Free The Killer Trail by D. B. Carew

wasn’t interested in debating the issue. “I’m here to see Gerald. He’s taking the Owens case. Then I’m out of here.”
    Chris had originally intended to meet with Gerald in a few days and on a unit far, far away from Ray Owens. However, given the order from Florence to meet immediately, the best they could arrange on short notice was to get together between Gerald’s meetings on Alpha unit. It was hardly ideal, but now that the case had become highly politicized, neither Chris nor Gerald was about to disregard Florence’s directive .
    â€œWell, good to see you,” Alex said in a supportive tone.
    â€œThanks.” On the closed-circuit monitor inside the nursing station, Chris could see Gerald entering Alpha unit.
    â€œHi, Chris.” Gerald gave a warm smile and extended his hand. He had fly-away black hair and a boyishly charming face.
    â€œHey, Gerald. Where do you want to meet?”
    â€œDoesn’t matter to me.”
    â€œAll right then, let’s grab one of the interview rooms. Hey, Alex, are any of the rooms available right now?”
    â€œNumber Three is empty if you want it.”
    â€œWe’ll take it. Thanks.”
    Chris and Gerald were walking down the hallway when the door of the interview room next to Room Three opened. A staff member emerged and escorted a patient down the hallway towards them. Chris instantly recognized the patient—Ray Owens. He froze. His throat felt like it was caving in on him, and he broke into a sweat. Ray was wearing the hospital-issued green sweatpants and sweatshirt. His hair was greasy, and several days’ worth of beard covered his face.
    The two men made eye contact, and Chris struggled to draw a breath.
    Ray flashed a smirk at Chris. “Hey, Ryder, how’s your shoulder?” He suddenly lunged at Chris but was restrained by the nurse, who activated his personal security pen, triggering a piercing alarm throughout the ward and bringing several additional staff racing towards them. Ray kicked and flailed his arms while being wrestled to the floor. “Hey, Ryder, you’re not out of the woods yet!” he sneered, laughing menacingly as the orderlies pulled him up from the floor and marched him off to a seclusion room while Chris stood paralyzed in a frozen stupor as the action swirled around him.
    â€œLet’s go, Chris,” said Gerald. “We’ll talk somewhere else.” He could see that his friend was in rough shape, and he was furious. “They want us to meet so badly, we’ll do it... at Manny’s . I’ll drive.”
    Chris didn’t say a word as he followed his friend.

    Manny’s Pub was a ten-minute drive from IFP. Under normal circumstances, P.J.’s would have been Gerald’s choice—closer and known for their excellent nachos. But P.J.’s was the go-to pub for IFP hospital staff, and Gerald, worried that reporters would know this, decided that the last thing he or Chris needed was to have photos of them entering a pub gracing the front page of the Sun . Besides, the incident on Alpha unit had made it abundantly clear to Gerald that Chris was in no shape to be interviewed anywhere near the hospital.
    â€œHow’re ya doing, buddy? The beer’s on me.”
    â€œThanks, Gerald. But I’m gonna need something a little stronger. Rum and Coke. And I’ve got it.”
    â€œI thought beer was your thing. You planning on being here awhile?”
    Chris didn’t respond. He looked like his head was in a fog and Gerald wondered whether his friend was planning to get himself stone-cold drunk to keep his mind clouded. Gerald was under pressure to get information from Chris on the Owens case as soon as possible, but after witnessing what had happened on Alpha unit and looking at Chris now, he knew he wouldn’t be getting this information today. He didn’t care. He was more concerned about Chris’ state of