“Between the time when you got here and the first time you went out to the alley, did you notice anything out of the ordinary?” Ellie asked.
“Just that guy in the parking lot.” He motioned toward the picture of Booker. “You think he’s involved?”
Ellie shrugged. “It’s still early in the investigation. Did you notice any strange cars in the parking lot?”
Mickey shook his head. “Just that one—the one your dude was driving. I remember thinking it was kinda weird seeing that big hulk climb into that little car.”
“And you didn’t see any other cars you didn’t recognize?”
“Like I said, it was pretty early in the afternoon. There weren’t that many cars out there.”
“You’ve been a big help, Mickey. I appreciate it.” Ellie slid one of her cards across the table to him but Jesse intercepted and pocketed it.
“We’ll call you if we have any more questions,” Jesse said and smiled. “I know how to find you. Keep it clean, Mickey.” He rose and stuffed the picture of Reginald Booker into his pocket.
Outside, Ellie grabbed Jesse’s arm and spun him around, her temper flaring. “Why’d you take my card? What if he thinks of something?”
“One—he’s not going to volunteer information. You want more information, you’re going to have to call him. And two—you really want those not quite skinheads to have your contact information?”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “Burkesboro PD? It’s not like they can’t look it up in the phone book.”
“Hate to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but they’re not that interested. Looking it up in the phone book would require some degree of effort. Haven’t I taught you anything?”
Ellie was stunned. “I’ve been working with you six hours!”
Jesse smiled. “And they’ve been six very good hours, haven’t they?”
9
Ellie was still trying to figure out what had just happened. She couldn’t decide if she was livid or amused. Regardless, Jesse Alvarez sure had a way of confusing her emotions. And the bad part was, after she’d had time to settle down and think it through, he was right.
“Reggie Booker ain’t your man.” Jesse rubbed his hands together to warm them from the cold. He blew puffs of warm air into his fists.
Ellie jacked up the heat in the car and held her own hands in front of the vents. “Why do you say that?”
“Not his style. Reggie’s a mid-level drug dealer, and he may take out a couple teeth of someone who owes him, but beating the crap out of kids isn’t his style.”
“Maybe a deal went bad, and he grabbed the kid for payback.” Ellie turned on the wipers and watched as the blades pushed the snow from side to side.
Jesse shook his head. “To people like Reggie Booker, kids are a nuisance. He wouldn’t want to be bothered with one.”
“All the more reason to kill him.”
Jesse sighed. “I’ll dig around some and see if any of his customers are missing a kid.”
“Good. Now, if you’ll get out of my car, I can run by the hospital and check on Johnny Doe before I go to the gym. Kepler said Booker would be there around five.”
Jesse looked at her, his coal black eyes wide. “You’re going to question him at the gym?”
“Yes,” she said in a hesitant voice.
“Uh, no. You don’t want to question him at the gym. He’s in his element at the gym. He’ll walk all over you like a rug.”
Ellie pursed her lips tight. “I can handle it, Jesse. I handled those skinheads in Marisol’s, didn’t I?”
Jesse chuckled. “You were about to become one of their girlfriends whether you liked it or not.”
Ellie’s jaw dropped in anger. “I had it under control! All you did was point out which one was Mickey.”
Jesse sighed. “Fine. If that’s what you want to think. But you still don’t need to be questioning Reggie Booker at the gym.” He turned in the seat and faced her. “Look, he’s in his comfort zone at the gym. Not to mention he’s buds with every guy in there. You think they’re going to defend you if something gets out of hand?”
Ellie glared out the windshield at the wipers slapping against the glass. Admitting Jesse was right made her blood congeal in frozen clumps. But there was no sense getting herself killed because she was too proud to admit he was right. “Then what do you suggest?” She didn’t try to hide the anger in her voice.
“Have a uniform pick him up and bring him downtown.”
“And you think he’s going to come willingly?” She glanced at him, rolled her eyes, then turned back to watching the wipers slide across the snow.
