“And right on the edge of the road, I saw a body. Blood was everywhere.”
Karen slowly shook her head as she told the story. Carmella and three other nurses from her floor sat across from her, each wearing green scrubs. They leaned forward in their seats, eyes locked on Karen. Somehow, word had spread up to the ICU bay about her arrival in the emergency room and a few of her coworkers had come down to get the scoop.
She told them the same story she’d told the ER nurse earlier. She spoke slowly, distractedly, her thoughts still on Joshua. When she finished, her coworkers stared at her for a silent moment.
“What a story,” one of the nurses finally said.
“And I thought I was having an exciting day.”
“You’re Wonder Woman,” Carmella said. “Only blond. And old.”
There were a few chuckles. Karen tried to smile. Not much of one came.
She glanced over at the double doors, a few feet away. “I just hope she’ll make it,” she said.
Still no update. She didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if Amber didn’t pull through.
Her coworkers continued talking, asking her questions. Karen halfheartedly answered, but she could barely concentrate. After a few questions, the ER nurse she’d talked to earlier walked into the waiting area.
“I’ll need a moment of your time,” she said to Karen. “A police detective is here to speak with you.”
A man who looked to be in his forties walked into the waiting area and stood next to the nurse. Dark hair, just a little gray. Strong jawline. A light blue button-up tucked into a pair of jeans.
“I’m Detective Francis,” he said. “Call me Franny, though. Everyone does.”
Karen’s coworkers stood up. They passed by her as they walked to the door.
“Good luck,” Carmella said. She lowered her voice to a whisper: “Oh, and he’s not wearing a ring.”
Carmella smiled. Karen didn’t even attempt to return it. She was too nervous. It was one thing to make up the story for a nurse or her coworkers. A different matter entirely to lie to a police detective.
“Sounds like you had quite the morning,” Detective Francis—Franny—said. He sat next to her and took out a notepad.
Karen nodded.
“Go ahead and tell me everything that happened. Take your time.”
“There’s not much to tell, honestly,” she began. She repeated her made-up story about finding Amber on the side of the highway, putting her in the backseat, and driving her to the hospital.
“Quite the story,” Franny said once she finished. “Now, you found her off of Highway Thirty?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“East or west of the city?”
“West.”
“How far out? Was there any sort of landmark nearby?”
She paused for a moment. Thought. Tried to picture Highway 30.
“It was a good ten miles outside of the city,” she said, “only a few feet past the turnoff for Atkins. I remember that.”
Once Detective Franny went out there, he’d find no blood or any other sort of evidence that a person had been shot nearby. She didn’t know what would happen after that—maybe he’d have more questions; maybe he’d even start to suspect she was lying—but that was something to worry about later. Right now, all she wanted to do was end this interrogation. Get Franny out of there so she could return to Joshua.
“The Atkins turnoff—I know the area,” Franny said. “Why were you all the way out there this early?”
“Couldn’t sleep. Decided to drive around. I like how peaceful the roads are in the early mornings. And then I saw the body, right there on the edge of the road.”
“When you found her, was there anyone else in the area? Any cars driving away?”
“Not that I saw.”
“Why didn’t you call nine-one-one?”
“Instinct, I guess. I saw her there and I was so shocked by the sight. Saving her—that was the only thing on my mind. I’m a nurse; I know how seconds can matter in situations like this. By the time I thought about calling nine-one-one, I was halfway to the hospital. Figured it was quicker to drive her here myself.”
“Did she say much on her way here?”
“Amber—she told me her name. That was about it.”
“Well, that’s a start. We’ll take her fingerprints and run those to see if there’s a match.”
Franny asked her a few more questions. When he finished, he gave her a polite, brief smile.
“You probably can’t wait to head home,” he said. “Heck of a start to the day.”
“You can say that again.”
“Just one final thing and you can go. I’d like to take a look at your car. The car you picked her up in.”
“The car?”
“Yeah. Just a quick look. Maybe an item fell out of her pocket, something like that. You never know. Won’t take but a second.”
“Of course,” she said.
They stood up from their chairs and she slipped on her coat. They exited the hospital and approached her car, the only one in the small emergency room parking lot.
Franny pulled out his notebook and looked over his notes as they walked.
“Just so I’m clear on this,” he said. “For my report. You were driving all the way out there on Highway Thirty at four this morning because you couldn’t sleep?”
“Yes,” Karen said.
Franny didn’t say anything in response. She could practically hear the gears turning in his head, thinking about the story. How had she not realized how ridiculous the story was? Driving around at four in the morning? Because she couldn’t sleep?
“Sometimes I just enjoy driving,” Karen said. “That’s how I relax. I had some things to think about. My son is getting ready to graduate. I think I’m more nervous about what the future holds than he is. It’s weird, knowing he’ll be gone.”
They reached the car. Franny walked around to the side of the car. He cupped his hands over the passenger window and looked in at the front seat.
“I know the feeling,” he said. “My two daughters live with me. Twin girls. Can’t even imagine what the house will be like when they’re gone.”
Franny opened the passenger door and leaned into the front seat. He looked around the car’s interior. He leaned past the front seat and looked at the bloodstained backseat.
“They’re only thirteen, but college seems like it’s just around the corner,” he said. “They’re a handful but I can’t imagine life without them. Even the weekends they’re with their mother, the house feels empty and—Jesus.”
Franny practically screamed the word. He stepped away from the car and turned to her. He stared at her, eyes hard, mouth half-open. He glanced over at the car again and turned back to her, the same confused, slightly alarmed expression on his face.
A reaction like that could mean only one thing: he’d found something.