Red and blue lights flashed through the night. Sirens blared, making her head feel even worse. There were more cops, paramedics, and other people outside. Two paramedics rushed her to the back of an ambulance, loaded her inside, then slammed the doors closed after Bennie climbed in.
One paramedic shouted to the driver. The ambulance lurched off. The other paramedic started doing more things to Mary, hooking up an IV, wiping her face, and rattling off vital signs.
It got harder and harder for Mary to stay awake and she began to feel herself give up again. She hurt so much she didn’t want to feel anything anymore. Every bump of the ambulance made her head hurt. She was dimly aware that the paramedics were talking to each other about her and answering questions from Bennie, but Mary didn’t understand what they were saying.
She felt a calm rush over her, a certain peace that was telling her to let go. She was in God’s hands now, and she had to keep her faith.
She kept her eyes closed, letting herself slip out of consciousness, and in time she felt herself floating away. She sensed she would have flown away completely, gone up to Heaven or out into space, if not for something anchoring her to the Earth, tethering her to the planet by the warmth of its very human grasp.
Somebody was holding her hand.
Somebody who wasn’t letting go.
Mary didn’t have to open her eyes to know who it was.
Her heart told her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Bennie sat on the waxy paper of an examining table, still dressed in her bloody and torn clothes, having been examined by a doctor, a physician assistant, and a nurse. Mary had been taken to another examining room, and Bennie felt nervous and edgy, not knowing how she was doing. Mary had been unconscious when they got to the hospital, and nobody was giving Bennie any information, much less guarantees. She had cross-examined the paramedics in the ambulance, but they had kept their mouths professionally closed. They weren’t about to give her medical information about Mary because Bennie had no legal standing vis-à-vis her. Under federal law, friends didn’t count.
Bennie got off the table and started pacing, which always made her feel better, even though she had an array of aches and pains for which they’d given her megadoses of Advil. She heard that Ray was in surgery but expected to survive, which improved her mood. She didn’t want him dead, she wanted him in jail. She herself was fine except for two cracked ribs, and they’d cleaned her up, bandaged her hands and wrists, and given her a butterfly stitch at her hairline, promising that the cut wouldn’t scar. At this point, Bennie would wear any scar as a badge of honor.
“I’m back,” said the nurse, pushing aside a patterned curtain, with a pleasant smile. Her name was Karen, and she was a middle-aged woman with short brown hair and rimless glasses that emphasized the roundness of her pretty face.
“Is there any news about my friend Mary?”
“No, nothing.” Karen looked away, which Bennie took as a bad sign. Every time a jury returned with a losing verdict, they always looked away when they came back into the courtroom. Every lawyer knew it. It was a juror tell.
“Would you let me know if there’s anything I should know?”
“Yes, of course.” Karen handed her a smartphone. “You asked for a phone? You can use mine.”
“Oh, thank you.” Bennie accepted the smartphone, grateful. The screen had a picture of a corgi in a cart. “Poor little guy.”
“She’s fine. She drives better than most people.”
“Thank you, I won’t be long.” Bennie wanted to call Declan and Detective Lindenhurst, but she wasn’t sure whom to call first.
“Good, because there are a few policemen outside who want to speak with you.”
“The local cops? I spoke with them already and I asked them to contact the Philadelphia police.”
“They did but they just want to check one or two things with you.”
“Okay, I need to make two calls. I’ll keep it short.”
“Sure, okay. Just come out when you’re finished and I’ll have your discharge papers ready.”
“Thanks.” Bennie scrolled to the phone function, hesitated, then made the first call.
“Babe, are you okay?” Declan asked, alarmed. “I’ve been calling and texting. Anthony’s been calling Mary. We heard you left the hospital together. We’re both worried. Her family—”
“I’m okay and so is Mary.” Bennie felt so good to hear his voice. Emotions welled up from somewhere behind her cracked ribs, but she didn’t want to give in to them right now, when she had so much to do. “This was as soon as I could get to a phone.”
