I didn’t know what to think. I liked Elizabeth and couldn’t imagine her doing anything that would hurt Trudy. But then, what did we really know about her? Almost nothing, except what she’d told me. And who was to say she’d told me the truth? But recalling what she’d said about her beloved grandma Reenie, I couldn’t believe she’d been lying. It made my stomach hurt to think about it.
“Before you leave,” I said, changing the subject, “can we call and find out how Trudy’s doing?”
“Funny you should say that, darling, because I was just going to call Robson to find out that very thing.”
“I hope she’s awake.”
He sat down beside me at the kitchen table and made the call on his cell phone. When Robson answered, Derek pressed the Speaker button so I could listen in.
“I am at the hospital now,” Robson said, “and it is very good news. Trudy is awake and seems to be doing well despite her ordeal.”
“That’s wonderful,” I said.
Derek agreed. “Please give her our best.”
“Yes, we’re looking forward to seeing her soon,” I said.
“Thank you both for your kind thoughts. She will be pleased that you called.” Robson hesitated, then said, “May I ask you to hold on for a moment?”
“Of course,” Derek said.
It was a full minute before he came back on the line. “I am sorry I kept you waiting. I wanted to step outside Trudy’s room to give you the rest of the news.”
I glanced at Derek. We could both hear the tension in his voice.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Is she really okay?”
“Trudy is fine physically,” he assured us. “There is a problem, though. She does not remember a thing.”
*
After calling to reschedule his morning meeting with Garrity, Derek drove us to the hospital. Guru Bob’s news had been a shock, and there was no way I was going to sit around waiting for updates. We both wanted to see Trudy, even if her memory was temporarily gone.
And as long as I was at the hospital, I was determined to have this headful of gauze and bandages removed. I was pretty sure a simple, small bandage would do the job. I didn’t want to scare poor Trudy half to death by walking into her room looking like the Invisible Woman.
“Poor Guru Bob,” I said to Derek as he drove down Shakespeare Lane toward Ridge Road. “He’s the one who’s always being called on to comfort the sick and troubled. So who comforts him when he’s suffering?”
“Looks like it’s you and me,” Derek said.
I nodded. “I guess we’ll do what we have to do.”
Derek took hold of my hand as he drove, and we talked for another minute or two, until the gentle movement of the car made me drowsy and I closed my eyes. The good news about sneaking a little car nap was that it would help in my healing process. The bad news was that Derek was probably regretting taking me along while I was still a little wobbly on my feet. The sooner I was completely back to my normal self, the sooner I could start figuring out who the hell had killed Amelia. Because if Trudy couldn’t remember anything that happened yesterday, we were still at ground zero.
I woke up as we pulled into the hospital parking lot. Derek agreed to go with me to the clinic to have my bandages removed. It only took a few minutes, and I was looking and feeling much better after the new dressing and small bandage were applied.
We took the elevator up to Trudy’s floor, and I was happy to see an armed guard stationed outside her door. I was even more gratified to see her looking so well. Someone had come by and fixed her hair. She was sitting up in bed, and Guru Bob was seated in the chair beside her.
“Oh, how sweet you are to come by,” she said, holding out her arms to greet us. When she saw my small bandage, she faltered. “What is this? Were you hurt?”
I gave Guru Bob a quick glance, and he shook his head. So he hadn’t told her anything yet? I could hardly scold him. He looked so upset, it broke my heart.
“I had a little accident,” I said lamely. Derek, meanwhile, had brought two more chairs into the room and set them down on the opposite side of the bed from Guru Bob.
“We could be having a party,” she said.
I smiled. “Trudy, do you remember what happened? Why you’re in the hospital?”
“I can’t remember a thing. The doctor says my memory is temporarily missing because I hit my head.” She laughed lightly. “But I can’t even remember doing that.”
Derek closed the door to the room, and I moved my chair closer to Trudy’s side. “It’s not good news. I’m sorry.”
Guru Bob reached over and took her hand in his.
“Oh dear. You all look very serious.” She tried to smile. “Am I dying of some rare disease?”
I leaned in and held on to her other hand. “I came to your house to see you yesterday because you said you had a surprise for me. Do you remember what that was?”
She gazed at me blankly. “I have no idea.”
“When I arrived, I heard a loud noise, like a gunshot. I ran into your house, and you were lying near the fireplace.”