Bay Six had “Anderson—head injury” scrawled on the whiteboard.
Laura headed for the bay with the police officer standing outside the curtain. That would be Rocky, all right.
“You a relative?” asked the policeman as she reached to slip beyond the drape.
“Are you?” she snapped. “I’m a friend,” she added, almost as an afterthought. “Girlfriend.”
“Really?” The policeman looked interested, but she ignored him and walked on through.
Rocky was propped up on pillows, his head bandaged, his face locked into a deep scowl.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he growled as soon as he registered Laura.
“I might ask you the same question,” she retorted, but her acerbic words hid floods of blessed relief, coursing through her, lighting her up with weak-kneed joy. “Heard you got into a spot of bother. Just wanted to make sure you were…” Her voice tremored. “Okay.”
“I’m fine,” he muttered. “I want to walk out of here, but bloody PC Plod out there won’t let me go until I make a statement. Do you know what happened?”
“You don’t?”
“I remember walking down into a boat, and that’s it. Don’t know what’s happened to Flipp. Don’t know what’s going on.”
“Flipp’s left,” Laura said, making sure she had Rocky’s undivided eye contact before adding, “with her husband.”
Her words did not have the revelatory impact she was hoping for, though there were certainly signs of agitation on Rocky’s face.
“Are you fucking serious? That evil cunt has got his hands on her again?”
“You knew?”
“Of course I fucking knew. We’re lovers, Laura, partners. We talk to each other. What, you thought it was some big secret, did you? Was it you? Was it you that called in and shopped her? It was, wasn’t it?”
Rocky was swinging his legs around out of the bed, heedless of the fact that he was wearing only a hospital robe.
“Rocky. I did it for you.” Laura backed away.
“Don’t move. I’m not going to kill you. Yet. Sit down.”
Laura sat down in the room’s moulded plastic chair.
“What exactly happened, Laura? What did you do? What do you know?”
“I saw a missing persons thing with Flipp’s photo on it. I called them up. It said she was ‘vulnerable.’ I know that means a person who’s mentally ill or whatever. I wanted to save you, Rocky. I thought you might be in danger.”
“I think you know me well enough to know that I can look after myself, Laura. You did it to split us up, didn’t you? Out of spite. You called Rhodes and got him down here.”
“He’s Flipp’s husband,” pleaded Laura. “He has a right to know.”
“He’s an evil bastard who kept her prisoner, played mind games until she didn’t know which way was up and abused her. She was lucky to get away. And now he’s got her back.” Rocky ran hands through his hair, pulling tufts of it free from the bandage. “Where is she? Where are they? Was it him that knocked me out?”
“I don’t know.” Laura shrugged. “Cordwainer was there too. He was shot.”
“Cordwainer? Was shot? Look, we have to get out of here. I have to find Flipp.”
“You’re under police guard and you’re naked under that gown.”
“Yeah, well…” Rocky opened the bedside cabinet, locating his clothes. “The nakedness is easily dealt with. As for that copper—you owe me, Laura. Get rid of him.”
“How?”