“I should have said that only people who looked like hospital personnel were in and out of the room.”
He fell silent because their waitress was coming to take their breakfast order. Ashley had been planning to stick with coffee, but she suddenly realized she was starving. She ordered a large breakfast, while her companion opted for orange juice and toast. He seemed somewhat amused by her appetite.
“You eat like that all the time?”
“Only when I’m hungry.” The waitress had moved away. She didn’t really need to lean forward, but she did. “In other words, you think someone dressed like a doctor or a nurse and went into Stuart’s room and pulled the plug.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. And don’t go telling me I’ve seen too many movies, okay?”
“I wasn’t about to say that.” She believed him. Completely. Just as she believed she had been stalked through the parking lot by someone dressed like a doctor. “I believe you, which scares the hell out of me. So someone in scrubs went in and pulled the plug. But wouldn’t Lucy have noticed?”
“Not if she was sound asleep in the chair by the bed.”
“She’d wake up.”
“There’s no guarantee of that. The poor woman must be exhausted beyond the breaking point. And whoever is doing this is good, slips in looking like anyone else, and wouldn’t be noticed. He or she has it down pat.”
Ashley was silent for a moment. It sounded very far-fetched, but she knew that it had also seemed far-fetched when she tried to convince the police she had been stalked in the parking garage. And if the one was true, the other could certainly be true, as well.
“If what you’re saying is true, Stuart is in danger even as we speak.”
“I know. But it’s daylight—more people around. And his father is in there right now. Besides, I thought that you could go back to the hospital.”
Ashley shook her head. “Nathan Fresia thinks Karen, Jan or I pulled out the plug by accident.”
“Maybe if you talked to him.”
“Maybe if we got to the truth.” She leaned toward him. “The other night you said you knew something, that you have something. What is it?”
He hesitated. “If I talk to you, you have to promise to find evidence to support what I have to tell you before officially bringing it before the police.”
“But if you have something solid…”
“I don’t know what I have. I gave them as much information as I had on what Stu was doing. There is a state congresswoman he’s sure is in bed with the special interests, but when the cops checked her out, she was furious and reminded them that every citizen has a right to an opinion about the importance of business over the ecosystem or vice versa. She checked out clean.” He shrugged. “From what police could find out, she hadn’t done anything illegal in any way.” He hesitated. “She also lost a child to drugs a few years ago, so she’s a real crusader against drug abuse in the county. There were a few other ideas picked up from Stu’s notes. The police checked out a major hotshot with one of the sugar companies, but they couldn’t come up with anything there, either. So you see, so far I’ve come off as nothing but a major troublemaker. The police aren’t about to listen to anything else I have to say.” He stared at her, drumming his fingers on the table. “Sure, I want a story out of this, I’d be lying to say otherwise. But I’m telling you the truth. Stu really is a friend. Hell, I’ve done nothing but bug the cops and stake out the hospital since he was hit.”
Ashley digested the information he had given her, sipping her coffee slowly. She shook her head. “I don’t know what I can do.”
“I’ve got an address. You can check it out. Hell, we can check it out.”
“An address? An address for what? And if you had an address, why didn’t you give it to the police?”
“I just found it, going through some more notes of Stu’s I uncovered. And I haven’t had a chance to get out there yet. Also, since last night…well, hell, I don’t know what to do. Me sitting at the hospital doesn’t seem to do any good, but I’m afraid of what will happen now that I’m not there.”
“Where is this address?”
“The far southwest. Farm country.”
Ashley stared at him. What could it hurt to take a drive? And yet he was right. She couldn’t set aside the idea that Stuart might be in real danger.
“I’m not sure what to do, either,” he murmured.
She was startled when he reached across the table, gently touching her hand. “Okay, you’re not a cop anymore. But…surely, you can do something, get someone to listen.”
She hesitated. In his way, Jake listened. Maybe he only listened to her because he felt obligated to do so, though, seeing as they were sleeping together.
She didn’t want anyone feeling obligated to her. But she also didn’t want her pride to get in the way of helping Stuart. Especially when there was a possibility that he was in real danger.