We found Jenny Penske’s car parked at the entrance to the driveway. Adele opened the car door and pushing the seatback forward for me to hoist the woman into the backseat. After checking and finding Jenny’s faint pulse, I pushed my hand against her wound in her back. The warm squishiness of blood on my hand gave me a gut check about the reality of my near death. Jenny had no reason to save me, but still she took a bullet.

Adele slid inside and started the engine. A moment later, the red Packard roared through the gates. We reached Peach Street, which ran by the park, and Adele took the corner like a professional driver. I hung on to Jenny while hoping a police car wasn’t anywhere around.

The thought came to me about all the trouble coming for us. I guessed Lees would contact the police about his injury. He’d say we attacked him, then one of us shot O’Conner. Since I still had O’Conner’s gun on me, that story made more sense than the truth. The more I thought about the jam we were in, the more I didn’t like our chances.

“We’ll be fine!” Adele’s voice brought me out of my thoughts.

I glanced up, seeing her pale face lit up by the dashboard light in the rearview mirror. She must be thinking about the same things. I leaned forward with a forced smile.

“You’re right. She’s still alive and I’m glad someone’s an optimist. We’ll get your friend into the emergency room. Then, like you said, we’ll head to my office. Nobody will go there looking for us first.”

Her tense expression changed when she glanced into the mirror.

“What are you talking about?”

“You whispered to me to get to the office when we got near the gate. It’s a great idea. By the way, what happened to your face? It looks like you ran into something in the dark.”

Adele’s scowl was immediate.

“No! That was from Jenny. She tried to force me to leave without you. When I wouldn’t go, she punched me.”

“What the hell?” Rage immediately filled me, and I looked down at the unconscious woman. “She must have known this was going to happen.”

Adele barely hit the brakes as she ran through a stop sign.

“O’Conner warned her to get me away from the meeting tonight. She came by the apartment earlier, but she claimed you were sleeping with other women. She never told me the truth.”

“Then why did she come out and push me away? She could have let the bastard kill me and been happy.”

I didn’t see the glare coming from Adele, but I felt it.

“Jenny’s not that way!” she declared. “She followed us. Jenny was in a panic, begging me to leave. She kept insisting that she would save me. That was before she hit me.” Adele rubbed her cheek. “I fell against the wall and hit my head. When I got back to my feet, I heard the gunshots.”

Adele paused. I could tell she wanted to say more, then shifted the conversation.

“Whatever happens, we have to help her.”

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“I know,” I replied. “Hell, the way people keep gunning for me, they’ll need to stand in line pretty soon.”

There was no reaction from her when I tried to make light of it. The distant silence between us remained. With a sigh, I checked the injured woman’s pulse again. I could barely feel it. While the backseat was pretty dark, I noticed the amount of blood that covered my clothing and Jenny’s. The scene told me she wouldn’t survive long without a doctor. But I decided to remain quiet about my observation. Adele was going through enough.

A few moments later, Adele spun the wheel, and I felt the weight of two people sliding against the side of the Packard. Screeching tires and the roar of the engine made me momentarily think of a racetrack when I saw us hurling toward the hospital entrance. Adele came to a stop right at the curb, immediately sliding out the door before the engine stopped. We got Jenny out of the back of the vehicle, and I carried the woman up the steps and inside the hospital as Adele led the way.

We pushed past the first nurse who came from behind the front desk, hurriedly explaining the situation while heading to the emergency ward. Another nurse pointed me to an open bed when I pushed through the double swinging doors. Immediately after I placed the woman on the bed, the nurse rolled Jenny over on her side, cutting away the blouse to see the wound. Then she ordered me out of the room. As I left, I got the impression that the nurse worried about me peeking.

From the doors, I nodded for Adele to follow me. As she joined me, I noticed a large man in a white coat eyed me suspiciously. I looked at my suit. Covered in Jenny’s blood, I knew I was a walking billboard for the police. But the big man’s presence forced me to change my initial plan to leave quietly while saying nothing. With Adele’s gaze on me, I leaned close to her.

“I’ll be right back.”

Heading over to the man who stood next to the admission’s nurse, I acted like pompous politician.

“We need to get the police over here now. They’ll want to know that Shane O’Conner shot that woman I just brought in. They’ll also want to know that it happened at the Elder mansion in the back garden.”

If it was any other time, I’d have a lot of fun with my acting, a bigshot with a bogus air of authority.

“Now, I need you to find me security for that woman inside that room.”

The act worked as the attendant stiffened and his face paled. The admission’s nurse immediately hurried back to the front of the building. However, she stopped when I called her.

“Be careful what you tell the police,” I warned her. “Robert James Lees is involved in this business. We’re sure that he’s involved with attempted murder. I’ll call the D.A. personally, since we have Jenny Penske as a witness to everything that occurred tonight.”

Turning back to the attendant, I pressed forward with my act.

“My friend, Tom Winton, will want round-the-clock guards for that injured woman. I want you to stand by that door while I make a phone call.” I took the attendant by the arm and guided him as I talked.

“I’ll let him know I put someone we can trust in charge of protecting Jenny until the police arrive.”

The man, who appeared stunned at his sudden enlistment to help, wavered. He stammered about his duties while looking around for help.

“It’s alright, just keep an eye out for anyone suspicious,” I assured him. “Just let the police know that the D.A. is coming to sort this out. They’ll treat you like royalty.”

The man’s expression stiffened when he realized how quickly I pushed. He shook his head, saying the hospital would fire him. Adele came around the other side of the man and asked the attendant to reconsider.

“Please, she’s my friend.” Adele’s plea sealed the deal.

The large man looked down at her, scratched his head.

“You need to see a doc about your injury,” replied with an awkward half-smile. “You can depend on me.”

I swear the man puffed out his chest slightly for her. We watched him walk over to the double doors, then I quickly guided Adele along the hallway.

“Let’s call Tom now,” I stated loudly as we walked back to the entrance.

After we turned by the admission desk, the nurse told us that the police were on their way to the hospital. Still playing the authority figure, I thanked her, saying we’d meet them out front. I saw in Adele’s expression at her hesitation. Hell, if I was honest, I didn’t really have a plan. Certainly, I wasn’t expecting to get bushwhacked at a dinner party with Lees. But his involvement meant we needed to find allies in a hurry.

“We’ll call the D.A. and get him involved,” I told her with a confidence that I didn’t feel.