"Whatever you need. I can make another check on her vitals before I change out of my scrubs."
"First, was everything okay when Zach visited her earlier?"
"Yes. I don't think he stayed very long. Ten minutes maybe, max. He came by the nurse's station before he left and my colleague told him about the upturn in Sophie's condition."
"What did he say?"
"He asked if we were definitely sure she would wake soon and my colleague said they didn't like to guarantee anything but we were optimistic. He said it was good news and he wanted to be there when she woke up."
"Okay. One other thing. Can you check Sophie's arms for marks?"
"What kind of marks? Bruises? She had a few from the accident but they're almost healed."
"No, I mean track marks. The kind an addict would have."
"I can tell you that right now. She doesn't have any."
"Are you sure? They could have already healed."
"If it were once or twice, maybe. There's no sign of heavy usage. I'm sure of that."
"What about somewhere less obvious than on her arms? I've heard of addicts injecting drugs in other sites like between their toes."
"Well, sure, if their veins collapse, but I haven't noticed anything like that."
"Can you check her again? Please?"
"Sure," agreed Alice. "Let me call you back. What should I tell Austen?"
"Nothing," I decided. "Nothing at all."
Chapter Eighteen
"I'm sorry it took me so long to call you back," said Alice when I answered the phone.
I checked my watch. "It's only been thirty minutes. I figured you got stuck doing something."
"Stuck, no. Something, yes. I went to Sophie's room and told Austen I wanted to check Sophie for bedsores since she'd been confined to the same position for several days. Anyway, I checked her arms and found nothing. I checked her toes too and some other veins because the really hardcore addicts often use concealed injection sites but I didn't spot a single mark anywhere on her. Are you sure she injected drugs?"
"According to someone who knew her a few years ago, yes. Is it possible the track marks healed up?"
"It's possible, but if she were a heavy user I would expect to see lasting damage to her veins, particularly on her arms. I didn't see that at all. And as you know, I can't divulge her medical records but I'm sure Austen will confirm any bloodwork results if he hasn't told you everything already. But that's not what kept me. She moved her fingers today and showed signs of being able to hear me."
"What? That's great!"
"I thought so too. I paged her doctor and she's with her now, checking her over. It's a very good prognosis."
"It's also a sign I need to hurry," I said, knowing that Austen needed more answers. "Thanks for telling me."
"Is everything okay?" Alice asked. "I know you have to explore a lot of avenues in your investigation but asking about drug addiction sounded like a particularly bad one."
"It's just another avenue," I said. "I'll know more soon."
"Great. I have to go home now but thanks again for taking this case."
"I'm glad you brought it to my attention."
By the time I got off the phone, my neck ached and Solomon and Delgado were in the boardroom. As Fletcher and Flaherty strolled past me, the door banging shut behind them, I got up and followed them inside, curious to know how their case was progressing. If anything could distract me from mine, it was definitely theirs.
"Staking out the house was a bust," said Delgado, looking over at us. "I knew it would be after the police combed it but it was worth a chance."
"Thomas Mackleton's place?" I asked.
Delgado nodded, saying, "We acted on the possibility someone from the crew or his personal life might come by but no one did. That said, the crime scene tape is visible from a couple blocks away. The cops didn't scrimp on their application."
"So anyone would be put off, possibly without you even knowing," said Solomon. "Plus, if the crew were behind his killing, they already knew to stay away. Okay. Forget the house. No one is going back there." He pulled a pen from the tray under the whiteboard and put a red cross through the house. "I have a lead on the sister. Post Army, Nessa Reyes qualified as a personal instructor in Seattle three years ago. Worked for a local gym for a year then vanished again. I'm thinking she freelances off the books because I