I couldnt hide my surprise. Me? Why me?
Shawna shrugged. I dont know. I just know that the suit who stopped by here said for you to get in touch with him as soon as you arrived.
She glanced over at the clock hanging over the head of Charlies bed. Too late now, but he wants to see you in his office tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. sharp. Something to do with Charlies will. She patted my arm. Now get some rest. You need to be fresh for Pop in the morning.
I nodded, shrugged into my oversize down jacket, zipped it up and headed for the door.
Oh, wait, Shawna said.
I turned back.
Her face had that worried, indecisive look she got when she wasnt sure she wanted to share her information. Big sister syndromewhat degree of truth do you tell the little ones?
Just say it, I said.
Some weird stuff has been going on.
Weird how?
People showing up in Pops room who no one knows. And its always when one of us isnt right here in the room.
I walked back over to the bed. Youre talking about people who arent hospital staff, right?
Shawna nodded. One time, I came back in after going down the hall for ice and the hose from his respirator was offjust laying on his chest. He couldnt breathe. His lips were blue.
Fear tightened in my belly. What did the nurses say?
They said the hose pops off like that sometimes. But an alarm is supposed to go off. For some reason, it didnt happen that time. She paused for a moment and then continued, When I asked if anyone had been in the room, they said some guy stopped in for a quick visit. No one knew his name and by the description, it didnt sound like anyone Pop knows.
From her expression I could tell there was more. Tell me the rest.
Well, when I came in last night, Craig was on the phone in the hall and when I walked in the room, some guy was leaning over the bed fiddling with Pops IV tube. Soon as I walked in he dropped it and said something about it looking fine and hightailed it out of here. None of the nurses knew who he was.
Have you told the police all of this?
Shawna nodded. They told me I was overreacting. They wont put a guard on him no matter what any of us say.
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and punched in a number. Then well get our own. Dickie Petrova from the old neighborhood opened his own security business. Well use him.
Thats going to cost us a mint, Killian.
I shrugged. Ill pay for it.
Dreams of upgrading my cabin in the woods on my tiny piece of heaven right outside Keene Valley flew out the window like a puff of wood smoke escaping from a cast-iron stove, but I didnt care. Pops safety was more important, and he would have done it for me, for any of the kids. That and more.
Until I found out what was going on, Pop was getting twenty-four-hour protection. And his lawyer was going to have a lot of questions to answer tomorrow when I arrived at his office. Something was going on and it didnt add up to a simple hit-and-run case.
Chapter Two
The front doors of the hospital slid open and a frigid wind whipped up Crouse Street, stirring up scraps of trash lining the sidewalk and spraying my face with small, gritty grains of dirt-encrusted snow. I reached up and brushed a hunk of hair out of my eyes.
A sense of disorientation hit me for a moment as I stood on the front walkway. Id grown up in Syracuse, on the west side. A part of the city not many people visited. When Id been sent to live with Charlie and Claire, Id discovered a whole new Syracuse, one I hadnt really known had existedthe world of suburbia.
Suburbia had been a place with elegant Tudor-style homes, tiny, manicured front lawns and neat wooden porches with wide, comfortable porch swings. Fussy potted plants and starched white lace curtains sat in the front windows, and antique boards painted with cute little sayings about angels and sunflowers hung on the front double doors. Claire had worked hard to keep up with the neighbors. No one had outdone Claire when it came to decorating.
I breathed in the familiar grime and reminded myself that living in a city needed some getting used to. It wasnt suburbia and it sure wasnt the Adirondacks.
Even though it was early evening, the temperature had already dropped down into the low teens. A frigid night in Syracuse. Now there was a big surprise.
I found myself wishing I was back on Giant Mountain, sitting under a canopy of stars, next to a roaring campfire and listening to the cold north wind rustling the pines.
It took a minute to get my bearings, but finally I turned right and headed across the street toward the parking garage. Snow crunched under my hiking boots.
My head was a little woozy, no doubt from the stuffiness of Charlies hospital room and then the sudden exit into carbon-monoxide-polluted air. Breathing crisp mountain air for the past few years had its advantages.
