Kiss the Girls

“She had nearly enough Marinol in her system to kill her.”
    “I wonder if that was the original idea,” I said. “She might have been one of his rejects. Dammit, I want to talk to her.”
    Kate McTiernan seemed to be asleep. A restless sleep, but sleep. The instant Dr. Ruocco’s hands touched her, though, she moaned. Her bruised face twisted into a stark, fearful mask. It was almost as if we were watching her back in captivity. The terror was palpable, scary.
    Dr. Ruocco was extremely gentle, but the soft moans and groans continued. Then Kate McTiernan finally spoke without opening her eyes.
    “Don’t touch me! Don’t! Don’t
you dare
touch me, you fucker!” she shouted. Her eyes still didn’t open. She was squeezing them very tightly, in fact. “Leave me alone, you son of a bitch!”
    “These young doctors,” Dr. Ruocco made a joke of it. She was a cool head under pressure. “Incredibly disrespectful as a group. And the goddamn
language.
”
    Watching Kate McTiernan now was like seeing someone being physically tortured. I thought of Naomi again. Was she in North Carolina? Or in California somehow? Was the same thing happening to her? I chased the disturbing image out of my head. One problem at a time.
    It took another half hour for Dr. Ruocco to treat Kate McTiernan. She put her on an IV dose of Librium. Then she reconnected the heart monitor Kate was on because of her injuries. When she had finished, the intern drifted off into an even deeper sleep. She wasn’t going to tell us any of her secrets tonight.
    “I like your work,” I whispered to Dr. Ruocco. “You did good.”
    Maria Ruocco motioned for me to step outside with her. The hospital corridor was in semidarkness; it was very quiet, and as eerie as hospitals can be at night. I had the recurring thought that Casanova could be a doctor at University Hospital. He might even be inside the hospital now, even at this late hour.
    “We’ve done everything we can do for her right now, Alex. Let the Librium do its job. I count three FBI agents, plus two of Durham’s finest, guarding young Dr. McTiernan from the bogeyman for tonight. Why don’t you go back to your hotel. Get some sleep yourself. How about a little Valium for you, kind sir?”
    I told Maria Ruocco that I preferred to sleep at the hospital. “I don’t think Casanova will come after her here, but there’s no way to tell. He just might.” Especially if Casanova was a local physician, I was thinking, but I didn’t mention that to Maria. “Besides, I feel a connection to Kate in there. I have from the first time I saw her. Maybe she knew Naomi.”
    Dr. Maria Ruocco stared up at me. I had at least a foot in height on her. She spoke with a total deadpan look on her face. “You
appear
sane, you
sound
sane at times, but you’re certifiable,” she said and smiled. Her bright blue eyes twinkled playfully.
    “Plus, I’m armed and dangerous,” I said.
    “Good night, Dr. Cross,” Maria Ruocco said and she blew me a feathery kiss.
    “Good night, Dr. Ruocco. And thank you.” I sailed a kiss back at her as she walked down the corridor.
    I slept restlessly on two uncomfortable club chairs pulled together inside Kate McTiernan’s room. I kept my revolver cradled in my lap. Pleasant dreams, I’m sure.

Chapter 50

    W HO ARE you?
Who the hell are you, mister?
”
    A loud, high-pitched voice woke me up. It was close by. Almost in my face. I remembered immediately that I was at the University of North Carolina Hospital. I remembered
exactly
where I was in the hospital. I was with Kate McTiernan, our prize witness.
    “I’m a policeman,” I said in a soft and hopefully reassuring voice to the traumatized intern. “My name is Alex Cross. You’re in North Carolina University Hospital. Everything is okay now.”
    At first, Kate McTiernan looked as if she might cry, then she seemed to take hold of herself. Watching her grab control like that helped me understand how she had survived both Casanova and the river. This was a very strong-willed woman I had been watching over.
    “I’m in the hospital?” Her words were slightly slurred, but at least she was coherent.
    “Yes, that’s right,” I said holding up one hand, palm facing out. “You’re safe now. Let me run and get a doctor. Please, I’ll be right back.”
    The slight slurring continued, but Dr. McTiernan was focused, scarily so.
    “Hold on a minute. I
am
a doctor. Let me get my bearings before we invite company in to