بخش 02 - فصل 21

21

Holly reaches Todd Schneider’s personal assistant just as he’s getting ready to shut up shop and leave for the day. The PA says Mr. Schneider should be available between eight thirty and nine tomorrow. After that he has meetings all day.

Holly hangs up, washes her face in the tiny lavatory, reapplies deodorant, locks the office, and gets rolling toward Kiner Memorial just in time to catch the worst of the evening rush hour. It’s six o’clock and full dark by the time she arrives. The woman at the information desk checks her computer and tells her that Barbara Robinson is in Room 528 of Wing B.

“Is that Intensive Care?” Holly asks.

“No, ma’am.”

“Good,” Holly says, and sets sail, sensible low heels clacking.

The elevator doors open on the fifth floor and there, waiting to get on, are Barbara’s parents. Tanya has her cell phone in her hand, and looks at Holly as if at an apparition. Jim Robinson says he’ll be damned.

Holly shrinks a little. “What? Why are you looking at me that way? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Tanya says. “It’s just that I was going to call you—”

The elevator doors start to close. Jim sticks out an arm and they bounce back. Holly gets out.

“—as soon as we got down to the lobby,” Tanya resumes, and points to a sign on the wall. It shows a cell phone with a red line drawn through it.

“Me? Why? I thought it was just a broken leg. I mean, I know a broken leg is serious, of course it is, but—”

“She’s awake and she’s fine,” Jim says, but he and Tanya exchange a glance which suggests that isn’t precisely true. “It’s a pretty clean break, actually, but they found a nasty bump on the back of her head and decided to keep her overnight just to be on the safe side. The doc who fixed her leg said he’s ninety-nine percent sure she’ll be good to go in the morning.”

“They did a tox screen,” Tanya said. “No drugs in her system. I wasn’t surprised, but it was still a relief.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Everything,” Tanya says simply. She looks ten years older than when Holly saw her last. “Hilda Carver’s mom drove Barb and Hilda to school, it’s her week, and she said Barbara was fine in the car—a little quieter than usual, but otherwise fine. Barbara told Hilda she had to go to the bathroom, and that was the last Hilda saw of her. She said Barb must have left by one of the side doors in the gym. The kids actually call those the skip doors.”

“What does Barbara say?”

“She won’t tell us anything.” Her voice shakes, and Jim puts an arm around her. “But she says she’ll tell you. That’s why I was going to call you. She says you’re the only one who might understand.”