He smiled down at me. “I could ask you the same thing. Are you planning on making a habit of this?”
Trying to match his light tone, I said, “Only until someone actually succeeds in killing me.”
The smile disappeared. “That’s not funny.”
“You’re right, it’s not. How’s Mom holding up?”
“Better than I expected.’
Mom walked in, saving me from the lecture I could see coming. “How are you feeling?” She asked smoothing the hair back from my face.
“I need to see Delgado.”
Eddie snorted, but she smiled. “He’s right outside.”
I knew that look. It was the hopeful grandmother look, thinking I couldn’t wait to see my true love. I didn’t want to tell her that my need to see Delgado had more to do with fear than love. Actually, the last thing I wanted right now was for Delgado to see me like this. Was I in love? Addicted yes, but love? I shook my head to clear it. None of that was important right now. Delgado needed to know about Darryl and Hugo.
Mom took Eddie with her when she left to get Delgado. Alone, I looked around wondering how long I had been out. What day was it? The last thing I remembered was falling back asleep Saturday morning. I had no idea how long I was out before Delgado found me. From the look and sounds around me, this was an emergency room. Consequently, I’d probably only been here a matter of hours.
Delgado parted the curtains. He stopped just inside, looking tired and worn. His hair was an untidy mess, as if he’d run his hands through it several times. There were dark circles under his eyes and at least a three-day growth of beard on his chin. It was the first time I’d ever seen him look less than perfect. Even then, his masculine beauty still astounded me. His eyes swept over me.
He just stood there looking at me, radiating strength and heat and . . . some emotion I couldn’t place, just below the surface. I looked at his eyes. They were hard, not just flinty, emerald rock hard, almost blazing. It was then that I realized he was angry, no not just angry, furious. Both hands clinched into fists.
I stammered out, “I’m sorry.”
His brows drew together. “What for?”
“I’m not sure, but you’re obviously angry with me.”
He crossed the room in two strides. “Not with you, love.” He lifted my hand gently with his hand and placed his other on top of it. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Without opening his eyes, he asked, “who did this to you?’
I’d planed to tell him the whole story. Now I was afraid. The rage I’d just seen on his face convinced me Delgado was capable of violence. If this fury was on my behalf, then it wasn’t safe for him to be the only one who knew. I’m shocked to admit that some part of me liked the idea he might be willing to hunt down and kill Darryl and Hugo for what they had done to me. However, I couldn't let him sacrifice his career, let alone his freedom, for revenge.
“Are there other police out there? I probably should make an official statement.”
He opened his eyes then, studying my face. The pain I saw in his eyes convinced me that I must look even worse than I felt. Before he could respond, Detective Long parted the curtains and walked up to the bed.
He looked down at me with soft eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Sort of like a rehydrated mummy?”
Brian laughed.
Some of the pain left Delgado’s face. He rolled his eyes and even managed a teensy little smile. It faded quickly. The rage, which had burned so brightly in his eyes, wasn’t gone but seemed muted by a look of resignation. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Brian, watching Delgado as well, now asked, “You think you’re up to telling us what happened?”
“Can I ask you some questions first?” I knew the minute I told my story, they’d be gone, and I needed answers. When he nodded, I went on. “How did you find me?”
Delgado closed his eyes again, and shook his head. “We should have been there hours earlier. The pilot of a small plane flying over Friday night spotted your fire. He reported it to the tower, who in turn notified the fire department. Since it was a small fire, in the middle of BLM land, nobody took it too seriously. We didn’t find out about it until the same controller who took the call, came back on duty. He mentioned it when he took over coordinating the helicopter search.”
“I tried to call 911, but I guess it never went through.”
He stood, pacing back and forth. “Oh, it went through all right. When no one answered, the operator logged it as an accidental call and hung up. She said she heard two people having what seemed to be a normal conversation. We didn’t know about the call until Friday, when we pulled your phone records. We traced the 911 call to just outside the airport. When no one could remember seeing you in the airport, we searched everywhere on the south side of town. All that time you were roasting in the desert on the north. What happened?”
“So that’s where Hugo took me.”
Delgado pounced on the name. “Who’s Hugo?”
“Darryl Collins’ driver. He and Darryl broke into my house and started the fire. I managed to run out through the garage, but they caught up with me.” I told them the story Darryl had told me about the real Darryl Collins and how, when he’d been killed and Joey had taken his identity. “Darryl Collins is really Joey Green, Monica’s childhood friend. He killed Monica.”
Delgado looked over at Brian and just nodded.
“You don’t look surprised.”
Delgado sat down next to me on the bed. “When we searched Monica’s car, we found her last diary. She wrote it all down. The original plan was to take your job. After a couple of years, Darryl would quit and divorce his wife, leaving it open for Monica to take his job. A short while later, they would fall in love and get married. She must have sensed that Darryl might not be totally committed to the plan, because she also created plan B. She would force Collins to divorce his wife and marry her by threatening to expose him as Joey Green. It’s possible that after Chief Harris refused to help her sabotage you, she went directly to plan B.”
My head was swimming. “Alan knew she was trying to sabotage me?”
