Echo of Danger Read online

  The judge paced. Jason leaned against the wall, solid and apparently immovable. After what seemed an eternity, Kevin’s pediatrician, Elizabeth Donnelly, came in, accompanied by a tired-looking older man.

  “Deidre.” Liz came quickly to clasp her hands. “Kevin’s in good hands, and it looks hopeful. This is Dr. Jamison, who worked on Kevin from the moment he came in, and he can explain what’s happening...”

  “Is the boy going to recover? Is he awake? Does he know what happened?” Judge Franklin rushed into speech, demanding the attention of everyone in the room.

  “As Dr. Donnelly said, it looks hopeful.” The older doctor seemed unfazed by the rapid-fire questions. “Kevin has what I would consider a fairly severe head injury, but nothing that we feel requires surgery at the moment. We’re monitoring him closely, and we plan to keep him in a medically induced coma for a day or two to help minimize any damage. If the brain should swell, we might need to go in to alleviate the pressure, but if not, we could see a fairly rapid recovery.”

  Deidre’s thoughts had hung up on one word. Damage. “Do you mean—Will Kevin have brain damage?”

  Liz squeezed her hand. “We just don’t know yet. The next twenty-four hours will tell us a lot. Hang in there.”

  “Thank you.” The words were automatic. “Can I see him?”

  The two doctors exchanged looks. “For a few minutes, at least,” Liz said.

  “I’m coming, as well.” The judge grasped Deidre’s arm, and she thought it was the first time in a year that he’d voluntarily touched her.

  She glanced at him, and then looked away. The pain in his face made it indecent to stare.

  They followed the doctors down the hallway, and it seemed to Deidre that she was moving as awkwardly as a robot. She had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, and she longed for Frank’s presence beside her. But Frank was gone, and he had never seemed so far away.

  Then a door opened, and she saw her son. Despite the machines and wires that formed a mechanical cocoon around his bed, Kevin looked as if he were sleeping, his head turned slightly to one side as it always was in slumber. She slipped forward, able to move now that she could see him.

  She folded her fingers over his hand. He was alive. Whatever happened, she would deal with it, but Kevin was alive.

  Liz moved a chair up to the bed and nudged her into it. “Just sit here with him for a few minutes. Don’t attempt to wake him. The nurse may have to ask you to leave at some point. I know I can count on you to cooperate.”

  Don’t make a fuss, in other words. But she wasn’t the type to fuss, was she?

  Liz turned away, and Deidre reached out to catch her hand. “My friend, the one who was with Kevin, do you know how she’s doing?”

  Liz’s eyes clouded. “I’m sorry. I’ve been told that Dixie James died without regaining consciousness.”

  * * *

  JASE SLIPPED OUT of the waiting room and watched as Deidre and her father-in-law trailed the doctors down the hall. They disappeared from sight into the boy’s room. An unaccustomed emotion wrenched at his heart. Poor little guy. Still, things did sound hopeful regarding his recovery.

  He’d really been pitchforked into trouble when he’d set out to meet Deidre Morris tonight. There was a bright side to his actions in sabotaging her car—at least she hadn’t been alone when she’d made that grisly discovery.

  So why did the memory of his actions bring with it a wave of guilt?

  Jase glanced back at the waiting room, but he was too restless to sit in there. He had to talk to the judge as soon as possible. Given what had happened, he’d surely want to delay any action against his daughter-in-law, and Jase would be relieved to be out from under the burden of that task. Whatever Deidre’s other failings, there’d been no mistaking her anguish over her son. He didn’t doubt that she’d have changed places with the boy in an instant.

  Kevin’s injury had been bad enough, but at least it had looked like an accident. But the woman—that had been deliberate. He was no expert, but he’d be surprised if anyone could have survived that blow to the head. What on earth was going on in this supposedly peaceful small town?

