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“So you think…what? That Kervin contracted with a third party to kidnap me for Stephen Thorne?” She shook her head. “Seems too convoluted.”
“It’s a stretch,” he acceded. “But we have to eliminate all possibilities. Jennings will pull all the traffic footage around therestaurant. They’ll track the route your attacker’s car took. It’ll be another nail in his coffin. When we have his name I’ll check for any links to Thorne.”
He reached across the table and took the spoon from her. “That’s enough for now.” How much could the woman stand in one day? She’d been assaulted, kidnapped, and then managed to outwit and outfight her opponent. He didn’t know many people who could have done the same and remain upright. “Why don’t you lie down for a while?”
Making a face, she said, “I’ve already spent too much time in a bed today.”
“Not resting.”
She picked up her cell and glanced at the screen. “I have to make a call first. Maybe when I’m done.”
Hayes took the silverware to the kitchen, loaded the dishwasher, and threw away the paper plates and bowls. The sensor sounded, and his gaze jerked toward the door. But Reese had just stepped out onto the balcony for privacy. He forced the pent-up breath out of his lungs and finished his task. He and Adam had discussed at length moving Reese to a safehouse out of state. When the opportunity arose, he’d broach the idea with her. He was pretty certain what her response would be.
But they were fast approaching the time when she may get overruled.
His cell sounded. He wiped his hands on a kitchen towel and headed for the table to pick it up. A text from Jennings.
Got the bastard.
A picture of a man in cuffs was attached. Hayes studied the photo. Reese had indeed messed up his face. Although he’d obviously gotten a shower in before Jennings caught up with him, his nose would probably require medical attention.
Lance McNulty. Call when Reese is available. More ?s.
Hayes crossed to the patio door and pulled it open. Reese turned, her cell held to her ear. “I appreciate that. Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She lowered the phone. “Before you get the handcuffs, that was Dr. Sedgewick, my brother’s psychiatrist. She agreed to make time to see me in the morning.”
“That’s something that could wait.”
She glanced at him askance as she brushed by him to go inside. “Can it? My life goes on. I returned a call to Camry first. He was understandably upset to discover that I’m being investigated in Greenley’s death. He’s talking about getting the conservatorship hearing postponed so this doesn’t tank my chances.”
“Maybe that would be best.” Hayes held up a hand to stem the protest she would have made. “The human body—and mind—can only withstand so much, Reese. Trauma has a way of catching up to us. If you don’t take the time to deal with everything happening, I can promise that it’ll hit you when you least expect it.”
“There’s no guarantee that an extension would be granted, so until it is, I still need to prepare. Kervin gave me some details about my brother this morning. They sort of filled in some blanks.”
“Any that can be proven?” He saw the answer to his question on her face. “Reese.” Hayes gentled his voice. “Paying for info is like giving money to a fortune-teller. You get plenty of details that could be true, but they usually just tell you what you want to hear.”
“I’m aware.” She went by him and sank to the couch. “But Kervin says he worked with him some when he firststarted at the hospital. He asked around and learned that he’d been transitioned to the annex, a part of the facility for their most troubled patients.” Reese stretched her legs out on the coffee table before her. “Maybe the move coordinates with the expenses that starting showing up for Ben’s care. It’s something to check out with Sedgewick.”
“You might find more answers in the reports she provided to your aunt and Rivers.”
“I’ll examine more of them before I meet with her.” Her eyes were starting to droop.
“You didn’t reach out to Kervin just now, did you?” When she looked away, his mouth flattened. “That was…unwise.” A far more diplomatic response than he was feeling.
“I texted him that I was okay. I still don’t think he was involved in this today, but if he was, he’d already know that I got away.”
“Don’t communicate with him further without discussing it with me first.” That earned him a long, hard look, but she didn’t argue, which was the most he could ask for. Her head settled against the couch cushion. Before she could completely relax, Hayes reluctantly said, “Jennings caught up with the guy you identified. Lance McNulty.”
He crossed to the couch and sank down beside her to show her the man’s booking photo. Reese straightened to study it. “That looks even more like him than the picture in the array he showed me. And there’s no missing the injury to his nose.”
“The detective has a few more questions for you. If you want to wait a while until you’re feeling stronger…”
It was the wrong thing to say. She jackknifed from the couch, steel straightening her spine. “Now is fine.”
Hayes wasn’t so sure. She’d clearly reached into an inner well of resolve. But there’d come a time when that well ran dry. It was a matter of when, not if.
It took only a couple of minutes to contact the detective. When he did, Hayes put the call on speakerphone.
“Is Reese there with you?”