As far as he knew, Carrie was already on the road, headed back to Maine. She had called with the exciting news about Sam Rockwell and suggested they reschedule tonight’s activities, but David saw no need. He could get the job done as long as Carrie did her part to help. At the front desk David almost forgot to use the alias “Michael Stephen,” but remembered at the last possible second, before the conversation with the receptionist turned decidedly awkward. Carrie had assured him nobody would ask for ID, and she was right. Even so, for backup, David had printed a bogus one using a template procured off the Internet, and had it laminated for authenticity. It proved an unnecessary precaution, but David seldom left anything to chance. “Here you go, dear,” the kind-faced receptionist said as she handed David his temporary badge. One obstacle cleared, thought David. He headed to the third floor, following a rudimentary map drawn from Carrie’s brief description of the hospital layout.
