Page 187 of Forever Dead

She waited for him to get up.

When he did not, she lowered the instrument onto the table. Her fingers resisted opening. Blood marked the handle and the places where she had gripped it.

She had wanted him to stop. Each time she struck, he had still been holding her or coming toward her. Now he lay at her feet, and she could not make herself stop watching his hands.

Her phone glowed on the floor beside the table.

Selena lowered herself onto her left knee, keeping the injured leg extended, and reached for it. The screen was cracked. It responded on the second attempt.

She called 911.

“Emergency services. What’s your location?”

“This is Special Agent Selena Raven… I’m at Dr. Gerald Foss’s house in Eagleton.”

She took the folded address from her jacket and read it, pausing when her breath caught.

“Tell me what happened.”

“He attacked me. I stabbed him. He’s on the floor. He isn’t moving.”

“Are you injured?”

“Yes. My head. My leg. Send an ambulance and police.”

The dispatcher continued asking questions. Selena answered as clearly as she could, keeping Foss in view.

When approaching sirens finally became audible, she was still sitting beside the table. The dispatcher asked her to call out to the officers and keep her hands visible.

“In here,” Selena called. “At the back.”

An officer appeared in the doorway.

“Show me your hands.”

She set down the phone and raised them.

He directed her away from the table while another officer approached Foss. Selena tried to stand, failed, and told them about her knee.

For once, she stayed where she was and waited for help.

EPILOGUE

Blethan sat beside the examination bed while the emergency physician went through Selena’s results.

“The scan shows no bleeding,” the physician said. “There’s no new fracture. Your knee and wrist have both been aggravated, and I want you following up with your orthopedic team.”

Selena held the ice pack against her left temple. “Can I leave?”

“Once we’ve finished your discharge instructions. You’re not driving tonight.”

“Arnold’s taking her,” Blethan said.

The physician turned back to Selena. “And you need to rest.”

She nodded.

After the physician left, Blethan remained in his chair. He had offered to stay while she was examined. For once, Selena had accepted without arguing.