Just One Look (Page 80)

Grace asked, “How did you know I was with this Eric Wu?”

Perlmutter clearly did not mind answering this one. “Do you know Charlaine Swain?”

“No.”

“Her son Clay goes to Willard.”

“Okay, right. I’ve met her.”

Perlmutter filled her in on Charlaine Swain’s own ordeal at the hands of Eric Wu. He was expansive on the subject, purposefully, Grace thought, so that he could keep mum about the rest of it. Perlmutter’s cell phone rang. He excused himself and headed into the corridor. Grace was alone with Scott Duncan.

“What are they thinking?” she asked.

Scott came closer. “The popular theory is that Eric Wu was working for Wade Larue.”

“How do they figure?”

“They know you went to Larue’s press conference today, so that’s link one. Wu and Larue were not only in Walden at the same time, but they were cellmates for three months.”

“Link two,” she said. “So what do they think Larue was after?”

“Revenge.”

“On?”

“On you, for starters. You testified against him.”

“I testified at his trial, but not really against him. I don’t even remember the stampede.”

“Still. There is a solid link between Eric Wu and Wade Larue—we checked the prison phone records, they’ve been in touch—and there is a solid link between Larue and you.”

“But even if Wade Larue was out for vengeance, why not take me? Why take Jack?”

“They think maybe Larue was trying to hurt you by hurting your family. Make you suffer.”

She shook her head. “And that weird photograph arriving? How do they figure that into the mix? Or your sister’s murder? Or Shane Alworth or Sheila Lambert? Or Bob Dodd getting killed in New Hampshire?”

“It is a theory,” Duncan said, “with lots of holes. But remember—and this plugs most of them—they don’t see all these connections the way we do. My sister may have been murdered fifteen years ago, but that doesn’t have anything to do with now. Neither does Bob Dodd, a reporter who was shot gangland style. For now they’re keeping it simple: Wu gets out of jail. He grabs your husband. Maybe he would have grabbed others, who knows?”

“And the reason he didn’t just kill Jack?”

“Wu was holding him until Wade Larue is released.”

“Which was today.”

“Right, today. Then Wu grabs you both. He was taking you to Larue when you escaped.”

“So Larue could, what, kill us himself?”

Duncan shrugged.

“That doesn’t make sense, Scott. Eric Wu broke my ribs because he wanted to know how I got that photograph. He stopped because he got an unexpected call. Then he suddenly packed us in that car. None of that was planned.”

“Perlmutter just learned all that. They may now alter their theory.”

“And where is Wade Larue anyway?”

“No one seems to know. They’re searching for him.”

Grace dropped back on her pillow. Her bones felt so damned heavy. The tears started flooding her eyes. “How bad is Jack?”

“Bad.”

“Is he going to live?”

“They don’t know.”

“Don’t let them lie to me.”

“I won’t, Grace. But try to get some sleep, okay?”

• • •

In the corridor Perlmutter spoke to the captain of the Armonk Police Department, Anthony Dellapelle. They were still combing through the home of Beatrice Smith.

“We just checked the basement,” Dellapelle said. “Someone was kept locked up down there.”

“Jack Lawson. We know that.”

Dellapelle paused and said, “Maybe.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There’s still a set of handcuffs against a pipe.”

“Wu unlocked him. He probably left them there.”

“That could be. There’s also blood down there—not much of it, but it’s fairly fresh.”

“Lawson had some cuts on him.”

There was a pause.

“What’s going on?” Perlmutter asked.

“Where are you right now, Stu?”

“Valley Hospital.”

“How long would it take you to get here?”

“Fifteen minutes with the sirens,” Perlmutter said. “Why?”

“There’s something else down here,” Dellapelle said. “Something you might want to see for yourself.”

• • •

At midnight Grace pulled herself out of bed and started down the corridor. Her children had visited briefly. Grace insisted that they let her get out of bed for that. Scott Duncan bought her some regular clothes—an Adidas sweat suit—because she did not want to greet her children in a hospital gown. She took a major pain injection so as to quiet the screaming in her ribs. Grace wanted the children to see that she was all right, that she was safe, that they were safe. She put on a brave face that lasted right up until the moment she saw that Emma had brought her poetry journal. Then she started crying.

You can only be strong for so long.

The children were spending the night in their own beds. Cora would stay in the master bedroom. Cora’s daughter, Vickie, would sleep in the bed next to Emma. Perlmutter had assigned a female cop to stay the night too. Grace was grateful.

The hospital was dark now. Grace managed to stand upright. It took her forever. The hot scream was back in her ribs. Her knee felt more like shards of shattered glass than a joint.

The corridor was quiet. Grace had a specific destination in mind. Someone would try to stop her, she was sure, but that didn’t really concern her. She was determined.

“Grace?”

She turned toward the female voice, readying to do battle. But that wouldn’t be the case here. Grace recognized the woman from the playground. “You’re Charlaine Swain.”

The woman nodded. They moved toward each other, eyes locked, sharing something neither one of them could really articulate.

“I guess I owe you a thanks,” Grace said.

“Vice versa,” Charlaine said. “You killed him. The nightmare is over for us.”

“How is your husband?” Grace asked.

“He’s going to be fine.”

Grace nodded.

Charlaine said, “I hear yours isn’t doing well.” They were both beyond phony platitudes. Grace appreciated the honesty.

“He’s in a coma.”