Lying Eyes Page 13

  Angela squeezed Allison's hand and shook hands with the doctor. "Thank you. Can I see him?"

  "He's still in recovery. Get something to eat and by the time you finish he should be settled in Surgical Intensive Care for the night. I'll let the nurse know you're waiting to see him."

  Angela slumped on a chair, her voice strained. "How did the doctor know I haven't eaten yet?"

  Allison chuckled. "You're running on empty. It shows. Come on, I'm hungry, too. I overheard a nurse say the beef stew is good today. The sign for the cafeteria pointed this way."

  When Angela wobbled to her feet Allison took her elbow and guided her toward the room emitting such good smells.

  Once they were seated in the cafeteria with bowls of thick stew and mugs of steaming coffee Angela asked, "Miss Marble, how did you say you met Carlo?"

  "Allison, please. Your son helped me with my luggage at Union Station and invited me to share his cab. The taxi stand was crowded, and we'd discovered we were both going to the same hotel."

  Angela smiled proudly. "That sounds like my son. He's such a good boy."

  "Thoughtful, too. A number of his friends from Central were here most of the afternoon."

  "Has an arrest been made?"

  "Yes, the shooter is being interrogated as we speak."

  "Good."

  "Carlo was heading a complex investigation into an illicit drug operation at the hotel this weekend involving the shooter. You should be doubly proud."

  Angela beamed. "Carlo always makes me proud."

  "How is Snookums?"

  "He told you about his cat?" Angela asked, looking surprised.

  "Yes, during the past few days he's mentioned both of you several times."

  "Carlo has always loved cats. When he was in third grade be brought the first one home in his backpack. I don't know why the frightened kitten hadn't scratched him. The first thing it did was scratch me."

  Allison enjoyed a moment of laughter at Carlo's expense.

  Angela's world obviously revolves around her son.

  "You don't live here?" Angela asked.

  "No, I'm from San Diego."

  "Are you a detective, too?"

  Allison laughed again. "Afraid not. I'm a published writer of mysteries and a reporter for a television station there."

  "Oh, my. That must keep you busy."

  "Yes, it does."

  But not for long.

  Allison winced. As soon as she returned to San Diego she intended to find a television station that appreciated her expertise.

  "Carlo says you taught him to cook."

  "My son seems to have shared a lot with you in the short time you've known him."

  Against our wishes we've shared close quarters for the last three days.

  Allison didn't intend to reveal the closeness of their relationship to Carlo's mother. He was the one to share the news.

  Angela thoughtfully sipped her coffee and set the mug on the table. "Both legs? I doubt Carlo will be able to climb stairs for a while."

  "No, I don't suppose he will."

  "Last year he moved into a split-level house near Universal Studios. With so many stairs, I doubt he'll be able to recuperate there. Maybe I can talk him into coming home with me for a while."

  Allison grinned. "He'll get to spend more time with Snookums, too. It's a good thing no bones in his legs were shattered. His recovery would be even longer. Are you ready to leave?"

  "Yes. The nurse was right. My stew was good. Carlo worries about me. He thinks I don't eat right. You'd think he could tell by the extra pounds I'm carrying around that I don't push back from the table as soon as I should."

  "He loves you. I could tell."

  Angela's eyes filled again as she stood. "He's all I have. After such a traumatic childhood he had to learn to be strong, for me."

  "He told me about his brothers. I'm sorry for your loss."

  "The death of his father almost brought Carlo to his knees."

  She squeezed Angela's hand. "I read somewhere surviving the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune make a man better able to withstand the next hardship tossed in his path."

  "Or it castrates him."

  "Not Carlo. He possesses more inner strength than anyone I've ever known."

  "Yes, and I suspect he'll need every ounce of it in the coming weeks."

  *****

  After Angela visited her sleeping son in ICU for the allotted five minutes Allison convinced the distraught woman to go home and rest. "I'll spend the night here in your stead. I'm younger and more accustomed to going without sleep when the need arises. Carlo wouldn't want you to worry about him. He's in good hands. I haven't met anyone on the hospital staff I wouldn't trust with my life."

