Chapter 110
ONE HUNDRED TEN
DAY FIVE
Bluff County Hospital
Ellie rubbed her hand over her blurry eyes and finished her umpteenth cup of coffee. While Cord was in recovery from the surgery to remove the bullet in his shoulder, she checked in with Shondra.
During the night while she’d paced and fretted, the storm had ceased.
Power outages still plagued the most rural parts of the mountain, but the town’s electricity had been restored due to the extra power company workers being brought in overnight.
Because of the weather and the murders in the area, the governor had declared a state of emergency and designated resources to their area.
“Hey, girl,” Ellie said as she slipped into Shondra’s hospital room.
Shondra groaned and looked up at Ellie. “Did you get that bastard?”
“We did and Hazel and Clara and her baby are all safe. How are you feeling?”
“I’m pissed as hell. Can’t believe that maniac got the best of me.”
“It happens to all of us,” Ellie said. “He was ruthless and sick. I’m sure the court will order a psych evaluation for him. I just hope he gets prison time and not some mental hospital.”
“Same. The other girl is okay?”
“Dana Jo is here. Traumatized of course but physically she’ll recover.” Ellie sighed wearily. “We still haven’t found Iris or Lou Lou though. We’ll interrogate Whittaker, AKA Wally Wheaton, later today and try to force him to talk.”
Shondra’s eyes were drifting closed again. “I want to go home.”
“Sorry,” Ellie said. “The doctor said you have a concussion and wants to keep you at least twenty-four hours for observation.”
“But I need to help you,” she mumbled.
“You did your job, you protected Hazel. Now get some rest.” She squeezed Shondra’s arm. “Call me if you need me.”
Shondra nodded but was asleep again in seconds.
Ellie rubbed the back of her neck as she walked down the hall to Cord’s room. They were rolling him in when she got there. Her heart squeezed with fear at the same time it melted with love for him.
He stirred and reached for her hand as the orderly settled his bed into place.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said in a gruff voice.
“Hey yourself,” Ellie said softly, then bent over to plant a kiss on his cheek.
A smile tilted his lips. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.
Ellie laughed. “What kind of drugs did they give you?”
A low laugh escaped him, then a soft moan. “Seriously you do.”
Tears burned the backs of Ellie’s eyelids. Actually he’d never told her that. Touched, she kissed his lips and stroked his hair away from his forehead. “You look pretty damn handsome yourself.”
“I look like hell,” he growled. “I hate these damn hospital gowns.”
Ellie hated hospitals herself. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I mean you will be. The doctor said the bullet missed any major arteries, but you’ll be sore for a while.’
“I’ve had worse,” he said.
Ellie had seen his scars and knew that was true.
“Whittaker… Wheaton’s in custody?” Cord asked.
“Yeah, Derrick took him in. I’m going over in a bit to interrogate him. We still need to find the little girls.”
Cord looked up at her with sad eyes. “If anyone can find them, it’s you, El.”
Emotions choked Ellie. She appreciated his confidence in her. But doubts and worry assailed her.
What if she failed?