Free Skin Privilege by Karin Slaughter Page B

Wallace, his most senior detective, had announced a few weeks ago that he was finally going to take retirement at the end of the year, Jeffrey had taken the news in his stride, thinking Lena was ready to tackle some added responsibilities. Had he been wrong about her? In the nearly fifteen years that he’d known her, had Lena been living some kind of lie?
    There had to be a reason for all this. Every crime had an explanation, a motivation. Jeffrey just had to find it. The sheriff was right about one thing. Lena was not a cold-blooded killer.
    ‘Here we go.’ Valentine indicated a closed door, and Jeffrey could plainly see Lena ‘s name on the sign. She was at the back end of the hall in a corner room. If Jeffrey and Sara hadn’t followed that stupid blue stripe off the elevator, they would’ve found Lena without having to go through Cook.
    Jeffrey suggested, ‘Maybe Sara and I should go in alone.’ If Lena was going to talk, it certainly wouldn’t be in front of the man who had arrested her.
    ‘Well…’ Valentine began, scratching his chin. He took his time mulling it over. Down the hall, they heard the elevator doors ding. Probably Cook going out for more crackers.
    ‘Let’s just go inside,’ Jeffrey insisted, tired of waiting for the sheriff.
    Like the hallway, the room was deep in shadow. Lena lay in bed just as Valentine had described: on her back, motionless. Velcro bands attached her wrists to the bed rails. Her hands hung limply, fingers brushing the mattress. Her eyes were closed, but Jeffrey did not know if she was sleeping or biding her time. She was just as battered-looking as the young sheriff had said. Blood crusted her bottom lip. The skin was scraped off down the side of her cheek. The dark bruises on her face must have stopped them from trying to wipe off the blood and soot; she looked filthy, beaten down.
    Jeffrey felt speechless. He was glad when Sara stepped forward, asking, ‘ Lena?’
    Lena ‘s head snapped around in surprise, eyes widening as she saw Jeffrey and Sara in the room. She bolted up in bed, jerking against the restraints
    as if she felt cornered, threatened. The bedsheets tangled around her feet as she pushed against the mattress, backing as far away from them as she could.
    ‘No,’ Lena whispered. ‘You can’t be here. No.’
    ‘Well, now.’ The sheriff’s sloppy grin indicated that he was pleased with himself. ‘I knew you could talk.’
    ‘No,’ Lena repeated, ignoring everyone in the room but Sara. Her voice was venomous. ‘Get out. Get out now.’
    Jeffrey tried, ‘ Lena -‘
    All her hatred seemed to focus on Sara. ‘Are you stupid? I said get the fuck out of here! Go!’
    Sara’s mouth opened in surprise. Jeffrey felt a white-hot fury spark inside him, and he spoke through clenched teeth when he ordered, ‘ Lena, back off.’
    ‘Get out!’ she screamed, jerking against the restraints. ‘Get her out of here!’ she begged the sheriff. ‘I’ll tell you whatever you want. Just get her outV
    Valentine seemed at a loss. He indicated the door with a nod of his head. ‘Maybe she should-‘
    ‘No,’ Sara insisted. She spoke so quietly that Jeffrey wasn’t sure she’d actually said the word until she turned to the two men, asking, ‘Could you give us a moment alone?’ She asked Jeffrey, ‘Please?’
    Sara did not wait for an answer. She slipped Lena ‘s chart out of the holder at the foot of the bed and studied it as she waited for them to leave. Jeffrey could tell she was forcing herself to do this, that if she could snap her fingers, she would’ve been anywhere but here. He just wasn’t sure why she wanted to stay.
    For the first time since he’d entered the room, Lena spoke directly to Jeffrey. ‘Get your fucking wife out of my face. I don’t want her here.’
    He locked eyes with her, willing the young woman to understand that there would be lasting consequences for her words. Jeffrey could put up with a lot of bullshit, but he would be