  "Are you sure it's all right for me to leave?"

  "I'm positive. The nurse who notified you about Carlo's injuries knew you'd want to be near his bedside until he was out of danger, for your own peace of mind. From what the doctor said, the danger has passed.

  "You and Carlo both need to rest. By the time you come back tomorrow he should be wide awake and complaining about being confined to a hospital bed."

  Angela smiled. "God bless you for being here. I always hoped Carlo would find a beautiful Italian girl to love, but I was wrong. You'll do just fine. I hope my son sees it, too."

  Chapter Twenty

  After a long night spent on the hard plastic-covered sofa in the hospital lobby, a smiling nurse approached Allison.

  "Miss Marble? Detective Demetri has just been moved to room 304 of the Surgical Wing. If you'd like to see him, he is asking for you."

  Allison tucked her tote bag beneath her arm, grabbed the now-unnecessary gym bag and followed the nurse down the quiet hall. "How is he?"

  "In magnificent physical condition."

  "You noticed," Allison said, amused.

  "No way to avoid it. I drew the daunting task of getting him back into a hospital gown following surgery. I'm delighted to report he enjoyed a restful night. As soon as he opened his eyes around six this morning he demanded coffee, always a good sign."

  Allison laughed for the first time in twenty-four hours. "Sounds like Carlo."

  "This is his room. Don't stay too long. He needs to rest. Visiting hours begin at eleven. You're welcome to come back then."

  "Thank you. You've been very helpful."

  Allison moved silently across the shadowy room. Both of Carlo's legs were encased in thick bandages and kept immobile by traction.

  Approaching the bed, she squeezed his hand.

  His eyes opened and slowly focused on her.

  "Hey, Sunshine. Thanks for going into Wonder Woman mode and saving my butt."

  "Forget it. You would have done the same for me."

  He frowned. "What happened? You look worse than I feel."

  She huffed. "Thanks a bunch. No one offered me a comfortable reclining bed like yours, only a pillow and a blanket to use on a sofa in the lobby. It might as well have been stuffed with chipped concrete."

  "You stayed here all night?"

  She tenderly kissed the back of his hand, the one without tubes running from it to bags dripping liquids into him. "I had to. I got you into this mess."

  Carlo's disgruntled sigh twisted her heart strings. "In spite of all my promises, I'm not the one who got you out of it."

  "It doesn't matter. The perp is in a cell where he belongs. The Captain said I may need to come back and testify at his trial, but I have his permission to leave town until then."

  "You're going to do it? Go back to your thankless job?"

  "Let's not talk about my problems. How do you feel?"

  "Like I can't move my legs."

  "I think the traction is temporary. Are you in much pain?"

  "No, the nurses make sure I swallow some fast-working pills every few hours to keep the worst pain at bay."

  "Can you eat?"

  "She says I can have a normal meal for lunch. I had soupy oatmeal and a bowl of applesauce for b
reakfast."

  "And coffee. I heard about your predawn demands. I'm glad you're able to eat. Want me to bring you a cheeseburger with the works when I come back?"

  "Bring me—You're not staying?"

  "No, and if I came any closer you'd smell why. I need to shower and change. I love these jeans, but neither of my outer garments were meant for sleeping or sitting around for hours."

  His pensive gaze studied her and he grinned appreciatively. "I was so worried about using you as a decoy I forgot to tell you how much I love those killer jeans."

  "Killer—"

  "Every time you strolled by yesterday I wanted to kill every guy who stopped to admire your trim butt."

  "Thank you. Your well-thought-out plan worked. Another ruthless criminal is cooling his heels in jail. Are you going to put another star on the wall of your cubicle?"

  "No, he wasn't my arrest."

  "But you're the one who lured him out so Hanson could catch and cuff him."

  Carlo yawned noisily. "The Captain's idea, not mine."

