The second he caught sight of them, his attention was locked on who they were, not where they were. Once the door clicked shut behind him, he was talking fast.
“Deputy Collins, I was going to try to find you later this morning.” He didn’t leave JJ out. His gaze shifted to her. “And you? You’re JJ, right? They said you’d been admitted but I didn’t want to bother you or your daughter until everyone was awake.”
Price mentally stumbled over the mention of daughter, then realized that Jamie must have been talking about Winnie.
JJ didn’t skip a beat though.
She put a hand on Price’s elbow and took a step forward.
Her voice changed as she spoke. It was, for lack of a better description, more syrupy.
“We’re the ones who didn’t want to disturb you.” She nodded to the door he’d just come through. “How’s Georgie doing?”
Jamie looked like he hadn’t slept at all in the last twenty-four hours. His face was haggard.
“He’ll make a full recovery. He should be able to go home in the next few days.” He paused. A look Price had seen a few times before passed over his expression. Anguish. He met Price’s gaze again. “He’s my home. Losing the house is hard but losing him would have been…” He shook his head. “Thank you. Both of you for what you did.”
Price waved off the gratitude, but JJ answered before he could.
“We’re happy to have helped,” she said. “And we’re glad that Georgie is going to be okay. The whole situation was scary enough without adding a long hospital stay. Speaking of, would you like to grab a quick coffee in the cafeteria with us? They should be open now.”
Price was surprised by that but, just as quickly, he was on board.
He knew that Detective Williams had already talked to Jamie, and probably would again now that he was in town, but Price hadn’t had the pleasure yet.
And he was mighty curious about a few things.
“It’ll be my treat,” Price added on. “I’m sure you could use a pick-me-up.”
Jamie looked between them and then nodded.
“I wouldn’t mind a cup, if I’m being honest.”
The hospital cafeteriawas small but there was enough seating that the three of them settled near the entrance to the only public patio. It gave them a big window and a nice view of the sun still rising.
It also helped show that Jamie Bell was, in fact, in deep need of a caffeine boost.
Price felt bad for his plan to pry into the man’s already-chaotic affairs.
Jamie, however, dove in first.
“I still can’t get over all of this,” he said, hands wrapped around his Styrofoam cup as soon as they were seated. “I had just talked to Georgie half an hour before I got the call from the department. Everything had been fine and then suddenly he was unconscious in the hospital and my house had burned down.” He shook his head again. “And this guy? The one who broke in? I don’t understand it.”
Price knew the story of events from Georgie’s retelling after he’d regained consciousness an hour after the attack. He had been packing up some things in the upstairs bedroom when the man in the hood had come into the room.
He’d instantly fought with Georgie, and it had been vicious. Georgie hadn’t stood a chance and had been laid out quickly.
“I can’t even tell if anything was taken,” he added. “The house was a total loss.”
“And Georgie didn’t recognize the man at all?” Price asked.
Jamie shook his head.
“Never seen him a day in his life. And if Georgie hasn’t seen him, there’s a good chance I haven’t either. Other than work, our social circles are the same. And even when it comes to work, I’m a remote worker so the people I interact with are usually not even in state.”
There was a sketch artist coming into the department later that day. Price would be giving his account of the man who had attacked them in lieu of Georgie and JJ. He had managed to see just as much of him as the other two. Possibly more, considering he had been fortunate enough to avoid being knocked out.
“So, if this man had picked your house because of you, you wouldn’t know why,” Price guessed.
