"Have You Seen Her?" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rose Karen)

Chapter Thirty-eight

Friday, October 28, 9:00 A.M.

Steven walked into the hospital room, wishing he had better news for Neil Davies.

Davies was sitting up in bed, looking grim, and Steven knew he'd already heard.

"How are you?" he said and Davies scowled.

"My ass hurts and the whole sponge-bath thing is a damn myth."

Steven's lips quirked up. "You're feeling better then."

Davies grunted. "Yeah. I guess so. How's Jenna?"

"She went to karate last night, looking very scary in her gi with that hair. Like an extra in a very bad Jackie Chan flick."

Davies grunted again, but this time with the ghost of a smile. "Grace Jones watch out," he said, then sobered. "And Kelly?"

"She's been released from the hospital into the care of a therapist. Her parents are talking about moving to another town. Getting a new start."

"Sometimes that's the way to do it," Davies said.

"Are you going back to Seattle?"

Davies smiled. "And don't you just wish I were?" But it was said without antagonism.

"Honestly, yeah. But if you stay you know you're always welcome in my home."

Davies chuckled. "I knew I hated you," he said compan-ionably. "I try to steal your woman and you invite me home for supper."

Steven raised a brow. "Of course I have heard Seattle is pretty this time of year."

Davies shook his head. "Actually, I was thinking about going down to Florida. My brother owns a charter boat and he's asked me to come and give him a hand with the fishing excursions."

"I can think of worse places to recuperate," Steven said.

Neither of them said anything for a full minute, then Steven handed Davies the newspaper he'd brought. "You heard, I take it."

"Yeah, I saw it on CNN. 'Mother of serial killer kills family, killer, then self' Davies read, then looked up. "Chilling courtroom drama," he said dryly. "Sorry I missed it."

"Nora hid the needle in her lipstick. She apparently went to the ladies' room just before the arraignment and assembled the syringe. Then when the judge banged his gavel, she jumped up, hysterical. Hugging Josh. Then ten seconds later Josh hit the deck and everybody scrambled. She'd stabbed the needle in his heart and hit the plunger. The ME said there was enough tranq in that syringe to take down an elephant." He sighed. "The bailiff was trying to make Josh stand up-he didn't realize he was dead already. Nora grabs his gun. Eats it. The end."

"And they all lived happily ever after," Davies said dryly.

"In hell."

Davies looked down at the paper. "She shot the other two before she left the house."

Steven rubbed the back of his neck. The sight had been a grisly one. "Rudy was in his bed. Didn't look like he suffered. Her husband was on the toilet, of all places." Steven thought of the shots to Victor Lutz's head, heart, and groin, the latter probably for all his unfaithfulness over the years. "I think he did. Suffer, that is."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

"I'd have to agree with you there."

"I can understand the husband, but not the kids," Davies said. "Why'd she do it?"

"Nora left a note. Said she couldn't bear the thought of her son in jail, that he was sick, needed help, et cetera, et cetera. If he couldn't get help it was better to die than to rot in prison for the rest of his life. She couldn't live without Josh and she didn't want Rudy to have to survive without them all. After Rudy's arrest in Seattle she took Josh to a psychiatrist without Victor's knowledge. She suspected then that it was Josh, not Rudy, who'd done the crimes. Apparently she'd caught Josh doing some pretty sick things to the neighbor's dog and knew her kid wasn't right. Anyway, she paid someone to tamper with your evidence, then had the shrinks dope Josh up. To control him. His psychiatrist from Seattle called me yesterday after he heard Josh was dead. Told me his doctor/client no longer applied and he filled in a few more blanks. He said that Josh and Rudy were twins but that Nora pulled Josh out of school for a year after Seattle for treatment. That's why he was a year behind Rudy." One corner of Steven's mouth lifted. "Told me that in his clinical opinion Josh Lutz was one sick bastard, but that Nora might have been worse."

Davies folded the paper. "Guess the apple didn't fall too far from that tree."

Steven pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against. "Like you said, couldn't have happened to a nicer family." He turned for the door, hesitated, then turned back. "Neil, thanks."

Davies looked away. "I still hate your guts."

Steven's smile was more rueful than anything else. "Just so we're square. Drop by before you head south. I know Jen will want to say good-bye."

He'd made it to the door when he heard, "Thatcher."

Not looking back, he said, "What?"

"You're welcome. Don't fuck up again 'cause I don't plan to be as benevolent next time."

Steven sucked in his cheeks. "You're a real prince, Davies. See you around." He walked to the end of the hospital corridor where he punched the down button on the elevator, a definite spring in his step.

Tonight he had a date with Jenna. Beer and hot wings. And afterward he was planning to get very, very lucky.