Page 55 of Trust No One

A smile flickered across her lips. “Molly?”

“She’s good. Mom’s taking her to the park today.”

“Edith will buy her ice cream. She’ll be wired and won’t sleep well tonight.”

“It’s okay. They can have a little fun.” Gabe kissed her on the lips.

“You always say that.” Her eyes narrowed, held his for a beat, and then closed. “You spoil her.”

“I want to spoil you now.”

Maria sighed as if she wanted to believe her husband. But we all knew Gabe had made promises he hadn’t kept. “That would be nice.”

Dr. Webber stepped forward. “My patient has had all she can take for now. Everyone out of the room.”

“I just arrived,” Gabe said.

Dr. Webber shook her head. “Come back later.”

I laid my hand on Gabe’s arm. “We’ll return.”

Maria smiled, eyes still closed. “Listen to Raine. She’s always right.”

Gabe kissed her on the forehead and then straightened. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I love you.”

Maria hesitated. Hard to say if it was exhaustion, pain, or something else. “I love you, too.”

We all left—lingered outside Maria’s room. “No visitors until much later today,” Dr. Webber said. “She needs rest.”

“Of course,” I said.

Gabe’s head bobbled. “I’ll be back later.”

“Call before you come,” Dr. Webber said. “I’m ordering tests today.”

“What kind of tests?” I asked.

“Scans, blood work, MRI.”

Gabe nodded. “I need to get back to Molly.”

Dr. Webber walked Gabe to the elevator, but I didn’t follow. Was he really behind the lawsuit? He seemed barely able to process what was happening now.

When the doors closed, I turned to Judson. “Is this about tests? What’s going on?”

“Just being cautious,” Judson said.

There was more. “Good public defenders can sniff out lies.”

“Have I ever lied to you?” Judson asked.

“Brutally honest is your style, but that isn’t an answer.”

“Why do you think Maria called you Amy? What did she have to be sorry for?”

“She wasn’t very kind when Amy worked as Mom’s caregiver. She didn’t like her living in Hale House. She saw Amy was using my clothes and makeup. Amy was copying me when she worked in the house.”

“More than that. She was turning into your look-alike.”