Page 17 of The Perfect Accomplice

“Right,” Jenny said, pointing out an empty chair at the nurses’ station where Kat could take a seat. “Conveniently, she’s definitely never heard of her.”

“I’ve got to say, Jenny,” Kat noted, taking a seat, “you sound slightly skeptical about the woman’s veracity.”

Jenny smiled sadly.

“I took care of Pierce when she was in a coma and after she woke up, and personally, I found her more believable when she was unconscious. Maybe I’m biased because I’ve gotten to know you. All I can say is that the people who make the decisions seem way more conflicted. The psychiatrists looked uncertain when they came out of sessions with her. And I’ve even overheard the prosecutors complaining about whether they’ll be able to win over twelve jurors at trial, assuming it gets to that.”

“She’s murdered seven people that we know of and tried to kill at least that many more,” Kat said indignantly. “Now she can just claim amnesia and get off?”

“I didn’t say that,” Jenny replied quickly. “I’m only saying that she puts on a good show. I get why people might be taken in.”

"Well, maybe they should let me have a sit-down with her and observe that interaction," Kat offered. "Then we'll see if there are any cracks in her armor."

“While I’m sympathetic to the idea, I don’t think it’s the way to go,” Jenny told her. “Even if I did agree, you might have a little trouble getting to her, what with the four cops who are constantly guarding her room.”

“You don’t know what I’m capable of if I put my mind to it,” Kat warned.

“All the more reason to keep you at a safe distance,” Jenny replied. “I do value keeping my job. If I was smart, I never would have let you leave that waiting room, but I know that you can’t sleep if you don’t check in on her status.”

“Honestly, I don’t sleep very well even with these check-ins,” Kat admitted. “I can only imagine what it would be like without them, so thank you.”

Jenny nodded. After a moment, she glanced around. She must have noted what Kat did—that there were no other nurses around right now. She stood up and moved over to one of the monitors on the shared desk.

“This is definitely against the rules, so I’m going to make it quick,” she said quietly, quickly typing on the keyboard in front of the monitor. A series of video images popped up, which Kat recognized as CCTV footage from various cameras on the hospital floor.

“What have we got here?” she asked.

“Normally, we only have feeds of the hallways and other public spaces for privacy reasons,” Jenny said, clicking on a box in the lower right corner. “But because of the security threat posed by Pierce, we got authorization to put two fixed cameras in her room. That means you get a live look.”

Kat leaned in to get a better look.

“Can you zoom in?” she asked studying the grainy image of the diminutive narrow-framed woman sitting at a 45-degree angle in her hospital bed.

“A little,” Jenny said, adjusting the image marginally. “Enjoy the view for now because you won’t get one tomorrow.”

“Why not?” Kat wondered.

“She’s got surgery scheduled,” Jenny explained. “The injury she sustained when Hannah Dorsey stabbed her in the neck during their fight hasn’t healed properly. Doctors didn’t want to do anything about it when she was in a coma because it was too risky. But they’ve determined that she’s strong enough to handle it now. She goes under the knife mid-afternoon.”

It was impossible to get a good look at Ash Pierce’s neck. The camera wasn’t sophisticated enough to pick up on that level of detail. But Kat could at least see the woman’s face clearly.

Pierce was engaged in a conversation with the court psychiatrist and seemed to be enjoying it. Her brown eyes were bright, and her hands were moving animatedly. Someone had brushed her black hair, which had been cut short to make it presentable. Her porcelain skin and arched nose were just as Kat remembered them.

Something about seeing the woman conscious and alert made Kat’s stomach twist into a tight knot. Suddenly she pictured Pierce as she used to be, not in a hospital bed, but standing over her, happily torturing her while she was tied to a chair in the desert.

All at once, a wave of panic rose in Kat's chest. Her heart began beating against her breastbone, and beads of sweat appeared magically on her forehead. She stood up on unsteady legs and stumbled away from the nurses' station.

“What’s wrong?” Jenny asked, concerned.

“I have to do something,” Kat managed to gasp unconvincingly, hoping she didn’t pass out before she made it through the exit doors.

***

“It’s okay,” Mitch assured her gently, holding her tight to him.

“I don’t know what happened,” Kat muttered miserably.

"It makes perfect sense," he replied. "You hadn't seen her like that for a long time. Of course, your body was going to react. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

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