Blackfoot Affair Read Online Free PDF

*
    “You’re not going back to the hospital?” Tracy said in an exasperated tone the next morning. They were in the hotel coffee shop.
    “There might have been a change overnight.”
    “And what if the relatives are there? Do you think they’re going to fall on your neck in welcome?”
    “I’ll deal with them.”
    “Charlie is supposed to call this morning. The detective from the local police is coming back. He wants you to fill out an incident report on the shooting. And that guy, Block, from the Bureau of Indian Affairs will be here this afternoon. He’ll want to see you, not me.”
    “I’ll be back by four,” Marisa replied, picking up her purse. “I’ll check in with you in a couple of hours. Lasky may make a decision today about when to resume the hearing.”
    “And what if he wants to talk to you directly?”
    “Call me at the hospital, third floor lounge.”
    Tracy threw up her hands and went back to her omelet. If Marisa insisted on keeping this vigil there was nothing she could do about it.
    Jack’s mother and sister were in the hall outside Jack’s room when Marisa got there. They didn’t have to be identified. The tall, beautiful girl with waist length black hair looked just like him and the older woman was obviously her mother.
    “I’m Marisa Hancock,” Marisa said to the girl, extending her hand, her heart pounding.
    The girl looked at her blankly.
    “The government’s attorney in the highway case,” Marisa explained flatly.
    The girl’s eyes widened. “You’re the one Jeff Rivertree was trying to shoot,” she said incredulously.
    Marisa nodded bleakly.
    “What’s going on, Ana?” her mother asked, looking from one young woman to the other.
    “I’ll handle this, Mama,” the girl said. “Why don’t you go into the lounge and have a seat? I’ll be right with you.”
    The older woman hesitated, then left. Jack’s sister turned back to Marisa.
    “I’m Ana Carter, Jackson’s sister. What are you doing here, Ms. Hancock?” she asked coldly.
    “I was hoping to get in to see your brother.”
    The girl folded her arms and stared back at Marisa, who refused to flinch.
    “You want to visit my brother, Ms. Hancock?” she asked, raising her dark brows.
    “Well, yes.”
    “Do you really think he’ll want to see you?”
    “It’s more like I need to confirm for myself that he’s all right,” Marisa admitted.
    “The word of Jack’s doctor is not good enough for you?”
    Marisa sighed and looked down at her hands. “Ms. Carter, this situation is complicated. Suffice it to say that I feel a responsibility for your brother’s injury. Isn’t that enough reason to be concerned?”
    “Yes, I talked to Mr. Brady. I can understand your position, Ms. Hancock, and I would not want to be in it.”
    Marisa straightened and looked at the other woman directly. “Do I get to see him or not?” she asked baldly.
    “Not,” Ana Carter replied crisply. “Relatives only today.”
    “What about tomorrow?”  
    “That’s up to the doctor.”
    “Fine. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
    Marisa turned to go and Jack’s sister called after her, “You’ll probably be wasting your time.”  
    “I’ll take that chance,” Marisa replied. She went around the bend in the corridor as Ana Carter looked after her.
    That evening Marisa met with Randall Block from the Bureau. He was concerned only with winning the legal case and irritated her with a number of impractical suggestions designed to inflame the situation even further. After that unproductive experience she went to the police station and answered a lot of obvious questions. When she got back to the hotel she learned that the case had been continued for two weeks, and that her firm had given her permission to remain in Florida to work on it.
    “Are you surprised Charlie isn’t flying down here to oversee things himself?” Tracy asked. They were both too keyed up to sleep.
    “I’m surprised I haven’t been recalled to Maine and then