I told you, I dont have any enemies!
You must have.
I dont! I dont. She gave a sob and clutched her head in her hands. I dont, she whispered.
After a long silence he said, gently, Im sorry. I know how hard it is to accept
You dont know. She raised her head and looked at him. You have no idea, Detective. Ive always thought people liked me. Or at least they didnt hate me. I try so hard to get along with everyone. And now youre telling me theres someone out there someone who wants to She swallowed and stared ahead, at the darkening road.
Sam let the silence stretch on between them. He knew she was in too fragile a state right now to press her with more questions. And he suspected she was hurting more, both physically and emotionally, than she was letting on. Judging by the condition of her car, her body had taken a brutal beating this afternoon.
In the ER, he paced the waiting room while Nina was examined by the doctor on duty. A few X rays later, she emerged looking even more pale than when shed entered. It was reality sinking in, he thought. The danger was genuine, and she couldnt deny it any longer.
Back in his car, she sat in numb silence. He kept glancing sideways at her, waiting for her to burst into tears, into hysteria, but she remained unnervingly quiet. It concerned him. This wasnt healthy.
He said, You shouldnt be alone tonight. Is there somewhere you can go?
Her response was barely a shrug.
Your mothers? he suggested. Ill take you home to pack a suitcase and
No. Not my mothers, she murmured.
Why not?
Idont want to make thingsuncomfortable for her.
For her? He frowned. Pardon me for asking this, but isnt that what mothers are for? To pick us up and dust us off?
My mothers marriage isntthe most supportive one around.
She cant welcome her own daughter home?
Its not her home, Detective. Its her husbands. And he doesnt approve of me. To be honest, the feelings mutual. She gazed straight ahead, and in that moment, she struck him as so very brave. And so very alone.
Since the day they got married, Edward Warrenton has controlled every detail of my mothers life. He bullies her, and she takes it without a whimper. Because his money makes it all worthwhile for her. I just couldnt stand watching it any longer. So one day I told him off.
Sounds like thats exactly what you should have done.
It didnt do a thing for family harmony. Im sure thats why he went on that business trip to Chicago. So he could conveniently skip my wedding. Sighing, she tilted her head back against the headrest. I know I shouldnt be annoyed with my mother, but I am. Im annoyed that shes never stood up to him.
Okay. So I dont take you to your mothers house. What about dear old dad? Do you two get along?
She gave a nod. A small one. I suppose I could stay with him.
Good. Because theres no way Im going to let you be alone tonight. The sentence was scarcely out of his mouth when he realized he shouldnt have said it. It sounded too much as if he cared, as if feeling were getting mixed up with duty. He was too good a cop, too cautious a cop, to let that happen.
He could feel her surprised gaze through the darkness of the car.
In a tone colder than hed intended, he said, You may be my only link to this bombing. I need you alive and well for the investigation.
Oh. Of course. She looked straight ahead again. And she didnt say another word until theyd reached her house on Ocean View Drive.
As soon as hed parked, she started to get out of the car. He reached for her arm and pulled her back inside. Wait.
What is it?
Just sit for a minute. He glanced up and down the road, scanning for other cars, other people. Anything at all suspicious. The street was deserted.
Okay, he said. He got out and circled around to open her door. Pack one suitcase. Thats all we have time for.
I wasnt planning to bring along the furniture.
Im just trying to keep this short and sweet. If someones really looking for you, this is where theyll come. So lets not hang around, all right?
That remark, meant to emphasize the danger, had its intended effect. She scooted out of the car and up the front walk in hyperspeed. He had to convince her to wait on the porch while he made a quick search of the house.
A moment later he poked his head out the door. All clear.
While she packed a suitcase, Sam wandered about the living room. It was an old but spacious house, tastefully furnished, with a view of the sea. Just the sort of house one would expect a doctor to live in. He went over to the grand piano a Steinway and tapped out a few notes. Who plays the piano? he called out.
Robert, came the answer from the bedroom. Afraid I have a tin ear.
He focused on a framed photograph set on the piano. It was a shot of a couple, smiling. Nina and some blond, blue-eyed man. Undoubtedly Robert Bledsoe. The guy, it seemed, had everything: looks, money and a medical degree. And the woman. A woman he no longer wanted. Sam crossed the room to a display of diplomas, hanging on the wall. All of them Robert Bledsoes. Groton prep. B.A. Dartmouth. M.D. Harvard. Dr. Bledsoe was Ivy League all the way. He was every mothers dream son-in-law. No wonder Lydia Warrenton had urged her daughter to patch things up.