A few seconds of silence passed.
“Was this part of your investigation?”
“No. I overstepped.”
“You overstepped? You’re telling me that you could be the reason Vine targeted my sister? I can’t believe that you put her in danger like that.”
“It was a lapse in judgment. I was worried about my partner—” Ben stopped talking. There was really no excuse for what he had done.
“I don’t even know what to say. Who knows what horrible things happened to her during her captivity. And you’re responsible.”
She tossed the remainder of her food in the trash and left him sitting in the waiting room.
It crushed Ben that Lainie was probably right.
CHAPTER 40
It was early in the morning by the time fingerprints confirmed what Lainie knew. The woman in CCU in a coma was her sister, Evie. The joy was somewhat tempered by what Ben had told her. His actions were completely unprofessional.
Lainie tried to puzzle everything out. Efren went missing before Evie—most likely because his cover was blown. Then his partner contacted Evie, and Evie went missing. True, Stan had told Lainie Vine took Evie because he found out about the missing money, but there was no way to confirm his story. However, it was a fact that Efren was a federal agent undercover. He got close to Evie and Stan. Stan could be lying because he had something to do with Efren’s disappearance.
She’d left Ben in the waiting area, grabbed some coffee, and now sat next to the bed and held Evie’s hand, once again whispering to her sister and trying not to let the anger dominate. Was that why Evie had called her, to tell her that she’d been contacted by a stupid FBI agent and she wanted to know what to do?
Lainie took several deep breaths, tried to relax and forget Ben Isaacs. Evie was alive, that was all that mattered. And maybe she nowheld the key to arresting Vine. She spoke to her sister, wanting to believe that in spite of the coma she could hear.
“I’m so sorry that you’re here like this, Evie. I’m sorry that I didn’t call you back right away. I’m sorry that I walked away from my faith. I’m sorry for so much.”
Then she sat quietly, sipping her coffee and praying.
“Detective.”
Lainie turned to find Dr. Hardin.
“We need to do our morning assessment, change her bedding, et cetera. You’ll need to wait in the waiting room.”
“Of course. I know you started weaning her off the medication that is keeping her in a coma. How long before she wakes up?”
“It’s hard to say. Weaning off the drugs is a process. Brain swelling has resolved, so I’m optimistic that she’ll start to wake up before the medication is at zero.”
“Do you think there will be any permanent damage?” Lainie wondered if her sister would be impaired in some way.
“That’s also nothing I can tell you with certainty right now. However, she responded quickly and efficiently to the treatment. That’s promising. I will caution you about one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“While she may wake up and seem normal, she may not be able to help you with the information you’re hoping to get out of her. Even if there is no permanent damage, disorientation, memory loss, confusion all are likely to be present for a few days, maybe longer.”
Lainie nodded. “I understand.”
She kissed Evie on the cheek and left the doctor and nurse to go about their business. She’d felt Evie’s pulse—it was sure and strong. And she’d prayed as hard as she could. Her sister was in God’s hands, she always had been, and that gave Lainie great peace. Her steps felt lighter as she joined her colleagues in the waiting room.
“Awesome.” Shea’s face split in a wide grin. He wrapped Lainie ina hug. “I’m glad something has worked out well in this crazy case,” he said when he let her go.
“Me too.” She nodded to Gardner but noticed Collins was absent.
“Where’s your partner?” Lainie wanted all hands on deck now. Except Isaacs. He was absent now, and she wanted it to stay that way. Though she’d grown to like him, even welcome his presence, now she never wanted to see him again.
“He stayed in Long Beach to coordinate with the Feds. There are now three teams working on this.”
