Poison Flower by Thomas Perry Read Free Book Online

for Shelby, and how they found him when the police couldn't. And of course, they can't let me go. Kidnapping and torture would mean life sentences for them."
    "Oh, my God." The girl walked a few paces and sat down on the chair at the desk. "All this is such heavy stuff, out of nowhere. They just told the doctor there was a private patient who had an injury and wanted to pay for special care."
    "That's the way trouble always comes-out of nowhere, with no warning. When it does you have to decide quickly." She waited, watching the girl sitting at the desk, staring at the wall. "Will you please let me use your cell phone"
    "You just said it was a kidnapping and torture thing. Everybody would go to prison."
    "Not you. You'll be the hero."
    She looked sideways at Jane. "How do I know you'll twist it that way, and not the other way"
    "Someone who helps me will be my friend. They're just getting started on me." She waited, but the girl didn't seem to be able to make up her mind. She looked paralyzed. "Are you worried about your boyfriend"
    "I told you, he's not officially my boyfriend." She was irritated. She started to walk away, and it seemed to make her remember why she was there. She hurried back to the bathroom and returned with cold, damp hand towels she put on Jane's bruises.
    Jane watched her. It doesn't matter if he hasn't declared himself to be your boyfriend. You've had a big fat crush on him for a long time, and one slow day in the office, he came on to you in an examining room. Or he came to the office one day with flowers and asked you to dinner. Whatever it was, you're committed to him, and you have an intimate relationship now. I can hear it in your voice.
    The nurse went to the medical supplies and returned with Neosporin, which she gently applied to the scrapes left by the bamboo sticks.
    Jane said, "I'm perfectly happy to include the doctor in the hero category too. I'll say that the next time he comes in is the first time I was conscious when he visited, and as soon as he knew what was up, he helped you save me. I know he has nothing to do with these men or framing Jim Shelby. But you've got to help me. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be to make up a story that keeps him innocent."
    "I've got to have time to think. I should talk to him, too." She looked at Jane again. "Are you married"
    Jane wasn't wearing the ring, but there was still a pale line on her ring finger, and the young nurse must have seen it. "Yes." After a second she added, "I wouldn't ordinarily tell anyone that."
    "I knew already, because there's an indentation on your ring finger. I'm glad you didn't lie."
    "Sometimes a person in my position has to lie. I've got to lie to those men. I don't want to lie to you, though. Will you please help me"
    "I need time to think."
    "We don't have much time. The next stage of this is going to come pretty quickly."
    "The next stage What's the next stage"
    "They'll think of things to do to me that hurt, that will make me so afraid I'll talk. The next stage will be heat-hot irons, or fire. You may be used to seeing things others haven't, but you don't want to see this."
    "Why can't you just tell them, and we can all go home"
    "These men are implicated in a murder. No matter what I tell them, nobody's going home but them. They can't let any of us go."
    "You're scaring me."
    "We have to save ourselves. Either let me use your phone right now, or you use it as soon as you're a mile or two from here and positive you haven't been followed."
    The woman took a deep breath, and let it out. "All right. Here."
    She came to Jane's bed and held her cell phone out to Jane. They both heard the door at the end of the building swing open. Jane shook her head and the girl pulled back her cell phone and retreated to the desk and the computer. She pretended to be composing an e-mail.
    Jane looked up at the men coming in the door. First came the tall man with the western accent who seemed to be in charge, and the others