Consumed by rage less than a minute ago, Pattermuster backs down almost immediately when you confront him.
"She was falling apart anyway, getting cruel and sloppy," the Brujah says. "I was going to have to get rid of her soon. Maybe one of my people did this because they knew I didn't want to." He's silent for a long time, then says, "I'm going to ask some questions, just to make sure that we don't have a hunter among the hospital guards, but you're right—we need to focus on getting into Director Carelli's office. I need to make a few final checks, then we'll have to act. Let's plan for Monday night."
Next
St. Basil's Hospital Morgue.
Phoenix, Arizona.
Night of November 11.
Sunrise: 6:49 a.m.
It has to be tonight. Mondays are frantic all day, then quiet all night, with frequent callouts among the St. Basil guards. The Roadrunner guards are also unusually quiet on Mondays, since they're busiest on the weekends and then lie low for a few days. After the destruction of Rita May and ominous lack of answers about what happened, St. Basil's Kindred have been subdued, which is good—they'll stay out of trouble.
You and Pattermuster have spent enough nights surveying Director Carelli's office that you have a good sense of its layout.
It's at the far end of the executive administration wing, behind a door that's locked and guarded the moment the director leaves in the evening until she returns an hour after dawn. There are normally two guards, except on Monday, when only one is on duty. The only other entrance is through a high, narrow window that you'd have to climb down from the ceiling to reach.
The office itself is sparse, with a computer, a meeting table, and old metal filing cabinets full of hard copies that doctors and hospital administrators constantly have to access. No wonder she wants to upgrade this place. The computer is an ancient desktop model, which makes it unexpectedly secure; you'll have to physically access it. The good news is that Pattermuster clung to the wall outside the window and watched Director Carelli enter the password last night, so you have access.
The executive administration wing is blanketed with cameras, but that's where Pattermuster comes in; his office is right down the hall from the security monitoring station, and he's waiting to throw the big reset switch, which will give you the time you need to act. Then all you'll need to do is reach the director's old desktop unit and enter the password.
The St. Basil guards aren't outright stupid, but they're incurious and obedient to authority. You shrug on a coat and a stethoscope, check yourself in the reflection of the morgue's metal doors, and tell Pattermuster, "Kill the cameras in five minutes."
The executive administration wing is empty except for a custodian emptying the recycling bins. The guard is playing games on his phone. You wait in a shadow until he wins—winners give people what they want—then approach in a calm and professional manner.
"Need something?" the guard says, not looking up, before you can begin your spiel. He swipes you inside.
You close the door behind you. That couldn't have gone better.
Next