The Body Thief (27 page)

There was plenty of evidence the donated
organs had been delivered to the places that put them to good use,
but the additional tissue had simply disappeared. Skin tissue, eye
tissue, ligaments and tendons—none of it could be traced to an
Australian destination, no matter how hard they looked.

When he’d conferred with Bryce in the squad
room afterwards, they’d both drawn the most obvious conclusion: The
perpetrator was involved in trafficking the human tissue overseas.
It was the only explanation that made sense. The question now was
this: How had it all been orchestrated?

“We need to bring the boss up to date,”
Rohan said. “Given the likelihood this stuff is heading to
international destinations, this will no doubt end up being outside
our jurisdiction. Holt will need to call in the Australian Federal
Police.”

Bryce compressed his lips into a thin line,
his expression grim. “Yep.”

“But we have to pin down the person or
persons responsible.”

“I’m still liking Wolfe for it,” Bryce
said.

Rohan stared at him for a long moment and
then finally replied. “Me, too, but we need proof. Hopefully we’ll
get what we need after we speak to the theater staff in the
morning. I’ve met with the general manager. She’s agreed to arrange
for everyone who was rostered on duty over the times in question to
meet with us, one by one, in an interview room at the
hospital.”

“That will more than likely involve most of
the staff. We’re talking three months’ worth of surgeries.”

“Yep. We’re going to be busy.”

“What have you told the GM?”

“The bare essentials, but she’s not stupid.
She knows something bad is going down. I feel sorry for her,
especially given the rot that went on a few years ago with Doctor
Leo Baker.”

“Yeah, wait until Chanel finds out. She’s
going to freak.”

“Like a lot of people, I’m guessing. Staff
and patients and families alike.”

Bryce shook his head and blew his breath out
on a sigh. “The hospital might never recover from another blow like
this. It was hard enough to shake off the negative publicity last
time.”

Rohan shrugged. “Well, they could start by
keeping a closer eye on their employees. If there were better
procedures in place, checks and balances, this wouldn’t have
happened. Unless there’s a whole team of theater staff involved, it
must be someone operating on his own, or at the most, with one or
two others. My money’s on the former. There was only one name that
showed up on every file—and we both know who that was.”

“I wouldn’t want to be related to Alistair
Wolfe, that’s for sure. Life for his family’s never going to be the
same again.”

Rohan squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as
they’d go and gritted his teeth. He counted a full ten seconds
before opening them again.

Bryce stared at him in concern. “Are you all
right?”

Rohan thought of spending the next few hours
with Alistair Wolfe’s sister, pretending that all was well and his
shoulders slumped. “Never been better.”

* * *

Rohan pulled up outside his Cremorne house a
little after seven and spied Samantha’s green Honda parked parallel
to the curb. He smiled, despite the pain and anxiety that weighed
heavily in his gut. He should have simply texted her back and
called their evening off, but after all the crap that had gone down
that day, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

It was selfish and totally unfair, but he
wanted to have one last magical night with her before everything
went to hell. If his suspicions proved correct, this time tomorrow,
her brother could find himself behind bars and Rohan would be
responsible for putting him there.

Forcing the depressing thoughts from his
mind, he collected his briefcase, and the pan-fried, super supreme
pizza—with extra cheese—from the passenger seat and headed toward
the house.

Samantha was sitting on the front steps,
dressed in a pair of denim cut-offs and a snug, gray T-shirt. Her
hair was loose and hung in thick waves around her face. In the
falling light, she smiled and he could tell she was pleased to see
him.

“Hi, stranger,” she murmured with a flick of
her hair. “Nice of you to finally join me.”

Her gentle rebuke had no malice and Rohan
found himself smiling back. Despite the burden he carried on his
shoulders, he was determined to make the most of their night.

Although they hadn’t seen each other since
the night he’d stayed with her, they’d been texting and phoning
each other as much as their busy schedules allowed. He was falling
for her fast. She was smart and beautiful and funny. It saddened
him to think that after tonight, she might never want to see him
again.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, “but I come with
pizza.”

