Part 40 (2/2)
Then she walked him out the door and to the car parked in front.
The driver got out and met her. ”Ms. Rawson?”
”Yes.”
”Detective Gaynor asked me to look out for you today. I would have let you know earlier, but he said you'd had a bad night and I didn't want to wake you.”
”And you are ...?”
”Mack Thomas. Private investigator. Used to be a cop. Gage has helped us out several times. We're only too happy to return the favor.”
”When did you talk to him?”
”Late last night. He told me to get my a.s.s over here. He was stuck at headquarters.”
”Do you know what happened?”
”About the shooting? Yeah. Bad stuff when a cop's involved on both sides.”
He looked to be in his fifties but his body was hard and lean, and she would bet her practice that he worked out daily.
”How long did he employ you to watch me? I want to pay it.”
”h.e.l.l, I wouldn't take his money. I owe him big time.”
”I'd like to hear about it.”
”Maybe later. Will you be staying here or going somewhere?”
”I plan to see my mother at the hospital, then I'm going out of town for a few days. I appreciate your help, but the danger may be over now.”
”Gage doesn't think so.”
In her heart, she didn't think so, either.
”How can I reach him?”
”I imagine he's tied up with his old friends in Public Integrity.”
She nodded.
”Nice dog you have.”
”He's not mine. I'm just keeping him ... for a friend.” She turned to go back in. ”I'll be leaving in about thirty minutes. You can take off then. I'll be all right.”
She went through the door before he could reply.
She didn't want anyone else involved with this. With her. Too many people were dying. She didn't even want to go near Sarah.
But she had to visit her mother. She still hadn't told her mother that her father was dead. Would she hear her? Would her mother care if she could hear?
She recalled what her father had said. The last words he had said to her. 'She never loved me'. Why then had they married?
If only her mother could speak to her again.
If only ...
She fed Nicky, then went into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and awkwardly applied a touch of lipstick. She looked terrible. Her eyes were ringed with circles, and her face looked wan. Her arm still hurt like the blazes and she feared that anything she wore might soon be stained with the blood still oozing from the wound.
Not that it mattered. To even think about herself at this moment was self-centered. 'She' was alive. Others had died.
She left the house and drove to the hospital, noting that Mack followed despite her dismissal.
At the hospital, she went directly to her mother's room. She said h.e.l.lo to the private duty nurse who stood when she entered.
”Ms. Rawson. We didn't think you would be in today.” She looked down at the newspaper she was holding.
Meredith hadn't seen it. She hadn't even thought about the paper this morning. She looked now. Spread over the front page were photos of herself, Gage and Rick Fuller.
'Former Prosecutor Shot In Domestic Dispute. Renegade Cop Killed By Fellow NOPD Officer.'
She read the story, which was fairly accurate.
She handed the paper back, seeing the curiosity in the woman's gaze as it rested on her bandaged arm. ”Should you be here?”
”It was just a graze.”
”Well, then, would you like some time alone with her?”
”Yes. Thank you.”
The woman started for the door. She turned. ”By the way, someone stopped by here last night. I went to the desk and he was standing in the door when I returned. He left when he saw me.”
A new frisson of fear ran through her. ”Can you describe him?”
”In his fifties. Dark hair with gray on the sides. Blue jeans but they looked good on him. I only had a glimpse of his face. It was ... arresting.”
”Please don't leave her alone again. Even for a few moments. She might be in danger,” Meredith said. She knew how odd that must sound. Her mother was dying. But she didn't want what time she had left cut short. She still hoped her mother would know a moment of lucidity.
The nurse started to say, ”I'm sorry--”
”It's not your fault. No one told you or your service. But you know my father was killed by a hit-and-run driver. I don't think it was an accident. Someone might have a grudge against this family. I just want to be extra cautious.”
The nurse nodded and left the room. Meredith sat next to her mother and took her hand. It was little but skin and bones now. Her pallor was more p.r.o.nounced than ever.
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