Chapter # 52

After putting his life back on the track, dealing with both hospital and underground was going to be exhausting, he knew but he had no choice. He couldn't afford losing his dream of being a doctor nor smear the divulgence of Plague Doctor. Whistling to himself casually, He entered the hospital and saw the staff worried that perplexed him along with a cop. "What is happening? Why are the cops here?" He acted oblivious. "Oh, Didn't you hear, Doc? Dr. Keith disappeared," The nurse informed leading him to fake astonishment. "What? When?" "The day you were robbed. He disappeared from the hospital." "Really? How strange," "Exactly. The cops are doing an investigation-" She was cut off when the officer came himself, offering Nathaniel a handshake. "Hello, I am Bob, the investigating officer of this case. Dr. Alroy, if you don't mind, we would like to ask you a few questions," "Sure, I will be glad to help," They were away from others with the owner of the hospital who was worried about the hospital's image due to the incident. "May I ask where you were on the day of disappearance?" "As my colleague already mentioned, I was robbed and you can also see." He smiled faintly, showing he was shot and using a cane temporarily to walk properly due to the broken bone. Although he was alright but to show how much of a lethal encounter he had yet bore some faint bruises on his cheek and arms and showed Bob. "What exactly happened?" Sighing, he began to explain, "I had an appointment to perform an EEA; Endoscopic Endonasal approach, it was at night. The surgery took three hours, from nine to twelve. I stayed for another hour for observation," "Then how did that happen? This terrible... state of yours," Bob paused as he considered Nathaniel his prime suspect for the disappearance but his condition stated contrary. "I am not sure but between half past one and between two o'clock, I left for my apartment but was attacked by some goons at two-thirty." "They hit me, took away my belongings and broke my bone too," "Did you file a complaint?" "Yes, I did," He nodded before continuing. "The cops are still investigating it. Due to the beating and broken bone, I was bedridden for a week and just returning today," Everyone's eyes in the lounge were on them, attempting to hear properly what they were talking about. Intrigued what possible relation Nathaniel could have with the disappearance. "I see. May I ask, Dr. Alroy, why did you perform the surgery this specifically late? It was not an emergency, was it?" He inquired further to which Nathaniel faked a perfect, charming chuckle, scratching his nape. "No, no, I apologize but the reason was personal. I had a fight with my girlfriend," "Okay, and?" "I hoped that working might help so I took the appointment so I don't have to sulk all night and the second I return tired, I could sleep peacefully without having to think about our fight," He explained, acting a little embarrassed. He also earned a glare from his boss to use work as an excuse while he continued to display his manipulative demeanor, leaving no space for doubts. "Did you meet Keith at that time?" "Yes, I did. After the surgery, I was waiting for reports, had nothing to do, he had a night shift and offered me a drink," "You guys drank at night?" The administrator gasped. "A little. He offered. I took a few sips too to divert my mind," "So you are saying you treated patients while being drunk?" Bob questioned too and by all means, he couldn't allow his license to be canceled. "No, I left for home after the drink. I take my work very seriously," "Don't know about him though. You might have to check for his license now," He ended nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. Bob frowned, "We have the footage of you two together and nothing after it, nothing else is recorded," "I see. What can I do about it? And besides, what about the time he disappeared?" "Around four in the morning, he logged out of the system and was not seen afterwards," Nathaniel paused, glancing at Mark who pretended nothing happened while he was the one who created the scenario for him. "And I was shot at two-thirty," Nathaniel understood and smirked, turning back to Bob whose discontent was increased. "Haven't you checked his home?" He asked again as Bob responded seriously to witness his reaction. "His home was blasted last week." "Was he among it?" He showed none. 'No reaction? How strange,' Bob thought, inspecting how unaffected the man before him was. "No one died, rather someone cleaned up the mess and we are investigating." "If you were and since you have seen my footage with him too, I wonder why you haven't investigated me first?" Resting his free hand in the pocket and leaning against the cane for support, arching an eyebrow challenging at the cop. "You were shot after all, plus, I like doing a background check first before reaching outcomes," Bob returned the smirk and folded his arms at his chest. 