"When did he leave?" asked Kurtz. Sitting propped up against the pillows, he found it was easier to focus his eyes this morning. The pain in his head continued like a heavy sleet-storm against a metal roof, but that was better than the steel spikes being driven into his skull the night before. Red and yellow circles of pain from the penlight exercise still danced in his vision.
"I
wasn't on duty," said Singh, "but I believe around midnight."
Before Wheelchair and Bruce Lee showed up , thought Kurtz. He said, "Any chance of getting these cuffs off? I wasn't able to eat my breakfast left-handed."
Singh looked physically pained, his brown eyes sad behind the glasses. "I'm truly sorry, Mr. Kurtz. I believe that one of the detectives is already downstairs. I'm sure they will release you."
She was and she did.
Ten minutes after Singh bustled out into the now-busy hospital corridor, Rigby King showed up. She was wearing a blue linen blazer, white t-shirt, new jeans, and running shoes. She carried a 9-mm dock on her belt on the right side, concealed under the blazer until she leaned forward. She said nothing while she unlocked his cuffs, snapping them onto the back of her belt like the veteran cop she was. Kurtz didn't want to speak first, but he needed information.
"I had visitors during the night," he said. "After you pulled your uniform off hallway guard."
Rigby folded her arms and frowned slightly. "Who?"
"You tell me," said Kurtz. "Old guy in a wheelchair and a tall Asian."
Rigby nodded but said nothing.
"You going to tell me who they are?" asked Kurtz. "The old man in the wheelchair slapped me up the side of the head. Considering the circumstances, I should know who's mad at me."
"The man in the wheelchair must have been Major O'Toole, retired," said Rigby King. "The Vietnamese man is probably his business colleague, Vinh or Trinh or something."
"Major O'Toole," said Kurtz. "The parole officer's father?"
"Uncle. The famous Big John O'Toole's older brother, Michael."
"Big John?" said Kurtz.
"Peg O'Toole's old man was a hero cop in this city, Joe. He died in the line of duty about four years ago, not long before he would've retired. I guess you didn't hear about it up in Attica."
"I guess not."
"You say he hit you?"
"Slapped," said Kurtz.
"He must think you had something to do with his niece getting shot in the head."
"I didn't."
"So you remember things now?"
Her voice still did strange things to himthat mixture of softness and rasp. Or maybe it was the concussion acting on him.
"No," said Kurtz. "I don't remember anything clearly after leaving the P.O.'s office after the interview. But I know that whatever happened to O'Toole in the garage, I didn't make it happen."
"How do you know that?"
Kurtz held up his freed right hand.
Rigby smiled ever so slightly at that and he remembered why they'd nicknamed her Rigby. Her smile was like sunlight.
"Did you have any problems with Agent Peg O'Toole?" she asked.
Kurtz shook his head and then had to hold it with both hands.
"You in a lot of pain, Joe?" Her tone was neutral enough, but seemed to carry a slight subtext of concern.
"Remember that guy you had to use your baton on in Patpong in the alley behind Pussies Galore?" he said.
"Bangkok?" said Rigby. "You mean the guy who stole the sex performer's razor blades and tried to use them on me?"
"Yeah."
He could see her remembering. "I got written up for that by that REMF loot whatshisname, the asshole"
"Sheridan."
"Yeah," said Rigby. "Excessive force. Just because the guy I brought in had a little tiny bit of brains leaking out his ear."
"Well, that guy had nothing on how I feel today," said Kurtz.
"Tough situation," said Rigby. There was no undercurrent of concern audible now. Kurtz knew that the words could be abbreviated "T.S." She walked to the door. "If you can remember Lieutenant Sheridan, you can remember yesterday, Joe."
He shrugged.
"When you do, you call us. Kemper or me. Got it?"
"I want to go home and take an aspirin," said Kurtz. Trying to put just a bit of whine in his voice.
"Sorry. The docs want to keep you here another day. Your clothes and wallet have been stored until you're ready to travel." She started to leave.
"Rig?" he said.
She paused, but frowned, as if not pleased to hear him use the diminutive of her old nickname.
"I didn't shoot O'Toole and I don't know who did."
"All right, Joe," she said. "But you know, don't you, that Kemper and I are going on the assumption that she wasn't the target That someone was trying to kill you in that garage and poor O'Toole just got in the way."
"Yeah," Kurtz said wearily. "I know."
She left without another word. Kurtz waited a few minutes, got laboriously out of bedhanging onto the metal railing a minute to get his balanceand then padded around the room and bathroom looking for his clothes, even though he knew they wouldn't
be there. Since he'd ignored Nurse Ratchet's bedpan jar, he paused in the toilet long enough to take a leak. Even that hurt his head.