Yes. We have her listed as Helen Doe. Sorry to alarm you. We passed along all the information you gave us to the police. Im sure theyre checking their missing persons files right now. The nurses rueful sigh recaptured Kits attention. Go home. Its late. Youve already done more for her than most Good Samaritans would.
Someone had to be here to answer questions. That was the practical excuse shed given for climbing into the ambulance while the paramedics worked on Helen.
I heard you chased away her attackers. Its all over the hospital. She might be dead if it wasnt for you.
Thats not why Im here. Kit had left Germane back at the diner to wait until Matt showed up. She intended to call him before she left, to see if her brother had gotten home safely. In the meantime, Helens needs had been more pressing. Kit had held the older womans chilly hand until the staff chased her away. Now all she could do was keep her distance and watch and wait. People shouldnt be alone. Especially when theyre hurting or afraid. Someone needs to be here for her.
Her brother might not appreciate her vigilance. The neighborhood might think her more busybody than philanthropist. But the unconscious Helen couldnt stop her from caring.
The nurse nudged her toward the lobby. One of the staff will check her regularly throughout the night. But until we get word from her family, or visiting hours resume at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, Im afraid youll have to wait someplace else.
Kit exhaled a deep breath and finally acknowledged the aches and fatigue of her own banged-up body. I should have lied and said I was her granddaughter, shouldnt I?
The nurse offered a sympathetic smile. Come back in the morning. You need your rest as much as she does.
Without further argument, Kit nodded and dragged her feet toward the deserted lobby. Since she hadnt paused to grab her purse before climbing into the ambulance, Kits cell phone was still back at the diner. Posted signs warned her she wasnt allowed to use her cell on the ICU floor, anyway, but out here she could access a bank of landline telephones to call Germane and Matt.
Maybe she should phone for a cab instead, and head on home as the nurse had suggested. After a few hours sleep, she could search out which apartments above her were occupied, and start knocking on doors. Other than the model apartments, the rooms above the fifth floor werent finished. But someone had to know Helen. Maybe one of the construction workers had met her and could provide some information. Kit would ask them when they came in for lunch the next day.
But the cops were probably already going through the building tonight. Hopefully, theyd have better luck getting hold of her landlord at Sinclair Pharmaceuticals than shed ever had, as well. Though shed never had any contact with the man beyond letters and leases and rent checks, Easting Davitz, Esq., had her entire financial history on file. Chances were hed have files on the other tenants, as well.
And, if the cops and Mr. Davitz couldnt find out anything more about Helen, Kit would still have plenty of time to come back to the hospital to visit in the morning. She could spend a couple of hours holding the womans handmaybe read a book or just talkbefore she had to get the ovens fired up and the diner opened for lunch at eleven.
With that much of a plan giving her legs a reason to move, Kit picked up the receiver on the first wall phone and deposited fifty cents. When Germanes cell number kicked her over to his voice mail, she hung up and called Matt directly. When his voice mail answered, Kit spoke the familiar words. Matt? Its way past curfew. If youre there, pick up. I just need to know youre okay. Ill see you at work tomorrow. Right? If she was lucky. I just need you to answer me and let me know youre safe.
Of course no one answered. Matt didnt seem to answer to anyone these days. When the recorder beeped, Kit hung up.
Maybe Matt had gotten home and Germane was hanging out with him at the apartment until she returned. Maybe he hadnt shown up at all and Germane had gone out to look for him. Matt was her brother. She should be the one out searchingnot her sixty-year-old Dutch uncle with arthritic knees.
Buzzing her lips to dispel a gathering tension, Kit dipped into her jeans pockets to find more change. She pulled out several folded dollar bills from the tips shed jammed inside. But change for a single phone call? She found one quarter.
Come on. Fatigue made her easily frustrated. All she wanted was to ensure Matt was okay and that Germane wasnt doing anything foolish. Kit set the coin on the counter and dug for more. A measly dime. A movie ticket stub that had gone through the laundry. A penny. I thought you were supposed to be lucky.
Kit swallowed hard, squelching the sarcastic thought. The Snows made their own luck. They took care of what needed to be taken care of without some random flip of a coin to make their lives easier or not. But she was getting a little tired of being stuck in the or not category. She glanced toward the nurses station, wondering if they could make some change for her. But the desk had been deserted by the skeleton staff out making their rounds.
With her pockets practically empty and her patience wearing thin, Kit decided she was just going to have to hike downstairs to the main lobby. If she couldnt make a call there, then shed hail a cab. Of course, the pitiful sum lying on the counter beneath the phone wouldnt get her two city blocks, much less back to the heart of downtown. And without the coat shed left back at the diner, it would be a mighty cold walk home. Maybe Tariq would do her a favor and let her ride for free. But she couldnt even make that call without another quarter for the phone.
Her shoulders stiffened with an unconscious bracing that was almost as second nature as breathing. This wouldnt be the first time shed had to find her way home at night. Alone. On foot. Shed spent too many nights out looking for a brother who just couldnt seem to forgive the world and grow up. Be there, Matty, she prayed, scraping the cash back into her pocket and pulling the receiver from her ear. Please be there.
Operator. May I help you?
What? Hallelujah! Kit quickly drew the friendly voice back to her ear. Yes. I have an emergency. Of sorts. Im at Truman Medical Center, and I need to call home to make sure everyones all right. At the very least, I need to call for a ride, but I dont have the right change. I know its late
The operator didnt need to hear any more excuses. In the event of an emergency, you can reach the phone company by dialing zero. No charge for a limited call. What number are you trying to reach?
Kit recited the number for her apartment, thanked the operator and tapped an anxious foot in time with the ringing of the phone. It was hard to block the unsettling images that were half memory, half imagination. Her waiting at the police station to post bail. Matt turning his back on her and walking away when she wanted to hug him in her arms and keep him close. The three muggers returning to the scene of the crime and breaking into the diner. Meeting Matt on the street. Forcing him to join their little crime spree. Or worsemaking him their next victim.
Kit shifted on her feet, hating how easy it had become to imagine the worst. Cmon, guys. Pick up.
Her home number rang three times. Four.
A crackle of static buzzed in her ear, and the line went dead.