Golden Lies - Barbara Freethy [58]
"I know my mother is obsessed with a dragon that looks like the one your father supposedly showed her. I don't know anything more than that."
"Maybe if we put our heads together, we can figure out why that dragon is so important to our parents. It seems strange that your mother could have painted it without seeing it before."
"My mother paints from her imagination. She's a very good artist and an extraordinary person. She didn't deserve ... him," Alyssa added, casting another angry glance at her father.
"Neither one of us knows much about their relationship, but what I do know is that your mother was quite possibly the last person to see him alive. And that makes her very important."
"What are you saying? That you think she assaulted him?"
"No. But she's going to be a part of the investigation. My family is very important to the city. The mayor, the police chief— they want the assailant caught. The press is covering the story every day. As soon as they find out about your mother, they'll be all over her. She'll be under the microscope. She'll be asked tougher questions than the ones I'm asking. The press will delve into her background, where she came from, how she met my father. They might even find out about you."
"Is that some sort of threat?"
"I'm just pointing out the reality of the situation. I need your help. My father got hurt in Chinatown. I bet people there would be willing to talk to you before they would talk to me. You may hate him, but I'm sure you love your mother. We both want to protect our family."
Alyssa considered her words. "I'll think about it."
Paige took out her business card and scribbled her home and cell phone numbers. "Please call me. Don't wait too long."
Alyssa took the card. She paused on her way out the door. "Are you going to tell the press about me?"
"Are you?" Paige countered.
"Why would I?" Alyssa asked with surprise.
"Money. Someone would pay you well for the story."
Alyssa nodded, her mouth set in a bitter line. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Dammit," Paige swore under her breath as Alyssa left the room. She hadn't handled that particularly well. The door opened, and she wondered if Alyssa had come back with more to say, but it was the nurse and Riley.
"I found this man listening at the door," the nurse said with a frown. "Do you want me to report that to your grandfather?"
"No, he's a friend of mine." Paige moved into the hall to speak to Riley while the nurse moved to the bed to check on her father. "What did you hear?"
"Some of your conversation with Alyssa," he admitted. "I don't think I would have given her the idea of selling her story to the tabloids."
"She would have thought of it eventually. She's very angry. She didn't know about my father until today."
"Then she has a right to be angry. Let's go."
"Go where?" she asked in surprise.
"To follow Alyssa, of course," he said, taking off down the hall.
Paige jogged after him, barely keeping up with his long strides. As they exited through the front doors of the hospital, they saw Alyssa heading toward the bus stop.
"I'll get the car," Riley told her. "You keep an eye on her. If she gets on a bus, make a note of the number."
"Okay. But why are we following her?"
Riley just gave her a quick smile. "So we can find out where she goes."
Paige didn't particularly care for his sarcastic answer, and she couldn't see what following Alyssa would accomplish, but at least they were taking action. Anything was better than sitting in that hotel room wondering if her father would ever wake up.
* * *
Alyssa got off the bus and walked up the steps toward the top level of Portsmouth Square, a popular gathering spot in Chinatown. Her discomfort grew with each step, especially when she passed the children's playground where old Chinese grandmothers watched the babies for their young mothers who worked during the day. Chinatown never really changed. While new immigrants moved in and out of the neighborhood, there were many who lived their whole lives here, like her grandparents, who had gotten married just after