“Slow down. Tanya, slow down. Is it Jerome? Did something happen to Jerome?”

“No, Jerome’s fine. Him I did call. It’s Barbara. She was in Lowtown—”

“What in God’s name was she doing in Lowtown, and on a school day?”

“I don’t know! All I know is that some boy pushed her into the street and a truck hit her! They’re taking her to Kiner Memorial. I’m on my way there now!”

“Are you driving?”

“Yes, what does that have to do with—”

“Get off the phone, Tanya. And slow down. I’m at Kiner now. I’ll meet you in the ER.”

He hangs up and heads back to the hospital, breaking into a clumsy trot. He thinks, This goddam place is like the Mafia. Every time I think I’m out, it pulls me back in.

14

An ambulance with its lights flashing is just backing into one of the ER bays. Hodges goes to meet it, pulling out the police ID he still keeps in his wallet. When the paramedic and the EMT pull the stretcher out of the back, he flashes the ID with his thumb placed over the red RETIRED stamp. Technically speaking this is a felony crime—impersonating an officer—and consequently it’s a fiddle he uses sparingly, but this time it seems absolutely appropriate.

Barbara is medicated but conscious. When she sees Hodges, she grasps his hand tightly. “Bill? How did you get here so fast? Did Mom call you?”

“Yeah. How are you?”

“I’m okay. They gave me something for the pain. I have . . . they say I have a broken leg. I’m going to miss the basketball season and I guess it doesn’t matter because Mom will ground me until I’m, like, twenty-five.” Tears begin to leak from her eyes.

He doesn’t have long with her, so questions about what she was doing on MLK Ave, where there are sometimes as many as four drive-by shootings a week, will have to wait. There’s something more important.

“Barb, do you know the name of the boy who pushed you in front of the truck?”

Her eyes widen.

“Or get a good look at him? Could you describe him?”

“Pushed . . . ? Oh, no, Bill! No, that’s wrong!”

“Officer, we gotta go,” the paramedic says. “You can question her later.”

“Wait!” Barbara shouts, and tries to sit up. The EMT pushes her gently back down, and she’s grimacing with pain, but Hodges is heartened by that shout. It was good and strong.

“What is it, Barb?”

“He only pushed me after I ran into the street! He pushed me out of the way! I think he might have saved my life, and I’m glad.” She’s crying hard now, but Hodges doesn’t believe for a minute it’s because of her broken leg. “I don’t want to die, after all. I don’t know what was wrong with me!”

“We really have to get her in an exam room, Chief,” the paramedic says. “She needs an X-ray.”