Dead World 1, page 23
There weren’t many places to hide by Morgan’s home. A few sand dunes, a boulder, and a couple of dead cacti were the only shelter around. If someone wanted to go unobserved, there were only two places to do so. He decided to check them both.
Raphael circled wide, keeping himself down wind. He didn’t want the person to know he was there, until he got a good look at them. His heart sped as he rounded a dune. Sand sifted under his feet as he scanned the area.
For a moment, Raphael saw nothing in the darkness but the endless desert. He was about to return to town, when a slight glint of movement caught his eye. Someone was crouching behind the dune closest to the sheriff’s back windows.
Raphael glanced at the house and saw Gina Santiago hunched over a compunit at a desk. Morgan wandered in and out of the kitchen, carrying platters of food. From this distance, they appeared to be the epitome of domestic bliss. Raphael would’ve smiled at that thought, if warnings weren’t going off in his head.
He looked back at the huddled figure. The outline of a weapon rose from the shadows. Raphael moved without formulating any kind of plan.
Morgan’s windows were reinforced, but there were some weapons designed to penetrate walls. He didn’t know who the target of this assassin was, but he knew he had to stop him.
The person took aim.
Raphael stepped out of the darkness. This close, he could tell it was man, but he couldn’t see his face. The scent was over-powering now, nearly choking him with emotion.
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” he said.
The man swung around, his eyes wide with fright. The pistol came with him, until it was aimed at Raphael’s chest.
“It can’t be,” the man gasped. “You’re dead.”
Raphael took a step closer unable to believe his eyes. “Michael?”
“Raph?”
He couldn’t seem to breathe, to think. His eyes had to be playing tricks. Somehow loneliness had conjured the image of his brother. His dead brother. Raphael took a step back as emotion overwhelmed him.
“Are you a ghost?” Michael asked.
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Raphael replied, fighting back the hysteria threatening his mind.
Convinced he was speaking to the dead, Mike rose from his crouched position. “But how? You died in the explosion.” He blinked repeatedly, trying to disperse the years of unshed tears.
He replayed the last moments before hell rained down upon them in the lab. Raphael’s cell had been the closest to the explosion. He’d seen the blast detonate before being tossed in a hole.
As if reading his thoughts, Raphael answered. “When the explosion hit, the wall to my cell crumbled. The blast sent me flying through the woods. I took shelter until the last of the troops left, then searched for you.”
“But you didn’t find me.”
Raphael shook his head. “No, I found this.” He pulled the chain from around his neck. A slightly melted gold ring with a ruby at its center dangled from the end of it. “When I did, I knew you were dead.”
Mike recognized the ring instantly as the one his mother had given him. He couldn’t seem to swallow past the lump in his throat. “They buried me alive. It took me days to dig myself out. I couldn’t call for help. I didn’t dare. The only reason I survived was because I was able to draw air with the little power I had left.”
All the anger and years of despair poured over him in violent torrents. He shook and the earth around him began to part.
Raphael barely acknowledged the tremor.
“All the years of pain, all the grieving, it was for nothing. You’ve been alive this whole time.”
“You make it sound like I betrayed you.” Raphael handed him the ring.
Mike slipped it on his finger. “Not betrayed. Abandoned.”
“Never.” Raphael sighed. “I cannot return the lost years to either of us, but the sorrow can end now that we’ve found each other.”
Mike shook his head and the air around them thickened from the movement. “You don’t understand. We can’t go back. I can’t go back.”
Raphael stepped forward and clutched his arms. “No one is asking you to.”
He let out a strangled cry. “You don’t know what I’ve done. What I’ve become.”
Raphael glanced at the weapon in his hand and then at the house beyond. “Your past doesn’t matter. If you are looking for someone to play judge, you will not find him in me. We have both done things in order to survive. Things, I for one, am not particularly proud of.”
Mike’s shoulders shook uncontrollably.
Raphael pulled him into his arms. “You are not alone. Not anymore.”
He sobbed.
Raphael squeezed him tighter.
When he could cry no more, Mike stepped out of his brother’s embrace. He glanced at the house, staring at the occupants inside.
Raphael followed his gaze. “What’s brought you to Nuria?”
Mike pointed to the window. “I’m here to kill her.”
31
Red stared at the green screen of the compunit on the desk until her eyes blurred. She’d grabbed an unoccupied desk at the sheriff’s office and had been working for hours with no luck in finding a connection between the three women.
She couldn’t seem to get Jesse Lindley’s horrified expression out of her mind. Jim had tried to warn her when she arrived at the dissecting lab, but nothing could’ve prepared Red for seeing the older woman. Whatever had happened to Jesse in the moments before her death was permanently carved into her face.
Her eyes filled with tears. Red quickly wiped them away before anyone noticed. Morgan had been in and out of the office all day, taking care to check on her each time. His concern only made the situation worse.
Red glanced at the screen once again, scanning medical backgrounds and employment records. None of the women worked in or near the emergency care center. They all had different hobbies, which kept them miles apart. Lisa Solomon didn’t even live in Nuria. She had to be missing something.
She dug deeper, scanning their immediate family. Nothing leapt out. She was about to turn off the machine, when her gaze landed on a mention of the elder care center. Lisa Solomon’s grandmother had lived there before she died. She checked the date. It was a long shot, but Red was sure she’d seen something about the center in Moira’s file, too.
She toggled to another screen and scanned the information. It only took a minute to find what she was looking for but when she did, Red gasped.