'I will also find out what are you hiding, Nathaniel Alroy,' He thought with determination. "Good luck with your investigation, officer. I hope you can find him soon." He hummed, shaking hands with him again. "Anyways, I need to check up on my patients now, I have a craniectomy to perform too, another life needs me," "Very well. Thank you for your time but are you sure you can perform surgery in this state?" Bob forced a smile as Nathaniel stopped in his tracks and flashed a malicious hint that still Bob, drying his throat when he whispered darkly before leaving. "Oh, I bet you, Officer, this doctor knows all cures," Not wasting his time further, he went back to his work followed by Mark who offered him a coffee. "So that's the cop you were talking about," "Hmm, he is an ass. What should we do about him?" Nathaniel smirked, "Hmph, let him sniff," "Got it," Smirking back, Mark waved his hand and left as well. Taught by Nathaniel too, he worked in the ICU ward. After a tiresome day, Nathaniel was about to leave for his home since a certain cop was keeping an eye on his activities, so he couldn't go to the hideout. In the evening, he was about to leave until he saw Bob in the corridor, leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for him. Knitting his brows at his unwanted presence lingering on his shadow, Nathaniel mentally sighed and decided to tease him a little. "Oh, Officer? You are still here?" "So, What did you guys drink?" "Vodka. He might have taken a peppermint afterwards, he couldn't get caught after all," He replied calmly as Bob exhaled with a frown. "I lied, there wasn't any camera in your cabin's corridor," "I know." He specially requested for that cabin with no camera nearby after all, he couldn't risk it. He smirked briefly, well aware he was ahead and planned before he could reach their core and decided to spark a conversation. "What about you?" "Hmm?" Nathaniel stopped before him, curious to see where his questioning would lead. "You have done two internships in New York." "So?" "Isn't it too bad?" Bob held his head high, taking a step closer to stare at the man dead in his eyes with a challenge he spared in the morning. "You can be the head of your department but the lack of experience is holding you back. You can't work in a prestigious hospital, you can't publish research too yet," "I am not sure I follow," "You barely have enough experience as a surgeon yet they call you 'The Savior', their best, the talented one. How? Unless you have tried-" To his questioning, Nathaniel simply ended up laughing because he had never found himself among the context of good or live savers. They sounded distasteful to the point the sound of his snickering echoed in the empty hallway. "I have never considered myself as ridiculous as a savior. I cure people, nothing more, nothing less," Shaking his head, he was about to leave but decided to test Bob with a mischievous statement, enunciating fearlessly. "I am only a doctor who rips cures from one's soul," "I think I have heard these words before," Bob whispered. "Have you? How intriguing. Someone having similar thoughts as mine," Bob stared at him for the next few seconds, attempting to contemplate his expressions. Holding his eyes, the suspicion was transparent but the lack of proof left him vulnerable. Nathaniel asked, noticing his dubious stare, "What?" "Your alibi is seriously too strong," He smirked dangerously, proud to hear that, "I know," Shaking his head in disappointment, Bob knew something was off. Something he failed to comprehend but upon attaining nothing, he was about to leave until Nathaniel called assertively. "Officer," Dropping his amusement, he rested his hands in his pockets, eyes becoming deadpan, coated with a dominance no one in his hospital had witnessed. Pushing Bob further into doubts, he asked in a low, husky tone. "Are you sure you are searching for the right person?" "What?" "I am feeling generous today. Here, allow me to give you an advice," Approaching him slowly, Bob felt tense at the change in the aura, worried this might be deeper than his perception. He inhaled sharply, standing strong, "What?" Walking past him, Nathaniel placed his hand over his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. Bewildering him which was soon shattered when he whispered along with his notorious whistling; the melody of death. "Don't dive deep into this matter, enjoy ignorance," His eyes widened in appall. In a heartbeat, with one sound, he felt his soul freezing with death lingering on his shadow. 'No, no, this can't be the truth.' Frantically thinking, his mind went blank, dread he only heard about in rumors dropped to his very core. Whistling, Nathaniel walked away as he looked over his shoulder in dread, forgetting how to breathe, praying his thoughts to be wrong. 'Rumors say He is in India. There is no way he will be in Amsterdam. It is Black Death's territory... right?' Narrowing his eyes, he witnessed his shadow and whispered to himself worriedly, watching the mysterious emerald-eyed man disappear. "Who are you, Nathaniel Alroy?"