Читать книгу Silent Witness - Kay David - Страница 10

THE SHOCKED LOOK ON Grant Corbin’s face was genuine. He’d had no idea of Kevin’s problem.

He started to say more, then halted, obviously deciding not to discuss the situation in front of his son. Surprised by the show of sensitivity, Andrea rejected her momentary flash of appreciation. She didn’t want to see anything positive in the man who’d broken her sister’s heart.

Grant spoke with Kevin a little longer, then stepped away from the gurney. Andrea took Grant’s place and kissed her nephew’s forehead. “We’re going to another part of the hospital now, Kevin, and the doctors are going to put a cast on your foot. When that’s done, we’ll go upstairs to a room that will be yours while you’re here. We’ll be right behind you, okay?”

The nurse came and began to roll the bed down the hall, chatting to the little boy as she pushed him along. In the cast room, Andrea and Grant got Kevin settled, then the tech arrived. The young man quickly started a monologue on the merits of different computer games. Apparently well-versed in what kept the interest of kids with broken bones, he tilted his head toward the door a second later. Andrea and Grant took the hint and went into the corridor, the nurse telling them to come back in an hour.

Grant ran his hands through his straight dark hair. “God. I had no idea—” He stopped abruptly and looked at her. “Can we get out of here? Hospitals and I don’t get along too well.”

Curious but unwilling to ask him why, Andrea shrugged. They retraced their steps to the E.R. exit and went outside to the bench where Andrea had been sitting before. The fresh air and sunshine felt wonderful after the antiseptic smell of the hospital, but strangely enough, they also seemed to trigger her grief. As soon as she took her seat, the sorrow she’d been holding off washed over her. Vicki was gone. Her one and only sister was dead.

Her tears came in a hot wave.

Grant made no attempt to touch her or console her or voice some useless platitude, and once again, she found herself, unwillingly, impressed by his actions. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who could sense what people needed, but his actions gave him away.

After longer than she would have liked, Andrea managed to pull herself together.

Handing her a white handkerchief, Grant gave her another minute, then he spoke. “What in the hell is going on with him?”

Taking a deep breath, Andrea looked up. “I thought you knew he’d been having trouble.”

“Vicki didn’t—” Once again, he stopped himself. “I didn’t know anything about it,” he said simply.

“Neither did I,” Andrea said, “but when I called Vicki the night before the accident, she said Kevin had stopped talking to her after the divorce. Apparently, he would talk at school, but not to her. She discussed the situation with a counselor and his teachers. They call the problem ‘selective mutism.’ They recommended therapy and told her not to make a big deal out of it. A lot of times children who have this condition apparently resume talking and no one ever finds out why they stopped in the first place.”

“Has he spoken to you?”

Andrea shook her head. “Not so far.”

“What about your parents? Did he talk to them?”

“No.”

Grant tightened his jaw, then looked at her. “Why didn’t I know this?”

“You would have if you’d gone to see him.”

His expression was rock-hard and she swallowed uncomfortably.

“I tried,” he said. “But Vicki always had a reason I couldn’t.”

“That’s not what she told me.”

“Vicki and I didn’t see eye to eye about a lot of things, but I loved Kevin.” He spoke tightly, his tension obvious in the set of his broad shoulders. “And I still do,” he added.

With an effort she knew was visible, Andrea regained her coolness. “Are you calling my sister a liar?”

“I’m saying there are two sides to every story. I have a feeling you’re going to need to remember that in the coming days.”

His warning startled her. Vicki had never truly deceived Andrea, but she had had a penchant for twisting the truth, especially about things that might put her in a bad light. Andrea pushed that to the corner of her mind and concentrated on the present.

“All I have to worry about in the coming days is my nephew,” she answered curtly. “He’s my top priority.”

“And mine, too.”

“Then we’ll stay in touch with you.” The promise was hard to make but Andrea had to do the right thing. That was how she’d been raised. “I’ll make sure you know how he’s doing.”

“I’ll keep abreast of his progress by myself,” Grant said in an equally cool voice. “I have no intention of going anywhere until my son has healed and I can take him home.”

