The hospital sounds drifted around Jordan as she sat in the waiting room down the hallway from Casey’s room. She had drunk too much coffee, filled up on vending machine candy, and practiced with her phone in the three hours since Spencer had brought her to the hospital. He had promised to return when he could. She understood that he had a job to do. Once she talked to Casey, maybe more of her questions would be answered.

“Jordan.” Rogan’s voice drifted from the waiting-room door.

“Rogan.” She was so drained and spent, his familiar voice was welcome.

He crossed the room and sat in the seat beside her. “I just heard.”

The words How are you doing? lingered in the space between them. “That frown line on your brow must be getting deep.”

“It’s hard not to worry about you,” he said. “You keep charging forward when you should slow down. You need to give your body time to heal.”

“That’s what I’ll be doing very soon,” she said. “Casey has been found, and the killer is dead.”

“Dead?”

“It’ll be released to the news today.” She did not tell him more, knowing despite all the information the police had, they were still in a very active investigation.

“Good. Now that you don’t have this case dogging you, you can rest.”

“What am I going to do with my life?” she asked.

“You’ll find another purpose.”

“No one needs a detective who cannot see well.”

“There’s a chance some of your vision will improve.”

“You and I both know it won’t return to what it was.”

“Then you’ll reinvent yourself,” Rogan said.

“Everyone keeps saying that. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?”

“I know it’s not,” he said. “But if anyone can, it’ll be you.”

“Let’s hope.”

“Detective Poe.” The voice belonged to the charge nurse on the three-to-eleven shift.

“Sandra?” Jordan said, looking up. “Can I see Casey?”

“Yes, but just for a few minutes.”

Jordan reached for her cane and rose. Rogan did as well.

“I’ll only allow one visitor, Dr. Malone,” Sandra said.

“I understand, Sandra. I’m just here to give the detective a few good words.”

“If you’ll follow me,” Sandra said.

Jordan opened her cane, and moving slowly, she noted the change of carpeting in the visitors’ lounge to tile floor in the central hallway. The lights seemed brighter, and the noises of machines grew louder.

“She’s in room 309,” Sandra said.

“Thanks. I wasn’t sure.”

“There’s braille on the room placards and in the elevators.”

“Haven’t learned braille yet. One mountain at a time, Sandra. Has Casey’s mother been to see her?”

“She’s come and gone. She was very upset, so we thought it best she didn’t stay too long. Casey needs to stay calm until we can evaluate her.”