Of course, the fact that I was still recovering from sharing the same breathing space as Jack OBrien might have something to do with my current respiratory difficulties. Id gotten out of his breathing space just in time.
Unfortunately, I had spoken too soon. The deep rumble of an idling Harley sounded from the left and a second later, the front tire of the powerful machine nudged my left toe.
Steeling myself, I glanced over. Sure enough, Jack sat in the saddle, his legs spread wide to balance himself, his helmet sitting between his legs. The expectant expression on his face told me hed been waiting for me.
Most sane people know when to put their cycle away for the winter, OBrien, I said, stepping around the front of the bike, determined to get to the garage and my car.
He laughed agreeably. Gets harder and harder for me to do every year.
Yeah, arrested development can do that to a guy. I shot the comment over one shoulder as I tried to push past him.
Killian, wait. He caught my elbow and whipped me around easily.
I shrugged his hand off. We said what we needed to say to each other inside.
I just wanted to try and get you to reconsider your plans to stay at Pops place.
Where I stay isnt any of your concern.
I started to turn away again, but he reached out again, stopping me.
I folded my arms, hopeful that it would provide protection against the flush of awareness that shot through me when those long fingers clamped on my forearm.
Damn, I hated my body and its immediate reaction to his touch. It was like a memory of him, of his hands on my body, had been scorched into every cell and nerve ending of my being.
Im willing to sacrifice my couch in your honor. You know the west side isnt a place for you to be hanging out.
I almost laughed at that. Yeah, right, I had only cut my razor-sharp baby teeth on the goings-on over on the west side. Jack knew that only too well.
Id lived on West Belden Avenue most of my life. Until Social Services stepped in, anyway, yanking me out of my heroin-addicted, straight-vodka-swigging mothers custody and plunking me down on the porch steps of Charlie and Claires rambling, historic house. For me, it had been like landing on Mars.
Thirteen years old, ornery and disagreeable, smelling like pot plant, dog slobber and dirty laundry. But Claire hadnt blinked an eye. Shed simply opened her door wide and welcomed me into that huge, rambling house of theirs.
Thirteen years old, ornery and disagreeable, smelling like pot plant, dog slobber and dirty laundry. But Claire hadnt blinked an eye. Shed simply opened her door wide and welcomed me into that huge, rambling house of theirs.
Im perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Speaking of which, did you know that Shawna and the others suspect that someone has been coming into Pops room uninvited, possibly fooling around with his life support equipment?
One of the nurses mentioned that they made a complaint.
Yeah, when you were flirting with her, no doubt. I gritted my teeth. Well, I believe Shawna and respect her concern. Ive hired on Dickie Petrova for added security.
Jack rolled his eyes. Ah, jeez, Killian, Dickie Petrova? You know he cant find his way out of a paper bag. Would you please let me take care of things?
I moved past Jack. You had your chance and you blew it. Im taking care of things now.
I crossed the street to the parking garage and Jack didnt follow. I didnt even bother to glance over my shoulder as I stepped onto the elevator.
Jack seemed to get the message that I didnt want his help, and he made no attempt to follow. For that I was thankful. Thankful, that is, until I stepped off the elevator onto the third floor of the parking garage.
Damn! The lights were out on this end of the garage. A sprinkling of glass shards among a few rocks laying beneath three of the closest light poles told me that some punk, bored with having to wait around for his family, had taken a couple of pot shots at the overhead lights.
I looked around. The inside of the garage was murky and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. My training kicked in, making me instantly cautious.
I walked down two rows and found my grime-encrusted car tucked in between a silver Lexus and a black Cadillac Escalade SUV. My sturdy little electric-blue Neon looked pretty lonely among all that luxury.
I pulled my key out but before I had it in the lock, I felt, rather than heard, someone come up behind me. I stiffened.
Dont scream and dont turn around, a voice whispered in my ear.
I tightened my hand on the key. At this point, it was my only weapon. I shrugged and allowed my purse to slide off my shoulder. I shoved the purse back toward the disembodied voice. Here, I said. I dont have a lot of cash, but whatevers there is yours. And youre welcome to the credit cards, too.
