Tighe started to sweat.
"Billy got to be an astronaut. Uncle Boyd's friend, Mr. Hal, said I was a ballerina. It was fun. I turned too much and got dizzy. Mr. Hal took off my dress. I said stop. Uncle Boyd said we were going to play hot potato. They didn't play it right. I was the potato. When the music stopped, they touched me in bad places with their peepee. Please don't make me play the game again." Lissa shook and sobbed, trying to crawl into Tighe’s arms, the tubes and the loss of her leg hampering her.
"Come here." Blinking back his own tears, he scooped her into his arms and rubbed her back. "You never have to play that game again." Joyce and Tuck sat statue-still.
Lissa burrowed into him. "Uncle Tighe, another man, Mr. Clay. He was meanerest. He hurted me mostest. Uncle Boyd yelled at him, and I kicked him. Next I 'member, you was reading a story in a funny voice. Can you read it to me again?" she sniffled.
"Anything you want, Lissa. You are such a brave girl." Tighe pulled the story up on his phone, trying hard not to let her see his raw feelings.
"I'll be back in a minute, Lissa. What kind of Jell-O would you like?" Tucker asked. "Green?"
"How did you know I like green?" Lissa smiled.
"A good guess, darlin'." There were six different green crayons on her bed table.
Elizabeth found Lola in the arms of the man who sat behind Martin in the courtroom. "You’re going to be the most spoiled baby in the world." Lola's tiny hand pulled on his lip.
"Mr. Chase?" Elizabeth asked.
"Kieran. Dr. Reed?"
"Beth. Hello, baby girl, how are you today?"
Kieran placed her in Elizabeth's arms. "She's beautiful. We were discussing whether she is going to be a girly girl or tomboy. What were you?"
"What was I? Until I met..." Elizabeth closed her eyes. "I was a girly girl. And then in high school, I guess I was a bit of both."
"Martin will fix this," Seth said.
"Some things can't be fixed. That happens in fairy tales. Seth, tomorrow is my father's wake. I'll be in after." Elizabeth made a funny face at Lola.
"I promise we’ll be fine. Lola and I have our morning routine, right, princess?" The baby blew a raspberry.
Elizabeth laughed. "Look, I’m fine. Please stop with the sad faces."
"Would you join me for dinner this evening, Beth? I would like to speak with you about a few things. Here isn't the place." Kieran's tone remained unusually soft for the tougher Chase brother.
"I'd like to spend the remainder of the afternoon here, Mr. Chase. My colleague is performing a difficult surgery. I plan to assist him, and then I will head home. Any time after that." She sat in the rocker with Lola as if they were the only ones in the room. Elizabeth was finished talking.
Martin rested on the thin mattress. He knew by all reports if he was going to be harassed, it would be after dark. And if his plan worked, it would occur sooner rather than later. The window slot slid open with a click. "Prisoner, stand," a female voice called.
This was part of the standard check procedure. "Yes, CO." Soon, she was on to the next cell. Martin returned to his bed. Worries about Elizabeth and Lola alternated with his thoughts about the operation.
Kieran paced while listening to his personnel's reports. He was already distraught about Troy's condition.
Zach opened his briefcase. "Cordelia Snow's people delivered a copy of the disclosures from the prosecution. The gun had Martin's fingerprints on it. The murder weapon was confirmed as the P228 his parents purchased for him. The blood on Martin's shirt, just like he thought, appeared to be contact drops. I want our people back in the Reed home. It will be easier with Beth’s permission? I think we will find the rug covered with spatter and that Martin was placed on top of it. The lab tests showed Martin had an atypical opiate in his system. Our people are still trying to narrow it down."
"Josh called in. He's worried. None of our guys are assigned to the SHU. At this point, Martin's on his own." Mike said, "Wes is trying to manipulate the schedule."
Tate continued with his report, "Young and Murray haven't returned Ford's calls. Lissa told Tighe that Mr. Hal and Mr. Clay hurt her. We failed to put a tracker on Jenner. He's careful—our bugs picked up nothing pertinent.”
Kieran kicked a wastebasket in frustration.
"Boss, we’re trying, but nothing is coalescing. TJ is going to make an attempt at McAllister tomorrow. His paperwork says he’s an administrative transfer for disciplinary reasons. He slept with a prisoner and paid her in drugs, but no proof was found. We’re hopeful McAllister will bite," Tate said.
The group rehashed the case one more time before heading out to their assignments.
Julian brought Elizabeth to the hotel the Chase group controlled. Dark circles rested beneath her eyes after Troy's latest surgery. Kieran had arranged for a private meal in his suite. "Can I offer you something to drink?"
