Sara pointed the way to her bathroom. As soon as she was gone, Sara said, “Of course Greer can’t go anywhere in public. People think she’s dead and someone knows Rachel is dead.Iam going to go see Alish.”
“They won’t let you in,” Randal said. “You’re not a relative.”
“We could lie.” Kate obviously assumed that they’d all go.
“No.” Sara looked at them. “You three are people who get attention. Jack, the nurses will recognize you from the Brigade, and Randal, wherever you go, people notice you. Kate, those overworked doctors would probably propose to you.”
They didn’t reply because they knew she was right.
“I’ll take a cane,” Sara said. “No one will even look at me.” She turned to her brother. “Can you find out where she is? Her room number? I hope she’s not in the ICU.”
“Felldown the stairs?” Jack said. “We’re supposed to believe that’s just a coincidence, what with all that’s going on?”
Sara looked at Kate. “We need to coordinate this. You keep Reid busy while I go to the hospital.”
“Like hell she will!” Jack said. “She—”
Randal ignored Jack’s outburst. “Reid, Alish, Greer. The whole family comes up often. Didn’t I hear that Ivy is on a job in St. Petersburg?”
“That has nothing to do with anything,” Jack snapped. “Kate isn’t going to go—”
Kate looked at her father. “Of course! Reid lives and works in St. Pete.” She turned to Jack. “Stop bossing me around and text your sister. Ivy needs to do some spying. On second thought, I’ll text her. You’ll tell her three words.”
“And you’ll write a book,” Jack said.
Sara and Randal said in unison, “It’s a perfect match.” They smiled at each other. Sara was going to miss her brother when he moved in with Lea—if she hadn’t killed anyone, that is.
When Greer came out of Sara’s bedroom, everyone went silent. “Did I give you enough time to figure things out?”
No one replied.
Greer looked at Sara. “I’m going to the hospital to see my grandmother. I can show my passport to prove that I’m related to her. If I do that, I figure it’ll take about four minutes for the killer to hear that I am actually alive. I wasn’t run over by a train, and I wasn’t left dead on Jack’s bed. That should stir things up quickly.”
They were staring at her in shock.
“Unless you figure out another way to get me in to see my grandmother, that is,” Greer said. “Do that, and I’ll play nice. Whatever, Iamgoing to see her!” She looked at their silent faces. “Anyone have any idea how to do it?”
“Carol Burnett,” Sara said.
Randal smiled in understanding but the young ones looked blank. “That might work,” Randal said.
Twenty-Two
The disguise Sara had planned for Greer was to go as a gray-haired cleaning person. Randal made a call, then told them that Alish wasn’t in the ICU, but she had ano visitorsstatus. Not even relatives were allowed in to see her.
Sara said, “I guess that’s off, then.”
Randal gave a snort. “Oh ye of little faith.” He said they’d need ID badges and that was no problem. It was easy to someone with Randal’s criminal past. A quick trip to an office supply store and Randal had what he needed. By the time Kate had applied makeup to Greer and Sara, and had chosen outfits for them, Randal had an ID for Greer and a visitor pass for his sister.
After Kate got through with her aunt, Sara stared at herself in the mirror. She looked twenty years older. “If this is what you wanted, all I had to do was wash my face,” she muttered.
There was a lot of suppressed laughter.
Minutes later, Sara and Greer were ready to go.
“You’ll go see Billy?” Sara asked Kate.
“Yes, I told you,” Kate said. “I’ll grill him hard. Jack will threaten to punch him if he doesn’t tell us everything. Tennis, movies, all of it.”