“No beer?”

“In the fridge. I stocked up a few nights
ago.”

She grinned. “You must have known I was
coming.”

“Hoped, more like it. It’s good to see
you.”

She stood and with the added advantage of
the second step, was almost at eye level with him. Wrapping her
arms around his neck, she pressed a soft kiss against his
mouth.

Heat rushed to his groin and he burned with
need. With his hands full, he had no way of holding her, but kissed
her back like he was starved for the taste of her. And he was. It
felt like forever since he’d held her in his arms.

When at last they drew apart, both of them
were breathing fast. He smiled at her. “If that was the appetizer,
I can’t wait for the main course.”

She punched him lightly in the arm and then
followed him up to the front door. Taking the pizza from him, she
waited while he inserted his key. Once inside, he tossed his
briefcase on the couch and headed down the hall toward the kitchen,
switching on lights as he went. Samantha trailed behind him with
the pizza.

“This smells really good,” she said.

“I ordered your favorite.”

“You spoil me,” she teased as they arrived
in the kitchen.

“Nowhere near as much as you deserve.” Her
cheeks blushed a becoming shade of pink and he could tell she was
pleased with his comment.

She went up to him and pressed a light kiss
upon his cheek. “You’re so sweet, Rohan Coleridge. I’m never going
to let you go.”

He smiled but couldn’t help dreading what
would happen tomorrow, and how that would affect them. “How’s your
mom?” he asked in an attempt to distract himself from the awful
reality the morning was likely to bring.

“She’s all right,” Samantha replied, pulling
out a chair and seating herself at the table. She opened the pizza
box and took out a slice.

Rohan breathed in the warm, spicy aroma and
his belly grumbled. He’d been so busy at work, he hadn’t had time
to break for lunch. The pizza smelled great. Twisting the tops off
two bottles of beer, he headed back to the table.

“Thanks,” she murmured when he offered her a
drink. “Here’s cheers.” She clinked her bottle to his and
smiled.

“What are we toasting to?” he asked, keeping
his tone light.

“To you and me and the future,” she declared
in a dramatic voice and then burst out laughing.

Rohan followed suit, but the pizza in his
mouth suddenly tasted like cardboard. He chewed and forced himself
to swallow it and hoped she didn’t notice his sudden loss of
appetite. He should have known better.

Her expression grew wary. “What’s the
matter?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, buying
time.

“When I toasted our future, you looked like
you’d swallowed a toad. I… I thought we were on the same page here.
I thought… I thought we both felt the same way. I know we haven’t
been dating very long, but…”

Her voice drifted off and all of a sudden,
she looked terribly vulnerable and uncertain. Rohan hated that he’d
made her feel that way.

“I…”
What good would it do to declare his
love when in less than twenty-four hours, he could very well be
leading her brother to a cell?
He was almost certain Alistair
was behind the illegal trafficking of human tissue, and tomorrow he
intended to prove it. Samantha wasn’t stupid. She’d guess the
moment she heard about it that he’d known right here, right now,
what was going to happen.

He cursed silently and wished for the
hundredth time that life wasn’t so complicated. He looked at her
sitting there eating a slice of pizza, and then, he no longer cared
about tomorrow. There was only now. He was seated across from the
woman he loved and nothing else mattered.

Pushing the pizza box aside, he reached for
her hands and slowly drew her to her feet. Confusion and
uncertainty warred on her face. She resisted him at first, but he
coaxed her upright with gentleness and determination. At last she
stood and stared at him with an expression filled with
distrust.

“What are you doing, Rohan?”

“I’m not so good with words. It seems like
every time I open my mouth around you, I get it wrong, but I want
to try and tell you how much you mean to me. My life was a dull
vacuum of work and sleep, with very little in between. I lived in a
world that was made up of shades of gray. And then I met you.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “All of a
sudden, every corner of my universe exploded with bright, bold
colors. Everywhere I looked, there was excitement, fun and
laughter. Until that moment, I hadn’t even realized how dull and
boring my life had become. You’ve given me that, Samantha. You’ve
given me a brighter life.”

