A string of curses ran through Ted’s mind, but he managed to stop them before they erupted out of his mouth.

“Is everything all right?” she asked. “I didn’t think to ask them to stay.”

Ted did not want to frighten her. He’d talk to Duran or Kasabian as soon as he could get away from her. They’d had a deal. “I’m sure it’s fine. They wouldn’t have left if there was a problem.”

Ted watched her rearrange her features to appear fully convinced. It was an impressive attempt. A less skeptical man might have believed it. “Where did you two meet?” she said, making polite conversation. “According to my daughter, her life begins and ends with her work.”

He tried a laugh to reassure her and dispel any suspicions. He failed. The laugh was false, and Mrs. Zielinski was sharp. “She stopped me on the street. In front of the courthouse.”

“Hmm?” It was a perfect response. She gave nothing away and at the same time invited more. How did a librarian develop lawyers’ skills? Ted didn’t fall for it. He had more pressing issues. He needed to talk to the detectives.

“I should be going,” he said. “I’d rather we had met under other circumstances.”

She brushed by him and placed the purse in the wardrobe. “Will you be back?”

Ted heard footsteps approaching down the hall. Mr. Z? Trapped. He’d waited too long.

“I’ll try and stop by this evening.” He ducked out the door. A tall, spindly man in doctor’s coat passed him, moving quickly down the corridor. Ted released an anxious breath and headed for the elevators.

-50-

-50-

Mohammed had the car idling at the curb. Ted joined Lester in the back seat, and they headed toward the LIE. Lester had a bulging plastic bag in his lap.

“How’s the lady?” he asked.

“Not good,” Ted said. “What’s in the bag?”

Lester flashed him a view of the contents. Ted guessed there were two dozen or more airline-sized vodka bottles.

“What’s this?” Ted said.

“Controlled dosage,” Lester said. “Is she going to be okay?”

“I don’t know. The nurse thinks so. They’ve got her in an induced coma.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“No,” Ted agreed, though reluctant to admit to a negative thought. “It doesn’t. How many of those have you had?”

“One an hour should work.”

“So you’ve had one so far,” Ted said.

Lester held up two empties. “The key to dealing with pain is to stay in front of it. Did you get to talk to a doctor?”

“No. Her mother showed up, and I thought that was a strong indication that I should be somewhere else.”

“What’s the mother like?” Lester asked.

“She’s too young for you.”

“You say that, but you’ve never seen me dance.”