  "You arrived in the hotel stairwell right in the nick of time. The perp was forcing me to go to his car at gunpoint."

  "I still don't know who called and ordered me to report to Hotel Security. The message was a ruse, intended to pull me away from the decoy area so the perp could make his move. The entire time I was striding toward Security my gut kept telling me I was going the wrong way, so I turned around and practically ran back."

  "It's a good thing you acted on your instincts. You foiled a kidnapping and saved my life. The perp had... plans for me, plans I didn't want any part of."

  Carlo yawned, shaking his head. Before he could again deny his hero status Allison leaned across the bedrail and kissed his cheek. "We could debate this all day and never agree on the important part you played in the arrest, but I need to shower and change clothes. Now rest."

  *****

  Out at the curb Allison hailed a cab to the hotel.

  As soon as she entered her hotel room she called room service and ordered two cheeseburgers, fries, and sodas to go and showered and shampooed her hair.

  The burgers arrived as she was loosely braiding the almost dry strands. She arranged the braid in a bun on the back of her head and secured it with two silver clips. By then, the yummy aroma of grilled beef was making her stomach growl.

  No surprise there. I forgot all about breakfast.

  Bursting with happiness, she grabbed her purse off the now neatly made bed and, carrying the lunch sacks in her other hand, raced to the elevator.

  During the brief taxi ride to the hospital, the delectable aroma of burgers made her stomach continuously growl.

  When she stepped into Carlo's room, his delighted grin melted her heart.

  "Damn, those smell good enough to eat. Put those sacks right here," he said, pointing to the tray table beside his bed.

  "I'll open the box for you. Is it all right to raise the head of your bed?"

  "I can do it. I didn't have anything else to do, so I've become an expert with these controls."

  He grimaced as he came to an upright position.

  "Does it hurt you to sit? Maybe you should—"

  "No. The only thing I need to do right now is enjoy this feast."

  "Start without me. I need to wash my hands."

  He took a big bite and waved to her as she stepped into his in-suite bathroom and closed the door.

  "Well, look at you," Allison heard a man's gruff voice say from the other side of the door. "King of the Hill. I should have guessed."

  "Hi, Link. How's it going?" Carlo asked as Allison turned off the water and quietly dried her hands.

  "Couldn't be better now you're no longer struttin' around Central."

  The door to Carlo's room loudly clicked shut.

  Allison exhaled a ragged breath. Link's comment had hostile undertones. What's up?

  Carlo's mentor must be standing at the foot of his bed.

  I can't get out without bumping into Link, so I'll stay where I am. I don't want to interrupt their conversation.

  "From what I hear, you'll be laid up for a long, long time," Link said.

  Carlo cleared his throat. "I hope only a month or two. We'll see."

  "That being the case, I stopped by to put you out of your misery."

  "This is a hospital, Link. Someone could get hurt."

  Why has Carlo raised his voice?

  "Holster your weapon."

  Link pulled a gun on Carlo?

  Anxious to catch every word exchanged, Allison edged closer to the bathroom door.

  "You heard me, Link. Put away that gun."

  "You self-righteous prick," Link said, raising his voice. "You have no idea the trouble you've caused me."

  "Me? If you're in some kind of trouble, you brought it on yourself."

  Allison quietly unlocked the bathroom door, leaned hard against it, and gritted her teeth.

  "Enough of your stupid rambling. Prepare to—"

  Now. Allison shoved the door open.

  The force sent Link's gun flying.

  Link, too, thank God.

  He fell to his knees beside the bed.

  With an apologetic half-smile for Carlo, she raced past Link and grabbed his gun.

  "Stay right where you are, Link," she said, pleased her voice didn't shake, and aimed the heavy revolver at him.

  The silencer on the tip of the barrel wobbled as Allison's hands shook. "Carlo, call Security."

  "Allison, give me the gun. I'll keep it trained on Link while you call Security."

