Tender Echoes Page 3

  Chapter Three

  “C’mon, Larrick. Let’s interview the victim, and I’ll buy you a donut.” Ethan smiled at the RNs who showed more than casual interest as they passed the nurses’ station. “Which floor did you say your friend worked?” While his backwoods yet obviously fascinating partner appreciated the speculative gleams encountered, Ethan wanted more from a relationship than representing someone’s eye candy, preferring to wait and build an emotional and intellectual connection from mutual respect and trust.

  “ICU, fourth floor.” Larrick greeted some of the women by name. “Did the vic give up her name, at least? Hell, if some asshole’s dumb enough to try and kill her in the middle of a hospital, he must be desperate.”

  “Yeah. When I called for a report this morning, the night nurse said she goes by Charlie but won’t give up her last name. I got the same information from an anonymous text. That and…her pimp cut her up.” A stout, elderly nurse assessed them before continuing her rounds. “It’s going to be difficult to tie this to the other murders.”

  “So someone who knows you and this victim sent you a text message?”

  “Yeah, but I’ve no idea who. I’ll ask our IT department to trace it.”

  “Maybe you should unleash some of that famous Ethan McAllister charm. It wouldn’t hurt you to practice, you know. I hear unused things shrivel over time.”

  “I’m not looking for a fling. Besides, you could do the same if you lost the chew, the camo, and the big-ass truck.” Ethan grunted with his partner’s half-hearted biceps punch. Past the doors of the neonatal unit, they entered another world full of bustling energy, stretchers bearing desperate patients bound for X-rays, various scans, or surgery. An older gentleman balanced himself with a rolling IV pole.

  A nod to the security guard stationed outside room 345 was Larrick’s only acknowledgment before heading toward the central counter to ascertain if they’d learned anything new on the street girl.

  Ethan pushed his jacket aside to reveal the badge clipped to his belt. “All quiet?”

  “Yep. Only ones in are the nurses and aides. I recognize ’em all.” No doubt the watchman had taken up employment when the hospital had opened its doors and had earned every gray hair and wrinkle. His slightly rounded belly strained at the buttons of his white, uniform shirt while vague yellow stains blotted its front.

  After three years in homicide, Ethan should’ve pretty much seen everything, but one glimpse of the prostitute scraped the insides of his chest raw. A once-beautiful face now carried a permanent reminder of her ordeal, the dozens of tiny stitches making a patchwork quilt of her flesh.

  “Charlie, I’m Detective McAllister.” He moved to the foot of the bed but maintained three feet of distance when fear crossed her expression. “I’m not going to hurt you, Charlie. I just want to ask you a few questions so we can catch the man who did this to you. Was it your…employer?” Twenty-seven years of existence didn’t produce adequate armor to insulate his spirit against mankind’s capacity to destroy beauty.

  “I-I didn’t see who did it. He hit me from behind. And I was asleep when someone tried to smother me.”

  The fact that stark fear shone from her eyes and emanated from every pore, a widened gaze frequently darted to the door left ajar, and her recent survival of a second murder attempt forced Ethan to tread carefully.

  “Are they controlling your pain adequately?” Jesus. It never gets easier.

  “I’m fine. They say I’ll be here for a week because of the colostomy—well—to see if they can close it back up. But I don’t have a fever, so that’s good.” Pain etched tiny lines around her eyes and mouth that probably pulled at scar tissue beginning to form.

  “All right. Why don’t you give me the name of your boss and we’ll go have a chat with him?”

  “No!” If fear had held her in thrall before, stark terror doused her frame to lend weight to her crumbling demeanor.

  “Look, he can’t get to you in here again. But how long do you think it’s going to take him to track you once you’re released?”

  “I’m leaving the city when I get out of here.”

  Okay, so it was her pimp, change tact.

  “We understand that when they brought you in, someone had belted a jacket around your abdomen. Certainly wouldn’t have been your attacker. Who did the jacket belong to? You know we’ll take it into evidence and find traces of DNA.” He hated playing hardball with a victim but saw no other way to ensure her safety.

  “I-I don’t know. I was unconscious.” Hands fisting at her sides and a gaze that rested anywhere but on him negated her words.

  Larrick’s entrance preceded a thin mewl from her trembling lips. His halting farther away betrayed his experience in dealing with assault victims. “Ma’am, I’m Detective Robertson. I’m only here to help.”

  “I don’t need any.” An underlying fierceness declared her will intact.

  “Because you can take care of yourself?” Ethan’s raised brow and pointed stare refuted the efficacy of her words.

  “Good morning, Detectives.” Confidence and a firm tone paired with a stiff posture detailed the newcomer striding with purpose into the room. Tall and thin in a finely tailored skirt suit, she didn’t hesitate to approach the patient’s bedside, her smile warm and self-assured. “Hello, Charlie. My name is Francine Carmody, but you can call me Frannie. I’m the hospital administrator. How are you feeling this morning?”

  “I, um, fine.” Mistrust was all-inclusive yet with a few murmured words from another woman, Charlie’s fists loosened at her sides.

