Chapter Twenty-One

Once Jaime was safely back in her room, Rudy gave her something for the pain and headed back to his office to examine the X-rays. Thankfully, Jaime's arm was not broken and he saw no sign of fracture to her skull but several of her ribs were cracked in a doubled-back pattern that told him she'd been struck multiple times in what must have been a brutal, desperate struggle.

Rudy quickly snapped off the light to the X-ray box when he heard footsteps approaching, then sighed with relief when it was Steve and not Trudeau or Hansen who entered the office.

"Can I talk to you, Doc?" Steve requested, already settling into a chair. He glanced over at the darkened box on the wall. "Those Jaime's X-rays?"

"They are," Rudy confirmed. He started to reach up to turn the light on and show them to Steve when it hit him. He turned and closed the office door. "How did you know she needed X-rays?"

"I just assumed, since you were looking at X-rays...and she's your only patient. Is she alright?"

"She will be – I hope," Rudy answered. To himself, he added if those government goons don't rip her to shreds... "I really appreciate your help last night," Rudy said quietly. He and Steve were both fishing for the same information, each wondering what the other had told the Feds.

"What were you doing out driving without a tire jack?"

"I'm just glad you came along," Rudy told him. "Steve...they know I was in Maryland."

"How -?"

"I told them. They know I had a flat tire and never made it to see Michael." Rudy looked solemnly at his friend. "I didn't tell them who changed the tire."

"Thank you," Steve said, sighing with relief. "That was actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I...ah...I didn't mention it to them, either."

"Steve, is there anything you need to tell me?" Rudy probed quietly.

"I was really hoping I could see Jaime, if she's up to it."

"She's under heavy sedation. She was....hurt pretty badly last night."

"Oh? What happened – did she say?"

"No. She took a couple of nasty blows to her head, which is probably why she doesn't remember. That, or the trauma was simply too much for her."

"Why don't you let me talk to her? I'll wait 'til she wakes up."

Rudy nodded his assent. He got the strange feeling that all of the puzzle pieces were falling into his lap, one by one. The trouble was, they didn't form a picture. Not yet, anyway.

- - -

Oscar, Hansen and Trudeau returned to Hansen's office to regroup and decide on their next move. They touched briefly on each of the suspects. Callahan and Jenn could be eliminated, with witnesses and receipts that backed up their whereabouts for the time in question. Rudy and Steve had both motive and opportunity – and Rudy had freely admitted his intention to see Michael. Jaime (with the best motive of the lot) had been AWOL from the hospital for several of the hours in their time frame, with her whereabouts unknown.

"I have to say, the wife looks pretty damn guilty to me," Trudeau theorized. "I don't buy for a second that she bruised her hand in a fall."

"Jaime is right-handed," Oscar pointed out. "Not left-handed and not ambidextrous. If she was going to take a swing at someone, it would be with the other fist."

"The bionic one," Hansen added. "Wells is known to be very close to Mrs. Marchetti – almost a surrogate father. It's conceivable that he really did make it to see Michael...and took revenge for her sake. Maybe his car broke down on the way back to DC."

Oscar shook his head. "I don't have a theory – because I don't think we've gotten the full truth out of anyone yet – but there is one more witness the two of you need to question. Me. I was in Maryland last night....and I saw Michael Marchetti."

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