Talons of the Falcon by REBECCA YORK Read Free Book Online Page A

Downing made a few announcements. Among other things, Eden learned that the station’s original function of testing ocean water samples was still ongoing.
    Afterward she walked back to the medical wing with Dr. Hubbard.
    “Well, I guess I’m ready to have my first session with the patient now,” she announced.
    The doctor looked surprised. “Don’t you want to spend a bit more time with the background material first?”
    “I believe I’ve gotten about all I can get out of the psychiatric evaluation. It was made when he first got here, and we know what kind of condition he was in then. I need to find out if the situation has changed. The only way I can do that is by working with the colonel.”
    “That’s your department, of course. I’ll phone up to Sergeant Marshall and see if Bradley’s ready to receive any company.”
    Eden knew the words were an attempt at humor, but she didn’t smile.
    Twenty minutes later she was ushered into the small elevator that led to the second floor. Hubbard had explained that it—along with a narrow, twisting stairway that was locked with iron gates at the top and bottom—was the only means of reaching the upper story in the medical wing, since the exit to the other part of the building had been blocked off. The arrangement made the top floor a virtual prison. Suddenly Eden remembered that she’d soon be sleeping in this restricted environment.
    As she stepped out of the elevator, the male nurse she’d met that morning came striding down the hall. “We weren’t officially introduced,” the tall, muscular attendant said. “But I’m Sergeant Wayne Marshall.” He held out a large, iron-hard hand.
    “Eden Sommers,” she returned, breathing a sigh of relief as they clasped hands briefly. His suspicions must not have been aroused by her early-morning wanderings, nor must he have noted her use of his name earlier.
    She studied his face, thinking that it could have been stamped out of hardy midwestern stock. His sandy hair was just starting to thin, his brown eyes were wide-set and his teeth were a bit uneven. Like everyone else here, he seemed to be holding back until she proved something to him.
    She had felt the vigor in his grip. Lifting incapacitated patients must be a good way to build upper-body strength.
    “Do you want me to stay for your interview with Bradley—at least until we see how things are shaping up?” he asked solicitously.
    “No. We’re going to need privacy so he can talk freely.” She didn’t bother to add that the Falcon had warned her the sessions could be bugged. She’d just have to make sure that they didn’t contain any obvious references to her previous relationship with Mark, or to her real purpose here.
    Marshall’s brow wrinkled. “Usually he’s pretty docile, but a few times he’s gotten, shall we say...out of control.”
    “Well, if I need you, I’ll call.” Her tone of voice left no room for argument. “Now, where can I find the colonel?”
    “There’s a small lounge at the end of the hall where he usually spends a few hours in the afternoon recovering from his morning physical therapy session.”
    “That ought to do.”
    Now that the moment had arrived, Eden hesitated before pushing open the heavy door. Trust was so fragile. This first private meeting would set the tone for everything that followed, and she desperately wanted it to go well.
    The translucent curtains in the room were drawn against the afternoon sun, so that most of the light came from a pole lamp in the corner. The only occupant was sitting in an easy chair against the wall facing a television set, which was turned to a daytime soap opera. The room was large enough to hold only another few chairs, a leather couch and a battered coffee table.
    A quick inventory told her that Marshall had indeed prettied up her patient for the occasion. His dark hair had been tamed to a straight line that slanted across his forehead, and his sweat clothes had been exchanged for