Slow Burn_ A Novel Part 2

"You still need to be checked out at the hospital," George said.

Hallinger closed his notepad and took a long look at her. Not many victims, he thought, were as gorgeous as this. He realized he was staring and quickly looked away. "That old tree saved your life. If you hadn't been standing behind it, you wouldn't have survived. What were you doing all the way over there? You were quite a distance from the annex and the tent."

She turned her head and winced. She really wanted an aspirin. "I went for a walk," she said. It wasn't a lie; she had gone for a walk. She just didn't think she needed to explain why.

"In this heat? I would think you would have wanted to go inside the annex, or walk on up to the house, or maybe even stay inside the tent near one of those air conditioners."

"You would think," she agreed. "But I didn't. I went for a walk. The heat doesn't really bother me." Okay, that was a lie, but it was a little one and she could live with that.

"Were you alone when you went for your walk?"

"Yes, I was."

"Hmmm." He looked skeptical.

"Detective, if someone had been with me, wouldn't he or she have been knocked unconscious, too?"

"If he or she had stayed around."

Before she could respond he asked, "How long were you out there?"

"Out where?"

"Behind the trees."

"I don't know. Not long."

"Really." The skepticism had moved to his voice.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"The crime scene unit found something about twenty feet away from you."

"What'd they find?" she asked and only then realized where he was headed. Oh my, the b.u.mp on her head had made her dense.

"An article of clothing," he said. "An undergarment, which was why I was wondering who was with you."

She could feel her face burning. "No one was with me. You're asking me about a black bra, right? And you're wondering if it belonged to me?" Before he could answer she plunged ahead. "It did belong to me. The ladies' room was blocked, and I needed a little privacy to take it off. I saw the trees and I headed there."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you want to take it off?"

He was being extremely intrusive, she thought, and she could have told him so, but she decided to be honest instead. "It was killing me."

"I'm sorry?"

Everyone inside the ambulance was suddenly interested in the topic. Riley and George were waiting for her to explain.

"The wire . . ."

"Yes?"

Good Lord. "A woman would understand."

"But a man wouldn't?"

He wasn't letting it go. She wondered if he was deliberately trying to embarra.s.s her.

"You try wearing one of those things for an hour, and trust me, you'll take it off, too."

He laughed. "No, thanks. I guess I'll just have to take your word for it."

"Are you going to write that down in your notepad?"

He had a nice smile.

"Are you married?" he asked. "Is there a husband I should contact?"

"No, I'm not married. I live with my sisters." She tried to sit up and only then realized she was strapped down. "I've got to call them. They'll be worried."

"When we get to the hospital, I'll call them for you." He sat back on the bench and glanced out the back window. "We're almost there."

"I don't need to go to the hospital. My headache's almost gone."

"Uh-huh."

From the way he drawled out the response she knew he didn't believe her.

"You don't live in Charleston proper," he said.

"No," she answered. She knew he could already have her address, phone number, and probably every other detail about her life. One phone call to an a.s.sociate manning a computer would tell him everything he wanted to know.

"We live in Silver Springs, but it's a quick drive to the city. Are you new to this area?"

"Yes," he answered. "I just moved here from Savannah. It's pretty laid-back here." He smiled as he added, ". . . Usually. I'll bet this is the most excitement you'll have all year."

Chapter Four.

If only.

Kiera and Isabel rushed through the emergency room doors. Kiera looked relieved when she saw Kate and smiled. Isabel looked scared.

The ER physician checked Kate and sent her downstairs for a scan. The techs were backed up, and she had to wait two hours before they finished with her. Then she was brought upstairs and a.s.signed a room.

Kiera was pacing in the hallway. Isabel was sitting on the edge of the bed watching television. The footage of the aftermath of the explosion was all over the news.

The second Isabel spotted Kate she jumped up, anxiously waited until she was in bed, and threw herself into her sister's arms.

"You're okay, right? You gave us quite a scare, but you're okay, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Kiera grabbed the controls and adjusted the bed so that Kate could sit up.

