Sleep No More

CHAPTER

6

“YOU’RE ON EDGE. I CAN ALMOST FEEL IT. What can I do?” Joe asked quietly as he paused in the bathroom doorway to look at her standing by the window. He was towel-drying his hair as he came out of the bathroom. He had another towel draped around his waist, and with his bare chest and powerful, naked thighs, he reminded Eve of a gladiator. “You don’t have to work with Kendra if you don’t want to. We can find another way. I just thought this would be easier.”

“Easier? I don’t think Kendra Michaels could ever be termed easier,” Eve said. “It’s fine, Joe. I’d tell you if it wasn’t. You know I’m not shy about voicing opinions.” She was gazing out the window at the surf crashing on the beach several hundred feet below the motel. She couldn’t see the hospital from that window, but she knew it was there, and the knowledge was hanging over like a heavy fog. “Yes, I’m on edge. What do you expect? What if we’re wrong? What if that woman you saw in that hospital bed is Beth Avery? It’s such a fragile fabric of evidence. We’re operating on instinct and dreams and hope.”

“So what’s new?” He took her in his arms. “And what’s wrong with it? It usually works for us.”

She buried her face in the wiry hair on his chest. He smelled of clean soap and the faint musk that was distinctly his own. Even if she were as blind as Kendra had been, she knew she’d know Joe by the scent of him. She closed her eyes and breathed deep. “I love the smell of you. Have I ever told you that?”

He chuckled. “Not that I recall. It must be Kendra’s influence.” He kissed her long and hard. “Perhaps we’d better explore that concept. I’m ready…”

“I know you are. It’s very obvious in that skimpy towel.” And so was she. It only took a touch, a look, and the heat started to climb. They had been together for so long that it shouldn’t have been that way, passion was supposed to fade or become comfortable. It was a miracle that their passion was as strong and ever-changing as when they had first come together. Her arms slid around his neck, and her nails bit into the muscles of his shoulders. “You should really take it off. It’s not doing you any good.”

“You take it off.” His hands were cupping her breasts. “I’m busy. Why the hell are you still dressed? It’s inconvenient as hell. I should have—” His cell phone rang on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Shit. Not now.”

Her feeling exactly. “Ignore it. Let them call back.” Then she had a thought. “Were you expecting a call?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he muttered, his lips buried in the hollow of her throat.

The phone rang again.

“Who…”

“The doctor’s office at the ski resort in Maine where Beth had her accident. They said they’d call me back. Forget it.”

It was what she wanted to do, dammit. But she pushed herself away from him and hurried across the room before she changed her mind. “It’s three hours later in Maine than we are here. You may not be able to get in touch with them.” She pressed the access button on his phone and took it to him. “Talk to them. Make sure you get everything out of them that you need so they won’t call back.” She headed for the door. “I’m going outside to cool off.”

“Not too much.”

She grinned at him. “No way.” She followed up with a mock Schwarzenegger imitation. “I’ll be back.”

“You’d better.” Joe was already talking on the phone as the door closed behind her.

She drew a deep breath of the cool, salt-laden air as she paused on the walk outside the motel room. She was shaking, she realized. Trembling and hot and ready. Calm down. It was only a postponement. She was acting like a teenager whose eagerness was as explosive and uncontrolled as a lightning bolt. Just take a break, then go back to him. That was the way it always was with them. Separation and reunion but always ending together.

She moved toward the deck chairs on the verandah overlooking the ocean. It appeared to be unoccupied. No surprise. The wind was too strong and cool for it to be inviting, in spite of the view. Just as well. She didn’t feel like being sociable, and she needed that coolness at the moment.

She dropped down in the blue-and-white lounge chair and gazed down at the beach. Beach …

Run.

The security man cursing as he stumbled down the dune after her.

The memory of the dream was suddenly there before Eve.

Had Beth gotten away from him that night?

And why in hell was Eve so sure that dream was more than a wisp of fantasy?

“Where’s Quinn?”

Eve stiffened and turned to see Kendra standing a few yards away. She was dressed in slacks and a navy Windbreaker, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She dropped down in the chair next to Eve. “I’m surprised he lets you out of his sight.”

“What?” Eve frowned. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re two mature people, and we’ve been together a long time.”

Kendra raised her brows but didn’t comment.

“Why are you out here?” Eve asked. “I thought you were going to call your mother, then go to bed.”

“I’m restless.”

