Kee Patterbee - Hannah Starvling 02 - The Gourmet Who Kept Diamonds in the Kitchen (17 page)

After a stop at information to make sure her information was correct, Hannah made her way up to Elias
’ floor. When the elevator doors opened, she saw several police officers near the nurses’ station. She stepped off the elevator and glanced around. Officer Brandon talked to two nurses. Down the way, she saw Wexler sitting on a chair, his shirt covered in blood. Another nurse dabbed at a gash on the side of his head. Hym sat in his wheelchair explaining something to the officers. Officer Bland and a female in a black, pinstriped business pants suit stood nearby talking to him. Scanning the woman over, a memory moved into Hannah’s fore mind
. 5’7. Dark, short cut auburn hair. Fit.
Attractive.
Hannah stopped as her face winced. “Betts,” she mumbled.

Wexler looked toward Hannah and started to rise, but the nurse pushed him back down.
Hym turned and gave a concerned, one corner smile. Bland and Betts looked in her direction. Bland acknowledged her with a nod.

As Hannah approached,
Betts mouth twisted into a sardonic grin.

“
Hannah Starvling, why am I not surprised?”

“
Ramona.”

“
Detective Betts.”

“
If you insist.”

Sensing the increased tension,
Hym cleared his throat. “I take it you two have met.”

“
We have,” Hannah affirmed with an icy tone as she stepped up beside Hym and put her arm around his shoulder. He reached up to take her hand.

Seeing the couple, Betts
frowned, but pulled up one eyebrow. She eyed Hym for a second. “I see you’re neck deep in this, as always.” Motioning over to Hym, she added, “And of course, the Culinary Detective always gets her man.”

Hannah crossed her arms.
“And here I thought you couldn’t read.”

Betts shuffled back and forth.
“What are you doing here?”

“
Came to see my friend. What’s going on?”

Before Betts answered, Wexler chimed in.
“They tried again.”

Wexler
’s words struck Hannah hard as they echoed in her mind. She forgot all animosity between Betts and herself for the moment. “What?”

Betts gestured in
a halting manner. “We’re handling it.”

Hannah stared at the detective for a second before looking to Wexler. He glanced between the two wom
en and said, “We were with Elias.” He motioned to Hym.

At this point, Hym interjected.
“I went to go to the restroom.”

“
He did, and a few minutes later, this delivery guy comes in, puts down flowers. We talk for a second and he leaves. So while Hym was gone, I went for some coffee for us. I figured by the time I got back, he’d be back. As I’m leaving, I pass the deliveryman talking to this other guy and some nurses. When I get back, the guy is back, hovering over Elias. He has a needle and was going for the IV. I grabbed him and we fought. Then he smashed the vase over my head. I hit the ground, and he went running.”

Hym looked up to Hannah.
“I got back a few minutes later. Ran into Dr. Tompkins and we talked a few minutes. By then, it was all over.”

“
What’d he look like?”

Betts put her hand on Hannah
’s arm. “I said we’re handling it.”

“
Are we going to do this again? Cause I’m more than willing to. I’ll step all over your authority, call in every favor, talk to everyone I know. Bring in the bureau if I have too. Are you ready for that again?”

Betts twisted her jaw around and pulling in her expression
, she glanced over at Wexler before turning back to Hannah. “Same arrogant bitch,” she said half-aloud. Hannah shook the detective’s hand loose. Betts grimaced before gesturing to let her talk to Wexler. As she passed the detective, Hannah dipped her head in recognition. Bland watched the exchange with a curious, yet cautious look. Hannah settled beside Wexler opposite of the nurse and took his hand. “Think now, Mr. Wexler.”

“
Johnny,” he insisted.

“
All right, Johnny. What did he look like?”

Wexler frowned.
“It’s kind of a blur. Uh, he was tall and large. A scrapper, for sure, and he had an accent.” He shook his head and the nurse grabbed his chin to stop him. “Sorry, I just…” He pointed a finger to the gash.

With a gentle smile, Hannah nodded. She looked him straight in the eyes. 
“Johnny, listen, I think I can help if you’re willing.” 

“
Anything to help,” Wexler agreed.

Hannah took his large arm and laid it across her lap. She turned
it over and placed a single finger on his wrist.

“
All right, close your eyes. Think now about every detail, no matter how insignificant. What did he look like? What did he say? It might help.”

Wexler closed his eyes. With one finger, Hannah drew out small circles in a slow motion on his wrist.
“Think now. Every detail,” she reinforced.

Bland, Betts,
Hym, and the nurse watched in silence as Wexler paused and pulled his brow in. He proceeded to recall. Each word came at a slow, methodical pace in short, broken sentences.

“
Tall. Muscular. Tattoos on the back of his hands. Over wrists from beneath the sleeves. Olive green jumpsuit. A uniform. Too small. Stitched label over his left pocket. Enrico. Patch over the right pocket. Gresham Flowers. Black hair. Old scar. On the right. From hair down into his brow. Split his eyebrow in half. Down onto the cheek. Not shaved in a few days.”

“
His voice. Deep? Accent?” Hannah asked.

“
Like Vadim’s.”

“V
adim?” Betts questioned, looking to Hannah. She shrugged in response.

Hym whispered.
“Vadim Vladichov, if I were to guess. They played ball together. A Czech kicker.”

“
What did he do? What did you and the deliveryman talk about?”

Wexler
’s brow furrowed but maintained closed eyes. “Set the flowers down. Asked how he was doing. Looked over at Elias. Not at him.”

“
What did he look at?”

