“Well, you sound pretty serious about getting to the bottom of all of this,” Paul replied calmly.
“I am. I have to. Delores is the key to it all; I know it. I just need to get her to see sense. I think if I can do that everything will fit together.” Elijah sighed and waited for Paul to say something. “You still there?”
“Yeah, buddy, just thinking.” Paul cleared his throat. “So do you think you can do it? Do you think you can pull her back ‘round?”
“I think so, maybe.”
“And if so, you think she holds the missing information in her somehow? The key to solving all of this?”
“I do.” Elijah sighed again. He knew he was taking leaps with this theory, but he couldn’t let it go. The coincidences were too much for him to ignore. “Okay, I’m going. But I’m sorry, Paul.” Elijah walked to the entrance of the transplant department and looked in through the glass doors. A nurse sat behind the front desk, the hallway to either side of her quiet and free of people. “I hope I haven’t dropped you in any trouble.”
“Up until this morning, no one knew where you’d even gone, buddy. I kept it all on the downlow. But now the word is out, so whatever you’re doing needs to get done, and quick.” Paul said goodbye and hung up, and Elijah pushed through the doors and into the building. The nurse looked up at him as he entered, her bored expression slipping away as he got closer.
“You look like you’ve been in trouble. I think you need the emergency room across the parking lot,” she laughed and smiled.
Elijah smiled back. “Actually, I’m here to see someone.”
“Only close family is allowed, even at visiting hours,” she replied, her voice turning stern at the thought of breaking protocol.
Elijah pulled out his badge and flashed it to her. Her smile slipped back in place at the sight of the shiny metal, though Elijah was beginning to wonder what his badge was actually worth if he couldn’t help the one person he needed to.
“That’s okay, she’s expecting me I think. Her name’s Sally—,” Elijah frowned, trying to remember Sally’s last name. The nurse continued to stare at him, still smiling, but wary regardless. “I can’t actually remember,” he laughed nervously. “Let me call my partner back up and ask.” Elijah turned around intending to head back outside and phone Paul back.
When he turned around, he almost bumped into a beautiful auburn-haired woman. He stumbled back a step to avoid stepping on her feet and held his hands up apologetically.
“God, I’m sorry.”
She smiled, her whole face lighting up with the small motion. She looked exhausted, yet the tired rings that circled her eyes only made her look more beautiful.
“That’s okay, it’s no problem,” she stepped around Elijah and turned to the nurse as Elijah began to walk away. “Any news yet?”
“No, not yet. You can go up though. There’s a room where you can rest.”
Elijah pulled his cell out of his pocket and scrolled through the contacts list, looking for Paul’s number.
“Alright, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep, but I should probably try. I’ll see you in a little while, Emma.” The woman stepped towards the elevators.
“Get some rest, Sally,” the nurse replied loud enough to let Elijah hear.
Elijah put one hand on the glass door of the entrance and stopped. He turned back around, his gaze following Sally down the hallway, his phone still in his hand.
“Sally?” he called after her, and she turned around, her smile still in place. “I think you’re who I might be looking for.”
He cast a glance to the nurse who raised an eyebrow at him and looked back down at her computer.
“I’m Elijah Schiver, I believe you spoke to my colleague over a woman you met a couple of days ago.” He took a step towards her, watching as Sally’s expression saddened.
“Yes, I did,” she shook her head. “We should talk. But not here, follow me.”
Chapter Forty-One.
Elijah
Elijah sat opposite to Sally.
A white bench style table sat in-between them. The room was bright, each wall seemingly more sterile than the last. It looked as if it had been recently redecorated, the smell of paint still hung in the air. Artwork still hadn’t been hung back up on the walls. But the coffee was strong, and that seemed to be what mattered most to the people that ventured in here. Each one took a long lungful of their coffee before taking a sip.
Sally sipped at hers, and Elijah watched her carefully. She hugged the mug with both hands, as if chilled, yet the air was still humid after such a hot day. The air-conditioning unit hummed above them.