“Playing your guitar didn’t help?”

Kendra shook her head. “Not tonight. I finally gave it up and came out here. I always have to get used to new places before I can sleep. I get bombarded.”

“Bombarded?”

“Sensory overload. My mind is always automatically trying to absorb, isolate, and identify. After I settle into a place, I can usually accept and block the parts I don’t need from the mix.” She looked at the sea. “But there’s so much life out there that it’s hard to do. Listen…”

Eve tilted her head, concentrating. “Seagulls, the surf … That’s all I hear. Is there something else?”

Kendra nodded. “There are two dolphins jumping and playing just offshore, and the fish … so many fish … And I was watching the crabs in the sand there on the beach. A little distance down the way, there’s a hot dog stand and the smells of the sausage dogs and onions are wonderful. Do you want me to go on?”

“Good God, I had no idea,” Eve said, staring at her. “I can see how distracting that would be.” She had another thought. “Joe said that right after your operation, you traveled all over the world like a gypsy. If you’re that sensitive, going from place to place must have been a nightmare.”

She shook her head. “It was magnificent. It was the first time I was able to combine all my senses. I loved every minute of it. I felt drunk on life.” She made a face. “But I liked it too much. I was dizzy, and I lost my balance quite a bit. You tend to do that when every moment is a new adventure. I stretched my boundaries way beyond the rules. I’m lucky to still be alive and out of jail.” She smiled. “Not that I regret it. I tried never to hurt anyone but myself. And I had to accept that every experience made me what I am.” She looked back at Eve. “Bad or good. Just as your experiences made you what you are. But you didn’t get off as lucky as I did.”

“You mean my ‘darkness’?” Eve’s lips twisted. “You may be ultrasensitive, but I think you’ve been doing more than talking to your mother this evening. A little computer research on me?”

“I was curious,” Kendra said. “As I told you, forensic sculpting interested me, but I was more interested in the actual technical process or I would have known who you are. I found out you’re quite famous.” She added, “And the reason that it doesn’t mean a damn to you. I’m sorry for your loss, Eve.”

“So am I. But my work means more to me than you could imagine.”

“Oh, I can imagine.” She looked back at the surf. “And I can see why you’re so desperate to find your sister. You’ve lost too much already.”

“I’m not desperate. I don’t even know her. It’s just a question of what is right.”

“If you say so.” She was silent a moment. “I’ll give you what you need from me, Eve. You’ll find your Beth.”

“You’re damn right I will.” Then she added haltingly, “But thank you for your cooperation. I appreciate it.”

“That was hard for you.” Kendra was suddenly chuckling. “You like to handle everything on your own. And you say you’re not desperate? I think you protest too much.”

Eve opened her lips to protest again, then said grudgingly, “Maybe I’m a little assertive. But, then, so are you.”

“True.” Kendra leaned back in her chair. “But it shows up on you like a red flag. We have to tamp that down tomorrow. Put your hair up in a chignon and wear those glasses I saw you with in some of the newspaper articles on the Net. Stay in the background. No confrontation.”

“I’m not usually confrontational.” She smiled faintly. “You were one of the exceptions.”

“Oh, I’m an exception all right,” she said wryly. “It’s the story of my life.”

“Do you regret it?”

“People trying to use me? Occasionally. The ability to use every sense to the max? Not for a minute. After all these years, I’m still drunk with the sensation. I wish I could share it, but it doesn’t work that way. You have to concentrate and let the senses come alive. You should try it sometime.”

“Maybe I will.”

“And maybe you’ll get busy and think it’s not worthwhile. But that will be your loss.” She drew her jacket closer around her. “It’s getting cooler. I’m going to stay out here a while longer, but you’d better go on in. Quinn’s probably going crazy with frustration by now.”

“What?” Eve was startled. “Frustration? How do you—” She broke off as she saw Kendra’s expression that contained both slyness and a touch of mischief. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to probe how Kendra had known about the passion that was driving Joe and Eve that night. It could be simple guesswork or that damnable highly tuned sensitivity that was anything but simple. If it was the latter, she didn’t want to be told what physical or psychological signs had made that sexuality so transparent. She got to her feet. “It is chilly.” She started across the verandah. “Good night, Kendra. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night.” Then Kendra called after her, “Why did he stop? Were you interrupted? Is it something I should know about?”

