Chapter 7
7
Char rushed Gabby out of her room with the soggy map. They marched up to the nurses’ station, grabbing one of the phones from the desk. Char’s well-manicured nails punched a few numbers. “Butters, no! I am not the pizza delivery person.” Char rolled their eyes and sighed. “This is Char, in the hospital wing. I need security. We have evidence that there may be an intruder in the building.” After Char hung up the phone, they turned to Gabby. “Sorry about that. They’re always thinking with their stomachs. They’re goat shifters. They’ll eat anything.”
Char dropped the dripping handwritten map onto the counter before rubbing their hands on their scrubs. “Take a seat. I know you’re shaken up.”
Gabby shook her head. She couldn’t sit. Couldn’t try to relax. Not until security arrived and took care of things.
The minutes it took for security to arrive felt like hours. Gabby’s stomach was doing summersaults. She wanted this over as quickly as possible.
Finally, a man and woman in grey security uniforms sidled up to the nurses’ station. The woman popped some potato chips from the bag she was carrying into her mouth while the man stared at Gabby. “Is this the intruder?” His blue eyes scanned her as he made for the handcuffs on his belt.
“No…” Char answered. “I said we have evidence of a possible intruder.”
“Is she the evidence?” the woman guard asked between crunches on the chips, nodding toward Gabby.
Gabby supposed she kind of was. At least she was witness to the evidence. She pointed to the soggy paper on the counter. “Map. On floor.”
The male guard picked it up and sniffed. “It doesn’t smell edible.”
Char rolled her eyes. “I don’t think it’s supposed to be. Either way, don’t eat the evidence.”
“We unfortunately don’t handle evidence. You’ll want to get an agent up here for that. But we can search for the intruder.” Her curly brown hair jiggled as she shook her head. She grabbed a granola bar from her pocket and peeled the wrapper back before taking a bite. “Where do you think the intruder entered?” she asked after swallowing the last bite. Gabby wondered how someone who ate so much could be so skinny. The guard was rail thin.
“My… room… 106,” Gabby answered, rattling off her room number and pointing down the hall.
The male guard nodded. “I’ll radio FUC to send a hound shifter to sniff out the trail and ask the rest of the security team to review the cameras.” He turned to his companion. “Let’s check the room then complete a sweep of the building. We’ll break for pizza then check the perimeter.” The woman nodded, and both guards sauntered down the hallway.
Gabby looked to Char, whose shoulders deflated after a long sigh. “I hoped they’d be able to do more or somehow already know who the intruder was,” Char said with a shrug. Char seemed just as shaken up about the intruder as Gabby was.
Gabby shook her head. She was trying to find the words to reassure Char when Agent Stone waltzed up in his cowboy boots.
“Did someone request a hound shifter to track a scent?” His brown eyes twinkled with delight. Agent Stone clearly enjoyed tracking scents. What Basset Hound shifter wouldn’t?
Gabby was instantly relieved to see him. Agent Stone was all Phin talked about for months following their rescue. Apparently, Phin had known that Gabby and their dad were kept below the old abandoned mall near their dad’s house. He hung out there for hours, trying to launch his own investigation, until Agent Sparks and Stone’s own investigation eventually brought them to the same mall. Together, the three of them found the secret entrance to the evil lair of Sandy, and they were able to rescue all the trapped shifters.
Agent Stone had taken care of business then, and Gabby was sure he’d do the same now.
Char filled him in. “The window to Gabby’s room was open, and there was a tear in the screen. She found this map.” Char handed Agent Stone the wet paper.
He rubbed at the stubble forming on his chin as he assessed the situation. Then Agent Stone crossed his arms across his flannel shirt. “Any idea as to who could have been in your room?”
Just the thought of Dr. Grimm tangled Gabby’s brain. A cold sweat dripped icy fingers down her spine at the memory of his thin voice in her ear. “G-g-Grimm. Back. F-f-favorite.” She stomped her foot in frustration. No helpful words were coming out of her mouth.
Agent Stone put a reassuring hand on Gabby’s shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll try to find whoever it was.”
“Grimm. Grimm…” She balled her fists in anger.
“Don’t worry.” Agent Stone’s voice was calm, soothing. But it wasn’t enough to squelch Gabby’s frustration. Why did she always get so tongue-tied when trying to talk about Dr. Grimm? True, the man scared her half to death, but still. “Where did the security guards go?”
