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Sloan listened while Jane replied that no one had knohere Jennie was, so she’d gone down to the base and finally found her, only to be knocked on the head herself

"Knocked on the head?" Henri burst out "But"

"Those stupid mannequins!" Valerie said

"A mannequin did not knock her on the head," Alice protested, "but those old bastards can hurt you One of them fell on me when I first ca they were so cool"

"They’re evil, Henri! We should get them out of here," Valerie said

The paramedics started an IV on Jennie One of theency workers joined theroup turned to Jane "You coerous"

"I’m fine, really I--"

"You need a scan You could have a concussion," Sloan said harshly He took her by the ar to the hospital"

"Sloan!"

"The hospital!"

"Butwe don’t knohat happened!" Henri said

"All I know is that I found Jennie on the floor I gotI knewI aking up on the floor myself," Jane told hi to the hospital without hi around in the baseation hi his deputy

"Yes, sir?"

"Stand at that door No one goes in or out until I’m back"

"Yes, sir!"

"If anyone comes out of that baseet down there and see what kind of daht have knocked over mannequins and been knocked out by them Sloan, this doesn’t mean there’s some kind of a diabolical plot--"

"Henri, you started all this because you wanted to knoho put the skull on the wig stand By God, I’ to finish it"

The para at the door i for him and Jane The hospital wasn’t quite two miles away; he could easily be back soon

He narrowed his eyes "We don’t knohat’s going on in this town The one thing we do know is that it involves h dead in an abandoned oes down in that baseasped and the others stared at hi at hi her to the door

"Sloan--"

"X-ray or CAT scan--or whatever they do!" His words were a growl; he was acting like ato be done his way

They went out to the street as the paramedics and county cops cleared a path to the ambulance

The sirens blared and they drove to the hospital

Jane wished she’d cootten to the basement

She was poked and prodded, scanned, put into a hospital gown and given an IV and then a serious warning fro doctor who said she did have a minor concussion, and that she needed to be watchful because of it "You should be able to resu strenuous You were unconscious for a while This could have been severe" He paused "You were fortunate"

"Can I leave now?" Jane asked hie you" He looked over at Sloan, who’d been at her side throughout, except when medical procedure had dictated he wait outside He’d taken that time, he’d told her, to talk to Detective Liam Newsome with county, and that conversation hadn’t improved his mood any

"Yes, just take care"

"She will" Sloan leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest

Ten minutes later, they were both seated in the back of a county patrol car, being driven to Lily

The ride was silent Uncomfortably silent But apparently, Sloan didn’t want to talk in front of anyone else, so she didn’t try

When they returned to the theater, it was open for business, with the restaurant and bar in full swing Liz caht?" she asked anxiously

"I’m fine," Jane assured her

"And Jennie?"

"Jennie’s still unconscious, but she’s being given the best possible care," Sloan said "Where’s Henri?"

"Backstage, setting up for this evening’s show He’s getting the cast to help hi Jennie usually did," Liz said "Your deputy’s been standing guard at the basement door since you left"

"Thanks, Liz" Sloan waited until she’d hurried off, then turned to Jane "You should lie down for a while"