Eve gazed back over her shoulder in exasperation. “Do you have to know everything?” Then she reined in her temper. This wasn’t only about Joe and her. Of course, Kendra should know everything concerning Beth Avery. She was going to help them, and they should share information. “Joe had to take a call from the ski resort where Beth had her accident. I’ll give you a report in the morning if he found out anything important.”

“Thanks,” Kendra called as Eve left the verandah. “I was … out of line. I’m sorry.”

“Yes, you were.”

“Well, it wasn’t that bad. I’ve been worse. Have a nice time.”

Eve wanted to shake her, but she had an idea Kendra’s puckish humor would cause her to enjoy the reaction. Just face her down. “Oh, I will.” She found that her annoyance was fading as she strolled back toward the room. It was clear that she was going to have to learn to deal with Kendra Michaels on her own terms. For a short time back there, she had actually felt in tune with the woman. No, admit it, she had genuinely liked her. It was only when Kendra had invaded her space that she had become defensive. How many people in her life had Kendra turned away because she had been able to unable to resist letting them know that she could see far beyond their comfort level? If Kendra was as intuitive and sensitive as Eve was beginning to believe, she must have tremendous restraint that she had learned at great cost over the years.

But she had also enjoyed life to the max. Eve recalled her shining eyes, her lips slightly parted.

I’m still drunk with the sensation.

You have to concentrate and let the senses come alive. You should try it sometime.

Joe was lying naked in bed when she opened the door of the room. “It’s about time. What kept you?”

“I ran into Kendra. We talked a little.”

“Too long.” He held out his hand. “Come here.”

“In a moment.” She started to undo the buttons on her blouse. But only a moment. She could feel the tension mounting every second. They had waited too long already. “What did you find out from the resort?”

“That Beth had gone skiing alone and the resort sent a team out to investigate when she didn’t come back to the lodge. They found her unconscious at the bottom of a hill next to a tree and assumed she’d hit her head. They airlifted her to a clinic near Boston for treatment.”

“Clinic? Not the local hospital?”

“Family request. Later, the personnel at the resort heard that she was in a coma and had been sent to California for more tests.”

“So there was a serious legitimate injury.”

“There was an injury,” Joe said. “We still don’t know how serious.” He paused. “Or how legitimate. The rescue team said that the head wound was to the back of the head. If she crashed into that tree, wouldn’t the injury have been to the front of the skull?”

An attack from behind? “Strange things happen in accidents. I suppose a back skull wound is possible.” But it was another red flag. “What about the clinic?”

“I checked. It went out of business ten years ago. All records on Beth Avery were sent out to Santa Barbara. Everything seems to be centered around that hospital on the hill.”

“Then it’s good that we brought Kendra to help make some sense of what happened here.” She was naked now and walking toward him across the carpet. “I think we may be lucky to have her, Joe.”

“I wasn’t lucky to have her keep you away from me so long tonight.” He made a face. “Evidently, you may be on board, but I’m beginning to think that she may not be as valuable as I first thought.”

“Oh, she’s valuable. There may be a lot we can learn from her.”

You have to concentrate and let the senses come alive.

Joe’s eyes were suddenly narrowed on her face. “Such as?”

Concentrate. Heighten every sense, the scent of him, the sound of his breathing. She reached out and touched his shoulder, the warmth of his skin, the play of muscles beneath her fingers. The sensation was almost too intense.

He inhaled sharply as he sensed something new, something different. “What are you doing?”

“Concentrating…”

She climbed on top of him and slowly rubbed her breasts against his chest. She tried to isolate every separate sensation, the warmth, the faint roughness of his hair against her nipples, the tensing of his muscles. She felt an explosion of heat. More. Give more. Take more. “Slowly. Think about it. Feel.”

He shuddered as his hands grasped her shoulders.

Don’t ignore one motion, one feeling, build on it, share it.

Maybe you’ll get busy and think it’s not worthwhile. But that will be your loss.

No way, Kendra …

* * *

“YOU LOOK VERY SUBDUED, EVE,” Kendra said as she strolled toward the car at eight the next morning. “And those glasses are a good touch. I knew they would be.” She tossed her duffel and guitar in the backseat of the car and got into the passenger seat. “I’ll try to keep attention off you, but stay in the background.”

“I’m hardly a riveting personality,” Eve said dryly as she started the car. “It’s not as if I was flamboyant before.”

“But people look at you, then look again.” She was studying her face. “Particularly this morning. There’s a glow…”

Eve gave her a forbidding glance. “Don’t go there.”