  The hall was as quiet as a hospital ever was, the lights slightly dimmed and most of the patient room doors closed. Two nurses were having a conversation about their weekend plans at the nurses’ station, their voices as cheerful as if it was the middle of the afternoon.

  He moved toward Kevin’s room, making little sound on the tile floor. A talk with the judge was definitely in order. He’d done his best to answer the cop’s questions, automatically not volunteering anything extra. But the police would have to question Deidre sooner or later, and if he was meant to represent her, that had to be clarified.

  Pausing, he watched the door, reluctant to make a move. It swung open, and he had a brief glimpse of the child on the high, narrow bed, with Deidre sitting next to him, her eyes intent on his face. Then the door closed as the judge, still gray-faced, approached him.

  “Can we have a word?” Jase kept his voice low.

  Judge Morris glanced around, nodded and led the way to the window at the end of the corridor, safely out of earshot of the nurses’ station.

  “How is the boy?” He sounded awkward. Not surprising, since he felt awkward. Dealing with emotion had never come easy to him.

  “You heard what the doctor said, so you know as much as I do. It’s a matter of waiting.” Judge Morris looked as if the concept was completely unfamiliar to him.

  “I’m sorry.” Jase hesitated. “Under the circumstances, I take it you won’t want me to proceed with any further investigation.”

  Morris’s face froze. “Then you take it wrong. It’s more important than ever now.”

  “But with your grandson in the hospital...”

  “That’s the point,” Morris snapped. “Why is he here? Was he injured because something Deidre did put him in danger? I have to know, or how can I protect him?”

  Jase got where he was coming from, but at the moment there seemed nothing to tie Deidre to the attack on the woman. “It’s possible it was an attempted burglary that turned violent. Nothing to do with either Mrs. Morris or Ms. James.”

  The judge shook his head impatiently. “A burglar would have seen the lights and known someone was home.”

  “True, but even so, the violence was directed at Dixie James.” It seemed to him more likely that, if it wasn’t a burglary or a random attack, someone had either followed Dixie or had known she was babysitting that night.

  “We have too little information to speculate, I suppose.” The judge glanced around, as if expecting that information to materialize because he wanted it.

  “Deidre is unlikely to do anything to raise questions about her behavior while her son is in the hospital,” Jase pointed out, trying to be the voice of common sense.

  “I suppose not, but I still want you to represent her with the police. And help her deal with any reporters.” The judge turned away, and then turned back as if struck by a second thought. “I’ll have a word with the chief of police to make sure he keeps you abreast of what’s happening in the investigation. It’s best to be prepared.”

  Being prepared to the judge obviously meant pulling as many strings as necessary to ensure that he took care of his grandchild. Jason couldn’t fault his goal, whatever he thought of his methods. In any event, he didn’t have much choice.

  “All right.” Movement down the hall caught his eye. “Looks as if the cops are here.” Two officers, one young enough to look as if he were growing into his uniform and the other a silver-haired older man, had just emerged from the elevator.

  The judge looked at them and stiffened still more. “Under no circumstances are they to attempt to question my grandson. I won’t have his recovery jeopardized by an overeager policeman. See
to it.”

  Jason nodded, privately thinking that not much effort would be necessary. The doctors would no doubt do that job for him. “They’ll be wanting to speak to your daughter-in-law tonight. They do have an assault to solve.”

  “Murder,” Morris corrected. “The doctor told us the woman didn’t survive. I’ll have a word with them on my way out, and I’m relying on you to make sure their questioning is as brief as possible.”

  Jase nodded. He suspected that would be an easy matter after the judge spoke to them. Judge Morris clearly carried a lot of clout in this town, and the police would be more aware of that than anyone.

  He watched as the judge approached the two, spoke for a moment and then gestured to Jase. Obeying the summons, he approached to find himself being surveyed coolly by the older man.

  “Chief Carmichaels, Jason Glassman. Glassman is the new associate at the firm. He’ll be handling anything necessary for my daughter-in-law.”

  With a curt nod, the judge stalked to the elevator and pushed the button. Even the elevator obeyed him, opening promptly.

