Page 56 of Savannah Heat
“Where is Dan Kelly?”
“Well, that’s the thing, miss. He seems to have disappeared along with his girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend? She is not his girlfriend. Just find him. He’s in danger. That woman has ties to organized crime in Europe. Dan and I helped put her stepfather in prison. She’s out for revenge. She’s who we’re trying to keep the necklace from, don’t you see?” Jenna lay back on the pillow, exhausted from the effort of explaining.
The detective took out his notepad again. “I’m afraid I don’t see, miss. You’ll have to slow down a little and start from the beginning. This time, tell me the truth, or I can’t help you.”
An hour later, Jenna had told Detective Jensen almost everything, leaving out the part about her past and Dan’s.
Jensen left her to check out her story and to see what he could find out about Dan.
Where could he be? What has Harper done with him?
While waiting to be discharged, Jenna drifted in and out of sleep. The drug in her system hung on, and they wouldn’t let her go until enough time passed. She looked at the clock on the wall. The time was nearly six in the morning, and she could hear the unique sounds of the hospital more clearly. Her vision finally cleared, and her body didn’t feel like she floated underwater anymore. Where were her clothes? She raised the head of her bed and pushed the call button for the nurse.
The door swung open and who seemed to be a nurse’s aide came inside. “Yes, can I get you something?”
“Where are my clothes?”
“What you came in with are here in a bag.” The aide pointed to a small closet door. “But your dress was pretty wrecked. Hope you can have it fixed. Is there someone you can call to bring you some clothes and shoes?”
Jenna opened her mouth to speak but realized how alone she really was. “You would think so, but there doesn’t seem to be. I’m visiting here.”
“I’ll tell you what, honey. I’ll get you some scrubs if you’ll bring them back to us. I know I can find some to fit you.”
“Thank you very much. Can I trouble you to help me find a way to clean up a bit? I need to wash my face and go to the bathroom.” Jenna tried to get out of the bed.
“Whoa there, just a minute. I’ll need to assist you.” The aide helped Jenna swing her legs around and stand. “My name is Anna.”
Anna, who looked to be in her mid-fifties, and who clearly spent time at the gym, helped her down the hall to a large shower room and brought her towels and a pair of green scrubs. “This is our employee shower, but you go ahead and clean up. You are still in the E.R. so this is the best place you have available to do this right now.”
“I’ll take it, and thanks again. You won’t get in trouble will you, Anna?”
“No, honey, they can’t get along without me.” Anna grinned.
When Jenna got back to her bed, with Anna by her side, she found the detective sitting in a chair by the door.
“Oh, you are back. And if you will give us some time alone, miss, I’d be grateful,” he said to Anna.
“If you need me, just hit the call button, hon.” Anna looked at Jenna, ignoring the detective.
Detective Jensen, who looked the part this morning with his rumpled suit and unruly hair and who looked as if he too suffered a bad night, brought his chair to her bedside. “Sorry I took so long, but there seems to be lots of players and a lot of ground to cover. I wish I had more to tell you, but the fact is, we aren’t any closer to figuring this thing out than before. We did run down on this Harper woman, and what you say is true, she is the stepdaughter of Boris Roget. But we have no idea where she is now. We’ve checked airlines, trains, buses, and nothing so far. But if she is still in this country, we will find her.”
“What about Dan Kelly?” Jenna feared the answer.
“No, nothing on Dan Kelly, or at least, not yet. Nor have we located the insurance investigator you mentioned, Gail Wells. Her company has not heard from her in a few days. All of this interstate stuff takes time. It’s early in the morning still, and we are waiting on returned calls.”
Jenna lay back with a loud sigh. “The real thieves must know by now they have stolen a fake necklace. Though costly to produce, not much of a market exists for it. They will be furious.”
Detective Jensen made a note in his little black notebook. “Our thinking is they might come back and make a try for the real thing. Though in a safe, this particular safe being better than most, these people seem up to the challenge. The necklace needs to be in a bank vault, but so far, we haven’t convinced the senator’s wife to let it out of her sight again.”
Jenna brushed her hair out of her eyes. “I understand. You might be on to something, though. If Harper is responsible for the heists in Europe, a safe will not stop her. She has skills, and she has invested a lot in this venture already. And now she has help.”
“If what you think is true, they might be back for you too, miss. We don’t plan to hold you since the senator was not convinced you played any real part in the robbery. When are you getting out of here?”
“I’m about to ask that question now.” Jenna pushed the call button again.
A frazzled-looking nurse in green scrubs came in, holding up both hands. “Hey, I know, I’m working on getting you out of here. The doctor will be in shortly to sign off, and you can go in less than an hour, if all goes well. I want you to eat some breakfast first, and that’s coming now. And you need a bit more hydration. If you cooperate, we can get you going. Besides, we need this room. The ER is not made for long stays.”