Cold Cold Heart Read Online Free PDF

of what had been done to her child. And now she and Kovac would ask to open the door on Dana’s memory of that torture.
    â€œDana was pretty tired after her speech therapy this afternoon,” Lynda said. “Weren’t you, sweetheart?”
    â€œMom . . . don’t.” Dana tried to push her mother’s hands away. Her movements were slow and as awkward as a drunk’s. She fixed her one good eye on Nikki.
    â€œDana, this is Detective Liska,” Lynda said. “Remember I told you she would be coming to see you? To talk about your accident.”
    Nikki traded a quick look with Sam.
Accident?
She stepped a little closer while Sam hung back.
    â€œNo,” Dana said.
    â€œHi, Dana. It’s good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”
    The young woman looked at her with suspicion. “I don’t . . . think you. Think?” Her eye narrowed as she searched for the word she wanted. “I don’t . . .”
    â€œKnow,” Lynda said.
    Dana frowned. “I don’t know you.”
    Her speech was labored and slightly slurred, as if pulled down and held back by the drooping corner of her mouth.
    â€œDana gets frustrated with her speech deficiencies, but Dr. Rutten says this type of aphasia is normal for someone with a brain injury,” Lynda chattered. She couldn’t seem to be still. She moved around like a sparrow darting from one branch to another.
    â€œHe said the brain is like a filing cabinet. And Dana’s has been turned upside down and all the files have fallen out on the floor. It’s hard for her to find the right file or to know what files should go where,” she explained. “Sometimes she can’t find the right word, butshe can find a word close to what she means. Anomia, the speech therapist calls it.”
    â€œThat has to be tough,” Nikki said. “Especially for someone who uses words for a living.”
    â€œShe’s always been so articulate,” Lynda said. “She won speech competitions in school. She was on the—”
    â€œDon’t talk . . . a-bout me,” Dana said firmly, “l-ike I’m not where.”
    â€œHere,” Lynda corrected.
    â€œI’m sorry, Dana,” Nikki said, taking a seat across from her. “I’m here to talk to you, not about you. Me and my partner, Sam.”
    The girl looked past Nikki’s shoulder, squinting at Sam.
    â€œHi, Dana,” he said. “Is it all right with you if I come in and sit down?”
    She didn’t answer right away.
    â€œIt’s all right, sweetheart,” Lynda said as she pulled up another chair. “Policemen are good.”
    Dana sighed impatiently. “I’m not a little . . . killed? K-illed?” She didn’t like the word, though she seemed not to understand why. Her respiration picked up. Her right hand squeezed and released on the arm of her chair. “Not killed. No. No.”
    â€œChild,” Lynda supplied.
    â€œK-Kid,” Dana said, scowling. “I’m not a . . . lit-tle kid. Stop treat-ting me like it.”
    Lynda’s eyes filled with tears. The tip of her nose turned red. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m only trying to help.”
    Dana pounded her hand down on the arm of her chair. “Stop! Stop it!”
    â€œPlease calm down,” Lynda pleaded.
    â€œI’m not . . . stu—stu-por. Stu . . . pid. I’m . . . not stupid!”
    Lynda knelt down at her daughter’s feet to beg forgiveness. “No, of course not, Dana. I don’t think you’re stupid. Please calm down. You don’t need to get upset.”
    Dana clenched and unclenched her right hand. She was breathing hard and turning red beneath the bruises.
    â€œI’ve watched you on television, Dana,” Sam said, taking a seat, distracting her.
    â€œI . . . don’t