He came back smoothly. Not more than a tiny hesitation.
He looked at me. Wanted me to ask him what hypostasis was. I knew what it was, but I felt polite. So I looked puzzled for him.
“Bring some handcuffs home, OK?” I said.
“I do what I’m told,” he said again. “I don’t want to know any reasons.”
“Major,” I said. “They give you severance pay when they kick you out. Still got most of it. Trying to make it last, you know?”
We drove on. Yellow Springs became a smudge in the heat haze on the horizon. Just inside the town limit was the county hospital, standing more or less on its own. Put there back when diseases were infectious and sick people were isolated. It was a big hospital, a warren of wide low buildings sprawled over a couple of acres. Roscoe slowed and swung into the entrance lane. We wallowed over speed bumps and threaded our way around to a spread of buildings clustered on their own in back. The mortuary was a long shed with a big roll-up door standing open. We stopped well clear of the door and left the car in the yard. We looked at each other and went in.