'It is hard,' Kerney replied.
'But I think you're up to it.'
Nita searched Kerney's face with a probing look. His eyes were sympathetic, his expression concerned.
'Why do you care?'
He smiled.
'You make it hard not to.'
'It makes my stomach hurt.'
'You 11 doit?'
'Yes.'
'Good for you.'
'Only if you come with me for moral support.'
'Of course,' Kerney said.
In me hospital room Verdie Mae sat on the edge of the bed holding Addie's hand. Her eyes nickered from Kerney to Nita as they entered, and she squeezed Addie's hand before rising.
Addie looked pale and drained. The ruffled, high collared nightgown gave her face a touch of innocence that Kerney could only hope the girl retained.
Verdie Mae walked to Nita and touched her cheek.
'Is everything all right?' she asked Nita with a quick glance in Kerney's direction.
'Everything's fine,' Nita said, looking past Verdie Mae at Addie.
'Give us a minute with Addie.'
Verdie Mae held Nita's gaze with an unspoken question in her eyes.
Nita smiled tightly and nodded once.
Verdie smiled back, relief showing on her face, and patted Nita reassuringly on the arm.
'I'll wait outside.'
She left the room, closing the door behind her.
'Hello, Addie,' Kerney said.
'Hello,' Addie replied.
'I wasn't sure if you would come.'
'I got here as soon as I could,' Kerney said.
'When we talked before, you said you wanted to help me.'
'I did say that,' Kerney replied, 'and I meant it.'
'Would it help Nita?' She switched her gaze to Nita.
'I mean, would it help my mother?'
'You know what your mother might be facing, don't you?'
'Maybe going to prison for a long time. You know what I think, Mr.
Kerney?'
'What's that, Addie?'
'I think rapists should be killed or castrated. Every one of them.'
'The world would be a much better place without rapists,' Kerney said.
'Did Paul Gillespie rape you?'
'Yes.'
Kerney held up a hand to stop Addie from continuing.
'Before you say more, your mother has something to tell you.'
Hesitantly, Nita approached Addie and sat on the edge of the bed.
'What is it?' Addie asked.
'A long time ago, Paul Gillespie raped me. I got pregnant and had a baby,' Nita said.
'Do you know what that means?'
Addie's expression turned to stunned repulsion.
'Oh God, no.'
'Yes,' Nita said.
'It's true.' She pulled her daughter into her arms and held her tightly.
Kerney slipped out of the room. Fifteen minutes passed before Nita opened the door and gestured for him to come in. Both Nita and Addie were red faced and teary eyed.
'You don't have to talk to me now,' Kerney said.
'I want to,' Addie answered flatly.
He turned on the tape recorder and started the session.
Addie answered Kerney's questions in a lifeless voice.
After it was over, Kerney left feeling as deadened as Addie had sounded during the interview.
A four-foot wall enclosed the front yard of the two story house across from Hetcher's residence. Mature pine trees fanned thick branches over the wall into the lane. Where the lane ended stood a six-foot cedar fence.
An old garage sat perpendicular to the house, close to the property line. There were no lights on inside the two-story house.
Carlos knew no one was home. Using his cellular phone, he'd called the residence every five minutes since arriving at the stakeout and putting the team in place.
He stood shivering in a dark recess between the fence and the garage.
From his vantage point he could see the locations of two of his men.
One was crouched behind the wall under a tree directly across from Fletcher Hartley's house. The other was in a prone position behind some large landscape boulders near the guest quarters. The third member of the team was at the back of the house, ready to climb the garden wall and storm the patio door as soon as Carlos gave the signal.
Each member of the team wore a radio headset with an attached microphone, a black hood, and a black police-style tactical duty outfit.
Headlights came into view on the street and slowed to enter the entrance to the narrow lane. He watched through binoculars as the car turned into Pletcher's driveway, and read the license plate. It was Kerney's police car.
'He has arrived,' he whispered in Spanish into his headset.
'Wait for my command.'
'this is the third time today you've checked up on me, Gilbert,'
Pletcher said.
'I'm starting to feel that I'm under house arrest.'
'Has everything been quiet?' Gilbert asked, following Pletcher into the kitchen.
'I'm completely bored.' Pletcher stood at the counter and poured coffee into two cups.
'There have been no strangers at the door, no mysterious phone calls, and the only traffic in the lane has been police cars driving back and forth every hour or so.' He carried the cups to the table and joined Gilbert.
'This is all rather silly' 'Probably,' Gilbert said.
'Then why all the fuss?'
'Just a precaution,' Gilbert answered.
'Piffle,' Hetcher said.
'Piffle? Do you think you're Nero Wolfe?'
Before Fletcher could answer, the sound of shattering glass from the back of the house brought Gilbert to his feet. He heard wood splintering at the front door.
He pulled Hetcher out of his chair, put the cordless kitchen phone in Pletcher's hand, and pointed to the garage passageway.
'Go,' he ordered.
'Crawl under your car and hide.
Call 911, give them the address, and say a crime is in progress and an officer needs assistance. Do it now' He pushed a panicked Hetcher toward the passageway, doused the kitchen lights, and drew his weapon.
Another cracking sound against the front door shattered the silence. He dropped into a low crouch, crept into the dining room, and killed the lights. He could feel cold air coursing along the floor from the front hallway.
