Poker Face

by Noelle Winters

  “The local hospital is about ten minutes away,” the paramedic answered, even though she wasn’t looking at Liv. “And we’re almost there.” She spoke something into the radio on her shoulder. “They’re expecting us,” she said.

  Liv exhaled in relief. They were going to look after her Gram, and she was going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay.

  The ambulance slid to a stop, and the back doors opened, revealing the other two paramedics who helped pull the stretcher out and wheel Gram into the ER.

  “You’re going to have to go out to the waiting room for a bit,” the lead paramedic told her.

  “What?” Liv’s voice was panicked.

  “The doctor will come get you once he knows more, okay?” She put her arm gently around Liv’s shoulder and steered her towards the door. “Find your friend, and she can wait with you.”

  Then the paramedic jogged off after the gurney that was quickly disappearing into the bowels of the hospital.

  Liv stood there, just outside the waiting room doors. She was starting to shake, her nerves taking over. She forced herself to take a few deep breaths, but almost jumped out of her skin when someone wrapped their arms around her.

  She could smell Ryan’s perfume, so she closed her eyes, letting her soak it in.

  “Is she okay?” Ryan asked softly, her head near Liv’s ear and her front pressed against Liv’s back.

  “I don’t know,” Liv said helplessly. “The doctors took her back to do tests and stuff.”

  Ryan exhaled softly, then gently steered Liv towards the waiting room chairs.

  They sat next to each other, Liv’s hand in Ryan’s and their fingers twined together. She leaned her head on Ryan’s shoulder, her eyes staring into the distance. “Do you need to go?” Liv looked up at Ryan.

  Ryan glanced at the clock. “I have a few more minutes.”

  It wasn’t the answer Liv had hoped for, but it was the one she had expected. Not that she thought Ryan was shirking her duties, or anything. Ryan needed to catch a killer.

  But she would come back, Liv knew. Last time, she was the one who had run away. She wasn’t going to do that again.

  “Miss Evans?” A soft, feminine voice caught Liv off guard. She didn’t know how much time had passed.

  She straightened up, Ryan still by her side. “Yes?”

  “I’ll take you back to see your grandmother now.” The woman was fair-boned and pretty, with short dark hair and a tired smile.

  “Go.” Liv turned to Ryan and drew her into a hug. “I’ll text you when I know anything, okay?”

  Ryan hesitated, then nodded and hugged her back. She kissed her briefly on the lips, then left.

  Liv turned to follow the woman. Was she a doctor or a nurse? Liv didn’t know.

  “I’m Doctor Adams,” the woman said, extending a hand for Liv to shake. “I’m the ER doctor currently in charge of your grandmother’s care.”

  “Is she okay?” There was anxiousness in her voice.

  “We’re running some tests right now to see if we can figure out why she fell,” Dr Adams said gently. “But I thought you might want to see her before she went for her head scan.”

  “Is she awake?”

  The doctor shook her head. “She’s not, I’m sorry.”

  That was okay. Liv nodded, swallowing over the lump in her throat. Gram would be okay. She had to be.

  She winced. Mocha had gotten left all alone at the house, and the poor beagle dealt with separation anxiety as it was. She didn’t want to leave, but she was going to have to make sure that Mocha was okay.

  Going into Gram’s hospital room was more of a shock than she had hoped it would be. She was lying on a hospital bed, a blanket pulled up to her chest. Her arms were on top of it, and there were IVs in both – attached to the IV tree thing, with multiple bags.

  “She’s stable at the moment,” Dr Adams said, her voice soft. “We’re giving her some fluids because she’s dehydrated.”

  “What are the other bags?” Liv wanted to reach out and touch Gram, but was afraid.

  “Meds to help her heart, blood pressure, and to keep her comfortable right now.” Dr Adams pointed to each in turn.

  Liv nodded, her gaze turning back to the pale elderly woman in the bed.

  “You can hold her hand,” Dr Adams said, a faint smile on her face.