“
Heart monitor. IV. Cast on arm and leg.”

“
Is that all.”

“
He left.”

“
You went for coffee.”

Wexler affirmed.

“Then you fought.”

Again, Wexler affirmed.

“Anything else.”

“
Tell me.”

Hannah paused and looked at Betts and Bland. All wore puzzled expressions. Turning back to the man, Hannah inquired,
“Tell me?”

“
Tell me. Stop him.”

Wexler
’s eyes shot open and his mouth fell agape. He leapt to his feet, fists furled, and ready for action. Bland took several steps back. He placed one hand forward in a halting gesture and the other over his weapon. Betts followed suit. The nurse scrambled away. Hannah rose, one hand extended.

“
Easy, everyone’s safe.”

Wexler blinked several times before swallowing hard. He ran his large, thick hands over his
baldhead, wiping perspiration away. “What the hell is going on?” he asked in a confused voice before settling back down.

“
I was just helping you remember up until you fought.”

Wexler
again ran his hand over his head, rubbing the top. He looked around and shook his head. “This is my fault.”

Hannah studied the guilt he expressed. His body was tense, his voice agitated, and his face reddened.
She again laid her hand over his arm. “Relax. You need to calm down.”

“
No, it is. I almost let them get to him. And before…”

“
Do you know who they are?”

Wexler swallowed and shook his head.
“I need some air. Can I have just a few minutes, please?” He looked first to Hannah and Hym, then to Betts.

In turn, Betts hesitated,
and then agreed. “We can do this down at the station I suppose. Get your air.”  Wexler agreed and headed down toward the elevators. Betts turned and called out, “Brandon.”

Brandon made his way over and Betts told him to stick with Wexler.
“After he gets some air, take him down to the station to answer some more questions.” After Brandon left to find Wexler, she turned to Hannah. “I suppose you’ll be coming along.”

Hannah shook her head.
“I’m staying with Elias. Someone’s got to watch after him.” She glanced over to Elias’ room. “At all times it appears.”

The detective followed Hannah
’s gaze. A custodian headed in. “You, don’t. I need to take a look first.” The man stopped dead in his tracks and gave Betts a cold stare. He glanced into the room. Turning back to Betts and Hannah, he twisted his jaw before pushing his mop and bucket back away from the room. As he moved away, he gave one more look back.

Hannah eyed the
custodian. It occurred to her that Wexler mentioned a second person, but they had yet to get a description. As such, she sized up the man.
70s. Thinning white hair. White beard. Large ears. Close set eyes. Long, slender nose. Thin frame. Slight haunch.
She considered him for a moment. He seemed too old for involvement in a ‘hit’ on anyone. Yet, from what Wexler exposed, the attempt on Elias was something else. The man’s last words echoed in her mind.
Tell me. Stop him
.
The first was the deliveryman’s reason for being there. The second was what Johnny did
, she inferred. Betts interrupted her thoughts.

“
You’re doing that thing. Sizing him up. Everyone’s a list to you.”

Hannah did not respond. Instead, she
pushed Hym toward the nurses’ station. Betts followed. Hannah found the woman who was helping Wexler and said, “Were you on the floor all day?”

“
I took my break is all. I got back just after all this.” She indicated with a pointed finger.

“
Elias Babel. What’s his condition?”

The nurse glanced toward the room.
“Stable. He woke up before all this.”

“
Was he aware or just conscious? Did he say anything?”

“
He recognized the gentleman.” The nurse indicated in the direction where Wexler left. “Smiled, but he couldn’t speak, at least not enough to understand what he said.”

“
What did he say exactly?”

“
It was gibberish, but I wrote it down for the doctors.” She looked around the station desk, picked up a clipboard, and handed it to Hannah.

Hannah read off the words.
“Rocks in golly on dolly.”

The nurse leaned over and tapped the clipboard.
“That’s all he said. He went back to sleep. I showed it to the doctor. He said it didn’t mean anything, just jumbles from the drugs. Not to worry about brain damage. This was a good sign.”

“
I’m sure it is,” Hannah asserted as Elias’s words echoed in her head.
Rocks in golly on dolly
. She rolled the words around out loud, repeating them several times.

“
Gibberish,” Betts said.

“
I don’t think so,” Hannah answered. “He was trying to say something.”

“
Well, good luck with that,” Betts said as she looked toward Elias’ room. “I’m going to check out the room.” She started in the direction where Officer Bland now stood outside the door, peering in. Hannah followed. When they reached the room, Betts bobbed her head once in greeting. “Got anything?”

Bland glanced over his notes.
“According to one of the nurses, the man posing as a delivery man showed up with one other. The second hung near the nurse's station. The nurse,” Bland pointed to the station where a doctor and two nurses spoke with each other, “is new. She’s the younger one. She gave a description of the one with the flowers that matches that of Mr. Wexler.”

“
And the other?” Hannah asked.

“
Young. Handsome. Accent. Like the first, but not as well built. Tattooed arms.”

“
Not exactly the custodian,” Betts said with a mocking grin, which Hannah ignored.

“
Did they say who they were from?” Betts intruded.

“
No, ma’am.”

“
But we already know. Wexler told us.”

Hannah glanced over to the station and crossed her arms. She studied the two nurses and estimated the younger to be in her early twenties. The older nurse was in her late forties.
She’s edgy
, Hannah considered to herself.
Sweating. Dry mouthed. Nervous
. She furrowed her brow, before lifting one. Her nose wiggled as she contemplated for a second. “Was the head nurse here during all this?”