I didnt mention that the cards were almost maxed out. Let the jerk find that out for himself.
A hand grabbed the purse but immediately heaved it onto the pavement. Concern shot through me. When a robber didnt want your purse, that was not a good sign. If he wasnt looking for cash, then there was only one other thing hed want from a single woman in a dark parking garage. I wasnt about to give that particular item up without a fight.
As inconspicuously as possible, I shifted my weight onto my toes. But the guy seemed to anticipate the move and he hit me hard between my shoulder blades, sending me stumbling forward against the hood of the car.
I used my hands to keep myself from hitting face-first. He pressed against me with his bulky body, pushing my head down until my cheek rested against the cool metal.
Dont even think about running, he said.
I wasnt, I lied.
My heart pounded against my rib cage and fear thickened in the back of my throat. The guy wasnt going to make this easy. He was a pro, someone who had done this before. He knew what to look for.
What do you want? I asked, desperately trying to keep myself from panicking.
We want what belongs to us. His hand held me tight against the car. I couldnt move.
Tell me what it is and if I have it, Ill give it to you. Im not looking for trouble.
We want the key and the package.
I shoved my key chain in his direction. Here, take them. Take the car. Just leave me alone.
He took my keys but I heard them hit the pavement alongside my purse. These arent the key or the package were looking for.
Well, theyre the only ones Ive got, I said.
He snorted in exasperation and grabbed my collar, hauling me to my feet. Reaching around me, he yanked open the door of the Escalade. Get in and push over behind the wheel.
I locked my knees, digging my heels into the pavement. Dont ever let an abductor take you to a new location. Id heard that particular warning more than a few times from Charlie, Jack and every other police officer Id ever worked or trained under.
Just tell me what you want, and Ill give it to you, I stalled.
He didnt answer, but instead crowded in behind me, using his thickly muscled body to nudge me into the car. I said to get in and get behind the wheel. He shoved me between my shoulder blades, sending me stumbling against the open car door.
I stepped up and bumped my head on the door frame. A stinging pain shot across the top of my scalp. I swallowed against the tears that sprang to the corners of my eyes and slid across the seat.
I reached for the opposite door handle, but before I could grab it and jump out, a hand reached across the front seat and clamped down on my shoulder, anchoring me firmly to the seat.
I jumped, and my fear hit a new high. My abductor had an accomplice. My chances of escape had just taken a rather significant nosedive.
Dont even think about jumping out, a voice said, the sound low and grating, like granite stones rattling in a metal cage.
How had I missed that there was someone else in the car? I was getting careless. Too many years living in the mountains and not enough time keeping my city radar switched on high.
I grabbed the wheel and peered into the rearview mirror. The shadowy figure in the backseat wore his cap low on his forehead, shading his features. His shoulders were wide and bulked up beneath the expensive leather coat. He used two fingers to flick the back of my skull, sending another flash of pain shooting through my head.
Keep your eyes front and center, he ordered.
What do you want? I tried to keep the fear out of my voice. My boyfriend is going to be here any minute.
Mr. Biceps laughed, and it wasnt anything light or airy. More like the low rumble of a diesel truck. You ditched OBrien down below. Aint no one coming to your rescue, little sister.
He knew Jack. Apparently Jack was still hanging with an interesting crowd.
The shooter slammed the passenger side door closed and shifted around to face me. He had a fleshy nose with a boatload of nasty-looking moles and other assorted blemishes spread out across his cheekbones and neck. The guy was in serious need of a dermatologist.
He wagged the gun in the direction of the ignition. Start it up. Well go somewhere a little less public to conduct our business.
He glanced over his shoulder at his buddy. The Bay Street exit, right, boss?
The figure in the mirror nodded and then settled back, apparently content in his belief that Mole Face had things under control. I let him think that as I leaned forward and started the engine.
Back it out nice and slow, Mole Face instructed, settling his own shoulder back against the passenger side door, a small smile puckering his full lips.
Where are we going? I put the car in reverse and backed out. The bottom of my foot itched to floor it, but something told me I needed to bide my time, pick my opportunity carefully.