Rose and Price were inside Lane Medical lurking in a hallway, watching the young woman fiddle with the vending machine down the hall from Damon’s room. An even younger deputy named Cameron was sitting in plain clothes on the bench next to his door. The department was on rotation to keep an eye on the suspect until the case could be officially closed.
“Hospital security is nice but Damon took on one of our own, so the sheriff wanted the department to handle it,” Price had told her earlier in the car as they drove from the house to the hospital.
Price had agreed to give her the ride to and from as a favor to their friendship since she wasn’t allowed back to work until the next day. Even though she had been resting—something Rose Little never did—he understood better than most that sometimes you had to see something all the way through before you couldstop looking at it. That friendship and understanding, though, apparently had limits.
“I have a feeling James wouldn’t be too happy about you sneaking away to go see the man who’s been trying to kill you,” he had said, flatly.
Rose had rolled her eyes.
“I’m not sneaking and I’m not going to see Damon either,” she had responded. “I’m going to see thepersonwho is seeing Damon. Plus, last I heard Damon hasn’t woken up yet.”
Price hadn’t seemed all that convinced.
“All I’m saying is that I’m not lying to James about where we’re going, so I’ll stay in the car while you figure it out.”
Rose had taken offense to that.
“Who said I have to lie to him? I’m a grown woman. I can go where I want.”
She had stayed true to that word. She hadn’t lied to James about where she was going. She had simply decided to leave him a note instead.
It wasn’t like shewasdoing anything wrong. And shewasa grown woman after all, but somehow she felt a whole lot of guilt for going. Doubly so that she hadn’t asked him to come too.
She had tried to reason with herself that it was because James had already been through so much because of her. He didn’t need to do the technical parts like tying up loose ends too.
Was this even a loose end, though?
Rose watched as the young Wynonna bought a drink. After she took the can, she stayed standing right there.
“Hey, why don’t you take Cameron to the cafeteria?”Rose said to Price. “They finished fixing it up already. I’ll even give you some cash to throw around.”
Price snorted.
“Spot me a ten and we’re in business, Little.”
She did but Rose knew he wouldn’t actually spend it. In all of the years of their friendship, he’d never taken her money. Just her barbs and stubbornness. Rose decided one day she should thank him for being such a good friend. Until then she waited for him to lead Cameron away and then walked over to meet Wynonna before she could go back inside.
Rose could see the red-rimmed eyes, the tiredness. She also saw recognition.
“You’re Deputy Little,” she said.
Rose gave her a polite smile.
“I am. And you’re Wynonna Harrison? Lloyd’s sister?”
If there was any resentment or anger or worry about Rose, someone who had been a strange part—but a part nonetheless—in her brother’s death, she didn’t show in. On the contrary, she also seemed polite.
“I am,” she said with a nod. “And I was really hoping to find you. Could we talk?”
They sat in the bench seats next to Damon’s door. The room next to it and across the hall were empty and the staff had just finished their rounds. The two women were alone for now.
And they both made quick use of that privacy, starting with Wynonna.
“I’ve already heard what the sheriff had to say and the detective too, but I’d really like to hear from you what happened the day my brother—” she stopped herselfand took a breath before continuing “—the other day. If you don’t mind.”
Rose didn’t.
She told the woman everything that had happened, leaving no details out. There was no way to soften the impact of Lloyd’s death, but Rose had seen enough in her career to know that having the whole story could help the loved ones left behind move on.
