Truth or Lies? by A. Gomez (book club recommendations txt) 📗

this wheelchair. Just because your body has been through a lot today and we need to make sure you don’t push yourself to do too much too soon.” He was still smiling.

His lighter tone was contagious and it brightened the mood. “Okay,” I smiled back, “but only because I like riding in wheelchairs.”

We got to the first floor of the hospital and he wheeled me close to the ER so we could leave the wheelchair there for another patient. I put the brakes on and got up, looking in the direction of the ICU. I paused for just a second and could feel Davis’ eyes on me.

“We can go see him if you want,” he said, his voice low but cheerful.

“What makes you think it is Josh I want to see?” I acted surprised.

“Because you’ve already gone to see Jill and you know she’s doing fine but you really don’t know about Josh. You just have to take my word for it and that may bother you just a little.” My stomach twisted at his words.

“Davis, I think you’re pretty good at reading people, too,” I told him with a smirk. “I really have to get home. My mother and brother are in town and I want to beat them home so I can clean up before they get back from shopping.”

He agreed and we headed for the parking garage. I was still moving somewhat slowly but a lot of it was because I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. We got to my car and I handed Davis my car keys. We got in and Davis didn’t move. He just sat there staring at the dash and the stick shift.

“Davis? Is something wrong?” I turned to look at him.

“I’m not sure if I remember how to drive a standard.” He gave me an uneasy look.

“Well, you better remember quick, fast and in a hurry because I don’t think I should be driving and I’m not about to call my mother to come get us,” I snapped, my twang coming out again.

“Right. It’s just like riding a bike,” he told himself. “I got this.” He put it in reverse and did fairly well. He was able to get the car out of its parking spot. He then put it in first gear and stalled my poor car.

“Remember to not let go of the clutch until you have enough speed,” I told him.

“Yes, I knew that. Don’t worry, I can do this. Are you hot? Is it hot in here?” He was getting flustered.

“I’m fine. In fact, I’m a little cold.”

“I’ll just crack my window…just a smidge,” he said, nervously. He put the car in first again but this time he was able to make the car go. He did, however, start grinding my gears and jerking the car…a lot.

“I may have whiplash by the time we get to my house, Davis,” I said mockingly.

“Very funny,” he said, somewhat amused.

“So, tell me what was running through your head back at the hospital? You said you were trying to solve the puzzle?” I was hoping he could tell me any information he had.

“It’s just two questions, really, that are gnawing at me. How did those Triad members know Conny and Pam were in her office and why did they go after them? It makes no sense. They don’t know who Pam is and I get that anybody may know who Conny is, so they may want to eliminate him, but why Pam? She has nothing to do with this case other than she’s your boss. It’s not like she was going to testify.”

“Did Conny have an idea as to why this happened?” I wondered.

“The only thing he could conclude was they might have mistaken Pam for you.”

I shuddered at the thought, remembering the gun at my head and me shooting another human being.

“I’m sorry.” Davis noticed my reaction. “I should stop.”

“No, please don’t stop. I actually had the same questions. What else did Conny say? What made him come to that conclusion?”

“Well, he knows they were speaking in Mandarin but he kept hearing them say Langley. Hence, his conclusion.”

“Makes sense. However, the defendant, whom I’m sure is the head of this organization, has seen me at the courthouse, as well as those other Chinese men that were with him. How could they have gotten it wrong?” I asked.

“Because Pam and Conny were busy at the time,” he said, insinuating their romantic tryst, “and we’re thinking they just assumed it was you and Josh. They didn’t bother to make sure.”

“You’re forgetting one very important question…how did they know I was at the hospital? When I left the house, I didn’t go straight to the hospital. I drove around for a while and I made a stop. If they were watching me or even following me, they would’ve known that and taken care of me when I stopped. And if they felt they couldn’t have done it at that time they had a second chance once I got to my office. I was alone for quite a while before Josh found me. So, the question still remains…how did they know I was at the hospital?” And as soon as I finished my sentence, we both looked at each other—both of us having the same epiphany at the same time. “Oh my gosh, Davis! Are you thinking what I’m thinking? That there’s someone close to me giving them information?”

“Yep, my thoughts exactly. And the good news is Josh is not one of them because I had to tell him where I saw you. I knew you were in the hospital visiting Jill. I saw you when I went to pick up Stevens. Josh was frantic when he couldn’t find you.” He shot me a look as he spoke.

“Then that means it could be someone at the hospital.