  Liv hesitated, then moved forward, taking her Gram’s hand in hers. Her skin felt paper thin, like it would break under any sort of strain. “Get better.” She leaned down and kissed Gram’s cheek, feeling the weathered skin underneath her lips. Her heart was heavy, her eyes threatening to fill with tears. Gram was the only person she had left.

  “I have to go home,” Liv said reluctantly.

  “We’ll call you when we have the test results,” Dr Adams assured her.

  “Or if she wakes up?” Liv turned to look at the woman.

  Dr Adams nodded. “We will. Check with the ER secretary to make sure we have your updated number.” She glanced at the clock, a faint grimace on her face. “If you’ll excuse me.”

  Liv nodded but didn’t move. Dr Adams disappeared out the door of the small room, leaving Liv standing there with her Gram.

  “I’ll be back,” Liv promised, giving her another kiss on the cheek. She studied her lying in the bed, so pale and almost disappearing into the blanket. She would be back, as soon as she could get Mocha somewhere.

  Then she turned and departed, her heart heavy.

  23

  Tuesday 25th October; 8am

  Tuesday 25th October; 8am

  Ryan hated that she had to go to the station and leave Liv behind with her Gram at the hospital the night before. On top of it, she couldn’t go back for at least a day or two. If she wanted any hope of piecing the cases together, she needed to be at the ME’s office in order to attend Charles’s autopsy and get the toxicology reports for Ashley. She ran a hand through her hair. There was so much that needed to be done. The patrol officers had already talked to the family, and interviewed her friends at school. Nothing.

  She and Dane stood not far from the autopsy table, next to the forensic investigators and the autopsy assistant. Elliot was almost done, which Ryan was quite thankful for. “Anything else?” Ryan asked, breaking the silence. Well. The silence, except for Elliot talking to herself.

  “Cause of death is hanging,” Elliot said. “Just like Cairo’s.” Her face was impassive.

  Ryan exhaled in a rush, wanting to sigh. “So same killer?”

  “Possibly.” Elliot frowned. “It’s hard to tell. However, given the staging at the crime scene in the photos I was shown, it’s a good bet.”

  Ryan nodded to her, but her mind was miles away. She turned to Dane, who was frowning at Charles’s body. “Did the physical evidence go back to forensics?” she asked, thinking of what they had found in Charles’ house.

  Dane nodded, but there was doubt on his face. “If Steven planted them there, I doubt he left any evidence.”

  “Maybe he killed Charles for killing Cairo?” But Ryan rejected that almost as soon as she had said it. Charles’s murder matched details they had not released to the press.

  Like those blasted cards.

  “Ryan.” Elliot’s voice distracted her. She turned to look at the ME, listening. “Let’s talk about your missing girl.”

  Ryan nodded to Dane and followed Elliot as she took her gowns off and headed to her office. It was both her office and another mini-laboratory, but without specimens that required full protective gear. Instead there were a few microscopes, and small boxes that held dozens of slides.

  “The killer was looking for something.” Elliot’s voice was grim. She pulled out a file with the standard nude drawings that the pathologists marked injuries on. “Although the knife cuts looked random, there was one in her abdomen that was particularly deep.”

  “Like black market deep?” Ryan frowned.

  Elliot shook her head. “He cut into her stomach.”

 
Ryan stared at her. “What for?”

  “I’m not one hundred percent sure,” Elliot started.

  “But?” Ryan raised her eyebrows.

  “There were trace amounts of cocaine in her stomach.” Elliot looked at Ryan, her gaze steady. “She had drugs in her stomach.”

  “Like a drug mule?” They were way too far north for drug mules. Weren’t they?

  “I think that’s the gist, yes.” Elliot pointed to another mark. “The killer immobilized her quickly in order to cut out what they wanted, apparently.”

  “And the strangulation marks?” It was easy enough for Ryan to remember the ligature marks around the victim’s neck.

  “He strangled her once he’d cut out what he needed. The extra knife wounds were just rage, most inflicted after her death.”

  Ryan leaned back in her chair, stunned by the news she had received. She wasn’t entirely surprised, not really, but it threw her case into a whole new dimension. “So she was a drug mule,” Ryan repeated, still trying to absorb the information.