  By what seemed to be common consent, the three of them waited until the doors had closed before turning to business. “I hear the boy’s in a bad way.” Chief Carmichaels’s expression softened. “Poor little guy.”

  “I understand the doctors are hopeful that he’ll recover. But they’re keeping him in a medically induced coma for the next few days.” He trusted he didn’t have to spell it out for the man.

  Carmichaels nodded. “Meaning we won’t know what, if anything, he saw until he comes out of it.”

  “Maybe not even then,” Jase pointed out. “People sometimes have no memory of the events leading up to a head injury. And I doubt you can expect much from a five-year-old, anyway.”

  “We have to try.” Carmichaels’s tone was mild, but Jase didn’t miss the steel in his eyes. This was a man who would do his job, no matter what anyone said. Still, he’d probably try to do it without antagonizing anyone, which would help.

  “As for Mrs. Morris...” Jase began.

  “Now, Mr. Glassman, I’m sure a big-city prosecutor like yourself knows we have to talk to her, no matter how inconvenient it might be. This is now a murder case.”

  In other words, his reputation had preceded him. It would have been foolish to think otherwise.

  “She’s sitting with her son at the moment.” If the chief’s words had been a challenge, he wouldn’t take it up. “I’m willing to ask her to come out for a few minutes, providing you keep it brief. I was with Mrs. Morris the entire time and probably better able to observe the situation, since I wasn’t personally involved.”

  “I understand you drove her home from a meeting at the library. You went together, did you?” The chief’s silver eyebrows lifted slightly, as if it seemed unlikely to him.

  “No, I just met Mrs. Morris for the first time at the meeting. Afterward, I noticed she was having trouble getting her car started, so I offered her a lift home.”

  “And you went into the house with her,” Carmichaels added.

  “Only because I noticed the door standing open. We city-dwellers are always on alert for signs of a break-in, as you can imagine.”

  The chief nodded, as if satisfied with that explanation. “If you’ll ask Mrs. Morris to give us a few minutes, then we’ll get out of the way.”

  Jason frowned as a thought occurred. “Are you leaving someone on duty here?”

  “I don’t have a big enough force to spare a man, but I can ask the security guard to check in often. You have a reason to think the child is in danger?” There was an edge to the cop’s voice.

  “I’ve only been in town two days. I know next to nothing about the situation, but if the child might be a witness to murder...” He let that trail off, satisfied that he’d made his point.

  “We’ll make sure he’s never left alone.” He glanced toward the door meaningfully, and Jase took the hint. He wanted to see Deidre, and he didn’t appreciate being told his business by an outsider. Nobody did, but maybe an outsider saw more by virtue of the fact that everything was unfamiliar.

  He slipped into the room, pausing for a moment to be sure he wasn’t startling Deidre or the boy. But Kevin was deeply asleep, his chest barely rising and falling as he slept, and Deidre looked up immediately at the change in light when the door opened.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” he murmured. “Chief Carmichaels needs to ask you a few questions. If you’ll just come out for a minute or two...” He could see her instinctive response.

  “I can’t leave Kevin. What if something happens?”

  “I’ll get someone to stay with him.” But even as he spoke, a male nurse, identification plainly displayed, entered the room.

  “I’ll be here with Kevin for a few minutes.” He gave Deidre a reassuring smile. “I’d have to ask you to step out, anyway. And I won’t leave until you come back, okay?”

  Seeing she had no choice, Deidre removed her hand slowly from her son. She bent over and whispered something to him before coming to Jase.

  “It’s all right,” he said quickly, putting a hand on her elbow. If she got any paler, she’d be whiter than the sheets. “I’ll make sure the cops don’t overstay their welcome.”

  She looked up at him then, meeting his gaze with a look of surprise and gratitude that startled him. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved in this at all. If you hadn’t been so kind as to give me a lift, you could have been safely home by now.”

