pulled her chin inward at the sight of him. She worried her lip and pulled up the hospital sheet with one hand. Her other hand brushed her curly brown hair, marred only by an oddly positioned gauze headband of sorts, away from her face.
Kurt realized his surprise at her appearance had likely caused the self-conscious actions. “I don’t mean to stare.”
“It’s okay. I know I must be a sight.”
“No, no, you look...uh—” He exhaled loudly. Sleep usually helped with foot-in-mouth disease and he was sorely lacking. He needed to start over and hope the deputy outside hadn’t heard his social blunder. “When I heard Judge Linn’s granddaughter was here, I expected someone younger. I’ve never come right out and asked the judge’s age—” Oh, great. First the granddaughter thought he was appalled by her appearance and now it sounded like he had opinions about how soon the judge had started having kids.
Her eyebrows rose before she nodded, a small laugh escaping. “He’s eighty-six. He’s almost got sixty years on me.” Her fingers rolled the edge of the blanket like a scroll.
“Judge Linn looks young for his age, then.” Kurt hoped that cleared the air so he could begin again. Over 10 percent of the sitting judges were in their eighties, but Judge Linn had more drive and passion than most sixty-year-olds. “Are you up for talking about what happened?”
She dropped the sheet from her fingertips. “Oh, yes.” She gingerly touched the gauze underneath her hair. “I could’ve gone home last night, according to one of the nurses, but Grandpa insisted the doctors keep me overnight as a precaution.” She eyed him as if trying to decide whether to trust him. “When Grandpa wants something, he usually gets it, so I didn’t argue.”
Kurt ignored that potential minefield. “Concussion?”
“Maybe. I didn’t pay much attention to what the doctor said after the events of the night. I...uh...kept trying to remember more. Identifying factors.” She turned her attention to the window. “The headache wasn’t much fun, either, but that’s gone away. Just a little stiff and sore.” She let her head sink back into the stack of pillows behind her. “I hit a rock near the base of my neck. Thankfully my muscles and skull took most of the impact instead of my spine.”
He’d had enough similar close calls to know the pain and stiffness had to be intense. “My understanding is someone almost ran you over when you tried to get help.”
She sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “A teenager. He said he didn’t see me until it was almost too late, but he waited with me in the ditch until the police came.”
The driver probably didn’t want to admit that he had been on his cell phone while driving. Kurt held back his frustration but hoped the cops who’d arrived on the scene had scared the kid enough with scenarios of what could’ve happened that the boy would never text and drive again. “And the attacker?”
She shook her head. “No sign. The police didn’t find him.”
Delaney walked inside the room from her spot at the door. “I received confirmation that the assailant turned off the security cameras at the front patio, so we don’t have any footage.”
Kurt’s heart rate increased as he thought about the judge’s house. “He bypassed the security system?”
“No alarm. The panic button did nothing,” Rebecca answered.
He knew the security system well. Top-of-the-line wireless security system with cellular backup. He’d approved it last year with the chief deputy’s blessing before it was installed. They liked to keep systems up-to-date and replaced them at regular intervals. The kidnapping attempt was alarming by itself, but knowing how to disarm technology like that wasn’t normal for a run-of-the-mill criminal. He schooled his features as if it was an everyday occurrence. He didn’t need to upset her further. “Okay. Anything you can tell me about your attacker? Any recognizable features?”
“He was in a mask. A black ski mask. He wore...” She licked her lips and looked up at the ceiling tiles as she blinked rapidly. “I can’t remember.”
Shame filled her voice; an understandable sentiment but unnecessary. Victims often had a tough time remembering those details. “Don’t beat yourself up or try to push it. It’s been hours, you’ve had a bump on your head and—”
“I’d recognize his eyes and his voice. I’m sure of it. He had a unique accent.”
“Do you know what kind?”
She shook her head. “Foreign. Not European. Someone who spoke Spanish but more of the Latin variety.” She shrugged. “I know it’s not very helpful, but it’s all—”
“You’re doing great. What exactly did he say to you?”
The door to the room swung inward and Justice Linn strode past Delaney and Kurt with two cups of coffee in his hands. He wore a colorful sweater that reminded Kurt of the early nineties, tan slacks and matching loafers. His hair, while thinning on top, was a blend of brown and gray that looked natural.
It was no wonder Kurt thought he was younger. He nodded at the judge. “Chief Justice Li—”
“Brock, it’s about time you showed up.” His forceful tone would make a less confident man feel nervous. The judge didn’t make eye contact, but handed his granddaughter the cup. “Here you go, sweetie.” He spun around. “I requested you. I want someone with experience on this, and I want it dealt with immediately.”
Since they had only two deputy marshals stationed in the Coeur D’Alene office, and Delaney was a newbie fresh out of basic training, it seemed a reasonable request. Kurt hoped Delaney didn’t take it as a slight against her. “Sir, I’m afraid I haven’t finished interview—”
“Someone attempted to kidnap my granddaughter last night.” The judge’s bloodshot eyes scanned the room as his lower lip quivered. “There’s no question about it. I want this treated as a direct threat to the court.” He pointed his index finger at the ground as if physically punctuating the sentence.
The truth was that it was highly probable the threat was aimed at him. Judge Linn had served for almost forty years, mostly in the criminal court. All judges received threats, but the number had risen exponentially over the past decade. Many of those threats were specifically aimed at family members, though usually it was immediate family. “Sir, have you or Rebecca spoken about this with the police?”
“They’re ill equipped,” Judge Linn answered. “You need to take over.”
Kurt appreciated the man’s faith in him, but they were going to need to work hand in hand with the police. He gestured toward the door, where Delaney waited. “I was told that Miss Linn lives in Ohio.” Of course, when his boss had told him, he’d imagined her as a little girl whose parents were waiting back in Cincinnati, not a grown woman. “We could escort her to the airport once she’s discharged. We’ll continue investigating the threat from this end.”
Judge Linn’s frown intimidated him more than any other superior officers did. “She’s staying here.” He turned back to Rebecca and his features softened. “Though I wish you’d change your mind. I know why you’re doing this. Don’t pretend you’re not staying for me.”
Kurt marveled at the change in tenor when the judge spoke to his granddaughter. He didn’t understand all the
