Public Secrets

remember. Don’t worry about the rest now.”
“He had such a lovely voice. I fell in love with it. I wish I knew why it had to be this way.”
He had no comfort, and no answers.
Michael left her to the nurse and went to the lounge where Marianne was drowsing against Johnno’s shoulder. The room was done in nice pastels, designed, he supposed, to cheer and relax the friends and family who could only sit and wait. There was a color television bracketed to the wall. It was chattering discreetly. A table was set up with pots of water on hot plates and baskets of instant coffee packets and tea bags. There were two telephones at either end of the room and a generous supply of magazines.
“She’s awake.”
“Awake?” Marianne shot up instantly. “How is she?”
“She’s okay.” Michael poured another cup of coffee, stirring the instant powder without interest. “She remembers what happened, and she’s dealing with it. The nurse is with her, and they’re paging the doctor. You should be able to see her pretty soon.”

They all fell silent when Emma’s picture flashed on the television screen. The report was brisk and brutally concise, interspersed with shots of both Emma and Drew. There was a quick stand-up with the desk clerk of the hotel, and with two of the witnesses who had heard the disturbance and called security.
A middle-aged man, balding and flushed with excitement, spoke into the mike. Michael remembered shoving him aside before he had broken in the door.
“I only know there was a lot of crashing around. And she was screaming, begging him to stop. It sounded pretty bad so I beat on the door myself. I had the room next door. Then the cops came. One of them broke in the door. It was only for a second, but I could see a woman sprawled on the rug, bleeding. She had a gun and she fired it. She kept right on shooting until she ran out of bullets.”
Michael was swearing as he strode over to the phone.
On the screen, the news switched to a live remote outside the hospital. The reporter, solemn-faced, announced that Emma McAvoy Latimer was in guarded condition.
“Look,” Michael snapped into the phone. “I don’t give a damn. You hold them off awhile. I want a uniform outside her door twenty-four hours, to keep out any reporters who try to get in to see her. I’ll make a statement myself this afternoon.”
“You won’t be able to stop it,” Johnno said when Michael slammed the phone down.
“I can hold them off for a while.”
Johnno rose. There was no use telling Michael that Emma knew the price of celebrity. She’d been paying it all of her life. “Marianne, you go see Emma. I’m going to buy this copper some breakfast.”
“I don’t want—”
“Sure you do.” Johnno cut Michael off. “It isn’t every day you get to share scrambled eggs with a legend. Go on, Marianne. Tell Emma I’ll be in soon.” He waited until Marianne had started down the hall. “The first time I saw Emma she was about three. She was hiding under the kitchen sink in Jane’s filthy flat. She’d been kicked around quite a bit already. She pulled out of it. She’ll pull out of it this time, as well.”
“I should have gotten a warrant,” Michael said. “I should have pushed her and gotten a warrant.”
“How long have you been in love with her?”

He didn’t speak, then let out a long breath. “Most of my life.” He walked to the window, jerking it up to let the air hit his face. With his palms braced on the sill he leaned out. “Five minutes. If he’d been five minutes later, or I’d been five minutes faster, I’d have killed him. I had my gun in my hand when I went through the door. I should have killed him for her. That’s the way it should have been.”
“Ah, the male ego.” Johnno kept the same small sarcastic smile on his face when Michael whirled on him. “I have an idea how you feel, but I disagree. I’m glad Emma wasted the sonofabitch herself. There’s justice in that. I only wish she’d had the chance before he did this to her. Come on, son.” Johnno patted his shoulder. “You need food.”
Because he was too tired to argue, Michael went along. They were nearly to the elevators when the doors opened. Brian and Bev rushed out.
“Where is she?” Brian demanded.
“She’s right through there. Hold on.” Johnno took his arm. “Marianne’s with her. You need to calm down before you go busting in there. She’d had enough excitement for a while.”
“Johnno’s right, Bri.” Bev