  “Don’t be alarmed. I merely want to help you in any way I can.” Sincerity radiated in her tone. Turning back to the officers, she took control of the situation as well as any drill sergeant working with new recruits. “Detectives, as you know, Charlie here underwent a long and painful surgery last night into the wee hours of the morning. She’s exhausted and has no information to give you.” An encouraging smile in Charlie’s direction received a dropped jaw from the patient. “As such, I insist you allow her time to rest. I will be more than happy to fill you in on what information she’s given us so far.” With her speech finished, she smiled and winked at Charlie before ushering the men out.

  Never in his life had anyone dismissed Ethan so thoroughly, efficiently, or pleasantly. He’d gain nothing with a confrontation in front of a patient in desperate need of finding peace.

  Out in the hallway, Ethan stood toe to toe with the administrator and got straight to the point. “She knows who attacked her.”

  “Maybe she does, and maybe she doesn’t. However, number one, she’s recovering from surgery and needs rest in order to heal. Number two, you will not badger my patients. Finally, you cannot compel her to give information. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “And you know the latter because…” Ethan said.

  “Because I’m old enough and have the experience to know.” Narrowed eyes and lips forming a straight line denied any crack in her resolve while declaring each detective adolescents in need of life experience before tackling sensitive issues.

  “She came in with a jacket belted around her abdomen. I want it.” Ethan couldn’t determine if the administrator ran blocker for the patient’s protection or for some other reason.

  Behind him, Larrick cleared his throat. “Frannie—”

  “You can call me Ms. Carmody. As for any other items, I’ve no idea where they are. I noted the overnight logs and went to look for them, but they weren’t with her clothing. I’m sorry, but in the heat of saving lives, clothing just isn’t a high priority. If they turn up, I will call your precinct and leave a message.”

  In one fell swoop, their investigation was neatly stalled before it had begun. Ethan glanced at Larrick, who was more experienced in dealing with hospital types. Larrick simply shrugged.

  “I would think that since your patient was just attacked in your hospital, you’d have a greater interest in catching the assailant.” Ethan’s emphasis in
stressing the hospital’s vulnerability had no apparent effect.

  “Of course I want to protect the hospital as well. You may come with me to look over the report of this morning’s incident before you talk to the emergency responders who entered her room. However, I already have, and none reported seeing another person in the room. Since it happened during visiting hours and you can see how busy we are...”

  “Maybe the cameras in the corridor will help us.” Ethan regarded the angle that encompassed the hall, noting it would be a simple matter to avoid digital detection with a hat and looking away.

  “I know where the security office is located. We’ll head on down,” Larrick murmured.

  “I will have the tapes sent to your station. Good day, Detectives.” Her frank dismissal came as no surprise while noteworthy glances from nearby nurses prepared him for an impending brick wall in seeking information. Yet he’d detected respect, not caution, in their gazes. This administrator is definitely someone to have in your corner.

  “Well, that was a waste of time.” Disgust laced Ethan’s tone. “Why in the hell is a prostitute protecting the man who tried to kill her?” Stepping outside in the sunshine allowed the cool breeze to clear the scents of hospital odors from his sinuses.

  “Probably protecting her friends. If she talks, he might work on her fellow compatriots.” Larrick fished his keys from his jacket pocket. “By the way, I want my donut.”

  “I don’t think they make sweet corn donuts on this side of town. We need to get closer to the mud racers sector where folks sit on their front porches practicing on their turkey calls.” Ethan settled into the passenger seat of the sedan and buckled his seatbelt.

  “Smartass. There’s nothing wrong with being a redneck.”

  “True, but how the hell did you end up in Oregon? This isn’t a hillbilly state.”

  “I wanted a more temperate climate. Now, before you make fun of my fresh-cut corn air freshener, let me say this—it’s three miles back to the station.” Modified under Larrick’s possessive touch, the car purred to life. “Hmm, sounds almost as good as my truck.”

  “Fine. I can run off a bagel tonight,” Ethan grumbled.

  “You can’t outrun a bad diet. Best to just enjoy it like I do.”

  “How the hell do you stay so thin?” Ethan worked diligently to stay in shape, dreading the day some thug got the upper hand because he was too slow.

  “All night cervix server.” A wide grin denoted his anticipation to more exercise. “After which, she filled me in on our administrator, who is very protective of the staff and patients.”

  “Well, that was fast. I thought you were just friends. Back to the problem at hand—we need to track down the girl’s boss. Not that it’ll do a lot of good if she won’t press charges.”

  “What I want to know is, who in the hell triggered the code red button? Certainly not the twat pusher.”

  “Most likely the same person who helped her last night, someone who disrupted our psycho’s plans and owns the jacket we can’t locate. If it had been a nurse calling the code, we would’ve picked up the vibes during the interviews. I’m sure none of them walked in on an attempted murder and tried to cover it up.” Larrick swung the vehicle onto the highway. “Why would they?”

  “Maybe another prostitute.”

  “Maybe. Which means we’ll be identifying her body soon.”