Arm in a sling, Bernadette stood in front of the Outsider Hotel. The sun was out, but it was far too cold without her coat, which would stay in evidence for a long time. She looked across the street: a thrift store stood next to the bagel café; maybe she’d run over there and buy a cheap winter jacket.
Her phone rang in her purse and she looked at the screen. Sophie.
“Good morning, sweetie.”
“Hi, Mom.”
“You’re not in school.”
A short laugh. “Mom, it’s Saturday.”
“Right. Sorry—sometimes when I’m working a case, I forget what day it is.”
“Did you catch the bad guy?”
She thought of the faceless people at Parr Medical who had paid for the murders—but at least Annika was in custody. “Sure did.”
“Good. Does that mean you’re coming home?”
“In a few more days. I hurt my shoulder. The doctor won’t let me back on a plane until he sees the results of the x-rays.”
“Oh.”
“Everything okay?”
“Well,” Sophie said, “I guess.”
“How’s your dad doing?”
“Oh, he’s fine. Couldn’t be happier.” Sophie’s voice was thick with disdain.
“What’s the matter?”
Sophie clicked her tongue. “Nothing, really. I, uh—Lisa doesn’t like food she says is unhealthy.”
“Oh. Well, you’re old enough to make your own meals now. I can—”
“And the way she chews. I want to strangle her.” She paused. “When are you coming home?”
“Monday, I think. If the doctor lets me go.”
“Okay. I miss you.”
“Me too, Sophie.” Bernadette looked up to see Maura’s rented SUV pulling in front of the hotel. “Okay—my boss just got here. I have to go.”
“You have to work on a Saturday?”
“I know, being an adult sucks sometimes. I love you. I’ll see you soon.”
Kep got out of the passenger’s side, opening the rear door for Bernadette, and she climbed in to find a paper bag with The Elegant Doughnut printed on it.
“What’s this?”
“A present,” Maura said. “It’s not much, but you put yourself in danger so that Annika wouldn’t crash that plane into a neighborhood. The least I can do is get you a lemon-pistachio old-fashioned donut. There’s a maple-glazed croissant donut in there too. The woman behind the counter insisted I get one of those for you.”
“Only because it was the most expensive item on the menu,” Kep said, “and yet I can still smell the sodium hexametaphosphate, which is decidedly not real maple.” He sighed. “I hope the Wisconsin old-fashioned donuts taste better than the Wisconsin Old Fashioned cocktails.”
“Don’t let the locals hear you say that.” Bernadette took a bite of the lemon-pistachio. It was delicious. “You sure you don’t want one?” she said, holding the maple-glazed donut out to Kep.
“Oh, thou lump of foul deformity,” Kep muttered.
“What did you say to me?” Bernadette tilted her head.
“The donut,” Kep said quickly, “not you.”
In the rearview mirror, Bernadette saw a smile touch the corners of Maura’s mouth.
Bernadette sat back. “I don’t see why I have to be there for this today.” She took another bite.
“Annika asked to speak with you,” Maura said. “I don’t understand it either, but she won’t give up the name of the person—or people—who hired her. I don’t know if she’s scared for her life, but we’re already giving her in-prison protection. Not a whole lot more we can do. Maybe she’ll talk with you in the room.”
“And you have to talk to her before her transfer to Taycheeda Correctional,” Kep said from the passenger seat, “unless you want a two-hour drive on snowy roads instead of a ten-minute drive through downtown.”
“It’s fine,” Bernadette said, and took another bite.
Her phone rang. Was that Sophie again? No—it was a 414 number she didn’t recognize.
“Becker.”
“Hey, Bernadette. It’s Lamar.”
“Oh—hi.” Bernadette stole a glance into the front seat, but Kep and Maura were talking to each other, not paying attention to Bernadette’s call. “This is a nice surprise.”
“I was planning to visit you in the hospital, but you’d already gone.”
“Yeah. They didn’t even keep me overnight. Just an ER visit. Got x-rays and a sling, another appointment in two days.”
“Oh. Good.”
“Good?”
“Not that you’re injured, but that you’re—uh—still in town. Are you free for dinner?”
Was he asking her on a date? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a date. Even a night out with Barlow seemed like a lifetime ago. “Uh—yeah. Yeah, I’m free. Maura and Kep are leaving this afternoon. I hadn’t planned anything but sitting around my hotel room, trying to entertain myself until Monday’s doctor’s appointment.” She realized she sounded a little overeager and evened out her tone. “You know how it is, though; a girl’s gotta eat.”
