Tunnel Vision (26 page)

“If you ever touch me again, Tim, I’ll arrest you for assaulting a police officer.”

“What the hell happened, Brodie? Were you drunk again?”

She couldn’t blame him for assuming the worst and lowered her voice as she spoke to him. “No. I would never hurt her.”

“You’re responsible for her training, goddammit!”

“It’s not my job to watch her during her off-duty hours!”

“Then find whoever did it! I want to be there when you interrogate the son-of-a-bitch.”

“You don’t have any jurisdiction here. As a matter of fact, now that you’re retired, you don’t have jurisdiction anywhere. So why don’t you go back in there and take care of your daughter and let us take care of finding the person responsible.”

She left Tim Weston and his sons standing in the corridor of the treatment area and pushed open the swinging doors with enough force to slam them against the walls of the waiting area. As soon as she spotted Nicholls, she motioned for him to follow her outside. Leaning against the wall, she lit a cigarette and took a long drag to calm her nerves.

“How is she, RB?” Nicholls frowned.

“Lucky,” she said as she exhaled. “I want you to go over to where she was found. Make sure the lab doesn’t fuck up the scene. And make sure they cover everything. Tonight! I want preliminary reports on my desk by the time the sun comes up!”

“Roger that,” Nicholls said as he turned to leave.

“And Nicholls,” she said. “Get an officer over here to guard her room. I’ll join you after he arrives.”

As soon as she saw Tim and Peg Weston pull away from the hospital parking lot, Brodie re-entered the hospital through the emergency entrance and got Maggie’s room number from the emergency room clerk. It was three forty-five in the morning by the time she made her way through the winding hospital corridors toward the elevators. There was still some activity in a few of the labs even in the middle of the night. The walls were lined with framed pictures of the doctors who practiced in the hospital and she wondered why they had been relegated to the basement instead of an area where more people could see them. Colored lines on the floor branched off into the various sections of the hospital. She finally found the public elevators and pushed the button for the fourth floor.

The main hospital was configured in three circles joined by carpeted corridors. Just off the elevator was a bank of pay phones. Bleary-eyed family members leaned against the wall, explaining the situations of their particular loved ones to someone else. As she proceeded down the hall, she saw a waiting room off the main corridor. She looked inside and found a cluster of vending machines offering candy, cold food and weak coffee. She searched through her pockets and managed to come up with enough change for one cup. She could see the bottom of the cup through the coffee, but at least it was hot. She carried it carefully as she approached the nurse’s station in the center of one of the circular wings of the building. A young woman dressed in jeans and a western shirt topped by a navy blue smock greeted her at the desk.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” the clerk asked.

“Which room is Maggie Weston’s?” she asked quietly as she glanced around the circle.

“Unless you’re a family member, you’ll have to come back during regular visiting hours.”

She brought out her badge for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening and showed it to the clerk.

“I doubt you’ll be able to speak to her, officer. She’s been sedated and should be asleep.”

“I know. I won’t be here long. There’ll be a uniformed officer stationed outside her room in a little while.”

“Let me check with the charge nurse.”

The woman looked around until she spotted an older woman coming out of one of the rooms. She went to the far side of the station and spoke in a low voice to the nurse. The nurse looked around her at Brodie and their conversation continued for a few more seconds.

“You can go in for a few minutes, officer, but please don’t try to wake her,” the clerk said as she returned.

“Thanks. Which room?”

“Four sixteen. It’s a private room.”

Brodie walked around the nurse’s station. Most of the doors leading into rooms were closed. Nurses were busy waking patients up for blood pressure checks or medication in some of the rooms. The door to Maggie’s room was slightly ajar and she pushed it open slowly, just enough to squeeze in. Except for corridor light filtering in through the partially opened door, the room was dark. It took a few minutes for her eyes to completely adjust to the dim lighting. Maggie was asleep and despite the swelling and bruising on her face, she seemed peaceful. A steady drip of clear liquid ran down the IV tubing into her arm, a green light blinking steadily on the machine controlling the drip.She set her coffee on the rolling tray and put her hand out to touch Maggie, but drew it back, clenching it into a fist before it made contact.

