The door stood open. When I looked inside I saw two women in the room with Bill Delaney. They appeared to be working with monitors and IV equipment. I stepped back to wait until they were finished. I wanted to talk to them before I entered the room. I didn’t want to pop in on Bill without knowing more about his status now.
His heart must be stronger than they thought, I decided, if they moved him out of the ICU this quickly. That didn’t mean, however, he should be subjected to any sudden shocks. I would have to be really careful when I approached him. I prayed that the realization that I hadn’t left things alone wouldn’t cause another setback. Surely it was all weighing on his conscience, whatever his role in the murders had been. I thought I knew what it was, but I couldn’t be sure unless he or Elizabeth Barber was finally willing to tell the truth about that night.
While I waited, I thought about the fact that Leann Finch had visited him briefly this afternoon. She was far too smart, I was sure, to try to harm him right there in the ICU, though she might have been willing to risk it. It boded well that he had been released from the ICU.
I had figured that Leann Finch’s role in all this was that of the supportive best friend. Willing to lie and cover up for Elizabeth Barber, but not an active participant in what went on in the Barber house that night. That she was protecting Elizabeth, I had no doubt. I didn’t believe she was protecting Bill Delaney, except whenever protecting him meant protecting her best friend.
I had to wait almost another ten minutes before the two women came out of Bill Delaney’s room. I waited until they were several feet away from his door before I spoke to them. I focused on the nurse. The other woman was a personal care assistant.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I’m Charlie Harris, Mr. Delaney’s cousin. I arrived a little while ago to find out that he was released from the ICU. That must mean he’s doing a lot better.”
“He mentioned you, Mr. Harris,” the nurse said. “I know he wants to talk to you, but he was falling asleep when we left the room. I’d give him at least half an hour before you try to talk to him. He needs as much rest and quiet as possible.”
“But he is stronger now,” I said.
“Yes, he’s really improved, according to his cardiologist,” the nurse replied. “He’s not ready to give up just yet.” She pointed down the hall. “There’s a waiting area down there at the end of the hall. If you’ve got time to wait, you can stay there. Like I said, give him at least half an hour to sleep before you go in.”
“Thank you, Nurse, I will.” I smiled and let her go. I headed down the hall to the waiting area. I noticed as I passed Bill Delaney’s room that the door was partially open. I resisted the urge, however, to look inside. I would follow the nurse’s instructions and not go in for half an hour.
I discovered that I could position one of the chairs at an angle that allowed me to keep an eye on Delaney’s door. I settled in to wait. A check of my watch assured me that I ought to be able to get into the room before Elizabeth Barber would arrive at the hospital. I hoped that a police officer or a deputy would arrive before her. I wasn’t really afraid of her, but I knew that an officer in uniform would be a much better deterrent than I would.
About twenty minutes later, Jack called. “We’re just getting into Athena,” he said. “Looks like she’s heading toward the hospital, as predicted. Probably be there in less than fifteen minutes. How is he?”
“I haven’t seen him yet,” I replied. “I’m in the waiting area down the hall. I’ve been watching his room. No one’s gone in there for the past twenty minutes. There’s no policeman anywhere around that I can see.”
“Maybe one will still turn up by the time we get there,” Jack said. “Elmer Lee surely got in touch with the police there.”
“He may have done,” I said, “but they might not have considered the threat level high enough. Who knows? Text me when you actually get to the hospital. I’m going to slip into his room and hide in the bathroom.”
“Will do.”
I ended the call.
Eleven minutes later I received a text from Jack.
In the parking lot. Entering hospital now.
I texted back simply OK.
I walked down the hall to room 227 and peered inside. Bill Delaney appeared to be asleep. I slipped into the room.
The bathroom was immediately to my right. The bathroom door faced the bed. It was closed. I opened it carefully and positioned myself inside with the door nearly shut. I had a good line of vision to the bed. I was ready for Elizabeth Barber.
THIRTY-FIVE
I had to admit later, when I was relating the story to my family, that I felt rather foolish lurking in the bathroom like one of the Hardy Boys on a stakeout. With no policeman in sight, however, I felt I had to do something to protect Bill Delaney. I could have tried to bar Elizabeth Barber from entering the room, but at the time I didn’t really believe she would be so brazen as to try to harm Delaney again. Not when she knew that Jack and I were planning to give her name to the police as the hit-and-run driver.
I waited, trying not to fidget or make any noise. Delaney seemed to be sleeping soundly, and I didn’t want to wake him until it was necessary.
As I surveyed the portion of the room I could see from inside the bathroom, I noticed a large cabinet on the other side of the bed next to the window. It looked large enough for a person to hide inside, depending on whether it contained any shelves and how they were arranged. That might have been a better place to hide, had I noticed it earlier, because it was closer to the bed.
I was almost tempted to leave the bathroom and go investigate the cabinet, but I realized there might not be enough time. Elizabeth Barber could walk into the room at any moment. I couldn’t risk it.
Seconds later I was glad I hadn’t. I heard footsteps, light but obvious. Someone was coming into the room. I tensed as I waited for Elizabeth Barber to come into view.
I almost gave myself away with a gasp of surprise when I saw that the person who had entered was male and in uniform. The police had taken this seriously after all. Then I realized that the officer wasn’t wearing a police uniform. He was a sheriff’s deputy. That meant that Kanesha Berry was aware of the situation and taking action. As I watched, the deputy moved quietly around the end of Bill Delaney’s bed to the closet. He opened the door to the right and slid inside the cavity there. He pulled the door nearly closed.
Thankful that an officer of the law was present, I relaxed slightly. Now we both waited for Elizabeth Barber to appear.
The seconds ticked by. Where was she? I wondered. I would have thought she’d be here by now. Maybe something—or someone—held her up long enough for the deputy to get into place.
Or maybe, I thought, she went to talk to Leann Finch first. Why, I wasn’t certain, but maybe to consult her for some reason.
Another minute passed, and then another. Then, finally, the sound of more footsteps coming into the room.
I recognized the red hair, although Elizabeth Barber had tried to cover most of it with a scarf. The tendrils that had escaped the scarf gave her away. She had a handbag with a long strap over her left shoulder.
I tensed again, watching to see what she would do. She stopped close to the bed, left hand on her bag, the right on the bed rail.
“Bill, can you hear me?” she said in a low voice. “Wake up, I need to talk to you.”
She reached out as if to touch him but hesitated. Her hand rested on the rail again.
“Bill, please wake up, it’s me, Lizzie,” she said, her voice slightly louder, the tone more urgent.
The form on the bed began to stir. The bed had Bill’s torso raised at a slight angle, perhaps ten degrees. I couldn’t see his whole face but I could see when his head moved.