Mary Kate glared at Jase. He simply smiled at her, challenging her silently to contradict what he had told her father.
“The time is oh five thirty hours on Sunday, July 16. The location is her hospital room. Miss Devlin has not been read her rights since she is not a suspect, merely a material witness and victim. Mary Kate, can you give me a description of the men who attacked you?” Jack asked.
“The first man was six foot one. About one hundred and seventy pounds. The second man was six foot three. Maybe one eighty five, one ninety on the outside. Big feet and hands. Probably a size thirteen shoe. Wearing old black leather running shoes... The shoes were Nike, and they had seen hard use. Both of the men were wearing black ski masks and gloves. I never saw either of their faces. Like I said, I think the second man probably has a broken nose.”
She thought for a minute. “The second man-- the one who pulled the knife-- his glove didn’t quite meet his shirt cuff. He had a tattoo on the front of his right wrist. It was red, bright red.”
Jack asked, “Are you sure?”
“He was right handed. Or at least, he wielded the knife with his right hand. Believe me, I didn’t take my eyes off him once he pulled that knife from his belt,” Mary Kate said. “I didn’t think about it at the time, but I’m sure it was a tattoo on the front of his wrist. And I’m pretty sure it looked like a red flower. Still, I only saw part of it...” She closed her eyes again in an effort to remember. “Huh...” she said. “That’s strange. His shirt cuffs, they were French. The topstitching was done by hand. That was not an inexpensive shirt bought off the rack. He wore gold cuff links. Real gold. Not new. Some sort of engraving. Initials, I think. That elaborate, overly ornate, baroque script... It was an intertwined C and an S, I think. It may have been a C and an E. I didn’t really get a good hard look at it.”
“Six three, 185 maybe 190 pounds, right handed, dark clothing, big hands and feet, tattoo on the right hand at the front of the wrist, cufflinks, initials C and S or C and E... Anything else?” Jack asked. “What color were his eyes?”
“Brown. Almost black,” she said without hesitation. “There was hardly any gradation between his irises and pupil. The hair I saw on his arm was dark with a little gray in it. I suspect the hair on his head might
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have been similar. The skin under his eyes was black, but I think it was some sort of makeup, like the kind that football players use under their eyes. His arm, what little of it I saw was tanned,” Mary Kate replied, trying to fill in the blanks.
“Is that all you can remember?” Jack asked in disbelief at the amount of detail she had just told him.
Mary Kate closed her eyes and tried again to envision the man. After a moment, she nodded. “I think from the way the ski mask laid over his ears, he was wearing a hoop earring in his left ear. That ear was lumpy... It was either an earring or he had on some sort of transmitter /receiver... If that was the case, there were more people involved than just the two of them.”
Jack was taking notes in addition to the recording. “And what alerted you to the incident?”
“Jaime screamed. I had put him to bed. Then I had gone to my room to read. I left my room, wanting to go get a cup of tea. The light in the hall was off, but I had left it on...” she recalled in detail the encounter for the officer.
Jack took notes in addition to the recording. He nodded. “Okay. You left the first man laying on the floor, disabled with a broken kneecap?”
“It was the least damage I could do and still disable him. I knew I couldn’t fight two of them at the same time. So I had to take one of them down,” Mary Kate answered. “I had to stop them from hurting Jaime. The child was in my care. There was no other choice.”
“Even at the risk of your own life?” Steve asked.
Mary Kate sighed. “Even then. Jaime was in my care. I was responsible for keeping him safe.”
A man in his mid forties walked in. He wore surgical scrubs with a white lab coat over them. “Gentlemen, please. I need to examine my patient.”
Jack clicked off the recorder. “We’ll leave you alone for a few minutes, Clay. But we need to finish this interview.”
“What are you giving me in the drip?” Mary Kate demanded of the doctor once everyone had gone.
“Normal saline and antibiotics,” he said.
“Disconnect it. I’ll take my antibiotics orally,” Mary Kate ordered. “And pull the catheter. I’m not going to lie here helplessly, tied down and unable to move.”
