Free Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner Page B

delusional?”
    â€œApparently, her brain has been compromised by multiple TBIs. She fell down the stairs doing laundry, then another fall outside, then, of course, the car accident. Long story short, her memory is shot, and she has ongoing problems with headaches, light sensitivity, and extreme mood swings.”
    â€œWith all due respect, forgetting things isn’t the same as making things up.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Wyatt asked.
    â€œDid you confirm with the doctors that this woman is indeed delusional?”
    â€œPhysicians don’t talk. HIPAA and all that. What we know we got from the husband.”
    â€œPlease. Wouldn’t be the first time the husband was the last to know.”
    â€œBut they obviously don’t have a child—”
    â€œAnd yet she’s looking. I mean, even if she’s delusional, why that delusion? Of all the short circuits running through her head, why this one? I’d check the odometer, too. Because maybe that’s what she was doing for the six hours. Driving around searching for her lost girl.”
    â€œWho doesn’t exist,” Wyatt repeated.
    â€œAnd yet is clearly important to her. First time she’s done this?”
    Wyatt hesitated. “Didn’t think to ask that question.”
    â€œFriends, support system?”
    â€œNew to the area.”
    â€œJob?”
    â€œSelf-employed. Husband and wife work together making props for Hollywood.”
    â€œMeaning her only family, only contact, is her husband.” Tessa’s voice picked up. “The one telling you they don’t have kids. The one reporting his wife has had three ‘accidents’ in six months.”
    Wyatt got her point. Same thought had crossed his mind, too. And in a cop’s world, where there was paranoia, there was often probable cause.
    â€œYou suspect domestic violence. Which, I have to say, is what worries me, too.” Wyatt thought again of the bruise that had discolored Thomas Frank’s jaw. From an impaired wife, lashing out in agitation? Or from a terrified woman acting in self-defense?
    â€œFits the profile,” Tessa was saying, “not to mention a man who beats his wife . . .”
    â€œMight also beat his kids. Leading to what, the death of a girl who doesn’t exist? Let’s not get completely lost in the land of wildconjecture. I already spent the morning, not to mention significant county and state resources, on a wild-goose chase. At this point, my boss, the sheriff, would appreciate a lot more facts and a lot less fiction.”
    â€œHave you even talked to the woman—”
    â€œAll in good time.”
    â€œYou haven’t interviewed the driver?” Tessa sounded dumbfounded.
    â€œShe’d just been sedated! Woman’s having medical issues, thought we covered that.”
    â€œSo you haven’t even questioned her directly—”
    â€œFirst thing tomorrow. Doc says she needs more time to recover. Which gives us the rest of today to get our ducks in a row: Single-car accident. Lone driver. Possible aggravated DWI.”
    He could feel Tessa rolling her eyes at him again. Crazy part was, her daughter rolled them exactly the same way.
    â€œFine. I’ll play by your county-cop rules,” she granted him. “So looking at just the accident . . . If your driver’s blood alcohol level was only .06, why’d she crash?”
    â€œInclement weather. Impairment from her brain injury combined with said blood alcohol level. Either way, she went off the edge of a steep road; car flew down an embankment.”
    â€œWent off or drove off?”
    â€œWaiting for the state police to help us with that one; we need the info from the vehicle’s electronic data recorder.”
    â€œSuicide?”
    â€œShe had her seat belt on, which is one vote in the no column. Then again, open bottle of scotch could be taken as a vote in the yes