“I’m not sure I can pull off a swagger,” Peabody commented as they started down.
“Not in those sissy boots.”
“They’re not sissy boots.”
“They’re pink and have fluff. That’s the definition of sissy.”
She spotted the uniform in a chair outside 523, playing on his PPC. He heard her non-sissy boots on the tile and rose, sliding the PPC into his pocket as he came to attention.
“Lieutenant. No one but medical staff in or out. The nurse checked her about ten minutes ago. She’s awake.”
“Good. Stand by, Officer. We’ll order in your relief.”
Eve and Peabody walked in.
Daphne lay in the bed, her upper body slightly elevated. Her color looked nearly normal, and medical treatment had eased a lot of the bruising and swelling on her face. She stared blankly out the window until Eve moved into her field of vision.
Daphne blinked. “I … know you.”
“I’m Lieutenant Dallas. I brought you in.”
“Yes. With the man. He has blue eyes. I remember his blue eyes.”
“Hard to forget. This is my partner, Detective Peabody.”
“Oh.” Daphne shifted her gaze. “Hello.”
“Mrs. Strazza.” Eve pulled her attention back. “I regret to inform you, your husband was killed early this morning.”
Daphne continued to stare. “Killed? But he’s very important.”
“His body was found in the bedroom where you were attacked.”
Daphne lay still, but her breathing quickened. The monitor beeped faster. “But…” She turned her head, eyes still wide but dry, staring toward the window. “I wasn’t dead. I thought … My husband is dead.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Strazza,” Peabody said.
“My husband’s dead. Something terrible happened. Do you know what happened?”
“Do you?”
Daphne closed her eyes. Her hands lay still on the white sheets, as if she were asleep. “It’s like looking through a curtain. In some places it’s thin, and I can see. In others it’s thick, and I can’t. I feel as if I could float away, just float away.” She opened her eyes again. “Am I floating?”
“It’s the meds.”
“It feels good to float. It feels free. I can’t see my husband. Not through the curtain, not when I float. I can’t see what happened to him. Maybe he’s not dead. He’s very important. He’s very strong. He’s a very skilled surgeon. He’s—”
“I’m sorry,” Eve interrupted. “I identified his body.”
“His body,” Daphne whispered.
“What do you see? What do you remember?”
“The devil. But it’s not the devil. It’s a man. How can the devil be a man? I think a man can be a devil.”
“What does the devil look like?”
“His face is red, burning red, and there are little horns here.” She touched the top of her forehead. “He has a terrible smile. I think his eyes are red, but then I think they’re yellow. The lights are flashing, red and yellow. Someone’s screaming. Someone’s laughing. Anthony? No, my husband’s not laughing. He’s not screaming. I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.”
“Yes, you can.” Eve laid a hand on Daphne’s shoulder as the woman jerked up gasping. “You can breathe. No one’s hurting you now.”
“But it hurts. It hurts.” The tears came now, spilling out of those wide eyes. “You can’t go away because he brings you back. I had sex with the devil, and it burns, it tears. I don’t want to. I don’t want to.”
“He can’t touch you now.” Eve slapped down the bed guard, sat on the side of the bed. “He can’t get to you now.”
“He’ll find me.” Daphne gripped Eve’s arm, used it as a lever to sit up, then still holding tight, looked wildly around the room. “He can find me. He can find me anywhere.”
“No, he can’t. He won’t.”
“He chose me. Devil’s whore. It hurts when he makes me his whore. It burns. It glows red and it burns.” She gripped Eve’s hands hard, spoke in a whisper. “If you beg, if you fight, he’ll make it hurt more.”
“You’re safe here.”
Daphne collapsed back, shut her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. “Nowhere is safe.”
Del rushed in. “Hey. Back off,” he snapped at Eve, then laid a gentle hand on Daphne’s wet cheek. “It’s okay now. It’s all good. Remember me?”
She opened her eyes, stared at him. “You’re the doctor. You’re noble.”
“That’s my name. I want to take a look at you, okay? See how you’re doing.” He glanced back as a female nurse stepped in. “And this is Rhoda. She’s going to help me with the exam.”
“Do you have to touch me?”
“We’ll be careful. I promise.”
Rhoda stepped up, smiled. “Dr. Nobel’s a sweetheart.”
“Aw,” he said.
“He’s been looking out for you. He’s going to keep looking out for you.”
“If the devil comes—”
“The police won’t let the devil in here. Neither will Dr. Nobel.”
Del glanced over his shoulder at Eve. “Give us a minute.”