"You're not seeing three of me, are you?" Isabel asked. She was fluffing the pillow behind Kate's head and causing her sister a good deal of pain.

"If she were seeing three of you, she'd be screaming now. One Isabel is enough." Kiera laughed.

"Not funny," Isabel said, but she, too, was smiling.

Kiera picked up Kate's chart from the metal slot at the foot of the hospital bed and began to read the doctor's notes.

"Should you be looking at that?" Isabel asked.

Kiera shrugged. "If they don't want you to read it, they shouldn't leave it. They're keeping you overnight for observation."

"I know," Kate said. "I want to go home."

"You should stay . . . as a precaution," she added. "Aunt Nora was still at her meeting, but we've left a message for her. No doubt she'll want to bring a cot in here so she can keep watch all night."

"Did she crack her head?" Isabel wondered, peering over Kiera's shoulder at the chart.

"I don't think so. Her skull is like granite."

Isabel took hold of Kate's hand. "You scared me . . . I mean us. You scared us. I don't know what we would do without you. It was lonely while you were in Boston. When Kiera was home, her nose was always in a medical book."

"She's going to be fine, Isabel. Stop stressing."

Isabel walked to the window and sat on the ledge. "Okay, I won't stress. So tell me . . . who was the man with the ambulance guys? He was really cute."

"Men don't like being called cute," a male voice responded.

None of them had noticed that Nate was standing in the doorway.

He was taken aback when all three sisters turned toward him. d.a.m.n, there wasn't a homely one among them. Isabel's face turned bright pink almost instantly.

"Please come in," Kate said. She introduced him to her sisters and waited for him to tell her why he was there.

"I forgot to give you my card," he said. "If you need anything or remember anything, no matter how insignificant you might think it is, I want you to call me."

"Yes, I will."

He hesitated but couldn't think of anything else to ask or say that would keep him in the room. "How's your head?"

"Better."

He nodded. "Okay then."

He was turning to leave when Isabel called, "May I ask you something, Detective?" She took a step toward him and smiled.

Kate and Kiera shared a look. Isabel was turning on the charm, her never-fail charm. She brushed her hair back and took another step.

"Sure," he said. "What do you want to know?"

"Are the police going to put that painter, Cinnamon, in protective custody?"

He leaned against the door frame. "Why would you ask?"

She tilted her head toward the television. "She's on the news, and she's demanding police protection, which is really ironic when you think about it. She's always trashed the police until now. One of the reporters on the news quoted some of the horrible things she's said in the past. I think she said that you were all on the take or something like that. I don't know why she hasn't been sued." She took a deep breath and then said, "Cinnamon says that it was a bomb and it was meant to kill her. She says people are trying to silence her because of her political views . . . and oh, her art, too."

"She thinks people are trying to kill her because of her paintings? Is she that bad?" Kiera asked. She laughed and shook her head.

Isabel frowned. "It's not funny. There were a couple of paintings on the wall behind her, and she kept pointing to them while she was being interviewed. I think maybe she was doing a little advertising."

"Has anyone determined what caused the explosion?" Kiera asked.

Nate turned to her. "We're not sure what kind yet, but it was definitely a bomb. We have a team working on it."

He looked at Kate again. "If you remember anything . . ." he said as he headed for the door.

Kate nodded.

Isabel waited until she was certain he was out of earshot and then said, "Isn't he adorable?"

"Yes, he's definitely adorable," Kiera agreed. "But he's too old for you. He's got to be in his thirties. And . . ."

Isabel folded her arms across her waist. "And what?"

"And he's interested in Kate."

Kate hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation until she heard her name. "As a witness," she corrected. "He's interested in me as a witness. That's all."

"He is not too old for me," Isabel said. "I wonder if he's single or married. I didn't see a ring on his finger."

"Let it go," Kiera said, her exasperation obvious. "He's not interested in you."

Isabel ignored her sister. "You should have asked him, Kate."

"I was unconscious, for heaven's sake." She gingerly lay back against the pillow. Her head was throbbing, but the conversation, as ludicrous as it was, did distract her. "When should I have asked him? In the ambulance?"