Laura wasn’t answering her phone the next day, and regarding my father I stupidly contented myself with the no-news-is-good-news logic. I called to find out what Todd was up to.
He said, “I can’t talk. I’m on my way to St. Luke’s. That woman from the Haven.”
An officer was waiting in the lobby and escorted me to the emergency ward, where Todd was talking to one of the doctors. He turned to me without introductions or preamble. “She was assaulted. From her description to the paramedics we figure it was a stun gun.”
“Where?”
“In her driveway.”
You didn’t have to be his sister to know the conclusion he was reaching. I have to admit it was reaching me. I said, “Do you mind if I talk to her with you?”
He nodded and pulled aside the curtain to the small area where Alison Samuels lay, looking tranquil despite the deepening bruise on her chin.
“Brigid,” she slurred, and her eyes were a little unfocused.
“Did they give you some good stuff?”
“Oh yeah, better than wine.”
I introduced Todd and asked if she was okay to talk. When she said yes, Todd asked, “Can you tell me what happened?”
“I was on my way to work, had my back turned to close the front door…” She squinted, maybe losing control of the details at that point.
“Did you see anyone?” I asked, thinking Please say yes and describe some random guy.
“No, and I’m usually pretty alert. I’ve had my share of people wanting a piece of me for something or other, dads accused of kidnapping their children, and stuff.”
She was more talkative and off point, probably from the effect of whatever they’d given her to sedate her.
“So you pulled the door shut,” Todd said.
“Mm, maybe, but I don’t think I could have because of Larry. I think I heard a footstep behind me, but I couldn’t swear to that. I felt something hit my back and then this electric shock that made all my muscles contract at once. Like a full-body cramp.” Alison explained they were keeping her for observation in case she was concussed from hitting her head.
“But the assailant didn’t try anything more?” Todd was the one asking the questions now. I was too busy holding my breath.
“No. I was unconscious for just a moment, I think, the doctor thinks from hitting my head. I think Larry must have saved me. He was in the house. He must have gone after the guy, or stood guard until I came to. I called nine-one-one.” She smiled. “Good thing I was coherent so I could tell Larry to stand down when the paramedics came.” The drugs she’d been given seemed to fail at that point, and she cried, “Oh my God, my dog. Where’s Larry? Is Larry all right?”
“He’s fine,” Todd said. “A little tense. He’s trying to gnaw his way out of the backseat of my car. But the windows are halfway open,” he assured her.
She started to cry. “I want to see him. Please let me see my dog. I know they won’t let him in the hospital. Let me just go see him.” She started to get off the bed, but her knees buckled from the effects of the sedative. Todd kept her from falling, and held her.
“I gotta see my dog.” She wouldn’t stop crying, and held the sides of her head as if the crying hurt while her nose ran onto her upper lip. “You can’t leave him in the car.”
“Wait a second,” I said. “He’s a service dog, right? And Todd’s a cop, right?” I went out and commandeered a wheelchair. “If we take you out to Todd’s car to get Larry, could you make sure he doesn’t bite me? I can take him back to your place.”
Alison nodded, and when Todd got her into the chair, she grabbed her purse off a side chair. Scrabbled around in it, feeling. Took out a tissue first and blew her nose, threw the tissue onto the gurney, and reached back in the bag. “I don’t think I’d taken the keys out of the lock yet. Oh, here they are, someone got them for me.”
“You didn’t get a look at him?” I asked.
“I couldn’t even say whether it was a him.”
“You said guy,” I insisted.
“Brigid, let her talk,” Todd said.
Alison shrugged. “Generic.”
Dammit. I kept trying. “Can you think of anyone who might have witnessed the attack?”
“Yeah, Larry. If you find a suspect, Larry should be able to identify him. He’s been used as an eyewitness before. Well, a nose witness.” Alison had stopped crying and started hiccuping.
We went out to Todd’s car, and Alison comforted Larry in short order, reintroducing him to me in the process, saying I was a friend. On the way back into the hospital I told her I’d drop her keys back off after I took Larry home.
Alison reached behind her to touch my hand that was on the bars of the wheelchair. I bent over slightly. She kept her voice low so Todd couldn’t hear. “Would you also please bring me a change of clothes? T-shirt, jeans, underwear.” Her voice dropped lower. “Mine are on the chair next to the bed, and they already stink. I must have pissed myself when I fell down.”
The four of us came back into the hospital, Alison riding with her hand on Larry’s back while he walked beside her, Todd muttering, “Police,” and me muttering, “Service dog,” over the fussings of the emergency room staff. We put Alison back where we found her, and she made sure we had the keys to her place.
Todd wanted to talk before he would let me take Larry home.
We were right there in St. Luke’s, and I could have insisted he come up to Dad’s room while we talked. He was just one floor up. That was my second chance. I told myself it wasn’t because I was avoiding talking to Mom. Instead, we sat down in the emergency waiting room. Larry whimpered and looked back in Alison’s direction a couple of times but understood his orders.
“When did you see her last?” Todd said. He knew he didn’t have to say Laura Coleman’s name; I would understand.
“At the briefing. With you,” I said. I thought that much was safe to say. “I told you I’d stay out of the way.”
“I’m bringing her in,” Todd said. “The only people who know Shayna Murry was killed with a stun gun are part of the investigation. We withheld the information.”
Well, not from Manny Gutierrez. “But it’s someone who doesn’t know about Larry.”
Larry looked up at the mention of his name, then went back to sniffing one of the chairs, which might have held some trace scent of a wounded patient.
Todd said, “Not necessarily. She might have thought the door was shut and he wouldn’t be able to come after her. I’ll put someone on Alison Samuels for twenty-four-hour security. She won’t know what Alison might have seen. I don’t want her to finish the job.”
I guess we didn’t have that much to talk about after all. That made me sad. Right now he felt like just one more of those people who thought we were on different sides. We left, and put Larry in my car. I took him back to Alison’s place.
Todd and I parted without him pressing the issue further. He didn’t have to; despite our not keeping in constant connection, he knew how I thought as well as anyone, as well as I knew him. And he knew I’d be thinking, What if it’s Laura? What will I do then?