When everything was so murky, so mysterious, I should have looked into it! Maybe I should have hired a detective or something. Maybe I should have run!

 “Clean her up and get a head CT,” the ER doctor ordered. “Listen, you might have a concussion, Emma. Can you get a ride home today and a ride back for your car tomorrow?”

 “I don’t know,” she said, thinking I’m covered in urine! Who wants to drive me home?

 “Well, you can think about that. We’re going to get you some clean scrubs, stand you in the shower and wash you off—Mandy will go with you and make sure you don’t faint or fall in the shower. And while you’re having your CT, think about who you can call. If there’s no one, someone from the hospital can either take you home or put you in a cab. You can’t drive for twelve hours, at least. And Mrs. Carlson is waiting to see you, but let’s get you cleaned up first.”

 Glynnis! Glynnis was going to fire her!

 She was taken to a shower, her smelly uniform was put in a plastic bag and a set of scrubs provided. “I think your shoes are fine,” Mandy said from right outside the curtain.

 “My shoes are fine because it hit me in the head and got in my hair,” Emma said with a hiccup of emotion.

 “Just to be safe, throw the shoes in the washer when you get home. Or spray clean them with some disinfectant cleaner.”

 “You can wash those?”

 “I do it all the time—they’re just running shoes. Canvas and that little bit of leather.”

 If I’d been doing my own laundry and cleaning instead of hiring people to do it, I’d probably know that, she thought.

 Emma was given a comb and had a little lip gloss in her purse. By the time the doctor looked at her head CT, her hair was almost dry and completely mangy-looking. Without some product, a brush and a blow dryer, she looked a wreck. It was a relief to be clean, but she wasn’t feeling much better about the whole thing. They gave her a list of symptoms to watch for and she had a very large bump on the back of her head, but that didn’t hurt nearly as much as her tailbone where she’d hit the metal bucket on the way down. She was given some ibuprofen.

 The doctor was insistent that she not drive herself. Emma thought about just ignoring the instructions. Then her wiser self intervened and reminded her that all she needed was to pass out while driving and kill a family of four. She couldn’t bear the thought of calling Lyle and having Ethan snigger to learn that her past was kicking up trouble. She didn’t want to call Penny; she didn’t want her landlady having second thoughts about her decision to rent to her.

 She texted Adam.

 I fell and had a little accident at work and need a ride home from the hospital in Petaluma. Are you available? If not, I’ll look around for someone who will give me a lift.

 He responded immediately.

 School’s almost out so I’ll come for you ASAP. It’ll take about an hour to get there. Are you all right until then?

 I’m okay. Text me from the parking lot and I’ll come out. And thank you.

 She went to Glynnis Carlson’s office and sat outside her door, holding the plastic bag with her work clothes in it. It was a few minutes before the dragon lady opened her door and motioned Emma to come in. She indicated the chair in front of her desk. Then Glynnis folded her hands on top of her desk.

 “Would you like to tell me what happened?”

 “I’ll try,” Emma said. “My husband was Richard Compton. Do you know the name?”

 Glynnis nodded. She explained that Clarice claimed her mother was a victim, but Emma had only met a few of Richard’s clients socially; they were typically big investors or multimillionaires. She had seen a few in court and was surprised there was anyone from California, especially surprised to learn it was Clarice’s mother, but the crime was Richard’s. Not hers.

 “You should have told me,” Glynnis said.

 “You wouldn’t have hired me.”

 “I might’ve hired you and put you on the night shift. Well, spilled milk. Now, you have the prerogative of calling the police and filing assault charges. The nurse’s aide who attacked you will be disciplined, possibly fired, but you can still—”

 Emma shook her head. “It would be a mistake to draw attention to it. Plus, I do understand her anger, I really do. Thing is, I can’t help her with this. I surrendered everything. I didn’t want anything Richard had gotten by swindling people. There isn’t anything.”

 “Why does she think there is?”

 “There were a couple of books written about Richard’s crime, lots of articles, news stories and internet posts speculating that I had some of his money hidden away. False, of course.”

 “Emma, you can’t work with the public even though you’ve been exonerated of wrongdoing. Not for a long time. Do you understand that?”

 “I’m trying to keep a low profile,” she said.

 “I’m applying for workers’ compensation for you, Emma. I’ve taken you off the schedule. You should take two weeks and then my recommendation is that you resign and find something else. You’d do better in hotel housekeeping—less contact with the public.”

 “I’m not hurt that badly,” she said. “I don’t need two—”

 “This isn’t the place for you right now, Emma. You should take the time. You’re entitled to it.”

 “But you’re not going to fire me?” she asked.

 “As far as I know you haven’t done anything wrong. But I want you to think about whether this is the right job for you. I can put you on a different shift from the aide who beaned you with the bedpan, but I’m sure she has friends. Word will travel. Life could be difficult.”