“We’ll remember that for next time,” Brian said dryly. “We need an update on Sasha Carmichael. You didn’t send a report last night.”
“That’s because I wasn’t ready to send a report,” Brady replied. “I wasn’t ready to deliver a determination.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m ready.” Brady’s expression, which always hovered halfway between amused and serious, was deadly serious now. “She had internal injuries, although they weren’t bad enough to kill her straight away. Had she received prompt medical attention, she would’ve likely survived.”
Brian’s heart sunk to his stomach. “Give me the rundown.”
“Her ribs on the right side were broken. Her heart was taxed because of the injuries she sustained from the impact — and there was an impact. In addition to the ribs, her hip was broken and she had torn ligaments on her right side. Basically, she drowned in her own fluids because her internal injuries caused blood to empty into her stomach and then, eventually, her lungs. All of that could’ve been reversed or avoided if she’d been taken to the hospital right away, though.”
“How long did she live after the impact?” Jack queried.
“About two hours is my best guess.”
“Two hours in pain,” Brian mused. “Two hours on the ground, abandoned, isolated. That is not the way I want to go.”
“Me either,” Brady agreed. “The thing is, she probably lost consciousness after about thirty minutes or so. She wouldn’t have realized what was happening after that.”
“Before, though, she would’ve known.”
Brady bobbed his head. “She would’ve been aware.”
“Well, that is not what I want to relate to her parents,” Brian muttered. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”
“I don’t know what you’re looking for.”
“Could the driver have thought he hit an animal or something?”
“That’s not my area of expertise. That’s for you to ascertain. I can only tell you how she died.”
“She died horribly,” Jack supplied. “She died in almost the worst way possible.”
“Technically, there are other ways to die that would be worse ... at least for me,” Brady argued. “Any way you look at it, though, this was not a pleasant way to go. I hope you figure out what happened to her.”
Brian was grim but determined. “That’s our top priority. I can guarantee that.”
5
Five
Ivy was a full ten minutes early and had already started collecting trash before the others arrived.
“You’re going to make us look bad,” Alison complained as she regarded the industrious witch. “Let me guess, they’re going to let you off early if you do more than the rest of us because you’re engaged to a cop.”
“She’s not engaged to a cop,” Betsy countered. “She’s engaged to a detective. There’s a big difference.”
Ivy managed to tamp down her temper — reminding herself that it was just good-natured ribbing — but it was difficult. “That’s not true. I was early because I didn’t want to give Greg a reason to come down on me.”
“And why would he do that?” Angel asked. She seemed more standoffish than the day before, something that frustrated Ivy to no end.
“Because he doesn’t want Ivy tattling on him to her boyfriend,” Betsy volunteered. “He’s afraid someone with a detective’s standing could make things difficult for him.”
Ivy wanted to argue the point, but she had a sneaking suspicion Betsy was right. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys what Jack did for a living — no, really I am — but it seemed weird to bring up out of the blue. I didn’t want to intimidate anyone or have you guys treat me differently. Jack’s profession has nothing to do with me.”
“Oh, no?” Alison cocked an eyebrow. “I have to be honest here. I’m a little curious how you managed to end up on this crew. I mean ... is that story you told about what you did to get arrested even true? For all we know, you could be a child killer and the system is just covering for you.”
Annoyance reared up and grabbed Ivy by the throat. “I’m not a child killer. Why would you think that?”
Alison held her palms out and shrugged. “How should I know? It just seems weird to me that you would save a life and end up here.”
Ivy managed to bite back a sigh, but just barely. “The story is true. The woman I saved was being held against her will. Jack and Brian were interviewing the woman who owned the house at the time because they were suspicious of her — that’s a whole long story that I don’t have time to go into — and while they were following the rules, I snuck around the house and looked in a back window. That’s when I saw Maisie.”
Betsy stirred, interested despite herself. “Did you know this woman?”
Ivy nodded. “Shadow Lake is a tiny little town. Everybody knows everybody. The woman in question and I hate each other, if you want to know the truth. We’ve always hated each other. Still, when I saw her through that window, I reacted.
“What I should’ve done was text Jack what I found and retreat,” she continued. “Instead, I opened the window and snuck in like an idiot. I had Maisie half untied before the woman who owned the house came in ... and it was a whole big thing. For Jack and Brian to maintain the integrity of their case, I had to face the music. Otherwise, a killer might’ve been released on the street.”
“No way.” Alison shook her head. “That’s an outrageous story. What judge would lock you up for that?”
“One who understood the stakes. I had to face the consequences of my actions if things were going to hold together for the prosecution ... so here I am.”
Angel exchanged a dubious look with Betsy. “It sounds like crap to me.”
“Actually, I believe her,” Betsy countered after a beat. “I remember reading about the story in the newspaper. At the
