Page 40 of Charmed Forces
“I appreciate that, but you made a pertinent comment about leaky buckets earlier,” said Solomon. “If a safe house location can be leaked, so can a suspect’s name to throw the scent off the real hitman.”
“We should go to the hospital and talk to Detective Wayne and then track down Desmond and McGinney,” I said. “I hate to doorstep their loved ones when they’re scared and grieving but time is of the essence, plus, the surviving officer might have some valuable information.”
“Clichéd but true,” agreed Solomon. “Call the hospital for any updates.”
I stepped outside and did that, but they refused to give me any information. I relayed that and Solomon pondered it for a moment. “You said you know the house where Daniel’s partner lives?” he asked.
“Yeah. I can take us there.”
“Let’s go.
The last time I’d been on the Wayne’s street was a couple years ago when my nieces and nephews were much smaller and more excited about public playgrounds. The slides and swings were the same bright colors but a smart new fence and gates had been added, stopping any children from flying into the road. Today it was quiet, with just a couple of toddlers and their caregivers.
The formerly pink-shuttered house was a few houses down the street and I was surprised at its ongoing transformation. Once it was the sore thumb of the street with its gaudy paint job but now it blended in with the others quite nicely and featured a new red brick fascia and a smart wood and glass door with brass fittings. The yard was a neat square of grass, and a narrow strip stuffed with evergreen bushes divided the lawn from their neighbors. There was enough space for a one-car driveway.
We knocked at the door and waited. When we received no answer, we waited another minute before I cupped my hands around my eyes and peered through the glass plate.
“If you’re looking for Pete and Suki, they’re not home,” said a low male voice. I looked over to find a man with a bushy beard holding a trash bag. He pulled open the garbage can lid and tossed the bag inside.
“We are,” I said.
“I don’t expect they’ll be back all day so maybe you could leave a note? Suki took off in a hurry last night and she hasn’t been home yet.”
“To the hospital?” I asked.
He nodded. “That’s right. Pete had an accident at work. Are you friends of theirs?”
“We just wanted to check up on them but we’ll go to the hospital instead,” I said.
“Okay then,” said the man, turning away, his interest rapidly dissipating. “Tell them I send Pete my best.”
“Hospital next?” suggested Solomon and I nodded.
At the hospital we asked for Detective Wayne at the reception desk but was told no one of that name was currently a patient. “That tracks,” said Solomon as we stepped away. “If MPD feels he’s in danger, they won’t want anyone to locate him by his name.”
“They wouldn’t confirm it over the phone either. I can call Alice to ask,” I said. “Although if they’re still working the theory that Daniel did it, having his wife inquire about a victim might not be inherbest interests.”
“I agree. Let’s keep Alice out of this. I’m going to tell Lucas to check the hospital database for any gunshot victims,” he said, already pulling out his phone. A few minutes later, we had the answer. There were three patients being treated for gunshot wounds. One was female so we eliminated her. The next rejection was a man in his seventies. That left a John Doe in ICU.
“Not an original name,” I said. “And also horrible to know there were three people with gunshot wounds. Maybe we should leave our business cards.”
“One crime at a time,” said Solomon.
We took the elevator to the ICU and headed towards the ward. We walked in unchallenged, passing two orderlies in beige scrubs and a doctor in blue, and continued along the corridor until we saw two police officers stationed outside a room. We walked past, but to our frustration, the blinds were shut and we couldn’t see who occupied the room. We paused by the vending machine at the end of the hall and pretended to ponder our snack choices.
“I don’t feel right lying to Mrs. Wayne,” I said. “I think we should come straight out with who we are and why we want to talk to her.”
“Get her talking first. She might clam up if she also suspects Daniel tried to kill her husband.”
“If she’s even inside.” As I glanced towards the room, the door opened and a woman around my age came out. She said something to the officers then hurried to the women’s restroom further down the hall. “I’ll be right back,” I said before rushing after her.
I caught the door as it was closing and stepped into a room smelling of bleach and pine aerosol. The woman who just left John Doe’s room stood in front of the row of sinks, her hands on both sides of a basin, and her eyes closed. Her hair was tied back with a clip but several tendrils had escaped to lie against her face. She looked tired and anxious and I wondered if she’d had any sleep.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She jumped and placed a hand on her heart. “You scared me,” she said, half laughing away her surprise.
“It’s Suki Wayne, right? Your husband was injured last night?”