“My room.” Of course I got that out. Gabby crossed her arms.
“If there’s anyone after you, we’ll find them,” Agent Stone reassured her, as if reading her worries. “I’m one of the best trackers at FUC. If there’s a scent, I can follow it.”
Gabby thought about the puddle of water on the floor. She didn’t know much about scents or tracking, but didn’t water somehow wash it away? She sighed. She was all the help she could have been. And of course, the one thing she couldn’t do? Explain her theory that Dr. Grimm was behind this. He was probably searching for his former experiments to finish his evil agenda. Alas, as far as Agent Stone knew, Dr. Grimm didn’t exist, and Gabby couldn’t form the words to change that fact.
Gabby couldn’t stop thinking of the terrible things Dr. Grimm had whispered in her ear. You’re my favorite. A cold bead of sweat trickled down her spine. She grabbed Agent Stone’s shirtsleeve, trying to get it all out before he left. As capable as he was, what if he couldn’t put the pieces together and Dr. Grimm snatched her up again? She stuttered and stammered until Agent Stone offered her a gentle smile.
“Lynn is out of the office today, but I’ll come back tomorrow and maybe the three of us together can work on this some more. Would you like to change rooms? It may ease your mind while we’re working to find the intruder.” His suggestion soothed her raw nerves.
Gabby nodded. That could work. If the intruder recognized that as her room, moving would keep them guessing. She’d have to make sure to let Lyla know she moved. She couldn’t bear the thoughts of Lyla thinking she’d left without saying goodbye.
Agent Stone turned to one of the nurses at the station who was just signing off her computer to complete another set of rounds. “How quickly can a new room be made available for Gabby?” Agent Stone asked, the worry clear in his voice.
“Let me see.” The nurse logged back onto the computer. Her brows wrinkled as she clicked the mouse. “We’re actually cleaning a room on the other side of the hall, room 118. It should be ready within the hour. I’ll make a note Gabby’s moving.”
“Thank you.” Agent Stone turned back to Gabby and Char. “Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious. Gabby, work on gathering your things. I’ll check in with security to see if they found anything on the tapes after I see if I can find a scent. I’m the best tracker there is, Gabby. If there’s a scent, I’ll be able to follow it.”
Gabby smiled to say thanks.
Char squeezed her shoulder. “If there’s anything to find, they’ll track it down.” And with that, they left for the kitchens.
Just as Agent Stone left for Gabby’s room, Lyla appeared. Lyla smiled when the FUC agent nodded in greeting and kept on moving. “What’s wrong?” Lyla sked, leaning against the edge of the counter of the nurses’ station like it was the tip of a branch. Her voice was as soft as the down of a baby bird. She must have been able to tell by the expression on Gabby’s face that she was stressed to the max.
She looked up to Lyla, her eyes wide. Patience and understanding filled Lyla’s heart-shaped face. A pale rose color filled her full lips. Gabby wondered how sweet Lyla would taste. Suddenly, she realized she was staring at her, and embarrassment flooded her.
She leaned forward, letting her long hair hide the blush blossoming on her cheeks. The heat from it snaked up her neck, pooling into her face. Where is my trusty pillow? The temptation to hide under it was strong, but she had to focus. She gulped down the cool air, concentrating on the words she wanted to say. One at a time, tasting them in her mouth before trying them out.
“Come. Please. Help.” Lyla blanched, so Gabby tried to explain, “Moving rooms.”
"Oh, okay.” Gabby appreciated Lyla’s patience and the fact that she didn’t push for more answers, only followed her down the hall.
They neared Gabby’s room as the security guards were just leaving. One of the guards was holding a pile of clothes, the other a pair of cowboy boots that Agent Stone had been wearing. “The room’s clear, ma’am,” the male guard said.
Agent Stone—in hound form—soon followed, his long, brown floppy ears swaying as he sauntered down the hall, nose nearly stuck to the ground.
After the trio were halfway down the hall, Lyla gently touched Gabby’s arm. “Did something happen?” Her eyes were wide with worry.
“A map. Found a map.” Gabby entered her room and pointed to the dried-up spot on the floor where the puddle from the window had soaked the floor earlier.
“A map of what? WANC?”
Gabby closed her eyes and focused. She nodded her head. “Think they outsider.”
