The Body Reader Read Online Free

agreed.
    The news of the escape had hit Ortega hard, and guilt was going to weigh heavy on the entire department. Yes, years had passed since Jude Fontaine’s disappearance, but that didn’t change the fact that they’d given up on one of their own.
    “She’s had broken bones that were probably never set,” the doctor said. “Concussions. Scars over much of her back and chest. Less serious, but needing immediate attention—some questionable teeth. A dentist will address those issues once we get her stabilized. Everything about her blood is off, and she’s deficient in almost everything—understandable in someone who’s been starved. You say she escaped by herself? And walked to the police station?”
    “That seems to be the case.”
    “Honestly, I don’t know how she did it.” A pause. “Look, you can go into the room, but try not to upset her.”
    He nodded. “I need to find out where she was being held. I need to find out what went down. Her life could still be in danger, for all we know.”
    “I’m just saying handle her gently, and don’t push if she’s unwilling to talk to you right now. She might break, and then you’ll end up with nothing.”
    “I understand.”
    The doctor left, and Uriah tapped at the open hospital-room door before entering.
    Now that she’d been cleaned up and dressed in a hospital gown rather than a heavy coat, she looked worse—if that was possible. He could see the bruises, old and new, on her bare arms, scars and lesions on her thin wrists. It appeared someone had made an attempt to wash her hair, then given up. He had the urge to grab a pair of scissors and cut out the mats.
    “Hi.” He dragged a chair next to the bed. “Remember me?”
    She pushed a button on the lift control to raise the head of the bed several inches. “My replacement.”
    “I wouldn’t say that.”
    “Detective Ashby, right?”
    “Yeah, right.” He was surprised she remembered. “I need to ask you some questions.”
    The brittle morning light fell across her face, revealing eyes that were an intense blue and a gaze so direct it made him uncomfortable. In stark contrast to her hair, her brows were so dark they looked almost black. He crossed the room and reached for the curtains.
    “Don’t.”
    He paused, arm in the air.
    “Leave them open.”
    “The sun’s in your eyes.”
    “I want it in my eyes.”
    He let the full meaning of that sink in. Of course. Judging by her pallor, she probably hadn’t seen natural light in a long time.
    He took a seat beside her, thrown off by her unexpected composure and alertness. But then he wasn’t dealing with somebody who’d been held captive for a short time. She’d had years to shut down her emotions, years to rewire her brain to accept whatever presented itself. Even freedom.
    “Don’t feel bad,” she said.
    Was he that obvious? Uriah prided himself on remaining at least outwardly unaffected. Not in a cold kind of way, but a controlled way. It had gotten him through a lot of tough situations, including the last year. His personal ordeal was different from the horror Fontaine had suffered, but maybe not so different when it came to coping.
    “Don’t feel bad about the questions you have to ask me,” she said. “Don’t feel bad about what I’ve been through. Talking about it isn’t going to make things worse. It’s not like I’ve forgotten and discussing it will bring it all back.”
    “Yeah, well . . . that’s exactly what I was thinking,” he confessed.
    “I’ll make it easier. I can tell you that I don’t know where the house is.”
    “But it was a house.” Statement. “Not an abandoned building or storage facility. Anything like that?”
    “A house. In a neighborhood.”
    And then they got down to her escape. The how of it. She told him about killing the man who’d held her for three years.
    “With the gun you had when you showed up at the station.”
    “Yes.”
    The weapon’s serial number had been filed off. The