Home Invasion - J. A. Johnstone [18]
Alex’s mind worked quickly. “Navarre is still in the hospital here in Home.”
“He won’t be for long. Cochrum is on his way to get him in a private ambulance.”
“We’ll see about that,” Alex muttered.
“Wait—” Rutherford began, but Alex closed the cell phone and cut him off. The police car was still running. She put it in gear and headed for the hospital. Visions of barricading the hospital doors and not letting Clayton Cochrum in went through her head.
That fantasy didn’t last long. She had sworn to uphold the law, not break it. If she was the vigilante type, she never would have become a cop in the first place.
But she could be there to tell Cochrum what she thought of him. There was no law against that.
Alex had no doubt that Emilio Navarre would flee the country and escape justice for his part in Inez McNamara’s death. The only remotely good thing about Navarre being granted bail was that it meant the lawsuit Cochrum had filed wouldn’t proceed. The judge was sure to throw it out when Navarre didn’t show up for the trial.
All the media crews had flocked back to the hospital, Alex saw when she got there. They must have gotten word from the county seat that Navarre had made bail, and they wanted to be here to capture the event when he left the hospital. Alex parked on the side street and went in through the back of the hospital again. As she did so, she wondered if she could persuade Dr. Boone to refuse to release Navarre on medical grounds.
That wouldn’t work, she decided. A doctor couldn’t actually force a patient to stay in the hospital. Navarre would have to sign a release saying that the hospital and its personnel couldn’t be sued because of his leaving, but that wouldn’t be a problem. The lawyer could probably even sign it for him.
There was just no way to keep him here if he didn’t want to stay, Alex thought with a sigh. Like it or not, Navarre was getting out.
Dr. Boone was standing at the nurses’ station with several of the nurses. A middle-aged man with the face of a weary basset hound, he said, “There’s quite a commotion going on outside, Chief Bonner. Is there anything I should know about?”
“You’re going to be losing a patient, Doctor.”
“Mr. Navarre?”
“That’s right. A judge granted him bail.”
Boone nodded. “I’d heard rumors to that effect on the news. There’s nothing you can do to stop it?”
“Not a thing. It’s legal.”
“This man Navarre isn’t a U.S. citizen.”
Alex shook her head. “Forgive me for being blunt, Doctor, but that doesn’t mean a damn thing anymore. With all the changes in the law over the past fifteen years, illegals have just as many rights in this country as anybody else. Maybe more.”
“Yes, I know. I never refused to treat anyone who needed help, no matter where they were from, but so much of this other … It’s not right, Chief, it’s just not right.”
“Tell me about it,” Alex said over her shoulder as she started down the hall toward Room 108. “Just lie low, Doctor. The circus will be over soon.” Under her breath, she added, “I hope.”
Jerry Houston was young, stocky, and fair, with only a few years of experience as a police officer under his belt. He turned a worried gaze on Alex as she came into the room. Nodding toward the smirking man in the bed, Jerry said, “This guy claims he’s gettin’ out of here. That’s not right, is it, Chief?”
“I’m afraid so, Jerry,” Alex said. “Mr. Navarre, I take it you’ve heard that you were granted bail?”
“My lawyer called,” Navarre said with a sneer. “I tol’ you you couldn’t keep me here.”
“Pete McNamara was my Little League coach,” Jerry said. “Mrs. McNamara always brought snacks for us. You … you can’t just let this man go!”
“There’s nothing we can do about it.”
Jerry put his hand on the butt of his gun and muttered, “There’s something I can do about it.”
Navarre’s eyes widened a little in fear. He could see his own death on Jerry’s face,