“So,” Woody continued, “the ME was here last night
in the ICU before Joe was moved upstairs. We’d begun
to put together some theories of our own.”
“
ME?”
“Probably,” Joe said. “He couldn’t get here until
late, and I had to stay down there until he showed up.
Bringing him to a ward would have raised a lot of
questions. Or so Sister Jacqueline felt.”
“Is that why some of Joe’s medical records were
shredded?” Judith asked. “For security reasons?”
Woody nodded. “Apparently Mrs. Van Boeck felt it
was necessary to keep Joe’s real condition a secret.
Maybe—and I’m guessing—she had a hunch the murderer was on the premises, or at least in the immediate
area. If Joe’s life was already in jeopardy, Jim Randall—or whoever—might not bother to finish him off.
Remember, Jim had undoubtedly seen Joe around the
hospital. Jim may have learned he was a former detective and now a private investigator. Apparently, Jim
never did figure out that Harold Abernethy—Mr.
Mummy—was also on the case, but from a different
angle.”
“Wait a minute,” Judith said, narrowing her eyes at
Joe. “Are you trying to tell me you weren’t at death’s
door?”
“Well . . .” Joe began, but avoided his wife’s incensed gaze. “I
saw in the elevator because she was getting off on your
floor . . .”
“Corinne,” Judith breathed, and glanced at Renie.
“That’s where she saw Joe. Couldn’t she tell me he
wasn’t in extremis?”
“He wasn’t in good shape,” Woody put in. “Really.”
320
Mary Daheim
“But not fifty-fifty?” Judith demanded. “Not critical?”
“More like seventy-thirty,” Joe said, grinning
weakly. “And ‘critical’ covers a broad range these
days.”
“Joe.” Judith folded her arms across her breast. “You
can’t imagine how upset I was.”
“It couldn’t be helped,” Joe said, wincing a bit.
“Honest.”
“I don’t care,” Judith asserted. “I’m mad at you.”
She turned to Woody. “Well? Are you going to check
Jim Randall’s clothes or sit here and watch me ream
your ex-partner?”
Woody appeared more than willing to do Judith’s
bidding. “I really should be going. Great to see you all
again. Get well, ladies, Joe. Nice work with the dogs,
Bill. Take care of your mother, Mike. Bye.”
