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Five
Colleen admired the way that the hospital, police, and FBI seemed to be able to work together when it came to the care of victimized patients.
Law enforcement had been given the use of a small office; screens had been set up there, allowing whatever agent or officer on duty to keep an eagle’s eye on both rooms.
She and Mark took their turn together in side-by-side doctor’s chairs with Red between them.
Brant Pickering was still with Sally. She was sleeping. He sat by her bed with one hand resting on hers, and his other holding his smartphone.
They watched as Dierdre’s parents were allowed in to see their daughter.
The love there was real. Dierdre’s mother cried as she tenderly cradled her daughter. Her father held back his love just enough to allow his wife a moment then moved in to hold her as if she were the most fragile and precious creation in the world, as would many a father, Colleen thought.
But not all, she knew. She had been lucky. Dierdre appeared to be lucky too.
They heard Gary Boynton in the hall before they saw him. He was anxious, causing problems, insisting he’d waited, and he needed to get in to see Dierdre. He knew she was going to be okay; he had to see her.
Apparently, everyone in the area heard him. On the screen, they could see Dierdre wince and look at her parents.
Her doting parents nodded, kissed her again, and went out to the hallway, allowing time and space for Gary to come in.
Mark stood as Dierdre’s parents left her room; he cracked the door to the office and looked out. Colleen knew he wanted to see the meeting of the three.
“Well, it’s true. They apparently love him,” Mark said, shrugging as he came to reclaim the seat next to Colleen again.
“And she loves him too,” Colleen said.
Gary Boynton had entered the room. Dierdre was sitting up, watching him with hope and adoration.
Whatever his feelings, he played it well. He approached the bed swiftly, extending his arms; his face was creased in a frown of concern. He enwrapped her tenderly and then eased back, worried he had hurt her, meeting her eyes with his own, moist and concerned. They were both crying, with Gary standing at the side of the bed as his arms enclosed her upper body.
“Both these guys have put on great shows,” Mark said.
“And they might be real,” Colleen reminded him.
He nodded, sitting back in his chair and watching the screens.
“I’ll guess we’ll turn surveillance back over to the police and move on,” he said.
“Okay, that sounds good. Are we getting food to go from the cafeteria?” Colleen asked.
She watched him smile. He had a good smile. He needed to use it more often.
“We’ll sit and eat. Ragnar will meet us.”
“No problem with Red in the cafeteria?”
“Nope. That little vest shows Red has gone through many kinds of training. He can be a cadaver dog, he can find bombs, he can find drugs, and he is amazing at search and rescue. Red is really one of a kind; most dogs are trained in one or two disciplines at best. Red? He’s a one-man dog army!”
“And how did you acquire Red?” she asked him.
He glanced at her with a shrug. “Someone dumped him as a puppy in the middle of the street. I guess they figured he was going to be too big or rambunctious, or maybe he wasn’t fully housebroken at the time. But they literally threw him in the middle of the road right by the Beltway. I stopped and picked him up. He didn’t have a chip. I would have gone after the people, except it was either save the dog from a dozen cars whizzing by, or let him get hit and go after them. Anyway, a friend of mine is a trainer, and other friends are with volunteer search and rescue teams. Red was a natural.”
“That’s cool. And I have always loved the concept of a rescued dog becoming a rescue dog,” Colleen said. “I have said it before and will say it again—he’s amazing!”
She didn’t mention the fact that maybe Mark and Red had been meant for one another. Of course, Mark’s mother had loved him. She believed that, and though she certainly didn’t know Mark well yet, she knew he believed it too. But in a way, both the man and the dog had been abandoned.
And they had a beautiful loyalty to one another now.
As they reached the cafeteria, Mark was on the phone with Ragnar. But he laughed as he listened to his partner and grinned as he pocketed his phone.
“Ragnar is already in here. He said it may be a hospital cafeteria, but the fish and chips are ‘to die for,’” Mark said. He grimaced. “I’m not sure that’s a good analogy at a hospital, but—”
“Fish and chips sounds good to me,” Colleen assured him.
As they went through the line, several of the doctors and nurses greeted Mark and Red and smiled to acknowledge Colleen.
“You guys are here often, aren’t you?” Colleen commented.
“As I said before, the hospital is much better than the morgue,” Mark said. “But in truth, part of it is because I do bring Red here to visit kids. When I have time. I mean, we do have days where no one has murdered anyone. Sometimes it feels like it’s rare, but human beings always amaze me.”
“You are one, you know.”
“Yeah. But sometimes we get to see people rise to the greatest levels by giving and sacrifice, strangers helping strangers in floods, rescuing people—and animals—from fire, donating so their neighbors can eat and have a place to sleep. And then we get to see the worst of man’s inhumanity. It’s a complex world. But Red loves kids. And kids love Red. Sometimes when I’m working but Red doesn’t have to, my friend Lia brings him here.”
“Nice,” Colleen said.
She found herself wondering how good a friend Lia might be. Or what kind of a friend.
They went through the line and both decided to humor Ragnar and go with the fish and chips. They then found him sitting at a large table in the far back.
“Nothing,” he said as they joined him. “I got nothing from the parents. I wasn’t expecting anything, but they were just anxious to see Dierdre. And they were anxious for Gary to get to see her too. As soon as possible. Her mother was telling me Dierdre was a great daughter and always had been. She loves them, but she’s young. And in love. They believe Gary will be asking Dierdre to marry him soon, and they’re very happy. Her mother also told me about the guy she’d dated before. He had no job, went to college now and then. Well, to the folks, Gary Boynton is Prince Charming.”
“We watched the reunion,” Colleen said, sliding her tray over to make room for Mark’s.
“And?” Ragnar asked.
“It was lovely. Prince Charming kissing his princess, making all well,” Mark said.
“Is that sarcasm?” Ragnar asked.
