Page 20 of Protecting Silver
“Are you willing to wait?”
“I am, but not for years. I’m almost thirty-five, and I want what you and Ronnie have, what I’ve seen Lorna and Andy get, and now Grady and Tymber. I want that, and I want it with Silver. I know we have a lot to learn about each other, but I’m willing to wait until her jaw heals, so when we go out we can have a normal conversation, but I won’t wait years for her to be ready. If that’s the case, then I’ll cut my losses and move on.”
“Would you want help?”
“In what way?”
“To let Silver know you’re interested in her?” Finn held up his hand and grinned. “It’d have to be a he said, she said, she said situation.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means, that I’ll go home and in the next couple of days, when we get a minute to breathe, I’ll tell Veronica about tonight. Oh, I won’t tell her about your deal with Tex, and Merrick, but about your interest in Silver, then she can tell Lorna, who can tell Silver. Might take a few days, because if I know them, they’re going to have to mull it over in their own minds before they say anything to the next person. I’m sure Lorna will get some sort of reaction back from Silver, who will then tell Veronica, then she’ll tell me, and I’ll tell you.”
Patch grinned. “Scuttlebutt.”
“Scuttlebutt.” They grinned at one another, and that was when Finn’s alarm on his watch went off, and he had to head home.
“Where was Ronnie tonight anyway?” Patch frowned as they walked to the door. “Working late?”
“No.” Finn sighed and scrubbed his face. “Ever since Silver’s attack, she’s been having nightmares about her own trauma. If you recall, all the women we hang out with have had some sort of trauma in one way or another. Ronnie was kicked by her horse and thrown to the bottom of that ravine, left for dead. Lorna was kidnapped by her mother’s lover to be tortured, and possibly sold or killed. Tymberly was held at gunpoint by the man Grady was suing, and now Amber, Tymberly’s daughter is feeling guilty for not finding Silver after leaving the ladies’ room. It’s my understanding that all the women are reliving their own personal trauma, and Veronica inquired about a support group for people with PTSD. They all attend, and meet once a week. It’s helping my Veronica, slowly, but it’s there.”
“Do you know if Silver attends?”
“No, Veronica only tells me she had to meet with the girls. I’m assuming that because Silver was included in on that bachelorette party for Tymberly, the night of the attack, she’s going to the meetings, but don’t quote me on it. It’s too personal for me to ask that as her boss.”
“I understand. I do know Silver was talking to a nurse about a possible support group. I hope it works out for her.”
“So do I. She’s out of the hospital but not back to work yet. She wanted to make sure most of her bruises were almost gone before returning, which I totally understand. I don’t know if she’ll return with her jaw still wired, but I hope she does. There’s a lot of work she’ll be coming back to.
Patch nodded, then opened the door, and gave Major a scratch on the top of his head as he walked by, then closed the door after his guests. With the kitchen all cleaned up, he didn’t have anything to do, so he did something he hadn’t been able to do for years. He walked over to his bookshelf, and picked up a book he’d bought years ago, intending to read it. It was the first book in a new series, and now that he had the entire day off tomorrow, he’d start reading it. The series was now seven books, and he’d purchased each one, intending to read them. By nine that night, he was settled in his chair with a glass of wine, and his feet propped on the coffee table before him. In minutes from starting the book, he was so engrossed that he didn’t put it down until the early morning hours. He had completed it, and couldn’t wait to dive into the next one.
Chapter 11
“May I help you?”a nurse asked a professionally dressed woman as she stepped up to the desk.
“Please, I’m Agent Tamara Babcock with the local FBI. Our office received a call from you saying we were needed here. I’m sorry it took some time for us to get here. Could you tell me what the issue is?”
“Let me get Dr. Green for you.” The nurse stood, then quickly hurried away. When she came back, she had another woman with her. Introductions were made, and Dr. Green took Agent Babcock into a room behind the nurses’ desk.
“Hi, sorry about any confusion, but a woman came in and demanded to speak with the FBI. When we said we could contact the local police, she went so crazy that we had to sedate her. While sedated, we were able to assess her injuries. First, she was badly beaten. We’ve given her fifteen stitches in the back of her head, where we actually pulled shards of ceramic out of them. Best we can expect is that someone hit her over the head with something. Her face is beaten, and one eye socket is shattered. As we speak, she’s being prepped for surgery.”
Agent Babcock held up her finger and pulled a notebook out of her pocket, grabbed a pen from the inside pocket of her jacket, and began taking notes. “What else?”
“We discovered blood in the region of her privates and thought she had been raped, but instead discovered that she was experiencing a miscarriage. There are actual foot prints on her back, and impressions of a heel, and in some places what looks like a toe imprint on her ribs and back. Whoever beat her, didn’t think she would survive. I have no idea how she arrived here, who she is, or what happened to her. Like I said, when we said we would contact the local police, she went ape-shit crazy on us. One nurse thought she heard the woman say the person who did this was a cop.”
“Shit, so if it was reported to them, then whoever did this might not reflect back on him. It’s still a good-ole-boys club in blue, and they’d make her life so miserable that she would either commit suicide or be laughed out of court.”
“Or harassed enough to drop any charges she might want to file.”
“Exactly. You said she’s being prepped for surgery. Is there any way I could see her before she goes up?”
“Follow me.” Dr. Green opened the door and had Agent Babcock follow. However, when they reached their destination, they learned the woman had already been transported upstairs. Together they went up and Dr. Green came back out of the OR, shaking her head.
“I gave a thirty-second explanation to the doctor doing her surgery. He nodded, but said it should take a couple of hours. Her cheekbone is shattered, and he needs to try to piece it back together. There’s also a fear that her eye socket might have to be put back together. If you want to leave your name with the nurse, I’m sure they could contact you.”
“Okay, but could I see her personal items she came in with? Maybe she has a name, or ID on her. I can start my research until she gets out of surgery, and I can speak with her.”
“Let’s go see.” Again, they went back downstairs, and after Agent Babcock donned a pair of gloves, she took the items from the bag they had been stuffed in, and went through each pocket. She gave up all hope of finding anything until the last pocket, and in it was an envelope. The return address was from a newspaper in a different state, but the address was as clear as day. The confusing part was it was only the front of an envelope, like this Anita Green person was trying to hide any evidence that she had received anything from a newspaper. On closer inspection, she saw that the newspaper was from the state of Wisconsin.
