Come Home

by Lisa Scottoline

  “Call if you need me. I’ll hang up and clear the line. Thanks.”

  Jill hung up and slid the phone into her pocket. She hustled to the sedan, almost falling, but kept going. Blood dripped from her forehead. She reached the sedan and opened the car door.

  The driver lay face-down on the air bag. She could only see the back of his head, and his neck wasn’t broken. A gash split his scalp, and he bled profusely from the wound. Blood soaked his hair and ran in rivulets down to the front of his face.

  “Sir?” she said, reaching for him. His hands were pinned under the air bag, so Jill probed his carotid for a pulse. “Sir, are you all right? Can you move? I’m a doctor.”

  “Ooh,” he moaned, slumped over.

  “Can you move your legs, sir?” Jill didn’t try to wedge him out of the driver’s seat because the dashboard had crumpled, pinning his knees. She couldn’t tell if his legs were broken, but it looked possible. His eyeglasses lay cracked on the deflated air bag. Shards of windshield littered the seat. Oddly, he had on a suit.

  “Sir, can you move?”

  “No,” the driver answered weakly, turning to her.

  Jill gasped. Blood leaked from cuts on the driver’s face and pooled around his nose, but she recognized him instantly. It was Brian Pendle, Victoria’s friend.

  “Brian?” Jill said, aghast, just before his eyes rolled back in his head.

  Chapter Fifty-five

  “Thanks,” Jill said, shaken, as the brawny EMT helped her step up onto the shiny, corrugated floor of the ambulance. Two more EMTs were on the scene, extricating Brian from the gray sedan. Another ambulance idled near him, ready to go, and the police stopped traffic, staking the street with smoking flares and flashing cruisers.

  “Please, sit down slowly.” The EMT steadied Jill as she sat on the gurney. “Now, lie back.”

  “Okay, got it. Thanks.” Jill leaned back, and the EMT eased her shoulders down, lifted her feet, and placed them on the gurney.

  “Good job.” The EMT fastened wide orange straps over Jill’s body. “We need to get going. I’ll get your vitals and stop that bleeding on your forehead. You have a wound there, but it looks superficial.”

  “Thanks, I agree, I’m a doctor.” Jill tried to collect her thoughts, but flashes of the high-speed chase burned into her brain. She was still sweaty from sheer terror. It boggled her mind to think that Brian was trying to kill her. She had no idea why he’d do such a thing, or who he was in cahoots with. Was he the one in the black SUV? Was his cohort? Jill didn’t know, but she was damn sure going to find out.

  “Robbie, here’s her belongings,” called a police officer, hustling to the ambulance. He tucked Jill’s purse against the gurney, then turned to her. “Miss, somebody will come to the ER to take your statement. The tow truck is on the way for your car. I kept the ignition key and I’ll give it to them.”

  “No, wait, my laptop.” Jill tried to get up but could only lift her head. “I have a computer in my trunk. I can’t leave without it. Can I go get it, or can you get it for me?”

  “No, you have to get to the hospital. Your car is a wreck, your trunk won’t open, anyway. You’re lucky to be alive, Miss.”

  “But I need it, I can’t leave it here. It contains evidence of a crime.” Jill struggled to get up, straining against the straps, but the EMT pressed her back down.

  “Please, stay down. We have to leave, and I have to treat you.”

  The police officer leaned in. “Miss, you can claim your laptop later, don’t worry. Nobody can get inside that trunk. Robbie, you’re good to go.” He closed the ambulance doors, and the EMT rose and hurried to twist the handle into a locking position.

  “Jenny, locked and loaded!” the EMT called to the driver. He turned and fetched a Rowbotham dressing kit from a cage in the wall, then the ambulance lurched off.

  “I’m sorry, I have to make a call.” Jill freed her hand and managed to reach into her pocket for her BlackBerry. “Somebody has to meet me at the hospital. Where are we going?”

  “Shood Memorial, in Parkertowne.” The EMT zipped open the kit, yanked out some cleanser, and swabbed the wound on Jill’s forehead, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. “You okay?”

  “Yes, thanks. Excuse my rudeness.” Jill scrolled for Victoria’s number, pressed CALL, and tried to gather her wits while the call connected.