She grinned. “I wasn’t. I’m more subtle than that.” Her gaze shifted to the hospital in the hills, and her smile faded. “And, besides, it’s time I got down to business.”

“And start to concentrate?”

Kendra nodded soberly. “That’s the name of the game.”

Eve smiled faintly. “Oh, I definitely agree.”

* * *

“DR. MICHAELS, DELIGHTED TO MEET YOU.” Harry Pierce’s smile was a flash of white in his tanned face as he crossed the marble foyer at the hospital to shake her hand. Late forties or early fifties, he had a shock of excellently barbered thick gray hair, gray eyes, and slightly heavy but regular features. “Such a pleasant surprise. We had no idea we were under consideration for a grant. We do our best, but mental health always seems to be at the bottom of the list.”

“Not this time,” Kendra said with a smile as bright as Pierce’s. “Evidently someone thinks that your hospital deserves help, and musical therapy is the wave of the future.”

Pierce nodded. “I understand you’re responsible for much of the research in this field, Dr. Michaels. I have to admit I’ve always been a bit skeptical of its effectiveness since most of the success stories have been anecdotal. But I’m impressed with your evidence-based approach.”

“I’m not a believer in woo-woo. Music therapy is a scientific discipline even if some of its practitioners don’t look at it that way.” She waved a casual hand toward Eve. “My assistant, Lucy Coran.” She stepped in front of Eve before he could greet her or get a good look at her. “She’ll take my notes and give questionnaires to your staff. Could you assign someone to show us around right away? We’d really like to finish this job before the end of the day. We have another inspection in San Francisco tomorrow.”

“Joseph Piltot can do it.” Pierce waved at a thin man in a sleek navy suit who was getting off the elevator. “He’ll be able to show you the most likely candidates for your therapy. He has all their records on tap.”

“Excellent. But I also want to see the entire facility and the grounds. And I don’t expect to be limited to the dog-and-pony show you give families. I trust that won’t be a problem.”

“Of course not.” He smiled again, but this time it appeared pasted on his face. “If you need anything at all, please call on me. I’m at your disposal.”

“Thank you, but I doubt that will be necessary. As I said, this is just the first inspection. We only want to get a feel for the facility and your long-term patients.” She turned to Piltot after he was introduced. “Let’s start outside, shall we?”

“Certainly.” Piltot led them out the glass doors.

As they strolled through the beautiful, well-manicured lawns, Eve and Kendra only half listened to Piltot’s overly rehearsed spiel. He pointed out the faculty’s sleek structures, then stopped so they could watch a croquet match supervised by the predominantly youthful staff.

Eve and Kendra casually moved several yards away from Piltot, well out of earshot. “So what did you think of Pierce?” Eve asked quietly, her gaze on the croquet players.

“A total sleazebag,” Kendra said. “And a phony all the way. How much plastic surgery do you think he’s had? I’d bet at least an eye job and work on that chin.”

Eve smothered a smile. “You’re the expert on observation. My only impression was that I didn’t like him. But you were very tactful. I was surprised.”

“I can be diplomatic. Not often. It’s not worth the effort.”

Piltot walked over to them, smiling. “Ready to go inside?”

“Not just yet,” Kendra said. “I want to go around to the other side of the complex.”

“Not much to see there, I’m afraid. Loading dock, staff entrance, garbage Dumpsters … Surely your time would be better spent.”

“Just a quick look around,” Kendra said. “Then we can go inside.”

Piltot shrugged. “This way.”

He led them around the facility’s north side, where a keycard opened a tall iron gate. The concrete walkways, skillfully hidden from the nearby roads by bushes and tall trees, possessed a barren, institutional quality. Eve glanced at Kendra and saw the woman’s eyes flicking from the windows to the roofline, then down the entire length of the main building. What had that amazing mind latched onto now?

They continued toward the rear of the white stucco building where Kendra leaned over the railing to look at the hillside just ten feet below.

Piltot was frowning. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” Kendra looked up at the windows above. “I trust that patients get the ocean views and not the staff?”

“Absolutely. There are a few administrative offices facing this way, but those are mostly group areas and recreation rooms up there.”

“Very nice. It’s beautiful.”

They continued on their way, and true to Piltot’s word, they walked past a row of Dumpsters. “It smells,” Kendra said. “When is trash pickup?”

