Diana shook her head.“Not without spending money.And his credit card is flagged, too.”
So probably not.“Let me know if you hear anything,” I said.
She nodded.“Thanks for all your help, Gina.”
Oh, sure.Big help I’d been.“This wasn’t what you signed up for when you gave me this job.It got really complicated really fast.”Kidnapping and human trafficking and murder…
“No,” Diana agreed.“But at least it doesn’t look as if he’s cheating.”
It didn’t.And probably a positive sign that she could see the silver lining.
I let her out and waved her off, and went back inside to Edwina.And no sooner had I sat down at the desk, than my phone rang.
“It’s me,” Rachel’s voice said.“Get me out of here.”
I blinked.“The hospital?Are you in the hospital?”
“Yes!And I want to go home.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea…” Especially if she had a concussion.She lived alone, didn’t she?“Will they let you leave?”
“If I have someone who’ll stay with me,” Rachel said.“I’ll come to the office.We can stay together.”
Oh, sure.Like I’d let her sit here all day, when she should probably be in bed.
On the other hand, if I didn’t go there and pick her up, she’d probably just get someone else to do it.She must have other friends.I guess I should be flattered that she’d called me first.“Just hang on.Don’t go anywhere.I’ll be there.”
We could update Zachary, too, while we were at it.
So I loaded Edwina back into the car, and took her with me.She wasn’t allowed inside the hospital, of course, but the weather was cool enough even in the middle of the day that she’d be OK in the car for a bit.I cracked a window to make sure she had enough air, and trusted that she’d bite anyone who stuck a hand in.“I’ll be right back.I promise.”
This situation was untenable.I didn’t dare leave the dog alone in David’s penthouse—my penthouse now, but with all his fancy purchases in it; fancy purchases she could poop on and chew to bits—but I couldn’t keep dragging her around with me, either.She hardly ever felt grass under her paws, poor thing.She just went from car to office to car to apartment.It wasn’t fair to her.
And then there was Rachel.And Zachary, who couldn’t stay with Rachel if Rachel had a concussion.She’d offered to take him, but now that she was injured too, she was in no position to take care of him as well as herself.And there wasn’t enough room in the penthouse for even one of them (in addition to me and Edwina), let alone both.
“Here’s what we’ll do,” I told Rachel when I’d found her.“We’ll go see Zachary and update him on what happened yesterday.And see when they’ll let him leave the hospital.”
It probably wouldn’t be today, but maybe tomorrow.
“Then I’ll take you home so you can pack a bag.And then we’ll all move into the house in Hillwood together.”
There was plenty of room there, as well as grass for the dog.And I should probably check up on the renovations, anyway, and put some pressure on the construction crew to finish the job.I hadn’t made it out there much while I’d been cramming for my PI license, and of course the past few days had been full of Steven and all his doings.
“I thought your house in Hillwood was under construction,” Rachel said.
“Yes and no.The fire last month took out the ceiling in the family room and the floor in the master bedroom, and part of the exterior wall in both.That’s all been fixed, even if the drywall hasn’t been painted and the new wood floors aren’t in.”At least those details hadn’t been done the last time I was out there to check on progress.“The master bedroom isn’t habitable.But there are plenty of other bedrooms.Enough for all of us.”
Rachel looked unconvinced.
“It’ll be good for Edwina, too,” I added.“I can’t leave her alone in David’s penthouse.And I’m sure she’d like a yard.She used to have one.”And the house in Hillwood had a yard that put Griselda Grimshaw’s to shame.
“You don’t have to stay long,” I added.“But it makes more sense than anything else.As soon as you feel well enough, you can go home to your own house.”
“I feel well enough now,” Rachel grumbled.
Her pupils were the same size again.That was probably a good sign.But a bit smaller than they ought to be.I deduced she was probably riding high on some sort of heavy duty pain killer, and once it wore off she’d feel a lot worse than she did right now.“Just give it a day or two.Zachary will probably be more likely to agree if you’re there, and it isn’t just me.”
Rachel sighed.“Fine.If you’re sure it isn’t an imposition.”
