Chapter 26

“Karen? Karen Post?” The speaker was in green scrubs. One thing about a Doc ... they look CLEAN. Green boy was clean.

I raised my hand. “I’m she.”

“Would you come with me, please?”

I balked. “Doc ... if she’s dead, just say so.”

“She’s in recovery ... now, please come with me.”

At the word recovery, I was up ... off my seat and sprinting. The EU waiting room is long and narrow, with the most god awful seats in hospital history ... I’ve sat on more comfortable granite boulders...

I missed the please come with me entirely. I cruised by Dr. Green Scrubs at just below the speed of sound. The boom I heard was the door smashing the wall. My bad ... the boys in grey were standing in the hall. This wasn’t the sheriff ... this was as high as law enforcement goes in Wyoming ... standing waiting for someone ... I assume it’s me.

Let me get this straight ... there are ninety seven thousand eight hundred eighteen square miles of Wyoming. There are 200 Highway troopers ... including at least one colonel, two lieutenant colonels, three majors, six captains, 12 lieutenants, 12 sergeants ... and 164 Troopers spread out in three districts... 54 and a half guys patrolling a third of the state in three shifts. 18 troopers per shift ... and there’s six of them standing in the corridor. That’s an awful lot of the northern tier’s road patrols waiting on me.

“Karen Post?”

“Shit.”

One of the troopers said, “That’s a yes.”

Another one said, “Miss Post. We’d like to have a little chat.”

I’d like to say we met in Annalise’s room. We didn’t. We met in a rather grand conference room on the top floor.

I’d like to say it was just us seven. It wasn’t.

I’d like to say the government wasn’t involved. They were ... on a grand scale.

Introductions included, The Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, The American Ambassador to Spain, Bruce Penn, Jose LLADO y Fernandez-Urrutia, Spanish Ambassador to the United States, Stansfield Turner, Admiral and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, an unnamed Colonel of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, El Patrón and me.

El Patrón said, “There has been a Duchess of Cardona since 1482, Casilda Ghisla Guerrero-Burgos y Fernández de Córdoba, the 21st duchess of Cardona, has a sister ... a much younger sister ... a sister sent to the United States to learn a little humility ... and a little humanity. A sister sent to me...”

“Let me guess, Annalise Guerrero-Burgos y Fernández de Córdoba.”

“Got it on the first try.” He said.

“A sister sent to me for safe keeping ... I did the best I could. Then you and she paraded your barely dressed bodies in front of the worst possible selection of reprobates this side of the Left Coast.”

Admiral Turner interrupted, “Do you have any idea which one of those young idiots drugged her drink?”

“Not a clue...” I started.

He looked terribly disappointed. I raised my hand palm forward ... STOP. “But the bartender knows.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because he had a stack and a half of dirty glasses, took mine from the waitress tray, poured it in the drain and washed it first. The rest of the glasses he just dumped in the sink ... didn’t pour the dregs out first.” I smiled. “He was looking me in the eye when he did it. That was when I knocked Annalise’s elbow, spilling her drink.

“I’d say that the guilty party is really good friends with someone in the bar ... School mates in high school?”

There was an immediate huddle ... without me. Heck ... now I’m bored. I got up and edged my way to the door ... nobody stopped me.

The nurses station sent me to room 402.

I shut the door behind me. “So ... Annalise Guerrero-Burgos y Fernández de Córdoba, what do I call you?”

“They told you?”

“Yes ... international incident ... might start a war ... of Course they told me. You could have died. I’ve already lost one good friend ... I don’t want to lose another. Are you addressed as Princess or Señora or Doña?”

“Bad Penny? Black Sheep?” Anna said. “Why would you want to be friends to me? I was awful to you.”

“You got over it ... the I’m better than you attitude. El Patrón said you were sent to learn a little humanity ... did you?”

“My nose nearly got me killed.”

“I see, head stuck up your ass so far you were past the shit.”

“Well put. Exactly.”