22
Howard Muller sat dozing in the far corner of the room, bathed in sunlight. The scent of cut grass and rose petals drifted in on a gentle breeze. A crossword puzzle book lay face-down on a maroon sweater dotted with biscuit crumbs. A full mug of coffee cooled on a side table.
A gentle knock on the open door didn't wake him. Neither did the mention of his name, on the first or the third try.
Emily, a bookish, soft-spoken nurse in a pink uniform put a hand on his arm and roused him from sleep. He snorted awake and straightened out in his high-backed green armchair.
"How long was I out?" he asked, in a gravelly, hard-bitten New Jersey accent.
Emily removed his puzzle book and placed it on the side table. She wrapped a hand around his white mug with blue NYPD lettering. "Long enough fo
