Chapter 7
Nicole
The lights buzzed in a cold white glow as the kids and I entered the hospital’s ER.
Sliding doors kept opening as nurses and doctors rushed into different rooms. Monitors beeped behind curtains.
It reeked of antiseptic. People sat slumped in stiff chairs in the ER waiting area.
Unmoving. Eyes blank and faces heavy with worry.
Brian and Amanda were among them.
He was wearing his khakis and shirt with his HVAC logo on it. The same clothes he’d left in yesterday morning for work. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, and his hair was unkempt.
Amanda looked wrecked. Her hands cradled her head, elbows propped on her knees, tears carving shimmering trails down her puffy face. She wore her favorite pink summer dress. The kind meant for something good. Not this.
“Dad!” Lila shouted and bolted toward him, followed by Dylan.
Brian’s head snapped up, and he caught both kids in a crushing hug. He buried his face in their shoulders. The kids held on tight. Then they let go of Brian and wrapped Amanda in a tight embrace. The kids had always been so close to her. Amanda had practically raised them alongside Lacey and me.
Ethan shifted in my arms. Wide-eyed. Confused. Too young to make sense of all this, but old enough to know something was wrong. He stretched his arms toward Amanda. Of all people, he reached for her—another sign of these kids’ love for her.
She grabbed him without a word, hugging him like he was the only thing keeping her from falling apart. Her lips pressed against his golden curls for a kiss.
“Where is Lacey?” My voice cracked. “How is she?”
“She’s fine,” Brian said weakly. “She has a head injury. Nothing serious, but they’re running more tests just in case. She’s in room 12, down the hall.”
Relief hit so hard, it almost brought me to my knees. My lungs finally remembered how to breathe, and the invisible corset wrapped tight around my ribs finally loosened.
“And Zach?” I asked. The words came quietly. Carefully.
Amanda handed Ethan to Brian. Their eyes met for only a heartbeat before she looked away.
Her tears poured, with no stopping them.
I stepped in and wrapped my arms around her.
A motherly hug. Fierce. Familiar. I’d known this girl nearly as long as I’d known my own daughter.
And after the grandmother who raised her had passed, we and Zach were all the family she had.
She sobbed into my shoulder. Her body shook with every breath.
As I held her, my gaze drifted down the hall to room 12. A doctor was speaking to a detective in a suit. Both turned at the same time, their eyes finding mine across the corridor.
The detective was in his mid-twenties, with a gun holstered at his hip and a gold badge clipped to his belt.
He was tall and athletic, with dark hair and hazel eyes, not handsome but not unattractive.
He was quite young to be a detective, so he was probably extremely ambitious or incredibly good at what he did.
The doctor beside him was tall and thin, his face mostly hidden behind a surgical mask.
“What happened?” Dylan asked before I could.
Amanda took a step back. Her eyes stayed fixed on the floor.
“We don’t know,” Brian muttered, slowly shaking his head. His voice cracked again. “We … don’t know.”
Then his eyes locked onto mine.
This wasn’t a conversation to have in front of the kids.
The police officer walked over.
“I’m sorry for interrupting you,” he said. “I’m Officer James Nolan with the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit. I think we spoke on the phone?”
I gave a small nod. “Major Crime Unit?” That part he hadn’t mentioned earlier.
“Would it be all right if I ask you a few questions?”
I stared at him, trying to make sense of what the hell was going on.
“Come on, kids,” Brian said. “Let’s see if the cafeteria has some muffins and hot chocolate.”
Lila slipped her hand into his. He hoisted Ethan, but after a few steps turned around and looked back at us. Dylan hadn’t left my side.
“Dylan … come on,” Brian said.
Dylan glanced at his dad but didn’t budge. His eyes met mine.
“Go,” I told him. “I’ll talk to the police. Then I’ll get you to see your mom as soon as I can.”
He held my gaze for a long moment, lips parting like he might protest, but then he turned and followed Brian down the hallway.
“There’s an empty room over there where we can talk,” Detective Nolan said, nodding toward an ER bay with glass doors.
But I didn’t move.
“I want to see my daughter first,” I insisted.
He paused. “I understand this is incredibly hard. But I promise you she’s stable. They’re just running a few more tests.”
I thought about fighting him over this. But then Amanda and I followed.
We stepped into a small ER exam room with a hospital bed and machines everywhere.
He closed the glass door behind Amanda and me, then pulled the curtain closed.
“Again, I’m so sorry for what you’re all going through,” he said.
Amanda’s face twisted, and tears poured out again. I placed my hand gently on her back, stroking it up and down in slow passes.
“This is something nobody should ever have to go through,” the detective said softly, shaking his head.
“What happened?” My voice trembled. “None of this makes any sense.”
His eyes bounced from Amanda to me. “Your daughter and Zach Nabb went missing last night.”
“Last night?” I blinked. “Why didn’t anyone call me?”
“Brian tried,” Amanda mumbled through trembling lips.
I remembered his call. And the way he didn’t want to speak to the kids. But it wasn’t unusual for Brian to ignore the kids when he didn’t feel like being a parent.
“We didn’t want to worry you,” she added. “We thought maybe they hit traffic. Or stopped to get snacks and drinks for the weekend. Something normal. Something harmless. Not … this.”
