Grace Sees Red Read Online Free Page A

Bennett said.
    Cathy squeaked. “We can’t.”
    â€œShe’s tied up at the moment,” Debbie said.
    Reminding me of a spy from some melodramatic 1940s-era film, Cathy ducked her head a bit and looked both ways. She pointed surreptitiously toward the East Wing. “She’s down there. With the police.”
    From behind me: “Is there a problem here?”
    All four of us jumped. I turned. The cop from the front door was making his way over. With his chin held high, he walked with his arms curled about four inches out from his sides, like he was forming flesh parentheses around his uniformed girth.
    â€œWhat’s the problem?” he asked again.
    â€œThese folks came to see one of the people from the East Wing,” Debbie said.
    Cathy had been following the exchange with her giant eyes. “One of the witnesses,” she added helpfully.
    Witnesses?
I sucked in a breath and took a step closer to Bennett. “What is going on?” I asked quietly.
    Cathy shoved the clipboard into Debbie’s hands. “I can escort them over there, if you want,” she said.
    â€œHang on. What are your names and who are you here to see?” The cop wrote our information down, then held up a finger as he spoke into his radio, conveying a terse summary of the situation to the person on the other end.
    The voice crackled back that Ms. Sliwa was currently providing a statement, and further instructed the cop to have us wait in the holding room.
    He signed off. “You heard the boss. Your friend is busy for now. These ladies will show you to the holding area.”
    â€œThe Sun Gallery,” Cathy said.
    The cop looked at her. “What?”
    â€œThat’s where we put the people you send over here. It’s called the Sun Gallery.”
    â€œYeah, okay.” To us: “They’ll show you where to wait.”
    â€œWhat is going on here?” Bennett asked. “I demand answers.”
    Except for blinking slowly a couple of times, the cop didn’t react. “Nothing I can tell you, sir. Now, if you’ll follow these women, they’ll get you settled until your friend is free.”
    Bennett was unused to such flat-out refusal. While hewasn’t the sort of person to exercise his considerable influence unnecessarily, he was accustomed to people bending over backward for him. I knew that as much as he relished his position of power in town, he was always happy to step back whenever he sensed that one of his requests pushed too hard. But this wasn’t some ordinary entreaty. Whatever was happening here involved one of our own.
    I was close enough to him to feel him quiver with frustration, but the patrol officer was simply doing his job. More important, it was clear that this officer did not possess the authority to disobey orders.
    â€œWe’ll take your suggestion and wait in the holding area,” I said to him. “But could you please let Frances know we’re here?” When he nodded and ambled back to the front doors, I turned to Cathy. “Which way is the Sun Gallery?”
    â€œI’ll take you.” She started off at a brisk pace, talking over her shoulder. “We’re using it to house patients the police kicked out when they evacuated the East Wing.” She wrinkled her nose and shook her head somberly. “They don’t seem to be worried about the people on this end of the building, though. I guess because most of the residents here are too out of it to even know something’s going on.”
    Sharp tangs of disinfectant rolled over us in waves as we strode past doors dotting both sides of the wide corridor.
    â€œSundays tend to be quiet,” she said. “A lot of families come by to take their loved ones out for the day. That’s why it’s so empty this morning. After all the excitement though, visitors are allowed only in this wing. After we record their names for the police, of