A strobe light blinked on the wall, and an instant later a voice came over the loudspeaker. “Code Blue, Code Blue, Room 748 Long, all team members, Code Blue, Code Blue.”
Barbara grabbed Maya’s hand and squeezed it. “That’s me. I have to go. Wait here. I’ll be back shortly. We’ll talk when I’m back.”
“No, I’m coming with you.”
“Just wait. It won’t take long.”
“No, it’s not safe. I’m coming with you.”
Barbara gave her a curious look “Not safe?”
“Please, let me come with you.”
Her friend grabbed a white coat from the hook. “Here, at least put that on, so you won’t look out of place. And then you’d better talk fast.”
Maya slipped into the coat and was right behind Barbara when she opened the door. A second later, she shut it again.
“Shit, the Chief’s right out there. If he sees you, he’ll stop you.”
Maya cursed. “Damn it!” This was just her bad luck.
“I’ll be right back.”
“No, wait!” But before Maya could stop her, she dashed out of the room. Her steps echoed in the corridor. Maya’s skin prickled uncomfortably. She didn’t want Barbara wandering the corridors on her own. Opening the door a tiny slit, she peered outside. The Chief was still standing her. There was no way she would get past him without him seeing her.
Maya shut the door in frustration.
She could only hope that Barbara knew about her stalker. Then this nightmare would be over soon. Once Maya knew the name and what he looked like, they could find him. She could tell Thomas and he’d make sure the rogue was taken out. She didn’t want to think of talking to Gabriel. Not right now.
Once the rogue was captured, she would be safe again, and so would Barbara. Then she would tell her friend the truth, and together they’d bury Paulette. Somehow she would get her life back together, as much as she could with the guilt she carried on her shoulders. The guilt of knowing she was responsible for Paulette’s violent death.
Twenty-two
Gabriel turned a corner in the hospital and almost collided with Ricky. “Thank God, you got here really fast,” Gabriel said. Next to him Yvette skidded to a halt as well.
“You were lucky, I was in the neighborhood.”
“Have you seen Thomas?”
“No. Is he supposed to be here?” Ricky asked.
Yvette nodded. “He should have arrived before all of us. He was coming straight from Twin Peaks.”
“Let’s split up,” Gabriel suggested. “Use mind control if you need to. We have to find her.”
Ricky nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, we do. I’ll take the 7th floor.”
“Yvette, take the 5th floor, that’s where one of her friends works –
maybe she went there. I’ll take this one. If you don’t find her on your respective floors, move three floors higher.” Gabriel issued his orders with a calm he didn’t feel. What helped him was his experience – he knew how to track someone in a crisis situation. It’s what he’d done for so long, and done well – Maya’s life depended on it now. There was only one handicap: the corridors of the hospital reeked of bleach. It stung his nostrils and impeded his ability to filter out Maya’s scent. His only consolation was that if the rogue was close, he’d have the same problem – it leveled the playing field.
As Yvette and Ricky left, Gabriel stalked the corridors. He’d checked the directory on the way up for Maya’s office. If he was here, he would probably go there – either to hide out for a while or to retrieve whatever personal items she had there, maybe a spare key to her apartment or some money or credit cards. She hadn’t taken any of her things with her when she’d fled the house, not even her handbag.
It was telling: no woman ever left the house without her handbag. It proved to him that Maya was in an extremely agitated state and would most likely act irrationally. He had to get to her before she put herself in even more danger than she already was. Besides, she hadn’t fed from him since before her outing in the Castro. She had to be famished, which would make her weak and less likely to think clearly.
Gabriel reached Maya’s office suite and pressed the door handle down. The door didn’t move. No matter – with a forceful push against the lock, the wood splintered. He slid inside unseen. Four office doors presented themselves to him, each of them with the name of a doctor stenciled on it. He opened the door with Maya’s name without knocking. If she was there, she would have already heard him, and if she wasn’t, there was no point in knocking.
The room was empty. He inhaled deeply and sniffed. There was a low lingering scent of her, but it wasn’t new. She hadn’t been to her office in days. His heart sank.
With a sigh, he dialed Thomas’ number. He answered instantly.
“Where are you?” Gabriel asked.
“Seventh floor.”
“Go farther up – Ricky is already covering that floor. I’ll do another quick sweep of the 6th and then move higher. Yvette is on the 5th.”
“Sure,” Thomas answered. A split second later Gabriel heard a distant scream come through the line.
Shock coursed through his system. “Was that Maya?”
“Don’t know.” The line went dead.
“Shit!” Gabriel ran out into the hall. He spotted the sign for the stairs and rushed to them, then took three steps at a time. With vampire speed, he ran up to the next floor before he slowed down again trying to get his bearings. He sniffed again. The scent of blood assaulted him. He ran toward it.
As he turned a corner, he saw a group of people gathering around a person on the floor. Gabriel zeroed in on the site. A pool of blood spread from underneath the person’s white doctor’s coat.
A grip on his forearm made him spin to his right. “Thomas.”
Thomas pulled him into a side corridor. “It’s not Maya. Some doctor – looks
