Chapter Sixteen

Oscar's gaze once again fell on each person in the room, one at a time. "Frank Trudeau from the FBI, Jack Hansen and myself will be meeting with each of you, one at a time, for an initial statement." He looked regretfully at Jaime. "I'm afraid that includes you."

"Oh, come on, Oscar!" Steve protested. "She can barely walk!"

"I didn't realize she could walk at all," Oscar answered. "In the meantime, Russ will see that you're all separated into individual rooms – we don't need discussion of any kind until all the statements have been given."

Rudy glared stonily at Oscar. "Would it be alright if I check my patient's condition first?"

"Of course. I need everyone else to follow Russ now – he's waiting in the hall – and I'll stay here while you're with Jaime."

Rudy scowled and began tending to his patient. "Any pain this morning?" he asked, trying to ignore the fact that this exam was not private.

"I'm...okay," Jaime asserted with tears in her eyes. "I just can't believe...he's really gone...."

Rudy noted that her bruises – even the deepest ones – had almost completely faded. As he finished taking her pulse, his eyes fell on her left hand. There were several scratches along one side...and the knuckles appeared freshly bruised. As casually as he could manage, he pulled Jaime's blanket up – under the pretense of covering her more comfortably – and tucked the hand out of sight. He didn't think Oscar had noticed, although they would surely see it when she was being questioned.

"Are you done here?" Oscar asked, in a much colder tone than he usually used with his friends. "Rudy, I'll need you to wait in your office."

"I'd rather stay here with my patient. She just lost her husband!"

"We'll talk to you first, then," Oscar told Rudy – it was as much of a concession as he could allow, under the circumstances. "Jaime, when we're ready for you, the three of us will come down here to speak with you."

Jaime nodded and watched with wide eyes as her doctor was led away by the friend who was about to become their interrogator. Only when she was all alone did she finally allow herself to truly cry.

- - -

The scrutiny Rudy felt from three pairs of eyes when he walked into the conference room would have made the strongest man cringe. He held his head up and met their gazes one-by-one. Introductions were not necessary, and polite nods sufficed in place of 'hello'.

"I have to say at the outset that forcing me to leave my patient when she's just been told she lost her husband is inhumane," Rudy stated firmly, taking a seat at the table.

"Not quite as inhumane as murder, now, is it, Doctor Wells?" Trudeau commented, frowning.

"Rudy, can you vouch for Jaime's whereabouts last night between 6pm and midnight?" Hansen probed.

"Midnight? Oscar said they found him this morning."

"Oscar gave you more information than he should have, in that case," Hansen snapped. "We're only concerned with that time span. Now, was Jaime Sommers here – and in her bed – during those six hours?"

"I believe so," he stated firmly.

"Doctor Wells," Trudeau said quickly, "do you believe it – or do you know it for a fact? Bear in mind that this is an official proceeding."

"Even if she did leave her bed, she was physically incapable of getting all the way to Maryland -"

"So she did leave her bed – and her room?" Hansen deduced.

Rudy lowered his head. "Yes...but only briefly."

Jack Hansen nodded. "I'm glad you said that. It tells me that you're being truthful with us. You see, we have the security tapes from the hospital's entrance and rear exit. Jaime left from the rear exit – on foot – at approximately 5:30pm," he stated. He looked straight up at Rudy. "Which is exactly 10 minutes after you left through the entrance, Rudy."

Trudeau consulted his notes. "You were gone for more than two and a half hours, returning – well what do you know – just around the time Miss Sommers did. Care to tell us where you were, Doctor?"

"Of course," Rudy said without hesitation. "I went to Maryland. Alone."

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