Grant’s ominous words paralyzed her without warning. She felt like an idiot, but until this very second she’d never considered the fact that Grant might want Kevin. After everything Vicki had said, Andrea had just assumed the little boy would become the responsibility of the Hunt family. Please, God, she thought suddenly, please tell me I’m misunderstanding this.

“What about your work?” she asked. “Don’t you need to get back to L.A.?”

“I haven’t taken a vacation in five years. LAPD will keep going without me.”

“But what about—”

“He’s my son, Andrea.” Grant cut off her words, any hope she might have harbored about the situation destroyed by his steady stare. “I don’t know what your problem is, but you’re not going to get rid of me. I’m staying here. I love Kevin and I intend to make sure he knows that. I’ll be taking care of him from now on.”

GRANT LEFT ANDREA sitting in the hot sunshine and walked back toward the E.R., her shocked expression telling him everything he needed to know. And more.

True to form, Vicki had made Grant the bad guy, the one who’d been responsible for the breakup of their marriage. He shouldn’t have expected anything less, but somehow this final betrayal hurt more than the ones before. Maybe because he knew there was no way he could correct it. Vicki was gone and the truth of what had happened between them had died with her.

The automatic doors swished open, and Grant made his way to the phone hanging on one wall.

He called his captain first and explained what had happened. “I may need to take some time off—”

His boss responded just as Grant had thought he would. “Take whatever time you need, Corbin. The department understands—”

Grant gruffly thanked the man then broke the connection to dial a second number.

Parker answered on the third ring and once again, Grant gave out the details of Vicki’s death. He finished by saying, “Listen, Park, this may take a while to figure out. Can you hang in there for a week or so without me?”

“Hey, no problem.” His partner answered without any hesitation. “You do what you need to, Grant.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

Relieved to have those two calls out of the way, Grant hung up the phone, turning as he did so. Andrea was still sitting where he’d left her, the sun blazing down on her. As he stared, she crossed one slim leg over the other.

The graceful movement was so reminiscent of Vicki, his heart flipped. Like a line of falling dominos, that motion then triggered another reaction. When he could breathe again, he told himself he was going nuts, but an immediate disquiet had flooded him. Vic had traveled in circles she shouldn’t have and had known folks he’d wished she didn’t. Some of them had been dangerous and influential. He’d warned her of the consequences that came with hanging around those people, but she’d blown him off, saying she could take care of herself.

Time and time again, he’d witnessed the downfall of the poor SOBs in the department who couldn’t turn loose of their ex-wives. He hadn’t wanted to be one of those pathetic men, but the unease Grant felt now went far beyond that.

Could there be a link between Vicki’s death and those powerful people? Highly unlikely, he decided a moment later. Too risky.

Andrea stood up, catching his gaze as she wiped her eyes. His thoughts hop-skipping, he found himself wishing Vicki had told her sister the truth, but he quickly realized what that would mean and he pushed the thought aside.

The truth was the last thing he wanted Andrea Hunt to know.

WITH GRANT by her side, Andrea headed back into the E.R., resolved to the fact that he was staying in Courage Bay but still very unhappy about the situation.

She tried to remind herself the man was Kevin’s father and it was only fair that he would want to be there. But she didn’t want “fair.”

Kevin’s bed was empty when they arrived but five minutes later the door opened to reveal Kevin’s gurney. Grant and Andrea jumped up in unison and ten minutes after that Kevin was settled into his bed, his cast an awkward appendage he didn’t quite know how to handle. Andrea fussed around him, fluffing his pillows, getting him ice and turning on the television. From his chair in the corner, Grant watched her in silence, his steady gaze making her even more nervous. Finally, as Kevin dozed, Grant came to the side of the bed where she was adjusting the railing. Again.

He put his hand on her arm. “Why don’t you go home?” he said quietly. “I’ll be right here with him. You need to slow down and catch your breath.”

His touch burned. “I’m perfectly all right,” she protested, trying to ease her arm away without being obvious about it. “I want to be here—”

She cut off her protest when the door opened unexpectedly. With relief, she saw Alex standing on the threshold. Andrea went to him in two steps, giving him a hug then introducing him to Grant. The two men shook hands in a measured way, exchanging a look as well. Andrea puzzled over the moment, but it passed so quickly, she decided she’d imagined it.

