what had she endured?
‘Can I borrow your penlight?’
‘Of course,’ the doctor said, reaching inside her pocket.
Darby pulled back the sick tent and examined the woman’s left forearm.
Written in blue ink, in tiny letters on the exposed area of skin between the bandages, were a series of letters and numbers: 1 L S 2R L R 3R S 2R 3L.
And underneath it, three more lines:
2 R R S 2L S R R L 3R S
3 L 2R S S 2R L R 4 R
The fourth line was illegible.
The doctor leaned in. ‘What in God’s name is that?’
‘Directions would be my first guess – L for left, R for right.’
‘That last letter, or number, whatever it was, it looks like she was writing and then had to stop,’ the doctor said. ‘Maybe that was when the nurse came in.’
Darby had been wondering the same thing. ‘Excuse me for a moment.’
ID was gone for the day. Darby called Operations and crossed her fingers, hoping that Mary Beth was on call. She was.
It would be at least an hour before Mary Beth arrived with her equipment. Darby took pictures with her digital camera for her files.
Jane Doe was heavily sedated, so the doctor was willing to undo the restraints so Darby could take close-up pictures. She examined the rest of Jane Doe’s body and didn’t find any other writing.
‘Someone from the lab is going to be here to takemore photographs,’ Darby said after she finished. ‘You might have to undo the restraints again.’
‘As long as she’s sedated. I meant to ask you this earlier: Do you know why she didn’t attack you?’
‘I think I reminded her of someone.’ Darby took out a business card and wrote down her home number. She handed the card to the doctor. ‘That’s my home number. When she wakes up, I’d appreciate if you’d call me, even if it’s late. I’ll leave my cell on, too.’
‘When you find the person who did this to her,’ the doctor said, ‘I hope you all have the good sense to string the son of a bitch up by his balls.’
Chapter 15
Darby did the documentation work for Mary Beth. When they stepped back outside the ICU, Darby turned on her phone and checked her messages. There was another one from Sheila, asking her to call. She was worried; Darby could tell by the tone of her mother’s voice. The second message was from Banville.
Her cell phone battery was almost dead. Darby found a pay phone on the wall next to a pair of vending machines. Across the hall was the ICU waiting room, a small area with stiff plastic chairs and magazines wrinkled by sweat. A man with rosary beads stared at the floor while a woman cried in the corner underneath the TV playing a news report on the war in Iraq.
When Banville answered his phone, Darby brought him up to date on the day’s events.
‘I agree, the letters do sound like directions,’ Banville said after she finished. ‘I wonder how the numbers factor into it.’
‘It could be a shorthand of some sort.’
‘And the only person who can decipher it is still sedated.’
‘I asked the doctor to call me when she wakes up. I want to be there when you question her.’
‘I think that’s a good idea. It might help keep her calm. Let’s hope she wakes up soon.’
‘I hear I’m all over the news.’
‘Some reporter got footage of you climbing under the porch with Jane Doe,’ Banville said. ‘I bet our boy is getting real nervous.’
‘How’s the mother holding up?’
‘About the same as any mother would hold up in this situation,’ Banville said. The Lynn police went to Little Baby Cool’s last known address. He doesn’t live there anymore and – imagine this – he forgot to notify his parole officer. I’ll tell them about the footwear impression.’
‘I want to talk to you about that,’ Darby said, and launched into her reasons for hiring the footwear consultant.
‘It’s something to consider,’ Banville said.
‘The last FedEx drop is at seven. Emmerich said he’d work on it first thing in the morning.’
‘That’s a hell of
‘Can I borrow your penlight?’
‘Of course,’ the doctor said, reaching inside her pocket.
Darby pulled back the sick tent and examined the woman’s left forearm.
Written in blue ink, in tiny letters on the exposed area of skin between the bandages, were a series of letters and numbers: 1 L S 2R L R 3R S 2R 3L.
And underneath it, three more lines:
2 R R S 2L S R R L 3R S
3 L 2R S S 2R L R 4 R
The fourth line was illegible.
The doctor leaned in. ‘What in God’s name is that?’
‘Directions would be my first guess – L for left, R for right.’
‘That last letter, or number, whatever it was, it looks like she was writing and then had to stop,’ the doctor said. ‘Maybe that was when the nurse came in.’
Darby had been wondering the same thing. ‘Excuse me for a moment.’
ID was gone for the day. Darby called Operations and crossed her fingers, hoping that Mary Beth was on call. She was.
It would be at least an hour before Mary Beth arrived with her equipment. Darby took pictures with her digital camera for her files.
Jane Doe was heavily sedated, so the doctor was willing to undo the restraints so Darby could take close-up pictures. She examined the rest of Jane Doe’s body and didn’t find any other writing.
‘Someone from the lab is going to be here to takemore photographs,’ Darby said after she finished. ‘You might have to undo the restraints again.’
‘As long as she’s sedated. I meant to ask you this earlier: Do you know why she didn’t attack you?’
‘I think I reminded her of someone.’ Darby took out a business card and wrote down her home number. She handed the card to the doctor. ‘That’s my home number. When she wakes up, I’d appreciate if you’d call me, even if it’s late. I’ll leave my cell on, too.’
‘When you find the person who did this to her,’ the doctor said, ‘I hope you all have the good sense to string the son of a bitch up by his balls.’
Chapter 15
Darby did the documentation work for Mary Beth. When they stepped back outside the ICU, Darby turned on her phone and checked her messages. There was another one from Sheila, asking her to call. She was worried; Darby could tell by the tone of her mother’s voice. The second message was from Banville.
Her cell phone battery was almost dead. Darby found a pay phone on the wall next to a pair of vending machines. Across the hall was the ICU waiting room, a small area with stiff plastic chairs and magazines wrinkled by sweat. A man with rosary beads stared at the floor while a woman cried in the corner underneath the TV playing a news report on the war in Iraq.
When Banville answered his phone, Darby brought him up to date on the day’s events.
‘I agree, the letters do sound like directions,’ Banville said after she finished. ‘I wonder how the numbers factor into it.’
‘It could be a shorthand of some sort.’
‘And the only person who can decipher it is still sedated.’
‘I asked the doctor to call me when she wakes up. I want to be there when you question her.’
‘I think that’s a good idea. It might help keep her calm. Let’s hope she wakes up soon.’
‘I hear I’m all over the news.’
‘Some reporter got footage of you climbing under the porch with Jane Doe,’ Banville said. ‘I bet our boy is getting real nervous.’
‘How’s the mother holding up?’
‘About the same as any mother would hold up in this situation,’ Banville said. The Lynn police went to Little Baby Cool’s last known address. He doesn’t live there anymore and – imagine this – he forgot to notify his parole officer. I’ll tell them about the footwear impression.’
‘I want to talk to you about that,’ Darby said, and launched into her reasons for hiring the footwear consultant.
‘It’s something to consider,’ Banville said.
‘The last FedEx drop is at seven. Emmerich said he’d work on it first thing in the morning.’
‘That’s a hell of
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