Page 20 of So Savage

Faith, Marcus, and Turk returned to the cruiser.Marcus called the VA hospital on the way and confirmed that Eric Davidson was indeed a long-term resident in the hospice ward.Moreover, he hadn't left the hospital in three months and wasn't expected to leave it alive.

“Well, that’s shit,” Marcus said.“There goes our lead.”

“We should talk to him anyway,” Faith said.“He might have insights that will help us.”

“Maybe,” Marcus replied doubtfully.He sighed.“Yeah, maybe.I’m sure he wasn’t the only one upset about the review board.We’ll go talk to him.”

The VA hospital was on the other side of Hermantown, about ten minutes from Davidson's home.It was an expansive facility and very beautiful.Faith wondered how the VA decided which facilities to dress up like luxury resorts and which facilities to slap together with no budget and stick in strip malls.

They walked in and were met by a nervous nurse and a stern doctor.The doctor crossed her arms and stood in front of them.“May I ask why you need to see Mr.Davidson?He’s very ill, and I would prefer not to subject him to any unnecessary discomfort.”

“We suspect that he may have been involved in multiple murders,” Marcus replied.

The doctor scoffed.“Yeah, I don’t think so.He spends less than three hours a day outside of his bed, and none of that outside of this hospital.Not in this cold.”

“We still need to talk to him,” Faith replied.“Even if he’s not the killer, he could have insights that would help us determine who the real killer is.”

“What insights?”

“I’m afraid I can’t share that,” Faith said.“This is an ongoing investigation, and we can’t release details to the public.”

The doctor’s eyes moved between Marcus and Faith.Eventually, they settled on Turk.“What do you need a K9 for?”

“Turk is a trained investigator,” Faith replied.“His sense of smell has proven to be an invaluable tool for me.”

The doctor scoffed.“Yeah, well, this is a medical facility.”

“He’s licensed to enter medical facilities.”

“Is he magically cleaner than other dogs because he has K9 written on his vest?”

Faith tried to control her anger, but some of her frustration leaked through when she said, “Ma’am, I understand that this is frustrating for you, but we’re going to see Mr.Davidson.We have two murdered innocents, and whether Eric is directly responsible or not, he could have information that will help us find the person who killed them.We’ll be respectful of his time and his condition, but we need to see him.”

The doctor fell silent.She took several deep breaths while her nurse shuffled her feet, red-faced and clearly wishing to be anywhere else right now.

Finally, the doctor said, “Fine.But if anything happens to him, I will be reporting this encounter to both of your superiors.Do we understand each other?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Marcus said.“Thank you.”

“He’s room eleven.Take the hallway on the left and go down to the end.”

“Thank you again,” Faith replied.

The three of them headed for the room.The familiar bleach and pine scent of hospitals caused Faith's nostrils to flare.She remembered what Dr.Parker had said, how bleach and other cleaning chemicals could interfere with a dog's ability to smell.Maybe that had played a role after all.

They reached room eleven, and Marcus knocked on the door.A wheezy voice called, “Come in,” and the two of them entered.

As soon as Faith saw Eric Davidson, any lingering doubt she had that he might be their killer after all disappeared.Eric Davidson lay in bed with oxygen tubes in his nose and an IV in his left arm.According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s licensing department, Eric was thirty-four years old.He looked easily twice that old now.His skin was a pale gray and paper-thin.The rest of him was equally thin, wasted until he was nearly skeletal.His eyes were fever-bright and sunk deep within his skull, and his lips were parched and cracked.Faith watched more cracks form as he smiled at the three of them.

"Pancreatic cancer," he informed them."Not very pretty, is it?The silver lining is it works fast.Docs don't think I'll make it to the thaw."

Faith’s tongue loosened.“I’m so sorry.”

He made a movement that might have been a shrug."Everyone dies.Some people live long and healthy lives, and some people live shitty lives that end with months of excruciating pain.That's why they say life's a bitch."

Marcus looked at Faith uncomfortably, then cleared his throat.“Mr.Davidson, we’ll get out of your hair as soon as we can.We only need to ask you a few questions.Is that all right?”

“Sure.Not like I have anything better to do.”He released a hoarse cough that took Faith a moment to realize was actually laughter.

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