Love ambled over to where she was standing by reception. Phones were ringing, doctors and nurses were being paged, individuals rushing by.
‘Hello, Doctor Cooper and how are…’
‘I see you’re taking this as one big joke.’
Love raised his eyes to heaven and shoved one hand on his hip. He leant towards her. ‘Oh, lady, you are so off the wall.’
‘Spare me your American adages, Detective Love,’ she said. ‘I’m not in the mood.’
‘What!’ He ran his other hand through his feathered blond fringe. ‘You are unbelievable.’
She glanced away, slipped her coat off her arm and started to put it on. Love went to help but she stepped to one side. ‘I can manage, thank you.’
Love shook his head. He turned as Stuart slowly approached from behind.
‘Good afternoon, Doctor Cooper.’
Julie Cooper glanced at Stuart. ‘Good afternoon, Detective Le Fanu.’
‘Look lady, whatever it is you have against me I suggest you get it out of your system once and for all,’ Love said.
His blue eyes echoed the anger he was now feeling and experiencing. He was breathing hard, his chest moving noticeably. He took a step towards her, his face inches from her own.
For a moment, she was speechless. As she stared back into Love’s face she wondered, ridiculously, what it would be like to be kissed by him. Now. Angry. Would that anger translate itself into high intensity passion? Her lips parted, she glanced at his mouth. She swallowed hard, looked back into his eyes.
What in God’s name was she thinking?
‘Detective Love,’ she said. ‘There is nothing to expunge from my system, as you put it, to do with you or otherwise.’
‘Really? Then why the anger, the attitude?’ he said. He searched her face for a clue. She couldn’t answer that truthfully. She didn’t know the answer herself. ‘Get over it, lady, let me do my job and I’ll leave you to get on with yours, please!’
‘I’d simply appreciate it if you would show some decorum,’ she said, and turned on her heel. She started to walk off, stopped, looked over her shoulder, and said, ‘I take it you do know what that means.’
Stuart looked at Love, and grinned. ‘Don’t worry about it, partner, if you don’t, I do.’
Love shook his head. He stared after the figure retreating down the hall. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘The sooner we get this over with the better.’
Stuart nodded and the two men continued to walk down the corridor, they rounded a corner and carried on until they arrived at a private room. Outside sat a police constable.
‘All right?’ Stuart said.
The PC nodded. He said, ‘All quiet, sir, he’s pretty much sedated.’
Stuart smiled.
Love stepped forward, he put his hand on the door handle, pushed it down, the door opened and the two gentlemen stepped into the room of Heinrich Pfeiffer.