“If he doesn’t, they can pat him down. Nab him for a probation violation.”
She glared at him. “What violation?”
“He’ll be packing. Carries a piece with him everywhere he goes.”
Ellie rolled her eyes again. “Wonderful.”
As Jesse started to get out, a white van with a News Seven logo turned onto the street and crept through the thin layer of snow. The satellite antenna swayed slightly like a tentative sword swiping at the flurries. It parked in front of Marisol’s, nose-to-nose with Ellie’s Taurus.
“Oh this is great.” Ellie watched Derek Cobe climb out of the van and survey the area for his live shot. A cameraman and an engineer joined him. Cobe’s nose twitched with disgust.
He peered through the snow patches on the windshield, recognized Ellie, and smiled.
Cobe approached the car and knocked on the driver’s window. Reluctantly, Ellie rolled it down. “Hey, Ellie. Got yourself a doozy of a story, don’t you.”
“We call it an investigation. That alley’s going to get awfully crowded.” Ellie pointed to News Central Three’s dark blue van slowing to a stop behind Derek’s van.
“Crap.” Derek motioned to his cameraman and engineer then sprinted toward the alley with his crew in tow.
Ellie brushed away the snow that had collected on the inside of the door and rolled up the window. Another news van slowly passed and parked across the street in front of Kepler’s office. “Go. Get out of here.” Ellie shoved Jesse against the passenger door.
“You don’t have to get violent.” Surprise registered in his voice and raised the tone a full octave.
“Yes, I do. I’ve got to get out of here before I become a sound bite.”
“I’m going, I’m going. I’ll see you back at the office.”
He had barely slammed the door when Ellie threw the car into reverse, backed up enough to get clearance between the Taurus and Cobe’s van, and then jammed it in drive and sped off. Cobe and the rest of the piranhas could find a sound bite elsewhere. Dwayne Andrews alone would keep them busy for hours. She laughed, thinking about the reception the news crews would get from Mickey and the gang in Marisol’s.
****
The news crews that weren’t lurking around the alley were at the hospital. Sara Jeffries jammed herself into a packed elevator and rode up to the fourth floor with Ellie.
“Any change in his condition?” Sara asked, peeking between an elderly man and a nurse in blue scrubs.
The nurse stared at Sara. “Pardon?”
Ellie watched the second floor then the third floor button light up, counting the seconds before the fourth turned bright yellow and she could escape. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She rubbed her hands on her pants to dry the moisture collecting on her palms.
“The Lazarus boy. I was asking Detective Saunders if there had been a change in his condition.” Sara peered around the elderly man. “Detective Saunders?”
The fourth floor button turned yellow and the carriage jolted to a stop. Sara stepped out first and waited for Ellie. Ellie thought about stepping out but allowed the doors to close and rode up to the fifth floor. She had told Sissy she’d be back later in the afternoon, and now was as good a time as any.
She didn’t see her aunt in the hallway and hoped she wasn’t in Peggy’s room. Ellie wasn’t ready to deal with seeing Peggy whether
she was dying or not. Peggy may not have held the razor blade that sliced through Ellie’s mother’s wrists, but in Ellie’s mind, Peggy was the reason behind it.
Ellie trudged back to the nurses’ station and stood there debating whether to ask for Peggy’s room number.
A nurse looked up from a monitor, smiled, and asked if she could help.
The words just wouldn’t come. Ellie slowly shook her head and started to back away.
“Well, you did make it back, didn’t you?” she heard Aunt Sissy say from behind her.
Ellie spun around and nearly collided with her father. He grabbed her and locked her in a hard embrace. “I’m so glad you came.”
Ellie blinked back tears and melted into her father’s arms. It had been years since she had felt those arms around her, felt their strength. This time though, the strength wasn’t there. It had been replaced with trembling uncertainty.
As she pulled away, her father brushed tears from his cheeks. His lips trembled as he tried to smile.
Ellie had seen her father cry before but never over sadness. She remembered often seeing tears streaming down his face, arms raised toward heaven, as he stood in the pulpit proclaiming God’s love.
