Option to Kill (Nathan McBride 3) (30 page)

“A little sleepy.”

“You were asleep. You woke up just now?”

Abrille nodded.

“Do you think you can walk okay?”

Another nod.

Dr. Reavie offered his hand, and, surprisingly, she took it. Nathan had fully expected her to cringe away from him or act apprehensive, but Abrille did neither.

Hand in hand, Dr. Reavie and Abrille walked toward the entrance. Abrille was hunched slightly, probably from pain. Nathan motioned with his head to Lauren. She climbed out and took his hand. Just inside the door to the right was a small waiting area. Nathan closed the front door and sat down. Lauren took a seat next to him.

“Is Abrille going to be okay?” Lauren asked.

“I think so, but let’s see what Dr. Reavie says.”

The moment of truth would arrive soon. Nathan’s situation would either become significantly more complicated or remain relatively stable. Everything hinged on whether Abrille needed emergency treatment at a hospital. Nathan leaned his head back and tried to remain optimistic. If Abrille had to be admitted for emergency care, someone would have to assume the legal-guardian role, and it looked as though that someone was him. A horrible crime had been committed against Abrille, and Nathan knew the police would get involved. If an SDPD unit arrived to take a report, would Nathan be recognized? His face had been recorded on video at several different locations tonight. The best images probably came from Nordstrom, where the lighting was brightest. He didn’t know how fast the SDPD ballistics lab processed evidence, but his shell casings and any recovered slugs from the initial crash site at Ulric would match the shell casings from the grocery store shooting, and now the Tecate Palms Motel as well. It was a good bet Nathan’s photo had been circulated to every law enforcement agency in San Diego County.

Nathan didn’t think Abrille’s condition looked life-threatening, but he wasn’t making the assessment. Dr. Reavie was. Either way, once Special Agent Mary Grangeland arrived, she’d become a tremendous asset. As a material witness and organized-crime victim, Abrille would benefit from the protection and resources of the FBI. She’d likely be placed in the witness security program. Ironically, that was the same program Lauren had thought she was entering when Voda first kidnapped her.

Dr. Reavie entered the waiting area.

“Jane and Linda are getting Abrille prepped.”

“Dr. Reavie, this is Lauren.”

In a formal manner, Lauren shook hands.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lauren.”

“Nice to meet you too. Are you going to operate on Abrille?”

“I hope we won’t need to, but we better have a look and see.”

“Thank you again for doing this,” Nathan said. “It’s very generous of you.”

“I’m just glad to be able to help. Hopefully she’s got a localized infection on the abdominal wall or just under the skin that I can treat here.”

“I hope so too. First names?” Nathan asked.

“Doug.”

“Nathan.” They shook hands again. “I forget when, but I think Harv mentioned you work with your wife as a team?”

“Yes, Jane is a CRNA and does a great job as a nurse anesthetist. We work together well. Jane also participates on our trips to Mexico where we repair cleft lips and palates in children.”

“You do that pro bono.” It wasn’t a question.

Doug nodded. “Since I wasn’t sure what we’d be facing, I asked Linda, my surgical nurse, to be present as well.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I hadn’t realized what was involved.”

“Again, there’s no need to apologize. Emergencies happen. I’m glad to help. Regarding the ace I mentioned on the phone, I have a good friend in charge of the juvenile division of the district attorney’s office who could help us with reporting this discreetly. I’ve done some free plastic-surgery treatment for some of her victims, and I think she’ll help us.”

“Report what?” Lauren asked.

Nathan answered for the doctor. “What happened to Abrille has to be reported to Child Protective Services. She’s a victim of a violent crime, and she needs to be protected. I’m sure Doug needs to do some pre-op work, so let’s allow him to get started.” He looked at Dr. Reavie. “May I tell you something with doctor-patient privilege?”

“If it’s about tonight’s activities, it’s probably better if you don’t.”

“Lauren is my niece. I just found out tonight that I have a half-sister I never knew about.”

Doug’s expression remained somewhat guarded. “That’s got to be quite a shocker.”

“To put it mildly. Harv’s never actually said it, but I know he thinks of you like family, and Harv’s like a brother to me. I guess that makes our connection like family too.”

“That’s very kind of you to say.”

“I never properly thanked you for helping us last year. You were more than generous.”

“Thank you for sending the flowers.”

Nathan and Lauren took seats in the waiting room while Doug locked the front door.

“Would you like something to drink? There’s a refrigerator in the back help yourselves. If you need it, the bathroom’s right around the corner.”

“Thanks, Doug.”

“This may not take long.”

“Can I watch?” Lauren asked.

“I think that’s a question for your uncle.” Doug looked at Nathan. “If Lauren’s presence has a comforting effect, she could stay until Abrille is sedated, but not after that.”

“I think it’s best if we let Doug do his job without him having to worry about us.”

Doug turned, then stopped. “Abrille will need follow-up care. Do you have something arranged?”

