this a joke?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Because it’s not funny.”
Ted held his hands up in front of himself. “No. It’s not a joke. I had some questions about a case he worked here that might relate to something I’m looking into in Sacramento. I was told he was out on leave.”
She rolled her eyes, but dropped her arms back to her sides. “That’s a nice way to put it. On leave. It sounds like a vacation.”
Ted frowned. “I take it he’s not at home.”
“I couldn’t keep him here. I was afraid he was going to hurt someone. I was afraid he was going to hurt Justine or the baby.” Sarah shook her head and bit her lip. She looked like she might cry.
Ted’s brow furrowed. “I thought his injury was a bite. I don’t understand how that would make him want to hurt anyone.”
Sarah Hollinger looked out her front door, glancing up and down the street as if she was checking to see if anyone was watching. Satisfied, she said, “I think you’d better come in.”
The hallway looked like a Toys “R” Us had exploded in it. There was a trail of dolls and blocks and pretty little ponies up and down it along with one of those bouncy seats and some rattles. We worked our way through to the living room. Sarah picked up a little boy who was bouncing up and down in the playpen, and collapsed into an armchair. With her free arm, she waved at the couch. I picked up a little blanket and a sliding stack of picture books and set them on the coffee table to make room for us to sit.
“Why do you want to know about Michael?” she asked. The little boy bounced on her knee and drooled. Were all babies that slobbery? Eww!
“I had a similar case in Sac. The report from up here was pretty thin. I figured I’d come up and hear about it straight from him.” Ted waved his fingers at the little boy and got a gummy drooly smile back.
“Was it you? Did you get bitten?” Sarah tried to tuck the hair that had come loose behind her ear.
Ted shook his head. “No.”
“So is the person who got bit acting crazy?” she pressed.
Ted and I looked at each other. “I can’t really discuss an open case,” he said.
She waved her hand at him. “Yeah, yeah. Confidentiality. Blah blah blah. Well, whoever it was that got bitten, tell them it gets worse and not better.”
“Worse how?” I asked.
“First of all, the damn thing never healed. It’d sort of scab over and then it would start bleeding all over again. Mike ruined like three uniform shirts because of it. Blood is hard to get out.” She sighed.
That was true. Cold water. Hydrogen peroxide. Those were the only things that worked. Even those were not 100 percent reliable. I saw a little movement out of the corner of my eye. Justine was slipping into the room around the corner. I looked over at her and she made a mad dash for her mother, clinging onto her leg like it was a lifeline.
“Why is she here?” she asked, pointing at me.
Sarah gently pushed Justine’s hand down. “Don’t point, honey. It’s rude.”
“I don’t like her. I don’t want her to sit by my blankie,” Justine whined.
I picked up the blanket I’d moved from the couch and held it out to her. She snatched it from my hand and darted back to her mother’s side.
“Say thank you, Justine,” Sarah said.
Justine shook her head and buried her face in the blanket.
“Justine,” Sarah said, with that mom warning sound in her voice. I totally recognized it. It sounded like my mother. Was that a learned thing? Was there some kind of class? Or was it entirely instinctual? When would I start sounding like that?
“It’s okay,” I said. It wasn’t, though. Why didn’t Justine like me? What had I done to her? I realized she was only a little girl, but seriously, did I have cooties or something?
“So besides not healing, how did your husband get worse?” Ted smiled at Justine, who giggled and ducked behind her mother’s chair. Oh, so that was the way it was. I was
Ted held his hands up in front of himself. “No. It’s not a joke. I had some questions about a case he worked here that might relate to something I’m looking into in Sacramento. I was told he was out on leave.”
She rolled her eyes, but dropped her arms back to her sides. “That’s a nice way to put it. On leave. It sounds like a vacation.”
Ted frowned. “I take it he’s not at home.”
“I couldn’t keep him here. I was afraid he was going to hurt someone. I was afraid he was going to hurt Justine or the baby.” Sarah shook her head and bit her lip. She looked like she might cry.
Ted’s brow furrowed. “I thought his injury was a bite. I don’t understand how that would make him want to hurt anyone.”
Sarah Hollinger looked out her front door, glancing up and down the street as if she was checking to see if anyone was watching. Satisfied, she said, “I think you’d better come in.”
The hallway looked like a Toys “R” Us had exploded in it. There was a trail of dolls and blocks and pretty little ponies up and down it along with one of those bouncy seats and some rattles. We worked our way through to the living room. Sarah picked up a little boy who was bouncing up and down in the playpen, and collapsed into an armchair. With her free arm, she waved at the couch. I picked up a little blanket and a sliding stack of picture books and set them on the coffee table to make room for us to sit.
“Why do you want to know about Michael?” she asked. The little boy bounced on her knee and drooled. Were all babies that slobbery? Eww!
“I had a similar case in Sac. The report from up here was pretty thin. I figured I’d come up and hear about it straight from him.” Ted waved his fingers at the little boy and got a gummy drooly smile back.
“Was it you? Did you get bitten?” Sarah tried to tuck the hair that had come loose behind her ear.
Ted shook his head. “No.”
“So is the person who got bit acting crazy?” she pressed.
Ted and I looked at each other. “I can’t really discuss an open case,” he said.
She waved her hand at him. “Yeah, yeah. Confidentiality. Blah blah blah. Well, whoever it was that got bitten, tell them it gets worse and not better.”
“Worse how?” I asked.
“First of all, the damn thing never healed. It’d sort of scab over and then it would start bleeding all over again. Mike ruined like three uniform shirts because of it. Blood is hard to get out.” She sighed.
That was true. Cold water. Hydrogen peroxide. Those were the only things that worked. Even those were not 100 percent reliable. I saw a little movement out of the corner of my eye. Justine was slipping into the room around the corner. I looked over at her and she made a mad dash for her mother, clinging onto her leg like it was a lifeline.
“Why is she here?” she asked, pointing at me.
Sarah gently pushed Justine’s hand down. “Don’t point, honey. It’s rude.”
“I don’t like her. I don’t want her to sit by my blankie,” Justine whined.
I picked up the blanket I’d moved from the couch and held it out to her. She snatched it from my hand and darted back to her mother’s side.
“Say thank you, Justine,” Sarah said.
Justine shook her head and buried her face in the blanket.
“Justine,” Sarah said, with that mom warning sound in her voice. I totally recognized it. It sounded like my mother. Was that a learned thing? Was there some kind of class? Or was it entirely instinctual? When would I start sounding like that?
“It’s okay,” I said. It wasn’t, though. Why didn’t Justine like me? What had I done to her? I realized she was only a little girl, but seriously, did I have cooties or something?
“So besides not healing, how did your husband get worse?” Ted smiled at Justine, who giggled and ducked behind her mother’s chair. Oh, so that was the way it was. I was
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