The doctor laughed. “Yes, you’re a Devlin. No doubt about it. Your father tries to tell me my business, too.”
Mary Kate looked at the doctor and smiled slightly. “It’s my body. You’re a hired consultant, not my superior. And for the fee you’re paid, you should pay attention to the wishes of the patient. I can always sign myself out APO.”
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The physician, Clay Summers, looked at her. “You try that, and I’ll have you committed.”
Mary Kate laughed. “You could try... I doubt any court would agree with you. However, we can avoid the whole situation if you will simply pull the drip and get rid of the cath tube. I’m not going to lie here helpless when there’s someone out there who may be coming after me. And you wouldn’t either. Now would you?”
Jack asked when he resumed the questioning, “You were sure the first man was alive?”
“Dead men don’t scream,” she replied. “He screamed when he went down and he was moaning all the time I fought the second man,” Mary Kate explained. Then she asked, “Why?”
“When we got there, he was dead,” Jack said.
Mary Kate turned white. She closed her eyes, “Oh, sweet Jes—...” She took a couple of calming breaths.
Then she looked at Jack, “With God as my witness, I left him alive and in lots of pain. None of the injuries I gave him would have taken his life. I swear it...”
Jack nodded affirmatively. “You didn’t kill him with the blows. His throat was slit. Since the murder weapon was not in the room, we assumed you weren’t responsible for his death,” the lawman replied. “Especially when the forensic pathologist said your wounds and his were likely caused by the same weapon. And your wounds, in the opinion of the physician on duty, could not have been self inflicted.”
Mary Kate shivered. She felt very cold as the realization filled her mind that she could have been just as easily killed.
Harry looked at his daughter. “Sweetheart?”
“I’m fine, Dad... Don’t worry,” she said gently. “You don’t need the stress.”
“Don’t tell me not to worry, child!” Harry told her. “You were attacked under my roof. I bear some responsibility in that.”
“Before you went up, you turned on the security system?” Jack asked.
“Yes. I did,” Mary Kate answered . “Do you know how they got in?”
“One of the cameras and a bank of sensors was disabled. The night man at the gate house was found drugged and tied up. The phone line was disabled,” Jack Hunter told her.
Mary Kate sighed. “Thank God for the cell phones in the bathrooms.”
Jase nodded. “We had hoped they would never need to be used.”
“The alarm system appears to have been disabled from the gate house,” Jack told her. “The locks weren’t forced, and the keys were missing from the gatehouse.”
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“Terrific,” Mary Kate answered. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear them come into the house,” Jack stated. “We were on the third floor in Jaime’s rooms watching a movie. After I put him to bed, when I went to
my rooms, I took a shower, then had on music while I was reading,” Mary Kate replied. “Both times, the doors
were closed.” “Then how did you hear Jaime scream?” Jack asked. “The door to his room wasn’t completely closed,” Mary Kate stated. “I had left mine to go to the
kitchen to get a cup of tea.” Jack nodded. “Well, I think that’s all I need right now. Oh, by the
way, the doctor who was just here, can you describe him for me?”
Mary Kate smiled tightly, realizing that Jack was trying to trip her up. “Certainly. He was six one. About one eighty-five. Gray/green eyes. Short sandy hair, a real no-comber. Size eleven, maybe eleven and a half, shoe. The embroidery on his labcoat said he was Clayton Summers, M.D., F.A.C.S. He wore no jewelry, apart from a plain gold wedding band. He had a cinnamon colored mole on the left side of his neck about half an inch below his earlobe. There was hair growing out of it. He was about forty-five, forty-six years of age.”
Jack smiled at her. “You have an eye.” “You know I’m more than willing to co-operate in this investigation,” Mary Kate replied after Jack shut
off the tape recorder. “But the next time you want to speak to me, clear it with my lawyer first.” “Who’s your attorney?” Jack asked. “William Granger,” Mary Kate replied, giving the name of the nationally known criminal defense
attorney. “Granger? The William Granger?” Steve asked in surprise. “Bill’s the best,” Mary Kate replied. “There’s no doubt of that,” Steve responded with feeling. Then he asked, “You keep Granger on
retainer?”
