Unintended Consequences - By Marti Green Page 0,40

considered confronting him with the note but thought better of it. He may be a man, but he has the mind of a kid. He got into his car, but before starting it, he took out his cell phone and dialed Dani.

“What’s your pleasure? Good news first or bad?” he asked when she answered the phone.

“Take your pick. No, good news. I need to hear something positive.”

“I found the doctor who treated Angelina Calhoun. He confirms she had leukemia and her folks couldn’t afford the treatment. He says he doesn’t know what happened to her after he sent them away.” Tommy filled her in on the rest of his conversation with Dr. Samson.

“That’s great news,” Dani said. Tommy could hear the excitement in her voice. “Does he have records for us? I’ll need them for our appeal.”

“Well, it’ll take some time to find the hospital records. If they exist at all, after so many years, they’d be in deep storage. The head administrator here promised me they’d put the search on a priority status, but it could still take weeks. And then no guarantee they’ll be found. The doc has his own records, though, stashed in his garage, but, again, no guarantee Angelina’s are there.”

“If that’s the bad news, I can deal with it. We’ll get an affidavit from the doctor.”

“No,” Tommy said. “The bad news is that somebody wants us to back off.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean—” he looked around to make sure no one was nearby—“I mean someone is following me. And he or she isn’t happy about my being here.”

CHAPTER

13

He watched as the investigator retrieved the note from the car’s windshield, saw his eyes widen as he read the words. He knew it wouldn’t scare him off, but still, it had made him feel better writing it. Made him feel in control. He knew the man was trouble. The words he spoke didn’t matter. It was about the child’s death. That’s why he had come. He knew that from the detective, his friend now, always forthcoming when he called asking about new developments in the child’s death.

The investigator scanned the parking lot before taking a briefcase from his car. He took something from the case and then the note disappeared. The man got into his car and just sat there. Had he made a mistake leaving the note? He’d always been careful, meticulous in covering his tracks. Could his fingerprints be lifted from the note? He hadn’t worn gloves, but so what? Even if the man took the note to the police, even if they found fingerprints, it wouldn’t lead back to him. His fingerprints weren’t in any file.

The parking lights of the man’s car were turned on, and the car was slowly backed out of its spot. He waited until the man’s car turned toward the exit before sliding into his Honda Civic. He started the motor and, keeping his distance, followed him. He stayed two cars behind, careful to avoid detection. When the man turned onto Highway 28, he thought he might be headed to the airport. He dropped back behind another car; it was easier to see up ahead on the highway. Besides, he knew the exit for the airport. He could move closer to the man’s car when he approached the exit.

He’d been right. The investigator drove straight to the car-rental return at the airport and then boarded the shuttle bus. He stayed behind the bus and watched for the man’s terminal. United Airlines. They flew all over the world. The investigator could be going anyplace, but he supposed he was returning to New York. He knew that’s where he’d come from.

There was nothing more for him to do. He didn’t even know why he’d followed him to the airport. The investigator’s showing up at the hospital had told him everything.

CHAPTER

14

Dani felt both elated and confused. The missing piece was now in place, evidence that Angelina Calhoun had been gravely ill. That was the information she’d needed to confirm her belief in George’s innocence. She knew Tommy might still say that it got them only so far, that it was a leap from knowing she’d been sick to believing George and Sallie had abandoned her at a distant hospital. And sure, maybe they were both crazy and killed their daughter because of her illness. Listening to George tell his story, seeing the heartache written on his face almost twenty years later, Dani believed him. He didn’t seem crazy to her. Just sad. Overwhelmingly