Kendrick flattened his mouth and sent them both a quick nod before leaving.
Samantha turned to Adrian as soon as they were alone.“Do you plan to do as he asks?”
“That depends.”He tapped one finger against the edge of his glass while studying her.
She angled her head.“On what?”
“On how you feel about my putting myself in danger.”When it looked like he’d muddled her head, he explained, “You’ve just pulled me out of the fire.I’m not sure you’ll be all right with my jumping back in.”
“I won’t like it any more than you liked my sneaking into Wrengate’s home.”
“Which is why I’m choosing not to act without your agreement.”
She stared at him and he could see precisely what she was thinking.He hadn’t quite forgiven her yet for choosing to go behind his back.To her credit, she didn’t get defensive about it.Instead she nodded.“I appreciate that.”
“So what’s your honest opinion?”
“Even though you’ve pointed Kendrick in the right direction, I’m not sure he’s capable of getting to the bottom of this.Least of all if Wentworth turns out to be a false lead.”
“You think he might be?”It was of course a possibility Adrian had considered.
“I know things aren’t always as they appear.I also know that if I were conducting medical experiments on people, I’d probably try directing attention away from myself and onto someone else.That’s not to say Wentworth isn’t guilty, just that we need to explore the possibility of his being used as a decoy.”
“In which case the killer is still on the loose.”Adrian went to top up his glass.“If that’s so, then we need to find him.While I wish it were otherwise, I don’t trust Kendrick’s capabilities on that score any more than you do.”
She raised her glass and he stepped toward her, clinking the two tumblers together.A crooked smile tugged at her lips.“To hunting monsters and saving lives.”
“Cheers.”He knocked back the contests of his glass and wished he could simply turn a blind eye to the horrors filling the cracks in the city’s foundation.
To do so, though, would leave the innocent vulnerable while keeping him from his sleep.
* * *
Intent on preempting Kendrick’s search of St.George’s, Samantha accompanied Adrian through the back streets they’d chosen to use to reach the hospital.This would diminish the chance of their being spotted and of anyone raising questions.
Thankfully, the night was darker than usual because of the heavy cloud cover and the lack of moonlight.Their footsteps were near silent against the ground.Just a low tap-tap and the occasional scrape of a heel could be heard.
They remained as close to the buildings as possible, melting into the shadows while moving at a brisk pace.The cool September air dampened the stench of refuse.Candlelight coming from one or two windows offered the only available light while the rest of the city slept.
Voices up ahead made them stop in their tracks.Adrian’s palm settled over Samantha’s back, the solid touch letting her know she wasn’t alone.
They edged forward until they reached an adjoining street.Looking down it, Samantha saw a group of figures moving away swiftly.Glass shattered as though they’d just tossed an empty bottle.Laughter followed, fading as the group disappeared into the darkness of night.
Something rustled to Samantha’s right.A clattering sound caught her ears.Then silence.
“Let’s go.”Adrian steered her toward the massive building that was their destination.They surveyed the hospital from the northeast corner.Only a few street lights were placed here, offering shadowy spots for them to hide as they approached.
Though St.George’s might not have as much staff on duty at night as it did throughout the day, its being a hospital meant it would not be without activity.Patients would still need treatment, possibly even emergency surgery.
To avoid the complication of running into other people, they snuck toward a series of ground level windows that sat near the rear of the building.Having taken note of these windows when they’d been shown Mr.Booker’s body, it made sense that this particular part of the building would be vacant right now since the morgue was primarily used during the day.
When a quick check for possible lamplight confirmed this, Samantha crouched down and made a closer study of the first window which, as she’d hoped, was left ajar for the purpose of ventilation.She felt her way around it until she found the stay, then pressed herself even closer in order to gain more access with her hand.
A slow and methodical movement allowed her to flip the stay upward.It fell away and the window nearly swung down over her wrist before she managed to catch the edge.To Adrian she said, “I’ll hold it open while you slide through.”
“I’m not letting you do all the work.”He squatted beside her and set his hand against the window.“Go on.Ladies first.”
She fought the urge to argue since that would just waste precious time.Instead, she lowered herself to her belly and slid her feet backward, under the gap her husband created.Her legs went down over the ledge, reminding her that there were at least another two yards before she reached the floor.
