Skin Privilege

'Baby, I hate to say this as a defense, but if Ethan Green wanted me dead, I would already be in the ground.' Tears welled into her eyes. He continued, ' Lena isn't talking. I've got to get answers from somewhere.'

'And you think Ethan Green's just going to offer up answers on a silver platter? Now who's being naive?' Sara sat up and took his hand. 'Please don't go-'

Jeffrey looked at his hand in hers. Though Sara hadn't been in the operating room in years, she still had the hands of a surgeon. Her fingers were long and delicate, but there was something strong about them, too. If anyone came into their hotel room right then and asked Jeffrey to describe all the important things about Sara, he would've started with her hands.

He said, I won't take you with me to the prison.'

'So, you're just going to leave me here?'

'I'll drop you by the hospital,' he told her. 'I know you want to check on Hank. I can swing back by after I see Ethan and pick you up. Okay?'

Sara refused to look at him.

His cell phone started to vibrate, jumping across the coffee table. Jeffrey jumped, too, snatching up the phone, checking the number.

He answered, saying, 'Tolliver.'

'It's Jake,' Valentine said. ' Lena 's here. She just turned herself in.'

TWENTY-FOUR

Sara spent most of the drive back to Reece on the phone, trying to locate Hank Norton. As promised, first thing that morning, the Elawah County hospital had arranged for Hank's transfer to a larger facility. The only problem was, no one knew which facility. Sara had tried every hospital she could think of in the area. Finally, she'd managed to get an actual person on the line at St. Ignatius, a regional hospital about an hour's drive away, almost in the exact opposite direction of Coastal State Prison. An ICU nurse was giving Sara the lowdown on Hank's condition when Jeffrey pulled up in front of the jail.

'Thank you,' Sara told the nurse. She disco

Jeffrey parked the car. 'That's good, right?'

Sara nodded, though she wasn't so sure. As a doctor, she understood that a patient's recovery wasn't just down to good medicine. Family support could often energize a patient, even give them a reason to live. Hank Norton was at a crucial point right now. If he thought he was alone, if Lena didn't do her part to take care of her uncle, then he might very well give up the fight.

Jeffrey got out of the car and walked around to open Sara's door. She gave him a tight smile as she stood, but didn't let go of his hand as they walked toward the basement, where the jail was housed.

The entire trip down, she could tell that he wanted to talk to her, just as she could tell this desire came from guilt rather than a need for her to understand. For Sara's part, she didn't want to hear the excuses. Jeffrey had made up his mind that he was going to Coastal State Prison the minute he'd seen the telephone number charged to Lena 's motel room. Anything he said now was just a back-pedaling attempt to put a better face on the decision. Sara felt she had to support his choice, but she sure as hell wasn't going to act happy about it.

She told him, 'The hospital is an hour out of your way.'

Jeffrey opened the glass entrance door for her. 'I know.'

Don Cook was at the front desk, but unlike the first time Jeffrey had seen him, he wasn't playing the part of the relaxed old man. The deputy was sitting straight up in his chair, arms crossed, obviously furious.

Jeffrey gave him a cheery smile. 'We're here to see Lena Adams.'

'I know what you're here for,' Cook barked.

There were footsteps on the stairs. Jake Valentine rounded the landing, stopping when he saw Jeffrey and Sara. He was dressed in his uniform again, his gun belt tight around his waist, his hat planted squarely on his head. Sara had expected the sheriff to look pleased with himself to have his prisoner back in custody, but he looked pissed as hell.

'Ma'am.' He tipped his hat to Sara, then told Jeffrey, 'She's being processed out.'

Sara and Jeffrey both exclaimed, 'What?'

Valentine narrowed his eyes, as if he didn't quite buy their reaction. 'Her fancy lawyer got the judge to let her out. She's free to go until her court date on the escape charge.' He instructed his deputy, 'Don, you mind going to fetch her?'

Cook took his time standing, making sure everyone in the room knew he was not happy with the latest developments before he left by the steel door leading to the cells.

As soon as the man was gone, Jeffrey asked, 'What happened, Jake?'

'She wasn't locked down ten minutes before the judge gives me a call, asks me to go over the warrant with him. Again.' Valentine paused as if he needed to check his temper. 'He dismissed all the original charges and chewed my ass out in the process. I had to beg him to bench-warrant the escape. If I hadn't spent so much money looking for her, he would've probably let that one drop, too.' He rested his hand on the butt of his gun. 'You wa

Jeffrey answered, 'I'm as clueless as you are.'

Valentine walked over to the front door and looked out into the parking lot. A light mist had started to fall. He glanced back at Jeffrey and Sara, then returned his attention to the BMW. 'That fancy car must've set you back a pretty pe

Sara felt herself bristle. Jeffrey told the man, 'Doctors make a lot of money.'

'That they do,' Valentine agreed. He kept his back to them, and Sara was reminded of the sudden punch the sheriff had thrown at Jeffrey that first night outside the hospital. Jeffrey must have been thinking about this, too, because he stood in front of Sara.

'Why'd you let the judge release her?' he asked Valentine. 'You could've fought the judge. You could've gone over his head, called in the GBL'

'Believe me, all those things occurred to me.' Valentine turned around. 'Then, I got a message.'

'What message?'

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

Jeffrey took the note, unfolded it. Over his shoulder, Sara saw there was one sentence across the page in block print: drop it or you will die.

Valentine took back the note, folded it. 'No question about what I've gotta do. I'm not go

Jeffrey sounded as shocked as Sara felt. 'You're just going to drop it? You're go

'You're one to give me a lecture, considering your star detective is being represented by one of the biggest drug lawyers in the tri-county area.' He shook his head, disgusted. 'Looks like I called it right the first time we met, don't it?' He took a few steps forward, closing the gap between him and Jeffrey. 'In case you're wondering, I'm questioning your integrity, hoss. You wa

Jeffrey ignored the challenge. 'It's time to stop playing around, Jake. You need to call in the GBI.'

'I did,' he volunteered. 'We'll call it my last official duty as sheriff.'

'Wait a minute,' Jeffrey said. 'You resigned?'

Valentine nodded. 'Next-to-last official duty, I guess. Last one was letting your detective go, and I suggest you get her out of town as soon as possible and forget you ever knew this place.' He looked over Jeffrey's shoulder. 'Speak of the devil.'

Lena stood in the open doorway, Cook scowling behind her. Dark bruises patterned her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, but her fury was evident when she saw Jeffrey and Sara. 'What are they doing here?'

Jeffrey ignored her. He told Valentine, 'Let's step outside a minute and finish this conversation.'