High Noon Page 0,169
we had an awful fight about it. Phoebe, you can't expect me to stay here while Dave's hurt."
"I have to expect it. I'm sorry. He'd expect it, too. He'd insist on it. Ava, I promise you, I promise you, you're the first person I'll call when he's out of surgery. I need you to take care of Mama. I need you to take care of everyone there. I'm depending on you."
"That's an awful thing to say to me." Tears drenched Ava's voice.
"You know I will. But... please, tell him, tell him when you can that I'm-we're-praying for him."
"I will. I'll call you as soon as I know anything more."
Nearly another hour passed before they were given the stingy report that the surgery was going well.
An hour later, Sykes came in to give her a more inclusive one. "Trip wire on the door. Five-second delay."
"He wanted Dave to get inside. Better chance of killing him if he was all the way in." In a futile attempt to relieve the pressure in her head, Phoebe massaged the bridge of her nose. "What did he use?"
"Same as with Roy. Blew out the door, the front windows, part of the damn roof. Turned the living room into the third circle of hell. He'd been three feet closer, we'd be waking him, Lieutenant."
"He's going to have to buy Maggie a truckload of flowers, then deal with her trying to get him naked. How about the canvass?"
"Most of the people on that block work during the day. Got one witness, guy who'd taken off to meet his plumber. He was watching out for him and saw the suspect walking up the street. Description's vague. He didn't really see anything but the UPS uniform. But the time matches Maggie's statement."
He puffed out his cheeks. "Firefighters responded fast, and I'd guess they saved the house. But, well, Jesus, LT, it's a hell of a mess."
"He loves that house," Phoebe added.
"I know a guy," Duncan put in. "He does good work. I could ask him to take a look at it, if that would help."
"It might. One less thing for Dave to worry about." She glanced toward the doorway again. "Yeah, it might help. Do we know how he got in?"
"How it looks is the back side window was forced open. He gained entry that way. Back door was unlocked, so he likely left through that, and didn't bother to lock it on the way out. That-"
He got to his feet an instant after Phoebe. It had to be one of the doctors, she thought. He had that weighty look about him.
She stepped forward. It wouldn't be rank that had her taking the lead. Every cop in the room knew it was personal.
"Dave McVee," she said. "I'm Phoebe MacNamara."
They'd stopped the bleeding, and saved his spleen. He'd suffered a bruised kidney, a broken arm, two cracked ribs and a concussion as well as lacerations and burns.
But his heart was strong. The doctor had told her his heart was strong, but she already knew that.
She sat in the chair beside his bed, waiting. And remembered how he'd sat with her, so long ago, while she'd waited for her mother. "They tried to kick me out," she told him while he slept. "They don't know who they're dealing with. I'm not leaving until you wake up and say my name. Once you do, I'll know for sure you're okay. Got a lot of cop blood being drawn downstairs. They're lining up to give a pint since you got greedy and took so many transfusions. Maggie got a look at him-you're sunk there, darling. You owe her so big."
She picked up his hand, pressed her lips to his fingers. "We all owe her so big. I'm having them fax me over the composites. And we're going to hunt this son of a bitch down like a sick dog. I swear it." She took a hitching breath. "That's nonnegotiable. I need you to wake up, Dave." She pressed his fingers to her cheek. "I need you to wake up and say my name."
It was another half hour before she felt him stir, those fingers moving in hers. She popped up to touch his face.
"Dave. Can you open your eyes? It's Phoebe. Wake up now and open your eyes." When his lids fluttered she told herself to push the call button for a nurse. But she wanted a moment. "Dave, there you are. It's
Phoebe."
"I know." His voice was thin and slurred, like an old