“You’re waiting for the program to conclude so you can go back in and do what this psychopath said? You’re going to murder that child?”
Her voice had risen. Timmy, grin in place, said through clenched teeth, “Pipe down, doc.”
She looked behind her. No one was paying them any mind. The attention of all the media people and other onlookers was focused on the front of the house in order to see the celebrities when they came out. Alerting any one of them to trouble without Timmy’s knowledge would be impossible.
She came back around to Nate and looked at him with unmitigated disgust and condemnation.
His lips trembled. “He came to my apartment!” he said, spraying spittle. “Issued veiled threats. Forced me to drive him up here.”
“On the Hunts’ orders?”
“I thought it up myself,” Timmy replied.
“He talked to Delores around dawn,” Nate said.
“And she sanctioned this?”
“Yes. No, no. She didn’t say anything, just hung up.”
Nate knew as well as Brynn what that indicated. So did Timmy. When she looked at him, he said, “Bosses are pleased as punch.”
“You haven’t got the drug yet.”
“About that, my patience is wearing real thin.”
Nate moaned her name in a pleading tone. “Please do as he says. Richard will get the drug as he was supposed to all along. This will be over.”
“For Violet, certainly.”
“Either way, it’s over for her.”
“You would actually kill her?”
“That’s just it! If I don’t—”
Timmy smacked his lips. “Violet and me are friends. Like this.” He crossed his index and middle finger.
Brynn was horrified. She turned to Nate. “You let him get near her?”
“I didn’t have a choice! He threatened to cut off my ear.”
“He introduced me as his personal assistant,” Timmy said. “I did a magic trick for Violet. She laughed at my knock-knock jokes. Nobody will suspect a thing if I return to her bedroom. She’s wearing a pink nightgown. Has a crown on it.”
Brynn thought she might be ill, but she took a defiant stance. “You kill a child in her own bed. How do you propose getting away with it?”
He snickered. “I won’t have to worry about that, because you’re not gonna let that kid die. We all three know that. You wouldn’t risk calling my bluff, would you now?”
No, she wouldn’t. She recalled Rye telling her dad that Timmy was a twisted kid with a lot to prove.
Nate pulled her from her disturbing thoughts. “Did the family know you were coming, Brynn?”
She shook her head.
“Had you told them we acquired the drug?”
“No. I didn’t want to build up their hopes and not deliver.”
“Then neither Violet nor her parents will ever know what she missed out on. And, possibly, compassionate use will be approved for her before the new regulations are enforced.”