“How you doing, Kevin?” Walking to the end of the bed, Alex nodded to the little boy who’d come awake at the commotion. “That’s a cool cast.”

Andrea answered for Kevin. “The doctor says he fractured one of his malleoli, but the cast should take care of it. The X rays look good, other than that.”

“Great news…” Alex put one of his fists on top the other then swung them together, as if he were batting a ball. “You get out of here, we’ll go out to the little league field and knock some balls around. Sound fun?”

Kevin nodded, his eyes drooping with exhaustion. A second later, he was sound asleep.

They tiptoed into the hall, Alex shaking his head. “Man, when I walked in that house and saw what had happened, I couldn’t imagine anyone surviving under the mess. I’m glad he’s okay.” He turned to Andrea and gave her another quick hug. “But I’m sorry about your sister.” He faced Grant next. “Real sorry. I know you’ll both miss her.”

Andrea nodded because it was all she could do. They chatted for a few more minutes, then Alex said his goodbyes. As the firefighter started down the corridor, though, Grant spoke up unexpectedly.

“Alex—wait. I think I’ll get some coffee. Can you show me where the cafeteria is?”

Pausing midstride, Alex grinned over his shoulder. “Sure thing. I won’t guarantee you’ll want to drink the coffee, though. Hospital food is hospital food….”

Her nervousness suddenly blooming, Andrea crossed her arms, leaned against the wall and watched the two men leave. The minute they turned the corner, she groaned out loud.

Grant was up to something. The only question was what.

THEY RODE THE ELEVATOR down, the tall fireman talking easily about nothing important. Grant knew a lot of men like Alex Shields; he’d grown up around them because his father had been a cop. The officers in Grant’s Homicide division were like Shields, too, for the most part. Gregarious, outgoing, friendly types. Grant didn’t know why he was so different from them, but he was. All those years in Vice had a lot to do with it, he was sure, but it went deeper than that. In the end, he’d found himself more comfortable in that life than his real one, and that’s when he’d had to leave it.

They reached the first floor and Alex pointed to the left. “The cafeteria’s right down there. You can’t miss it—just follow your nose.” He stuck out his hand but Grant didn’t take it.

“Are you in a hurry or do you have a minute?” he asked instead. “I’ll buy you a cup if you’ve got the time.”

The fireman hesitated.

“I’d like to ask you a few questions,” Grant explained. “About Vicki and the accident. I need some details but I didn’t want to bother Andrea. I didn’t want to upset her.”

Shield’s frown cleared. “Of course,” he replied. “I’ll help as much as I can.”

His words confirmed the assumption Grant had made when Shields had come in the room and Andrea had greeted him. They were more than just friends, good or otherwise. Grant filed the information away for later examination.

They got their coffee then sat at a small table near the window, Grant wishing his cup held something stronger. He took a single sip and set the mug aside. It’d been nothing but an excuse anyway.

“I want you to tell me what you saw when you went inside Vicki’s house.” He sat back in his chair, fully aware he wore what Parker called his “interrogation” look. Intense, dark, focused. “Tell me any details you can remember, no matter how small.”

Shields faced him squarely. “I saw a hellacious mess,” he answered. “That armoire weighed a ton—your son was lucky as hell he didn’t die, too.”

“Did it look like they’d been moving the thing?”

“Hard to say exactly,” the fireman answered with a shrug. “The bottom of the piece was out from the wall about a foot or two. I guess they could have been positioning it.”

“Had there been things on the shelves?”

Shields narrowed his eyes as he clearly thought over the question. “Yeah,” he said finally, “I think there might have been. I saw some broken dishes in the debris, a cup or something. Maybe a plate.” He nodded a little more confidently. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it had stuff in it.”

“Where was Vicki?” he asked quietly.

“Close to the base,” Shields replied. “She was probably right next to it when it fell. Kevin was about two, maybe three feet behind her.”

“On their backs or their stomachs?”

Shields frowned for a moment before answering. “Stomachs,” he said finally.

Grant registered the information in silence, then spoke slowly. “She’d had the piece retrofitted with wall brackets so it’d stay up in case of an earthquake. Did you see whether or not those had been unscrewed?”

