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The first thing that hit Charlie was the smell of alcohol. The second thing was the sight of Doctor Winters passed out on a single bed with two empty bottles of wine next to her.
“Is she okay?” Charlie asked.
Will stepped over and took her pulse. “A little worse for wear, but she’s just sleeping it off. Should we wake her?”
Charlie walked to her side and gave her a gentle touch on the shoulder. “Doctor Winters ... Doctor Winters ...”
She opened her eyes. They were wide with fright as she gasped.
“What ... What are you doing here!?”
“It’s okay,” said Charlie. “I’m with the FBI, remember? We’ve not been able to find Agent Law, and we were wondering if you saw her?”
“Yes,” she said, rubbing her temples in discomfort. “She was here about an hour ago, I think. Then she left.”
“Did she say where she was going?” Will asked.
“No. Oh wait, we talked a little about a tunnel that runs under this building. It connects with the main building. It’s called D Tunnel.”
“And you think she went down there?” Charlie asked.
“I don’t know, but we talked about it.”
“Where is it?” Charlie was growing increasingly worried.
“Two lefts from here, you can’t miss it.”
“Thank you,” Will said, gently. “You can go back to sleep now, Doctor Winters.”
Charlie had already rushed out of the room. He sensed his partner was in danger. His thoughts went back to how Valerie had saved his family when those thugs came looking for his brother, Marvin.
Valerie was more family to him now than anyone outside of his wife and kids.
Charlie rushed along the hallways, looking for the entrance to the tunnel.
“Wait, Charlie,” Will said. “I’m sure we don’t need to panic.”
Charlie didn’t reply. Instead, as soon as he found the large metal door to the tunnel elevator, he dived inside. He had to find Valerie.
They reached the elevator without saying anything more. They got inside and pressed the button. Descending down to the basement level of the residential building, Will mused, “It’s strange ...”
“What is?” Charlie said in hushed tones as the elevator juddered to a halt.
“This tunnel,” answered Will. “Doctor Whitmore never mentioned its existence.”
“Why would he?” asked Charlie, pulling the elevator doors open. The tunnel was before them. They didn’t wait to enter it.
As Will tried to keep up with Charlie, he said, “The night we were in the residential building, before we took turns keeping watch ...”
“What about—” But Charlie didn’t finish that sentence. A memory stirred in his mind. “We had to walk from the residential building to the main one in the pouring rain and wind.”
“Doctor Whitmore even complained about the fact that we’d all get soaked,” Will added.
As they reached the end of the tunnel and entered the basement beneath the main patient building, Charlie articulated the problem, “Why wouldn’t he tell us about this tunnel?”
Will didn’t answer, but the implication was one that bred distrust with Doctor Whitmore, a man who had been a pivotal part of their team since they first came to Elmwood.
They would have to pay him a visit and find out.