Chapter 20
The absence of a deputy standing guard outside of Heather’s hospital room added to the growing list of Duke’s concerns. He’d called his mom repeatedly on the drive to the hospital with no answer.
Something wasn’t right. The county hospital was big, but not so big that his mom couldn’t have found her way around. At least after so long. It made no sense that she wasn’t back with Heather, bringing along the breakfast she’d promised.
He didn’t bother to knock before entering the room with Suzy beside him.
Heather sat straighter in the bed, her face pale and eyes wide with fear. “Did you find Mom?”
“Not yet. And where’s the deputy? Someone’s supposed to be here twenty-four hours a day.”
Suzy hurried to Heather’s side and took her hand. She hadn’t said much during the drive, but her presence and silent support was enough to keep him from jumping out of his skin.
“I asked him to go down to the cafeteria. He hasn’t been gone long.”
“He shouldn’t have left his post,” Duke snapped.
“What else was I supposed to do? I’m sick with worry and I couldn’t head down there myself.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the impending headache to go away. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll go to the cafeteria and see if Mom’s there. Keep your phones on you. Suzy, stay here with Heather. If trouble’s brewing, I don’t want it to find either one of you.”
Suzy nodded. “Okay. Hurry back.”
He rushed into the wide hallway and followed the signs to the cafeteria. The well-guided path made his stomach drop. His mom might be directionally challenged, but she wasn’t an idiot. Finding her way back to Heather’s room would have been a piece of cake.
Not to mention she had no trouble asking for help from anyone. Especially if she knew Heather was waiting, probably worried that she’d been gone so long.
Doctors in scrubs and nurses attending patients whizzed by. He checked each face, searching for his mom. He didn’t want to rush by and not see her. Not notice if she’d found herself in trouble or in need of medical attention.
Hell, that thought hadn’t dawned on him until now.
He quickened his pace, scurrying around a corner and racing for the dining hall. Tables were filled with visitors and hospital workers. He slowed down, making sure to look at every table and every person but coming up empty each time.
Positive she wasn’t there, he stormed into the cafeteria.
Lines formed from different stations around the room.
The salad bar in the center of the space hummed with activity as people piled fixings high in takeout containers.
He walked through the room three times, each time serving nothing but disappointment and stretched nerves.
Not knowing what else to do, he called Lane. “I don’t know where my mom is,” he spat out as soon as his friend answered. “She went to grab food for her and Heather over an hour ago and she’s nowhere. I’m losing my freaking mind over here.”
“I’ll be right there,” Lane said. “In the meantime, go to the security guard and ask to see video footage. If she was in the hospital, cameras should have picked her up. Maybe it will show you where she went.”
He gave himself a mental slap on the head. He really was losing his mind if he hadn’t checked the security footage. He needed to get his shit together and fast. There was too much at stake, too much he wasn’t willing to lose just because he let panic steal all logical thought.
“I’m on it. Head to Heather’s room when you get here unless you hear from me first. Suzy’s in there with her now.”
“Got it.”
A sliver of relief wiggled its way through the panic. He had a plan, and his support system was on the way to help. They’d find his mom.
They had to.
Heading back the way he came, he sprinted to the waiting room where the security office was located.
The door stood open and an older man with gray hair and thick glasses sat at a desk.
A trio of monitors hung in front of him and displayed different scenes playing out around the hospital. The nameplate on his desk read Jason.
Duke tapped on the doorframe before taking a step inside. “Jason, I need some help.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I can’t find my mom, who’s visiting my sister and stepped out to get some food.
I’m Duke Pierson and work with Lane Tipton at Rough Ride Security.
We’ve been working with the sheriff’s department on a case, and I’m afraid she’s in danger.
” He plucked a business card from his pocket and laid it on the desk.
Jason glanced at the card then said, “If you tell me where she was at what time, I can try and see if she’s on the camera.”
He spouted out the information and waited while Jason messed with the keyboard and pulled images up on the screens.
Nerves crawled over his skin like a pack of angry ants.
He crossed his arms and tapped the tip of his boot against the ground to stop himself from launching over the desk and finding what he needed on his own.
Video played on the screen. Duke held his breath and prayed to spot his mom. Seconds ticked by until he saw the short bob and friendly face he loved so much. “There,” he said, pointing her out. “She’s right there.”
Jason kept the video going, speeding it enough to make his mom look cartoonish as she made her way toward the cafeteria. She stopped before making the last turn to get food, her attention shifting in the opposite direction.
“What’s over there? What’s she looking at?”
“We don’t have a camera facing that angle,” Jason said.
Frustration ground Duke’s teeth together. He kept his eyes on his mom, surprised when she stiffened and kept walking. “She’s moving toward the front of the hospital.”
“Give me a second.” Jason’s fingers flew over the keyboard. The monitor in the corner sputtered to life with a new angle of his mom, this time walking to the exit.
