"If they can get in there to investigate. The place was still smoking in areas this morning, and crews were putting out hot spots. Not to mention, who knows what damage was done during the explosion? I don't know how it all works. I leave that up to the professionals, but I do know from my own experience, investigations take time. If they come out with results too quickly, they will probably be the wrong results. This rain isn't going to help things." She pointed to the windshield where a few stray drops of rain had started to fall.
"Nothing's ever easy." Franks sighed.
"We wouldn't have jobs if it were." Amy slid her laptop back into her bag as Franks pulled into the parking lot of the café. "What's good here?"
"Everything. I haven't had a bad meal here. I'm getting a pastrami burger and onion rings." Franks got out of the car and waited for her before heading inside. It was a casual seat-yourself place and he took a booth toward the back where they could talk about the case without others hearing.
"Onion rings? Do I need to remind you we're interviewing people this afternoon?" Amy raised a brow.
"I've got gum." Franks smirked. "Got to tell you, Angus never warned me away from eating onions for lunch."
"Do not start comparing me to Angus. More than once, I've smelled you two coming back from lunch with garlic and onion on your breath. He's just a co-conspirator." Amy grinned.
"Let me guess, you're going to get some salad." Franks took the menu from where it was propped behind the salt and pepper shakers.
"Usually, but I was actually thinking of a cheeseburger. It's a comfort food kind of day." She took the menu from Franks' hands instead of grabbing her own. "You already know what you're having."
Franks sat back, growing serious. "You having trouble getting Angus's body lying in that hospital bed from your mind?"
She met his gaze across the table and shook her head. "I'm having trouble getting images of him from last night out of my head. I'm glad you didn't see him like that. It was horrible. I thought he was going to die. I couldn't come to the hospital. I had to keep busy. I didn't want to be there when the doctors told everyone he was dead. When Gretta called and told me he'd made it out of surgery, I about fell over in relief and shock. I don't know how he survived that injury. I'm not a big God person, but someone was looking out for him last night. I don't know how else to explain it."
"He's stubborn. Probably heard someone say he wasn't going to make it and had to prove them wrong." Franks tried to smile at his joke but shook his head instead. "I don't know what to say other than he had the right people in the right places. The rescue team, the surgeon, they were all there to do what theydo best." He swallowed hard as the waitress stopped at the table to take their order, glad for the distraction. Once she'd stepped away, he looked at Amy. "It's still touch and go. Even if he heals from the injury, he might not make it back to work. We don't know what damage was done. You heard Lance. He's worried about swallowing and talking. Angus might not be the same if he makes it through. As much as I want to have him back as my partner, he might not ever come back."
Amy reached over and placed her hand on his. "You just said he was stubborn. Stay positive. He would want that. Don't start doubting his ability to get through this. And don't ever let him hear you questioning his ability to recover and come back to work. He needs all of us to be positive. If we expect him back in the office in time, then that's what he'll work toward once he wakes up."
"If he wakes up." Franks sighed.
"Hey, what did I just say? Stay positive. He's going to wake up and be eating onions and garlic with you in no time. We need to stay positive for Lance as well. He looked so lost this morning. He's going to need all of us while Angus recovers. I'm so glad his brother is back. I don't know how close they are, but it's got to be a relief to have him here to support Lance." Amy reached for her water glass.
"Shit. I should call Angus's friend, Mike. He'll need to be told what happened. He'd want to know." Franks tried to think of any others that might need to be told. He didn't have a way of contacting Cel, but he would make sure that Ray and Bethany knew to get hold of her. Christine probably already knew since she was dating Braydon. Their circle of friends was small and there really wasn't anyone other than Mike who wouldn't have already heard about Angus's injury.
"Are you going to be okay working on this case?" Amy asked, concern filling her eyes.
"Don't even think about pulling me from it. I will find out what happened. I owe Angus that much. I have to keep busy. I'm not someone who can sit still and wait for him to wake up. I can't sit around waiting for answers. Something or someone caused that explosion and I want to be part of the team that gets the answers so that when Angus does wake up, I can tell him. Because, trust me, the first thing he is going to ask is what happened. I'm good. I'm just frustrated that I can't do more." Franks nodded to Amy's bag. "Get your laptop out. Let's plan our afternoon. The sooner we have more answers, the better we'll all feel."
Amy nodded and pulled her laptop out. She opened it. "I think we should start with the employees. The owners and their families first, then the employees who were working last night. From there, we can go through the rest of the employees. Then we can start with the diners. My gut tells me those dining or serving out front won't have much information. We know the explosion came from the back of the building. We'll start there and work our way through the list."
Franks took a long drink of water and nodded. They had a plan. That was all he needed to stay focused. He could push images of Angus lying in the hospital bed away and keep looking for answers on what put him there. One step at a time and he could manage. One step at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time, then soon, Angus would be by his side again like none of this ever happened.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Angus stirred in the darkness, his mind slowly becoming aware of the soft voice speaking to him.
"Angus, are you still with me?"
He couldn't open his eyes. Couldn't move. Panic started to course through him. Why couldn't he move?
"Easy. Remember, you were in an accident."
The voice was so gentle. It calmed him. "Accident?"
"You're in a coma right now. That's why you can't move. Stay calm. Your physical body needs to heal. You don't remember us talking earlier?"
"A coma?" He wanted to open his eyes. To sit up and find out what happened, but his body felt like a ton of bricks, unable to even blink or twitch a finger. "We talked?"
"Yes, my sweet boy. We talked. It's okay. You've been through a lot in the last few hours. You're in the hospital. You had surgery to repair your neck. You're going to be just fine, but you have to stay still while your body heals."
"Who are you?" He was confused. He wasn't speaking, yet he was able to communicate. None of this made sense.
