Page 108 of Obsession

“I think you should talk to him,” Emma said.

Finally he got it. This would be a chance to talk to the former sheriff. “Will they let me in to see him?”

“They should—it’s still visiting time.”

“What room?”

“The third one on the right after you go through the doors.”

Once again, Sam walked through the ICU doors, this time pausing outside Carter’s room. He wasn’t certain how to question an Alzheimer’s patient. He rapped on the door and didn’t wait for an invitation to enter. A nurse stood by the bed, hanging a bag on the IV pole while she ignored the man’s string of curses. She looked around.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“The sheriff’s sister sent me in here to talk to him.”

“Are you his son, Trey?”

Sam shook his head. “A friend of Trey’s.” He stepped closer to the bed. The former sheriff had stopped his cursing and regarded Sam with wary eyes.

“Do I know you?” Carter growled.

“I’m Sam Ryker, the Natchez Trace chief law enforcement ranger,” he said, using his I’m-in-charge-here voice.

Immediately the sheriff’s demeanor changed. “How can I help you, officer?”

“I have a case I’d like your advice on,” he said, “if the nurse will allow it.”

“Whatever it takes to calm him down,” she said, palming her hand as she walked to the door. “I’ll be nearby if you need me.”

“Just a minute,” Carter said. “Untie my hands. I can’t discuss a case all trussed up like this.”

She wavered, and he let loose another string of words that burned Sam’s ears. “How about I untie the one with the IV? And only if you promise not to pull it out.”

Once he promised, she removed the restraint and then left them alone. Sam pulled up a chair near the bed and sat down, hoping to convey to Carter the impression they were equals. Carter tried to pull himself up. “Hold on, and I’ll raise your bed,” Sam said.

“Thank you,” he said when Sam had elevated him to a sittingposition. “Now, this case you need help with, does it tie in to any of my recent cases?”

Carter thought he was still the sheriff. Maybe Sam could use that to his advantage. “No, it’s an older case. But first, you have to promise to quit giving these nurses and your sister a fit. That’s what Trey would tell you if he was here.”

“Where is that pup? He ain’t been worth a dime since his ma died.” Carter narrowed his eyes. “He had no business letting them bring me here. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with me.”

“You’re dehydrated. As soon as they get fluids in you, you’ll go home.”

He tried to cross his arms, but the restraint on his right hand stopped him. “Well, why in tarnation didn’t they tell me that?”

“That I can’t say, but if you want to go home, do what they say and quit giving them trouble.”

“Tell me about the case.”

“It involves Ryan Winters and Mary Jo Selby.”

The heart monitor briefly went crazy, then after an initial flurry of beats, it returned to its steady rhythm. “What about it?”

“Why is there no file on the case?”

Carter seemed to assess Sam. “You say you’re a friend of Trey’s?”

“I am. I was at the Hideaway with your son and Ryan Winters.”

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