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thieves
, he thought.
    Cook started to feel uncomfortable. He couldn’t shake the feeling Bishop was watching him through closed eyelids. The physical
     similarities were beginning to unsettle him, too. As he turned for the door, he decided that maybe he
would
shave his goatee off when he got home.
    He’d only taken three steps when he heardthe sound of metal on metal and then an arm clamped itself around his neck and pulled
     him to the floor.

TEN
    ‘Be still, doc,’ Bishop said as he gripped the man’s throat and took the key chain from his hand. ‘All I want to know is when
     the truck’s arriving.’
    ‘Truck?’
    Bishop tightened his grip against Cook’s weak struggles, ignoring the dull pain in his stomach. It seemed the good doctor
     here had been lax with thepainkillers. ‘Brendan, you see Alvin over there?’
    Cook nodded, unable to speak.
    ‘I hear all it took was a pencil.’ He put the keys down, pulled a pen from Cook’s top pocket and waved it in front of the
     doctor’s bulging eyes. ‘Get the idea? Now the truck bringing new medical equipment. Tell me what time it’s due.’
    Cook’s left eyelidbegan to twitch. ‘Three o’clock. Please don’t.’
    ‘Good.’ He replaced the pen and searched the man’s pockets, pulling out a sleek Cobra walkie-talkie from the coat and placing
     it on the floor along with the man’s Motorola cell phone.
    He felt a flare in his side and silently thanked the Three Bears. He knew the warden didn’t like to take chances and hadfigured
     he’d lock this whole section down in readiness for the delivery truck’s arrival. Which meant anything less than severe internal
     trauma would have gotten Bishop ejected back to his cell along with all the other patients who could walk. And for this to
     work he needed to be right here in the hospital ward. At least he’d gotten his money’s worth, even if they’d thoughthim crazy
     when he’d hired them a fortnight ago. Maybe he’d send them a bonus if he ever got out of here; the Aryans’ counter-offer must
     have been hard to resist.
    Picking the lock on the cuffs hadn’t taken him long. Embedded inside the stone Buddha icon had been a small metal shaft, and
     after some serious jiggling he’d finally popped the cuff open.He’d practised a few times and then relocked them so Cook wouldn’t
     get suspicious. Whenthe doctor was checking on Alvin, Bishop simply freed himself again and waited.
    ‘You got an itemized invoice to check against the delivery, Brendan?’ he asked.
    ‘In my office upstairs.’
    ‘Yeah? Which one?’
    ‘Room 1–12.’
    Stillclutching Cook’s neck, Bishop went through the man’s wallet. Inside he found a driver’s licence, two credit cards, an
     ID card from Alexford Medical, an expired Blockbuster membership card and some cash. Three twenties, four tens, and six singles.
     And a strip of unused rubbers in the zipped section.
    He released the medic and stood up. Cook stayed where hewas and massaged his neck.
    ‘Up and at ’em, Brendan,’ Bishop said. ‘It’s my turn to play doctor. Start with the coat and shoes.’
    Still rubbing his throat, Cook pushed himself up. He struggled out of the white coat and slowly started to untie his shoelaces.
     Took them off and threw them to Bishop. Then he shakily unzipped his pants and slipped them off.
    Bishop pulled his white hospital gown over his head, picked up the pants Cook slid over and put them on. They were short in
     the leg and baggy at the waist so he tightened the leather belt. Then he reached down for the bills and stuffed them in one
     of the pockets. He felt as though he’d earned it. Once Cook finished taking off his shirt and tie, he just stood thereshivering
     in his briefs until Bishop threw him the gown.
    As Bishop finished dressing he nodded at the walkie-talkie. ‘How often do you have to check in on that thing?’
    ‘Every hour on the hour.’
    Bishop pulled on Cook’s white coat and said, ‘I’ll need that