Gatwick on Monday. I thought about telling Thorne, but it was none of his business. I rose and
brushed my skirt straight.
    "Sgt. Wilberforce will drive you to your flat."
    "I'll walk," I said coldly. "I need the exercise."
    Ann met me at the door. "Where have you been? Milos has disappeared!"
    "What?"
    She took my pristine raincoat and hung it in the hall closet. "I went to the hospital.
When I asked to see Milos I got a runaround from the receptionist."
    I followed her into the living room and sat in the armchair. "Maybe they moved him to
another hospital."
    She hunched on the loveseat/bed. "I don't think so. When I asked to talk to the sister in
charge of that ward, the receptionist hemmed and hawed, and allowed as how I'd have to see
Matron. That took a while. Finally, I was sent up to the third floor to a glassed-in office, and this
dragon lady just stonewalled me."
    I had a brief flash of Stonewall Jackson charging through the hospital.
    She leaned forward. "That woman would shame a clam. She said Mr. Vlaçek was
no longer in hospital, and she was not authorized to give out information about patients to
strangers. I said I was no stranger. I did the whole act, Lark, honey. I begged, I pleaded, I
cajoled. I did everything but claim Milos was the father of my unborn child. It didn't do a particle
of good. She told me zip."
    "I wonder if Inspector Thorne knew about Milos's disappearance?" When Ann frowned,
I explained my little sojourn at the police station.
    "They took your passport? Oh, honey..."
    "I won't need it for a couple of days. Unless Daphne tosses us out on our ears. Why don't
you think Milos was transferred to another hospital?"
    "Matron would have had no reason to withhold that from me. Telling me would have got
me out of her hair. She was hiding something."
    I said slowly, "I hope he hasn't taken a turn for the worse."
    "What if the assassin made another attempt on his life? I reckon the police moved Milos
for his own protection and told the hospital to cover up."
    That seemed far-fetched to me. Perhaps my doubt showed on my face.
    She went on, hands clenched on her knees, "The only other explanation I can think of is
that Milos died, and they're waiting to notify whoever is next of kin before they admit their
incompetence to anybody else." She teared up. "God, Lark, what if he's dead?"
    "He's not dead." I got up and went to the kitchen. "They probably just moved him to
another hospital."
    "Then why did Matron..."
    "Maybe she wouldn't tell you anything because she hates Americans. Matron hasn't seen
me, and neither has the ward sister. Shall I go over during visiting hours tomorrow and tell them
I'm Milos's sister from Canada, eh? I do a great Toronto accent. They'll tell me everything."
    That provoked a small smile.
    "I hope you like fish. I bought plaice for dinner."
    Ann had no objection to plaice. We comforted ourselves with cookery and settled down
for a quiet evening. Ann had collected a bundle of maps and brochures from the tourist office.
She pored over them as if they provided mental escape. I was listening to a string quartet, but