"Well," the woman declared with a smile, "I'm sure she'll be fine. Dr. Van de Vliet is a miracle worker." "So everyone says." He smiled back. "My cousin asked me to look in on her mother. Nina Hampton. She is, or was, in two-thirteen." "Mrs. Hampton is your aunt?" "Uh, yeah, right." Whoops. Get this act together. "Funny, but I always just think of her as my cousin Ally's mother. My own weird way to look at it, I guess. I don't really know her all that well." Things are not getting off to a great start, he told himself. I don't even believe me. "Visits to patients, except by those on a pre-established list, require a photo ID." "Well, let's get started." He reached for his wallet and withdrew a driver's license. He made sure his press card was well out of sight. Keep this dumb and innocent as long as possible, he told himself. She glanced at the driver's license, then pointed to the sign-in sheet. "Just sign your name and print it and then also print your relationship to the patient. I have to say this is unusual. There are regular visiting hours and guests are normally approved in advance by Mrs. Young, who's in charge of security. But you came in under extraordinary circumstances, with Ms. Hampton, and you're already here, so I don't see the harm." He signed himself in as quickly as possible. "Mrs. Hampton is still in room two-thirteen." "I'll show myself up." "Please keep it under fifteen minutes. We don't want to tire her out. You understand." "Thanks. I really appreciate this. My cousin Ally likes to get an update on"--he realized he had momentarily blocked her mother's name-- "her mom as often as possible." He headed for the elevator, trying to contain his excitement. The idea was to keep this as below the radar as possible. Was he about to crack the wall of secrecy that Winston Bartlett had erected around Karl Van de Vliet and the Gerex Corporation? Just as the elevator door was closing, he saw a figure emerge through the security entryway. The man clicked a memory-moment from somewhere in the far-distant past, but he couldn't place him. As best he could tell, the guy didn't see him. Just keep moving. Don't look back As he stepped off the elevator onto the second floor, the pale marble floors were lit by small bulbs along the walls. This was a place where medical miracles were supposedly being made to happen and yet it was lit only with a ghostly half-light. The sounds of televisions emanated from several of the rooms. The nurse's station at the end of the hall was empty, which added to the sense of a surreptitious undertaking. He walked quickly to room 213 and tapped lightly on the door. When he heard a bold "Yes?" from inside, he opened it and entered.