Her head shifted in the direction of the captain’s voice, but her gaze did not quite lock on his.

“It’s Captain Lee.”

“I could tell by the aftershave,” she said.

A smile tugged at the edges of Captain Lee’s mouth, but it held no humor. “My wife keeps telling me I need to change it.”

“It’s a classic,” she said.

“As in old men wear it?” he quipped.

“You’re not old.” Her head shifted slightly in Spencer’s general direction. “Who else is with you?”

“Ranger Spencer,” Captain Lee said.

“I should have known. Hard to miss the large shadow you cast,” she said.

Spencer traced the brim of his hat. “Poe, how are you?”

“I’ve had better days, Spencer. Harold Sunday paid me a visit on Friday.”

“Why?” Spencer asked.

“Said he was checking up on me,” she said. “Told the nurses we were friends.”

“I’ll pay him a visit,” Spencer said.

Captain Lee glared as if he had crossed a line, but Spencer had learned long ago ignoring problems did not make them go away.

“On the bright side, today’s MRI grabbed a better picture than the others,” she said. “All four show ocular nerve damage.”

“Will it improve over time?” Captain Lee asked.

Jordan smoothed a trembling hand over the white blanket covering her legs. “That’s the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. The doctors don’t know. But there’s a good chance that I’ll have some vision damage.”

She spoke carefully, as if delivering the news of an accident or death to a loved one.

Captain Lee rubbed the back of his neck. “One day at a time.”

“That’s not my forte, as you both may have suspected.” Her hair hung loosely around her face. It was dirty and flat, and her pale skin looked sallow.

“When do you get out of here?” Spencer asked.

“Don’t know. A few days, I guess.”

“Focus on getting better,” Lee said. “The office is covered.” His phone buzzed, and when he glanced at the screen, he frowned. “I’ve got to take this.”

“Please, take it,” she said.

Captain Lee left and Spencer moved closer to the bed. Jordan was quiet for a moment. They had little in common other than the case. “You up for discussing business?”

“God, yes,” she said. “If one more person tiptoes around me, I might scream.” She reached for the control panel and pressed a button that gently raised her head.

“They’re worried.”

“I’m worried. In fact, I’m scared shitless. But I need a break from the fear.”

“And Sunday did not say anything else?” Spencer asked.

“He didn’t have to. He could have done any number of things to me while we were alone. He knows it and so do I.”

“He won’t bother you again here,” Spencer said.

“You can’t guarantee that.”

“Let me worry about Sunday.”