his landlord's house, and asked if it would be possible for the mice to be removed from in and under the trailer. Doyle Fletcher, a man who looked about Kerney's age, with a suspicious, stingy face, stood in the partially open doorway, grunted in agreement, and said it would take him a day or two to get around to it. Kerney thanked him, went home, and waited for Jim, wondering why Doyle Fletcher seemed so put out.
He shrugged it off and passed the time listening to a Haydn concerto, trying not to think too much about Karen Cox. He'd gone back to his solitary lifestyle after Sara Brannon, the Army officer who had worked with him on the White Sands case, left for her new duty station in Korea. That was more than a while back, and he found himself missing her.
After Stiles showed up, they drove to Silver City hospital and learned that Jose Padilla was still in the Intensive Care Unit. A hospital security guard at the ICU door asked Kerney and Stiles who they wanted to see. Kerney gave him Jose Padilla's name and showed his badge. The guard shook his head and said the state
e X i c a n Hat ■ 99
police had forbidden any visitors, Kerney asked to speak to the nursing supervisor.
ErHnda Perez came to the door and inspected Kerney's badge. "What does the Forest Service have to do with this?" she asked.
Nurse Perez, a thin, middle-aged woman with a long, narrow nose, had coal-black eyes and a rather stern demeanor. She crossed her arms and waited for an answer.
"We found the gentleman," Stiles said in Spanish, before Kerney could speak, giving the nurse his most winning smile. "We're interested in how he's doing."
Erlinda relaxed a bit. She answered in English for the other man's benefit. "Mr. Padilla will be with us for a while. He had a stroke a few hours after he was admitted."
"Is he oriented?" Kerney inquired.
"Not to time, place, or person," Erlinda responded. "We have him stabilized, but it will be some time tomorrow before the doctor can determine the extent of the cerebral damage."
"What's your prognosis?" Kerney queried.
"I'm not a doctor," Erlinda replied.
"That's why I asked."
Erlinda smiled. "I'd say fair, but you never can tell. He has some physical impairment. The right side of his body is paralyzed. He may recover from that, to a degree. With any trauma to the brain it's impossible to predict how much function can be restored. Especially at his age."
"Has he talked about anything at all?" Stiles wanted to know. "Names? Places? Events?"
"He calls me Carlotta. That's it."
"His wife's name," Kerney said. "He told me she was dead. Has the family been notified?"
i c h a e 1 M c G a r r i t y
"Yes. His daughter should be here shortly. She's flying in from Mexico City. It was her son who was murdered."
"Any other visitors?" Stiles asked.
"Just the two of you and some reporters. People may have called or asked about him at the front desk. You can check there. I've got to get back."
"Thanks for your time," Kerney said.
At the reception desk Kerney asked the volunteer lady if anyone had called or stopped by to inquire about Jose Padilla.
"Yes. An older couple," the woman responded. "They came in this morning."
"Did you get their names?"
"No, but I remember seeing them on Friday. I usually only volunteer on Sundays, but one of our girls was out sick, so I filled in for her that day. The woman came in with her husband for an outpatient test."
"What kind of test?"
"A mammogram. She asked me where she needed to go."
"Did she give you a name?" Kerney asked.
"No. But the admitting office is open. They might be able to help."
The clerk in the admitting office resisted releasing the names of the mammogram outpatients until Kerney convinced her he wasn't interested in medical information, just names. She checked with the administrator on duty, got approval to give out the information, and wrote the names on a piece of paper.
Kerney took it, read it quickly, and passed it to Jim. "Who is Margaret A. Cox?"
He shrugged it off and passed the time listening to a Haydn concerto, trying not to think too much about Karen Cox. He'd gone back to his solitary lifestyle after Sara Brannon, the Army officer who had worked with him on the White Sands case, left for her new duty station in Korea. That was more than a while back, and he found himself missing her.
After Stiles showed up, they drove to Silver City hospital and learned that Jose Padilla was still in the Intensive Care Unit. A hospital security guard at the ICU door asked Kerney and Stiles who they wanted to see. Kerney gave him Jose Padilla's name and showed his badge. The guard shook his head and said the state
e X i c a n Hat ■ 99
police had forbidden any visitors, Kerney asked to speak to the nursing supervisor.
ErHnda Perez came to the door and inspected Kerney's badge. "What does the Forest Service have to do with this?" she asked.
Nurse Perez, a thin, middle-aged woman with a long, narrow nose, had coal-black eyes and a rather stern demeanor. She crossed her arms and waited for an answer.
"We found the gentleman," Stiles said in Spanish, before Kerney could speak, giving the nurse his most winning smile. "We're interested in how he's doing."
Erlinda relaxed a bit. She answered in English for the other man's benefit. "Mr. Padilla will be with us for a while. He had a stroke a few hours after he was admitted."
"Is he oriented?" Kerney inquired.
"Not to time, place, or person," Erlinda responded. "We have him stabilized, but it will be some time tomorrow before the doctor can determine the extent of the cerebral damage."
"What's your prognosis?" Kerney queried.
"I'm not a doctor," Erlinda replied.
"That's why I asked."
Erlinda smiled. "I'd say fair, but you never can tell. He has some physical impairment. The right side of his body is paralyzed. He may recover from that, to a degree. With any trauma to the brain it's impossible to predict how much function can be restored. Especially at his age."
"Has he talked about anything at all?" Stiles wanted to know. "Names? Places? Events?"
"He calls me Carlotta. That's it."
"His wife's name," Kerney said. "He told me she was dead. Has the family been notified?"
i c h a e 1 M c G a r r i t y
"Yes. His daughter should be here shortly. She's flying in from Mexico City. It was her son who was murdered."
"Any other visitors?" Stiles asked.
"Just the two of you and some reporters. People may have called or asked about him at the front desk. You can check there. I've got to get back."
"Thanks for your time," Kerney said.
At the reception desk Kerney asked the volunteer lady if anyone had called or stopped by to inquire about Jose Padilla.
"Yes. An older couple," the woman responded. "They came in this morning."
"Did you get their names?"
"No, but I remember seeing them on Friday. I usually only volunteer on Sundays, but one of our girls was out sick, so I filled in for her that day. The woman came in with her husband for an outpatient test."
"What kind of test?"
"A mammogram. She asked me where she needed to go."
"Did she give you a name?" Kerney asked.
"No. But the admitting office is open. They might be able to help."
The clerk in the admitting office resisted releasing the names of the mammogram outpatients until Kerney convinced her he wasn't interested in medical information, just names. She checked with the administrator on duty, got approval to give out the information, and wrote the names on a piece of paper.
Kerney took it, read it quickly, and passed it to Jim. "Who is Margaret A. Cox?"
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