*
Danni sat back from the computer, satisfied.
It was possible to catch a flight at eight in the morning and be in Washington by eleven local time. An hour for traffic would bring them to Bethesda and the hospital by twelve or twelve thirty. Two hours there, then an hour back to the airport, and they could catch a five-thirty flight that would land them back in New Orleans by seven thirty. Even if it took them an hour to get back into the city, there would be no problem. They could still sit in with the band.
“You found what you wanted?” Jenny asked her.
“I did. It’s all possible,” Danni said.
“What’s possible?” Brad asked.
“Getting in a quick trip to Walter Reed.”
“You’re going to go away now?” Jenny asked, clearly upset. She turned to Brad with panic-stricken eyes.
Danni knew they had heard her arguing with Quinn, so she quickly said, “We’ll only be gone about twelve hours, all of them in daylight.”
She picked up her phone, ready to call Quinn. But then she hesitated, thinking about the way he’d walked out on her. She’d wanted to go with him to Arnie Watson’s house, but he had left without her.
She excused herself and walked back into her studio to decide what to do next.
Wolf, following at her side, whined.
“You know what, boy? I have my own car. I can hop right in it and follow him on over there. And you know what else? I’m going to do just that!”
As she spoke, Billie stuck his head in to ask what was up.
“I’m going to be gone for a bit. I’m heading over to the Watson house,” she said. “I’ll take Wolf with me.”
“Wolf should stay at the shop,” he said.
She let out a sigh of frustration. “Well, if I don’t take Wolf, I’ll be in trouble for leaving on my own when a maniac is loose. I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.”
“Where’s Quinn?” Billie asked.
“Already on his way.”
“Why didn’t you go with him?”
“He left too quickly. I had something I had to check on.”
“Why not just wait for him to get back?”
“Because I want to talk to the Watsons myself. You stay here with Bo Ray, and I’ll take the dog.”
“How about we leave the dog with Bo Ray and I come with you.”
“Is Bo Ray going to be all right with that?” she asked.
“He’s done it the last few nights. And, besides, it’s afternoon. Nothing is going to happen in the daytime. I’m not half as worried about Bo Ray as I am your friends. They seem to be really on edge, especially Jenny.”
“All right,” she said. “Tell the others what we’re doing. I get you, and Bo Ray gets Brad and Jenny and Wolf.”
*
Quinn decided he felt a little better about the Watsons when he arrived at their house. Amy didn’t let him in without confirming his identity, and when he walked through the door he found Woodrow sitting in an armchair with his shotgun at his side.
Amy offered him coffee, which he gratefully accepted. Within a few minutes they all had coffee in front of them, Woodrow and Amy on the couch and Quinn in an armchair facing them.
“So,” Woodrow asked, getting right down to business, “do you know who the killer is yet?”
“No, and that’s why I’d like you two to consider leaving here. Just for a while,” he hurried to add. Seeing Woodrow’s silent but firm shake of the head, he took another tack. “Then think about having someone else here at all times, someone who can fight hand to hand if it comes to that.”
“Arnie was a trained soldier. He knew what he was doing,” Amy said. “And he was taken by surprise by someone anyway.”
“There’s safety in numbers,” Quinn told her.
“That’s a fact. We have family coming by during the day, and we have Tyler by night. I have my shotgun and my Good Book by my side. Amy and I are going to be all right,” Woodrow said firmly.
Before Quinn could think of another argument, there was a knock at the door. Amy rose, and Quinn rose with her, drawing his gun.
“Now, young man, don’t go panicking,” she said. “I don’t just open the door to anyone. But neither do I go shooting right off the bat when it might very well be a friend.”
She walked to the door and, as she had said, she carefully looked through the peephole. A smile lit her face, and she opened the door.
“That’s the problem. We all open the door right away to friends and people we think are friends,” Quinn began, but he stopped when he saw who it was. As Danni walked in he found himself admitting that she did have a way with people; he had to give her that. She and Amy immediately embraced. Then Billie walked in behind her, and he, too, was greeted with a hug.