  Elliot’s dark eyes met hers. “Yes. Someone is trafficking drugs through Amaranth, and they’re using teenagers to do it.”

  Tuesday 25th October; 8am

  Liv sat at the coffee shop with Mocha by her side. She was stroking the beagle’s soft ears, her mind a thousand miles away. Abby was working and River was on the way to cover Liv’s shift so she could go see Gram in the hospital. River was also going to take Mocha home. Liv would see her as often as she could, but it wouldn’t do Mocha good to be home alone from her family.

  “What happened?” River shoved open the door and came in, her hair going everywhere and her purse half-open.

  “You didn’t have to drop everything and run,” Liv said, startled. She hadn’t expected River for another half hour.

  River just looked at her. “Is Gram okay?” River had never met Gram, but she knew of her. Gram was as private as Liv’s mom had been.

  “She’s in the hospital.” Liv’s voice was grim. Gram may not be thrilled with that when she woke up, but she was going to have to deal. “I’ll text you when I can come get Mocha.”

  Liv could see on River’s face that there was a question she wanted to ask that she wasn’t certain if she should.

  “Ryan’s at work,” Liv said simply.

  A smile flashed over River’s face. Liv wasn’t sure what that simple sentence proved, but it didn’t matter. They could sort that out later, once everything with Gram had been resolved. “Go back to the hospital,” River told her, her voice gentle. “Your Gram needs you.”

  Liv hugged River tightly, then passed her Mocha’s leash. “She’s going to grumble,” Liv said apologetically.

  River chuckled. “Oh, I know. I don’t think grumble is quite the right word for it, though.”

  Liv smiled apologetically, then headed out the door. Mocha started howling in protest, her feet and nails clicking against the floor as she tried to get to Liv.

  It was just temporary, she reminded herself. Once Gram was better, and home, Mocha could come with them. Mocha would make her feel better, after all. There was nothing like a dog to aid your recovery.

  Once she got to the hospital, she went in through the front doors and gave the Receptionist her name. “She’s in the medical floor,” the woman assured her. Then she gave her a room number.

  Liv headed upstairs, her hand on her pocket. Maybe she should text Ryan, let her know what was going on. But surely Ryan was busy. Maybe she would text Ryan after she talked to the doctor and had more concrete information.

  When she got to the third floor, she located Gram’s room. Down one hall, third door to the left. It was a nice hospital, or nice enough, but it was a hospital nonetheless. There were a few gurneys against the wall, and the central nurse’s stations left no illusion that they were somewhere else.

  There was someone in Gram’s room when Liv arrived. She stopped in the doorway, not certain whether to enter.

  “Are you her granddaughter?” The woman inside looked up from the computer she was typing on.

  “Yes.” Liv took a step in, then another one.

  “I’m Rose. I’m her nurse.” The woman extended a hand, and Liv shook it, almost weak with relief.

  “Do we know anything yet?” Liv asked, not certain if Rose could tell her.

  “She’s had an MRI and CT scan, and we’re waiting on the radiologist,” Rose told her. “The doctor will come in and talk with you when we have the results.”

  “She’s still asleep?” Liv turned to look at her Gram, asleep on the bed. She was breathing, but her eyes were closed.

  “She’s starting to come in and out of consciousness, but she’s not quite there yet.” Rose nodded.

  “I’m guessing you don’t know when she’ll be home?” Liv asked. It wasn’t entirely a pointless question, but she knew it wasn’t likely to have an answer this early in the process.

  Rose shook her head. “I'm sorry,” she said, and it sounded genuine.

  “Thanks.” Liv smiled at her, but it was a sad smile. She took a seat next to Gram’s bed, holding onto her hand. Rose came in and out, to check the IVs and the bags. But all Liv could see was Gram laying there, her eyes closed, so pale, occasionally tossing her head from one side to another, but not aware yet.

  “Are you Olivia?” Another voice she didn’t recognize came from the open doorway.

