“I’ll get him,” Fenner said. “You mustn’t be hard on yourself. You’ll get over it. You must expect to have to rely on someone at first after what you’ve gone through. You’re going to be all right. You’ve just got to hang on for the next few days.”
Her smile became a grimace.
“Would you hurry, please?” she said politely. “I must have something. He’ll know what to give me. I shall go to pieces if I don’t get something. I have been living on drugs now for months.”
“I’ll get him,” Fenner said and went quickly to the door. Leaving it open, he stepped into the passage and called to one of the policemen. “Hey, you! Get the Doc up here, will you, and fast?”
The door slammed behind him, making him spin around. He heard the lock snap to.
In a sudden panic, he rapped on the door, but Miss Blandish didn’t open the door. He drew back and drove his shoulder against the door panel, but the door didn’t give.
The two policemen ran up.
“Get it open!” Fenner shouted, feeling sweat on his face. “Hurry!”
As the two policemen’s combined weight smashed open the door, Fenner heard a thin, wailing scream. It sounded far away.
From the street below, he heard people shouting and the sound of traffic grinding to a stop.
He stood helplessly in the doorway and looked around the empty room.