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“As much as they want. They’re finishing breakfast now. Those who want to go outdoors will be on their way soon.”
Not soon enough for me, Ryan thought silently.
He straightened up and turned, dragging his arm across his forehead and giving the women a rueful look. “I know how hard you ladies work. And I promise I’m not being sexist. But would one of you mind getting me some water? I left my bottle in the van, and that basement was really dusty. My throat is so dry I can barely swallow.”
“No problem.” The nurse’s aide scampered off, buying Ryan a little extra time.
He used it wisely, chatting up the nurses, telling them about his marathons and extreme sports adventures, and watching their eyes widen with awe. BASE jumping came in handy. You either impressed the hell out of someone, or convinced them that you were crazy.
Either way, it passed the time until the nurse’s aide returned with a large cup of ice water.
“Here you go,” she said, handing it to him.
“Thanks so much.” He began to drink, glancing at the monitor as he did.
The patients were being helped or wheeled outside, some to the patio and others to the gardens. Sweet.
Ryan made sure to drink his water slowly, taking a break here and there. Finally, he turned back to his work.
About eight or ten patients were being settled in each of the garden clusters. He scanned the monitors quickly. Not yet.
He continued reassembling. Come on, come on, he thought, glancing repeatedly at the screens. How many patients could there be going to the gardens? He couldn’t stand here forever, flirting with nurses, drinking water, and looking like a moron who couldn’t put a monitor back together. The minutes—and his opportunity—were slipping away.
There. Ryan’s gaze snapped to the screen. Linda Turner was just arriving, via wheelchair, at the eastern garden. She was talking animatedly with the nurse wheeling her out.
There was a red string tied around Linda’s finger.
“Well, that patient certainly looks happy,” Ryan noted aloud. “If all your patients start their days in that kind of mood, I just might check myself in.”
The nurse’s aide peered over his shoulder. “Oh, that’s Lorna Werner. She loves that spot, and insists on sitting there every day. She’s normally subdued. Today, she’s excited because she’s having a visitor this afternoon.” The aide pointed at the screen. “See the red string? That’s to remind her when her daughter is coming. She tells the entire place when that’s happening.”
Daughter? Ryan’s mind was racing. So that’s what they were calling kidnapping accomplices these days. He had to admit it was a clever twist on the accomplice’s part. Preying on Linda’s need for a child would make her all the more open to manipulation.
He paused long enough to see exactly where the nurse was positioning Linda before she headed off to tend to the other patients. Then, he quickly finished his reassembly.
With one modification. He was careful to leave his tone generator inside the panel. It was the perfect excuse for him to make an immediate return visit.
He said goodbye to all the nurses, promised to be the technician who came back with the necessary part in a couple of days and headed out. He went straight to his van, climbed inside and shut the door. He whipped out his BlackBerry and called Casey
.
“Hey, we’re at the edge of our seats,” she greeted him. “What’s going on?”
“You can now access Sunny Gardens’ closed-circuit video right there in our office,” he replied. “So feel free to take a look.” He proceeded to give Casey the necessary instructions. “Linda Turner is in the garden on the east side of the grounds,” he continued. “I want to plant Gecko right near there. Evidently, Linda is having a visitor later today. She’s wearing a red string around her finger to remind her.”
“Like the red string we found at her house.”
“Exactly. And guess who her visitor is? Her daughter.”
“Daughter?” Casey echoed, momentarily stunned. “Are you telling me that Linda’s accomplice is masquerading as her daughter?”
“Makes sense, doesn’t it? If this woman successfully posed as Linda’s grown daughter, she could get away with anything—admitting Linda to Sunny Gardens, managing her entire stay there—you name it.”
“Not just managing her stay. Managing Linda, too.” Casey was over her surprise and on to her analysis. “Manipulating her, getting and feeding her information, and using it all to her advantage. Remember, having a daughter is Linda’s greatest desire. She could view this person as Anna grown up, and Krissy as Anna when she was a little girl. There are so many potential psychological factors here, we could go on all day. But they’ll wait. What’s your plan?”
“Like I said, I want to plant Gecko in the garden where Linda sits. When her visitor arrives, Gecko can pick up their conversation, both audio and video. It’s well within his range to broadcast from there to my van. I’ll listen in and monitor the entire interaction. We’ll learn who this accomplice is. At that point, we’ll find a way to tip off Peg and the task force, so they can grab her. And we’ll find out where she’s keeping Krissy.”
“You sure as hell won’t do this alone,” Casey stated emphatically. “Marc and I are driving up there. And we’re bringing Hero with us. Since this daughter isn’t showing up until afternoon, we have more than enough time to get there and join you for the show.”
