Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(90)

Armed with a Diet Coke, Hannah checked out the small waiting room. The hard plastic chairs didn't look appealing so she used the pay phone in the hall to call Delores and tell her that Freddy was at the hospital and Doc Knight was treating him.

"We located Jed," Delores told her, "and the poor boy was beside himself. He said that Freddy was with him all day, but they got separated in the crowd when the fireworks started and he couldn't find him anywhere."

"Is he coming out here?" Hannah asked.

"He's on his way. He said you're a hero for saving Freddy's life, but of course he meant heroine."

The words had no sooner left Delores's mouth than the

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door to the emergency room opened and Jed rushed in. "Jed's here, Mother. I've got to go. I'll call you back when I know more about Freddy's condition."

"Just a minute. Edna said to tell you it was a tree."

Hannah was about to ask what that meant when she saw Jed's face. "I've got to go, Mother. Jed looks frantic."

Hannah hung up the phone and hurried over to Jed. "It's okay, Jed. Doc Knight's with Freddy right now."

"How is he?"

"I don't know for sure. Let's go sit in the small waiting room. Doc Knight said he'd come and tell us more when he's finished treating Freddy."

Jed followed Hannah to the waiting room and sat down in a chair across from hers. He was still clearly distraught. "I tried to keep an eye on Freddy, but I turned my back for just a second to talk to somebody. When I turned around again, he was nowhere in sight."

"Nobody's blaming you, Jed. These things can happen."

"Yes, but I should have been more careful with him. Sometimes I forget he's retarded, you know? Most of the time he acts almost normal."

Hannah didn't know what to say to calm him down.

"Your sister told me that Freddy was hurt real bad. How did it happen?"

"I don't know."

"Couldn't Freddy tell you?"

"No, he was semiconscious when we found him and he didn't respond to any of my questions. And on the way to the hospital all Freddy did was mumble about how mad you were at him."

Jed sighed. "I wasn't real mad at him. I was just a little aggravated, you know? Freddy kept asking me if he could set off some firecrackers and I told him he couldn't. After about the dozenth time he asked, I got a little fed up. I guess I should have had more patience with him."

"That's hard to do sometimes."

"I know. I'd already explained that fireworks were dan-

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gerous and Freddy could burn himself. I said it over and over, every way I could think of, but he just didn't get it."

Hannah decided it was tune to take the bull by the horns. "I hate to mention this Jed, but when we loaded Freddy in my truck, he smelled like alcohol. Did he have anything to drink today?"

"No! And I didn't drink either, because I know it's a bad influence on Freddy."

"I'm glad to hear that, but I'm almost positive that Freddy smelled of alcohol. My sister smelled it, too."

Jed was silent for a moment and then he sighed. "I know Freddy didn't have anything when we were together, but maybe somebody gave him a beer or something after we got separated. Do you think he got drunk and hit his head on something?"

"That's certainly possible. We'll know more when Doc Knight comes in to talk to us."

Hannah and Jed waited uneasily and every so often one or the other of them would get up and pace across the tile floor of the waiting room. It was almost impossible to sit in the plastic chairs for long. They were so hard, they gave Hannah aches in places she didn't even know she had.

After about fifteen minutes of pacing and sitting, sitting and pacing, Doc Knight appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Hannah. Are you trying out for the paramedic spot I have open?"

"No. Thanks anyway. This is Freddy's cousin, Jed."

"We've met," Doc Knight said, looking at Jed. "Freddy's stable, but it's very serious."

Jed gulped so loud Hannah could hear him. "But he'll be all right though, won't he?"

"It's too early to tell, but it doesn't look as though his injuries are life threatening. They could have long-lasting results, though. Freddy took a massive blow to the head and I won't be able to assess the extent of inter-cranial damage until the test results are in."

"Does it look like he fell and hit his head?" Jed asked.

Doc Knight shook his head. "Not unless he fell off a tall building head-first. My guess is that someone hit him with a hard object like a tire iron that they wielded with considerable force."

"Freddy couldn't tell you what happened?"

"No, son. He was unconscious when Hannah brought him in. Freddy won't be doing any talking for a while."

"Poor Freddy!" Jed looked extremely distressed. "Can I see him?"

"Come with me."

Hannah followed Jed and Doc Knight down the hospital corridor even though Jed had been the one to ask to see Freddy. They hadn't told her she couldn't come along, so she convinced herself that it was all right. Hannah knew she'd rest easier tonight if she saw Freddy and he looked better than he had when they'd loaded him in the back of her truck.