The lights outside her office were dim. Heather had gone home two hours ago. Hodges debated whether to answer the phone. It had been ringing off the hook since the press conference. She wanted to get out of this place, go home, and pour a real glass of something. She lifted the phone reluctantly. “Park Manor.”
“Ms. Hodges?”
She recognized Codella’s voice. “Yes, Detective?”
“You’ll be hearing it on the news soon. I thought I should tell you myself. Julia Merchant has been taken into custody. She just attempted to murder her father.”
Hodges felt her heart speed up. She willed herself to speak in a calm and detached voice. “What happened?”
“We need to sort out the details, but we think she gave him a narcotic.”
“Does that mean she’s also the one who killed Mrs. Merchant?”
“We believe she’s involved in the deaths of Lucy Merchant and Baiba Lielkaja. I can’t really tell you more than that right now.”
“And Thomas? Will he be all right?”
“The paramedics revived him. The ambulance took him to New York Presbyterian.”
Hodges closed her eyes and sighed quietly.
“I’m curious about something, Ms. Hodges.”
“What’s that?” Hodges sensed more than simple curiosity in the detective’s tone.
“I’m curious about why he asked for you while he was lying on the stretcher.”
“He asked for me?” As soon as the words were out, Hodges realized she had said them with a little too much enthusiasm. “I don’t know,” she added quickly.
Codella was silent for several seconds.
She knows I’m lying, Hodges thought. “Look, he’s a flawed man, Detective. But I knew he wasn’t a murderer. I just never imagined that Julia could do this. I didn’t see it.”
“We see what we want to see,” said Codella. “This is a good reminder to all of us. Let the facts tell the story. I’ve got to go.”
Hodges heard her break the connection. She got her coat from the closet beside Heather’s desk and walked through the first floor of Park Manor, smiling at the residents drinking cocktails and listening to a pianist play show tunes as if nothing else mattered. On Madison Avenue, the cold air made her shiver. She hailed a cab. Thomas had asked for her. All those years ago, she had known they would somehow end up back in each other’s lives. She was stronger and smarter than Lucy Merchant. She was a much better match for Thomas. He needed her, and she would help him. And in return, he would help her. Everything would be all right, she told herself as she climbed into the taxi.