“Don’t touch her!” a man’s voice ordered. “You’ve already done enough!”

Brodie looked up and saw Sean and Liam standing in the doorway to the room. She took a step away from the bed.

“We need to talk, Brodie,” Sean said, anger in his voice.

“Not in here.”

She took a last glance at the sleeping form on the hospital bed and followed Sean out of the room. Liam fell in behind her and her muscles tensed. Sean walked past the elevators and shoved open the door to the stairwell. She hesitated, but Liam’s hand on her back forced her forward. They made their way down two flights of stairs before Sean stopped on the cramped landing and whirled around, the back of his hand striking Brodie’s face with all the pent up anger inside him. She fell to her knees and tasted blood in her mouth. “You’re a gutless bitch, you know that Brodie?” he hissed.

“I didn’t…,” she started.

“Didn’t what? Beat the shit out of my sister again?” His arm came around and struck her a second time. Her glasses flew off her face from the force of the blow. She drew a hand across her mouth and stared at the blood on it. Hands grabbed her from behind and dragged her up. “I didn’t hurt Maggie,”

she managed. “Maybe you should do something about Tim hitting her.”

“I’m gonna mess you up, Brodie.” Sean was

talking through clenched teeth. A strong blow caught her in the abdomen and dropped her back to her knees. She wrapped one arm around her waist and tried to catch her breath.

“You tore our family apart!” he yelled as his foot came up and struck the side of her head. She fell onto her side and covered her body the best she could from further blows. She was gasping for air as a foot caught her in the abdomen.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard a voice close to her ear. “I should kill you right now, bitch. If you report this to anyone, we’ll both swear you fell down the stairs. It’s your word against ours. Am I making myself clear?”

Brodie nodded her head the best she could. She heard heavy footsteps going up the stairwell as tears rolled from her eyes.

Chapter Ten

“WHAT THE HELL happened to you?” Nicholls

asked when he saw Brodie’s face the next morning.

“Bar fight,” she mumbled, wincing from her split and swollen lip.

“You’re too fuckin’ old for that shit. What the hell were you…”

“You got the report on Maggie’s attack?” she interrupted.

“Yeah. Not much there,” he said, shaking his head. “Looks like she was grabbed from behind and dragged behind some bushes. Probably never saw her attacker. Forensics got a few shots of some footprints, but a lot of people have been through there. It’s a shortcut to the university.”

Brodie flipped through the folder. Blood was found at the scene, but it was probably Maggie’s. A few old cigarette butts and candy bars were found and taken for fingerprinting and DNA testing.”

“When’s Maggie being released from the

hospital?” Nicholls asked.

“Probably in a few days. They’re running some tests to make sure there wasn’t a more serious brain injury than the first scans showed.”

A WEEK LATER, Brodie, accompanied by

Nicholls, knocked at the door of Maggie’s duplex and waited. Maggie had spent four days in the hospital and although she had already been home three days, Brodie had been reluctant to visit her until her own injuries had faded. She had gone to the hospital twice, but only to inquire about her status in an official capacity. She didn’t feel like having another confrontation with Tim or any other member of the Weston family. There was nothing to be gained by upsetting Maggie. Other than the lingering soreness to her ribs Brodie appeared to be back to normal except for a couple of small bruises on her jaw. The door finally opened and Maggie’s face peeked around the door. When she saw who it was, she opened the door all the way. She was dressed in an oversized velour bathrobe and slippers. Her hair hung loosely around her face.

“Jesus, Weston, you look like a fuckin’ raccoon,”

Nicholls said with a smile.

“Thanks, Nicholls,” Maggie said as she attempted a slight smile. “I feel much better now. Come in.”

“You and RB could have passed for twins a week ago,” he said as he entered the house and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

Brodie waited until she was inside before

removing her sunglasses.

Maggie stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

“Brodie hoisted a few after your attack and lost a fist fight,” Nicholls said.

“It was nothing,” Brodie said. “I’ve been in worse.”