“Good—I know a couple of great restaurants by your hotel. Any dietary restrictions? Vegan? Gluten-free?”
“Food I can eat with one hand.”
“Right. I know the perfect place. How does seven o’clock sound?”
“Great.”
“See you then.”
Bernadette ended the call and caught a glance of herself in the rear-view mirror. She looked—not exactly happy, but like she was finally getting her feet back under herself.
When the SUV pulled into the facility’s parking lot, Maura killed the engine.
“Want us to come in with you?” Maura asked.
“I think I’ll be okay.”
“Great. Let us know if it’ll be longer than an hour. We’ll need to get to the airport.” Maura looked at Kep. “So what do you think? Ready to do this again when we have another poisoning murder for you?”
“Yes.”
“Any concerns? Travel arrangements? Personnel?”
Kep turned his head and looked at Bernadette, his gaze serious but soft. “No concerns.”
Bernadette gave him a slight nod.
Kep turned back to stare through the windshield.
Bernadette opened her door and, eyes inquisitive, tilted her head at Maura, who rubbed the back of her neck.
After checking in at the front, Bernadette was led into a small room with eggshell walls and a metal table with four straight-backed metal chairs. The furniture was cold to the touch. She sat, sending a jolt of discomfort through her arm, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been the day before. Of course, the drugs probably helped with that.
She’d had a dream the night before of getting on a plane—a commercial airline, not a private jet—and all the passengers attacked her with knives and crowbars. She’d awakened in a cold sweat.
Now she sat on the frigid metal chair and waited for her attacker to come greet her.
After what seemed like an hour, the door opened. Annika Nakrivo, in handcuffs and ankle cuffs attached to each other, appeared. A guard let her through, seating her opposite Bernadette, then stood next to the door.
Annika glared at the guard, then turned to Bernadette, then back at the guard. “Can we talk in private?”
“Without the guard? No. You tried to run me over with a stolen van. You killed four people, including one of my co-workers. You attacked me with a knife.”
Annika looked at the guard, then back at Bernadette. “I can’t tell you what I need to tell you with a guard here.”
Bernadette could feel the pain medication begin to wane as her shoulder began to throb. “The guard stays.”
Annika shook her head. “I’m sorry. I cannot tell you with anyone else in the room. I’ll go back to my cell.”
Bernadette had not come all this way, doped up on painkillers, to have Annika go back to her cell. She looked at the cuffs and the chain hooked to the table.
“Wait,” Bernadette said. “How long do you need?”
“Five minutes.”
Bernadette looked at the guard. “Can you give us five minutes?”
The guard nodded. “Five minutes.” She turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
“Okay,” Bernadette said, “you got me alone. You going to shiv me? Because with the amount of painkillers running though my sys—"
“I’m sorry about everything,” Annika blurted.
Bernadette looked at her, then burst out laughing—and stopped when the pain radiated down her arm. “Ugh,” she said, “I don’t believe you. I think you’re only sorry you were caught.”
“You have no idea what they made me do.”
“I think I have some idea,” Bernadette said. “We’ve been doing some research on your background.”
Annika cast her eyes down.
“They flew you to Cleveland and made you get plastic surgery to look like Mariska Sikmo. They sent you to Milwaukee to kill thousands of lampreys so rich people could get even richer. They had you get two activists who hate each other to buy a hundred pounds of TFM. Then they had you steal it. They told you to kill the lampreys and anyone who got in your way.” She leaned forward, taking care not to tax her shoulder. “Including Curtis.” She leaned back in the hard metal chair. “We want to know who ‘they’ are. Who put you up to this?”
Annika swallowed hard, then looked up at Bernadette, eyes wet. “They have my sister,” she whispered.
Bernadette’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“You have to help her,” Annika murmured. “It’s too late for me, but I won’t talk. Not until my sister is safe.”
Annika stood up and shuffled over to the door, then banged on it awkwardly with both hands. The guard opened the door. “We’re finished.”
The guard stuck her head in. “You need anything?”
Yes! I need to know who her sister is! I need to know where she’s being held! I need to know who ‘they’ are!
Bernadette managed to smile. “No. Thank you for your time.”
The door closed behind them.
Bernadette ran her hands through her hair and exhaled slowly. The seconds ticked by.
The photo on Annika’s dresser in her dorm room—that must have been a younger Annika and her sister. She’d have to go back there. It might be the only lead she’d be able to get.
She slammed her fist on the table, then winced at the pain shooting up her shoulder.
She got up and left the room.