Only Time Will Tell
Part 3
"Sgt. Ryan?" Tom turned to find himself facing a middle-aged woman in a white lab coat, "I’m Dr. Allen. I’m treating Janet Cardinal."
Tom extended a hand in greeting. "Ms. Cardinal is fine. We were able to repair the damage to her arm with a few stitches. The wound wasn’t especially deep. She should recover without any problems."
"Good," Tom nodded.
"Her emotional state, on the other hand, is another matter." Dr. Allen opened a file folder. "I going to prescribe a sedative and keep her here for observation tonight. She is extremely agitated about the death of her husband."
"Has she told you anything about what happened?" Tom wondered if Janet had disclosed the truth of the events to the medical staff.
The physician shook her head, "No. All she has said is that her husband was killed. She does keep mumbling, somewhat incoherently, that it’s all her fault."
"May I see her?" Tom asked.
"Actually, she’s been asking for you. I was intending to ask you to come in. Maybe that will calm her down. She’s in room 210. I’ll take you up." The woman motioned for Tom to follow her and together, they made their way to the room.
When Tom entered, he found Janet laying flat on her back, blanket covering her. Her eyes were closed, but her cheeks and nose were red, obviously the result of heavy crying. As she took a breath, her body shook. Tom looked at the doctor with concern, "You’re sure she’s okay?"
The doctor nodded as she approached her patient, "She’s suffering from emotional shock. That’s why I want to keep her."
Tom approached the woman and gently reached out his hand to touch the side of her face. Her skin was cold and clammy, but his touch sparked recognition in her and she opened her eyes.
"Tommy?" she whispered.
"Hey Kiddo. How are you feeling?" Tom smiled back to her.
"I’m so glad you’re here with me. I’m so scared. . .what’s going to happen to me? What have I done?" The tears started to roll again and she raised up her body to sob into his arms.
Tom stroked her hair affectionately, trying to keep the woman as calm as possible, "It’s okay, Janet. Everything will be okay," he whispered, not sure whether the words were penetrating to her brain.
After minutes of tears, Janet pushed away and wiped her eyes. She looked up at the doctor, who was watching the two from the far side of the room, and smiled, embarrassed. "I’m sorry. I just can’t help it. Every time I think of what happened, of what I. . ."
"Don’t worry about it, Honey," Dr. Allen spoke up, interrupting the younger woman. "I’ve already told Sgt. Ryan that we’re going to keep you here over night. . .give you a chance to rest. In the meantime, you appear to be in capable hands, so I’ll give you two a moment alone."
Janet smiled at Tom, reached out her hand to grab his and pulled him close to her again. Tom looked at the doctor, knowing that the doctor assumed they were closer than they actually were, but allowed the woman to leave the room. He wanted to talk to Janet alone. . .find out what had happened that morning.
Before he could speak, her heard her whisper, "I’ve missed you."
Tom cleared is throat, "Yeah, it’s been a long time."
"Too long," she responded. "You look good. The divorce must’ve agreed with you."
Tom stumbled on a response, "Well, yeah, I guess so."
"Cassy could be such a witch. I'm so glad realized you’re better off with her out of your life," Janet said, unable to hide the bitterness in her voice.
Tom smiled and turned away, "Well, she’s not really out of my life, Janet. We’re partners again. Have been for the last two years."
Janet’s face turned to one of shock, "You’re kidding. Why would you want to do that? You two fought like cats and dogs."
"No, we fought like we were an unhappily married couple. We are much better as partners," Tom reasoned.
Janet turned up her nose, "Well, forgive me, but I still can’t stand her. I never understood what you saw in her and what you didn’t. . ." her voice trailed off.
"What?" Tom asked, unable to hear the last words.
"Never mind. It’s not important anymore." Janet laid back down, gently rubbing her injured arm. She closed her eyes and a tear ran down her temple and into her brunette hair. "Do you have to arrest me?" she whispered, the fear evident in her voice.
"No, not right now," Tom took a seat at the chair next to the bed.
"But you might?"
"I don’t know, Janet. It will depend on what we find in the investigation," Tom replied honestly, not wanting to mislead the woman.
"I just can’t believe it went that far." Janet turned her sad eyes to Tom. "He was so angry. . .and I don’t know why. He just. . .he just came at me with the knife."
"You don’t have any idea what the problem was?"
"No. I was in the kitchen. All of the sudden he started to yell for me. I came into the living room and he attacked me. We fought and fell and the knife. . ." The tears came again.
"I’m sorry to upset you," Tom apologized, "But I need to know exactly what happened."
"No, you don’t," came a bellowing voice from the doorway. "Janet, you should not be talking to him."
Janet and Tom both looked up in surprise to find a short, rotund man at the door. The man stepped forward and set his polished black briefcase on the table at the end of the bed. He then presented a business card to the detective, "Stewart Maxon. I’m Ms. Cardinal’s attorney. And you will no longer be questioning her."
"Stewart, it's okay," Janet scolded wearily. She reached out and pulled Tom closer to her.
"No, Janet. It's not. Your friend here is a police officer. Anything you say to him can be used against you later. So I suggest you keep quiet."
"She's not under arrest," Tom pointed out, trying to hide his irritation.
"But she has admitted to being involved with the death of her husband. I don't want her saying something that will cause you to jump to conclusions." The lawyer pointed to the door, "If you don't mind, I need to talk to my client. . .alone."
"Stewart, no. I want him to stay," Janet protested. "I need him here." She had a firm grip on Tom's right arm, and clearly didn't intend to let go.
"No. I'm here to look out for your best interests. I can't do that if you talk to the cops. Now, please Janet. We need to talk about what happened."
Janet started to protest again, looking as if she were ready to break down, again. Tom used his left hand to gently pry her fingers off his right upper arm, "That's okay, Janet. Maybe it would be better if you talked to your lawyer. We can get together later. I need to check into the office anyway." As Tom spoke, he was backing up towards the exit. Janet started to protest one more time, but Tom gave her a quick wave and left the room, feeling somewhat relieved, but not really knowing why.
Tom made his way to the second floor waiting room and pulled out his cell phone, dialing the number to the department. Cassy picked up the line immediately, "St. John."
"Hey, Cass, it's me. How was lunch?"
There was silence for a minute, then a very cold response, "None of your business. So how is she?"
"What?" Tom was taken aback by the tone with which the words were spoken.
"How is Ms. Angelini?" Cassy repeated, emphasizing the woman's name.
"Well, Cass, she's fine. But the doctor wants to keep her here overnight. . .and her name is Cardinal, now. Not Angelini," Tom replied, trying to keep the conversation as light as possible.
"Fine, whatever. Harry told me she killed her husband." Cassy continued sending the cold front Tom's way.
"It sounds like it was an accident." He paused, deciding to hit her ill temperament head on, "So what's with the attitude, St. John?"
"What attitude? I'm just asking cop questions," she answered defensively.
Tom gritted his teeth, knowing that he was just about to embark upon the case from Hell. "Yeah, right. I'm heading in. I'll see you in a little while.
End Part 3
To Part 4