“I didn’t notice,” the fireman said. “We had our hands full getting them out. I could call the Courage Bay Police Department and have the examiner phone you, though. I know they sent a unit to the scene so they could file a report.”

Grant shook his head. “I appreciate the offer but I’ll contact him myself a little later.”

He could feel the other man’s curiosity. Grant couldn’t satisfy it, though. Shields was too close to Andrea and anything Grant said would find its way back to her, he was sure.

“What else can I do?” Shields asked.

Grant met the fireman’s gaze. It seemed steady and honest and Grant had the fleeting thought that Alex Shields was just the kind of man a woman like Andrea Hunt would hook up with—good-looking, strong, a real all-American type. An unexpected pang of regret hit Grant, but he pushed it aside and shook his head. “I think I can handle it from here.”

THE EVENING PASSED QUIETLY, Andrea on one side of Kevin’s bed, Grant on the other. From time to time she looked at the man who sat in the shadows but for the most part, they each pretended the other one wasn’t there. For Andrea, that wasn’t an easy task.

Grant seemed to dominate the space—not because of his physical presence but because of his overwhelming intensity. She felt as if she could hear his heart beat and see his blood rushing through his veins. The reaction was weird and she told herself she was imagining things, but as the hours passed and the hospital became quieter, the feeling grew. After a while, she decided their bodies had synchronized in some strange fashion, her heart matching his rhythm, his breathing keeping time with hers.

The strident sound of the telephone brought her out of the bizarre thoughts. The unit was on Grant’s side and he answered it before the first ring stopped.

Andrea’s eyes went to the sleeping child in the bed. He was completely under. Nothing could have penetrated his exhaustion, or the painkillers the doctor had given him.

“Andrea?” Grant spoke her name in a whisper as he held out the phone. “It’s your mother….”

She nodded and came around the bed, taking the receiver from him. “Mom?”

“I had to call and see how Kevin was,” her mother said. “Is everything all right?”

“He’s sound asleep,” Andrea answered. “They put the cast on and brought him up after you guys left. He was too tired to do anything but zonk out.”

“That’s good,” she said with relief in her voice.

Andrea wished she could blurt out her concerns over Kevin’s future, but with Grant five feet away, she didn’t dare. The discussion would have to wait until she had her parents alone.

“Are you okay?” Andrea asked instead.

“It’s been tough,” her mother answered. “We…we took care of everything.” She made a sound halfway between a cough and a sob. “The services will be day after tomorrow. In the afternoon.” She recited the details with excruciating precision. Even though Andrea didn’t want to hear about caskets and flowers and music, she let her mother talk until everything was out.

“Are you going to stay there tonight?”

Andrea glanced at Grant. He’d switched places with her and was now sitting in the chair she’d abandoned. His cheeks were dark with unshaven stubble, the circles under his eyes darker still.

“Yes, I am,” Andrea said firmly. “I want to be here if Kevin wakes up and gets scared.”

“Good, good… I think that’s a good idea.”

The Hunts were a tough bunch but Andrea could hear the strain in her mother’s words. They said goodbye and Andrea hung up the phone.

GRANT WATCHED ANDREA. When he’d returned to the room after his conversation with Alex, she’d been quiet and subdued. He hadn’t tried to talk to her but sooner or later, he’d need to ask her some of the same questions—and probably more—that he’d asked the fireman. If something had happened in that house other than an accident, Grant had to know. Until he was sure, though, he wasn’t going to say a word to Andrea.

He stood and stretched, then looked down at Kevin. He was sleeping peacefully. He caught Andrea’s eye and spoke. “Is your mom all right?”

“She’s tired,” Andrea answered. “They went to the funeral home and made all the arrangements.”

“Your parents are good people,” he said. “And strong. They’ll come through this just fine.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “You will, too.”

She seemed surprised by his words of praise but she didn’t comment.

“When are the services?”

She told him then fell mute again. The stillness between them could have been awkward, yet it didn’t feel that way to Grant. It felt right. And that, in turn, seemed strange. In all their years of marriage, he and Vicki had never shared a silence like this.

He sat down again and leaned his head against the leather chair. On the other side of the room, Andrea did the same. A moment later, their eyes met over Kevin’s bed.

Andrea looked away first.