Page 71 of The Bone Code
“Could be some pharmaceuticals involved.” Now the spoon indicated the drip line running into his arm.
“Better living through chemistry,” I said.
“How’s the weather?”
“Winter is back and appears to be planning an extended stay.” I relieved him of the empty Jell-O cup and spoon. “How long have you been awake?”
“A couple of hours.”
“How do you feel?”
“Thirsty.”
I filled and passed him his water tumbler.
“How much do you remember?” I asked when he’d finished sucking on the flexible straw.
“The red dress.” Groucho-flicking his eyebrows, then wincing at the effort.
“Sadly, it was DOA.”
Ryan pulled a face. With the black eyes and prickly hair, he looked like a B-movie serial-killer clown. Which reminded me of the date.
“Tomorrow is Halloween. I’ll bring you jelly beans.”
“I’ll be out of here by then.”
“In your dreams.”
“The doc says I’m making remarkable progress.”
“For a guy with a wee hole in his head.”
Ryan ignored that. “Claudel and Charbonneau came by earlier.”
“Itchy and Scratchy. They questioned me last night.”
“Charbonneau’s a good guy.”
I said nothing.
“Claudel’s solid.”
“Right.Deadline Hollywooddescribed him as zany.”
“Dead-on.”
Now I made the face. “They shouldn’t be bothering you so soon.”
“You know the old cliché.”
“The first forty-eight,” I said.
“Time is the enemy.”
“Another good one. Still.”
“It was fine. Though I couldn’t tell them dick.”