Brian pulled the chair up next to the bed. Sitting down he took up the story from there, “He says he didn’t know anything about it until the day she died. Right after you left that night, she called him, asking her to meet him HR. She was already in your office when he got there. During their affair, they’d discussed various cases. She used that information to type up notes for him to put in his files that contradicted your case files, making you look deceitful and incompetent. He says, when she handed him the notes, he refused and shredded them. She flew into a rage. He claims he left, and that’s the last time he saw her.”
“She must have called Darryl right after that. When I accused him of murdering her to keep his secret, he said it was an accident. In the car, Hugo admitted he shot Danny when Danny threatened to expose Darryl’s history with Monica.”
Brian looked puzzled. “I don’t get it. Why were they after you?”
“I think Darryl started worrying when I went to St. Louis to Monica’s funeral. He was in my office the day the package from Mrs. Combs arrived. He must have realized she sent me Monica’s diaries. He was convinced that if I read what Monica wrote about Joey, I’d be able to put it together.”
Delgado stared at me. I watched as confusion, anger, and disappointment played across his face. “You had Monica’s diaries and you didn’t tell me?”
“I promised Mrs. Combs I wouldn’t tell the police I had them, until after I read them. She said if I found anything that could point to her murder, then I was free to hand them over. I was sure that once I read them, I’d be able to find something to justify giving them to you.” I looked away. It was lame and I knew it. Delgado was more than just a policeman to me. I should have told him. He stood, letting go of my hand.
Now Brian was angry as well. “You withheld possible evidence in a murder case, and p
ut yourself in danger. I should lock you up as an accessory.”
“Does that mean you’ve already charged Darryl?”
Brian and Delgado exchanged a look I couldn’t interpret. Finally, Brian said, “No.”
“Why not? If you knew he was really Joey Green, you must have realized he had the best reason for wanting Monica dead.”
“After we read Monica’s diary, we called the corporate office. They told us Collins was attending a conference in Los Angeles. We called the hotel where he was staying, but he was out.”
“That’s probably because he was here kidnapping me.”
Brian acknowledged my comment with a shrug. “When LAPD was finally able to question him on Friday morning, he claimed that Monica was delusional. She became obsessed with him because he looked like her old boyfriend. He tried to convince her she was mistaken, but she wouldn’t listen. He says since he’s not Joey Green. He had no reason to kill her. Besides, he has an alibi. He claims he never left the charity event on the night of the murder and his driver confirms that. With no proof that he had done anything wrong, they had to let him go.”
“The MGM is right across the street from the Royal. He could have snuck out to meet with Monica. No one would have noticed. If Hugo’s the one who said he never left, then Darryl has no alibi.”
Brian looked away. “If he was gone long enough to search her office and her apartment, someone would have noticed.”
“He probably had Hugo do that.”
Now neither man was looking at me. What was going on here? I had to make them understand. “Darryl admitted to me that he killed Monica, and Hugo admitted that he killed Danny. Don’t you believe me?”
Delgado turned back to me. “Of course we believe you. It’s just that we don’t have any proof. Without some kind of proof . . ." He let the sentence hang there.
“I can testify that they kidnapped me, drugged me, and left me to die in the desert. Doesn’t that count for something? Can’t we get a DNA test to prove that Darryl isn’t who he says he is?”
This time Brian answered. “According to Collins, he’s arrived in Los Angles Thursday. The hotel verified that he checked in around five p.m. We don’t have enough evidence to get a warrant to compel him to give us his DNA.”
“Friday morning Hugo took him to the airport to catch a plane. There must be some surveillance video showing him there.”
Brian shook his head. “When we traced your 911call, we pulled all the surveillance video. We couldn’t find either of you on it. It’s possible he was on the private jet that left within an hour of your call. Unfortunately, a high-ranking officer in the Dubai government with diplomatic immunity owns that plane, so we haven’t been able to question him.”
I couldn’t believe this. He was going to get away with it. “What about Hugo? Has anyone questioned him?”
“We didn’t know to suspect the driver until now.”
I could feel icy fingers of dread creeping up my spine. “Darryl will probably swear that Hugo has been with him the whole time. It’ll be my word against theirs.” I felt like I was choking. I couldn’t seem to get enough air. “It won’t be long before they know I’m not dead.” I kept remembering Hugo’s icy blue eyes. The thought that he could come back sent me into a panic. I was gasping for air, tears rolling down my cheeks.
Delgado wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight and stroking my hair. He murmured in my ear, “Don’t worry. I won’t let him near you. He won’t hurt you again.”
When Brian cleared his throat, Delgado yelled at him, “No! I told you it’s too dangerous.”
“Nick, be reasonable. You can’t watch her every minute for the rest of her life. It’s the only way she’ll ever really be safe.
Chapter Twenty-One
After a few minutes, I managed to calm down enough to ask Brian, “What do you want me to do?”
Delgado still holding me turned and glared at Brian. “He wants to use you as bait. I already told him to forget it.”
