David Baldacci - Daylight

Pine said, “Did you recognize her, or the men?”

“No.”

“Did they talk to you?” asked Blum. “Mention a name, anything about themselves?”

Jewel looked down and shook her head. “I wasn’t there for them to talk to. They just wanted me for one reason.”

“You’re underage. That’s statutory rape,” said Pine.

“They might not have known. Look at me, you think I’m fourteen?”

“Doesn’t matter. That’s why they call it statutory .”

“You really think they got Jerome to do what he did because of me?”

“I think it’s a safe bet, yeah,” said Pine.

“Then I’m the reason he’s dead.”

“No, you’re not. But you can help us find out who did it.”

“I’ve told you all I know.”

“No, you haven’t. When did you stop going to that place?”

“They called the day before Jerome got killed.”

“Can I see your phone?”

“Why?”

“I want to run the number they called from.”

“I already checked. It’s blocked. No number comes up.”

“When they called, what did they say?”

“That they weren’t going to bring me anymore.”

“Did they say why?”

“No.”

“Can you tell us the address of the place in New York?”

“I don’t remember.”

Pine sat forward. “How many times did you go there?”

Jewel shrugged. “Maybe a dozen, maybe more.”

“And you don’t remember the address?”

“I never paid attention. I was usually sleeping in the car.”

“Can you describe the area of town? What the building looked like? The street it was on?”

“Like I said, it was real what you call high dollar. I mean, everything about that area was dope.” Jewel thought for a few moments. “But it was a number street.”

“Like Seventh Avenue?”

“No, higher than that.”

“Fifty-Seventh Street?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Was it near Central Park?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I saw it one time when they were driving me back to Trenton.”

Pine glanced at Blum and then pulled out her phone again. “Would this be the building?”

Jewel looked at the screen. “Yeah, that’s it. That’s the one.”

Pine looked at Blum again. “Well, they don’t just use that place for parties, then.” A text came over her phone and she said, “We have to go. But thank you for being so honest with us, Jewel. I know it wasn’t easy for you. But what you told us will help us catch whoever killed your brother.” She gave Jewel a card. “Call me if you think of anything else.”

As they were leaving, Cee-Cee Blake tried to ask them what was going on. Pine said simply, “Keep an eye on your daughter and have someone come over here to stay with her when you go to work at night.”

She jogged out to the car and Blum followed as fast as she was able.

“What’s up?” asked Blum as Pine started the car and drove off fast.

“Puller’s fully conscious and is out of post-op and they’re getting him a room. By the time we get back there the attending physician will be able to brief us on his status.”

CHAPTER

48

IT WAS LUCKY THAT HE’S YOUNG and in tip-top condition,” said the doctor, a white-haired man with the calm manner of an airline pilot. They were in the visitors room at the hospital. Robert Puller had been the one to alert Pine about his brother.

“So you said he’s fully awake,” said Robert anxiously. “And doing well?”

“He’s on a lot of pain meds, so he’s in and out. That bullet went clean through, but it hit some things along the way.”

“The surgeon mentioned that. Will he suffer any permanent damage?” asked Pine just as anxiously.

“Well, it’s too early to tell that yet. We’ll need to do follow-up with tests, X-rays, and other imaging. But I can tell you that right now he’s resting comfortably, and his condition is stable.”

“When can we see him?” asked Robert.

The doctor studied him. “You’re family, correct?”

“His brother.”

The doctor looked at Pine. “And you’re . . . ?”

“His sister,” said Robert quickly. He turned to Blum. “And this is his aunt Carol.”

The doctor didn’t appear to believe this, but gave a weak smile and said, “Okay.” He looked at his phone. “They just found him a room. I’ll walk you down, but only for a few minutes.”

When they got to the room John Puller was lying on a bed with tubes and lines covering him. His eyes were open and he looked over at them and waved with his good hand.

Pine’s gaze went directly to the monitor recording his vitals. They all looked reasonably okay, particularly for someone who had endured what Puller had.

“You said the bullet had hit some things?” said Robert in a low voice to the doctor.

“Well, there’s a lot around that region. Bone, blood vessels, ligaments. It could have been far worse if the bullet had pinged around in there.”

“But the surgeon fixed it?”

“Katherine is an excellent surgeon, and she did the best she could. But understand that this may not be the last surgery he has, though. And his rehab will be intense.”

“I see,” said Robert, glancing nervously at Pine.

Pine said, “Well, he’s going to come out the other end just fine. Probably better than he is now.”

“Hey, I can almost hear you,” said John Puller weakly. “So stop talking behind my back.”

They drew closer and the doctor said, “How are you feeling? How’s the pain level?”

“When can I get out of here?” Puller said firmly.

“Well, that won’t be for a while,” said the doctor, eyeing Pine with widened eyes.

“I’m feeling okay,” said Puller. “I should be able to leave. I have work to do.”

Robert said, “John, you just underwent major surgery. You need to give yourself time.”

“I don’t have a lot of time to waste, Bobby.”

Pine touched his uninjured shoulder. “John, we’ll carry the ball while you’re laid up here. All you need to focus on is getting better. Even Superman took days off.”

While Pine was speaking, the doctor had manipulated the flow of meds going into his system by punching in a new dosage on the controller next to the IV stand.

The doctor then glanced at Puller, whose eyes fluttered and then closed. “I upped his pain meds to get him back to sleep. The last thing we need is for him to get agitated and pull at his lines or reopen the sutures. I think it’s best we leave him to rest. You will be updated on his condition. And feel free to call in to the nurse’s station during the interim.” He gripped Robert’s arm. “Don’t worry, he’s in good hands.”

“Yes, I know. Thanks for everything.”

As they were leaving the hospital Pine said, “His vitals were good. And the fact that he wants to get back to work is an excellent sign.”

Robert nodded. “Yeah, he’s going to make it. The only question is, in what condition.”

“You mean, as a CID agent?”

“I mean, as a member of the United States Army. It’s his whole life. If he can’t cut it physically anymore?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” said Pine.

“I saw your look back there. You were thinking the very same thing.”

Pine changed the subject because he was exactly right. “Where are you staying?”

“Near the hospital.”

“How long are you going to be in New York?”

“As long as it takes.”

Later, Pine and Blum drove back to the condo, had a very late dinner, and went to their beds, exhausted.

After breakfast the following morning, Pine went back down to the street level and started to walk, her hands shoved deeply in her pockets and her heels striking the pavement with force.