  “Hello,” Victoria answered the call, testy. “What now, Jill? I can’t talk, I’m driving to class.”

  “I have some bad news, very bad.” Jill watched the EMT tape gauze to her forehead, then he rose and took a blood-pressure cuff and thermometer from a wire basket on the wall. “It’s about your friend Brian. He was injured in a car crash when he and another car tried to run me off a road. They were trying to kill me.”

  “What?” Victoria gasped. “Are you serious? Is this a joke?”

  “It’s no joke. I’m in an ambulance now, and so is he.”

  The EMT didn’t bat an eye as he checked Jill’s blood pressure, and in any other circumstance, she would have remarked on his professionalism.

  “Jill, what are you talking about?” Victoria answered, her tone still disbelieving. “You mean my friend Brian Pendle? It’s not possible.”

  “Victoria, tell me, why would Brian try to kill me? How long have you known this guy?”

  “A year, but it can’t be him.”

  “He’s a lawyer in New York, right? What firm does he work for?”

  “Creed and Whitstone, but what’s the difference?” Victoria asked, insistent. “You must be mistaken. It can’t be Brian.”

  “It is, I saw him. Victoria, what does he do there, what’s his field?”

  “He’s a securities lawyer. You could be wrong. It wasn’t him. You barely know him.”

  “I recognized him, Victoria.” Jill was trying to think, she still felt upset. The ambulance didn’t use its siren, but it seemed louder inside than she remembered from when she went to the hospital with Megan. Its powerful engine seemed to roar, its wide tires rumbled, and the cab in back creaked mightily, the scrape of metal against metal. “So Brian works as a securities lawyer. Does that mean he knows stockbrokers and guys like that?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Did he know a man named Joe Zeptien?”

  “I don’t know, why?”

  “Did he ever mention anything about Pharmcen or Memoril?”

  “No, is this real? Is it really him? He was in an accident?”

  “Come and see. We’re being taken to Shood Memorial in Parkertowne. He has a head wound and was unconscious at the scene.”

  “My God!” Victoria cried. “I’m turning around. I’ll be there in half an hour, max.”

  “Let me ask you, did Brian know your Dad?”

  “They met once or twice. Jill, what’s going on? Why are you asking me all these questions? What’s going on?”

  “Hell if I know. I’m trying to figure it out. Did you ever hear Brian and your father talk about the drug business or Pharmcen?”

  “No, of course not, just golf,” Victoria answered, in bewilderment.

  “Then what is Brian up to? Why would he try to kill me, do you have any idea?”

  “He didn’t do that, he would never. I have to go, I’m driving, and there’s traffic. I’m on my way.”

  “Okay, good-bye.” Jill hung up, more confused than ever, and her gaze fell on a digital clock embedded in the stainless steel side of the cab, which read 12:30. She thought of Padma and Rahul, and her heart sank. “Oh no. I was supposed to see a patient, half an hour ago.”

  “Hey, accidents happen.” The EMT held the thermometer bulb to her ear. “Please, stay still a sec.”

  “Okay. One more call, sorry.” Jill waited a beat, then pressed P for Pembey Family.

  “I’m done here, your vitals are good.” The EMT put the thermometer and cuff back in its basket, then stowed the dressing kit and flashed Jill a thumbs-up.

  “Thanks,” Jill said, as the EMT climbed up
to the passenger’s seat, and her phone call connected.

  “Pembey Family, may I help you?” It was Donna, and Jill warmed to the friendly voice.

  “Hi, it’s Jill, and I’m calling because I was just in a car accident, in New Jersey. Is Padma still there with Rahul?”

  “Oh no! Are you okay, honey? We tried to reach you.”

  “I’m fine, but I’m going to the Shood Memorial ER, in Parkertowne. Is Padma still there, with Rahul? Can I talk to her?”

  Donna hesitated. “She left, but don’t think about work now. Take care of yourself.”

  “No.” Jill felt awful. “What time did she go?”