Brian ignored him. “So far these guys have been lucky. We know they’re guilty, but we don’t have a shred of evidence against them. We’ve sent your clothes to see if we can get any forensic evidence to link them to your kidnapping, but after all your time in the desert it’s unlikely. When we found you, we put the word out that you were in a coma. Only your family, your doctor, and one nurse know differently. We want to set you up in a hospital room we’ve equipped with cameras. We’ll have police officers, dressed as doctors and nurses, stationed all around to protect you. Eventually, they will try again. When they do, we’ll have the evidence we need.”
Delgado continued to glare at Brian. “He’s not telling you everything. Just having Darryl or this Hugo show up in your room won’t be enough. We have to wait until he actually tries to kill you, and then hope we can get to you in time to save you.”
I knew Darryl wouldn’t come himself. He would send Hugo. Just the thought seeing him again terrified me. I wasn’t sure I could do it. On the other hand, what choice did I have? Without evidence, Darryl and Hugo would go free, free to orchestrate another accident, one I might not survive. At least in a controlled environment surrounded by cops, I had a chance. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, telling myself I could do this.
Delgado had been watching me. When I opened my eyes, he said, “You don’t have to do this. You can stay at my place. I’ll hire a bodyguard to keep you safe when I’m not there. There’s bound to be evidence. We just need time to find it.”
I shook my head and then took his face between my hands. “Please, I need it to be over. I’ll never be able to rest until they’re behind bars. I need to do this.”
He closed his eyes. His teeth so tightly clinched that the muscles in his jaw were jumping.
“I can’t lose you again,” he whispered.
I wrapped my arms tightly around him, pressing my forehead against his. We stayed like that for a few minutes, while I gathered the courage I would need. Looking over his shoulder at Brian, I said, “Let’s do this. What do you want me to do?”
“We’ll be moving you to a private room in a few minutes. We’ve told the staff on the floor that your family hired a private nurse. There should be no reason for them to check on you. However, there’s bound to be cleaning staff, and possibly others entering your room. In order for this to work, he has to be able to get to you. Whenever anyone comes in, all you need to do is lie there and pretend you’re asleep. We’ll be monitoring your room. The minute anyone tries something, we’ll be there to stop him.”
“What about my family?”
“One of us will always be with them when they come to visit you. I promise they won’t be in any danger.”
Before he left, Brian took out a recorder and had me go over the whole story again in detail, beginning with what I read in Monica’s diaries right up until I woke up in the hospital.
When he left, I asked Delgado to stay. “I know I must look terrible, but do you think you could give me a good luck kiss?”
For just a moment, some of the worry faded from his eyes. That crooked little smile reappeared. He took me in his arms and kissed me fiercely, until I was sure all my bones must have melted. When he would have pulled back, I held on. Who needs bones anyway? I only released him when I heard someone in the room cough. I opened my eyes to see Delgado looking back at me. His eyes burned with a new fire that had nothing to do with anger. Caught up in their intensity, I was perfectly willing to go on ignoring Eddie who coughed again, until I realized Mom was standing next to him. That broke the spell.
Mom spoke up, “Nick, Brian says he needs to go over some details with you.”
After Delgado left, Eddie said, “Detective Delgado needs to stay away from you.”
“Are you my father now?”
“No, but it might be a little bit difficult for anyone to believe you’re in a coma with your heart rate that high.” He pointed at the monitor.
“Oh.” The commotion in the next cubicle prev
ented me from saying more. Up until now with a wall on one side and several empty cubicles on the other side, we’d felt free to talk quietly. Next door, we could hear the emergency room staff working feverishly to save a life. Since not all of the staff was in on our secret, I needed to stay silent. Hearing footsteps coming our way, I tucked my arms inside the sheet and closed my eyes seconds before my curtain parted.
I heard a male voice say, “Her room is ready now, you can go on up to room 432. The doctor has ordered another set of X-rays. I’ll bring her up as soon as they’re finished with her.”
I knew that voice. I remembered the ice-cold eyes that went with it.
Mom said, “I’ve been here a while, but I don’t think I know you.”
Good job, Mom, keep him talking. Don’t trust him.
“I usually work in x-ray. When we called down, these guys said they were too busy to bring her up, so I volunteered to come get her.” I heard him walk to the head of the bed and felt him lower it to a flat position
Thankfully, Mom was still wary. “Why are you wearing a mask? She’s not contagious.”
He must have unplugged the monitors, because everything went silent. “Oh, I know. I have a cold. You know how it is. I’m not sick enough to stay home, but I don’t want to take the chance of passing anything to the patients.” He sounded so sane, so friendly. If I didn’t know better, I would have trusted him. I heard him unlock the brake, and then we were moving. “This won’t take long. I’ll have her up to the room in about 10 minutes.”
Neither Mom nor Eddie said anything else. I heard their footsteps walk away. I wanted to scream at them, but I didn’t dare. I was sure he wouldn’t hesitate to kill whoever got in his way.
All the time they were talking, I was carefully peeling away the tape around the IV stuck in my hand, determined to pull it out so he couldn’t kill me by injecting the line. I recognized the swish of elevator doors opening. The bump of the wheels as we entered the elevator gave me the perfect opportunity. Just before the doors closed, someone yelled, “Hey you stop!”
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