Chapter 6 #2
“They were scouring that wooded area. It was appropriate.”
“And tomorrow? The next day?”
Greer pursed her lips, holding her head high. “Jordan’s pregnant. While I don’t have enough resources to sideline her, especially this early in her pregnancy and with everything that’s gone down, I’m not immune to the situation. If I lose my job for ensuring she’s safe, then so be it.”
Foster’s muscles eased, a slight smile curving his lips. “No one’s going to fault you for that. Just like they won’t fault you for having Chase ride shotgun whenever possible.” Foster cut her off before she could protest. “He’s a medic. You can push those lines a bit farther where he’s concerned.”
Greer snorted. “You guys really are a giant pain in my ass.”
“We love you, too.”
“Go home. Shirley’s working the night shift. She knows to call if anything pops up, so keep your phones handy. I’ll be along once Bodie and Eli are back.”
Foster glanced at Chase, one of those annoying silent conversations passing between them before he and Zain headed out, giving her one more look as the door closed behind them.
Chase rolled his shoulders before moving in beside her.
Close, but still removed. She checked her weapon and ammo, stopped to update Shirley, then headed out, constantly scanning the area as she walked toward her Bronco.
Clouds blocked out the star shine, and rain splattered against the pavement, puddles slowly forming along the street.
Chase tapped her arm. “Give me a sec. I need to grab my bag.”
She sighed. While she didn’t anticipate any issues, she knew Chase rarely went anywhere without his medic bag. And after losing Rhett last night…
She slipped behind the wheel, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling when she caught a glimpse of the backseats in her rearview — still tipped forward and bloodstained. A reminder of all they’d lost.
She pushed down the resulting hurt as Chase jumped in the other side, then joined the evening traffic, heading for the west side.
Chase sat in the passenger seat, gaze focused out the side window, that scent of citrus and pine surrounding her like a damn promise.
His mere presence made the interior seem small — her arm brushing his whenever she shifted gears.
Chase waited until she’d turned onto the long winding driveway — the lodge rising out of the ground like an omen — before giving her a quick glance. “Do you really think this is about us? That it’s not over?”
She bit back the punch of disappointment.
She’d hoped he might want to talk about something else.
Anything else. Like the obvious rift separating their seats.
“Foster has a point. You’ve all been viable targets for months.
And the timing definitely points toward Rhett being the prime target. I’m just keeping my options open.”
He grunted, turning to face her. “I’m not the mayor or the press. I don’t need you to dance around the subject.”
She clenched her jaw as she parked in front of the main entrance. “I’m not dancing. I’m sticking with the facts.”
“You’re walking the line.”
“Is that what you think?” She twisted to face him. “That I’m playing it safe?”
“I think you’ve got some pretty strong opinions you’re not sharing, that empty space on your board proof enough.”
“Whoever did this lured us there, launched a military-worthy attack, then led us on a damn gauntlet run through the facility so we’d eventually find Rhett. Posed, with a damn number carved into his skin.”
She unbuckled, stepped out and slammed the door, staring at him over the hood of her Bronco.
“So yeah, Chase, that voice inside my head’s screaming there’s more to this than someone hiding a hired hit amidst a bunch of ritualistic trappings.
But until I can prove any of that, I’m treating this like any other murder case, because that’s what it is.
And crying wolf isn’t going to garner me any favors. ”
Chase snagged her arm as she headed for the entrance, spinning her to face him.” Greer…”
“I get it. You’re hurt. Angry. You want all of this to mean something. I want that, too. For it to be something I couldn’t possibly have seen coming because when it’s all said and done, Rhett was killed on my watch.” She pulled free of his hold. “That’s something I’ll have to live with.”
She struck off, her footsteps echoing in the night air, each step harder than the last. Like running through sand — moving without gaining any traction.
Chase shadowed her, head on a swivel, every step orchestrated.
Calculated down to the second it would take to tackle her to the ground — block a shot.
That hyper-vigilance he’d been displaying all day.
She reached the door, paused long enough to take a breath — push down everything soft — then walked inside, Chase still guarding her six.
She shouldn’t have gotten terse. She was supposed to be lifting him up, not allowing her own frustrations to color her words.
But standing there, nothing but pain between them, had rattled her, and she’d reacted without thinking.
Shaun Faraday met her before she’d gotten more than a few feet inside, his hands fisted at his sides, his thinning hair combed over the left side of his head. He huffed when she stopped, staring at her as if she’d launched a personal attack on his facility. “Sheriff Hudson.”
“Mr. Faraday. I understand you’re eager to repurpose Mr. Oliver’s room.”
Faraday snorted. “The man’s gone, we have…”
His voice trailed off as Chase moved in beside her, head high, that death vibe his entire team embodied in full force.
Faraday cleared his throat as he adjusted his tie. “Obviously, we’re immensely saddened by last night’s events, but I’m sure you understand we have a long list of clients in need of our brand of care.”