“Where are you? What happened?”
“I don’t have time to fill you in now.”
“Give me the headline.”
“We figured out who killed Todd and framed Simon. It was a conspiracy.”
“Are you serious?”
“They tried to kill us but they couldn’t.”
“What? Oh my God, are you hurt? Is Mary?”
“I’m fine. I’ll keep you posted but I’m worried Mary has a head injury. She’s in the examination room now.”
“Oh no,” Declan said, hushed. “Should I tell Anthony?”
“Yes, and I’ll call as soon as I know more.”
“Who killed Todd? Where are they? Were they arrested?”
“Two are dead, one survived.” Bennie felt her stomach twist. She took no pleasure in killing Mo. She never would’ve done it but to defend herself and Mary.
“How did that happen?”
“I’ll tell you another time.” Bennie didn’t want to elaborate now. “I have to call the Philly police, brief them, and try to convince them to release Simon.”
“Okay, so where are you?”
“I’m at a hospital in the boondocks. If it had more activity, there would be reporters, so there’s a silver lining.” Bennie realized she couldn’t wait to see Declan. She just wanted to bury her head in his chest and feel his arms around her. She wanted to feel safe again. “Where are you?”
“I’m outside Philly on my way to CHOP.”
“You’re not home?”
“No, I left as soon as Anthony called me. He can’t reach Mary.”
“Thanks,” Bennie said, touched. She felt tightness in her chest again and chalked it up to recent injuries, if not true love.
“Do you want me to come to you?”
“No, thanks. I gotta go call the cops. I love you.”
“Babe, I love you too. I’m sorry we fought.”
“Me too. Call you later.”
“Love you, bye.” Declan ended the call, and so did Bennie. She exhaled, got her emotional act together, then dialed the number for the Homicide Division, which she unfortunately knew by heart.
“This is Bennie Rosato, can you put me through to Detective Lindenhurst?” she asked, and she was put through immediately.
“This is Lindenhurst. Bennie, I’ve been expecting your call.”
“Did the local police contact you?”
“Yes, they did. They briefed me.”
“Have you released Simon?”
“Not yet.”
“Why not? The charges should be dropped. He didn’t commit the murder.”
“I can’t do that without a statement from you and Mary, in addition to our own investigation. We understand one of the suspects, Ray Matewicz, is alive. We need to talk to him.”
“You may have heard that Mary was very seriously injured. She’s in no shape to give a statement. I can give a statement for us both.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Detective Lindenhurst’s tone changed. “I like Mary very much.”
“She’ll be fine,” Bennie said, unsure if she was trying to convince him or herself. “Detective, if you’ve spoken with the locals you have more than enough information to release Simon. You don’t need to wait for Ray.”
“I’m afraid that’s not true. We have procedures to follow. I have to speak with the ADA and the DA.”
“I understand your position. We have to follow procedures and complete our investigation. We need you to come down and make a statement.”
“I already gave it to the locals. I told them everything. Can’t you get it from them?”
“No. We need one of our own. We need you to come down to the Roundhouse.”
“Why? I’m staying with Mary. I’m not leaving her. If you really need a statement, I can give it now, by phone.”
“We have procedures. After we have all our i’s dotted—”
“Release him,” Bennie said, beginning to get angry.
“We can’t do that. We just can’t open the door and let him out—”
“Yes you can, and you damn well better.” Bennie felt her temper give way, even if it wasn’t completely lawyerly. “Simon Pensiera is an innocent man. He was wrongly charged for murder by you. The men who killed Todd tried to kill me and Mary tonight. Is that enough for you? How much proof do you need?”
“Bennie, relax and—”
“Don’t you dare tell me to relax!” Bennie had never interrupted anyone so much. She was turning into Mary and she liked it. “If anything happens to Simon’s daughter while he’s wrongly in your custody, I will sue you personally, I will sue everybody in the Homicide Division, and I will sue the city of Philadelphia!”
