Chapter 2 #2
“We need help,” the nurse shouted down the corridor. He rushed forward and put an arm around her, holding her upright.
Daniel stood outside the doors of the surgical wing.
In a hospital with plenty of noise and light, he didn’t want his presence to add another distraction.
He needed to follow up about Owen, deciding how to best proceed forward.
He’d deliver the news to the Thomases in person and offer to drive them back.
He saw no sense in having them rush over so late on their own.
He’d be there after he dropped-off Emma.
A little one on one time with her in the car might provide an opportunity for her to clarify her statements.
Meeting at the scene of a car crash wasn’t how he imagined his next conversation with her during the long years since she’d left.
He’d feared that he’d never see her again.
He’d wanted to complete his investigation into what happened to her sister so he could make contact.
He’d wanted answers but tonight’s events only stoked more questions.
“Sheriff,” Dr. Knick said. “Waiting on word about Owen?’
He raised his head and spotted the doctor at a nurse’s station behind him. He followed her summons as she waved him over. “Good evening, Dr. Knick. What’s the prognosis?”
She flared her nostrils on her inhale.
“Yikes. That bad?” he asked, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.
“He’s stable. The car accident was the least of his worries.
According to Dr. Lewis, he’d been shot in the right leg.
Just a couple of inches shy of his femoral artery.
They were amazed he could drive at all. She’s lucky he didn’t crash into her.
” Dr. Knick tilted her head down the hall in the opposite direction.
Daniel absorbed the news from the doctor.
Emma had expressed her impression that Owen was chasing her and that the same car that ran her off the road had turned around.
Had Owen prevented her death by following her?
The facts certainly supported the theory.
But why? Did she have enemies? Who was the target? Both of them?
“Can you contact the family?” Dr. Knick asked.
“Yes, of course. I’ll take care of that.” The full extent of the injuries changed his plans. The Thomases needed to be informed ASAP. “What about Emma? Is she free to leave?”
Dr. Knick nodded.
“Great. Do you mind if I use this phone?” He pointed to the landline at the nurse’s station. “I’d like to call the office and get a deputy at his door.”
“By all means. Please do. I’d feel better. He’ll be in the first room on the right through the swinging doors.” She stepped away, continuing her rounds with another patient.
The gunshot bugged him. Those injuries didn’t line up with the timetable Emma had presented. He called his deputy on the scene first. “Hello? Deputy Wells?”
“Sheriff, I finished processing the scene. There was a substantial amount of blood on the seat and floor mat. More than could come from the scratch on his forehead.”
“He was shot. Consistent with that?”
“Yep. But I didn’t see any bullet holes. Do you want me to go back and look again?”
“I trust you, Frankie. No one has an eye for details like you.” Something heavy in Daniel’s chest shifted.
He’d hated entertaining the idea that Emma hadn’t been entirely forthcoming with her version of events.
“I’m waiting on more details. Listen, I need you to swing by the camp and tell the owners about the accident.
Give them a ride here if they want. We need to set up a watch around the clock.
I’ll call Chip to give him the heads up. He can take first shift.”
“Don’t worry. I already suspected something strange. He should be there in a matter of minutes.”
The door at the end of the hallway swung open. A deputy strode the length, his boots clicking against the tile with every step.
Daniel trusted his team and was grateful for each and every person in their small department.
Anticipating each other’s needs kept their crew bonded and efficient.
“Thank you. He’s here. I’m going to drive Emma Lynde back to the camp and poke around a little.
I might stay there. Have to figure out what was happening before Owen got in that vehicle. ”
“Okay, keep me posted,” Frankie said and ended the call.
Chip pointed to the closed door. “Through here?”
Daniel nodded. “First door on the right. Frankie will relieve you. It’s around the clock for the time being.”
“Got it,” Chip said, brushing past.
Commotion erupted from the other end of the corridor. Daniel raced toward the chaos. With alarm, he realized he stood outside Emma’s room. He burst inside, taking stock of the scene. Emma coughed in the arms of a male nurse. “What happened?”
“She was attacked,” the nurse said.
“What? How?” Daniel asked. He’d passed through the metal detectors and been issued clearance after presenting his badge. No one could simply walk in off the street.
“Choked her with a pillowcase,” the nurse said.
