Chapters (89)
I looked over to a few of the troopers gathered around the SWAT van. We hadn’t been here more than two hours, and Pritcher had already gotten word.
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re thrilled.”
“I assume the charges against my client will be dropped.”
“Gotta hammer out a few things first.”
“Good. Oh, I should tell you, a friend of mine from New York will be defending Mr. Mallory. He’s on his way to the airport right now and asked that I inform you. He of course sent an email to your office and the sheriff’s department informing them that Mr. Mallory is represented, and I’m recording this conversation.”
“What? Why would you get him a lawyer?”
“Who says I did? Take care, Tatum. And if charges aren’t dropped against Anderson by tonight, I will be filing a motion to dismiss the case in the morning.”
I hung up. There went the only shot I had at getting a confession from Roscoe.
So far it seemed like prosecution was little more than eating crap every day.
I got a call just then from a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello.”
“Mr. Graham?”
“Yes.”
“This is Kate Bailey, I’m a nurse over here at Saint Mark’s.”
My heart dropped. “Yes?”
“You should probably get down here, sir. Your father was just brought over in an ambulance.”
74
74
I rushed down to the hospital. My father was in the intensive care unit. I headed up there, and they let me into his room. It stopped me cold.
His face was white as a sheet of paper. His hands lay limply by his side and some blood had crusted on his lips. He was unconscious, and they had already dressed him in a hospital gown. Dr. Langley came into the room and stood with me a second before he said, “He collapsed walking to his car. Luckily one of his neighbors saw and called 911. I don’t know what would’ve happened if he hadn’t come in when he did.” He paused. “Mr. Graham, his lungs are filled with fluid and blood. The cancerous tissue is simply going to grow until he suffocates to death. We have to operate to save his life, so while he’s unconscious and can’t give consent—you’re the next of kin.”
“Do what you gotta do.”
He nodded. “I’ll have someone come in with some paperwork for you to sign.”