The Devil in Silver Read Online Free PDF Page A

day, on the unit.”
    Pepper grabbed the handle of a closed door and tested it.
    “Come on. Stop jiggling that. The only way to open these conference-room doors is with a set of keys. And only staff members carry those. Keep moving.”
    She yanked on Pepper’s arm and he followed her.
    “Now here we are. The hub. And that’s the nurses’ station. Right in the center. Ugly isn’t it? And it’s not even real wood. Or at least it’s not
good
wood. It looks kind of like a Chinese food–restaurant counter, doesn’t it? I’ve seen enough of those!
    “I guess the biggest difference between those Chinese-food places and the nurses’ station is that this one doesn’t have those bulletproof windows separating the workers and customers. And there’s no Chinese people working back there, either. Mostly it’s blacks. Usually the blacks are on the
customer
side, am I right? Chicken wings and French fries! They love that chicken-wings-and-French-fries combo. And extra hot sauce, please! I’m just kidding. They never say ‘please.’
    “So you can see the five hallways from here. That’s Northwest. And while you’re in here, that’s pretty much the whole world. You’ll see. Northwest One, Two, Three, Five.”
    “What about Four?”
    Dorry stopped moving. Almost seemed to stop breathing. “Forget about Northwest Four, you understand me? You don’t go
near
Northwest Four.”
    “You going to tell me what’s over there, or can I guess?” He couldn’t take her seriously.
    “That’s where the buffalo roam,” she said absently. Dorry’s eyes lost focus, a thousand-yard stare.
    Pepper stifled a grin. “Oooooh-kay.”
    “Do I look like I’m joking with you?” she asked.
    You look bonkers
, is what Pepper wanted to tell her. Instead he said, “No, ma’am.”
    Just as suddenly, Dorry’s glare disappeared. She smiled as if they hadn’t just had this little confrontation. She continued the tour.
    “Each hall has its own purpose. Northwest Two is for the men. All male patients sleep in rooms on Northwest Two. All female patients are in Northwest Three. They’re
serious
about that. No slipping pastthem. I’m the only exception. I’ve been here long enough so they trust me. And I’m so old they can’t imagine I’m going to screw anybody. Boy, are they wrong. Kidding!
    “Now here you are. Northwest Two, room five. I can open the door for you but I can’t step in. Look! They’ve put fresh sheets and a pillowcase at the foot of your bed. And one of their finest pillows. Hah! The damn things are thinner than a throat lozenge, but don’t bother asking for a second one. They’ll write that you’re a ‘narcissist’ in your file. I remember the patient who was in that bed before you. He was discharged two weeks ago. Or is he dead? I forget.
    “Anyway, that’s the tour. Gratuities aren’t mandatory, but they are appreciated!”

3
    HE DID NOT give her a tip.
    Dorry didn’t actually wait around to see if he would. She wrapped up her talk and left Pepper standing in the threshold of his new room. He watched her waddle off, hunched and surprisingly quick, and even when he turned away he could hear her padding down the hallway. From a distance—Northwest 4? Northwest 5?—Pepper still heard the television. Someone must’ve switched to another station, no more explosions or human howls, just the electronic snap of some teenage R&B number. Pepper didn’t recognize the song, but he knew the style because at least one or two of the guys on his moving crews were kids. At some point during a six- or seven-hour job, you could count on one of them to start playing loud music out of his phone. Pepper wished he had his phone now, but they’d confiscated it with his belt and laces.
    He stepped backward into the room and shut the door. The sounds of the television, Dorry’s footsteps, the general buzz of the hospital unit, were muted and now he was alone. He flipped on the light.
    This room had the same eggshell-white