“Where the hell’s she going?” Duke spat, his haze narrowing. “Look, there’s a shadow. Someone is with her.” His heart sped up as though he’d ran a marathon. “Will this show her leaving the hospital?”
“Hold on.”
A third monitor showed the parking lot. An ambulance drove away from under the car port, revealing a black pickup waiting in the no parking zone. The doors to the emergency room whooshed open. His mom walked out with Chrissy beside her and the barrel of a gun jammed against her side.
Chrissy forced his mom into the truck then jogged around to the driver’s side and sped off.
Terror shoved his heart to his throat. “Whose truck is that? Zoom in on the license plate.”
Jason did as he was asked.
Duke found paper and pen on the desk and scribbled down the number as he called Spencer.
“Deputy Goodwin,” he answered.
“Spencer, it’s Duke. Chrissy took my mom from the hospital and drove off in a black truck about an hour ago. I’ve got the plate number. I need you to run it.”
“On it.”
He told him the information and waited, his attention fixed on the image of the truck that had carried away his mother.
“Got it. The truck is registered to a man named Carl Sampson. Do you know him?”
Memories assaulted Duke the same way his fists had assaulted Carl’s face, beating him until the man had been carted off to the hospital.
Beating him because of the heinous lie Chrissy told him.
And now the two were working together? His mind raced as he tried to put together the broken pieces that didn’t make any sense. But he needed to figure it out fast. His mom’s life was on the line.
Suzy stood by Heather’s side and tried her best to keep the other woman calm.
“I hate this.” Heather sniffed but it didn’t stop fat tears from rolling down her face.
Suzy found a box of tissues and yanked a few sheets out to hand to Heather. “Don’t cry. I’m sure Duke will find her and get this whole mess figured out.”
“I don’t know.” Heather dotted the corner of her eyes with the tissue.
“Something doesn’t feel right. And she’s been gone for over an hour.
This hospital is not that big. No way she’s lost or the lines for food were too long.
She’s in trouble. I can feel it. I mean, she’s my mom.
Don’t you have that connection with your own mother? ”
Suzy winced. She was so used to everyone around her knowing her story, it didn’t dawn on her that Heather might not be aware that her own mother had passed away after giving birth. A loss she’d lived with her entire life.
“My mother died when I was a baby.”
“Oh, no.” Heather covered her open mouth with her hand. “I’m so sorry. Duke never told me.”
“Why would he?” she said with a small shrug. “It’s not really something I go around broadcasting. It’s just a part of who I am.”
Heather grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I hate you’ve had to carry that around for so long.
I wish you could have gotten a chance to know your own mom, and I know it’s not the same, but I can share mine.
No matter what happens between you and Duke, Mama always has a big enough heart to welcome more people. ”
Suzy struggled to swallow past the lump in her throat. As moved as she was, she couldn’t cry right now. She needed to be strong for Heather, not an emotional mess. “I appreciate that. Your mom seems so sweet.”
“She really is.” Heather’s tears came back. “She has to be all right. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
Not knowing what else to say, Suzy took Heather’s hand and squeezed again.
“Good morning.” A middle-aged doctor in green scrubs called out in a sing-song voice as she entered the room. “I’ve got your test results. The images look good. I want to go over a few things then I can sign the discharge papers and get you out of here. Sound good?”
Heather gave a little nod.
“I’ll step outside and give you some privacy.”
“Will you call Duke?” Heather asked. “Find out if he’s gotten any answers yet.”
“Sure.” She flashed a smile at the doctor before heading out the door and closing it behind her.
The deputy stood guard. Wrinkles marred his baggy uniform as though he’d worn it after being stuffed in a bag all night. A wide-brim hat sat on his head and cast shadows over his face.
“Did you find Dorthy?” she asked, surprised to see him back at his post without Duke or his mom. Maybe Duke told him to stand guard while he continued his search, which wasn’t good news.
The guard shook his head. “Not yet.”
Disappointment dipped low in her gut. She didn’t have to pretend everything would be all right now that she was in the hall, away from Heather. But this wasn’t good. Something had to have happened to Dorthy. She just hoped Duke figured it out fast and could get her to safety.
“That’s not what I wanted to hear,” she said. “Do you know where Duke is?”
He shook his head.
Blowing out a frustrated breath, she reached for her phone in the pocket of her jeans.
The deputy stepped forward and invaded her personal space. He stared down at her, his brown eyes hard and his mouth pressed into a thin line.
Trepidation twisted her gut. Hillmore was a small town. She knew most of the deputies who protected the county, but this man didn’t look familiar. “What did you say your name was?”
“I didn’t.”
She took step back but was met by the hard wall.
He smirked and leaned down just enough to whisper in her ear. “If you don’t want that poor old woman to get hurt, you better come with me. Don’t make a sound or I’ll be forced to do something we both regret.”