Her voice shook on the last word.
“So what happened?” I asked as my jaw tightened.
“We’re still working on the details,” Nolan said.
“But Mr. Nabb’s car was found on a private dirt road this morning.
The owner of the property said his dog had been nervous early in the morning, and when he let his dog out, it ran off barking.
He followed the dog, found the car, and called the police.
” He paused for a moment. “Mr. Nabb was found murdered in the driver’s seat. ”
The walls felt too close, and my ribs too tight.
“M-murdered?” The word stuttered out of me as Amanda put her face in her hands.
Nolan nodded. “Stabbed. Your daughter was found unconscious in the woods nearby. She had a head injury and was covered in blood from head to toe.”
The room swayed. I couldn’t breathe. My arms clamped around Amanda again, but this time to support both of us.
“I’m … so sorry,” I whispered. “How unthinkable. Poor Zach.” My words came out fast and raw. “Did you find who did this?”
“Not yet,” Nolan said.
“Not yet?” My voice rose. “Somebody killed—” I choked. Swallowed hard. “Killed Zach. And tried to kill my daughter. And the person who did it is still out there? What if he comes back?” My words exploded. “What if he comes after my daughter to finish the job? Or Amanda?”
Detective Nolan stepped forward. Calm and controlled. He placed a hand on my arm like he knew me.
“I swear, we have every available unit out there. We won’t stop until we find the person who did this.
But, so far, it looks like a violent robbery gone wrong.
Both of their wallets are missing. And their wedding bands.
Mr. Alderwyn and Amanda confirmed that Lacey and Zach usually wore them.
We have no reason to believe anybody will come after your daughter or Amanda.
But it would really help us if you could answer a few questions. ”
I gave a small nod.
“Did Lacey mention anything unusual about the trip? Anyone else coming?”
“No.” I shook my head. “All she said was she was carpooling with Zach.”
He pulled out a notepad and started scribbling.
“Did they usually ride together?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “To the lake house, at least. Her pharmacy is just down the road from his office.”
“Anything strange that morning? When she left?”
“She had an early shift. Grabbed her bag and left. Nothing abnormal.”
My throat closed up as a terrible thought entered my mind. What if Lacey had been raped?
“My daughter,” I started, but my voice was barely holding. “Has she been—”
I couldn’t say it. My body trembled all over. The idea made me want to throw up.
“I need to see her,” I demanded. “Now!”
Gently, I eased away from Amanda and stepped toward the door.
“Ms. Kolter, wait,” Nolan called after me. “I need to tell you something.”
But I was already opening the door.
The hallway blurred. Machines beeped.
I strode past carts and nurses, straight down the hall, and yanked open the door to room 12.
But I wasn’t ready for what was waiting inside. My body jerked back as my hand shot up to my neck. “Dear God.”
Lacey sat upright on the bed, wearing a hospital gown. A doctor stood over her, shining a light into her eyes. Two nurses flanked him.
I almost didn’t recognize her.
Her hair was soaked in dried blood. Matted.
Tangled with dirt and leaves. Thick blood streaks ran down her neck and across her temple like Viking war paint.
Her face and arms looked like someone had tried to wipe her clean with a wet napkin and given up halfway. Just smears of pink and red everywhere.
The bandage on her forehead was already smudged with red too.
Her eyes met mine. Brown, blank, dull. Nothing behind them.
“Sweetheart!” My voice fell apart. Tears burst out of me as I crossed the room in two desperate strides and grabbed her. Held her. Pressed her to my chest so tight that nothing could tear her away again.
Not even the nurse who latched onto my arm.
“Ma’am, you can’t be in here right now.” Her voice was sharp and demanding.
I didn’t move.
The other nurse came at me from the side. Hands on my other arm.
“You need to wait outside,” she said, yanking at me.
“Get off me,” I growled.
They yanked harder.
“Ma’am. Let go.”
“No.”
“I said let go.”
“No!”
“Stop it,” the doctor cut in. His voice was firm. “It’s okay. Leave her be.”
The nurses hesitated. Then released me.
I let go of Lacey just enough to cradle her face in my hands.
“Lacey. What happened?”
Her eyes didn’t move. She stared straight past me.
“Lacey. Look at me.”
Nothing.
“Sweetheart, please. Look at me.”
Slowly, her gaze lifted. Met mine. But it wasn’t her. Not really. Those eyes were empty. Dead.
Tears slid down my cheeks, as hot as fire.
“Sweetie, what happened? You can tell me.”
But no words left her lips.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked, turning to the doctor.
“She took a blow to the head,” the doctor explained. “Her CT scan shows no cracks or swelling. She was lucky.”
I turned back to her.
“Then why can’t she speak?”
“It’s likely shock,” he answered. “She hasn’t said a word since she regained consciousness at the hospital. Medically, she’s stable. But we’ll keep her overnight for observation, just in case. Give her a bit more time. She should be examined by a psychiatrist as soon as possible.”
I nodded slowly. Pulled her close again.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Mama’s here. I’m here now.”
Another tear slipped down my cheek. But this time I wiped it away and straightened. Calmed myself.
I needed to be strong for her.
“You’ll be okay,” I whispered. “Whatever happened, we’ll figure it out. And you’ll be okay.”