now.”
The boxy vehicle squealed around to pull up close to Matt’s car.
A medic hopped out, followed by a second one. Both men leaned over, hands on knees and one of them said, “Hold still, Mrs. Duhon.” A good-looking blond kid, he had a reassuring smile on his face.
“She was under that pickup,” Matt said, brushing dirt from her face.
The medic looked at her and his eyes flicked down to her belly. “I don’t know how you managed to get where you were, but you wouldn’t be able to get there again if you wanted to.”
“Don’t bet on it,” she said, laughing weakly. “I’m a talented klutz.”
“Are you in any pain, ma’am?”
“I ache,” she said. “But I’m not really in pain.” Except in her mind. She was so scared.
Officer Sampson’s partner hurried up. “We’re not seeing any purse, or any notepaper sheets,” he said. “Did you hear a vehicle leave, Mrs. Duhon?”
“No. Even if he took my purse, the papers went everywhere. They did, I tell you. Yellow pages—”
“It’s all right,” Matt said quietly. “We’ll have a better look.”
“A Jeep left when I was arriving,” Finn said. “I didn’t recognize who was driving but he honked so he obviously knows me. I’d say the guy didn’t even know anything had happened. How long ago did this man leave, Emma?”
“I’m not sure. I left the restaurant around nine-fifteen. I don’t think the whole thing took long to happen and then everything went quiet. I just stayed under the truck and waited.”
“That’s more than an hour now,” Matt said, looking at his watch. “Which ankle did he get with the whip?” Matt asked.
Emma stuck out the appropriate foot.
Immediately the blond medic examined the skin. He undid her shoe carefully and slid it off, then the sock. “You did mean it hit your ankle? Not somewhere higher?”
“No, my ankle.”
“How long ago was this?” Matt said.
“Forty-five minutes?” Emma said. “I guess. I don’t know.”
“There aren’t any marks,” the medic said.
“It was my foot really, not my ankle.” With difficulty Emma bent over to study her foot. “I’m all muddled.” She looked up. “The marks must have faded.”
She saw the medics glance at each other and suddenly felt angry. “I’m not making this up. I couldn’t come up with something like that if I tried.”
“I’ll ask the questions,” Matt said. “As soon as Mitch gets here and says it’s okay, we’ll move you Emma. I want more blankets, please.”
At that moment, Dr. Mitch Halpern ran up. “Had to park at the side,” he said. “You guys have about filled this place. Hi, Emma. How are you feeling?”
“Great,” she said, wanting only to get into Finn’s car and leave. She could see that Mitch was, as usual, in a track suit and exuding health.
He unzipped his bag and tugged out a stethoscope. “Kneel behind her so she can lean on you and relax,” Mitch said to Finn, hitching the blankets more tightly around her. He listened to her heart and lungs, smiling directly into her eyes as he did so. “Ready to run a marathon,” he said.
Mitch moved on to her belly and Emma held her breath.
“Breathe,” Mitch said, laughing. “We don’t want you to pass out. Junior sounds as good as Mom. Good. I would like you to go over to the clinic so I can take a better look, though, Emma. Best go by aid car.”
“There’s something wrong,” Emma said. “Isn’t there?”
Mitch shook his head emphatically. “If I was worried, I’d say so. I believe in caution.”
“I’ll come with you, cher,” Finn said. “There’s nothing to worry about. This is my baby, too, and I want to know both of you are perfect.”
“Sir! Chief Boudreaux!” Officer Sampson, who had put on a few pounds since his recent marriage, puffed toward the group. “Could I have a word, please?”
“If you’ve got something to say that’s to do with us, we’ll hear it if you don’t mind,” Finn said.
Emma leaned harder against him and reached up to hold one of his hands.
“Sir?” Sampson said to Matt.
“Okay, it can’t be that big a deal,” Matt said. “Shoot.”
Sampson shuffled forward and held out a hand. “This was on a chair in Out Back, sir. And this was on the floor.”
Emma couldn’t see what they were talking about.
“So?” Matt said.
“Mrs. Forestier says these are Mrs. Duhon’s purse and notebook. We can’t find any pieces of yellow paper out here.”
8
At Aaron’s house, Sonny asked, “How long d’you think they’ll be gone?” He propped himself beside Aaron on his bed and they watched the back lights on Eileen’s van bob up the driveway. She had dropped the two of them off after they got back from Chuzah’s. Now she was driving Angel back to his place.
“What is it?” Aaron said. “About twenty minutes each way?”
Sonny slanted a glance at him. “If your mom goes straight there and straight back.”
“She wouldn’t be running errands at this time of night.”
“Nope,” Sonny said. “Too bad he chose today to run to work.”
Aaron swallowed from a can of Coke. He followed this up with a handful of jelly beans.
Maybe it wasn’t easy to talk about your mother, Sonny thought. He tried not to think about his, but that was easy.
“D’you know how to use that gun Angel gave you?” Aaron asked.
Sonny sat up straighter. “He wouldn’t have given it to me if I didn’t. I grew up around guns. Makes sense to make sure I can look after us, especially now—unless we want Angel glued to us 24/7.”
“Will you teach me?”
They were from different planets. Sonny crossed his arms and took a deep breath. “Angel’s the one to do that. We’ll ask him.”
“Then my mom will find out.”
Different solar systems. Sonny drew up his shoulders. “I dunno, then. I guess…”
“Drop
