The Chain of Lies

CHAPTER 20



It was almost midnight when Colin and Emily made it to the hospital. The visitors area was overrun with their close circle, waiting for any news about Molly. Tests had been run, vitals monitored, but nothing yet to report except that she had still not woken up.

Alex came strolling down the hallway with a box full of coffees.

“Thank you, hon.” Isabel took a cup from her husband.

“Anyone else?” He set the box down on the coffee table. “I made sure there are packets of sugar and creamer in there, too.”

The doctor pushed through the heavy swinging doors. “Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne?”

“That’s us.” Camille and Jonathan bolted from the chairs and rushed over to the doctor.

“I’m Dr. Reed. Your daughter has not gained consciousness yet, but she seems to be resting comfortably. If you’d like to come in and see her for a few minutes, that’d be all right.”

“Yes, please.”

“Can any of the rest of us see her, too?” Emily asked.

“For now, let’s just take her folks in.”

Camille and Jonathan clasped hands and followed the physician.

Watching her friends hurry away, Emily was unable to shake the feeling that she was partly responsible for their daughter lying in that hospital bed. She wrapped her arms around herself in a self-comforting gesture.

Colin must have sensed her need because he placed his arm around her shoulders and drew her in. Responsively, she wrapped her arms about his lean torso and laid her cheek against his chest. Clinging to each other, he gently kissed the top of her head as they stood in contemplative silence.

“Emily?” Isabel softly laid a hand on her friend’s arm.

Emily raised her head and extended her hand to Isabel, who took hold of it.

“Alex told me that when he went to the cafeteria for the coffees he saw Delia down there.”

“Why would she be here? Especially this late?” Emily looked up at Colin.

“Remember I told you Jerry Banderas was in the hospital,” Isabel replied. “I’m guessing it has something to do with him. I wonder if he took a turn for the worse.”

“Can you check on him?” Emily asked.

“I’m not family, but maybe I can play the FBI card and wrangle some details out of the nurse.”

~*~

Isabel took the elevator to the fourth floor. An older, heavy-set African-American nurse was reviewing papers on her desk when Isabel strode up to the counter.

“Good evening, ma’am.”

The woman peered at Isabel over the top of the glasses sitting low on her broad nose. “Hello, may I help you?”

“I’d like to check on Jerry Banderas. Would it be possible for me to see him?”

“Sorry, no.” She shook her head. “It’s way past visiting hours, dear, and I’m quite certain he’s asleep. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.” She returned her gaze to the papers on the desk in front of her.

“Can you at least tell me how he’s doing?”

“Are you family?” she asked, not bothering to look up.

“No, but—”

The woman raised her eyes and peered at her again over her rims. “I’m sorry, but I can’t give out that information if you’re not family.”

Isabel slapped her FBI badge down on the raised counter a little harder than she intended, causing the woman to jump in her seat.

“Sorry, ma’am, but this is important. I’m with the FBI and I need to question him regarding a case.” It may not have been an FBI case, but it was an open police case.

The hefty nurse stood to her feet, placed her hands on her desk and leaned forward, staring into Isabel’s face. “That kind of bullying might work on other people, young lady, but it doesn’t fly with me. You either come back tomorrow during normal visiting hours or you bring me a warrant.”

“Can you at least tell me if his daughter was here earlier?” Isabel toned down her attitude.

“Like I said, warrant.”

Isabel backed away from the nurse’s station, clipping her badge back onto her belt. “I’ll see you in the morning, then.” She headed to the elevator and pushed the button, keeping one eye on the nurse. While waiting for the doors to open, she noticed the nurse was called away to one of the rooms in the opposite direction from Jerry’s room. Once she was out of sight, Isabel snuck down to Jerry’s room. “Stop me now, Nurse Krachit.”

Finding room four twelve, Isabel slowly pushed open the door. The room was dark except for the dim nightlight plugged into one of the walls.

“Jerry,” Isabel whispered, walking nearer to his bed. “Are you awake?”

He did not respond.

“Jerry,” she tried again. He moaned something indiscernible. She hoped in a half-asleep state that he might be unguarded and candid with her. She walked to the side of his bed and gently shook his shoulder. “Jerry.”

“Go away, nurse. Let me sleep,” He mumbled and shrugged one shoulder, his eyes still closed.

“Jerry, it’s Isabel. Wake up. I need to talk to you.”

“Isabel?” he slurred, not yet opening his eyes.

“Do you remember David Gerard?”

“Gerard?” he repeated quietly as if he was floating between being asleep and awake.

“Yes, David Gerard.”

Jerry’s face had been relaxed as he slept, but at the name Gerard it began to contort into an angry scowl.

“What did David Gerard do?” Isabel asked in her calmest, most soothing voice in response to the change in his facial expression.

“Gerard, he killed my baby.”

“Natalia?”

“Natalia,” he mumbled. “My baby.”

“Did you kill Gerard?”

“Kill Gerard,” he repeated in a dreamlike voice.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

“Yes, that’s right. Did you kill Gerard?”

“Kill Gerard,” he said again.

Isabel was uncertain if he was simply repeating what she said, or if he was answering her. She decided to come back to that question later. “Is Delia your daughter?”

