Feeling wasted and one hundred years old, Luke pushed to his feet.
They regarded him with concern.
“Can you tell us what happened?” Ben asked.
Luke did so, as quickly as possible.
The officers had viewed his story with suspicion, yet not one of these four questioned it. Ben, Genevieve, Natasha, and Sebastian had no reason to have faith in him. But they did.
“What can we do to help?” Genevieve asked.
“I need an understanding ...” A lump lodged in his throat. “I need an understanding of Finley’s diagnosis and condition. Because of privacy regulations, they wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“I’m on it,” Sebastian said. “I have privileges here because I occasionally consult on cases.” He left the room.
“What else?” Ben asked.
“Finley will want someone to go by tonight and take care of her animals.”
“I’ll do it,” Genevieve said.
“I know Akira has a spare key to Finley’s house,” Ben said to Genevieve. “I’ll call her and arrange a way to get you the key.”
“Great. How many animals does she have?”
“She has a dog, a cat, a hedgehog, and a fish,” Luke answered.
“I don’t know how to care for a hedgehog, but I’ll figure it out.”
“Ask Akira.” Luke turned to Ben. “Please also ask her to notify the people close to Finley about her injury. Her friends, Meadow and Bridget. The employees at the Center.” He purposely didn’t mention Robbie and June because they might be somehow involved in this, somehow guilty. Until he knew if that was true, he didn’t want them near Finley.
“Are you planning to stay here?” Ben asked.
“Yes.”
“I’ll go by your apartment and get whatever you need. I’ll also bring food, so you’ll have something to eat.”
Luke didn’t bother telling him he had no appetite. Instead, he focused on Natasha. “If the police interrogate the Vance brothers, and if the brothers say I’m the one who stole the gold and hurt Finley, then I might need an attorney.”
“I’ve been on hiatus since I had kids,” Natasha told him. “But I’ve kept my license current, and I’ll come out of hiatus for you. I’m good and my services are, in your case, free.”
“You’re hired.”
Sebastian returned. “Finley’s CT scan showed mild traumatic brain injury. They’ve put her into a medically induced coma, which will slow down the metabolism of the brain and also slow down the swelling. Essentially, they’re giving her brain a rest, which is the best way to help it heal. As soon as they decide it’s safe, an anesthesiologist will reverse the coma, and they’ll bring her out of it.”
Coma. “I need a timeline,” Luke said.
“No one can give you an exact timeline. It’ll depend on how quickly the swelling subsides.”
“Are we talking a few hours or a few days?”
“A few days, I’d expect.”
“And how will this affect her?”
“Hard to know. In cases like these, age is one of the strongest indicators of a good prognosis. She’s just thirty years old, which is in her favor. They’re hopeful that she’ll make a complete recovery.”
“How long will it take her to recover?”
