Innocent In Death

“A

“Aye, I’d say. She likes things to run as they’re pla

“I bet.”

“If I hadn’t left-”

“You came back,” Eve interrupted. “If you hadn’t, she’d be dead. If she pulls through this, it’s not just the doctors who’ll have saved her life. You did.”

“Thanks. Thanks for that. I can’t stop leaking.” Cora wiped at tears. “She’s good as gold to me, the missus. Good as gold.” They headed back, then Cora clamped her free hand on Eve’s arm. “They’re bringing her out.”

“Yeah.” Eve watched the trauma team move the gurney out of the room toward the elevators. “That means they’ve stabilized her.” For now. “Listen to me, Cora. Look at me.”

“What?”

“You have friends in the city?”

“I do, yes.”

“I want you to stay with them tonight.”

“Oh, but…I’ll be with little Ray. She’ll need me, poor mite.”

“No.” Eve wasn’t going to risk another i

“I don’t understand.”

“You don’t have to, yet. But if you don’t give me your word you’ll do what I’m telling you, I’m having you taken down to Central and held as a material witness. Your choice.”

“Well, that’s harsh.”

“It’s going to get harsher. Straffo and the kid are heading up. You can go up and take Rayleen her juice, talk to them, reassure yourself as best as you can. Then I want you to leave, and do what I’ve told you.”

“All right, all right then, I will. I suppose she’ll only want her da now anyway.”

Satisfied, Eve headed for Louise.

“Dallas. Small world.”

“And why are you in it?”

Louise smiled. “I’m a rotating Attending here, and took the big Valentine’s Day Saturday shift. Charles is busy, and we’re having our romantic rendezvous tomorrow.”

As Louise’s main man was a high-class licensed companion, Eve imagined he was fully booked on heart day.

“You look beat.”

“Rough one. And if you’re going to ask me her chances, I can tell you they’re very shaky. We’ve got her on life support. She’s not breathing on her own yet, and may not respond. But if she’d gotten here ten minutes later, she wouldn’t have had any chance at all. So we take what we can get.”

“My lab’s going to need a sample of what you pumped out of her.”

“No problem. The au pair has a steady head on her shoulders. Gave the nine-one-one the name of the med, gave the MTs the bottle. We knew what we were dealing with straight off, and that made a difference, too. She’d started CPR, gave the patient another fighting chance. Beautiful woman, the patient. Husband, sweet little girl. You never know.”

“Nope, you never know.”

21

AS LOUIS NEEDED TO GET UP TO CCU, EVE TURNED to Mira. “Well?”

“She’s an excellent actor.”

“She’s in Drama Club.”

“I’m not surprised. I’d need a longer session with her, probably more than one to be definitive, but I tend to agree with your analysis. She enjoyed having me focused on her, even though she was very aware of you. She wanted to be sure you were listening to her.”

“And I was. She was pretty damn detailed in the conversation she claims to have had with her mother. ‘I love you best. I know you’ll be brave.’ Made sure she got in there, too, how her mother sometimes gets sick. She’s pla

“Or postponed it. Allika Straffo may never wake up. Eve, she’s enjoying this now. The hospital, the crisis, the way the medical staff treats her so gently. Her father’s fear and grief, her na

“Yeah, she’ll milk it. But it’s going to run dry real soon. I need you and Louise to use some muscle, get Straffo and the kid in one of the family rooms here tonight. I don’t want the girl in with her mother.”

“In a situation like this, with the mother critical, the CCU staff will encourage family to spend time with the patient.” Like Eve, Mira considered the options. “If you alert the staff, it’ll show,” Mira said. “She may pick up on it.”

“Yeah, yeah, she would.” Eve paced a few strides down the corridor, then back. “Okay. I want a twenty-four/seven guard on her. I’ll get one who has some medical training, but it’s going to be my man on her.”

“Because you think Rayleen may try to finish what she started.”

“Probably not, not at this point, but I’m not taking any chances. I’ll couch Louise, so she makes sure it trickles down to the kid that her mother’s going to be watched every minute, for medical reasons. I’m going to have to slip the knife into Straffo, and tell him Allika’s under suspicion of two murders, and I’m putting a guard on the door.”

“The man’s barely holding on.”

“I’m counting on that,” Eve countered. “And I have to count on him letting go. Rayleen doesn’t do things out of desperation or impulse, so I think Allika’s secure for now. This is just precaution.”

“How are you going to handle her?”

“I’m going to let her think she’s sliding through it. Let her relax, and make sure she believes she’s snowed me. Poor kid, her mother kills a couple of people, then tries to do herself. I need to lay it out for Straffo, and that’s not going to be easy.”

“He won’t believe you.”

“I don’t know, maybe not. I’m working on that part.”

Daddy was furious. Rayleen couldn’t hear everything he said, or that Lieutenant Dallas said to him, but she could tell it made Daddy mad. Still, the snippets she caught when her father’s voice rose were enough to please her.

Stupid police, she thought as she lay curled up on the sofa of the waiting area, pretending to sleep. They thought they were so smart, but she wasso much smarter.

If nosy-posy Cora hadn’t interfered, her mother would already be dead. But Rayleen wasn’t sure that would be better. She could tell by the tight faces around her that everybody knew her mother was going to die anyway. This was so much more interesting.

It was like Ms. Hallywell said about being on stage. If someone forgets a line or says the wrong one, you have to be able to think, in character, and keep going.

She kept her eyes closed and smiled inside when she heard her father.

“My wife is fighting for her life.”

“Your wife tried to take her life. I’m sorry.” The lieutenant’s voice was calm. “I hope she makes it. Sincerely.”

“So you can charge her with two murders? Allika could never hurt anyone.”

“But herself? Look, again, I’m sorry. I’m not saying we’re going to charge her. I’m telling you now, as a favor, that we have to weigh this act in. If and when she’s able to talk, I’m going to have to question her. It’s hard on you, and God knows it’s hard on your kid. I’m trying to give you some time to prepare.”

“Just go. Just go and leave me alone with my family.”

“I’m leaving. I’ll be back if she comes out of it. Oliver…take care of yourself and your daughter. The kid’s been through more than any kid should have to handle.”

Rayleen kept her eyes closed as she felt her father sit down beside her. As he gently, gently stroked her hair. And she kept them closed when she heard him begin to quietly weep.

She wondered how long she’d have to wait to get pizza and a fizzy.

Eve pulled her communicator out as she headed down. It signaled in her hand before she could use it to tag Peabody.

“Dallas.”

“You clear?” Peabody asked.

“Yeah, heading out. Allika’s critical, on life support. Chances slim. I got a guard on her door and another with med training inside her room. Louise was on.”