“Wait, hold on—”
“No, you hold on!” Bennie exploded, taking out all of her rage and frustration on Detective Lindenhurst, which was his own damn fault. “I will garnish every cent you make until the day you retire and then I’ll take your pension! I will take your house and I will take your car! Do you hear me? I will not permit you to imprison my client when you know full well that he’s innocent! What part of I-will-ruin-you don’t you understand?”
“Bennie?” Karen called from the curtain, and Bennie didn’t know how long she’d been standing there.
“Karen, sorry.” Bennie covered the phone with her hand. “Was I making too much noise?”
“No, that’s not it.” Karen’s face fell. “Mary’s being Medevac’d to University of Penn Hospital in Philly.”
“Why?” Bennie asked, her heart aching.
“They can run tests that we can’t. They have a specialized trauma care unit, a neurological ICU.”
“Does she need surgery?” Bennie’s face twisted.
“I don’t know. They just told me to get you.”
“I want to go with her.”
“Fine, but we have to hurry.”
Bennie said into the phone, “Detective Lindenhurst, if you want a statement, I’ll be at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. Good-bye.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Mary couldn’t seem to stay awake, she didn’t know why. Her head was killing her. She knew only that she had been in a noisy helicopter with new medical personnel and Bennie still holding on to her hand. She’d been only dimly aware when the helicopter landed and was met by another group of medical personnel who hustled her on her gurney onto a windy rooftop, then rushed her through hospital corridors with everyone running alongside her shouting to one another, holding IV bags of blood and saline, and rolling equipment on stalks.
Bennie never let go. She ran faster than all of them.
They ended up in another examination room, where they examined her all over again, stitching up the back of her head. They gave her an ultrasound at her bedside, then swept her off to a CAT scan, after which they told her what was wrong. She had an epidural hematoma, a blood clot caused by blunt trauma. They were trying to decide if she needed surgery, evaluating as tests were performed.
Mary caught snippets of their conversation; “no coma,” “no pupillary changes,” “EDH volume less than thirty milliliters,” “midline shift less than five millimeters,” and “clot thickness less than fifteen millimeters.”
Mary didn’t know what the details meant, but she sent up a silent prayer.
She was lucky and blessed to have come this far.
She had a lot to live for.
Her family.
CHAPTER FORTY
While Mary was being examined, Bennie gave her statement to Detective Lindenhurst and two other detectives in a spare meeting room at the hospital. She started with the partnership dispute with Mary, the interview of Todd at OpenSpace, and how she came to obtain the company documents, compare them with Simon’s emails, and discover the hidden emails, then the fatal fire at Bethlehem Bank. She finished by telling about the abduction, how Ernie had been murdered by Ray, then how she had hit Mo with his truck and shot Ray in self-defense.
Declan sat next to her during the entire account, and his presence didn’t seem as unusual to her as it would have before. She never would’ve had a boyfriend with her in any legal proceeding, but she wanted him close. Before she’d met with Detective Lindenhurst, she’d told Anthony what happened to Mary, out of earshot of Mary’s family, The Tonys, and two of Simon’s cousins, all waiting for Mary in the lounge. Bennie couldn’t wait to rejoin them, another new feeling, but she was going with the flow. Feet was in stable condition in the very same hospital, and Rachel was next door at CHOP, watched over by Simon’s third cousin.
Bennie finished her statement. “So Detective Lindenhurst, I assume that covers everything.”
“You might be right.” Detective Lindenhurst closed his skinny notebook, looking up. “I don’t have any further questions.”
“I don’t see how you could.” Bennie reined in her temper but it wasn’t easy. “When are you going to release my client? He needs to be with his daughter and father right now, not sitting in a jail cell for a crime he didn’t commit.”
“I understand your position. We’re in the beginning stages of our investigation.”
“What have you done?”
