The Sound of Broken Ribs(19)

The three men trudged down the hall and back to the living room.

“We’re going to take care of this, Bee. Trust me. As long as you tell the boys the truth, that Paul was raping you, and I did what I had to do, we’re going to get through this just fine.”

“Why—”

“Bee? Bee, don’t do this. You know why. He was raping you and I saved you. I would hate to have to call the cops and tell them where to find the person who did that hit-and-run yesterday. I’d fucking hate to have to do that. You know I would. Nothing I’d hate more in the whole wide world.”

Belinda began to nod. The reaction was automatic, as if she’d been programmed to react this way to her brother’s orders.

“Good girl.” Tony laid a hand on the back of her neck and drew her forward. He planted a soft kiss on her sweaty forehead. His lips remained, sliding around on her slick brow as he said, “That’s a real good girl. We’re going to be just fine. Your big brother’s got you now. I’ve got you and I ain’t ever lettin’ nothin’ happen to you. We gotta stick together in this crazy world. Ain’t no making it, one without the other. I love you, kiddo. I love you so much.”

Belinda tried not to tremble and failed.

*

When Lei woke up, the sun was out. Harry had moved the recliner in the night, and now he lay almost directly next to her, only the hospital bed railing between them.

But they weren’t alone.

A tall, thin, ash-blonde woman in a charcoal pant suit whose hair was more bottle than birthright stood at the window of Lei’s hospital room, gazing outside. She seemed vaguely familiar in that way that all thin white women resemble one another.

Because Lei couldn’t talk, she lay there for a minute, deciding how to get the woman’s attention. Moving her head was a no-no. She didn’t want to hurt herself and then have to wait for someone to come in and push the button on her pain pump. She gazed down her body and noticed for the first time that her left leg was in a cast and elevated. The white barrel extending from her hip looked like a pale cannon set on destroying the television on the wall. Someone had already written on the cast. The signature wasn’t Harry’s, so Lei assumed one of the surgical staff must have done it. She raised her right leg. The covers slid off, revealing her tan calf, thin foot, and long toes. She let her leg drop to the bed. The bed squeaked and jerked, but not enough to rattle her.

The thin woman turned and met Lei’s gaze. She was pretty, Lei thought. A natural beauty with not a particle of makeup in sight. Lei should’ve known because she wore plenty of the stuff herself. She knew all the tricks, and this woman didn’t use any of them.

“Good morning,” the thin woman said. Her arms were at her sides, but her hand flipped up, as if to wave at Lei, then flipped back down.

Lei tried to look confused and questioning, but had no way of telling if her face was carrying the proper emotional range.

“I’m Sheriff Wales. You can call me Jenna.”

“Huh?” Harry groaned. Lei turned her head slowly, was just in time to see Harry coming awake and stretching. “Who’re you?” His words were more yawn than anything else.

“Sheriff Jenna Wales. Pardon the lack of uniform, but I have a meeting today, out of town, and the hospital is on my way out. Of town, that is. My uniform is ungodly uncomfortable.”

“Sure thing,” Harry said. His square jaw was lined with a day’s worth of stubble. If he didn’t shave by tonight, he’d resemble a mountain man. “Can we help you?”

Sheriff Wales focused on Lei. “I wanted to make sure you were all right. I mean… I know you’re not all right. I simply wanted to check in on you. What happened was terrible. Both what happened to you and the fact that the person who did this to you drove away. I plan to do my best to find the person who did this. I wanted you to know that. So, as soon as you can, I need any details you can give. Because, at this point, we know absolutely nothing.”

Lei nodded slowly, ever so slowly, as not to jar her jaw.

“You have no way to communicate right now — is that correct? That’s what the nurses told me, anyway.”

Harry said, “That’s right. No way. She was left-handed, and as you can see… Yeah, you can see. She might be able to write with her right hand, but her wrist was broken and her shoulder dislocated. And, of course, there’s her jaw.”

“What about her right foot?” Jenna asked.

Lei almost smiled. Instead, she looked at Harry with pleading eyes. Harry smiled back.

Harry told Sheriff Wales, “She seems happy with that idea, so I’m happy to help her try.”

“Good deal. Maybe get a dry erase board and try those big washable markers for kids? The size might make it easier for her to pinch it between her toes. The writing doesn’t have to be perfect. You should see my hand writing. Terrible.” Wales rolled her eyes for dramatic effect. “All right. I’ll leave you two to it.”

Sheriff Wales rounded the bed and handed Harry a small rectangle of white paper. “Here’s my card. As soon as you get any information, you call me. I don’t care how small the detail or what time of day it is.” Wales looked to Lei. “We’re gonna get this guy. Don’t worry.”

“Guy?” Harry asked. “Why do you think a man did this?”