She gave Ben a long, measured look, which he avoided by staring at the tent in the covers formed by his toes at the foot of the hospital bed.
Neither of the Loflands had accepted her apology, at least not out loud. They, especially Amanda, would probably continue to harbor resentment against her, and she couldn't really blame them. Ben had come close to losing his life.
However, short of groveling, she could do nothing more to make reparations, and she wouldn't further humble herself to these two, who were too ungracious to accept her apology.
'I'm going to Houston tonight, so I can be at the office the first thing in the morning to present the campaign on schedule.'
Amanda's whole body jerked. 'Without Ben?'
'He'll get equal credit.'
'Oh, I'll bet.'
'I'll see to it that he does, Amanda. I promise you.'
The woman dismissed the value of Berry's promise with a haughty sniff.
Berry looked down at Ben. 'I'll do right by you, Ben. You'll receive equal credit.'
He bobbed his head. 'Sure. Thanks.'
Berry had hoped for a better outcome. She was disappointed with the note on which the visit was ending, but she'd said what she had come to say. The couple remained mute with animosity. Without another word, she left them.
Out in the corridor, a hospital worker wearing a hairnet and green scrubs was pushing a rattling metal cart stacked with lunch trays. She fell into step beside Berry. 'You're Ms. Malone, aren't you?'
'That's right.'
'Your friend is going to be fine.'
'Yes. He seems to be improving.'
She hurried on, but the staff member kept pace. 'Shame about that Coldare boy. My son played baseball with him.'
'It was tragic.'
'That guy who shot him...' She tsked. 'He needs to be caught. And soon.'
'I couldn't agree more.' Having reached the elevator bank, Berry punched the Down button.
The woman pushed the rattling cart past her. 'The reward ought to help.'
Berry looked after her with puzzlement. 'Wait. There's a reward? Since when?'
Over her shoulder the woman said, 'I heard it on the radio about a half hour ago. Your mother put up the money.'
CHAPTER 17
WASTE OF MONEY IF YOU ASK ME.'
'Well, I didn't.'
Caroline's calm retort served to make Dodge edgier, if that was possible. Every time he lit up a cigarette, she frowned in silent disapproval, which robbed him of the pleasure of smoking it, which was creating a drastic shortfall in his minimum daily requirement of nicotine. He figured he was running at least a quart low. His system was craving it. His skin was itching from the inside. His piss factor was high.
But they were in her car, so even if he wanted to defy her objections and smoke, he couldn't. Soon as they got to where they were going, though, he'd smoke one down to the filter, and if she didn't like it, that was just too damn bad.
He'd volunteered to drive because that at least kept his hands busy. 'Is there only one Walmart in town?'
'Yes. Do you need directions?'
'Nope. I spotted it yesterday.'
'Before or after your chat with Grace?'
It pleased him that his conversation with the bartender still rankled Caroline, but he took it no further than to shoot her a wicked grin. 'Twenty-five grand?' he said in reference to the reward she had offered the sheriff's office. 'They'll have every nearsighted redneck in southeast Texas playing I Spy with Oren Starks.'
'I'm sure Ski will have trained personnel filtering out the crank calls that come into the hotline.'
'For all that'll help,' he said under his breath. 'The task force set up a hotline for information on the bank robber. Know what we got?'
'Reports of a Russian submarine in the shipping channel, UFO sightings, the Second Coming, a pack of rabid wolves running amok in the medical district, and a woman who called nightly offering free sex to whoever was interested.'
'I told you that already?'
'Thirty-one years ago, you ranted about it whenever you got frustrated over the case.'
'Then you must've heard it a lot.'
'At least a thousand times.'
'Huh.'
'I'm sure Ski expects to get a number of kooks calling in,' she said, 'but he might also get a useful tip. Besides, putting up the reward made me feel like I'm contributing to Oren Starks's capture, rather than sitting around and doing nothing.'
Dodge mumbled something.
Caroline looked at him. 'What?'
'Nothing.'
'Something about money. What did you say?'
'I said you won't miss the pocket change.'
'You said more than that.'
'I left out the expletives.'
'Why were you using expletives?'
'Would you rather I'd've repeated them to you?'
'Why were you using expletives in regard to my money?'
He recognized her tone. She wasn't going to let the matter drop, which was fine with him, because her financial status had been eating at him, and he'd just as soon air his grievances.
'You wouldn't know a financial problem if it bit you in the butt, because you've never had one.' Seeing her angry expression, he added snidely, 'Well, have you?'
'I've been fortunate.'
'I'll say. Fortunate enough to marry the rich, successful boss.' Because he was feeling particularly fractious, he'd pushed, and he knew immediately he'd pushed too far.
Coldly she said, 'Don't you dare criticize me for marrying Jim.'
'I didn't.'
'Not in so many words, but it was implied.'
'You're hearing implications that aren't there because you're supersensitive on the subject of your marriage.'
'I have no reason to be supersensitive on the subject.'
