Her Last Breath: A Kate Burkholder Novel

When I look at him I see something a little too close to sympathy reflecting back at me.
    “I’m glad you find this so amusing,” I tell him.
    “You don’t want to commit and you’re trying not to break my heart.”
    “That’s not exactly what’s going on here.”
    “Feel free to jump in and correct me at any time.”
    “I’m still trying to figure this out, okay? I don’t want to screw things up.”
    “You can’t.”
    “Believe me. I can. Tomasetti, I could screw up a funeral.”
    “Kate, I appreciate your handling me with kid gloves. But I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”
    We stare at each other. My heart is pounding. I wish I could read him, wish I knew what he was thinking, what he was feeling, but his expression is inscrutable. “Moving in with you would be a huge step for me. A big change. I need some time to think about it.”
    “That’s all I need to hear.” He contemplates me. “Come by the farm for dinner tomorrow. I’ll grill steaks if you bring the wine.”
    “Steaks and wine.” I smile. “That sounds serious.”
    “As serious as you want it to be.”
    He surprises me by scooting his chair back and rising. I feel my eyes widen as he steps toward me, takes my hands, and pulls me to my feet. “Maybe we ought to sleep on it.” He pulls me to him.
    My arms find their way around his neck. “I have an early day,” I whisper, but there’s no enthusiasm behind the words.
    “Me, too.”
    When he kisses me, the doubt falls away.
    And thoughts of the case dissolve into the night.

 
    CHAPTER 5
    At 9:00 A.M. I’m back in the Explorer, on my way to Pomerene Hospital to check on Mattie and her son. Tomasetti was gone when I woke up, but I still feel his presence both on my body and in my heart. We talked until the wee hours of morning and made love until the eastern horizon turned pink. Shortly thereafter, I fell into a fitful slumber, but even in the afterglow, I couldn’t shut down my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about Mattie or get the images of Paul and those two dead children out of my head.
    I call Pickles to see how the canvassing of the farms near the accident is going. “You guys have any luck?”
    “Wish I had better news for you, Chief, but no one saw shit.”
    The news isn’t a surprise, but I’m disappointed nonetheless. “You hit the Stutz place yet?”
    “We’re heading that way now.”
    “Keep me posted, will you?”
    “You got it.”
    I dial Glock’s number as I pull into the hospital parking lot. “You have any luck at the body shops?”
    “Struck out, Chief. No one’s brought in a vehicle with a damaged front end, but they all agreed to let us know if something suspicious came in.”
    I slide the Explorer into a No Parking zone near the front entrance and shut down the engine. “Will you do me a favor and help Lois set up a tip hotline? Let her know there’s a five-hundred-dollar reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. Tell her to get a press release out and send it to everyone she can think of.”
    “Damn, Chief, how did you manage that reward?”
    “I haven’t.” I don’t know where I’ll get the money; I’m already over budget for the year and it’s only September, but I know this is one expenditure the town council will support me on. If they balk, I’ll write the damn check myself.
    “You been to the Brass Rail?” he asks.
    “I thought I’d wait until the same shift comes on.”
    “Good idea. Let me know if you need backup.”
    I snort. “You just want to crack some heads.”
    “Hey, a guy can hope.”
    Disconnecting, I clip the phone to my belt, get out, and cross the parking lot at a brisk walk. In the back of my mind, I’m hoping the kid made it through surgery and is improving. I go through the double front doors and take the elevator to the second level. I’m expecting to find Mattie and the bishop in the surgical waiting area where I left them, but when I arrive they’re nowhere in sight. The television is tuned to an infomercial no one’s paying any attention to; a young couple sits in the corner talking quietly. For a moment, I’m afraid the boy passed away during the night. Feeling gut-punched, I stride to the nurses’ station where I’m told David Borntrager is being moved to a regular room.
    They give me directions and I take the elevator to the third floor and the patient rooms that were added during a recent renovation. I find room 308 and enter to find Mattie in a chair next to