Trumped Up Charges - By Joanna Wayne Page 0,12
succinctly than she could have managed.
Shock shattered the doctor’s professional demeanor. “Someone broke into your house while you were sleeping and abducted both of your daughters? That’s...” He paused, evidently struggling for the right word. “It’s evil, depraved beyond comprehension. What kind of maniac would do such a thing?”
“Apparently, one with a key to Janice O’Sullivan’s house,” Adam explained. “No door or window locks were tampered with.”
“That’s why I have to tell Mother the truth,” Hadley said. “I have to ask her for the names of everyone who could possibly have gotten their hands on a key.”
“You’re right,” Dr. Gates agreed. “Her input is invaluable. Even if it weren’t, she’d never forgive you for not telling her the truth immediately.”
“How long before she’ll be coherent enough for me to explain the situation and ask her about the key?”
“She’ll be able to communicate within the hour though she will still demonstrate signs of the drugs.” He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I need to be in the room with you when you tell her about the kidnapping.”
“Are you afraid the shock could cause Mother to suffer a heart attack?”
“I’m a grandfather,” Dr. Gates said. “I haven’t had surgery and I’m in perfect health. I’d be in danger of having a heart attack if someone kidnapped one of my grandchildren, much less two.”
“I’ll make sure you’re in the room when I tell her,” Hadley said. “But that won’t be the end of it. Detective Shelton Lane is heading up the case and he’s already bugging me about questioning Mother.”
“That’s up to you,” Gates said. “But if it were me, I’d insist that a family member be in the room during any police visits, at least for the next twenty-four hours. Your mother, while cognizant, will still be under the influence of the anesthetics.”
“But if she can help find the girls in any way, I want her to be heard.”
“That’s why I recommend having a family member with her during the meeting. There’s a difference between questioning and harassment. The detective on this case may be the exception, but unfortunately, some cops don’t differentiate between the two very well. At least that’s been my experience with other patients.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Adam said.
“Yes, but I’m not sure I can call those shots,” Hadley said.
“I can,” Dr. Gates said. “If you want, I can leave an order with the nursing staff that says positively no visitors except you or someone you accompany.”
Hadley hesitated. She didn’t want to interfere with the investigation. She wanted the girls found. And it wasn’t as if her mother was a suspect.
“I think you should do as Dr. Gates suggests,” Adam encouraged.
“Okay,” she agreed, “but add Matilda Bastion to the list of people who can visit without me present.”
“Spell that last name for me, just to make sure I get it right on the order.”
She did and they talked for a minute more before the door opened and her mother was wheeled into the room. Hadley stood aside while her mother was transferred from the gurney to her bed.
She appeared groggy, her eyes narrow slits beneath puffy lids. Her usually well-coiffed hair was damp and pressed against her head.
She saw Hadley and smiled. Then her gaze moved to Adam. The smile vanished.
“Whass see doin’ here?” Her words were slurred but clear enough that they all got the message that she wasn’t happy to see him.
Hadley breathed a sigh of relief. Neither drugs nor pain would keep Janice O’Sullivan from coming to the brawl ready to fight. She’d stave off the effects of the drugs and give them the names they needed. Detective Lane and the DPD could do the rest.
Lacy and Lila might be home in time for her to tuck them into bed tonight.
* * *
THE LATE-AFTERNOON SUN was almost blinding as Hadley and Adam made their way across the hospital parking lot. Hadley slowed her pace to reach in her handbag for her sunglasses.
She put them on and adjusted the frame on the bridge of her nose. The glare diminished. Her desperation intensified. They’d spent an hour with her mother privately before the detective had joined them for a rehash of the same information. The illuminating moment that could change everything had never come.
Now, thanks to powerful medication, her mother was resting and in the hands of the private nurse they’d hired and the competent fourth-floor nursing team.
“I had such high hopes for Mother coming up with a name that would make sense of the abduction