SANDY WAS SITTING up in bed looking much better. The nurse left them alone and Michelle drew next to the bed and took the older woman’s hand in hers.
“Okay, what the hell happened to you?” Michelle demanded.
Sandy smiled and gave a casual wave of her other hand, although the one holding Michelle’s tightened at the same time. “Oh, honey, it happens to me from time to time. Nothing to worry about. My old butt just hits a wall and everything sort of pops. They give me a little happy juice and I’m right as rain.”
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Absolutely.”
“I thought you’d had a seizure or something.”
“Now you see why I can’t hold down a job. And I think I would’ve made a hell of an airline pilot, don’t you?” She pantomimed using a PA system. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We’re about to begin our initial descent into
“I’m sorry, Sandy. I really am.”
“Comes with the territory and I’m comfortable with that.”
Michelle hesitated. “I went into your room after they took you. I don’t know why, I guess I was just stunned. I heard someone else coming. I ducked behind the door and Barry came in.”
On this, Sandy sat up a little straighter. “Did he see you?”
“No, I ducked out. But I ratted on him to the head nurse, for all the good it’ll do me. He’s probably plotting his revenge as we speak.”
Sandy sat back. “What could he want in my room?”
Michelle shrugged. “Probably just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Or he might’ve been looking to take anything of value that wasn’t nailed down.”
Sandy made a snorting noise. “Well, I hope he can dig all the way to my bank because that’s where my good jewelry is. I never bring any of that with me to one of these places because it won’t be there when you leave.”
“Good thinking.”
Sandy tried to sit up some more and Michelle quickly went to her aid. She lifted the sheet up, exposing Sandy’s legs, took the woman around the waist and slid her higher on the pillow and then covered her legs back up.
“You’re strong,” Sandy remarked.
“You’re pretty muscular yourself.”
“Upper body, yes. But my legs are spaghetti and about as big.” Sandy sighed. “You should’ve seen the gams I used to have, Ann-Margret quality.”
Michelle smiled. “I’m sure.” Sandy’s legs
Michelle had lifted the covers. She wanted to make sure Sandy really was disabled. Her instincts told her there was something wrong about Sandy.
“You look like you’re thinking way too hard,” Sandy said.
“That’s all we have to do in here, isn’t it, think too much?”
An hour later Michelle participated in yet another group session Horatio
Barnes had signed her up for.
“So when is Mr. Harley-Davidson expected back?” Michelle asked one of the nurses.
“Who?”
“Horatio Barnes!”
“Oh, he didn’t say. But he has an associate covering for him who’s very qualified.”
“Good for him.”
Coming back from the session Michelle turned the corner and nearly ran into Barry coming from the other direction.
She started to walk away when he said, “So how’s your
She knew she shouldn’t take the bait, but something inside her just wouldn’t let it go. She turned around and said brightly, “She’s great. Did you find anything in her room worth stealing?”
“So you’re the one who turned me in to the nurse.”
“It took you this long to figure it out? What a loser.”
He smirked. “Why don’t you do a reality check? I can leave anytime I want. You’re a nutcase that’s locked up in here.”
“That’s right. I am a nutcase. I’m a freaking nutcase who can break your neck anytime I want.”
He sneered. “Listen, little girl, I grew up in the toughest neighborhood in Trenton. You don’t know the meaning of the word tough-Holy shit!”
She had put her foot right through the drywall an inch from his head. As she slowly pulled her leg back she looked at him as he cowered there, his hands over his head.
“Next time you try and screw with me or Sandy, it won’t be the wall I crush.” She turned to leave and then looked at the hole she’d made. “You might want to clean that up, Barry. Hygiene regulations and all.”
“I’m going to report you for attacking me.”
“Good, you go ahead. And I’ll get a petition signed by all the women you’ve taken a peek at while you’ve been here. I’m sure they’d just love to see your ass in jail.”
“Who’d believe them? They’re nuts.”
“You’d be surprised, Barry. There’s always credibility in numbers. And why do I think your history might not be so squeaky-clean if someone looks hard enough? And believe me, jerk-off, I know how to look.”
Barry swore at her, turned and stomped off.
As Michelle walked back to her room she knew there was only one true way to deal with Barry. She planned on devoting all her energies to that task, starting this minute. And she had a hunch where to begin.
CHAPTER 25
THE LOCAL COPS had done their thing as had the FBI, in the person of the dour Michael Ventris. He barely gave Sean a glance after he finished explaining how he’d found Rivest’s body.
“And you came back here, why?” Ventris asked in a surly tone.
“We’d arranged to meet to go over the case. He didn’t answer the door. So I went in.” Sean kept back the part about being shot at. Until he understood the situation better, his instincts told him to keep that to himself.
Ventris said, “I’d heard the folks here had hired a private detective to come down and poke around. So you’re it?” The FBI agent didn’t look the least bit impressed.
“I’m it.”
“Piece of advice. First time you get in my way, it’ll be the last time. Got it?”
“Got it.” Sean didn’t dare ask why the FBI was investigating the death of a private citizen in the first place. It wasn’t like Monk Turing’s death; he’d been found on federal property.
Len Rivest’s remains were removed to the temporary morgue where Monk’s body lay, while the local sheriff stood looking at the now empty bathtub and shaking his head. Sean was next to him doing the same thing, but the thoughts running through his head were probably a little more complex than the ones sifting through the sheriff’s, he imagined.
Rivest was killed between the time Sean had left him around midnight and the time Sean had found him, a span of about six and a half hours. And he thought he’d seen Champ Pollion going into his bungalow around two in the morning. Thought, but wasn’t certain.
“Sheriff Merkle Hayes,” the man said, interrupting Sean’s musings. Before Sean could say anything the man added, “You’re Sean King, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Ex-Secret Service?”
“Right again.”