  “You missed them by five minutes, but, well, Padma asked for Rahul’s file, and I had to release it. She’s leaving us. She said her family wasn’t very happy after we lost the baby’s bloodwork. But, Jill, but don’t think about that now. Just get better.”

  “Oh no.” Jill felt like kicking herself. She hated losing Padma and the boys, and she wouldn’t rest until she checked Rahul’s results. “Did Rahul’s bloodwork come in? I need to see it.”

  “Yes, the hospital emailed it to us. I printed it out and put it in the file.”

  “Would you forward me the email?”

  “Sure, right away.”

  “Thanks. I’ll call Padma when I get the results. Can you email me her cell number, too?”

  “No problem.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  “Jill, you can’t come in after a car accident. I’ll start calling your patients.”

  “No, don’t, please. It’s nothing. I’ll be in.”

  Donna lowered her voice. “Okay, but just a heads-up, Sheryl wants to talk to you when you get in. I think it’s about Padma leaving.”

  Jill figured as much. “I’m so looking forward to that conversation.”

  Donna laughed. “Take care, Jill.”

  “You, too. Bye.” Jill hung up, navigated to email on her BlackBerry, and scanned the senders, who were all patients. Donna’s forwarded email about Rahul’s bloodwork wasn’t there yet. She felt a pang, thinking she wouldn’t see Padma or the boys again.

  But she wasn’t worried about Padma.

  She was worried about Rahul.

  Chapter Fifty-six

  Jill waited for the police in the examining room and eyed her reflection in a wall mirror. There was a new gauze bandage taped to her forehead, and tiny red cuts on her cheeks glistened under Neosporin. Another bandage covered her left palm, wrapped around the back of her hand. She smoothed her hair back into its ponytail and felt almost normal, except for the dried blood spattering her sweater.

  Jill checked her BlackBerry for the third time, and the email with Rahul’s results had finally come in, so she pressed OPEN ATTACHMENT. The attachment downloaded, but when she opened it, the numbers were too small to read. She pressed the button to magnify them, but it was still impossible to see.

  “Dr. Farrow, here we go.” The nurse slipped past the privacy curtain, returning with an Advil packet and a paper cup of water in hand. She looked young, with an easy smile and a long brown braid. “Your discharge papers will take a bit, though. We just got super busy. You slipped in right in time.”

  “Thanks.” Jill took the Advil and cup, swallowed the pill, and tossed the cup. “Can I ask you a big favor? I need to get some bloodwork results printed out. May I email them to you and you print them out for me? It’s important.”

  “Sure thing. Want my email?”

  “Thanks. Go ahead, tell me.” Jill typed in the email address while the nurse told it to her, then she forwarded Donna’s email. “Thanks again, so much. Also, how’s the other driver, with the head injury?”

  “I probably shouldn’t say. You know, it’s confidential under HIPA.”

  “Please, just give me the headline. I want to prepare his friend, and she’ll be here any minute. She’s my stepdaughter.”

  “Oh.” The nurse blinked. “Well, I can tell you that he’s in the OR, and they called in the best docs.”

  “When will the police come for me, do you know? The cop at the scene said to expect them.”

  “I heard they’re on the way, and I’ll bring them in when they get here. I guess I can open this now.” The nurse swept the privacy curtain to the side, revealing a modern ER unit ringed with examining rooms around an octagonal station. Doctors, physician’s assistants, nurses, and orderlies scurried this way and that, bearing meds and paperwork. Jill used to dream about working in a place like this but dedicated to children’s emergencies.

  “Don’t mind me, I’m having ER envy.”

  The nurse smiled. “I’ll be back with the printout and your discharge papers.”

  “Can I make a call?” Jill gestured at the NO CELL PHONES sign. “I have to arrange for my daughter to be picked up.”

  “Okay, but you didn’t hear it from me.” The nurse winked, then left the room.

  Jill sat down, and the movement made her realize how much her neck and back ached. Megan would be in school, then practice, so she texted Katie. Can u pick up Megan at the pool at 5:45 and take her to your house? Fill u in later. It only took a second for Katie to answer: OK. Love you. Making funfetti cupcakes. Shoot me now.