  Kind. There was her child lying in a coma, and she thanked him for being kind when he was the one who’d sabotaged her car. He couldn’t feel any lower if he tried.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “KOMM, NOW, YOU must eat.” Deidre’s cousin, Anna Wagner, pressed a container of hot chicken soup into her hands. “Mamm made it this morning just for you. She didn’t want you eating hospital food.”

  Deidre could imagine the disdain with which her aunt had said those words. Amish mothers had a profound distrust of institutional food of any sort.

  She didn’t feel like eating, but Deidre obediently put a spoonful in her mouth. To her surprise, her tight throat seemed to relax at the warmth, and she discovered she was hungry, after all. No wonder they called it comfort food.

  “It’s great. Thank your mamm for me.”

  Anna’s normally cheerful young face sobered as she looked at Kevin. “We’re all praying. And he looks a little better, ain’t so? His color is most natural.”

  “I think so.” Maybe it was the effect of the chicken soup, but Deidre dared to look ahead, just for a moment, to the day when a normal Kevin would be clattering down the stairs and sliding across the hall.

  She couldn’t imagine getting through this without being surrounded by people who loved and cared about her and Kevin. Anna was getting up, obviously ready to leave, but there’d be someone else in the waiting room, ready to come in and join her silent vigil... Relatives or friends, they’d be here.

  Someone tapped softly and pushed the door open a few inches. Jason Glassman hesitated. “May I come in?”

  Anna snatched up her bag and kissed Deidre. “Ja, it’s fine. I’m just going.” Cheerful, outgoing Anna gave him a smile that was accompanied by a speculative gaze before she slipped out.

  “My cousin,” Deidre said. Realizing the container was empty, she set it down as he approached.

  “He looks better,” he said, as everyone did who came in. Some of them were just trying to be encouraging, but Jason had seen Kevin at the worst, and that meant something.

  “I think so. But I’d like to hear it from the doctor.”

  “I’m sure.” He glanced toward the door. “You have an Amish cousin?”

  “I have thirty-four Amish cousins, to be exact. That’s not counting their children.” She took pity on his baffled loo
k. “My father grew up Amish, but he left the church when he was a teenager. He maintained a good relationship with his parents and siblings, and so they’ve always seen me as one of their own.”

  “Someone mentioned that you have a business selling Amish crafts. Do you do that with your Amish relatives?” Jason took the chair next to her where Anna had been sitting.

  Had he been asking about her? Natural enough, under the circumstances, she supposed.

  “Not exactly, although some of them do participate. I do a web-based business that allows Amish craftspeople to sell their products online. My partner is Judith Yoder, my neighbor. Although our family trees probably interconnect if you go back far enough.”

  Jason looked from Kevin to her. “I guess this isn’t the best time for small talk, is it? Have the police been back?”

  “No, thank goodness.” She edged her chair a little closer to the bed, needing to be able to reach out and touch Kevin.

  “They will be.” Jason sounded certain, making her frown.

  “What’s the point? I can’t tell them anything more.” Everything she had seen, he had, as well.

  “They’re waiting for Kevin to wake up.” He sounded as if that should be obvious. “They’re hoping he saw what happened to Dixie.”

  “No.” The word was wrenched from her as her heart cramped. “If he saw that...” She put her hand over Kevin’s as if that would protect him. “No child should have to bear that.”

  “I’m sorry. I guess I put that badly. If he saw anything at all when he came down the stairs, it could help the police find the person who attacked your friend.”

  She pressed her free hand to her temple, wishing she could push the thought out of her mind. Dixie, laughing, generous Dixie, was gone forever. She’d never hear her caustic comments or feel Dixie’s rare, warm hug. Deidre’s heart clenched painfully.

  And Kevin might have seen something. Must have, surely, to cause him to fall. She didn’t want to consider it, but it had to be faced, and by bringing it up now, Jason was helping her to prepare. That had probably been his aim. An attorney had to think of that sort of thing for a client.