| |
Lili and Gil went to the ICU at Saratoga Hospital. A police officer checked their IDs and asked them to wait. The officer came out of Kevin’s room with Ruth Clarion in tow. She looked like a strong woman who’d wilted.
“Mrs. Clarion, I’m Lili D’Amico, an agent with the Massachusetts State Police, and this is Gil Novak, a police consultant. Your son was found injured on Gil’s back porch.”
“Massachusetts?”
“Yes, we’re investigating a case in Greenfield, Massachusetts that may be connected to the attack on your son, so we have a few questions for you. Would that be okay? We won’t take up much of your time.” Ruth gave a silent nod. “Let’s go sit over here. Would you like some coffee?”
“No thanks. If I have any more coffee, I’ll have a stroke.”
They sat down and Gil said, “We’re investigating the construction of several tunnels that were constructed under some streets in Greenfield, Massachusetts. We think some college students might be involved. One theory is that they were searching for historical artifacts.”
“Well, historical artifacts are Kevin’s thing. He likes learning about what this area was like before the Europeans came and when they first showed up. I don’t know where he gets it. I’m a math teacher and his father was a sales rep for medical equipment. Gordon died a few years ago from lung cancer.”
“I’m so sorry,” said Gil. “Kevin goes to UAlbany?”
“Yes, he’s supposed to graduate in May, but then he’ll continue to work on his master’s degree there. It’s a very good school for American history.”
“I think Kevin was coming to see me because I was involved in the investigation. I have no idea why someone would try to hurt him, though. What did Kevin do during his summers?”
Lili’s mind zoned out for a minute while they were talking. Down the corridor, she saw a nurse smiling and talking to the guard in front of the ICU. Flirting maybe? She snapped out of it and listened to Ruth.
“Last summer Kevin worked at Fort William Henry, up in Lake George, as an intern curator. He also volunteered at an archaeological dig over in Hudson Falls. They found all sorts of artifacts, you know, pipes, belt buckles, arrowheads, those sorts of things. He loved that.”
“Do you know any of his college friends?”
“I’m sorry, I really don’t. He lived in off-campus housing for the past couple of years, and never brought any friends around.”
“Has he ever been to Western Massachusetts for his studies or for work?”
“Not that I know of.”
“I’m sorry, we should have asked earlier, how is Kevin doing?” asked Lili.
“He’s stable. His surgery went well and the bleeding from his liver has slowed. He’s in a medically-induced coma and they hope to bring him out of that in the next few days.”
Lili looked down the corridor again and saw the nurse exit the ICU. Something seemed off about her. Her movements seemed unnatural and her eyes were darting around.
“Thank you so much for talking to us,” said Lili. “We’re pulling for Kevin.”
“Here are our names and numbers, if you or Kevin would like to get a hold of us,” said Gil. I think Kevin might have been trying to tell us something.”
“STOP!” yelled Lili. She bolted toward the nurse. The nurse backed away, knocking a tray to the floor. The police officer stood up and put his hand on his gun. “That nurse did something!” Lili ran to the nurses station. “Get a doctor in here! Kevin Clarion’s in trouble!”
The officer pulled his gun and pointed it at the nurse. She raised her hands, dropped a syringe, and continued to back away. She tripped and fell, arms shaking. “They have my daughter! They have my daughter!” she cried. The officer holstered his gun and began to handcuff the nurse.
Lili ran to the fallen nurse. “What did you give him?” she yelled.
“Heparin, it’s heparin.”
“Doctor! We need a doctor!” yelled Lili.