The distrust in her eyes gradually gave way
to confusion and he wished in desperation that he could say the
words he really wanted to say. The best thing to do would be to
walk away from her, at least until after what transpired tomorrow
was done. Then she could decide if he was worth the effort, worth
her love, or if her loyalty to her brother would win out.

“What are you trying to say, Rohan?”

He cursed beneath his breath. She wasn’t
going to make this easy. He drew in a deep breath, intent on
satisfying her with another vague promise.

“I love you, Samantha.” The words fell out
of his mouth and there was no way he could take them back. The
confusion on her face was replaced with shock—and then wonder
filled her eyes.

“You… You
love
me?” she
whispered.

He nodded and died a thousand deaths. It
should have been the most wonderful moment of his life, but all he
felt was apprehension. His anxiety compounded when she threw
herself against him and slung her arms around his neck. She kissed
him on the mouth, the nose, the ears, the eyes. It was like she
couldn’t get enough. All the while, she was laughing and almost
crying and telling him how much she loved him, too.

There was no tomorrow. Only now. With a
heavy heart, he determined then and there to forget, at least for
this night, the pitfalls that lay ahead. Scooping her up in his
arms, he walked down the hall to his bedroom and vowed to give her
the most wonderful night of her life.

Rohan strode through the automatic front
entry doors to the Sydney Harbour Hospital, his heavy thoughts
centered on what lay ahead. Bryce kept pace with him, his
expression similarly grim. They were on their way to interview the
theater staff.

Rohan had left Samantha still asleep in bed,
explaining in a note that he had an early start and would talk to
her when he could. The guilt of walking away from her without
breathing a word still weighed heavily on his mind, but there was
nothing he could do about it—then, or now.

“Will Deborah Healy be present?” Bryce
asked.

“No. I wanted to interview each staff member
in private. They’re more likely to be upfront with us that
way.”

“Yeah, let’s hope we get what we need.”

Rohan didn’t reply and they walked the rest
of the way in silence. Two levels up, they found the empty clinic
rooms they’d been promised. The makeshift interview rooms had been
furnished simply, with a desk and two chairs. A large blank legal
pad and a pen and a jug of water and two glasses had also been
provided.

“I have a list of the names of all of the
staff who were rostered on in the operating room over the relevant
time period,” Rohan said. “I’ve divided it in half.” He pulled a
piece of paper from his pocket and used the desk to lean on.
Tearing the paper down the middle, he handed one half to Bryce.
“Here’s your half.”

“No problem.” Bryce stepped out into the
corridor and looked around. “Where are they?”

“There’s a room a little further down the
hall. The GM assured me the staff would be waiting there.”

Bryce nodded. “Let’s do it.”

He strode in the direction of the waiting
room. Rohan drew in a deep breath. Squaring his shoulders, he
looked at the first name on his list. Swallowing a sigh, and
setting his jaw, he followed.

* * *

Sam tucked her handbag beneath her desk and
then leaned forward to switch on her computer. Despite the fact she
was at work on a Saturday after agreeing to switch a shift with a
colleague, and no doubt had a full list of autopsies ahead of her,
she couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

Last night, after Rohan told her he loved
her they’d had the most magical night of her life. For the first
time ever, she felt like they were truly making love. The
tenderness with which he’d treated her, the love she felt in his
every touch—it was like nothing she’d ever known and she knew the
memory of it would stay with her for the rest of her life.

She was in love and was loved in return! How
wonderful was that? Life didn’t get any sweeter. She wanted to
shout her happiness from the rooftops and tell anyone who stood
still long enough to hear. At the thought of telling her mom, she
giggled and blushed like a teenager. Her mom would be ecstatic.
Planning the details of her daughter’s wedding was an experience
Enid hadn’t been sure she’d ever live to see.