Elliott Richter and nephew Scott were standing in the tiny, stark lobby when I walked in. Guess the relatives were on a rotating hospital assignment to accompany Richter here.
After we exchanged hellos, I said, "Why are you down here?" I nodded at the windows. "Unless you wanted a look at a log cabin smack-dab in the center of a hospital complex."
Richter glanced through the floor-to-ceiling window at the very old log cabin just across the Ben Taub Loop as if he'd just noticed it for the first time.
Scott, preppy as usual in a red polo and bone-colored khakis, said, "What the heck is that building for, anyway?"
"I think it's one of those strong statements Texas landowners are famous for. This house is mine and I ain't movin' no matter what you want to build here. The cabin dates way back, probably has as rich a history as Glenwood Cemetery. I've been there to your family plot, by the way."
Richter looked at me sharply. "Why?"
"I did a little research before I met you. Did you know JoLynn went up there every week to visit Katarina's grave?" I glanced back and forth between Richter and Scott.
Richter's eyes showed his surprise. And Scott decided the floor was suddenly fascinating.
I said, "Scott, I'm getting the feeling you knew."
He looked up, and when he spoke, he addressed his uncle, not me. "I went with her a couple times. She was—how can I say this? She was . . . obsessed with Katarina. I couldn't answer her questions, Uncle Elliott. I remember when Katarina came back, how sick she was, but that's all. I told JoLynn to talk to you about her mother."
"What kind of questions did JoLynn ask, Scott?" I said before Richter could respond.
"She wanted to know what Katarina liked to read, the places she liked to go, what she liked to do. That's natural . . . normal, I guess. When I had no answers, she'd sit there and cry and I—I'm not so hot with crying women. I couldn't help her."
Richter stared out at the log cabin. "She and I never talked much about Katarina. I only told JoLynn that she was very much like her mother. I wish now I would have told her that I recognized that same kindness, that JoLynn's eyes always showed how much she cared, how she seemed to want to absorb every word I said. But it was uncomfortable after all these years to have someone care that much." He looked at me. "I don't have an ounce of insight, Abby, and yet JoLynn wanted to know what made me tick."
An awkward silence followed, one I couldn't stand for more than a few seconds. I said, "Back to my original question. Why are you down here in the lobby? It's not very people-friendly."
"JoLynn is being moved out of the ICU," Richter said. "The new security guard is keeping watch during the transfer. We almost went to the cafeteria, but since it's in the basement, I was afraid I wouldn't get the call once JoLynn has been settled in her new room."
"She must be better," I said. "That's great news."
Scott grinned. "She is. She recognized me, held my hand."
"Great." I looked at Richter. "You didn't bring up the accident or tell her about Dugan's death, I hope."
"Chief Boyd has made himself very clear," Richter said. "That's not my place. Besides, she's frightened and in quite a bit of pain now that the sedation has been decreased. My focus is on her comfort. I want her moved to Methodist as soon as possible."
I couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that he knew she had fake ID, that she could be a fraud, and this still didn't matter. Maybe Kate could get inside his head.
"Cooper and my sister are on the way from the parking garage," I said.
"Ah, Kate. Very pleasant young woman," Richter said. "She'll be good for JoLynn. The trauma she's suffered is beginning to sink in."
I looked at Scott. "How are you doing with all this?"
"I'm relieved JoLynn is recovering, that she could move out of ICU. But she was pretty upset when she found out they drilled a hole in her skull to drain a blood clot."
"They did?" I glanced back and forth between him and Richter.
Scott said, "Yeah. You can't see where they shaved her hair, because the bandage covering the hole is back here." He pointed to a spot behind and above his ear.
"I thought you knew," Richter said. "Her clot was small, not life threatening, thank goodness."
But I was imagining the tools necessary to do this procedure. I thought about my shop class in high school—the one I took because of the pleasant boy-togirl ratio—and remembered drill bits of all sizes. No wonder she was scared and in pain. She'd lived through the equivalent of a horror movie.
"How long will the move take?" I said.
Richter checked his watch. "I don't know why it's even taken this long. This hospital may be excellent for trauma, but my God, the rest of the place is . . . never mind. They saved her life and I can't complain."
Kate and Cooper arrived then and I explained why we were waiting around in the cramped lobby.
Then Cooper surprised me, probably surprised everyone, by saying, "Mr. Richter, I'd like to chat with you in private—maybe in the cafeteria?"
Richter stiffened, glanced at the cell phone he was gripping like a lifeline. "And why is that?"
"I'll explain downstairs. A few questions, that's all."
"The rest of us can wait here," Kate the Accommodator said quickly.
"Sorry." Cooper's eyes offered her a bigger apology than I thought necessary. "This shouldn't take long."
"Wait." Richter seemed about as happy as an exsmoker who'd forgotten his Nicorette. "I want Abby to accompany us. She works for me, Boyd. She's aware of everything that's gone on."
Cooper hesitated, then said, "Sure. Kate, you okay hanging out with Scott?"
"I'd like to get to know him better," she answered with a smile. "We didn't get much of a chance to talk at the ranch the other night."
So Cooper, Richter and I went downstairs, got coffee and sat at a table as far from the food stations as possible. The lunch crowd had dissipated and the place was nearly deserted.
"I have some serious questions, Mr. Richter," Cooper said. "Consider this talk an informal interview. If I learn I need to take this discussion further, we'll talk again at the Pineview police station, where I will get your answers on tape."
"On tape? Do you suspect me of something?" Richter said.
"Like I said, this is informal. No tape, no notes, no lawyer required," Cooper said. "We simply need to get to the truth."
Uh-oh. Cooper was ready to ask about things we'd speculated on in the last few days. I knew this because I was sitting across from Cooper and the hardness I'd seen in his stare when he'd brought out the worst in Dugan the other night was back with a vengeance.
"You think I don't want the truth as well? Get on with your questions," Richter said.
"Are you aware that Elizabeth 'JoLynn' Dugan is most likely not your granddaughter?" Cooper said.
Gosh, don't beat around the bush or anything, I thought.
Richter's expression went from irritated to jumbo-size irritated in an instant. "What are you talking about?"
"Aside from the fake ID, the missing birth certificate and credible evidence she was scamming you, I suppose I don't know what I'm talking about."
"What are you implying, Chief Boyd?" Richter said. Man, his stinger was out now. This was not a guy used to being challenged.
"From what I've learned about you," Cooper said, "I'm guessing you knew all about her misrepresentation not long after she arrived at your place a year ago."