Lyla’s hazel eyes widened, the afternoon sun illuminating the green flecks in the brown, emeralds strewn across a dark, sandy beach. “You mean an unwanted visitor dropped this after breaking into WANC? In your room?”
“Visiting family. Happened when.”
“You think it happened when you were visiting your family?” Her brows wrinkled in concern as her eyes widened.
Gabby looked to the window and the hole in the screen. Lyla followed the invisible trail her gaze left. She got up, crossing the room. After leaning forward to inspect the scene of the crime, she popped up. “There’s a tear in the screen,” Lyla observed, her voice slightly higher in pitch than normal. Gabby nodded to let her know she knew. “So Agent Stone saw this?’ Gabby continued to nod. It seemed the repetition was helping her to continue the gesture.
Lyla came back to the bed and sat down, running her fingers through her messy hair. Even with the feathers, her hair seemed more unkempt than yesterday. As if noticing Gabby’s gaze, Lyla explained, “I might have overdone it this morning.”
”Need time. To heal.” Gabby tried to remind her friend not to move so fast. She figured that, as a hummingbird shifter, Lyla would need all the reminders she could get.
“I know I know. I probably shouldn’t have.” Lyla tossed her hands up. “I just get so sick of being cooped up, you know? They say I have to rest and keep building up my energy, but I can’t keep sitting in my room. So after we had some shifting practice, I asked if I could go to the computer lab.” She hung her head.
Computers. She wore herself out playing on computers? Gabby raised an eyebrow.
Lyla glanced up, noting Gabby’s expression. “Don’t look at me like that,” Lyla joked with a lighthearted chuckle. “I love computers. But I was hoping to find something that would help me help you talk. I know that sounds stupid.” The words tumbled out of her mouth in an avalanche of syllables. “Like I thought I could fix something the doctors and nurses and therapists here couldn’t. But I just thought...” She leaned back and sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know what I thought. I just wanted to help.” She dropped her hands in her lap.
Gabby reached forward and put a hand on Lyla’s. Lyla didn’t pull away. She glanced up at her, smiling. That gave Gabby an idea. She pulled out the books her mom bought her. “This helps.”
Lyla looked to the books. Her face lit up. “That’s one of the things I read about.” She clasped her hands together in excitement. “Maybe we can work on a puzzle together after you move rooms.” She flicked her eyes to Gabby, waiting for her response.
Gabby hadn’t considered that it was a thing she could do with others. The books seemed like a solitary thing—a lonely thing—for her to practice. Something to pass the time when she wasn’t in an appointment or screaming into her pillow. An activity that bordered on the idea of fun but could never be fun since they were all word puzzles and Gabby struggled with language. But to have someone helping, or even just sitting nearby for company, that did sound enjoyable.
“What’s that?” Lyla pointed to the toy crow Phin had given Gabby earlier.
“Present from brother.” Gabby paused in between each word, concentration honing her mind. Her words were finally starting to come together, but everything seemed easier somehow with Lyla around. “Crow shifter.” She pointed to herself.
Lyla beamed up at her. “What a thoughtful gift. You’re a crow shifter, so he bought you a toy crow.” She eyed the present, her face glowing with happiness. Lyla had such a warm personality that it was infectious. Gabby caught a smile forming on her face. Lyla was her hope.
And maybe with the help of the word games, she’d be able to finally talk about what had been on her mind: Dr. Grimm.
“Where are you moving to?” Lyla’s tone sounded chipper, though her dark hazel eyes seemed troubled.
“One eighteen.” Gabby glanced at her sparse belongings. At least she had someone to help. Though if she didn’t have a friend, she was sure one of the staff members would have assisted her.
“Let’s get stared then.” Lyla beamed a toothy smile at her, the remnants of concern leaving her eyes.
Before Gabby picked up her pile of word puzzle books, she glanced back to the hole in the screen. With an intruder on campus, she’d have to be careful. Despite campus security and Agent Stone, looking for said intruder, thinking it was random, Gabby was certain this was linked to her case. There was no doubt in her mind it had something to do with the evil doctor who’d held her captive. And if the map was, in fact, connected to him, it was only a matter of time before he’d come looking for her. If the intruder started in her room and was attempting to capture her, why had they left? They could’ve sat in wait somewhere out of sight in her room. And by the look of the tiny slash in the screen, the creature could have easily hidden anywhere. So why had it wandered off?