“I think I should do it,” Dr. Krishna rejoined. “He was my patient, and I should take whatever heat this is going to create. With those deaths over at the Queen Victoria garnering international media attention, this episode is going to be looked upon as very inconvenient, to say the least. I’m sure there’ll be great pressure to keep it under wraps and dispose of it promptly. It’s too bad, because under more normal circumstances, I’d actually like to learn the physiological sequence of events, starting with the patient’s history of obstructive heart disease, right up to the hyperpyrexia and the massively elevated potassium level.”

“I doubt we’ll ever know,” Dr. Dayal said. “I agree with you about the admin wanting to keep this quiet. But if Khajan wants to talk to me, tell him I’m here at the hospital and can be paged.”

Dr. Krishna waved over his shoulder to indicate he’d heard. He was about to turn down the short corridor to the room’s door to the hall when his eyes passed over Raj. Reflexively they snapped back to the statue-like nurse. “My gosh, son, I forgot all about you. Come with me!” Dr. Krishna waved for Raj to follow, then preceded him out the door.

Vainly hoping he would have continued to be ignored as if he were invisible, Raj reluctantly followed the surgeon. Once again, his heart was racing. He had no idea of what to expect, but it was going to be bad.

Out in the hall, Dr. Krishna had waited for him. “Sorry to have ignored you, young man,” the surgeon said. “I’ve been seriously preoccupied, but now I recognize you. I saw you this morning when I stopped down here to check on Lucas. You’re the day nurse, if I’m not mistaken. What was your name again?”

“Raj Khatwani,” Raj hesitantly said.

“Oh, yes, Raj! My, you have long hours.”

“I’m not working. I get off after three.”

“You’re still here at the hospital and you certainly look like you are working, uniform and all.”

“I came back to the hospital to use the library. I wanted to learn about the surgery you did on Mr. Lucas. Obesity surgery was not included in our nursing-school curricula.”

“That’s very impressive! You remind me of myself when I was a student your age! Self-motivation is key to success in medicine. Come, walk with me down to the central desk.”

The two men began walking, with Raj having trouble resisting the temptation to flee. He knew that the longer he stayed and the more he said, the more apt he was to incriminate himself. He could even feel the succinylcholine syringe in his pants pocket, pressing against his thigh.

“Did your research result in any questions I might answer for you?”