Piltot hesitated, probably wondering how in the hell this could affect the dispensation of a state grant. “Uh, Mondays and Thursdays, I think.”

Beth had disappeared from the facility on a Wednesday, which almost ruled out one method of escape. Neither night would have been for Beth’s escape, Eve thought, which was obviously Kendra’s motive for asking the question in the first place. And as they stepped closer to the Dumpsters, she noticed that each lid was secured by a large padlock.

Kendra obviously noticed it, too, and she shot Eve a look. No refuge for Beth there.

Piltot pointed to the employee entrance. “We can go inside here.”

“Actually, I’d like to continue around and go back through the front,” Kendra said.

“Well … sure.” He was obviously mystified by her insistence.

They completed the circle and reentered the complex through the main entrance.

“I’ll need to examine all the wards and private accommodations,” Kendra said brusquely. “Where do you suggest we begin?”

“The wards?” Piltot made a face. “That will be a bit chaotic. You may prefer to focus on the private patients. I’m sure they’ll be much more receptive to cultural stimulus.”

“People are people, and music bridges all gaps.”

“Just a moment, and I’ll see what the schedule is for group-therapy sessions. There are probably some going on now.”

“Take your time.”

Kendra lowered her voice as she spoke to Eve. “The private rooms are on the second and third floors. Beth Avery was on the third floor in Room 305. As soon as Piltot takes us up to the third floor, we’re going to need a distraction to get rid of him.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Eve was already taking out her phone. Actually, she was glad to have something positive to do. It was beginning to annoy her having to stay in the background and letting Kendra handle everything. She would just have to bite the bullet and look and listen and see if she could find a way to contribute. “I’ll tell Joe to call Piltot when I buzz him and start questioning him again. That should give us time.” She looked at Kendra. “But how much time will you need?”

“How do I know? It depends on how well the room has been cleaned. What kind of trace evidence has been left.” She grimaced. “For all we know, the room might have a new occupant.”

“True.” Eve hadn’t thought of that. “We’ll play it by ear.” She smiled slyly. “Or at least you will. You’re more qualified in that area.” She ignored Kendra’s disgusted groan as Joe came on the line. “Joe, we may need some help.”

* * *

AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, Piltot took them to the second floor first, and they spent over three hours meeting patients and checking over their medicines and prognosis. It was early afternoon when Piltot took them up to the third floor.

Eve’s gaze flew down the corridor as they got off the elevator. Clearly the hospital luxury quarters, she thought. Wide halls, modern paintings on the walls, and a nursing station at the far end of the corridor. The nurse at the cherry desk was on the phone, and she was smiling and chatting. Good, a distraction. They could only hope that she stayed absorbed in her conversation.

“At present there’s only one occupied suite on this floor. Room 302,” Piltot said. “The patient is a young actress who suffered a nervous breakdown two months ago. Patient confidentiality prohibits me from telling you who she is, but—”

“Lara Tagnon,” Kendra said absently.

Piltot blinked. “How—I can’t really confirm that—”

“On the nurse’s desk downstairs on the second floor, there were two DVD cases of Laura Tagnon’s most popular movies, along with a thin, silver inked Sharpie pen that one uses for an autograph on the case’s dark background.”

“Very perceptive, Dr. Michaels,” Piltot said.

Maybe too perceptive, Eve thought. But Kendra’s display didn’t seem to arouse any special concern on his part.

However, evidently Kendra was aware that she’d slipped up because she added quickly to distract him, “Not the most professional request for a nurse on duty to make, but I suppose there’s really no harm.”

Piltot smiled. “As long as you didn’t hear it from me.”

“I had no idea she was a patient here,” Kendra said. “The paparazzi have been scouring the country for her.”

“Privacy is important when you’re dealing with celebrities. I’m not sure that I can get permission from either her or her manager to have you evaluate her. Surely you don’t want to see her.”

“Surely I do,” Kendra said with a determined smile. “She’d be a valuable addition to the hospital profile. Why don’t you go and ask her? We’ll wait here.”

Piltot hesitated, then turned away impatiently. “Oh, very well. If you insist. But it’s a waste of time.” He strode down the hall and into a room near the end of the corridor.

Eve was instantly on the phone and beeping Joe. She jammed the phone in her pocket. “Joe is good, but I don’t believe we can count on more than ten minutes stalling, tops.” She glanced at the nurse’s station. The nurse was leaning back in her chair, still absorbed in her phone call. “Let’s go. Room 305 is two doors down.”