“Delia?” His eyes were still closed as he shifted in his bed.

“Yes, Jerry. Is Delia your daughter?”

“What are you doing in here!” the large nurse screamed from the doorway in the loudest throaty whisper Isabel had ever heard. “Do I need to call security?”

“I’m leaving.” Frustrated, Isabel knew there was nothing more she could do until the morning.

As she turned to leave, she felt someone grab her hand. She looked back and saw Jerry clinging to her. “Isabel?” The boisterous nurse bursting in must have fully awakened him, she suspected.

“Yes, Jerry, it’s Isabel.” Her voice was low and soft. “I wanted to see how you’re doing. I’ll be back in the morning.” Isabel patted his hand lightly and pulled her fingers free knowing the insistent nurse with angry dark eyes was impatiently holding the door open for her.

~*~

Isabel returned to the waiting room. The air was thick with anticipation and anxiety as her friends sat hoping for news from the doctor. Jonathan and Camille had not returned yet from Molly’s room. Peter and Maggie sat beside each other, huddled quietly in what appeared to be serious conversation. Colin snuggled up to Emily with his arm around her, as she leaned against him silently.

Alex stood and approached Isabel as she entered the waiting room. “I need to shove off, Is. I’ve got court in the morning. Are you going to stay?”

“For a while. No news on Molly, I’m guessing.” Isabel looked around at the gang.

“No. It could be quite some time before they know anything.”

“I’m not ready to call it a night, hon. I have my own car.”

“All right. Call me if you need anything.” Alex kissed his wife lightly and left.

Isabel took a seat beside Emily.

Emily sat up straight in her chair and turned to Isabel. “Any luck?”

“Not much. The nurse up there was a real peach.” Isabel grimaced.

“That’s too bad.”

“I’ll try again tomorrow.”

“Do you mind if I tag along?” Emily asked.

“I don’t know. Jerry might be more forthcoming if I can talk to him alone.”

“You’re probably right.” Emily patted Isabel’s leg. “Let me know if he gives you anything of importance.”

“You know I will.”

“And I’ll get that gun to the county lab first thing tomorrow,” Colin said.

“What are you talking about? I have the gun,” Isabel said, looking confused. “I’m taking it to the FBI lab in the morning.”

“The other gun, Is,” Emily replied.

“What other gun?”

“I’m sorry, Isabel, but I think in all the drama over Molly and the Jade Thai Spa, we haven’t kept you in the loop about the other gun,” Emily said.

“A neighbor of Delia’s found a gun by the river Saturday, a Ruger P345. Emily and I interviewed him Saturday night and we had the man show us where he found it.”

“You think it might be the weapon used in Evan’s murder?” Isabel asked.

“It might be,” Emily replied with a nod. “It’s been mostly submerged in mud for the past year, but we’re hopeful the lab can get some prints off of it.”

“Make sure they check to see if there are any bullets left in it. Maybe they’ll be able to get a print off of one of them,” Isabel suggested.

“I had that same thought,” Colin said.

“As far as the gun I have, I’m planning to ask the lab to put a rush on it,” Isabel remarked. “Jerry doesn’t have much time left, so if the Beretta pistol from Evan’s safe deposit box was his, I’d like to get a confession out of him before he passes away.”

“Good idea,” Colin agreed.

Emily grew silent and pensive, staring blankly off to nowhere, her thoughts somewhere else. She felt Isabel take her hand.

“I know the handgun you left with me isn’t the one that killed Evan, but it could get us closer to the truth.”

Emily nodded, bringing her gaze down to meet Isabel’s.

“On the other hand, the Ruger found at the river might actually reveal the killer,” Colin added. “Then we can finally put an end to all the questions surrounding Evan’s death.”

Emily looked into Colin’s kind hazel eyes and saw how much he wanted that for her, to put an end to the investigation so she could move on with her life. She nodded again. “Once and for all.”

Everyone jumped to their feet as Camille and Jonathan came back to the waiting room.

“How is she?” Emily asked, but her words were drowned out by Maggie’s abundant exuberance.

Maggie rushed in and threw her arms around Camille. “Oh, Cam, did Molly wake up?”

“She’s still not conscious,” Jonathan replied.

“She looks so peaceful, like she’s sleeping,” Camille answered, dabbing a tissue under her eyes once Maggie released her.

“What does the doctor say? Anything new?” Isabel asked.

“No change yet. They’re doing all they can to find out what’s in her system and counteract it.” Jonathan wiped his moist, red eyes with his fingers. “She may simply have to let the drugs wear off, the doctor said. Apparently her kidnappers were trying to keep her sedated.”

“What can we do?” Emily asked.

“You’ve done enough,” Camille replied flatly to Emily.

Emily wondered what Camille had meant.

Camille turned her attention to the rest. “You should all go home and get some rest. There’s really nothing to do now but wait.”

“Camille and I are staying the night.” Jonathan put his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “They’re bringing a cot into Molly’s room and we’ll take turns in the chair.”

“If you’re stayin’, we’re stayin’,” Maggie insisted.

“That’s right,” Peter agreed.

“No, no, go on home, please,” Camille pleaded. “We appreciate your wanting to stay, but we’d feel better knowing you all went home. We’ll phone you if there’s any news in the night.”