James Patterson - Blindside

I sealed my lips over hers and started my first rescue breath. It was longer and deeper than I intended.

As I raised my head slightly to take in more air, I felt Natalie move. At least I think I did.

Just as I was about to give another serious rescue breath, she coughed. Gurgled is more accurate. I’d seen it a dozen times. I knew just what to do: jump out of the way.

She sat up quickly and turned to one side. Water cascaded out of her mouth as she coughed and vomited. She cleared her throat several times and coughed up more water. It felt like she’d been in the lake for hours, but maybe it’d been only minutes.

As long as she was coughing, she was breathing. That was a win. I sat by her and put my hand on her shoulder.

After almost a full minute, she turned and looked at me. Then she threw her arms around my neck and gave me a hug.

When I wrapped my arms around her and patted her back, she started to sob. At first, I thought it was a reaction to the drowning. Then she said, “How’d I end up here? With men trying to kill me. Almost getting you killed.” She just started crying again.

I got it. I really did. I had experienced this with my own daughters. Maybe not in so dramatic a fashion, but I understood the release.

Then I remembered there was another killer out there. I let go of Natalie and stood up to scan the area. I could see the approach to the park because of the lights out on the street nearby. Just the lake and its banks were completely dark.

Then I saw him. He was standing on a hill not far from the street. Ollie looked a little like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the way he moved. He had apparently jumped into the lake at some point. His wet shirt, plastered to his wide chest, showed that he wasn’t just a big lump of fat.

He turned and faced me. It was pretty far for a pistol shot. I didn’t know what I was going to do if he started shambling back toward us with that stiff-legged gait both the wet pants and the earlier car crash had given him.

But he stayed right where he was. Then he did something that surprised me. Ollie gave me a casual salute.

He called down to me in English, “You’re both too much trouble. As a professional, I have to know when to cut my losses. Good luck.” He turned quickly and disappeared across the street.

Then I heard faint sirens. That’s what had scared him off.

I helped Natalie over to where Christoph was stuck in the mud.

He screamed, “Dig me out of this. You’re just trying to torture me. Get me out right now.”

I figured it was a job for a local fire-rescue team.

Natalie and Christoph both looked like they’d just survived the worst day of their lives.

I hoped this really was the worst day Natalie ever had. I knew Christoph was going to have many that would be worse.

CHAPTER 92

NATALIE AND Iwere checked for injuries at East Tallinn Central Hospital. There weren’t a ton of hospitals in Estonia’s capital, at least not by New York standards, and I was glad to find it was the same hospital where Bill Fiore was recovering from his gunshot wounds.

I was anxious to see the crusty FBI man, but first I needed to make sure Natalie was okay. I sat on a hard, plastic chair in the hallway outside an examination room.

It was midmorning, I’d been up more than twenty-four hours, and the bright lights of the hospital were brutal on my tired eyes. No one seemed to notice me. I wore surgical scrubs someone had given me and a pair of tennis shoes that were a size too tight. But I wasn’t going to complain. I was alive. Natalie was alive. And we were both safe. All that was left now was the plane ride home.

Somehow I’d resisted calling Mary Catherine once we were safe. It would’ve been the middle of the night in New York. She would be just as happy to hear about my success and return after a full night’s sleep.

I found the FBI agent’s room on the fifth floor. None of the nurses gave me a second look. I guess it was the surgical scrubs that confused them. Or maybe they just didn’t care as much in Estonia if you had extra visitors.

There was an Estonian police officer sitting on a stool outside Fiore’s room. Luckily, he had met me earlier when I shared everything I knew with him and another police officer. He motioned me into the room without any fanfare. I nodded to him.

The police were clearly concerned about the security measures. Maybe Henry hadn’t been pulling my chain when he told me what a badass he was. He hadn’t yet been picked up, but I’d given the Estonian police and anyone else who would listen all I had on the cybercriminal.

The cops had been impressed by the way I’d managed to stick the Dutch killer, Christoph, in the mud. Apparently there were John Doe warrants for him in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Latvia. New York would throw some more warrants in for him and his former partner, Ollie.

It could’ve been a hospital room anywhere in the States. White, clinical, dull, with a TV anchored to the wall. The only thing that surprised me in the room was Father Marty Zlatic sitting on the far side of the bed, chatting with a silent Bill Fiore. The FBI man was sitting up, with the bed elevated. He had tubes in his nose and two IVs in his right arm, with one of them bandaged into his hand.

Fiore turned his head as I walked in. Father Marty let a huge smile spread across his face as he stood up to greet me. He came around the bed and embraced me. “I felt Agent Fiore deserved some extra attention from me. Especially after you told me how he saved your life. God surely guided him into our lives.”

“It all worked out for the best, Father.”

“You had us so worried last night.”

“Sorry to cause you all this trouble, Father.”

The priest laughed. “Trouble? This is the most interesting week I’ve had in years. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Especially since you rescued the girl. I’ve been filling in Agent Fiore on everything. He is most impressed.”

I couldn’t help but smile when I looked toward the FBI agent. No employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was ever going to admit he was impressed by the NYPD. Especially in another country.

Fiore motioned me over to his bed with a movement of his left hand. I came closer, but he couldn’t speak clearly. He was weak and had too many tubes. He motioned me closer.

I lowered my ear toward his mouth in case he wanted to speak. I knew it would be hard for him to admit I had done the right thing saving Natalie. I didn’t intend to rub it in his face. Much.

As I leaned over, he tried to form a word. At first, it was just air brushing over his vocal cords without much response. Finally, after great effort, he managed to make his word clear.

I steadied myself on the bed, my head just above his mouth. Then he said, “Asshole.”

I started to guffaw. It was hard not to. A man who had risked his life, been shot twice, barely out of the operating room, and he still managed to summon enough strength to call me a name. I loved it. It completely restored my faith in the FBI.

I wouldn’t repeat to Father Marty what he’d said, even after the priest asked.

I looked down, and Fiore managed a smile under the tubes. I said, “I agree with you. If someone had come into my jurisdiction and ignored every reasonable warning I gave them, I would have choice words as well.” I patted the FBI man on his unbandaged shoulder. “Let me say it clearly in front of a witness. You saved my ass.” I quickly looked up at the priest, ready to change ass to life . Father Marty motioned to me to continue.

“I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told an FBI agent.” I liked the look of anticipation Fiore managed even under these difficult circumstances. I sucked in a breath of air and said, “You are one hell of a cop.”