a gun on Rory?” Auburn asked.
“Of course. I waited for a good clean shot. Took my time. Knew I’d have just one chance. Danny moved the gun away from her. I saw my chance and took it. It’s a sad thing. I wish it could have turned out differently.” Richard took another puff of his cigar.
“The police hostage negotiator was trying to make contact with Danny,” Auburn said. “Why didn’t you wait for the police to do their job?”
“Negotiate?” Richard said. “With a lunatic? Detective, I appreciate that you don’t want citizens taking the law into their own hands, but would you take the odds of the police talking a madman with a vendetta into putting down his gun or would you do what you could to save your child?”
Auburn looked at Rodriguez. Neither responded to Richard’s question. Auburn said, “Gentlemen, thank you for your cooperation. We’ll be in touch.”
The detectives left.
In the garden, police were still working the crime scene as news helicopters circled overhead. Most of the party guests and staff had left.
Rodriguez said, “If it was me in that situation, I’d feel justified in taking the shot.”
Auburn drew in a long breath and looked at the city lights. “The DA won’t file charges. They’ll never find a jury that’ll convict Richard Tate.”
“He acted in defense of his family and home.”
“And he used the perfect assassination tool to do it.” Auburn turned his head and frowned into the distance, as if picking out the shimmering lights of one house in particular. “Let’s go to Eagle Rock and talk to Danny’s mom and his sister. They live in the same neighborhood. I’d been meaning to check in on them and see how they’re doing, but not like this.”
18
“Good morning. I’m Dr. Toshiko Ballard.” She was Japanese American and had a slight build and straight black hair cut into a bob. “Are you Rory’s mother?”
“Yes, I’m Evelyn.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Evelyn thought Dr. Ballard looked like an eager college freshman, and that hardly inspired confidence. “A pleasure. This is Rory’s fiancé, Tom Fuller.”
The doctor shook his hand. “Hello, Tom. We’ll talk in a moment. First, let’s see how Rory is doing.”
She went to a dispenser of hand sanitizer on a wall and rubbed gel onto her hands before going to Rory’s bedside. She spoke softly. “Hello, Rory. It’s Dr. Ballard, here to bother you again.”
With her thumb and forefinger, she pulled Rory’s eyelids apart and flashed a penlight in each eye.
Rory tried to squirm away. “Nnn…Stop.” Her eyelids dropped closed when the doctor released them.
The doctor flipped up the blanket to expose Rory’s feet. She scratched the bottom of each foot with the cap of her ballpoint pen. Rory arched her feet and withdrew her legs.
“Rory, open your eyes.” The doctor repeated more slowly, “Open your eyes.”
Rory opened her eyes.
“Is your name Rory?”
Rory stared at the doctor, her gaze confused.
“Is your name Rory?”
“Rory mmenta…lng…”
“Rory, do you know where you are?”
“Are?”
“Do you know where you are?”
“Whr…are.”
Dr. Ballard stroked Rory’s long blond hair, which had been taken down from the updo she’d worn at the ball. Her hair was tacky with hairspray. “You’re doing great, Rory.”
Rory’s eyelids drifted closed.
The doctor rubbed Rory’s cheek with the backs of her fingers. Then she turned and crossed the room, saying to Tom and Evelyn as she passed, “Let’s talk outside.”
They followed her to the nurses station in the center of the ICU.
Dr. Ballard reached over the counter and grabbed a pad of paper printed with a pharmaceutical company’s logo. Taking a pen from the breast pocket of her white lab coat, she drew an oval and, next to it, a rough rendering of a human head in profile. She spoke as she drew.
“When Rory fell, she hit the back of her head, causing blunt-force trauma here.” The doctor circled an area
“Of course. I waited for a good clean shot. Took my time. Knew I’d have just one chance. Danny moved the gun away from her. I saw my chance and took it. It’s a sad thing. I wish it could have turned out differently.” Richard took another puff of his cigar.
“The police hostage negotiator was trying to make contact with Danny,” Auburn said. “Why didn’t you wait for the police to do their job?”
“Negotiate?” Richard said. “With a lunatic? Detective, I appreciate that you don’t want citizens taking the law into their own hands, but would you take the odds of the police talking a madman with a vendetta into putting down his gun or would you do what you could to save your child?”
Auburn looked at Rodriguez. Neither responded to Richard’s question. Auburn said, “Gentlemen, thank you for your cooperation. We’ll be in touch.”
The detectives left.
In the garden, police were still working the crime scene as news helicopters circled overhead. Most of the party guests and staff had left.
Rodriguez said, “If it was me in that situation, I’d feel justified in taking the shot.”
Auburn drew in a long breath and looked at the city lights. “The DA won’t file charges. They’ll never find a jury that’ll convict Richard Tate.”
“He acted in defense of his family and home.”
“And he used the perfect assassination tool to do it.” Auburn turned his head and frowned into the distance, as if picking out the shimmering lights of one house in particular. “Let’s go to Eagle Rock and talk to Danny’s mom and his sister. They live in the same neighborhood. I’d been meaning to check in on them and see how they’re doing, but not like this.”
18
“Good morning. I’m Dr. Toshiko Ballard.” She was Japanese American and had a slight build and straight black hair cut into a bob. “Are you Rory’s mother?”
“Yes, I’m Evelyn.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Evelyn thought Dr. Ballard looked like an eager college freshman, and that hardly inspired confidence. “A pleasure. This is Rory’s fiancé, Tom Fuller.”
The doctor shook his hand. “Hello, Tom. We’ll talk in a moment. First, let’s see how Rory is doing.”
She went to a dispenser of hand sanitizer on a wall and rubbed gel onto her hands before going to Rory’s bedside. She spoke softly. “Hello, Rory. It’s Dr. Ballard, here to bother you again.”
With her thumb and forefinger, she pulled Rory’s eyelids apart and flashed a penlight in each eye.
Rory tried to squirm away. “Nnn…Stop.” Her eyelids dropped closed when the doctor released them.
The doctor flipped up the blanket to expose Rory’s feet. She scratched the bottom of each foot with the cap of her ballpoint pen. Rory arched her feet and withdrew her legs.
“Rory, open your eyes.” The doctor repeated more slowly, “Open your eyes.”
Rory opened her eyes.
“Is your name Rory?”
Rory stared at the doctor, her gaze confused.
“Is your name Rory?”
“Rory mmenta…lng…”
“Rory, do you know where you are?”
“Are?”
“Do you know where you are?”
“Whr…are.”
Dr. Ballard stroked Rory’s long blond hair, which had been taken down from the updo she’d worn at the ball. Her hair was tacky with hairspray. “You’re doing great, Rory.”
Rory’s eyelids drifted closed.
The doctor rubbed Rory’s cheek with the backs of her fingers. Then she turned and crossed the room, saying to Tom and Evelyn as she passed, “Let’s talk outside.”
They followed her to the nurses station in the center of the ICU.
Dr. Ballard reached over the counter and grabbed a pad of paper printed with a pharmaceutical company’s logo. Taking a pen from the breast pocket of her white lab coat, she drew an oval and, next to it, a rough rendering of a human head in profile. She spoke as she drew.
“When Rory fell, she hit the back of her head, causing blunt-force trauma here.” The doctor circled an area
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