Rhyne didn’t try to deny it.“Yeah.Sort of.Look, why don’t I start cleanup?Get some of it taken care of ahead of time.”
Andy eyed the clock himself.“This early?”
“I need to meet a guy.”
The man’s eyebrows crawled up into his hairline.Sensing what Andy must be thinking, Rhyne shot it down.
“He’s one of Welsh’s friends.Welsh’s birthday is coming up, and we’re trying to get a surprise party set up for him, but we’re having trouble agreeing on a venue, much less trying to find a time that works for both of us.And…well…” He scratched the back of his head.Fortunately, his coworker swallowed the flimsy excuse hook, line, and sinker.
Andy snorted.“Lemme guess.Because your work schedules don’t coincide, you volunteered to be the one who has to sneak out?”
Grinning crookedly, Rhyne shook his head.“It’s been…challenging.”
Andy glanced at the clock again.“Things are slow tonight.If you’re gonna leave, best do it now.How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
Slightly stunned, Rhyne responded, “It’s supposed to be at some kind of men’s social club somewhere near the hospital.Look, if I call him now, we can meet up there, have a look around, and I can be back in, say, half an hour.”
“Well, call him and find out,” Andy suggested.
Rhyne pulled out his cell phone and pretended to make a call.“Yo, Dave.Look, I have a chance to sneak away from work for half an hour so we can check out that hall you were telling me about.Is it a can-do from you?It is?Great!I’m leaving here now.Be there shortly.”Stuffing the phone back into his pocket, he threw Andy a big grin.“Thanks, bro.I’ll be back before you know it.”
“You’d better be, orbothour asses could be canned,” Andy groused.
Chuckling, Rhyne hurried to the back stockroom, grabbed his bike, and left for the hospital.
He knew Norris wasn’t expecting him, but he had no other choice but to confront the man where he worked.Besides, the only place where the guy could find out what he needed to know was at the hospital itself.
When he reached the hospital, Rhyne knew he couldn’t enter through any of the back doors or the emergency entrance used by the ambulances.Getting off his bike, he walked it around to the front and chained it to one of the handicapped parking signs where anyone could see it through the large glass doors.
Striding inside, he initially went up to the small desk where two ladies in bright pink aprons were sitting.
“Yes, may I help you?”one of them inquired, favorably eyeing him.
“I hope so.I’m looking for someone who works the evening shift here.Name’s Norris.”
Both women glanced at each other with matching puzzled looks.The one with the gold hoop earrings responded.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re not that familiar with all the personnel here.Are you sure he’s not a patient?”
“No.He works here.He’s a phlebotomist.”
Hoops checked again with her friend.“Maybe he can ask around.”
The other woman had a better idea and pointed to something behind him.“Why don’t you ask someone over in Admissions?It’s still open.They might be able to help.But you better hurry.They’ll be closing up for the day pretty soon.”
Thanking them, Rhyne walked across the lobby and past two rows of seats to the small office with the word ADMISSIONS stenciled on the small glass window inset in the wall.Not seeing anyone inside, he waited at the small counter.
A silver call bell sat at the far end.He didn’t think twice and rang it.He was on a tight timetable.If he abused his friend’s trust, the next time—and there definitely would be a next time—the next time he needed to leave early, Andy would have every right to turn him down.
“Be right there!”a muffled voice called from an inner office.
Rhyne touched the blood bag hidden underneath his shirt, tucked halfway inside his waistband, to reassure himself it was still there.
“You!”
His head jerked up, and he stared in disbelief at the young woman standing in the doorway.The woman he’d met at the dollar store.The woman whose scent still floated in his sinus cavities.The woman who’d never been far from his thoughts, and he let out a nervous laugh.“I could say the same thing.You, uhhh, you work here?”His eyes dropped to her nametag.Right below where it said Harbor County Hospital, it readG LOCKHART.
His gaze jerked back to her face.She appeared flustered as she walked up to the counter.“If you’d been ten minutes later, we would’ve missed each other again.”