  Jill smiled, then thought of Sam, feeling a sudden urge to talk to him, whether it was mutual or not. She pressed S and waited for the call to connect, eyeing the bustling ER. “Honey?” she said, when she heard a clicking sound.

  “Hi, how are you?” Sam asked coolly, and Jill felt her throat thicken. She hadn’t realized how upset she was until she heard his voice. She almost felt like crying, the stress and the fear hitting her all at once, but she kept it together.

  “I’m okay, but something bad just happened. I was run off the road by two cars. One got away, but the other was driven by Brian, Victoria’s friend.”

  “What? Where are you?”

  “An ER in New Jersey. The cops are on the way.”

  “How are you?” Sam sounded like himself again, full of concern. “My God, honey!”

  “I’m really fine.” Jill stifled a sniffle. “The car’s totaled.”

  “I don’t care about the car. You could have been killed.”

  “I think that was the general idea.”

  “What the hell? Why does Brian want to kill you? This is insanity!”

  “God knows.”

  “And so does Victoria.”

  “What do you mean?” Jill asked, surprised. Just then she noticed Victoria, entering the ER area, standing out in a fashionable cropped jacket, skinny jeans, and fancy boots, with her hair in its sophisticated blonde twist. She was looking around for a nurse, but there was only one, talking on the phone at the station, behind her monitor.

  “Jill, think about it,” Sam was saying. “Victoria must be the one who wants you dead, not Brian. He doesn’t even know you. He must be acting at her behest.”

  “What are you saying?” Jill recoiled at the very notion, even on the phone. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Victoria is my daughter, or, at least, she’s like my daughter. We may not be getting along that great now, but she still—”

  “Babe, follow the money. William had a huge insurance policy, and maybe Victoria killed him for it, or had her friend Brian kill him for it.”

  “Victoria kill William? That’s absurd.” Jill watched as Victoria waited for the nurse to get off the phone, drumming her fingers. “She would never, ever do such a thing.”

  “No, it isn’t. Think about it. Abby got you involved in solving William’s murder, and you wouldn’t let it drop. Victoria and Brian could have been worried that you were going to find them out, so they wanted you dead.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Jill, you don’t know Victoria anymore, not the real her. You thought Abby didn’t drink, remember?” Sam’s tone grew more urgent. “Babe, you have to see these girls for what they are today. You said two cars ran you off the road. Who was driving the other car? Could it have been Victoria?
”

  “Sam, no, that’s crazy. We drove a hundred miles an hour.” Jill motioned to Victoria, to catch her eye at the nurses’ station. “It wasn’t her car anyway. She drives a white BMW.”

  “We know she has anger issues, from the scene she made at the memorial service. What if she got angry enough to kill him? I don’t know how she got those drugs in his blood, but she has keys to the house. I’m getting on the next plane. This ends now.”

  “Thanks, so much.” Jill felt a rush of gratitude and love for him. “But nothing in the world will make me believe anything that awful about Victoria.”

  “Jill, think without emotion.” Sam’s voice rose, alarmed. “You sound like those news reports where they interview the mother of the murderer, and she says her son was a good boy.”

  “I know what I know, Sam, and I know that child.” Jill spotted Victoria waving back, her pretty face frowning with anxiety. “I can’t talk anymore. Victoria will be here any minute.”

  “No. Stay away from her, honey.”

  “I hear you, but I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” Jill watched Victoria hurrying toward her exam room, bypassing the nurse.

  “Please, stay away from her, honey. Don’t be alone with her.”

  “I’ll be careful. I have to go. Love you. Thanks, bye.” Jill hung up the phone just as Victoria entered the examining room, distraught.

  “Jill!” she cried, throwing open her arms. “Are you okay?”

  Chapter Fifty-seven

  “What’s going on? Are you sure you’re okay?” Victoria released her, and up close, Jill could see that her eyes were bloodshot, and her mascara had been reapplied, so she’d been crying. “You look okay, kind of.”

  “I am, I’m fine.” Jill managed a smile, warmed by her concern. “But I can’t figure why Brian did that. It’s appalling, I’m shocked.”

  “I know.” Victoria swallowed, hard. “And they won’t tell me anything about him. I called his parents but they’re in Europe.”