Rafferty tried to go after him, but he still had a blood transfusion dripping into his arm. As he started peeling off the adhesives, Nurse Cheryl Park walked into his room with a portable telephone.
Rafferty said, "Stop that man!"
She was confused. "What man?"
Rafferty backed off. "Aw, damn."
Cheryl told Rafferty, "I’m sorry to disturb you, but you have a phone call."
Rafferty, surprised, asked, "At this hour?" He answered the phone by his hospital bed. "Yes? Oh, hello, Senator." He slumped back. "Oh, I'm fine, Senator. Yes, in fact I have, Senator. He was just here. No, we didn’t talk about it."
Cheryl Park left, closing the door behind her.
In his office Sheriff Hartman listened to Doctor Deanna Wu.
Doctor Wu said, "We've got those bloodstains analyzed in Mad Dog Rahler's truck." She looked at files. "Mad Dog Rahler's blood type was received from the Marine Corps, and his son was knifed once in a Texas reformatory, so his type was also available. But the bloodstains belong to some third party."
Hartman tried to remember. "Weren't they hanging around with some guy named Tomo?"
"Tomo Oteas. You busted his grandfather's house the other night."
Sheriff Hartman was lost in thought.
Neither had had much sleep.
As the sun rose over Wild Banana Gulch, Jimmy Quint had set up some water-filled plastic jugs for target practice. He moved a hundred feet away, then settled down with his mini-14 automatic rifle. His first shot was great, although the sudden loud noise spooked him. He punctured a jug. But then because he anticipated the noise of the gunfire, he missed the next six shots in a row. He concentrated, fired and hit a jug of water, but then his next two shots missed. He plugged jugs with his next two shots, but missed the next five shots in a row. Finally he hit one more water jug.
Jimmy Quint was glum. He was lousy with a gun.
In the darkness of her bedroom Nora Buchanan kissed her unconscious lover's face. "Forgive me." Her love was total and complete. She whispered, "I can't let you die."
Tomo’s eyes fluttered and almost opened.
The doorbell rang. Nora stroked her lover's arm one more time, then rose and left her bedroom. She walked like the truly despairing.
Nora Buchanan answered the door. She was taken aback by the bright light of the morning sun. Rafferty stood there. Rafferty still looked very weak, his face was still badly bruised, but Rafferty was very cheerful. "Nora? Nora Buchanan? I'm Terry Rafferty. We met the other night."
"What do you want?"
Rafferty looked over her shoulder. "Is he here? Your lover. The only man you'd steal blood for. The man you took my blood for."
Nora said, "Why don't you come inside?"
Rafferty stepped in. "Thank you."
Nora closed the door behind Rafferty.
Rafferty found and sat in a chair.
"I was just released from County General an hour ago, and I still have to take it easy," he said. "Stealing my blood was dangerous. I mean, you can't just mug the next guy you see on the street. You have to know the person you're hitting. And you have to be professional and competent enough to extract the blood, which Mad Dog and Lester Rahler weren't. You are, however, a nurse, plus you knew I was a universal donor."
"Why would I steal your blood?"
"Your lover. Who else?" Rafferty frowned. "When you love somebody that much, stealing blood to keep him alive is an act of faith in the future. "
"And what's his name?"
Rafferty didn't know. "My first night in the islands, I saw you wearing an aloha blouse. It was beautiful. The white bird of paradise against a flaming sunset. That same night I saw a big Hawaiian wearing the identical pattern. Yesterday I went around to the tourist shops and they said it was a custom-made fabric and a very expensive pattern. You bought two and had those shirts custom-made. One for you and one for Tomo."
"Are you going to have me arrested?"
Rafferty didn't know. "Your lover has to go to the hospital. And you should turn yourself in, too."
The doorbell rang again.
Nora answered it and found Sheriff Hartman outside.
"Aloha, Nora."
Nora said, "Aloha, Charles. C'mon in."
Sheriff Hartman and a deputy entered, were surprised finding Rafferty there. Hartman told Nora, "I'm here with a warrant for Tomo Oteas. Nora, you're under arrest, too, of course."
Nora sighed. "What brought you here?"
"Rafferty here said they used ether on him. The ether. D’you know how rare that smell is? The only place most people smell it is in hospitals. And that blood that was stolen from the blood bank. And the other medical supplies. Where's Tomo Oteas?"
Nora gave up. "In my bedroom."
The doorbell rang again. Because Nora was busy, Rafferty answered and found Ginny Hong and a young assistant waiting outside with a collapsible gurney.
Nora told Ginny, "He's in the bedroom." She faced Rafferty and the Sheriff and told them desperately, "I couldn't wait any longer, so I called Ginny."
Later Nora, Rafferty and Sheriff Hartman watched the gurney carrying Tomo Oteas going into the ambulance. Ginny approached them when the loading was finished.
Nora said, "I've tried so hard to keep him alive."
Ginny asked, "Are you riding with us?"
Nora asked Sheriff Hartman, "May I?"
Hartman relented. "All right." He told the deputy, "Ride with them. Drop him off first at County General, then take her in and book her."
Sheriff Hartman and Rafferty watched the ambulance leave with screaming sirens and flashing lights.
Rafferty said, "She's the Queen of Hearts."