Chapter 60 second quarter

It seemed impossible that Beth hadn't been killed!Relief and hope welled up in him, but he was also disturbed and frustrated by her mysterious behavior. "How did you meet Beth Dwyer?" Esperanza asked.They sat across from each other in Decker's living room. "She came to my office and wanted to buy a house," Decker thought, as he slumped on the couch. It wasn't possible. "when did it happen?" "Two months ago, it was July," Decker thought. I'm going crazy. "Is she local?" "no" "Where is she from?"

"East." Decker had a terrible headache. "Which city?" "Somewhere around New York." "Why did she move to Santa Fe?" "Her husband died of cancer in January, and she wanted to let go of the painful memories of the past and start a new life," Decker thought, just as I wanted to start a new life. "It's a high-cost area," Esperanza said. "How can she afford that house?" "Her husband left a huge life insurance money." "It must be a lot. What is his occupation?" "I have no idea."

Esperanza was confused. "I thought you two were very close." "yes." "But you don't even know some basic facts about her past." "I don't want to ask too many questions," Decker said. "It's been less than a year since her husband died, and I don't want to bring up disturbing memories for her." "Like, where did she live in the past? How could telling you something like that bother her?" "I just don't want to ask." Decker lied again.He knew exactly why he hadn't asked about these things.In his former life he had regarded it as his duty to ascertain in as exact detail as possible the personal circumstances of every person with whom he had dealings, though he never knew when those circumstances might come his way. use.But from the moment he came to Santa Fe, he started a new life.He wants to reinvent himself, so he is determined to change the way of life that was designed for him.

"Will her husband's insurance be enough to support her after she buys the house next to yours?" "She paints for a living," Decker said. "Oh? Which gallery?" "in New York." "What name?" "I don't know," Decker repeated. "think carefully." "I've met the guy who owns the gallery. He came to visit. His name is Dale Hawking..." "when did it happen?" "Thursday, September 1." "How do you remember it so specifically?" "It was only 9 days ago. I remember this date because Beth signed the house purchase deed on this day." But there is another reason why Decker remembered this date so quickly-it was on that day In the evening, he and Beth made love for the first time.beth!He called her in his heart.what the hell is it?Why did you run off the slope behind your house?Who is that person waiting for you in the car?

"Mr. Decker." "Sorry, I—" Decker blinked, finding himself distracted from the next question Esperanza asked himself. "You said the man with the remote detonator must have been watching the house." "That's right." "Why didn't the man detonate the bomb while you were walking up to the house with Ms. Dwyer?" "Unless I was in the room, they weren't 100 percent sure that the bomb would do what it was supposed to do." "So the watch guy decided to wait until you left before detonating it?" Esperanza asked. "Does that make sense?"

Decker shivered. "That's if you're the target," Esperanza added. "Beth the target?" Decker shivered as he felt the growing cold. "You mean to say that what happened this afternoon and last night was not aimed at me?" "Obviously, she was afraid of something, otherwise, she wouldn't have run off the slope behind the house." Decker felt the blood rush to his cheeks. "My God, they're coming after Beth." There's never been a single experience in his life—whether in Special Forces or counterterrorist intelligence—that compares to what he's going through now.He had never been hit so hard emotionally.Moreover, before he came to Santa Fe, he had never given up his self-protection and made himself emotionally vulnerable as he is now.

"You talked about radio frequency remote detonation of bombs," Esperanza said. "Where did you learn so much about detonating buildings?" Decker didn't care, he was busy analyzing the intricacies of the situation.For more than a year, he has practiced self-restraint.He firmly believed that he could get the greatest satisfaction when he was honest with the real life and completely abandoned the prudent and shrewd habits of the past life.But it surprised him now that he had resumed those habits without hesitation.He picked up the phone book, found the column he was looking for, and pressed the number impatiently.

"Mr. Decker, what are you doing?" "Call St. Vincent's Hospital." Esperanza looked puzzled. When an operator answered the call, Decker said, "Please transfer to the nursing station for room 3116." After another person answered the phone, Decker said, "You've had a shot patient named Beth Dwyer who just got out of the hospital. I want to talk to any of the nurses who took care of her. Let's talk." "Please wait." Another person picked up the phone. "Yes, I helped nurse Beth Dwyer," said a melodious female voice. "Of course I came in at seven, and before that she was attended by other nurses."

"I was one of the officers investigating the incident surrounding her shooting." "Hey," Esperanza asked, "what do you think you're doing?" Decker raised a hand, beckoning Esperanza to give him a chance. "Has anyone visited her?" "Only one of her boyfriends." Maybe it was me, Decker thought.But he didn't stop there. "What does that person look like?" "Tall, solidly built, about 40 years old." "Sand brown hair?" "I think so. He's stout and handsome. No one else has been here but him."

"What about the phone?" "Oh, she called a lot." "what?" "She's also gotten a few calls. Sometimes the phone keeps ringing. If I'm in her room, she doesn't speak to anyone who calls until I leave." Decker felt his chest suffocating. "Thank you," he said to the nurse forcefully, "you helped a lot." He put down the phone and fell into deep thought. "Why are you calling like that?" Esperanza asked. "Do you know what the penalty is for impersonating a police officer?" "Beth has had a lot of phone calls and received a lot of calls. But as far as I know, I'm the only close friend she has in this city. So, who is she calling? Who is calling her?" Where's the phone?"

"If she's calling long distance and it's not a collect call, there will be a record of the number she's calling," Esperanza said. "Could look it up, but I suspect it's a local call - she's talking to the man waiting on Fort Connor Lane. When I brought her some clothes to change into and leave the hospital, she said to me, She felt dirty and embarrassed to change in front of me. She asked me to wait for her outside in the hallway. At the time I thought she was hurt and needed help and this was not the time to be shy but I gave in Yes. Thinking about it now, she used this opportunity to call that person for the last time, telling him that she was going to be discharged from the hospital, and agreed on a time when he would wait for her. But who is that person? " Decker is both relieved that Beth is still alive and confused by what she's doing.Along with other disturbing emotions, a new one suddenly appeared in him: jealousy.He thought, My God, how is this possible?Beth actually has a secret lover?Has she been dating someone else during the time she's been with me?Suspicions swirled in his chest.How did she know that man?Did that man follow her from the east?Was it someone she knew from the past? "The guy waiting in the car—did the woman who saw him get a good look at him?" Decker asked. "Sanchez will know." Decker hurried to the front door, where Sanchez was guarding the house.At this moment, the front door opened suddenly. Sanchez showed up at the door, startling Decker. "There are two people who claim to be your friends and they want to see you." "Maybe a neighbor, maybe a co-worker of mine, tell them I'll see them later. Listen, I have something to ask you." "These two people insisted on seeing you," Sanchez said. "They emphasized that they were old friends of yours, friends from long ago. They said their names were Hal and Ben."