Page 59 of The Drowned Woman
The X-ray tech left to process her films. Sam and Leah returned to Cliff’s side. “Stop compressions, check his rhythm,” Sam told the nurses.
“Asystole on two leads.” Asystole or flat line meant there was very little they could do to get the heart beating again.
“Resume compressions. Vasopressin, forty units.”
The nurse gave the meds while Leah and Sam watched and waited. Then the assistant ran back in. “I’ve got the blood gas and electrolytes.” She handed Sam a slip of paper. Leah peered over his shoulder.
“Potassium 8.2, severe acidosis,” she read. She blew her breath out, glanced at the clock. It’d been eighteen minutes since the medics began CPR.
“Let’s treat the hyperkalemia and repeat the gas and lytes in ten. We’ll give him the full thirty,” Sam said, but the faces of the nurses and the rest of the team had all gone blank. They all knew that Cliff was gone.
And twelve minutes later, after exhausting every option, Sam pronounced him dead. “I’ll call the coroner,” Sam said as he left.
Leah stripped free of her protective clothing and went back to the nursing station. Luka was there along with Harper. Across the hall, Risa and Jack watched from the doorway of the exam room.
Without Leah saying anything, Risa made a small sob and turned to Jack, who bundled her in his arms and pulled her back into the exam room. Harper merely sighed and slid out her phone. “I’ll let McKinley know.”
“You did everything you could,” Luka told Leah.
“I know. Doesn’t make it any better.” She slumped against the counter, watching the nurses do their charting, documenting the resuscitation efforts.
Luka’s phone rang. He listened, made a noncommittal noise, then said, “Thanks.” After he hung up, he explained, “Krichek. We finally got Vogel’s military records. He was deployed during Cherise’s killing, couldn’t have done it. Guy was a hero, won a bronze star and purple heart. Suffered a traumatic brain injury with cognitive impairment.”
“He wasn’t Chaos.”
“Nope. My guess is that Chaos got angry when he learned of Cliff’s own obsession with Risa.”
“Then it has to be someone who knew Cliff was spying on Risa. But the only people who knew that were your team and the other police officers, Risa, Jack, me, and—”
“Dominic Massimo. Who’s still missing.”
“You think he took Cliff as a diversion, to throw you off his scent while he escaped?” Did that mean Risa was now safe with Dom gone?
“That’s McKinley’s working theory. I’m not sure.” He leaned against the counter. “What did you learn from Risa?”
“I was just heading in to examine her when they brought Cliff in.”
“Krichek’s working on Massimo’s background and checking his alibi for Trudy’s death.”
“What are you going to do?” Leah asked.
“I’m sidelined as far as Cherise, of course, but Trudy’s case is still mine.”
“You said something last night about Trudy’s phone, the pictures she took the day before that the killer tried to erase. Did the techs find anything when they examined them?”
“Nothing helpful. Which is why I thought I’d start by re-tracing Trudy’s steps in Smithfield where she took them. Figure boots on the ground, I might see something or find someone who saw something.”
“What about Risa?” Leah glanced at the closed door to the exam room.
“Finish your exam. McKinley said he’d be over to do the interview with you as soon as he finishes at the crime scene on the river.”
“He’s letting me do the interview?”
“Thought Risa would feel more comfortable, might be more forthcoming. Besides, isn’t that what this new program is all about?”
“Yeah, sure. I’m just surprised McKinley thought of it, is all.”
“Well, he might have had a bit of help.” He looked past Leah to where Maggie Chen had arrived from the coroner’s office. “Let me give Maggie the details of what I know, and then I’m off for Smithfield.”
