At the moment, though, she wasn't amused. She didn't see how Dr. Kane could tell anything by
'Maybe you can get something out of her,' Dr. Kane said and walked away. April would not have liked to be one of her patients.
'Wait for me,' she told Baum. Then she opened the treatment room door.
Heather Popescu was lying on a rolling hospital bed, covered up with a sheet so that only the shoulders of her blue-flowered hospital gown showed. The sides of the bed had been put up so she wouldn't fall off, but she wasn't going anywhere. One eye was covered with a cold pack. Her lip was split and already puffed. Her extremely long, inky hair spilled off the pillow. April was startled, then recovered fast. The unconscious woman, Heather Rose Popescu, was Chinese.
No wonder Iriarte had ordered April sent down here immediately. Iriarte hated her. He'd never voluntarily gave her a big case. He'd sent her here because the victim was Chinese and it would look better with a high-profile Chinese detective on it. April flashed to the husband standing out in the waiting room. A belligerent Caucasian. Oh man, she was in trouble. She didn't like this one bit. Skinny Dragon would think this was a warning just for her. She was going to shake her finger at April over this. 'See what happens,' she'd scream. 'Mixed marriage, woman beaten to a pulp. That's what you can expect when you marry
Oh man. Suddenly April wished Mike, her mother's nightmare, was here with her now. He could take this case in hand. Woody was too inexperienced to be of any help, particularly with the husband. If the husband beat the wife, he wasn't going to like April as his interviewer. April needed the expert partner she'd had in Mike, then lost on purpose because she hadn't wanted to mix business and pleasure. So much for integrity and scruples. Now she was on her own. Thank you, Lieutenant Iriarte.
April studied Heather Rose's battered face. Where were her parents, her protectors? 'Heather? Can you hear me?' she said softly. 'I'm April Woo. I'm here to help you.'
No answer came from the unconscious woman.
'Heather, we need to find the baby. Where's the baby?'
Heather did not stir. April felt the cold brick of fear in her belly. 'Come on back, girl. We need your help here.'
It was no use. Heather wasn't coming back.
April tried in Chinese.
No response.
Finally, April turned to leave the room. 'Whoever did this to you, I'll get him for this,' she promised.
Back in the waiting room, Heather's husband was standing in front of his chair. Baum was talking to him and writing down what he said.
'How is she?'
April gave him a look. 'She's unconscious.'
'How long will she be like this?'
April studied him, didn't have an answer.
Popescu's cheeks were gray, like a dead man's. He glanced at the two cops who'd stuck by his side since he'd come in. Duffy and Prince lounged against a wall as if they were used to hanging around for long periods of time with nothing to do. A baby on someone's lap on the other side of the crowded waiting room started to wail.
Another brick hit April. If it wasn't Heather's baby, whose was it? Who was this man she'd married, and why was he lying? He said he wanted to go home and she had to let him. There wasn't anything they could do for Heather here.
LESLIE GLASS
grew up in New York City, where she worked in the publishing industry and at New York magazine before turning to writing fiction. She is the author of six previous novels, the last three of which have featured New York City Detective April Woo. Visit her web site at
http://www.leslieglass.net
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