Ravenous by Ray Garton Read Free Book Online

the rain. There was a white blink of lightning a good distance away. A low growl of distant thunder rolled through the clouds, like God clearing His throat.
    Finally, Hurley turned and went back inside, dripping wet.
    Hugh Crane was seated now, still holding his little girl, who appeared to be asleep. The other two children were across the room rummaging through some magazines. There were some storybooks on the table as well, and the little boy was looking them over.
    Hurley lowered himself into the chair across from Hugh and leaned forward, put his elbows on his spread knees and dangled his hands between them.
    â€œHow’s Emily?” he said.
    Hugh shrugged. “They took her over to radiology for some X-rays. Her ribs, she hurt them, and they want to see if any are broken. I’m just waiting for her to get back.”
    â€œCan you tell me what the man looked like?” Hurley said. “The man who ran through here?”
    â€œWell, like I said, he was naked as a jaybird, of all things. He had long hair and a kind of stubbly beard. And boy, did he smell bad.”
    â€œAnything else?”
    â€œWell, he ran through here pretty fast. Your deputy took a dive for him and almost knocked him over, but he missed by an inch or so and he fell on the floor. But he got right up and ran after him.”
    Hurley shook his head. A naked man. And he’d run out of the morgue, where a naked corpse was missing.
    â€œOne thing,” Hugh said. “There was something wrong with his left eye. Looked all bloody.”
    Hurley frowned.
    Took his left eyeball right out of the socket, George had said.
    â€œThanks, Hugh.” Hurley stood and left the waiting room, went back down to the morgue.
    He found George back at the desk, putting his lunch back in its bag. “I can’t finish my lunch,” he said, frowning. “I’ve never lost a body before, man, I mean ... a whole body, just gone . You’re wet.”
    â€œWhat did your John Doe look like, George?” Hurley said.
    George leaned back in his chair, frowning thoughtfully. “Well, he was gangly, medium height, long hair, unshaved.” He shook his head. “I’m flummoxed . I got a missing corpse, and I’m supposed to—”
    â€œHe stank?”
    â€œYeah, he was pretty ripe. And like I said, his left eye was gone.”
    â€œThe man who left your morgue ran upstairs and through the ER waiting room. My deputy chased him outside. A man in the waiting room—the husband of the victim of your missing John Doe—told me he had long hair and beard stubble, that he smelled bad, and that there was something wrong with his left eye. And did I mention he was naked?”
    George stared at Hurley for a long time, lips parted, forehead creased. Finally, he said, “Then that had to be the guy.”
    â€œ Your guy, you mean?”
    â€œYeah. He wasn’t dead. That’s the only explanation. But why the hell did he run out of here like that? Naked, for crying out loud.”
    â€œHe woke up in a morgue. What would you do? Did you check for a pulse when you got him?”
    â€œHell, no. I figure if they bring ‘em down here, they’re pretty damned sure they’re dead. All I did was remove and dispose of his filthy clothes.” He ran a hand back through his hair and sighed. “I’m gonna talk to the big boss when he comes in tomorrow morning. I don’t know what I’m going to say—one of our bodies got up and ran out? Sir?—but I’m gonna talk to him.” George’s entire face darkened. Almost whispering, he said, “Jesus ... thank God he got up and ran out before I cut him open.”
    â€œYou don’t even want to think about the lawsuit that would’ve brought down on the hospital,” Hurley said with a smirk.
    â€œI’ll have nightmares about it.”
    Hurley pushed away from the desk. “Okay. I’m going back upstairs to see