readouts.
‘Phone calls make you nervous, Sally?’ asked Soulos.
‘Not in general,’ Sally answered, and that answer seemed to pass the test.
‘Where were you born, Sally?’ The question came from Ms Forbes, who had now moved in close and was gazing into Sally’s eyes.
Forbes’s jacket was slightly open and Sally could see the butt of the handgun. Then she looked up and met Forbes’s blank gaze. ‘Right here in this hospital. Can a polygraph really tell if you’re lying?’
The nursing sister turned to Dr Chambers. ‘They’ve got a lawyer.’ She gestured at Sally. ‘The
family. They want to see her.’
‘Stall,’ said Chambers.
‘Where do you live, Sally?’ Forbes continued.
‘One two seven Middle Street,’ Sally replied. Then asked, ‘What if I could control my breathing and pulse? Could I beat the machine?’ Her eyes went to the sister. She had turned aside and was speaking quietly into the phone.
‘Just answer the questions, Sally,’ Forbes went on. ‘You ever lived anywhere else?’
‘No. Except visiting my grandparents out west.’
The nursing sister’s voice became clearer as she turned back toward them. ‘I’m afraid Dr Chambers doesn’t seem to be here.’ She was looking right at him as she said it.
‘Are there people in outer space, Sally?’ Forbes asked.
Sally frowned. It was a question she had thought about a lot, but was surprised to hear this secret service woman, or whatever she was, asking it. ‘You mean aliens? I don’t know. But if this sun has planets, then other stars must and so statistically there certainly could be.’
‘No, I’m sorry,’ the nursing sister was saying. ‘I don’t know where Dr Chambers is and I certainly don’t know where patient Sally Harrison is.’
Forbes went on, ‘But you don’t know for sure.’
Sally was very patient with her. Sometimes it seemed that adults did not think very logically. ‘Until we’ve seen or communicated with one, nobody knows for sure.’
‘I’ll tell him if I see him,’ the nursing sister said, then hung up.
Forbes had turned to look at Soulos, who was monitoring the readouts. ‘Polygraph says she’s telling the truth,’ he said.
Forbes sneered. ‘I’ve never trusted polygraphs,’ she said.
Sally looked directly at the sister. ‘Why don’t you put her on it?’ she said, ‘She’s the one been telling lies.’
The sister looked at her and hissed, ‘You’re a very rude little girl!’ Sally smiled right back at her, knowing she had drawn blood.
From the speaker system, the desk clerk’s voice began, ‘Dr Chambers, ring the front desk, please. Could Dr Chambers ring the front desk or turn his pager back on, please?’ Dr Chambers ignored the page, and the interrogation proceeded.
At the front desk, the desk clerk turned to Kate Giovanelli with an apologetic smile. ‘I’m afraid Dr Chambers’s personal pager doesn’t seem to be working, and he must be out of earshot of the general paging system,’ she said.
Kate met the polite smile with a very bleak one of her own. ‘I sense playing for time,’ she said. ‘I sense lack of cooperation. I’ll be back in half an hour with an order from a judge, and then I’ll be sensing contempt of court.’
As she turned and moved off to let Maria and Jim know what she was about to do, the desk clerk again dialled 312. When the nursing sister answered, she said, ‘If you see Dr Chambers tell him the Harrison’s lawyer’s on her way to see a judge for a court order.’ She paused and listened to the sister’s denials, and then said, ‘Yes I know you haven’t seen him, sister, but if by some coincidence you do see him, then you’d better tell him there’s going to be trouble.’
As Kate headed toward the main doors, a nurse approached Jim and Maria. ‘Mr and Mrs Harrison?’ said the nurse.
‘Yes?’ Jim turned, expecting bad news.
The nurse handed him his car keys. ‘Bobby asked me to give you these.’
‘He didn’t
‘Phone calls make you nervous, Sally?’ asked Soulos.
‘Not in general,’ Sally answered, and that answer seemed to pass the test.
‘Where were you born, Sally?’ The question came from Ms Forbes, who had now moved in close and was gazing into Sally’s eyes.
Forbes’s jacket was slightly open and Sally could see the butt of the handgun. Then she looked up and met Forbes’s blank gaze. ‘Right here in this hospital. Can a polygraph really tell if you’re lying?’
The nursing sister turned to Dr Chambers. ‘They’ve got a lawyer.’ She gestured at Sally. ‘The
family. They want to see her.’
‘Stall,’ said Chambers.
‘Where do you live, Sally?’ Forbes continued.
‘One two seven Middle Street,’ Sally replied. Then asked, ‘What if I could control my breathing and pulse? Could I beat the machine?’ Her eyes went to the sister. She had turned aside and was speaking quietly into the phone.
‘Just answer the questions, Sally,’ Forbes went on. ‘You ever lived anywhere else?’
‘No. Except visiting my grandparents out west.’
The nursing sister’s voice became clearer as she turned back toward them. ‘I’m afraid Dr Chambers doesn’t seem to be here.’ She was looking right at him as she said it.
‘Are there people in outer space, Sally?’ Forbes asked.
Sally frowned. It was a question she had thought about a lot, but was surprised to hear this secret service woman, or whatever she was, asking it. ‘You mean aliens? I don’t know. But if this sun has planets, then other stars must and so statistically there certainly could be.’
‘No, I’m sorry,’ the nursing sister was saying. ‘I don’t know where Dr Chambers is and I certainly don’t know where patient Sally Harrison is.’
Forbes went on, ‘But you don’t know for sure.’
Sally was very patient with her. Sometimes it seemed that adults did not think very logically. ‘Until we’ve seen or communicated with one, nobody knows for sure.’
‘I’ll tell him if I see him,’ the nursing sister said, then hung up.
Forbes had turned to look at Soulos, who was monitoring the readouts. ‘Polygraph says she’s telling the truth,’ he said.
Forbes sneered. ‘I’ve never trusted polygraphs,’ she said.
Sally looked directly at the sister. ‘Why don’t you put her on it?’ she said, ‘She’s the one been telling lies.’
The sister looked at her and hissed, ‘You’re a very rude little girl!’ Sally smiled right back at her, knowing she had drawn blood.
From the speaker system, the desk clerk’s voice began, ‘Dr Chambers, ring the front desk, please. Could Dr Chambers ring the front desk or turn his pager back on, please?’ Dr Chambers ignored the page, and the interrogation proceeded.
At the front desk, the desk clerk turned to Kate Giovanelli with an apologetic smile. ‘I’m afraid Dr Chambers’s personal pager doesn’t seem to be working, and he must be out of earshot of the general paging system,’ she said.
Kate met the polite smile with a very bleak one of her own. ‘I sense playing for time,’ she said. ‘I sense lack of cooperation. I’ll be back in half an hour with an order from a judge, and then I’ll be sensing contempt of court.’
As she turned and moved off to let Maria and Jim know what she was about to do, the desk clerk again dialled 312. When the nursing sister answered, she said, ‘If you see Dr Chambers tell him the Harrison’s lawyer’s on her way to see a judge for a court order.’ She paused and listened to the sister’s denials, and then said, ‘Yes I know you haven’t seen him, sister, but if by some coincidence you do see him, then you’d better tell him there’s going to be trouble.’
As Kate headed toward the main doors, a nurse approached Jim and Maria. ‘Mr and Mrs Harrison?’ said the nurse.
‘Yes?’ Jim turned, expecting bad news.
The nurse handed him his car keys. ‘Bobby asked me to give you these.’
‘He didn’t
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