Tuesday's Child by Clare Revell Page A

down by the river. A uniformed officer is bringing it in. We could get them to pick Adeline up at the same time.”
    “I’ll go,” Nate said. Part of him couldn’t wait to see her again, while the other doubted his sanity in doing this. “Wait until I get back before you go in.”
    “Sure.”
    The nurse came out of the cubicle, and Nate gasped as he saw the figure lying on the bed. Her face badly swollen, and her left hand cut to shreds, she lay looking up at the ceiling.
    Dane looked at her. “You know her?”
    Nate nodded. “Yeah, I do. She’s a friend of Adeline’s, and she comes to the self-defense class. Her name’s Rachel Stevens.” He shook his head and touched his nose ruefully. “Guess I really am a lousy self-defense teacher.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    “One of my pupils breaks my nose and blacks my eye and another ends up half dead.”
    Dane put a hand on Nate’s arm. “You and I both know self-defense only goes so far. She survived. That’s what matters. Had it not been for what you taught her, she might not have survived at all. Now go and get Adeline so we can talk to Rachel before they throw us out.”
     
    ****
     
    Adeline walked close to Nate into the ED, Ben on the leash beside her. Ever since Nate had picked her up, she’d felt sick. Why hadn’t she known it was Rachel? Then she realized she hadn’t seen the girl’s face this time. She’d been her, somehow. Seen and experienced the attack from another view point.
    Nate held himself stiffly. He was taking this personally.
    “It’s not your fault, Nate.”
    “Then whose fault is it?”
    Adeline grasped Nate’s arm and stood in front of him. The darkness in his eyes, and the whole aura that surrounded him showed a depth of emotion she’d never seen in a man before. She was filled with an insane urge to hug him. He cared about these women and wanted to put things right before anyone else got hurt. “Nate, you didn’t hurt her. The man with the ponytail did.”
    “Ponytail?” Something flickered in his eyes. “What ponytail? You never mentioned it before.”
    “I, I’m sorry. I thought I had. I hadn’t seen anything of him until this time. His eyes and his hair brushing my, no her face. It was long, dark and greasy and tied back in a ponytail.”
    “No, you didn’t mention it.” He turned away for a moment, his posture stiffening yet further until he was as tight as a drum. Was he angry with her for not saying anything? Or was it frustration because he hadn’t caught the killer? Then he looked back at her, regaining his composure. “Is there anything else you remember?”
    “No.”
    He jerked his head in response. “I need to interview her, and I need you to translate what she says. We don’t have long before the nurse will kick us out to let her rest.”
    “Sure.” Guilt for not telling him immediately about the attacker’s ponytail churned her stomach as Adeline plodded after Nate to the cubicle where Rachel lay. He seemed to believe in her visions more than she did. What if this detail wasn’t correct, just an image she’d created from some TV drama or an overactive imagination? Despite him calling her a witness, she really hadn’t seen anything. At least nothing that would stand up in court.
    A uniformed officer stood outside the curtain with Dane.
    Dane came over to meet them. “For now she’ll have a guard, just in case he decides to try again.” He smiled at Adeline. “Thanks for coming.”
    “Welcome.” She followed them into the cubicle and looked at Rachel. She stifled a gasp and moved over to the bed. Why her? She’s so badly hurt.
    Ben sat by her feet as Adeline gently touched Rachel’s arm, managing a smile as her friend’s eyes jerked open. “Hey,” she signed. “How are you?”
    Rachel’s swollen eyes filled with tears. “You shouldn’t be here,” she signed. “I’m ashamed.”
    “Don’t be. None of this is your fault. You didn’t ask him to hurt you.”
    “I should have