Page 122 of Gone Before Goodbye

“Today.”

“What?”

“Not tomorrow. Today. You know it’s four a.m. The surgery was originally scheduled to be today at two p.m.”

“I’ll be ready.”

Bob shakes his head. “No, that isn’t going to happen.”

“Why not? I’ve done surgeries far more complicated on no sleep while the enemy dropped bombs. I can handle—”

“I’m sure you can do them standing on your head,” Bob says. “But I’m going to advise the family against it.”

“Why?”

He turns to her. “You have to see that there are big-time repercussions for what you did tonight.”

“I reported a crime.”

“And in doing so, you’re now on the Dubai police’s radar. There are reasons why we demand discretion, one of which is that practicing medicine, especially surgery, without proper local UAE licensing is prohibited—even if the surgeon has the necessary licenses in their home country, which, let’s face it, you do not.”

Maggie has no reply to that.

“So here’s the thing,” Bob continues. “As long as you don’t do the surgeries, no laws have been broken. You’re just a houseguest. That’s what I’m going to remind the family—that currently there is no exposure. However, the moment you slice open a patient…”

“I get it,” Maggie says.

Bob gives her a tight smile as the car reaches the apartment. “Thank you for understanding.” He opens his car door. “I have to make a few calls, but I should be able to get you on a plane in the next two or three hours.”

“No,” Maggie says.

Bob turns and looks at her.

“I’m not done in Dubai,” Maggie says.

“You plan on staying?”

“I can get a hotel room—”

“No, that’ll look weird too.” Bob shakes his head. “So what is your plan?”

“I’m meeting a doctor at Apollo Longevity at ten a.m.”

When Maggie gets into her room, she calls Charles Lockwood to fill him in on what happened. Charles listens and then says, “Sounds like Ivan Brovski is making a move against his boss.”

“Doesn’t add up,” Maggie says.

“How do you figure?”

“If Ivan Brovski wanted Oleg Ragoravich dead, why wait until after the surgery? Why not, I don’t know, bring in your own anesthesiologist and poison Oleg during it?”

“Jesus, you’re dark.”

“I’m just trying to think like these guys.”

“Maybe Brovski actedbecauseof the surgery.”

“How so?”