Rossi had been to Truman Medical many times to interview witnesses, victims, and suspects, but this was the first time he’d done a threat assessment of the premises. There were multiple entrances to the hospital guarded by nothing besides security cameras, which would only be useful after the fact. If Reed was smart enough to turn his face away from the cameras, assuming someone was actually watching the monitors, he’d have no trouble getting inside undetected.
Once inside, he had the added advantage of knowing where to find Dr. Long. Still, Rossi didn’t think Reed would make his play where there were likely to be witnesses, some of whom might try to stop or capture him.
The parking lot was a different story. Reed could easily hide among the cars, wait for his chance, and put a bullet in Dr. Long without ever being seen. If he wanted to make good on his promise to rape her, he could force his way into her car and make her drive them away. A security guard escort might be enough to get her safely out of the lot unless Reed had lost all control over his killing appetite.
Rossi knew the greater risk was the drive home. Reed could follow her, jacking her car if circumstances were right. But the greatest risk was inside her house, where they would be alone. All Reed had to do was find out where she lived and bide his time. If he had waited this long to kill the Hendersons, he had proved one thing. He was a patient man.
Rossi finished his tour of the parking lot. Satisfied that Reed wasn’t there, he went to the emergency room, stopping at Patient Check-In, where a nurse whose name tag identified him as Eddie Tate was glued to his computer.
“Hey, Eddie.”
Eddie looked up from the computer screen. “Do I know you?
Rossi flashed his badge. “Now you do. Where can I find Dr. Long?”
“This about the guy who threatened her?”
“You know about that?”
“That’s one thing HIPAA doesn’t cover, dude.”
“Just tell me where I can find her.”
“Through the double doors. She’s back there somewhere.”
Rossi stepped through the doors. The emergency room was a large square, with a nurses’ station in the center and patient rooms lining the walls. It was quiet, a nurse coming out of one room and going into another.
A security guard sat on a stool next to a counter at the back of the nurses’ station, his belly flooding his lap, a cup of coffee and a half-eaten Danish on the counter. He was thumbing his smartphone, grinning at the screen. Angry Birds, Rossi guessed.
Bonnie Long stood at a counter at the front of the nurses’ station studying a patient’s chart. Rossi hadn’t paid much attention to her when he arrested Reed. This time was different. He took a moment to assess her, just as he had the premises.
Her long blond hair fell across her face. She pulled it back behind her ear, revealing a beautiful woman, with high cheekbones, alabaster skin, and eyes that even from a distance he could tell were intense. Her posture was erect, poised but not stiff. There was nothing about her that suggested her life was in danger. She was focused on the job at hand, taking care of her patient, not cowering and falling apart like most people would have if it were their turn in the barrel. She struck him as someone who’d have the sense to get out of the line of fire.
“Dr. Long,” Rossi said as he walked toward her.
She turned toward him, her face morphing in an instant from brow-furrowed puzzlement to a nodding flash of recognition to a pressed-lip smile.
“Detective Rossi, isn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What can I do for you, Detective?”
“I think you know why I’m here.”
“I’ve already been warned about Dwayne Reed, if that’s what you mean.”
“A warning tells you what to be afraid of. It doesn’t tell you what to do about it.”
“I’m not afraid, Detective. The hospital is taking all necessary precautions.”
“Unless I miss my guess, you’re smart enough to be afraid, smart enough not to show it, and smart enough to know the hospital can’t protect you,” Rossi said, tilting his head at the security guard.
Bonnie glanced at the guard, then looked back at Rossi, shaking her head, her face grim, concessions that Rossi was right. She took a quick, deep breath.
“And you can?”
“If you do exactly as I tell you without complaining, asking questions, or telling me that you’ve got a better idea.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m listening.”
“I’m going to have a talk with Reed. He’s not long on self-control. With any luck, he’ll give me a reason to arrest him. Second time around, the judge will have to set bail high enough to keep him locked up. Until then, you stay put.”
“And what if Dwayne behaves and you can’t arrest him? Am I supposed to check in and get a room at the hospital?”
“You’re supposed to stay put until I come back for you. Don’t go to your car. Don’t go for a walk. Don’t step out the door unless we’re holding hands. I’ll follow you home and make sure your house is secure.”
“And leave me there? Or will you stand guard outside my door and take me to and from work for the rest of Dwayne’s life?”
She was right-annoying, but on the money. He couldn’t protect her forever or even overnight. They both knew that. All he wanted was to keep her alive until he had a better plan.
“Let’s take it one step at a time. Isn’t that what you tell your patients?”
“Sure, but I’m wearing a white coat. They have to listen to me.”
“I’ve got a badge. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
“It would if Dwayne was still in jail. If you arrest him, how are you going to stop him from sending one of his buddies after me?”
Rossi raised his palm, trying to slow her down. “So now you’re a doctor and an expert on gangs?”
“Doctor, yes. Expert on gangs, no, but my girlfriend is. She’s told me all about Dwayne and you, for that matter.”
Rossi raised an eyebrow. “Your girlfriend? Who’s that?”
“Alex Stone. She’s Dwayne’s lawyer. We’ve been together for seven years. Are you going to protect her too?”
Rossi shook his head. Some cases needed a shove to go south, like a sloppy cop who bungles a search or an overeager reporter who gets the story wrong. But this case was barreling downhill all on its own.
“Alex Stone is your girlfriend?”
“You don’t approve? Alex did say you were a homophobic asshole, not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
Rossi had misjudged Bonnie. She wasn’t going to fall in line, at least not without busting his chops.
“I’ll give you the asshole part, but I don’t care about the rest.”
“They why give Alex such a hard time?”
“Because I don’t like shitbags like Reed or the lawyers that help them beat murder raps.”
“So gay bashing is how you get over that?”
Rossi felt the color rise in his face. She had him on his heels. “Like I said, I’ll give you the asshole part.”
“Does that mean you’ll protect me and not my lover?”
“No. It just means it’s going to be a lot harder. When’s the last time you talked to Alex?”
“She called a little bit ago.”
“What did she tell you?”
Bonnie sighed. “I didn’t give her a chance to tell me anything. The hospital’s director of security was briefing me about Dwayne when she called. I was pretty angry.”
“Did she tell you where she was or where she was going?”
Bonnie shook her head. “No.”
