We stood at the nurses’ station and waited for Alice to return. We were told she was checking on the young lady in cubicle six.
I jabbed J.T. in the side. “That’s Jane. I wonder if she’s awake.”
He winced. “Maybe, or Alice is just doing what she normally does, patient rounds.”
“Let’s find out. Want to come with me to ICU?”
“Jade, you know we aren’t allowed through those doors without permission. Alice will be back soon.”
“Yeah, I know. Sorry, patience isn’t my strong suit.”
J.T. chuckled. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
My cell phone buzzed in my pocket, and I found a quiet corner in which to answer it. Spelling was calling.
“Hey, boss, what’s up?”
“I got a call from the police department in Thomasboro, and they said they pulled the hard drive out of the squad car. They were able to get a better look at what the killer took out of the truck.”
“Yeah? What did they say?”
“They said it looked like he had a pad of paper in one hand and something metallic and sharp looking in the other hand.”
“Humph. That could have been any of his weapons, maybe a knife or the Neko Te. I wonder what was so important about a pad of paper, though.”
“No idea. How was the meeting at the police department?”
“It went better than I had expected. They started with the good ol’ boy attitude, but that quickly faded. They seemed forthright with us. Officer Collins showed us a few pictures he snapped as soon as he arrived at the scene. Pretty gruesome stuff, sir. I just hope Jane comes out of this okay.”
I heard Spelling smirk. “That’s why we need to catch this maniac quickly. His killing spree is escalating out of control.”
“The officer made copies of the pictures he took and the witness statement from the family that called it in. I have them with me.”
“Did anything seem off?”
“Nah, routine stuff. We’re at the hospital now and waiting for the head nurse to get back. I guess she’s doing patient rounds. We want to find out Jane’s condition and if she’s awake.”
“Okay, keep me posted.”
“Will do.” I clicked off and headed back to the wall of guest chairs where J.T. was sitting. “That was Spelling. He said it looked like some type of weapon that the killer pulled out of the truck, but get this, he also grabbed a notepad of some type.”
“That’s weird. Maybe he was writing his manifesto but isn’t done with it yet.”
“You could be right.” I craned my neck in each direction down the corridor. “No sign of Alice yet?”
“Nope. I asked one of the nurses how long her rounds take. She said she ought to be done any minute.”
“Good. Want something to drink while we wait?”
“Sure, thanks.”
I stepped away and followed the hall to the vending machine that stood at the end of the corridor. I heard the distinct clip clap of street shoes getting louder and turned to see who it was. J.T. was heading toward me, and he waved to get my attention. I assumed Alice was back, and the sodas could wait.
“Alice says Jane’s awake.”
“What did Dr. Adams say?” I walked toward J.T. at a quickened pace.
“He said we could go in after he checks her vitals and determines if she’s coherent enough and able to talk. He needs ten minutes with her alone.”
I turned around. “I guess I’ll get us something to drink after all.”