Greer shifted on her feet, staring the man down. “Which brand is that? The nurses and meds or the complete lack of security that allowed one of your clients to be kidnapped and murdered with nothing more than one grainy image to show for it?”
Faraday bristled, slashes of red creeping across his cheeks. “Our facility is designed to keep our clients from wandering off, not to prevent people from visiting.”
“Except it was after hours, and no one seemed to notice for…” She withdrew a notepad from her inside pocket and flipped through some pages. “Ninety minutes. Is that typical of the length of time between check-ins?”
“The patients in that wing are comatose—”
“It’s my understanding that Mr. Oliver had returned to the land of the living.”
Faraday tugged on his suit jacket. “He’d had a few moments of clarity, hardly enough to confirm he’d fully regained consciousness.”
Chase took a heavy step forward. “He woke on the race to the hospital before he died, you son of a—”
“Chase.” Greer waited until Chase inched back. “I need to do one final sweep of the room and the facility before I can clear the scene.”
Faraday glared at Chase, then motioned to the hallway off to his right. “This way.”
Greer glanced at Chase, waiting until he’d pushed out a calming breath before following Faraday down the hall, through a couple of other wings, then into Rhett’s room.
Remnants of fingerprint dust clung to every surface, a slight chemical scent still lingering in the air.
The blankets on the bed had been carefully pulled back on one side, the sheets wrinkled where Rhett had been sleeping the previous night.
She stopped a few feet back from the bed as she peered at Chase. Arms crossed, back rigid, he looked like a man on the edge.
Faraday motioned to the room. “As you can see, your crime techs swabbed, sprayed and dusted every inch.”
“If only your security had been as thorough.” She made a circuit of the room, checking places the crime techs could have been missed, but the crew had been as meticulous as Faraday had mentioned.
“You can reallocate the room. Just see that any of Mr. Oliver’s belongings that weren’t taken to the crime lab are returned to his teammates.
And I expect all the information my deputy requested to be at the station come morning, or I’ll have every department I can think of scouring your facility looking for even a hint of an infraction.
And I doubt you want that kind of bad press. ”
Faraday glanced at Chase, then back to her. “Of course. Is there anything else?”
“Just that sweep of—”
The lights flickered, giving the room a strobe effect, then cut out.
Greer cocked her head toward the door as Chase stepped in close, his chest pressing against her back. Muscles tensed and primed for whatever might suddenly burst through the door. She didn’t move, waiting for a generator to kick in.
Nothing.
No buzzing. No humming vents or mechanical sounds, just that foreboding silence.
“Faraday?”
Faraday coughed. “The automatic transfer switch should have engaged the backup generators by now.”
“Any reason it wouldn’t kick in?”
“Only if the system was down for maintenance or we’d run out of diesel.
We do monthly checks and had the tanks filled after those epic storms last month knocked the power out for several hours.
Regardless, I should get a push notification if—” His cell chirped, an alert flashing on the screen.
“This isn’t right. Someone has to physically disconnect the system, and no one other than myself and my co-director have the authority to do that. ”
“How long will the batteries last on your essential equipment?”
“A couple hours, tops.”
Footsteps.
Tapping along the hallway. Steady. Strong.
Greer removed her flashlight and weapon, just like at the psychiatric hospital. Chase moved with her as she edged toward the doorway, aware it could be a nurse or resident. She reached the threshold, counted to three then popped out, clearing the left side as Chase dodged right.
A small glow brightened the far end off to the left. What looked like a cigarette or match, the light flaring for a moment before winking out, those taps fading into the distance.
Greer called Faraday up beside them. “What’s down the left side?”
He pursed his lips, his face ashen. “More rooms, then a service elevator and a set of stairs that lead down to the utility area then onto the rear exit. We use it to wheel out…”
He didn’t continue, but Greer knew what he’d meant.
“Get this place on lockdown. I want your clients secured in their rooms. Staff huddled together. And call my office, have Shirley send Jordan and Kash over ASAP. Tell him to bring Nyx. We’ll clear everyone to the left and continue down.
No one other than my people enter or leave until I’ve got a handle on what this is. Got it?”
“I need to get maintenance in here before we run out of time.”
“It won’t take too long for us to clear the facility. You can have them on standby, but my orders stand. No one in or out until I know it’s safe.”
He nodded, eyes wide, overly white in the flashlight’s glow. He glanced down the hallway, swallowed, then rushed off, his shadowy figure disappearing into the dark.
Greer stared up at Chase, noting the firm line of his jaw. How the muscle in his temple jumped. “You okay with the plan?”
Chase glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Completely focused.”
“Point or sweep?”
He froze, finally shifting his gaze fully to her. “You’re asking?”
“I’m no slouch, but we both know your expertise outweighs mine. So, do you want to take point or guard my ass?”
“I’ll always have your six, but…” He inched forward, his own flashlight cutting through the shadows. “I’ll take point. Assuming you’re not planning on putting a slug in my ass.”
“Maybe later. For now, I’ve got your back.”