“No. Bill isn’t the sort you keep on retainer,” Mary Kate replied. “But his daughter and I roomed together in college. Betsy and I are like sisters... If I needed him, he’d be here for me. Betsy would see to that.”
“Friends like that are good to have,” Jase stated. “Yes, they are,” Mary Kate agreed with a yawn. “Okay, Sweetheart,” Harry said firmly. “We’ve tired you out enough. Get some rest, now. The only
thing you have to be concerned with is getting better.”
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“I’m too mean to die, Dad,” she teased.
Harry nodded. “Sure, Sweetheart.”
Jack cleared his throat. “You should know we’ve posted a guard outside your room, just in case.”
“That’s not sufficient. I want a concealed carry permit,” Mary Kate stated. “Get me the application. I want you to expedite it.”
“Don’t you think that’s overstating the risk?” Jack asked.
“It’s my life. I want to be able to defend myself,” Mary Kate replied. “I can’t do that right now with my bare hands. I hurt too much to move quickly enough to be any good in a fight. I need an edge. I have a right to that permit. I’ve never been convicted of any crime. I want the permit issued soon!”
“Did you recognize either man?” Jack demanded.
“I told you, they both wore ski masks. I didn’t recognize either of them. But they don’t know that. I won’t be an easy target, should they come looking for me,” Mary Kate replied. “With one arm, that is exactly what I would be.”
“Do you know how to use a handgun?” Jack demanded.
“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise. I took a NRA sponsored course a few years ago. I don’t have the certificate any longer. It burned up in the fire. I could get a duplicate, I suppose, if that were necessary,” Mary Kate replied. “But I can handle a weapon safely.”
“Why did you take the course?” Steve asked.
Mary Kate looked at Steve. She answered bluntly, “Because Edward told me he would kill me after I testified against him. I believed him. So I took the course, and got an Illinois firearm owner’s ID card, then I bought a Ruger .357 revolver. That gun burned up in the house fire. The replacement for it is at Dad’s house in my nightstand, along with three boxes of hollow point ammo.”
Jase looked at her. Mary Kate met his eyes without flinching.
“Why didn’t you use the pistol?” Jack demanded.
“There wasn’t time to retrieve the pistol. When I heard Jaime scream, I thought he was having a nightmare. So I went to him. But when I got there, I had no time to retreat to my room. I had to deal with the men to save Jaime.” She fought back tears and lost. “There just wasn’t time. If I had left the room, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get to it before one of them had caught up with me and the other one had gotten away with Jaime.”
Jase wiped the tears from her eyes. “Hush, don’t upset yourself. You’ll get your permit. I’m applying for one, and Harry is too. Just in case. And you’re getting a fulltime bodyguard.”
Mary Kate nodded negatively. “I don’t want a keeper.” She realized why her head felt funny. She
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Jase grimaced. “Your braid was found on the floor beside you.”
“He cut my hair off?!” Mary Kate demanded.
“As soon as you’re feeling better, we’ll have a stylist in to see what we can do about making it more presentable,” Harry said. “It’s not the end of the world. Hair grows back.”
“It’s never been cut. NEVER!” she replied, her anger finally surfacing.
“Take it easy, Mary Kate,” Harry advised.
“Take it easy? That’s easy for you to say. You aren’t the one in this stinking bed. My shoulder hurts like crazy. And if that’s not enough, I’ve been turned into a pincushion for an IV drip, had a plastic tube shoved into my bladder, and my hair has been cut off. My neck is bandaged. Is that from cuts when he cut off my hair?”
Harry nodded. “I’m afraid so. You’ve got several stitches. Nothing particularly deep, thank God. When your hair grows back, no one will ever see the scars.”
“I don’t care about the scars... That’s minor... What concerns me most, what angers me the most is that my nephew, who I was trying to protect, saw sights that will probably give him nightmares for the rest of his life! It’s not right. It’s just not right. He’s so little,” Mary Kate replied, tears flowing freely down her face. “So terribly little. He has to be so frightened. So frightened.”
