The Steel Kiss

Rose didn’t look as pale as he’d expected. In fact, she looked healthier. The improved circulation, Rhyme supposed. He thought momentarily of Alicia Morgan. A small, obscure object, a product within the family car, had changed her life for the worse, forever. And small obscure objects here, in a hospital, had just added years to a life that, otherwise, could have ended abruptly at any minute. In the same way a variety of things kept Rhyme himself alive and functioning.

Then he chuckled at the overwrought thinking. He was here to visit his future mother-in-law. Rose’s room was a good one, and happened to look out over a park across the street, a portion of it at least. He commented on the view.

She glanced through the window. “Yes, it is. It is. Though I must say I was never one of those people who went for a room with a view. What occurs in rooms is far more interesting, don’t you think?”

He couldn’t have agreed more.

No questions about how she was feeling, the hospital food, the trivia that visitors ask patients by rote. Rhyme had noted on the nightstand one of Stephen Hawking’s books. He’d read it some years ago. They fell into a lively discussion about the big bang theory.

A nurse arrived, a handsome man, solid, with a rich Caribbean accent.

“Mrs. Sachs. Ah, you have a famous visitor.”

Rhyme was inclined to offer a dismissive grimace but for her sake simply nodded and smiled.

The man looked her over, the incision site, the IVs.

“Looking good, looking very good.”

Rose said, “And Mr. Herrando knows what he’s talking about. Now, Lincoln, I think I’ll get some rest.”

“Sure. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

Rhyme left the room and headed up to the nurse’s station, where Sachs was finishing a call.

He said, “She’s good, getting some sleep.”

“I’ll peek in.”

Sachs stepped into her mother’s room and returned to Rhyme a moment later.

“Like a baby.”

Together Sachs and Rhyme walked and wheeled down the corridor. Not that he cared much, but Rhyme noted that he received not a single glance his way, unlike on the streets of the city. Here, of course, one would expect to find someone in a fancy wheelchair. Nothing extraordinary, nothing worth staring at. Indeed he was mobile and moving breezily down the hall beside a companion, far more fortunate than many of the people in the dim, silent rooms they passed.

In regione caecorum rex est luscus, he thought.

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Side by side, they negotiated the crowded lobby and headed out into the overcast spring afternoon, turning toward the van, which was sitting in the disabled zone.

“So,” Rhyme asked Sachs. “Any more thoughts on what to do during your three-month retirement?”

“Aside from being pissed off?”

“Aside from that.”

“Taking care of Mom. Working on the Torino. Shoot a hell of a lot of lead through paper out on the range. Take up cooking.”

“Cooking?”

“Okay, not that.”

As they approached the van she said, “I have a feeling you’re agendizing something.”

Rhyme chuckled. Ah, Lon Sellitto…  what would we do without you?

“Evers Whitmore came to see me, the lawyer. You know I’m not working for him anymore on the Frommer case. Conflict of interest, now that I’m handling the criminal side.”

“What’s this about, Rhyme?”

“I need a favor, Sachs. You’re going to want to say no, but just hear me out.”

“This sounds familiar.”

His eyebrow rose. “Hear me out?”

Sachs put her hand on Rhyme’s and said, “Deal.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

With undying gratitude to: Will and Tina Anderson, Sophie Baker, Giovanna Canton, Jane Davis, Julie Deaver, Jenna Dolan, Kimberly Escobar, Jamie Hodder-Williams, Kerry Hood, Mitch Hoffman, Cathy Gleason, Emma Knight, Carolyn Mays, Claire Nozieres, Hazel Orme, Abby Parsons, Seba Pezzani, Michael Pietsch, Jamie Raab, Betsy Robbins, Katy Rouse, Lindsey Rose, Roberto Santachiara, Deborah Schneider, Vivienne Schuster, Ruth Tross, Madelyn Warcholik. You’re the best!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A former journalist, folksinger and attorney, Jeffery Deaver is an international number-one bestselling author. His novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the New York Times, The Times of London, Italy’s Corriere della Sera, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Los Angeles Times. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into twenty-five languages.