“Please, sit down,” Maggie said, continuing to stare at Brodie. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“I’ll get it. Where’s the kitchen?” Nicholls asked. Maggie pointed over her shoulder and he

followed the direction of her finger. She took a step closer to Brodie and brought her hand up to touch her lieutenant’s face. Brodie caught her wrist and stopped Maggie’s hand.

“So how’re you feeling, Maggie?” Brodie asked, shifting the conversation back to Maggie.

“Sore, but other than that, and a case of

humiliation, I’m okay,” Maggie answered as she lowered her body slowly onto the couch.

“You’re not okay, but you’ll survive.”

“The beer looked enticing, but unfortunately I remembered we were still on duty,” Nicholls said as he came out of the kitchen carrying three glasses.

“It’s Sunday,” Maggie said.

“RB couldn’t quit thinking about the murders, so here we are. Besides, she’s driving us all nuts demanding reports and every other damn thing on your case. When are you coming back so we can get a break?”

“The doctors say by next Monday, I hope.”

“Give her the files,” Brodie ordered.

“What files?” Maggie asked.

“The ones from the Brauner and Garcia cases,”

Nicholls said as he opened his briefcase and handed her a stack of manila folders. “Since you’re just sittin’

around all day watchin’ your bruises change color, you might as well do a little work to take your mind off your aches and pains.”

“We’ve been over these a thousand times

already,” she said looking at the stack.

“Well, now it’ll be a thousand and one,” Brodie said. “There are a few new things. Nicholls and I finished the interviews with everyone we could get hold of. Somewhere in those files is something that’s trying to catch our attention, but we just haven’t seen it yet. Go over them again and write down anything we might have overlooked. It could be something so obvious that we bypassed it or it could be something more obscure.”

“You mean like a gut feeling?”

“Yeah. So far your hunches have been pretty damn good and it’s been a few days since you’ve looked through them so you’re more detached than Nicholls and I are right now. You’ve had other things on your mind besides the cases.”

“I’m nearly cross-eyed from reading them,”

Nicholls said. “I know what’s on the next page before I even turn it. I can recite it in my sleep.”

“We get the idea, Nicholls,” Brodie frowned.

“Okay,” Maggie said looking at the folders. “But if you two haven’t found anything, I might overlook it, too.”

Brodie got up and slid her sunglasses back on.

“We better get going.”

“Where are you off to now?” Maggie asked.

“Nicholls is going to attempt to show me the value of computers in police work,” Brodie smirked.

“Probably going to be like trying to teach a dinosaur to use a litter box,” he quipped.

“Ouch!” Maggie laughed. “That’s harsh,

Nicholls.”

“If that’s a crack about my age, Nicholls, we could go a few rounds in the gym,” Brodie said. “After last week I obviously need some work-out time.”

BRODIE LEFT THE office that evening as the sun was setting and drove to a fast food chicken joint. She placed her order and then found herself driving toward Maggie’s duplex. At first she drove past, then circled the block and stopped in front, sitting in the car a few minutes finishing a cigarette. As she crushed it out in the ashtray, she took a deep breath, picked up the chicken and walked to the front door, waving at the police car parked across the street.

“Royce,” Maggie said when she saw her at the door. “I haven’t gone over the files yet. I didn’t know you wanted feedback so quickly.”

“I don’t, but I thought you might not feel like cooking so I picked up some chicken.”

“You must have a full-service police department if you make deliveries.”

“The sooner I can get you back to work, the better.”

“I’m sorry. Come in.”

Brodie entered the living room and carried the boxes of chicken into the kitchen. She looked through a couple of cabinets before finding plates, filled two with food, taking soft drinks from the refrigerator before carrying the plates and drinks back into the living room. Maggie was sitting on the couch when she handed her a plate.

“Looks good,” Maggie said as she took it.

“Thanks.”

“Hope you don’t mind if I kinda poked around in the kitchen.” Brodie said as she sat down in the chair across from Maggie.

“As long as you didn’t find my secret stash of drugs.”

“You mean those painkillers over the sink?”

“Yeah.” Maggie smiled. “They work great.”