“Hush, baby...” Harry said gently.
Mary Kate glared at her father. “It’s just not right,” Mary Kate repeated strongly. She looked at Jack, “You had better find out who was behind this.”
“We’re going to do our best,” Jack pledged.
“You had better!” Mary Kate admonished. “And I need that permit, pronto.”
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Chapter Seventeen
“We’ve got to do something,” the panicked female voice said. “I believe we’ve had this conversation before, my dear,” Gil told her. “Damnit, Gilbert! If you don’t do something about the brat, I will!” “I see no need for taking any immediate action,” Gil said. “The situation is well in hand.” “She spoiled our plans for the boy.” “And she’s paying for it... She didn’t escape unscathed...As for the lad, we’ll just have to wait a little
while until they relax their guard a little before we act again... Still, if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work... It’s not integral to our overall plan... Getting rid of the lad was a side benefit... Just like putting his papa out of the picture was. But that’s ancient history now. We can deal with those the brat and his mother when the time comes. As for Nancy’s girl, well, she’s playing right into our hands.”
“I hope you aren’t making a mistake in being so patient. If you had gotten rid of her to begin with, none of this would be happening now,” the woman stated.
He sighed. “Look. She can be dealt with. So far, she hasn’t probed into the whole episode with her mother. She’s let sleeping dogs lie. She’s convinced that Hastings has had a hand in this whole episode. That’s what we want her to think. So, where’s the problem?”
The female voice sighed over the phone. “Our employee.” “I’m meeting with him later today. He won’t be a problem much longer.” “Be careful.” “I’m always careful, my dearest. Always.” “I hope so. I’d hate for anything to happen to you. So what do we do now?” “You don’t do anything. I’ve got everything under control.” “When can I see you?” “Soon. Very soon.” “I miss you.” “And I miss you.” “I’d better go now,” she said reluctantly. “I love you.” She sighed. “That makes everything worthwhile.”
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Chapter Eighteen
Mary Kate lay in her hospital bed staring at the ceiling
the next afternoon. The only thing on television was soap operas, insipid talk shows, a restaurant review, an old movie, and a kids program with puppets. None of those appealed to her. She supposed she could read. But it was hard to turn the pages with one hand. When a light knock came at the door, she greeted it with eagerness. “Come in.”
Alice Richards popped her head inside. “Mary Kate, may I come in?” “Alice, I’d be glad of the company, believe me,” Mary Kate said warmly. “Have a seat.” Alice sat down beside the bed. “I’m being presumptuous in calling on you.” “Not at all. I’m glad to have someone to talk to,” Mary Kate said with a smile. “So, what’s on your
mind?” “Congratulations on your engagement to Jase,” Alice said warmly. “Thanks,” Mary Kate returned. “I’d still like to do a feature about you,” Alice told her. “More now than ever. There’s a tremendous
amount of interest in you since the story about how you saved Jaime hit the front page.” “No,” Mary Kate said. “I’m not interested.” “Can I ask why you aren’t interested?” Alice queried. “You just did,” Mary Kate replied with a forced smile. Alice laughed lightly. “So, why don’t you want to be featured in a human interest piece?” Mary Kate closed her eyes and sighed. “Because although I’m human, I’m not really very interesting.” Alice chuckled. “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that. You’ve become something of a local heroine.” Mary Kate moved in bed and bit her lip to keep from moaning. Alice looked at her in concern. “Should I get the nurse?” “I’m fine, Alice,” Mary Kate dismissed with a sigh. “Sure you are,” Alice agreed mendaciously. “You’re in pain, a lot of pain.” “I’m as fine as I’m going to be at this point,” Mary Kate corrected. “A certain amount of pain is par for
the course. I’m just thankful it isn’t worse than it is.” “Aren’t they giving you pain meds?” “I don’t like being that groggy. So I’ve refused medication, apart from the antibiotics.” “The more pain you feel, the longer it will take your body to heal,” Alice warned. “I can’t afford to be that groggy, Alice,” Mary Kate told her. “Please be careful, Mary Kate. Be very careful.”
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