Lucy leaned against the cool tile wall as waves of nausea washed through her. She’d assisted in hundreds of autopsies, including the autopsies of three infants, one of whom had died of shaken baby syndrome and was by far the worst autopsy she’d witnessed. She’d had a similar reaction then, at the tragic, unnecessary death of another human because of the selfish wants of someone else.
She had to move, but she was rooted in place. She squeezed back her anguish.
Come on, Lucy. You are a professional.
Just one more minute!
She leaned over the sink and splashed more water on her face, then leaned forward and let another wave of nausea pass. Okay, she was better. She had to be. She had a job to do.
She would find Jane Doe’s killer.
She would find Jane Doe’s baby.
She finally regained her strength and left the restroom. She walked right into Noah.
He stared at her. She couldn’t read his expression.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I-I just needed a minute.”
He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “That was hard to hear. I was surprised at how… indifferent you seemed. But I knew it was an act. I know you, Lucy. You can’t keep all that bottled up. Did you think I would think less of you if you reacted?”
“No.” Maybe. “I had to control it, Noah. If I broke down there, over her body, I wouldn’t be able to do my job. To see what needed to be seen.”
“Lucy, we’ve been friends for a long time. You know you can trust me. If you ever need to walk away, it’s okay.”
She nodded. “I trust you, Noah. I don’t say that easily, but I do trust you. I am okay. I want to find these people in the worst way, but I can do the job.”
“Dr. Vasquez took Siobhan in; you don’t have to go back.”
“I should be there for her.”
“Think about yourself sometimes, okay?”
Noah dropped his hand, and that’s when Lucy realized he’d been holding on to her for the last few minutes. As if he, too, needed to be grounded before he could move on. “How are you doing?” she asked as they walked back to the lobby.
He shrugged. “I don’t think I’ll be sleeping much tonight.”
Siobhan stepped out of the crypt, silent tears running down her cheeks. “That’s the girl from Sunday. Dear Lord.” She crossed herself. “Lucy, I killed her.”
“You did not kill her, Siobhan.”
“I went there, I upset her-the doctor said she had a seizure caused by high blood pressure-I set her off. She was screaming at me-”
“Ma’am, I don’t believe that’s the case,” Vasquez said, and Lucy mentally thanked him. “Preeclampsia is a very serious, very dangerous condition. That girl should have been under a doctor’s care as soon as it was diagnosed-if it was diagnosed. No one caused it, but whoever delivered her baby killed her in the process. Not you.”
It was time to leave.
Marisol couldn’t stay here, not when her sister was in such danger. Angelo would be coming soon, and she didn’t want the Honeycutts to be in the middle of any of this. These people were dangerous. Angelo would help her rescue Ana and then they could go home.
For the first time in two years she believed she would see her family again. Her village.
George and Nadia didn’t want her to go.
Marisol didn’t want to leave, either. Rarely had she met two genuinely kind souls, certainly not in the last two years. George and Nadia restored her faith in God, restored her hope that she would survive.
“Wait until John comes back,” Nadia said. “He said he would be back tonight, after work. For dinner.”
She shook her head. “Angelo is meeting me. You have done so much already.”
“Wait until morning. Please, stay one more night.”
She wanted to. Nadia reminded Marisol of her grandmother. Last night, she’d told Nadia some of what had happened to her and Ana. When Nadia hugged her, Marisol had cried. She hadn’t cried in years, but she cried last night.
Today, she was stronger.
“Angelo knows what to do. These people are very dangerous, I don’t want you hurt.”
Nadia frowned. “Nonsense, Marisol. You need to let someone help you. There are good people in this world.”
She smiled. When was the last time she’d smiled? “You and Mr. Honeycutt are two of the kindest people I’ve met. But Angelo can help me get my sister back.”
She glanced at George. She hoped he hadn’t already called the police. Because if he did, they would take her back. She knew it.
Nadia seemed to sense her hesitation. “You are safe here, Marisol. But you’re still weak. You had a baby.”
She blushed. She hadn’t told Nadia about the baby, but she’d known. Maybe it was something women know, once they have a child of their own.
“Please trust me on this,” Marisol said. “These are dangerous, bad people. Angelo can protect me, he is a good man. Like John.”
“Why don’t you have Angelo come here to get you?”
What did she say to that? She didn’t know why, it was just her gut feeling. “Because you’ve done more than can be repaid.” She had clean clothes. They were Nadia’s, and they hung loose on her, but it felt good to wear something clean that smelled so good.
George walked over and put a phone in her hand, along with money.
She shook her head. “I can’t take this.”
“I programmed my number in here. If you need anything, any help, call me. John and I will come.”
“I-”
“You will take it. It’s not much money, but it will feed you.”
She hugged them both and tried not to cry again.
Then she left. She had a two-hour walk ahead of her, but she felt so much better now than she had before. Angelo had been emotional when they spoke.
“I didn’t know what had happened to you. I looked everywhere, but the policía said you had gone away. Poof! Just disappeared. I feared the worst. Thank God you’re alive. I will be there, just tell me when and where.”
Soon, Ana would be free. Soon, she would have her baby.
I love you, Angelo. Thank you.
Two hours later, while Nadia was preparing dinner and feeling surprisingly sad about Marisol leaving, John burst into the house.
“Wipe your feet,” she said out of habit. She’d raised three sons and two daughters. John was the youngest and the only one who still lived close by.
“Where’s Marisol?”
“She left.”
“What? Why?”
“She spoke to the young man from her home. Angelo. He’s coming to get her.”
“But why isn’t she here?”
“Johnny, what’s wrong?”
“I talked to Adam after classes ended today.”
“You promised you wouldn’t go to the police, Johnny. Your word.”
“I didn’t tell him about her, I just asked hypothetical questions.”
“Adam is not a stupid man.”
Adam was her son-in-law, a good man, but he was a policeman, and he could be very law-and-order, especially when it came to immigrants. Nadia feared what would happen to Marisol. The girl was scared, terrified about something. Nadia could only guess. The police couldn’t help her, not even a good man like Adam.
“An infant was left at a church in Freer. It’s under police protection at the hospital. I think it’s Marisol’s baby.”
“She wouldn’t hurt a fly!”
“No, Ma, that’s not what I mean. I mean that the police think that the baby’s mother is in danger. And then Adam said another woman who’d just had a baby was found dead in an alley.”
Nadia crossed herself.
“Where did Marisol go?”
“I don’t know, she wouldn’t tell me.”
George came into the kitchen. “I heard her on the phone. I know where she’s going. We should be able to catch up with her.”