Read Arrows of Time for Free Online

She has to be from the Borderlands. It’s the most likely explanation.’
    ‘I suspect it is, though you’ve reached a dead end.’ He cringed internally. Dead end? Thank you, Dr Freud.
    She stepped closer, the rise and fall of her chest inches from his. ‘Explain yourself, Dr Kelly, or I’ll find someone who can.’
    The smell of her—a mix of starched fabric, hair dye and gun oil—made his nostrils flare. He shifted his weight, considering his options. There was no walking away from this. Maybe the news would shock her long enough to give him the extra time he needed.
    ‘Jane Doe is dead.’ Everett let the words roll off his tongue like marbles down a drain.
    The officer slackened her grip, her hand falling to her side. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘She died.’ He looked at the hall clock. ‘Seven and a half minutes ago.’
    The officer wrinkled her brow until it formed a deep gully between her eyes. ‘Are you saying body death?’
    ‘Precisely. At 1.05 p.m.’
    ‘I don’t understand.’
    ‘Nor do I. Not yet. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get on with my own investigations. Admin has not been informed.’
    She stopped him. ‘How could it happen?’ she asked.
    ‘I’ve no idea, but I’m going to find out.’
    Her fingers pinched. ‘You’ll need to do better than that, Dr Kelly.’
    Everett hesitated. What he really needed was more time. ‘Give me your card,’ he said, looking again at the clock. He pulled a pen from his scrub shirt pocket.
    The officer handed him a small white contact card with her badge number embedded on one side. He scribbled on the other and handed it back. ‘I’ll know more when the lab reports are in and I’ve had a chance to review my notes.’ He let his eyes roll towards the ceiling. ‘They’ll need to see me first, before there is an official press release. You understand. I’ll contact you immediately after my meeting with Admin.’
    She nodded. Hierarchy was one thing she would acknowledge.
    ‘Call me on that number in twelve hours. We’ll discuss it then,’ he said. He felt her relax.
    ‘It’s a private line?’
    ‘Of course.’
    She released her grip and took the card in both hands, studying the numbers as if she would know by examining them whether they were forged or not. Everett took advantage of her distraction and stepped away, continuing down the hall.
    ‘But how could she die?’ the officer shouted out after him.
    Her voice was like a stab in the back. He flinched and kept moving.
    ‘Dr Kelly! Tell me how this happened!’
    The words were soon absorbed into the chaos of the ward. Everett manoeuvred down the last stretch of hallway, dodging past gurneys and nurses as they rushed by. Some carried packs of swabs, tubing and emeses bowls. Others held stacks of digital charts and trays of medicaments. He avoided eye contact, though none seemed to notice him, intent on their own tasks. They all would be noticing him soon enough, once the word was out.
    The officer didn’t follow. Good.
    He spotted a group of med students clustered around their attending resident. He kept his eyesunfocused, evasive and aloof. Nearly there. He thought he heard the officer call out to him again, but Everett pushed on, impervious to the turmoil, the congestion and the building pressure in his head. Or was that his heart? He couldn’t tell the difference. When he reached his office, he swiped the lock with his ID card and slipped inside. The door closed silently behind him.
    He stood for a moment, his back pressed against the door frame. The room was in darkness. He caught his breath and automatically checked his pulse. His donor heart hadn’t beat this hard for some time. He had to get his stress levels down. Inhaling deeply, he brought up the lights to a low level, willing his pulse to settle.
    At his desk, he switched off his internal com and cell phone. That would shock them. He was always available to everyone, anywhere and any time—but not now. After such a trauma,