Pandemonium's hospital was one of the newer buildings gracing the ancient skyline. For centuries, the residents made do with a clinic run by wortcunners and healers. But as the human population grew, the demand for a legit hospital had to be addressed. The state-of-the-art facility sported shiny devices, freshly painted walls, and some of the best human medical professionals on the west coast.
Mahogany headed for the polished steel and glass building. The spotless automatic door swooshed open as she approached. Mahogany stopped in the doorway and scanned the waiting area. Her gaze drifted over a smattering of chairs before she spotted Evelina.
"What happened?" Mahogany said, adjusting her backpack. The smell of sickness mingled with antiseptic tickled the back of her throat, threatening to make her cough.
Evelina stood and hugged her friend. "She was investigating Matt's murder, and—"
"She was what?" Mahogany stepped back. Anger rose in her chest, dispelling the urge to cough. Mahogany narrowed her eyes. "Where's Tony?"
"Upstairs. He's Blair's emergency contact."
"Of course he is," Mahogany said and started for the elevators.
****
Mahogany's gaze fell on Tony as she and Evelina exited the elevator.
"What the hell, Tony?" Mahogany said, fuming.
"I told you the threat was real," Tony shot back, getting to his feet.
"Blair wouldn't have been in danger if the two of you hadn't been sleuthing," Mahogany said. She glared into his beautiful hazel eyes and hated herself for still finding him attractive.
Tony sat heavily in the waiting room chair. "I know, but you didn't believe me about the smashed watch. If you had, Blair might be fine."
Mahogany leaned back as if Tony had struck her. "Don't you dare shift the blame to us. This is your fault. Take some personal responsibility, for Horkos's sake," she said, invoking the ancient Greek god of oath-taking. Mahogany paused and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Where did the attack happen?"
"At the clock tower," Evelina said. "Blair found the hidden key and was snooping around inside when someone attacked her."
"Did she see who it was?" Mahogany asked. Her heart rate returned to normal, despite the anger frothing inside her.
Tony shook his head. "She was hit from behind with a hammer. She doesn't remember anything."
"Someone hit her with a hammer?" The news extinguished some of Mahognay's anger, and she sat next to Tony. "That's horrible."
"The doctors don't believe there's any permanent damage, but her short-term memory is shot, at least for the moment." Tony's let his head droop and closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Tony, but I'm still pissed." Mahogany raised her hand to rub his back, thought better of it, and tucked her hands under her thighs instead.
A doctor clad in a white coat exited Blair's hospital room. "Excuse me, Mr. Applegate. You can see her now."
Tony stood. "How's she doing?"
The doctor smiled. "She is coherent and stable. She took quite a blow. Blair is lucky to be with us. We might have lost her if it hadn't been for that 911 call."
"Thank you, doctor." Tony turned to Mahogany and Evelina. "I have to go."
Mahogany nodded. "Go, and when she's feeling up to it, we'd like to speak with her."
Tony nodded and entered Blair's hospital room.
"Uh, excuse me, doctor," Evelina said. "Do you have any idea who made the 911 call?"
The doctor shook her head. "All I know is that the connection was bad, and the call was made from Miss Sato's phone."
"A bad connection? I know who that sounds like," Evelina said, shooting Mahogany a pointed glance.
"Please," the doctor said, "call me Peachy."
Evelina's eyebrows shot up. "You're name is Peachy?"
"No, but it's what my friends call me." Peachy gave Evelina a slow smile as her gaze ran down to Evelina's feet and backed up to face. "My shift ends in a few minutes. Would you like to grab a drink?"
Evelina returned Peachy's seductive smile and turned to Mahogany. "Don't wait for me."
Mahogany nodded, but neither Peachy nor Evelina noticed.
****
As Mahogany exited the hospital, she summoned Bazgul. A red-brown mist materialized before her but didn't transform into his usual eight-legged form.
"OK, fine. Can you please tell Guy I'd like to talk to him?"
The mist fluctuated like a flock of starlings in the throws of murmuration before popping out of sight.
Mahogany sighed, mounted her scooter, and waited. A second later, Guy appeared.
"What can I do for you?" Guy said, giving a slight bow.
"Do you know anything about Blair's attempted murder?"
If Guy had a blood supply, he would have blushed. "Oh, yeah, about that. I was lurking in the town square and saw Blair enter the clock tower."
"Why lurk in the town square?" Mahogany frowned at Guy, searching his face for unspoken motives.
"Well, it was a nice day, so I decided to take in the sights." Guy attempted to kick at a pebble on the parking lot's asphalt, but his sneakered toe went straight through it.
"Is that code for pretty girls sunning in the grass?" Mahogany smirked. "You're such a perv. Did you see anyone go in after Blair?"
Guy rubbed a hand over his face. "I was distracted."
Mahogany rolled her eyes. "I bet you were."
"Here's what happened. I saw her go inside. I watched some pretty young women set up their picnic. When I looked back, the tower door was ajar, which I thought was odd, so I investigated. That's when I found Blair in Matt's office, bleeding all over. I used her phone to call an ambulance."
"Why didn't you find me? This is important information," Mahogany said, her irritation rising.
"I got distracted." Guy's face scrunched in embarrassment.
"Men," Mahogany said and shoved her helmet over her head. "You're worthless." She started her scooter and pulled away.
"Hey, at least I called 911," Guy yelled after her.
****
Mahogany parked the Vespa in front of the town square and gazed at the clock tower. New police tape zigzagged the clock tower's entrance like a macabre party favor. A small contingent of police milled about, searching for evidence.
"Why, Spider-Woman, what brings you here?"
Mahogany turned to find Detective Sawyer approaching.
"I just came from the hospital," Mahogany said and shrugged. "I guess curiosity got the better of me." Mahogany frowned and tilted her head. "Did the fingerprint on the clock lead anywhere?"
Sawyer narrowed her gaze at Mahogany. "No, the clock wasn't the one that went missing from the crime scene."
"Well, that's a relief?"
"I suppose so. However, we found the key that allowed Miss Sato to enter the clock tower. Now that it's been retrieved, we shouldn't have any more trouble with people sneaking in and getting their brains nearly knocked from the skulls."
Mahogany winced. The detective's insensitive words and the fact that she'd now needed to ask grumpy Bazgul for help getting into the tower set her nerves on edge.
"Sorry, the job can make one callous," Sawyer said, rubbing her hand over her forehead. "Did you see Miss Sato?"
"No, Tony with her. Blair and I aren't exactly friends."
Sawyer nodded. "Any idea why Miss Sato would have been in the clock tower?"
Mahogany shook her head, gazing back to the tower. "No idea."