“Yes. Special Agent Grangeland’s on her way.”

“I remember her.”

Nathan smiled. “Most people do.”

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes again. Holly was right, he needed some rack time, but dozing off in front of Lauren wasn’t a good idea. His recurring nightmares could be a problem. She’d have to be formally warned about the danger of waking him. At his La Jolla home, she’d awakened him from a light sleep, so it hadn’t been dangerous. Harv often joked about using a ten-foot pole to wake him, and unfortunately, that humor had roots in the truth. If Nathan were to enter REM sleep, waking him suddenly could have catastrophic results. Before he’d met Holly, one of his first attempts at having a relationship with a girlfriend had ended badly. Even though Nathan had warned her to wake him from a safe distance, she’d given him a little shake and ended up in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder and two broken fingers. The emergency-room scene had been awkward at best, downright humiliating at worst. Despite his girlfriend’s insistence that Nathan hadn’t done it on purpose, no one believed her explanation. They just assumed she was another battered victim who was protecting her abuser. And Nathan’s scarred face only made things worse. He’d never forget the looks of contempt from the emergency room’s staff. Despite pressure from the attending ER doctor, his girlfriend hadn’t pressed charges because she knew Nathan hadn’t intended to hurt her. A week later, he’d gotten a “Dear John” email.

Holly had said she’d take care of the call to Grangeland, but he tapped her number from his contacts list and got dumped into voice mail she was probably on the phone. He left her a message supplying her with Doug’s address and also told her he was lying down for a catnap. She’d know not to call.

“I’m going to get some shut-eye in one of Doug’s examination rooms. Are you okay out here for a spell?”

“You can’t sleep out here?”

“Again, let’s just say it’s complicated.”

“It’s your nightmares, isn’t it?”

He nodded. “Just knock on the door and make sure I’m awake before anyone comes in. Tell Doug to knock, okay?”

“Why hasn’t my mom called?”

“I’m sure she’s okay. Try not to think about it.”

He left the waiting room for some much-needed rest…

And awoke with a start. What the hell was that sound? There it was again. Knocking. He looked around, quickly orienting himself.

“I’m awake.”

He glanced at his watch. Only twenty-five minutes had passed. He got up from the floor, stretched, and opened the door. Dr. Reavie greeted him.

“How’s Abrille? Is she okay?”

“Yes, she doesn’t have sepsis, like I suspected, but she does have an infection in her abdominal wall. I’ve got her on sulfa antibiotics, and I don’t think she’ll have any problem recovering, so at this point she doesn’t need to be transferred to Pomerado.”

“Well, that’s good news.”

Doug’s expression remained serious.

“What is it?” Nathan asked.

“You aren’t going to believe what we found.”

Episode Six

Chapter 24

Doug handed Nathan a small Ziploc bag.

“Tell me you’re kidding,” Nathan said.

Ten beautifully cut gemstones sparkled in the fluorescent light.

“Alexandrites,” Doug said. “And nice quality.”

“Incredible.”

“I found them just beneath her Scarpa’s fascia, a fibrous layer in the fat. They were probably aligned along the length of the incision to look less obvious.”

“That makes sense. I hadn’t noticed anything other than the staples.”

“The swelling helped hide them as well. Abrille has low body fat on her abdomen, which could explain why they were under the fascia but not as deep as the muscle. But anyone with medical knowledge would’ve been able to feel them just like I did when I palpated the area. Linda’s putting on the bandages right now. I had to close the wound loosely because the infected tissues may need to drain, but if the scar doesn’t heal nicely, I can revise it later.”

“So you think Abrille’s going to be okay?”

Doug nodded. “Even though the wound was purulent and inflamed, the infection was localized to the subcutaneous fat and Scarpa’s fascia. It didn’t extend to the deep fascia. I irrigated it with antiseptic solution, and it looks pretty good. I think with the combination of cleansing it well, the antibiotics, and her youth, Abrille should make a full recovery.”

“That’s great news. Do you think this wound was created solely for the purpose of implanting these gemstones?”

“In my opinion, yes. She probably got the infection because one or more of the alexandrites wasn’t properly sterilized.”

“She’s a human courier,” Nathan said under his breath. He poured the gemstones out of the Ziploc onto the examination table and removed the paper from his pocket.

“Doug, help me out here. Take a look and tell me what you think.” As he spoke, Lauren entered the room and stood near the door. “We can ignore the fourth column — it’s a set of GPS coordinates. If we assume each line represents one of these alexandrites, what do the numbers mean?”

“Maybe the carat weight for each stone?” Doug asked. “They look like they range in size with the list.”

“Agreed,” Nathan said. “What about the second number?”

“I’m not sure. Diamonds are graded with the four
C
s. It might have something to do with grading.”

“Are alexandrites graded like diamonds?”

“I don’t know, but I suppose they could be.”