Nelson rape case.’
Leland clasped his hands behind his head.
‘Not only did I tell you – repeatedly – that I was innocent, the grand jury cleared me,’ Darby said. ‘I wasn’t responsible for Steve Nelson being let go and raping another woman. And I wasn’t responsible for the media coverage either.’
‘I’m aware of that.’
‘So why are we having this conversation again?’
‘Because putting you on this case could bring us more media attention. You’re already on TV. I’m worried that the media is going to resurrect the Nelson case and drag it back into the spotlight.’
This case is going to have media attention whether I’m on it or not.’
Leland didn’t say anything, leaving Darby with the sense – and not for the first time – that he had privately come to some sort of conclusion about her. Leland Pratt was the kind of man who preferred observing people when they weren’t paying attention, recording their words and gestures and cataloguing them in that locked-up place where he held his true judgments of people. Darby, for better or for worse, often caught herself working twice as hard to impress him. She hoped she could impress him now.
‘I can run this thing, Leland. But if you still havesome lingering doubts, if you don’t trust me, then put it on the table and talk about it. Stop denying me access to cases because you’re afraid I’m going to embarrass the lab. It’s not fair.’
Leland stared at the framed certificates and diplomas hanging on the wall behind her. Finally, after a long moment, he turned his attention back to her.
‘I want to be updated at every turn. If I’m not in my office, leave a message or call me on my cell phone.’
‘Not a problem,’ Darby said. ‘Anything else?’
‘If Banville won’t pick up the tab for the footwear specialist, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.’
Darby stepped into the office she shared with Coop. He was on the phone, flipping through a comic book. He had changed into jeans and a T-shirt with the slogan ‘Beer Is Proof That God Loves Us and Wants Us to Be Happy.’
‘I don’t remember Wonder Woman having breast implants,’ Darby said after Coop hung up.
This is the new improved Wonder Woman.’
‘Great. Now she looks like a stripper.
‘I see you’re not wearing your happy face. Would you like to play with the Play-Doh? I’m telling you, it’s great for stress.’
‘Our boss has some serious doubts about my abilities.’
‘Let me guess: the Nelson case.’
‘Bingo.’ Darby gave him the condensed version of her conversation with Leland.
‘Why are you grinning?’ Darby asked.
‘You remember that girl Angela I dated a few months back?’
The lingerie model from The Improper Bostonian?
‘No, that was Brittney. Angela was the British girl, the one with the diamond belly button ring.’
‘It’s amazing how you can keep them all straight.’
‘I know, I should belong to Mensa. Anyway, Angela and I were out for drinks one night, and I was telling her about work and mentioned Leland’s name. Seems the word prat over in the U.K. means idiot or fool. Try to keep that in mind as we move forward.’
Chapter 14
There was one stop Darby wanted to make before heading home.
Scrubbed clean, her hair still damp from the gym shower, Darby stepped into the main lobby of Mass General, Boston’s largest hospital. She didn’t need to stop by the information desk; she knew her way to the intensive care unit. She had been there once, to say good-bye to her father.
The sign posted outside ICU’s double doors read TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES BEFORE ENTERING . Darby shut off her phone, showed her ID to the male nurse sipping coffee behind the reception desk and asked about the condition of a woman brought in last night from Belham. He didn’t know – he had just come on shift – and pointed to the patrolman sitting in a chair outside a room at the end of a long corridor.
There is no
Leland clasped his hands behind his head.
‘Not only did I tell you – repeatedly – that I was innocent, the grand jury cleared me,’ Darby said. ‘I wasn’t responsible for Steve Nelson being let go and raping another woman. And I wasn’t responsible for the media coverage either.’
‘I’m aware of that.’
‘So why are we having this conversation again?’
‘Because putting you on this case could bring us more media attention. You’re already on TV. I’m worried that the media is going to resurrect the Nelson case and drag it back into the spotlight.’
This case is going to have media attention whether I’m on it or not.’
Leland didn’t say anything, leaving Darby with the sense – and not for the first time – that he had privately come to some sort of conclusion about her. Leland Pratt was the kind of man who preferred observing people when they weren’t paying attention, recording their words and gestures and cataloguing them in that locked-up place where he held his true judgments of people. Darby, for better or for worse, often caught herself working twice as hard to impress him. She hoped she could impress him now.
‘I can run this thing, Leland. But if you still havesome lingering doubts, if you don’t trust me, then put it on the table and talk about it. Stop denying me access to cases because you’re afraid I’m going to embarrass the lab. It’s not fair.’
Leland stared at the framed certificates and diplomas hanging on the wall behind her. Finally, after a long moment, he turned his attention back to her.
‘I want to be updated at every turn. If I’m not in my office, leave a message or call me on my cell phone.’
‘Not a problem,’ Darby said. ‘Anything else?’
‘If Banville won’t pick up the tab for the footwear specialist, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.’
Darby stepped into the office she shared with Coop. He was on the phone, flipping through a comic book. He had changed into jeans and a T-shirt with the slogan ‘Beer Is Proof That God Loves Us and Wants Us to Be Happy.’
‘I don’t remember Wonder Woman having breast implants,’ Darby said after Coop hung up.
This is the new improved Wonder Woman.’
‘Great. Now she looks like a stripper.
‘I see you’re not wearing your happy face. Would you like to play with the Play-Doh? I’m telling you, it’s great for stress.’
‘Our boss has some serious doubts about my abilities.’
‘Let me guess: the Nelson case.’
‘Bingo.’ Darby gave him the condensed version of her conversation with Leland.
‘Why are you grinning?’ Darby asked.
‘You remember that girl Angela I dated a few months back?’
The lingerie model from The Improper Bostonian?
‘No, that was Brittney. Angela was the British girl, the one with the diamond belly button ring.’
‘It’s amazing how you can keep them all straight.’
‘I know, I should belong to Mensa. Anyway, Angela and I were out for drinks one night, and I was telling her about work and mentioned Leland’s name. Seems the word prat over in the U.K. means idiot or fool. Try to keep that in mind as we move forward.’
Chapter 14
There was one stop Darby wanted to make before heading home.
Scrubbed clean, her hair still damp from the gym shower, Darby stepped into the main lobby of Mass General, Boston’s largest hospital. She didn’t need to stop by the information desk; she knew her way to the intensive care unit. She had been there once, to say good-bye to her father.
The sign posted outside ICU’s double doors read TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES BEFORE ENTERING . Darby shut off her phone, showed her ID to the male nurse sipping coffee behind the reception desk and asked about the condition of a woman brought in last night from Belham. He didn’t know – he had just come on shift – and pointed to the patrolman sitting in a chair outside a room at the end of a long corridor.
There is no
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