They had taken no more than two steps toward the room when Eve heard a male voice behind them.

“Excuse me, but I don’t believe you’re supposed to be here.”

Dammit, caught.

Eve stiffened and turned around.

A tall orderly had appeared in the hallway near the bank of elevators.

“You two look lost,” he said. “May I help you?”

“No, we’re just waiting for Mr. Piltot,” Kendra said. “He had to take a phone call.”

The orderly hesitated, casting a quick glance at their visitor badges to confirm that they weren’t wayward patients. Eve could see the suspicion gradually vanishing. He was a tall, young man with broad shoulders and close-cropped brown hair. He wore the same tight white jeans and T-shirt that the rest of the male orderlies wore.

Kendra extended her left hand. “Dr. Kendra Michaels. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, you’re a doctor? Sorry for the questions. Nobody told me we were having visitors on this floor. We’re supposed to keep an eye out for reporters.” He awkwardly took Kendra’s hand and shook it. “Jessie Newell. The pleasure’s all mine. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do for you?”

“Absolutely not. We won’t hold you up.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

They watched as the orderly continued on his way and disappeared into the elevator.

“Close. We’re lucky he didn’t see us going into the room.” Kendra was moving quickly toward Room 305. “Come on.”

Eve was right behind her, and, a minute later, the heavy room door was swinging closed behind them.

“Shit.” Eve murmured as she glanced around. “We’re out of luck. This place looks spotless.”

“Maybe,” Kendra said absently. “But there are still a few faint lingering medical odors. Smell that sulfur? If they only went over the room once, we still have a chance.”

“What can I do?” Eve asked.

“Be quiet so I can concentrate. And keep an eye on the corridor.”

Eve turned to be able to glance out of the rectangular glass inset in the door to the hall. “Right.”

Kendra dropped to her knees in the small room, looking underneath the bed and chair. Both pieces of furniture were bolted to the floor, and to Eve there seemed to be nothing distinctive about either of them. Kendra yanked up the fitted sheet and scanned the side panels of the exposed mattress. She had begun to stretch the sheet back into place when she stiffened and gave a low whistle. She quickly ran her hand between the mattress and the wall.

“What is it?” Eve asked.

Kendra pulled the mattress end toward them, curling it up from the wall. “Look.”

Eve leaned over to see a tiny slit, not more than a quarter inch long on the mattress panel. “It’s a tear.”

“It’s more than that. Look closer.”

As Kendra moved the mattress to the light, Eve could then see the faint oval, and rectangular impressions next to the slit. “Pills!”

Kendra ran her finger over the impressions. “They’re not here now, but they were. The patient in this room wasn’t taking her meds. She may have hidden them in her mouth, then stashed them here until she could safely dispose of them. When they were here, the weight of the patient would pull this mattress taut against the pills, creating the impression.”

“This could have been made years ago,” Eve said.

Kendra shook her head. “Look at the frayed edges of the slit. See how much brighter they are than the rest of the mattress? If they had been exposed for any great length of time, they would be much closer in tone to the rest. This is recent.”

Kendra let go of the mattress and stood facing the wall.

“Anything else?” Eve asked.

Kendra hesitated, then slowly nodded. “Something pretty nasty. Poison.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I think they tried to poison your Beth Avery.” She frowned, working it out. “And it had to be within the past few days. They tried, but they didn’t succeed.”

Eve shook her head in disbelief. Kendra was speaking as matter-of-factly as if she were commenting on the color of the sky. “Dammit, how do you know?”

Kendra pointed high on the wall she was facing. “See that thin line?”

Eve squinted, then shook her head. “No.”

“It’s perfectly clear, but it reflects the light. Move your head back and forth until you—”

“I see it!” Eve took a step closer. It was an extremely thin line, almost invisible, that arced high on the wall behind the bed. Evidently the spray of liquid had dried on the wall and was nearly undetectable. “But what is it?”

“Conium, I’m pretty sure. It’s quite deadly, and has a distinctive odor. It hit me as soon as we stepped close to the bed.” Kendra stood on the bed and moved her face within inches of the clear line.

“And I suppose you have a mental catalog of what every poison smells like?”

“Don’t be sarcastic. No, but I am good with plants. When you spend the first twenty years of your life without sight, scents are very important. Conium is an extract of hemlock, which grows almost everywhere. It retains both the plant’s poisonous properties and its rather unpleasant smell.” Kendra pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and rubbed it along the line. “We’ll see if we can test a sample off this, but I’m sure that’s what it is.”

