Killer Swell

41

I found the Blazer out front, courtesy of Liz having it towed. I headed straight for the hospital to see Carter.

It surprised me that Liz had shared as much with me as she had. She took her work seriously and, most of the time, didn’t take me too seriously. Telling me about the politics involved and handing me that scrap of paper weren’t things that she normally did. It felt like we’d cleared a small hurdle in our relationship.

I took my time moving up the highway toward UCSD, staring aimlessly at the lights on Fiesta Island and Mission Bay as I moved by. I wanted nothing more than to take the exit at Grand, head straight west toward the water, grab my board, and hide from all of the crap that had entered my life by riding the water until my body went numb.

But I knew that I couldn’t, so I passed the exit at Grand and tried not to think about it.

Carter’s eyes widened when I walked into his room.

“Did you fall out of a building?” he asked.

“Sort of,” I said, pulling what I’d started thinking of as my own personal chair next to the bed.

“What the hell happened?”

I sat down in the chair and told him about my visit with Costilla.

“You said you wouldn’t do that without me,” he said when I finished.

“I forgot,” I said. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. Surgery was fine. I’m ready to go.” He looked at me. “Jesus, I look better than you.”

I rubbed my bruised cheek. “Thanks.”

“Listen to me next time.”

“When are you out of here?”

He dropped his head back on the pillow and heaved a pissed off, exasperated sigh. “Two days is what the doc said. I’m gonna push him on it, though.”

“Don’t,” I said. “They know better than you do when you’re ready to go home.” I pulled the paper Liz had given me out of my pocket. “Here’s something to keep you occupied.” I handed it to him.

He let it rest in his palm. “I get shot and this is what you bring me?”

“Shut up. Liz gave it to me.”

He raised an eyebrow, surprised. “The Ice Queen gave you something other than the finger?”

“We made peace.”

He looked back at the paper. “‘Charlotte.’ The city?”

“What about the T?”

“I don’t know. Where’d Liz get it?”

“The car they found Kate in.”

“The ‘T’ could be an initial,” he said, running his finger over the paper, trying to smooth it out.

“A last name,” I said. “That’s my guess.”

“What does Liz think it is?”

I shook my head. “She’s not sure. That’s why she gave it to me.”

He handed it back. “That doesn’t sound like her.”

I told him what she’d said about finding Kate’s killer.

“Still,” Carter said. “Doesn’t sound like Liz.”

“I think the guilt is working her over pretty good.”

“I suppose,” he said. “But a crappy piece of paper that may have been just trash isn’t much.”

“No,” I agreed. “It’s not. But at least it’s something.”

The door to the room opened, and an older nurse with a gray afro stuck her head in. “Visiting hours end in five minutes, gentlemen.”

I waved at her, and Carter made a face.

She smiled and shut the door.

I stood up. “I’m gonna head out. I’ll come see you in the morning.”

“Okay. Don’t knock yourself out over this, Noah,” he said, a note of caution in his voice.

“What? The paper?”

“That and everything else. It’s not worth getting the shit kicked out of you. Again.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t,” he said, tugging at the blankets that barely covered his long frame. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have gone to see Costilla.”

I turned toward the door.

“Even if you figure this out,” Carter continued, “what’s gonna happen? Ken and Marilyn are going to give you a fat check? I know you could care less about that. Kate’s not gonna be able to say thank you. No matter what you find out.” He paused. “It won’t bring her back.”

I waved at him and left.