the front page.
Kevin read the story twice before he looked up.
“Don’t tell me the unidentified woman was you.”
Erica nodded.
“Are you insane? What were you trying to prove?”
“If I had waited until the paramedics arrived, she would have been brain-damaged.”
“But the police. They were there…”
Erica shook her head. “I got away before they could talk to me.”
“Do you realize the risk you took?” Kevin said, his voice rising.
“Like I said, it didn’t seem like I had a choice. It all happened pretty fast.”
“Erica, we have been just one step ahead of these…psychos, whoever they are. What if the police had arrested you?” Kevin was off the stool now, pacing.
“What would you have wanted me to do? Let that girl die?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course not.”
“Oh, I’m the one being ridiculous.”
“You could have waited.”
“No, I couldn’t.”
“Are you sure? How do you know? You’re not a doctor yet.”
“I’ve spent the last three months in the ER. It was a judgment call. I made it. That’s my profession. Deal with it.”
“Your heroics have lousy timing.”
“I’m sorry emergencies aren’t more convenient for you.” Erica stood and picked up her purse.
Kevin grabbed her sinewy shoulders. “Don’t you get it? If you got taken to jail and Barnett found you there, he’d kill you in a minute.”
She looked up at him, her wide green eyes boring into his. “So?”
Kevin’s voice was almost a whisper. “So I couldn’t stand to lose you too.” Then, before he realized what he was doing, he pulled her toward him in a rush and kissed her deeply. Instead of pulling away as he thought she might, Erica returned the kiss even more forcefully. Kevin felt her breasts pleasantly compressed against his chest and inhaled the light scent of fresh soap from her skin. He cradled her head in one palm, holding her to him with the other. Their hips ground together, making him aware of his sudden desire.
After what seemed like an hour but had to have been only a few seconds, Kevin released her and held her hands.
“Why didn’t you do that in the motel?” Erica said.
“I wasn’t sure then.”
“About whether you wanted to?”
“No. About whether
“Are you sure now?”
“Oh yeah.”
Erica looked at the equipment. “Can this stuff stay unattended for an hour or so?” Then she looked back at him with a curled smile.
Kevin punched a large red EMERGENCY STOP button, and the whine of the machinery ground to a halt. “Yes.”
Ted’s house was only five minutes away. It was the longest five-minute drive Kevin ever took.
CHAPTER 28
“STU Financial Aid and Student Affairs, this is Teri, may I help you?” The sentence was recited with the boredom of innumerable repetition.
The answering voice spoke in a dreadful southern drawl. She sounded young, maybe a teenager. “Hi, my name’s Maggie Burleson. I was told you were the right person to talk to.”
“What can I help you with?” Teri Linley glanced at the wall clock. Only two hours until the weekend. Friday afternoons were always the slowest. She hoped it wouldn’t take as long to get out of here as last Friday did.
“Yesterday, a friend of mine had an emergency. She ate some cake with peanut oil in it and had an allergic reaction.”
“Are you sure you need this office?”
“No, but this is who they told me to call to find a student. One of the people at the emergency was a South Texas student. Her name is Erica Jensen.”
Teri perked up at the name. It was one of the two she’d been told to be on the alert for. That priggish black- haired guy had told her she’d get a hundred dollars if she could tell him where Erica Jensen was.
“Go on, Mrs. Burleson.”
A giggle erupted from the other end. “I’m not married.”
Teri was impatient. A hundred dollars would make the weekend a lot more fun. “You said you saw Erica Jensen, Maggie?”
“Yeah. I was wondering if you could tell me her number.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Maggie. We’re not allowed to give out that information for confidentiality reasons. Where did you say you were?”
“It…the emergency happened in Blacksburg.”
Blacksburg? Where the hell was that? “Blacksburg, Texas?”
“No, Blacksburg, Virginia. Uh, I really need to talk to her.”
Teri decided to take another approach. “Maggie, I shouldn’t be doing this, but Erica is a friend of mine. If you tell me the message, I’ll make sure she gets it and calls you back.”
The line was silent for a few seconds. “She a friend of yours?”
“We’re in the fourth year of med school together. I just work here for extra money.” When Maggie hesitated, Teri said, “In fact, I’m going to pick up Erica at the airport tomorrow when she gets back from visiting her relatives in Virginia.”
“All right,” Maggie said, the apprehension apparent in her voice. “You should be proud of Erica. She saved my friend’s life yesterday. The doctors at the hospital said Tory, my friend, might have died if Erica hadn’t given her epinephrine.” She said the word slowly, trying to pronounce it properly.
“Oh my gosh! Is Erica with you now?” Teri impressed herself at how well she was doing. She was definitely earning that hundred dollars.
“No, and that’s why I was calling. Erica ran off just as the paramedics and police got there. Just after she left, I found her medical student badge. It must have fell out when Tory knocked her purse over. I put it in my pocket without telling the police. I been wondering all day whether I should tell them or not, but I figured there was some reason she ran away so fast without telling anyone her last name. That’s why I’m trying to call her, to see if I can tell the police.”
“No!” Teri said, too forcefully. She lowered her voice. “No, you did the right thing. I’ll give Erica the message. She probably just wanted her privacy.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“The ID has an address printed on the back. Just mail it there. She’ll get it back. Thank you very much for your help, Maggie.”
“I was pretty scared yesterday, but Erica helped me a lot. I’m glad I’m able to help her.”
On Fridays at 6:15, the hospital’s parking garage was about as empty as it ever got. David Lobec motioned for Bern to wait in the car while he got out to meet with Teri Linley. As he expected, she wasn’t going to give the information over the phone when a hundred dollars was on the line.
Through the Friday rush hour traffic, it had taken them almost an hour to get there after her phone call. Her Fiero was parked in front of them at the deserted end of the garage’s fourth level.
