that as a nice, safe, activity designed to keep me out of trouble? I doubt he overlooked it."
"Consider me shocked."
"I need to talk to Austen again. Things just aren't adding up. Why would Zach push me off a platform? It's an extreme reaction for simple questions about his sister! Plus, he had a helluva lot to say about Austen."
"I can take you wherever you need to go. Let's nail that creep!"
"I love your enthusiasm." I grinned. "Let's go."
After calling Austen and confirming he was at the hospital, I checked for the card from Sophie's colleagues, which was still in my purse and Lily drove us there. Although I was sure Solomon probably wanted me to do a cursory check on Charlie, I was equally sure it could wait. When we got there, I was surprised to find Manny Ortega seated on a chair outside the room, one leg folded across the other and a newspaper spread across his lap. He looked up when we approached.
"Lexi, nice to see you," he said, folding his newspaper and standing.
"Nice to see you too, Manny. Austen is expecting me."
"He told me. The nurse said we had to wait outside while she made some checks so Austen went out to get coffee." He indicated inside the room where I could see the nurse standing at the heart monitor by Sophie's bed, taking notes. "He'll be back in a few minutes. And you are?"
"Lily Shuler-Graves," said Lily, sticking out her hand but offering no further explanation. Manny nodded like it was all he needed and shook.
"We saw Zach earlier," I told him. "He pushed me off a ledge."
Manny blinked. "He did what?"
I explained what happened, adding how another assistant scrambled to catch me, lowering me to the ground and unclipping me while Zach's group stood speechless, staring in shock. "When I was on the ground, he loomed over me and announced to everyone that I slipped and said he tried to grab me. He didn't of course. He pushed me. Hard. Then after making me look like a klutz, he walked away."
"That man is a menace," said Manny. "You should report this to Austen. He won't be pleased."
"I will. I've heard about Zach's temper from a few people now. Anger seems to be a regular thing for him."
"I don't know about regular but it's part of his personality. Maybe that's the same thing. I know my crew and I don't like him. We avoid him whenever we can."
"Austen said he comes around the house a lot."
"He does, but usually only if Sophie is there."
"We were told they argued more than once," I said, thinking back to Zach's neighbor's claims.
"Maybe. I don't know. I wear ear plugs because the tools we use can get pretty loud." Manny glanced away, but not before I noticed him gulp. He heard something, I was sure of it.
"If Zach was shouting it would be impossible not to hear, even if a person was trying not to," I said, wondering if Manny were eavesdropping or simply stumbled into overhearing a conversation not meant for his ears.
Manny adjusted the collar of his plaid shirt, loosening it at the neck as a faint red blush rose on his skin. "Maybe I heard him once. A few weeks ago. He told Sophie it would all be over soon," he said.
"Was he talking about the construction work?" asked Lily.
Manny shook his head. "No, something else. Sophie said she was tired of all the lies and needed more time. Zach said it would be just the two of them before the door shut and I didn't hear anymore. I don't even know what they were talking about."
"Did you tell Austen any of this?"
"I didn't really think about it again until last night when I was going to bed and I started wondering how Sophie was doing. Then I remembered and it just seemed strange. It's been troubling me," he admitted.
"How come you're here today?" I asked.
"Austen said you mentioned hiring someone to sit with Sophie but he wanted someone he trusted beside her when he wasn't here. I agreed to be her body guard. I think it's the only way Austen can get some rest."
"That's kind of you."
"Austen might be my employer, but he's my friend too. Sophie, also. I will help with whatever they need."
"I can see that. So I hope you don't mind me asking you, what is your impression of their marriage?"
Manny frowned, like the question was perplexing and pointless. "It is strong. They