Silent Waters

Chapter 58

It was too hot, but they couldn’t open the windows for safety reasons. McCann got up and looked for a thermostat. Finding it, he turned it down and opened the door. He was told they had the hospital wing to themselves. He scanned the empty hallway. He knew which room Brody was in, and wondered which one was Amy’s.

Brody’s condition wasn’t too good. The bullets had been removed from his leg, but he was scheduled for another surgery tomorrow morning. There was a concern he might lose the leg. They had him drugged up for the night.

He hadn’t seen Amy since they arrived here. He wanted to. Dunn had mentioned that Sarah was debriefing her. At least he’d been told the extent of her injuries and that she was okay.

He stepped back into the room. It didn’t matter that the other man was a navy investigator. McCann felt comfortable enough with Dunn to cut through the bullshit and tell him what was on his mind.

“The fact that I’m half Middle Eastern was the sole reason they pushed Parker aside and arranged for me to be on board this morning. They were trying to pin this entire thing on me.”

“Interestingly enough,” Dunn said, “during the first briefing at the Pentagon, that little tidbit of information about your parentage was one of the first things to come up.”

“Who brought it up?”

“Rear Admiral Smith.”

“I thought he was dead,” McCann said.

“He was, but he was resurrected this morning by President Hawkins himself.”

“Did anyone pounce on that information?” McCann asked, angry that idiots like Smith would press that button, in spite of his exemplary record.

“No one. In fact, Admiral Meisner worked hard to quash that discussion as a red herring.”

“So did Commander Dunn.”

Both of them turned toward the doorway. Sarah was leaning against the doorjamb, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked as beautiful as ever. Beautiful, polished, and professional.

McCann felt a peculiar rush and realized that it wasn’t for the woman standing in the doorway. This woman had been a friend and even a girlfriend at one time, but that wasn’t it.

Because Sarah was standing here, it meant he could go and check on Amy now, and that gave him a very pleasant sensation.

“It’s good to see you, Sarah,” he said.

He’d heard from Dunn that she didn’t have to work on this case, but she’d wanted to. McCann knew her well enough to know she’d only put herself in this position because she believed in his innocence.

“Thank you for what you’re doing,” he told her. He then turned to Bruce. “And I appreciate you being a voice of reason on my behalf this morning.”

Bruce nodded before getting to his feet. “I should leave you two alone for couple of minutes to—”

“That won’t be necessary,” McCann interrupted. “Actually, I was hoping to visit with Amy for a bit.”

The two investigators exchanged a look. “I don’t see a problem with it,” Sarah replied.

Dunn nodded.

Their response told McCann a lot about whether they considered him a suspect or not in this investigation. They clearly didn’t, or they wouldn’t be allowing him out of their sight.

He paused at the door. Sarah hadn’t moved. He’d known her a long time. Long enough to understand what she needed. What he’d failed to give her. Closure.

“Thank you for being here,” he said gently.

Her composure faltered slightly. He opened his arm, and she hugged him. He held her against his chest for a long time.

“I’m glad you’re alive,” she said, pulling back and smiling. “Happy birthday, you old man.”

“The big 4–0,” he said. She wasn’t far behind him, but he didn’t think she needed a reminder.

“How does it feel?”

“The mileage I’ve put on over the past twenty hours or so is catching up to me. I could probably fall sleep standing up.”

“That goes for Amy, too,” she told him. “You’d better hurry if you want to catch her awake. Second door down, across the hall.”

That was all McCann needed to hear. He crossed to her door and knocked softly.