Great. Now she was paranoid about leaving work.
When Jake was back in reception, the doctors had returned to their offices and she was alone at her own desk at last, she sent her text and sat back.
Free time. She actually had free time. She could pull out the book she’d been reading, the newest in a fantasy series she loved. No, she’d lost the concentration to read.
She just sat at her desk and wondered again if the man in the hoodie had pushed that girl last night—and if he’d intended to push her instead.
And if so...
Why?
CHAPTER
SEVEN
CRAIG AND MIKE spent the day going over witness reports and video from the robberies, convinced that the killers were still out there. Biding their time.
They were probably waiting to hear that the four men who had been caught were being charged with murder.
Late that afternoon, Eagan had called a press conference and reported painfully that the police were still actively seeking the persons who had robbed two jewelry stores in New Jersey and murdered two people. He asked for vigilance and warned that the people they were seeking were armed and highly dangerous, but he also asked people not to panic.
Craig was about to call it a day when Mike appeared in his office doorway.
“You gotta see this!” Mike said.
“What?”
“News replay. You can pull it up on your computer. Search for ‘New York City’s superhero.’”
Craig typed, and up popped Kieran in the ultramodern foyer of the offices of Fuller and Miro, surrounded by people and standing next to the girl she’d saved the night before. She was calm and polite but brief in her answers, all the while looking as if she wanted to be somewhere, anywhere, else. The interview, such as it was, ended, and the reporter turned to the camera. “There you have it, folks. A new motto for the city of New York. ‘Any decent human being would offer a hand.’ Words we should all live by here in the Big Apple.”
After that Kieran got flowers, and Shirley Martin informed the reporter that she’d been asked in for several auditions and was sure she was on her way. She was clearly relishing her fifteen minutes, while Kieran was quite clearly shrinking from hers.
“She looks miserable, doesn’t she? The good thing is her fame is about to dim. Eagan’s revelation that we haven’t caught the killers after all will take precedence.”
“Yeah, that’s a good thing.” Craig knew he didn’t sound convincing.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, Mike. Did you watch the subway footage?”
“I did. With you, remember? And, yes, we all wonder about the guy in the hoodie.”
“But was he intending to push Kieran Finnegan?”
“Why would he have wanted to do that?”
“Maybe he thinks she knows something.”
“Like what? Sure, she was there when we caught the thieves, but what would that have to do with the killers who are still out there?”
Craig shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Think maybe the killers are mad because they know it’s partly down to her that we know they’re still out there? Eagan said in his press conference that our computer techs acted on a tip from a witness when they proved that the men we have in custody didn’t murder anyone. It’s pretty obvious that she’s the witness he meant. Still, I don’t see why anyone would be after her for that.”
“I just have a hunch, you know?”
Mike shrugged and then smiled. “A hunch? Or more?”
“What do you mean?”
Mike laughed. “Hey, the freakin’ air sizzles when the two of you so much as look at each other.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Craig said, immediately defensive.
“She saved your life.”
“It was a water pistol.”
“Might not have been.” Mike smiled. “Hey, what’s not to like? The woman’s gorgeous and smart, and she’s given the whole city a motto to live by.”
“She’s a victim and a witness,” Craig said.
“And you’re worried about her. Not a bad thing. And we’re investigating, though I’m not sure how we can stretch our investigation to include Finnegan’s on Broadway.”
“There’s something, Mike. Something she’s hiding. Hell, maybe it’s something to do with that pub.”
“You’re suspicious of her?”
“Not suspicious, exactly,” Craig said. “There’s just...something.”
“Then go get her, dude.” Mike looked at his watch. “Quitting time—and tomorrow’s going to be a long one.”
In the morning they would be going back to Rikers and interviewing the four thieves again. They’d try to discern if one of them might know who had gotten wind of them, and how, and decided to imitate them, with lethal consequences.
“Yeah,” Craig said, rising. “I’ll do that. I’ll go get her. She may need rescuing again.”
“From evil forces.”
“I don’t think the press likes to be referred to as an ‘evil force,’” Craig said. “But, yes, I’m going to go and rescue her from the press.”
*
In her quest to fulfill her life’s dream, Shirley Martin was thrilled with her moment of fame.