“Did you see who it was?” Daniel asked Emma. He could request surveillance footage and watch for the assailant.
She shook her head. “Their face was covered. They didn’t say a word.”
Daniel ran a hand through his hair. Her use of gender-neutral pronouns stressed how little she felt certain of.
He had to assume both Emma and Owen were targets.
Double the amount of protection would stress the resources of his department.
But Daniel couldn’t take a chance with either life. “Is she okay to leave?”
The nurse shot Daniel a weary look.
“I feel okay,” she replied, her voice scratchy and rough. “I’d like to get some rest.”
He would, too. Although he didn’t think it possible until he learned exactly what he was dealing with.
“She’s free to go,” the nurse said, stepping away.
Emma lifted her head. A red ring around her neck bore witness to what she had suffered.
Daniel fought off a wince.
Emma slid off the bed, her movements slow and steady.
After what she’d been through, she probably ached all over. “Ready?” he asked.
“Yes, please. Were you able to get ahold of the Thomases?” she asked, her tone anxious.
“Yes, I sent someone to get them and offer a ride here,” Daniel replied. “Come on. You need to get some rest.”
“I guess this is serious.”
“Let’s save that discussion for later,” Daniel interjected. “Please follow me.” He led her to his vehicle parked in the front of the building, opening up the shotgun door before getting behind the wheel.
He hadn’t meant to silence her, but clearly she felt it better to bite her tongue.
He drove in the quiet without even the sound of rain to offer something to listen to.
The storm had stopped. As he neared the scene of the accident, he couldn’t see anything.
Night had fallen on the heels of the clouds.
Maybe he’d get a sunny day for his investigation tomorrow.
“You said you thought the same car that ran you off the road turned around and hit Owen.”
From the corner of his gaze, he spotted her nod.
She opened her mouth and shut it, frowning. “I can’t be sure. I had the wipers on and the fan going full blast. I haven’t driven for a while and forgot how to defrost the glass. The windows were fogged. The car was going so fast both times, I only had a split second to make an impression.”
“Okay. Let’s go back. Why were you on the road?”
“Lucille asked me to pick up a cake from the bakery at the grocery store. She couldn’t find Owen so I agreed to help her out. I didn’t want her driving in these conditions.”
Daniel agreed. Lucille and George Thomas remained very spry in their late seventies. But the physical limitations of time had snuck up on the pair. Lucille had trouble with her eyes. George’s hearing was going. “That was kind of you.”
“It was nothing,” Emma said quickly. She shook her head. “I was rattled to be behind the wheel at all. I don’t drive.”
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “I never cared for it. Once I started college in Chicago, I never left. I don’t need or want a car in the city. I have no place to park near my apartment.”
He nodded. “Okay, so you weren’t thrilled to be on the road. Did your emotions play into your apprehension?”
“I don’t know. It was dark.” Her voice cracked.
The investigator in Daniel wanted to push a little on that soft spot. Clearly, driving in the rain was a big deal. Was she unnerved by driving or the weather? Liz had died during a summer storm. With more pressure, Emma would divulge her true feelings.
But he eased up. Learning when to prod and when to pause had been a decades long undertaking. “Did you hear anything at the camp? Before you left?”
She shook her head. “The storm was booming. A branch was struck a few feet away from me.”
“By lightning?” Daniel wrinkled his brow. With the new information, gunfire made more sense. “Could you show me where?”
“Maybe in the morning? It’s so dark now I’d be turned around.”
“Fair enough.” He’d do a sweep on his own. Finding a casing would be miraculous. By now, the storm had probably washed away any trace evidence. He turned onto the gravel road leading to the camp. “If you remember anything else, you’ll tell me?”
“Sure. What’s your number?”
He pulled into the parking lot next to the mess hall. “You won’t need it. I’ll be staying here.”
“Why? Am I in danger?” Her eyes looked wild and scared. “I was hoping the hospital was a random thing.”
He almost told her everything then. His suspicions, his fears, his investigation. But doing so would only make her afraid. Paranoia wasn’t a positive. Neither was his urge to cover her hand with his. “I just want to be sure about a few things.”
She shuddered. “Can we pray?”
“I’d love that.” He smiled, feeling the grin down to his toes. He was glad to know she leaned on her faith for comfort. Some important things never changed.