He didn’t cry at her mother’s funeral, saying “she was finally at peace.” Why was he crying now? Was Peggy’s impending death more devastating than the death of Ellie’s mother?
“I can’t stay but just a minute. I’m working a case that’s pretty involved.”
Her father nodded, knowingly.
“The little boy?” Sissy asked. “There’s television crews all over the place. We walked down to the coffee shop, and they were even in there.”
Ellie hoped the reporters were getting coffee and not looking for a willing mouthpiece. “Yeah, unfortunately the story’s generating a lot of publicity.”
“Is it true the little boy came back from the dead?” Sissy took a sip of her coffee, peering over the rim at Ellie.
Ellie shrugged. “There has to be a medical explanation.”
Her father had regained his steadfast composure, and smiled. “The answer’s not always in the test results, you know? Maybe God has a purpose for this child.”
He smiled again, and Ellie felt the warmth wrap around her like a soft blanket. Back when he was a reverend by title, Ferrin Saunders wasn’t the splashy, fist-pounding, fire-and-brimstone type preacher. He never swung the Bible like some swing a sword. Instead, he told of God’s love in soft words and a gentle nature.
“Yeah, well, I hope God’s purpose for this child isn’t to make some news reporter rich and famous.” Ellie half smiled, and her father chuckled.
“We may not know in our lifetimes what this child’s purpose is, but I can guarantee you there is one.” He winked at her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Go on and tend to your work. I’m curious to see how this one turns out.”
Ellie reached up and kissed him on the cheek, silently thanking him for giving her the escape. She’d see Peggy when she was ready, and it might be in the room down the hall or it might be stretched out in a casket. Either way, it would be Ellie’s decision, and her father seemed to understand that.
Ellie gave Aunt Sissy a hug then started toward the elevator. She stopped and turned back. “Y’all aren’t driving back and forth every night are you?” The hospital was a good hour’s drive from home, an hour and a half in the snow.
Her father and Sissy looked at one another and shrugged.
“Look, my house isn’t that big, but I do have a spare bedroom and a shower. You’re welcome to stay if you’d like.”
Sissy grinned sheepishly and winked at her. “That would be nice.”
“I’m not sure what time I’ll get in, but go on in and make yourselves at home. I’ll call Mr. Robins next door and have him unlock the door for you.”
In the elevator, Ellie punched the button for the fourth floor and wondered what in the heck she had just done.
Sara Jeffries was interviewing a nurse who seemed reluctant to talk. Ellie slipped past the nurses’ station and headed down the hallway to Johnny Doe’s room. He was sitting on the side of the bed with the table pulled up to him, munching hungrily on chicken nuggets. A nurse sat beside him, reading Horton Hears a Who out loud.
“Hey.” Johnny Doe smiled and dipped his nugget in a dollop of ketchup.
“Hey yourself. That looks good.” Ellie scanned the dinner tray and fought the urge to scrunch up her nose in disgust. Rubbery nuggets, soggy fries, and shiny green peas weren’t her idea of a good supper.
“Leon came and played with me for a long time. We played Legos in the playroom.” He dunked a fry in the ketchup. The green peas remained untouched, and Ellie doubted that would change.
Ellie caught the nurse’s gaze move past her and turned to see Sara Jeffries in the doorway.
Sara jerked a small digital camera from her bag but before she could even get the camera turned on, Ellie had spun around and pushed her out of the doorway.
“What are you doing?” Ellie snapped as she slammed the door closed. “He’s a child. He doesn’t need his face plastered all over every newspaper in the country.”
“His picture’s already out there, Ellie,” Sara huffed through gritted teeth. She stuffed the camera back in her bag.
“Not a picture of him sitting on a hospital bed. If I catch you anywhere near this room again, I’ll arrest you.”
Sara rolled her eyes then glared at Ellie. “From what I hear the chief wants it out there. How’s he going to take it when one of his own blocks our attempts to help find his parents?”
