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"It was verified," Detective O’Connor said "The bullet was a 762round" He turned toward Raive it y and a flatter trajectory That’s particularly in of the shooter?"

"We went to the A, to the roof, which is the top of the fourth floor We found a couple of cigarette butts, a to-go coffee container, and, wonder of wonders, there was this small wet spot"

Molly blinked at the detective "Wet spot? Why is that a wonder?"

"He spit, Mrs Santera The shooter spit That means DNA, if we’re lucky That uy, we’ll have indisputable proof that he’s guilty The forensics folks think he’s a sing him down

"Since Mason Lord is a very powerful man, despite his more questionable associations and business practices, this case is very high profile The press is starting to understand there isn’t ain at dawn, you can count on it I’lad you h that you’re back, Judge Hunt"

"What do the doctors say about Mason’s condition?"

Detective O’Connor checked his watch "It’s nearlyabout now He said you could call and he’d give you the latest word"

Detective O’Connor pulled out his cell phone and dialed After fivesent from one person to the next, he handed the phone to Molly

Ra said to her Her expression didn’t change That was odd He watched her press the Cbutton, then hand the phone back to Detective O’Connor

"He’s alive The surgeon, Dr Bigliotti, says he’s got a fifty-fifty chance-if, that is, he ht He already woke up" She looked at Detective O’Connor "He whispered to the officer sitting next to his bed that Louey Santera shot hi," Detective O’Connor said "He s"

"Yes, that’s what Dr Bigliotti said My father hasn’t said anything liotti also said the eneral One of the night nurses nabbed a reporter as carrying around ato find Mason Lord’s rooht help?"

Molly and Ramsey just looked at hiulator was obscenely loud in the o Memorial on Jefferson, the closest trauma center available when her father had been shot down in the street Molly looked down at her father’s white face, the tubes in hise from the side of the hospital bed One officer sat not six inches away fro a police procedural ht hand He nodded to theain, this tin of excessive respect, Molly thought, to Rah-tech equipment There were six other patients, with just curtains around their beds, and they weren’t quiet Moans of painsound, low voices of relatives speaking to patients, curses fro footsteps

Her father was as still as death If it weren’t for the htly touched her palm to his cheek His skin felt slack and clammy

She realized in that moment that she wanted him to live No matter as true, he was her father She wanted him to live The nurse motioned them to leave after five minutes

In the corridor, Molly said to Detective O’Connor, "Has anyone called my mother? She lives in Italy"

He looked at her blankly, scratched his ear, and shook his head "Can’t say anyone has, Mrs Santera"

"I’ll do it then e get back ho Molly had wanted to come, to see his face, just to see for herself that he was alive Life was there, huddling deep inside her father, barely

There was no traffic on the drive back to Oak Park Ramsey kept a hard focus on the road in front of hiue

Even if they’d ht now, he doubted he could even stay awake long enough to kiss Molly’s ear, even if she offered her ear to him to kiss She was in pretty bad shape herself