“No, you don’t, you look beautiful. You are beautiful.”
“I tried to get some work done, but no dice.”
“Forget work, for now.” Grady’s hand moved down her back, and he rubbed it lightly. “I knew you were going to crash. You were holding together too well.”
“I feel silly. He was just a dog and I have so much to do.”
“Don’t feel that way.” Grady segued from rubbing her back to kneading it with strong fingers, but Alice told herself not to get turned on.
“I miss him already.”
“I know. Me, too. You’ll feel crummy for a while, there’s no avoiding it and no denying it.” Grady kept kneading her back. “My mother used to say that you have to let bad news sink into your bones. You absorb it, and all the losses and setbacks in your life become a part of who you are.”
“How about I go downstairs and make us something to eat? If you’re still awake when I’m finished, it’s there for you. How’s that sound?”
“Good, great. Thanks.”
“No problem.” Grady eased off the bed, and if Alice was going to find out about his secret phone call, this was the time to see if he’d tell her or hide it.
“You were gone so long, I was a little worried. Did you have trouble finding the bodega?”
“No, it was where it always was, with the same surly guy behind the counter. I forget his name.”
“Nah, I’m fine.” Grady walked toward the door, his tone suspiciously casual.
“No way.” Grady was leaving the room, his footstep heavy on the hardwood at the threshold.
“You sure it’s okay with your office, you staying here?”
“Don’t worry so much. I’ll check on you in about half an hour. You want the light on or off?”
“You got it.” Grady shut the light, and the bedroom went dark, leaving Alice alone with her thoughts.
So he hadn’t mentioned the phone call. The person he’d called was probably Mary. He could have followed up on her call, or worse, warned her of his suspicions. She didn’t know if he had reached her, but she couldn’t take any chances. She had her gun with her, but it would be too noisy. She was good with a knife, but he was strong. The clink of pots came from downstairs, so he had already started to cook his stupid specialty, which gave her an idea.
She got out of bed, dug underneath for her cloth bag, and got what she needed.
Chapter Forty-six
Mary hung up with the realtor, confused. It was all happening too fast. She had never Acted Now. On the contrary, she specialized in Delaying, Second-Guessing, Doubting Herself, and Stalling Whenever Possible.
She called Anthony, but the phone just rang and rang, then the voicemail clicked on again. This time she left a message: “The house that I love is available, and I have to make a decision right away. Please call me back.” She pressed END, feeling her grumpiness go into overdrive.
If he wouldn’t pick up the phone, it would serve him right if she bought the house. One fight, and he walks out of a master bedroom that wasn’t even theirs. And why do they call it a master bedroom, anyway? Why not a mistress bedroom, especially if a woman bought the house? The world was sexist, including Anthony. He couldn’t handle it when the discussion was anything but academic. The man could talk Dante, but not down payment. Well, they had come to the point of no return.
She felt a stab of heartache. If she bought the house, she could lose the guy.
She had to make a decision, and fast.
She told her inner voice to shut up. It was time to stand on her own and decide. It was her money and her love life, and it would be her house.
She sat still on the bed, listened to her heart, and said a little prayer, and in the next minute, her mind cleared, and she knew what to do. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was her choice.
And because of that, she knew she could live with the consequences, come what may.
Chapter Forty-seven
Bennie heard voices around her and felt the sensation of being lifted and borne forward. She opened her eyes, and a nurse in blue scrubs was rolling her into an examining room with medical equipment. They stopped when another nurse in pink scrubs appeared, and Bennie tried to stay awake, but couldn’t. She wanted to call the police and go find Alice, but she could barely stay awake long enough to listen to what they were saying.
“What do we have here?” one nurse was asking the other.
“A Jane Doe. Not an emergency. A farmer found her in a field, drunk. BP and other signs are normal. I started the drip and tried to get her to talk to me, but she kept passing out. Vomited on herself. God, she stinks, doesn’t she?”
The other nurse said, “Hmm, looks like a dog bite on the right hand. She’ll need a shot, and we’ll clean her up. She looks like she’s been in a fight, from her hands. Odd. Definitely smells like she tied one on. I’ll take blood, for a tox screen.”
“That right hand looks broken, doesn’t it? I’ll get her on the sked for X-ray. That’s the farmer’s shirt she’s wearing, with her skirt. He thinks she’d been with her boyfriend. She was almost topless when he picked her up.”
“Jeez, think it’s a rape? Should we call the cops, get a kit?”
“Triage put in a call, but the cops are on skeleton, with vacations and all. Playtime for everybody but us, eh?”
“Everybody’s gone to the moon. You know that song? My dad loved that song. Wow, she has nice veins. She must work out.”
“I don’t think we need the rape kit. It’s so intrusive, and her skirt’s not ripped or anything. Undies intact, no other signs.”
“Good. Did she tell the farmer she’d been assaulted?”
“Not that he told us, so no. No ID, wallet, handbag, phone. She didn’t give him any other information except that she was from Philly.”
Bennie felt her right hand being manipulated, and miraculously, it didn’t hurt at all. She opened her eyes. “I’m feeling no pain.”
“Understatement of the year,” the nurse in pink said, setting her hand down. “What’s your name? Do you remember how you hurt your hand?”
“Uh huh.” Bennie wanted to tell them about Alice, but it was hard to form coherent thoughts. “I drank too much and… Alice put me in a hole.”
“What? Can you repeat that? Are you on any medication? Miss? Miss?”
Bennie felt herself doze off.
“Miss, did you take any street drugs? Miss?”