“Hemlock poisoning,” Eve said. “That’s how Socrates was killed…”

“And it would have killed Beth Avery, but for some reason it ended up sprayed against this wall.”

Eve felt sick as she stared around the room. Pills in the mattress hidden by a desperate woman fighting for her freedom. Poison … “Someone actually tried to kill her.” She looked back up at the lethal streak on the wall. “And even if this didn’t work, there’s no certainty that they didn’t manage to kill her in another way.”

“No certainty. But I believe your sister is still alive.” She met her gaze. “And I think you do, too. Isn’t this what all this is about?”

Eve nodded. “But I have nothing concrete on which to base it. Do you?”

“I don’t deal in concrete, but I have an idea or two.” She turned away. “I want to take one last look around in the bathroom. Keep watch. You haven’t done a good job so far.”

Because what Kendra did had a tendency to blow Eve away. She couldn’t argue with her that she hadn’t been doing her part. “Can’t you hurry?” Eve cast another quick glance through the small window in the door. “It’s already been ten minutes. Joe can’t keep him on the line for much longer.”

“I’m done.” Kendra glided across the room from the bathroom. “Where’s that nurse?”

“She got up and went down the hall toward the waiting room a few minutes ago. Since there don’t appear to be any visitors on this floor, I’d bet on her hitting the coffee machine.” She swung the door open, glanced at Room 302 before gesturing for Kendra to leave. “Out.”

Kendra strode out of the room and down the hall with Eve following. “I’m out. Stop being so nervous. We made it.”

Eve drew a deep breath, slowed down, and stopped. Kendra was right. The immediate danger was over. She just didn’t like to cut things so close. “Then let’s find a place to sit down and be impatient when Piltot shows up. After all, he’s been very rude to keep us waiting.” She dropped down on a bench across from the nurse’s station. “Did you find anything else in the bathroom, Kendra?”

Kendra shook her head. “Nothing that’s made an impression. But someone had to have helped her if she got out of here. Maybe we’ll know more when we check the file records on Beth Avery tonight and see who has been in attendance or at least in close proximity.”

“Tonight?”

“Well, we can hardly march into personnel and tap their records during regular business hours. It will have to be tonight.”

“And how are we supposed to get into personnel? It’s an administrative office. The chances are that it will be locked up tight as a drum.”

“What’s locked can be unlocked.”

“You’re saying we’re going to burgle the place?”

“Of course we are. You said you needed information. You must have known there wouldn’t be any other way when you brought me here.”

Eve nodded. “I suspected that would be the only way. I’m not objecting, just clarifying.” Her lips tightened. “Will I do it? You’re damn right I will. Conium. I wasn’t sure until you identified that drug that there actually was a threat to Beth.”

“And are you sure now?” Kendra asked quietly. “You have only my word based on a very freaky talent. A lot of people wouldn’t be willing to trust me.”

Eve was silent. It was a freaky talent, and she had known Kendra Michaels for less than twenty-four hours. Why was she so certain that the clues Kendra had found and identified in that room were real? Instinct? She just didn’t know. But the certainty was there. “I’m sure.” She smiled with an effort. “I’ve been known to believe in a few freaky things in my life. What’s one more?” She added, “So I suppose we should start planning a way to get into that locked office. As a matter of fact, I believe I may have the keys to that particular kingdom.”

“You do?” Kendra asked, startled. “What the hell are you talking about? Keys? I was going to call a man who—” She broke off as she saw Piltot coming out of Room 302. “Later.” She frowned, turned on him, and said sharply, “May we see your prize movie star or not? What kept you?”

Piltot flushed. “I had a phone call. I apologize. I couldn’t get rid of him.”

“Did you try hanging up?” Kendra asked coldly. “What’s the verdict? Do I get a personal interview with your patient or just examine her records?”

“Neither. I’m afraid that her manager has said that she’s not to be disturbed.”

“Great.” Kendra turned away. “Then shall we continue? You kept us waiting so long that we’re behind schedule, and we’ll have to get a move on to finish our appraisal by the end of the day.”

“Certainly.” Piltot was ushering them toward the elevators. “But there are only the two wards left. I’m sure that I can facilitate your work with the patients and make sure you can turn in your report on time.”