'Parents, sisters, brothers?'
She shook her head slowly against my neck.
'You're enough,' I said.
She shook her head some more. 'No,' she said.
'Yeah, you are,' I said. 'And I'll be around. I'll help.'
She was silent, shaking her head, hugging me.
'I want to die,' she said.
'You can always do that,' I said. 'It's always there if things really are unbearable.'
She nodded. 'You'll help,' she said.
'I'll help you live,' I said.
She was quiet, but she kept her face against my neck and her arms around me. During the commercial break on the soap opera, a nurse came in.
'Okay, Mrs. Rogers,' she said. 'Time for pills . . .'
Caroline was compliant. She let go of me and lay back against the pillow. The nurse gave her two tablets and a glass of water. She took the tablets, gave the glass back to the nurse, and turned her head toward the television. The nurse nodded at me, and smiled and left the room. In five more minutes Caroline Rogers was asleep.
I left the room and stopped by at the nurses' station.
'Is she getting any emotional help,' I said. The nurse was cute and blond, with a green ribbon tied on her ponytail, under her nurse's cap.
'Dr. Wagner has talked with her,' the nurse said.
'He's her doctor?'
'Yes.'
'What's he think?'
'You'd probably have to talk with him, sir. She's had a terrible shock and he's been keeping her sedated.'
'Yeah, I noticed.'
'Dr. Wagner will be making rounds after five if you want to wait and speak with him.'
'He in Wheaton?' I said.
'Yes, sir.'
'I'll call him, thanks.'
I went on out of the hospital. I had questions that I wanted to ask Caroline, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Maybe she didn't know anything anyway. That would make two of us.
Chapter 27
When I came back from running the next morning, Lundquist's cruiser was parked in the motel parking lot with the motor running. I walked over to it, breathing hard, feeling the sweat in the small of my back under the three layers of running gear that I wore to keep out the winter.
'Get in,' he said.
I sat in the passenger seat. The heater was running full and the car was warm.
'I've been reassigned,' Lundquist said.
'Yeah?'
'Yeah. We're letting the local authorities handle this. We stand ready to provide support, but I'm more useful manning a radar trap on the Pike.'
'Where'd that come from,' I said.
Lundquist shook his head. 'You got me,' he said. 'I got it through the chain of command.'
'Somebody knows a state senator,' I said.
Lundquist said, 'You're on your own in this thing. I'll do what I can unofficially, you know, but . . .' He shrugged.
'I'll see what the Central Argus can do with this,' I said.
'Long as you didn't get it from me,' Lundquist said. 'I don't know what's going on here, but I was you I'd try not to let the local cops get behind me.'
'I'm expecting some backup today,' I said.
'I hope it's good,' Lundquist said.
'Gold medal in backup,' I said. I got out of the car.
'You got anything firm and clear,' Lundquist said, 'I'll be happy to come and make an arrest.'
'I'll let you know,' I said.
