Doctor Who_ Father Time - Lance Parkin [24]
The Doctor paced around the room for a moment.
Then he smiled.
* * *
‘There is nothing to discuss,’ Mr Gibson told them in that too-calm voice of his. ‘Arnold Knight must die.’
The Hunters glanced at each other, but didn’t move from their seats. The inside of the Volkswagen suddenly felt claustrophobic.
‘We are not killers, Mr Gibson,’ the woman said.
‘Not professionally,’ the man added.
Mr Gibson gave a low rumbling noise, like a disapproving grunt. ‘Arnold Knight has seen too much. The Doctor is in contact with the woman who ran him over. She did not believe Knight, but the Doctor will. Knight must be eliminated before the Doctor and Knight make contact. The Prefect’s mission must not be compromised.’
‘We are not sure that it is the Doctor,’ the man reminded Mr Gibson.
‘I know him of old,’ Mr Gibson said softly, but with a snarl in his voice. ‘It’s him.’
‘If you’re that convinced, then why bother with Knight, why not just kill the Doctor?’ the woman suggested.
‘Yeah – do your own dirty work.’
Mr Gibson laughed – an unpleasant sound like a motorbike engine revving.
‘I will kill the Doctor, when the time is right,’ Mr Gibson vowed. ‘You have your orders – now go!’
* * *
‘Excuse me, nurse?’
Nurse Collins looked up, and was glad she had. A handsome man with long light-brown hair was looking over at her, fixing her with the most beautiful blue eyes.
‘How can I help?’ she asked, looking for his wedding ring. Nurse Collins wasn’t married herself, and often checked to see whether men she met were or not. It was a habit she had.
‘Arnold Knight, the man in traction, is after a glass of water. And I’m looking for the medical records.’
She was on the alert. ‘Who are you?’
‘I’m the Doctor,’ he said disarmingly.
‘Dr Hennessy?’ she asked. ‘I didn’t think you were starting until next week.’
The doctor smiled amiably.
‘Any record in particular?’
‘Yes. Dawkins. Miranda Dawkins. She’s ten, so it’s probably a paediatric record.’
‘I’ll help you look. This way.’
They weren’t far from the records room. He was lucky that one of her duties involved some clerical work in here, so she had the key.
The room was small and dusty, full of old filing cabinets. Despite that, the staff knew their way around, and she quickly located the file and handed it over. The man opened up the folder, took out the sheaves of paper and flicked through them, pausing only a couple of times. After only a few seconds, he stuffed them back in the folder.
‘That was quick,’ she remarked.
‘I’m a fast reader,’ he assured her.
‘Are you this fast at everything?’ she asked, leaning in. His skin was milky-pale, and flawless. He wasn’t wearing aftershave, but she could catch the scent of his hair.
‘No,’ he said, laughter in his voice. ‘If only. Thanks for showing me this, and don’t forget Arnold Knight’s glass of water.’
He handed the folder back to her and strode out of the door.
* * *
‘Good evening, Arnold,’ a strange voice called out. It was a woman’s voice, but it was deep. The woman was tall, angular, and she had such a good figure and bone structure that she should have been beautiful, but she wasn’t.
‘Hope we find you well,’ said a man with a high-pitched voice. He looked like her twin brother.
‘Who are you?’
‘Oh, that doesn’t matter,’ the woman said.
‘We’re not killers,’ the man said. ‘I think we should make that clear from the start. I don’t want you to think that we are killers.’
Arnold reached for his alarm button. ‘It was you in the car. It was you that didn’t stop to help when I was run over.’
The man saw what he was doing, and grabbed his wrist, twisting it. ‘Now, Arnold, just because you’re scared doesn’t mean you have to act like a complete spaz.’
‘I-I’m not scared,’ Arnold stammered.
The woman shook her head. ‘You are.’
Arnold nodded.
‘You’re right to be,’ the man told him. ‘You’ve seen all sorts of things you’re not meant to have.’
‘We weren’t going to kill you,’ the woman added. ‘We didn’t think anyone would believe your stupid stories. We know the police