“We’ve spoken with Mike Bashir, the company president. He’s returned from Scottsdale. We don’t believe he has any knowledge of what Ray and Ernie were up to, so the conspiracy doesn’t go any higher.”
“Agree, but he was concerned about the police searching his office.”
“We discussed that with him and we cleared him. We’re waiting on Ray Matewicz, who’s in stable condition. We’ve begun to liaise with the local police, since it’s outside of our jurisdiction to get the bodies autopsied and examined—”
“What difference does that make?” Bennie interrupted, even though she was trying not to interrupt. “What more could you need?”
“Bennie, you know these things are complicated when you’re liaising with other jurisdictions. They don’t work as fast as Philly. They don’t have the personnel or the access to the labs.” Detective Lindenhurst checked his watch. “And it’s two thirty in the morning.”
“What are you talking about? I’m awake, you’re awake, judges are on call twenty-four/seven, and so are district attorneys.”
“Not out there. I can’t raise anybody.”
Declan frowned. “We’re talking about Clearfield County?”
Detective Lindenhurst nodded. “Yes, the cabin was in the town of Hobart in Clearfield County. Todd Eddington was killed in Philadelphia County, but Ernie Greeley and Mo Nustrall were killed in Clearfield County. As such, Clearfield County has complete jurisdiction over those cases, though they’re related cases. I have to coordinate with them before I can release Simon.”
Declan blinked. “I know the district attorney in Clearfield County. Walker Severn.”
“Yes, that’s his name,” Detective Lindenhurst said, surprised. “How do you know him?”
“I was a state trooper for over a decade. Clearfield County may be the boondocks to you city folk, but it was in my district. I know the players. Why don’t I call Walker? See if I can light a fire under everybody?”
“Yes!” Bennie perked up. “Call him.”
Detective Lindenhurst hesitated.
“It’s not standard procedure—”
“What?” Bennie wasn’t having any. “Since when is the old boy network not standard procedure? Please, I’ve been on the outside of it my entire legal career. Don’t tell me that Declan can’t call some guy who can call some other guy to pull some strings! We’re only asking them to speed things up!”
Detective Lindenhurst raised a hand. “I was about to say that even though it is not standard procedure, I’m not against Declan making a call to expedite this matter, given the circumstances.”
“I’ll do it right now.” Declan took his cell phone from his back pocket, and Bennie reconsidered the merits of bringing her boyfriend to a legal proceeding, especially when he proved useful.
Declan put the call on speakerphone after he reached Walker Whoever and together they hashed out the steps required to gain Simon’s release. It took another half hour and when the conference call was finished, Declan met her eye in a meaningful way, telegraphing that he was satisfied but he knew enough not to say so, in case she didn’t agree. She was falling more and more in love with him every minute, but that would have to wait.
Bennie turned to Detective Lindenhurst. “So let’s nail this down. When are you releasing Simon?”
“If Walker comes through with the information we requested, I’m hoping I’ll be able to release Simon by tomorrow afternoon.”
“Or nine o’clock.”
Detective Lindenhurst smiled slightly. “Noon is a possibility.”
“How about ten o’clock? I’ll settle for ten o’clock.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Detective Lindenhurst chuckled, rising, and everybody behind him stood up, getting ready to leave.
“Thank you.” Bennie stood up, too. Her ribs were hurting again but she ignored it. “I’m sorry I yelled at you before.”
“It’s okay. It happens.” Detective Lindenhurst’s smile widened.
Declan burst into laughter. “At least she apologized to you. I think she likes you better than me.”
Bennie laughed too. “I don’t like anybody better than you right now. You’re golden!”
They all laughed again, said their good-byes, and walked to the door of the meeting room. Detective Lindenhurst and the others went left, heading for the elevators, and Bennie and Declan turned right, toward the lounge. Just then, she spotted a familiar figure midway down the hall, coming toward them. Nate, wearing a blue sweater, pressed jeans, and a contrite expression.
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