The Sound of Broken Ribs(25)

She thought about how she’d felt when she figured Melody for a home-wrecker. Now that some time had passed, she thought that it was unlikely that Dan had been porking his secretary, even though, at the time, she’d been sure of it. What would Belinda have done if Melody hadn’t left before she’d shown up at the office that morning? Might Belinda have beaten the woman near to death… or all the way to the point of no return?

Belinda thought that possibility likely.

She’d really been quite lucky, now that she’d had time to think about it. She considered how Tony must have felt to find the man he pined after fucking his own sister and was surprised that Tony hadn’t killed her as well. And had he killed her, could she have blamed him? Didn’t the justice system in America reduce sentences based on crimes of passion versus cold-blooded murder? Yes. Yes, it did.

She went to her brother and threw an arm over his shoulder. She gave him a sisterly peck on the cheek.

“Thanks, Tony. Thanks for protecting me like you have.” She rested her head and his shoulder and he snaked an arm around her waist.

Together, brother and sister watched the cabin and the dead man inside burn.

*

Sheriff Wales returned that afternoon, just before supper. She still wore her pant suit, but there was now a purple stain on the collar of her blouse and her shirt was untucked. Her ponytail was fuzzy, as well, leading Lei to believe that the Sheriff had, at some point, lain somewhere. Lei wondered if a man had been involved, but decided it didn’t matter one way or another.

The pain had ebbed for the time being. There still lingered a steady, rhythmic throbbing deep in her marrow, but the intense, shrieking pain of before had abated. Lei could abide this subtle pain as long as that other agony stayed far, far away.

Harry held the board while Lei worked the marker with her right foot.

Lei wrote: THE CAR WAS YLLOW.

The C looked like an open box laid on its side and “WAS” was barely distinguishable as English, but Sheriff Wales seemed to read everything just fine.

“We’ll get to that. How’re you feeling?”

Lei wrote, SHIT.

“I can’t even imagine how shitty. The pain was bad earlier?”

Ever so slowly, Lei nodded her head three times while her leg took a break. Her legs were strong, but there was only so much holding it up before it had to rest.

Jenna said, “But it’s under control now?”

“Not trying to be rude,” Harry said, “but I think we can skip the small talk. Ask your questions so Lei can get some rest. She’s had a rough day. I didn’t want you to come back today, but Lei insisted. Said it couldn’t wait another day. I get that, but I’m also worried about her pain. You didn’t see her earlier. I did. I don’t ever want to see that again.”

But you will.

The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. Lei’s eyes flicked from Harry to the sheriff and back to Harry. There was no sign of the black-skinned thing. Hopefully, it was content to comment from the shadows this afternoon. Lei didn’t think she was mentally capable of dealing with the obvious drug hallucination anymore today. A part of her tried to speak up and tell her that she’d first seen the thing with the ebony skin while she lay in a pile in the tree line beside the road. She hadn’t been under the influence of any drugs at that time. Lei buried the thought and focused on the sheriff’s questioning.

Jenna said, “I get that. I totally do. I didn’t want to be disrespectful.”

“Respect her pain and I’m happy,” Harry said.

Lei wrote, TRYING TO HLP. Es were hard to write, so she decided to skirt them altogether. Harry didn’t mention her poor spelling.

“I know she’s trying to help, but so am I.”

GT A COK.

“I don’t want a coke.”

GO.

“He can stay,” Wales said. “I don’t mind. I spent a lot of time in the hospital after losing a kidney. Even though that was decades ago, I remember my boyfriend at the time not wanting to leave my side. I married him after that. Didn’t work out in the end, but that was because of me and not him. I’m a pain in the ass to work with.” Wales smiled and Lei thought the woman was prettier for it.

Lei wrote, QUSTIONS

Wales pulled a smartphone from her coat pocket and a stylus from the top of the device. “Right. Okay. So the car was yellow. What else can you tell me?”

WOMAN DRIVER GOT OUT. SAID—Lei paused here, considered writing the word SHE, but decided it was unneeded—WANTD TO RUIN SUMTHN. MNT TO HIT ME.

“Jesus Christ,” Harry breathed. “Why didn’t you tell me? Never mind. I get it, I think. You didn’t want to have to repeat yourself and I didn’t need the information. She does,” Harry pointed at Wales and Lei nodded, again, ever so slowly.

Jenna said, “The driver was a woman, and she meant to hit you? Am I reading that right?”

Nod.

“Well, shit.” Wales shook her head. “Sorry about the language.”

“Neither of us mind.” Harry said. He knew all too well how foul Lei’s vocabulary could be. When it came to cursing, she prided herself on her creativity. Her current favorite word was “Fucktrumpet.” What a glorious pairing of words that was.

“Okay. Yellow car. Hit and run driver who stopped and got out to tell you she meant to hit you. Damn. Didn’t happen to catch a make and model, did you?”