Ellie took a deep breath to keep from spouting off something that would probably get her fired. “If the chief wants you to take a picture of him in his hospital bed, I’ll have him call you. Until then, he’s off-limits,” she said after a moment.
Marc Deveraux joined the two and introduced himself to Sara.
She jumped right in, seizing the opportunity. “Can you give me an update on his condition?”
Deveraux smiled but shook his head. “I’m sorry. I really am, but I can’t release that information.”
Sara stood gazing at the hunky doctor, her tongue nearly lolling out of her mouth, and Ellie wondered if Sara realized Deveraux had just killed her story.
“Look, I know you’re just doing your job. And I wish I could help, but until our legal department gives us an OK to discuss his condition, we can’t.” Deveraux smiled that gorgeous smile.
“Are they looking into it?” Her eyelashes actually fluttered.
Deveraux nodded. “There’re a lot of issues involved. But as soon as I get a go-ahead, I’ll give you a call.”
Sara scrambled in her bag for a business card. “Oh, I really would appreciate that.” She scribbled a number on the back of the card then handed it to him. “That’s my personal cell. You can always reach me on that one.”
Ellie fully expected Sara to wink and probably would’ve knocked her silly if she had.
Deveraux slipped the card in his pocket. “I’ll call you as soon as I hear something.”
“What about a picture?”
“Sara! I told you no pictures,” Ellie yelled.
Deveraux took a step in, putting his shoulder between them like a referee. “Once our legal department says OK, you’ll get the first picture.”
Sara peered over his shoulder and glared at Ellie. “Thank you.” She offered her hand to Deveraux then traipsed off toward the elevator.
“Are you really going to let her take a picture of him?” Ellie’s voice was higher than usual.
“Let’s go to my office. I need to talk to you about the test results.” He started down the hallway with Ellie in tow.
“You’re going to let her take a picture of him, aren’t you?”
Deveraux grinned. “You’re persistent aren’t you?”
“I just don’t want to see him plastered across every newspaper and television set in the country.”
“He’s probably going to be
sooner or later. We might as well control who has access.”
“Yeah, but Sara Jeffries?”
Deveraux held the door open to his office and ushered Ellie in. “It’s a dying breed, newspapers. I have a soft spot for them.”
The office was decorated in cartoon characters and Tulane University memorabilia with a couple of framed photographs of Deveraux and different people in various places doing various things. Skiing, white-water rafting, on top of a mountain. There were several pictures of him—surrounded by smiling children in frames date stamped and labeled Darfur and Croatia.
Ellie was amazed at the smiles on the children’s faces. Despite the ugliness of the Sudan and the horrific conditions they were forced to live in, they managed to smile. Kids were so resilient. Take Johnny Doe—despite being beaten and left for dead, the kid still found reason to smile. “How long were you in the Sudan?”
“Fourteen months, two weeks and three days.”
Ellie turned around and looked him. “Wow. Sounds like you were anxious to leave.”
“Just the opposite. I would have loved to stay, but they thought it was too dangerous.” He sat down behind his desk and stared at the picture on the bookshelf. “It’s an amazing place.”
Ellie raised her brows and sat down in a chair in front of his desk. Amazing wasn’t a term she heard often in association with Darfur. “I’ve never heard it called amazing before.”
Deveraux smiled. “The people are very special.”
“I guess they were very thankful to have a doctor around.”
Deveraux shook his head. “I wasn’t there as a doctor. I was there as a missionary.”
Ellie was wide-eyed and at a loss for words. Missionary? She remembered her daddy’s church sponsoring missionaries all over the world. She remembered the church sending care packages of toiletries and over-the-counter medicines and small first-aid kits to their missionaries in countries she had never heard of.
“I guess the parents that were here at three weren’t his parents?”
Ellie shook her head, partly to answer his question and partly to push away the images of her father, the church, the whole missionary thing. “No. They weren’t his parents. Thank God.”
The Rising Page 9
