Page 601 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“I could’ve made Cindy look very similar to the way she did before. I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t agree to that. It makes no sense whatsoever.”

“That’s none of your concern, doctor.”

Dr. Anderson closed Cindy’s chart. “Ms. Lassiter, you’ve made this whole situation very difficult. I tried to hold a conference with you on several occasions, but you were unavailable, as you will recall.”

Judith shifted her feet. The doctor was right. He’d tried to meet with her, but she’d always given some excuse as to why she couldn’t be there. The truth was that she hadn’t wanted to meet with him. That would have made everything seem too real. She hadn’t been able to deal with the news he might tell her. And she didn’t want to answer his intrusive questions as to why she wanted Cindy to resemble herself. She and Susan had looked so much alike that she assumed Cindy would be pleased. Maybe it had been a fairytale idea to think that she could make Cindy into something she could understand. That if they looked more alike then they would somehow be more alike. At any rate, she couldn’t let them make her look like her old self. No matter whatthe doctor said. No, that wasn’t an option. Too many risks. On the other hand, she should have thought it through. She should have realized?—

“I take it you’re available now?”

Judith nodded.

“Let’s go down to my office, and I’ll update you on Cindy’s condition.”

She followed Dr. Anderson to his office. “Cindy is a very lucky girl,” he said. “Her lower back sustained the deepest burns. The skin in that area was irreparable.”

Nausea swept over Judith. His words sounded so impersonal, like he was talking about a slab of meat, not her beloved niece.

“Are you okay?”

Judith raised her chin. “I’m fine, please continue.”

“We’ve been doing skin grafts on her back. We are taking healthy skin from her left thigh and grafting it on her back. Her right arm sustained a severe burn, but thankfully her scarring there is hypertrophic.”

Judith raised an eyebrow. “In layman’s terms, doctor?”

“Hypertrophic scars are thick, red, and raised. But they don’t develop beyond the injury site. A surgical procedure called dermabrasion was done on her arm. Dermabrasion is used to smooth scar tissue by shaving or scraping off the top layers of the skin. It soothes the surface of the scar. Over time, repigmentation will return. Then the skin should closely match the surrounding skin.

“Cindy will need to wear a pressure garment on her arm for the next twelve to eighteen months. It will help minimize the hypertrophic scars that are already there and will help prevent others from forming.”

The doctor studied Judith’s face and then continued. “As I was saying, Cindy is very lucky. The burns on her arm don’textend to her elbow. From all outward appearances, she will look completely normal.”

Judith sighed. “Good.”

“I said she willlooknormal. I didn’t say she wouldbenormal. Cindy has been through a traumatic experience. She will need counseling. She manifests evidence of some psychological trauma.”

Judith bristled. “My niece is strong; she’ll get through this.”

I’m not so sure.”

Judith’s eyes met his. “It’s not your concern. You did your part, doctor. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Sydney awokethe next morning to the incessant ringing of her alarm clock. She hit the snooze button and pulled her pillow over her face. All night long she’d dreamed of hospitals and Judith. She leaned over to her nightstand and clutched her father’s journal, just to make sure it was real. She sat up in bed and held it to her chest.

Her alarm went off again. This time she had to get up. She threw off her covers and walked over to her jewelry box, where she retrieved a small key attached to a gold chain. Then she went into her living room and over to a secretary desk that sat in a far corner. She used the key to unlock the middle drawer and placed the journal in the far back section, beside the two newspaper articles.

She pulled out the articles and read them again. She must’ve gone over them a hundred times. One article told about the boat explosion that had injured her and taken her father’s life. The other was about a Judge Crawford of Glendale.

The headline read, “Local judge killed in a car bomb.” She skimmed the article until she got to the meat of it. “Judge Crawford was killed instantly when his car exploded. Investigators are still trying to determine the motive for the crime. Several suspects are being questioned. He is survived by his wife, Harriet, and their two children.”

The judge was killed the same day as Avery. Judith had kept these articles together. Why? Did Avery and Judge Crawford know each other? Did the same person murder both of them? There were so many unanswered questions.

She would go over her father’s journal with a fine tooth comb, looking for clues about his death. Sean O’Conner had unknowingly aided her quest by giving his permission to search through the old files.

She looked in the mirror that morning and saw not only Sydney Lassiter but Cindy McClain as well. She studied her reflection and vowed to the girl that she once was that she would use every resource at her disposal, including Judith’s money if necessary, to find her father’s killer and bring him to justice.

9

“TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART; AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING.” —PROVERBS 3:5

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