  "Feeling like your old self, I see," she said, grinning as she carefully placed the gun in Carlo's outstretched hand.

  Pressing the call button on Carlo's bed she waited for—?

  I have no idea.

  "Can I help you?" a cheerful female voice inquired over the intercom.

  Relieved, Allison winked at Carlo. "A visitor just tried to shoot Detective Demetri. Send Security to room 304."

  "How is the patient?"

  "Never better," Allison said, smiling sweetly.

  In less than a minute all hell broke loose in the hall.

  Guns drawn, two uniformed guards rushed in, followed by a bevy of nurses and interns, nurse's aides, and someone from housekeeping, each determined to find out what was happening in room 304.

  One of the guards holstered his own gun and relieved Carlo of Link's.

  Allison pulled out her cell phone, called Captain Samson, and passed the phone to Carlo. "It's Demetri, Captain. I'm in room 304 of the Surgical Wing. Send someone to take Sergeant Knox into custody."

  Carlo's eyes lit.

  "The damn fool came here intending to shoot me. Miss Marble saved my butt again."

  *****

  Panting, Captain Samson soon arrived at Carlo's bedside, Detective Hanson on his heels. While the Captain caught his breath he placed a tape recorder on the bedside table.

  "What the hell happened, Carlo?"

  "Beats me."

  The Captain turned the recorder on. "Lincoln Knox, Detective Hanson is placing you under arrest for the attempted murder of Detective Demetri and other charges yet to be determined."

  Link just scowled.

  "Hanson, cuff the Sergeant and read him his rights. I have reason to believe he's the blackmailer and drug dealer Miss Marble's perp claims we have on the force."

  When Hanson finished and started dragging Link toward the door, the soon-to-be ex-Sergeant shouted, "I knew Ram wouldn't hold his tongue. He's the reason I decided to put Demetri out of his misery while I still had the chance."

  "Do you have a beef with Carlo?"

  "I've had one even before this goody-two-shoes transferred to Central. For a while we lived in the same neighborhood and attended the same school."

  "Is that right, Detective?"

  "Yes, but we went separate ways when Link moved away after fourth grade."

  Link chuckled. "Mom was afraid my friends were a bad influence and insisted we relocate
. She died without discovering I'd formed my own gang."

  The Captain and Carlo exchanged glances as if to say, That explains a lot.

  Link chuckled again. "After Ram failed to kill Carlo and shot Carlo's brother instead I lost track of him."

  "Why, you dirty—" Carlo said, struggling to climb out of bed.

  "Easy there," an intern said, restraining the patient.

  "You ordered the hit?" the Captain asked quietly.

  Link's smug nod turned Allison's stomach. She could easily imagine what it did to Carlo.

  The Captain scowled. "When did you renew your friendship with Ram?"

  "A few months back. He and I bumped into each other escaping a raid on my crack house. I decided to enlist his help."

  "More precisely you threatened to turn Ramirez in for murder unless he became part of your illegal drug operation. Right?"

  "Why interrogate me? I'm sure that sniveling idiot you're holding has told you everything he knows about my business."

  "We're just getting started. Detective Hanson, you and your partner escort the prisoner to Central. I have some loose ends to wrap up here, but I should be there about the time you lock the former Sergeant in a holding cell."

  Link paled.

  "Don't the rest of you have someplace else to be?" the head nurse finally asked the staff members and visitors loitering in the hall.

  A smiling young nurse charged into the room. "Sorry to interrupt. I've been waiting in the hall for the crowd to disperse so I can do this." She stuck a thermometer beneath Carlo's tongue.

  He grinned as she recorded his temperature and pulse and his appreciative gaze followed the shapely nurse out the door.

  Allison huffed.

  "A sure sign the patient is on the mend," the Captain assured Allison. "Carlo, did you have any idea Link had crossed the line?"

  "I suspected he was up to no good when a man who claimed to be my friend could no longer look me in the eye. Like a fool I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, instead of looking into what he did in his free time."