  “I go by Liv,” she said automatically. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Marie. I’m the social worker here.” She took a half-step in the room. “Is it okay if I come talk to you?”

  Liv looked at Gram, who was resting. “I’ll come out there.” She squeezed Gram’s hand, then headed out of the room, closing the curtain to protect Gram from the eyes of onlookers.

  Marie was tall and stocky for a woman, but her face was kind. “Here, we’ll go to my office. It’s just across the hall.”

  Liv followed, numbness settling in her bones. Was there a specific reason the social worker wanted to talk to her, or was it something else? “Do we know anything yet?”

  “No, not medically,” Marie said smoothly. “But I wanted to go over some of her past history.”

  “I don’t know how much she went to the doctor,” Liv said awkwardly. She wasn’t certain how much any of her family had gone to the doctor. True, someone had given her the Alzheimer's diagnosis, but Liv hadn’t been there, even though she wanted to be.

  “That’s just it,” Marie said. “We have very few records of her and I was wondering if you could update us on anything we might be missing?”

  “I talked to the ER,” Liv started.

  “And that information was quite helpful.” Marie nodded. “I was wondering if you knew anything about any doctors she had seen previously, so we could try and track them down to get any records that may or may not be relevant to her current condition.”

  Anything. Liv would do anything to get her Gram out of the hospital and home. But she wracked her brain and came up with little. “I know she went to doctors a few hours away,” she said. “Maybe up in Seattle?”

  “Do you know why?” Marie looked at her, surprise in her gaze.

  Liv did, but she wasn’t certain she wanted to say it. “She didn’t want the locals to know she wasn’t feeling well.” That was true enough.

  Marie leaned back in her chair. “That’s going to make her records harder to find,” she admitted. “Seattle is huge.”

  Liv nodded. It was one of the biggest - if not the biggest - city in Washington. That was probably why Gram had chosen it over Portland or any of the closer cities.

  There was a soft knock on the door. Liv looked up, startled to see Rose there. “The doctor is ready to talk to you?”

  “Go.” Marie smiled, and made a shooing motion.

  Liv didn’t have to be told twice. She was up on her feet and followed Rose back to the room. “He’ll be here in a few minutes,” Rose assured her before she left.

  Liv stood there for a while, just looking
at Gram. She knew that they had grown up isolated, but she hadn’t realized just how bad it was. Liv had to have vaccination records, or she wouldn’t have been able to go to school. But where were they? Which doctor had she gone to?

  There were a lot of questions she would never know the answer to, not with her mom gone.

  “Miss Evans?” There was a knock on the doorframe.

  “Liv,” she corrected, turning to face the doctor. He was tall and skinny, with crazy hair and thick glasses. It was a bit strange at first, but his manner was frank and Liv appreciated that.

  “So I wanted to talk to you about the test results we’ve got,” he said, pulling a computer-on-wheels behind him and opening their charting program.

  Liv braced herself.

  “You mentioned in the ER she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's?” the doctor looked at her. Then he looked chagrined, and cut her off before she could speak. “I’m Dr Oliver, please call me Aaron.”

  “Yes, she brought home the paperwork a few months ago. I moved back here a month or so ago to help take care of her.” Liv frowned slightly. “She was getting more disoriented on the phone, and she wasn’t really able to take care of herself.”

  Aaron the doctor took a deep breath, and there was something in his eyes that Liv couldn’t read and wasn’t sure she wanted to. “She doesn’t have Alzheimers.”

  “What?” Liv stared at him as if he had started speaking Greek.

  “I don’t know who she went to or if the results were botched, or if it was just too hard to find at that moment, but she has a brain tumor.”

  “Is that better or worse?” Liv balked.

  “Better,” Dr Oliver said firmly. “It’s operable, based on the location. And she’s in generally good health for a woman her age.”

  “So what happened?” Liv looked at him, bewildered.

  “We think the tumor put too much pressure on a nerve and caused her to faint,” he said. “It happens occasionally with brain tumors.”

  “Do you think she’ll recover?” Liv turned to look at her Gram on the bed. A brain tumor? She never would have guessed.