Free Raney & Levine by J. A. Schneider Page A

hesitated. “It’s favorable,” he said carefully.
     “There’s still been brain damage. Something like this, you just have to wait
     and see.”
    They’d both just lost a child, and they were still here,
     deeply concerned about their surrogate. Jill knew David was thinking the same.
    “You were close with Jenna?” she asked, putting her hand on
     the bed rail. David was studying the nurses’ chart hanging at the bottom of the
     bed: pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature. He inhaled, let
     it drop.
    Susan Sutter wiped an eye again and nodded. “She was a
     friend,” she said. “The sweetest person you can imagine. Big-hearted, giving…”
     Her voice cracked.
    Her husband gulped, “Whoever did this…I don’t understand
     such evil.” He shook his head incredulously. “A few times Jenna had morning
     sickness bad, and
worried more about Susan
. My wife’s an unstable type 1
     diabetic. Adoption became impossible because if one parent is deemed ill…”
    He made a futile gesture, handed his wife another tissue,
     and swallowed. “Jenna cared so much about others. She used to fret about Susan
     losing consciousness during her sugar lows. ‘Eat a cracker, have a donut!’
     she’d say. They’d go for walks together and Jenna always brought raisins, fruit
     drinks in those little box lunch packs because she was afraid Susan would
     faint.”
    David’s cell phone rang. He excused himself and stepped out
     to the hall.
    Jill’s breath caught. David might have said Don’t bother
     them, but she surprised herself by leaping at his absence; looking feelingly
     from Paul to Susan Sutter.
    “Any idea who could have done this?” she asked gently. “Did
     Jenna have enemies?” Her heart pounded. She and David hadn’t heard what the
     Sutters told the cops.
    “Her brother Brian,” Susan said bitterly; and Paul Sutter
     said. “We found out belatedly that he’s obsessed with the Church, harangued her
     that surrogacy was a sin and she was going to burn in hell. He wasn’t gentle
     about it, he really
hurt
her. She finally told him to get lost, and told
     us not to worry.”
    He really hurt her
. Jill gritted her teeth, managed
     to restrain her anger. If someone profoundly believes something, there are
     kinder ways to persuade. Jenna was brave, giving, and had suffered.
    On the bed rail, Jill’s knuckles went white. “Did he ever
     threaten her? Or, like, stalk her?”
    The Sutters’ eyes met. “Not that we know of,” Susan said
     slowly, looking back at Jill. “He called her one last time during the summer.
     Spent the whole call screaming at her. She hung up on him.”
    “Did she have friends? Any kind of support group?”
    Paul looked uncertain. “One good friend named, uh, Mary?”
    “Mari,” Susan said. “Mari…something on Bleecker Street.
     Jenna also belonged to an online group called SurroMomsForum. She found a lot
     of comfort there. Talked to other people dealing with the same…issue.”
    It occurred to Jill that it was doing the Sutters good just
     to talk. Susan’s face had actually brightened a little when she described Jenna
     finding comfort.
    “Jill.”
    David was back, excusing himself again. “We’ve been called,”
     he said. Delicately, Jill noticed. Nothing about delivering babies.
    Paul Sutter stood and gave Jill and David each the Sutters’
     card. Jill glanced at it. They owned an interior design company.
    “We’re limited to visiting hours here,” Paul said. “But if
     we miss you, please call us if…anything. We want to help. This shouldn’t happen
     to good people.”
    They thanked him and made for the door, David saying they’d
     be checking regularly on Jenna.
    “Hope to see you again,” Jill said with a little wave.
    The Sutters smiled bravely back.

13
    J ust outside, Jill let her anger out. Whispering
     fiercely, she filled David in on Jenna’s hostile brother, the whole story.
    “Brian Walsh,” she said. “The cops