rel="nofollow" href="#ulink_19979ad1-fbe8-5310-9ed4-9c50b1ee05e2">THREE
“What do you mean I have to escort Lydia home from the hospital? Why don’t you?” Good thing Thomas was Jesse’s friend, or he’d never get away with challenging a superior’s order.
Thomas started for his vehicle at the church bombing site. “Lydia requested you when I told her I wanted an officer to escort her home.”
“Are we going to guard her or something?” He didn’t want to be on that detail.
“Not at this time. The situation doesn’t warrant the drain on our manpower although I have authorized the police to drive by and periodically check on her and the two cooks who are still alive. I don’t think the cooks know much, but Lydia might. She was in the area that took the worst of the bombing. With the waitress dying, Lydia is our best chance. We’re focusing all we can on finding this maniac.”
“Do you think she’s in danger?”
“Not at the moment. Her name hasn’t been given to the press. If it gets out, we’ll reconsider what to do or if the autopsy findings on the waitress who died last night indicate murder. We reviewed the surveillance tapes of people going in and out of her room and only saw staff members. The doctor has no reason at the moment to think someone killed her. She was injured more severely than Lydia.” Thomas opened his car door. “I have a lead to follow up.”
“Trade you?”
Thomas shook his head. “You’re complaining because I asked you to make sure a beautiful woman gets home okay? I’m beginning to think you were the one who suffered a head trauma.”
“Cute. You know Lydia and I have a history.”
“Which is even more reason to put you with her. You know her. You know what to expect. I’m not asking you to be her new best friend.”
“You owe me.”
“You wanted in on this case.”
“Because this was my church that was bombed.” Jesse waved his arm toward where the building used to be.
“While you’re with her, help her to remember. Somewhere in her mind she might have seen the bomber and can ID him. Now, that would be a lead.”
Jesse watched Thomas drive away, then stormed to his police cruiser with Brutus. Before opening the rear of his SUV, he knelt next to his Rottweiler and petted him. “At least you understand why I don’t want to see her. I’ve ranted to you enough this past year. This city of nearly three hundred thousand doesn’t seem to be big enough for the both of us.”
Brutus barked, then licked Jesse on his cheek.
He laughed. “I like your reply. I know I’ve got to do my best. Nothing less.” He rubbed his hand down Brutus’s back. “Load.” Jesse gave the command for his K-9 to hop into the rear and crawl into his crate. He fastened the door, although in an emergency Brutus could undo the latch.
Yesterday when the other survivor had died, he’d interviewed the staff and reported it to Thomas. He’d asked the staff not to talk about the death. The police didn’t want rumors flying around. With Bree at the hospital, he’d keep tabs on anything being said.
Now he’d return to take Lydia home and have the task of informing her about the waitress’s death and finding the older gentleman’s remains in the last area to be searched at the bomb site. Since the young woman who had been the other missing person showed up at work, everyone was accounted for.
When he arrived at Lydia’s room, after dropping Brutus off at home, she sat in a wheelchair looking out the window. She glanced back at him as he entered.
“Thomas called and told me you were driving me home. I appreciate it.”
He approached her and clasped the wheelchair handles to roll her out of the room. “Why did you request me?” His voice sounded even, belying his frustration.
“Because I think we should talk, and you’ve been doing a good job of avoiding me. We were friends once—”
“Yes, once. We aren’t now.”
“I realize that, but I owe you an apology. I’ve been meaning to talk to you since before the bomb went off. If nothing else, I can take away from this situation how fragile life is. Don’t put off what you should do. In one second, a lot of people died at the hands of this madman. The more I think about what happened, the more I get the feeling I know something.”
“Shh.” Jesse scanned the hallway leading out of the building. “We’ll talk when we arrive at your house. I don’t want anyone overhearing us. We haven’t released your name to the press. The bomber doesn’t know who the survivors are.” If that truly was the case, then the waitress died naturally.
He waited until he brought the car around and assisted Lydia into the front passenger seat to tell her about the death of the waitress. He didn’t want a public reaction to the news.
On the drive to her house, after a long silence, Jesse stopped at a red light and looked at Lydia. “I didn’t want to say anything until we were alone, but the waitress died last night. An autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of death.”
“You don’t think her death is a result of the bomb explosion?”
“Probably. She was in more critical condition than you were, but she had been responding to treatment and improving so I can’t say for sure.”
“What does the press know?”
“How many died in the blast and that there were four survivors. No names at this time because we were still identifying victims and notifying family. That will change now since everyone is accounted for.”
Lydia stared out the windshield. “You think I might be in danger?”
“I hope not, but it’s a possibility if the bomber thinks you can ID him. That’s why we won’t release your name, but the press have their ways of finding out.”
“I can’t. Yet. But what if I did see him and I can’t remember?”
“You suffered a head trauma. Not remembering, especially right away, isn’t uncommon. Don’t force yourself. If you have any information, it’ll come to you in time.”
“Are you sure you work for the police? I’d think you should be pushing me to remember right now.”
When the light turned green, he threw her a half grin and pressed on the accelerator. “I know you. Force won’t work.”
“I’ve been trying, and I can remember a few bits like how Melinda looked when she heard the laugh track, how I felt when I did. After that nothing and not much else before other than remembering Bree thankfully left ten minutes before the bomb went off.”
“Yes, I talked with Bree. She remembered some of the people we found in the rubble.”
“Lunch was starting. The door opened and closed—four times after she was gone.” She shifted toward him. “I just thought of that.”
He glanced at her smile, which
