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“Let me give it a try.”

She steps away from the door. “Good luck,” she says mockingly.

About half an hour later I step back out of the interview room, none the wiser. I probed, I challenged, I even resorted to pleas, suggesting if he told me where he threw the mayor’s recorder I’d put in a good word for him. No matter what I tried, Samuel Chastain wasn’t talking until, two minutes ago, he finally asked for a lawyer.

“Got a call from the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County,” Sheriff Savvy Colter informs me when I walk into the bullpen. “She’s putting wheels in motion to get your suspect transferred back to Seattle.”

I’m not really surprised, the violent assault charge he has pending is a felony and trumps the misdemeanor theft I picked him up for. Still, I don’t like leaving things unfinished, especially when it comes to this particular theft.

I’m pretty sure Merrick will not be happy when he finds out he won’t be getting his day in court.

Dana

* * *

I wash my hands in the sink of the staff bathroom in the back and glance at my reflection in the small, mottled mirror. I’m pretty sure those garbage bags under my eyes aren’t a distortion though.

It’s coming up on five, and I’m waiting for Pops to get down here so I can head back to Spokane. He popped his head in around three to say he was grabbing a quick nap. He doesn’t look any better than I do, and he has thirty plus years on me.

This back-and-forth to Spokane, while trying to keep the pub going as normal, is really taking a toll on us all. I’m pretty sure it won’t be long before one of us cracks under the pressure. I just hope it won’t be too long before we’ll be able to move Mom back to our hospital here in Silence to recover. It would make life a whole lot easier on everyone.

“I’m here, I’m here.” Pops comes huffing and puffing down the stairs, carrying one of Mom’s favorite sweater vests. “She asked for this. She was a bit chilly this morning.”

I take the sweater and put it in the bag of her nighties I was able to wash in between lunch orders.

“Aren’t you taking anything for your dinner?” he asks.

I shake my head. “I’ll grab something in the hospital cafeteria.”

Pops narrows his eyes on me. “No, you won’t. You need to eat, Baby Girl. Pretty soon there’ll be nothing left of you.”

I roll my eyes at the exaggeration. Granted, my clothes are fitting a little looser these days, but I’m still not what you’d consider a waif. Even so, it’s sweet of him to worry.

Raising up on my tiptoes, I give his cheek a kiss.

“I’ll be fine, Pops.”

“Call me if there’s anything.”

I give him a thumbs-up, grab my bag, and head for the door.

As I make my way to my little hatchback, I notice the garbage truck turning into the alley at the far end. That’s right, it’s Wednesday, pickup day. I notice a couple of folded boxes have slid from the overflowing container and quickly grab them to toss them in the bin, revealing a small metal container of some sort underneath. I reach to pick it up and notice it looks like a mini voice recorder, only slightly bigger than the key fob of my car.

I have no idea how it got there, but I’m sure it belongs to someone. I slip it in my bag; it’ll have to wait because I’m already running late.

I’m about to get behind the wheel when my phone starts ringing. I answer after a quick peek at the caller.

“I’m just leaving now,” I tell my cousin, Debra, before she has a chance to say anything.

“Good. Listen, Aunt Stella is spiking a fever. She’s been very lethargic this afternoon, complained a little about abdominal pain, and hasn’t been interested in eating or drinking anything. When they just did her vitals, her blood pressure was super low and her temp was at a hundred and three. The nurse said she was giving the doctor a call. I thought you should know what’s going on.”

Jesus. High fever combined with low BP could indicate sepsis. That could spell big trouble and has been one of my fears. Sometimes it’s not good to have too much medical knowledge, it means there’s more to worry about, and sepsis has been on my list of concerns.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I start my car and hesitate for a moment. If it’s sepsis, it could be the result of a bigger underlying problem, like a leak in her abdomen. This could be serious. In a split second I’m out of the car and running for the back door to the pub.

“Pops!” I yell as I storm inside.