Two out of the three women could be linked to the elder care facility. That only left Renee Forrester. If she had a relative associated with the center, then Red had finally found a connection.
With trembling fingers, she clicked on the file. Renee’s life had been condensed to fit on one screen. Red scanned the page but nothing stood out. She looked again and her breath caught.
Like Moira, Renee Forrester had a grandmother currently living at the facility. Suddenly, something about the women’s deaths jarred Red’s memory.
Her fingers flew over the keys to bring up the files that held the images of two of the victims. One’s eyes were missing, while the other’s ears were gone. What was that story her grandfather used to tell her when she was little about a girl?
Red coat? Red cape? Red something...
She tried to recall the story. Red knew the tale involved grandmothers somehow. Wasn’t there a wolf in that story? It was a leap. A massive leap. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.
Why would Kane follow a children’s story?
She was tired and grasping at wisps of smoke. Her mind was grappling for anything that would tie the murders together. Red woke Rita.
“Take a reminder,” she said.
“What is it you’d like to remember?”
“I need to look up a story about a wolf that terrorized a girl dressed in red.”
There was a pause.
Red glanced at her navcom and frowned. “Rita, did you get that?”
“I received the message, but it does not compute. Wolves have not existed in this area for over seventy years.”
Red chewed on her bottom lip. Hadn’t Nancy told her that she’d spotted wolves? She’d said it had been a while, since she’d last seen them but that was certainly less than seventy years ago.
Nancy didn’t look a day over thirty. And the crime-scene techs had detected a canine presence, though they hadn’t been able to identify the species with any certainty.
“I’m not referring to a real wolf.”
“Affirmative, then your message has been saved. I’m processing now.”
“Thank you.”
The connection crackled. “You’re welcome. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”
“No. Just let me know what you find.”
“Affirmative,” the nasal voice said, then added, “Commander Santiago has been trying to reach you on your private line. Should I contact him now?”
Red’s stomach fluttered. “No, not yet. I’ll do it later. You can power down.” She’d purposely avoided contacting her grandfather because Red didn’t want him to worry. She also wasn’t sure how to begin to explain her extended visit to Nuria. If he found out about the attack, he’d send in an entire army of tactical team members and the killer might slip away.
She put her head down on the desk. How had she gotten herself into this mess?
“You okay?” Morgan touched her shoulder.
Red had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn’t heard him approach. “I’m fine. Just tired.”
“Why don’t you rest in my office? I can work out here.”
She stood and stretched her arms over her head. “I think I just need some fresh air to clear my head. I’ve been staring at the compunit for hours.”
What Red really needed was to get to the elder care center to confirm her suspicions. She had no intention of confronting Kane. If he was behind the murders, then he was far more dangerous than she’d ever imagined. He’d killed at least three women, possibly four, if Jesse’s death turned out to be anything but natural.
Morgan watched her, his amber eyes filled with concern. “I know you’re feeling better, but you are still not at one hundred percent. Until you are, I’d appreciate it if you’d take it easy.”
Red smiled. She couldn’t do otherwise. He’d been hovering over her, ever since they’d slept together. If she were being perfectly honest, he’d started beforehand and it had only gotten worse.
She had never had anyone other than her grandfather show this much concern about her well-being. She’d be a liar if she didn’t admit that it affected her deeply.
“I swear I won’t do anything overly strenuous.” She met his gaze. “I promise I’ll be back before you can miss me.”
“Doubt it.” Morgan hesitated. He looked as if he might protest but suddenly thought better of it.
Red wanted to reach out and hug him for trying so hard not to push her right now. He hadn’t asked for anything other than what they’d shared, but she could see the fire banked in his eyes. Morgan may not admit it, but he wanted more. And Red was beginning to think that she did, too.
The emergency care center was bustling. Red kept an eye out for Kane but hadn’t spotted him yet. She strode toward the nurse’s station. Two unfamiliar faces stood behind the low counter, but they both greeted her with a smile.
“May we help you?” they asked in unison.
“Is Dr. Hunter here?”
The nurse with the blonde hair turned to the brunette for assistance. “I haven’t seen him, but that doesn’t mean anything. Would you like me to page him?”
“No, thank you. Could you direct me to the elder care center?” Red asked, addressing the brunette.
“Just head straight down the hall and make a left. You’ll see a set of double doors at the end of the ward. Pass through them and walk down the path for a hundred yards. The elder care center will be right in front of you.”
“Thanks!” Red strolled down the hall, keeping her eyes peeled for Kane.
Doctors and nurses passed her. She received several curious glances. A few paused to sniff the air as she went by. While others nodded in her direction, showing a strange deference.
Red glanced down at the front of her clothes. Nothing appeared to be out of place. She gave her armpits a quick sniff, but her deodorant appeared to be working. Maybe they recognized her from her visits to Jesse.
She had to admit that a lot of them didn’t look familiar. Small towns were rife with rumors and gossip. Maybe they were staring at her because they’d heard about the attack. Surely they hadn’t heard about her and Morgan already.
Two nurses passed her and broke into giggles, confirming her suspicions. Red blushed. Mortified.
The gossips could go hang. Rumors couldn’t kill you. She shrugged off her embarrassment. No one would make her feel ashamed about what she’d done with Morgan. The only important thing was to find out the truth for Jesse Lindley. She hadn’t deserved to die, especially not for helping her.
Red ignored the medical staff members bustling around her and picked up her pace. She made a left and headed to the end of the wing. A huge sign hung over the double doors of the elder care center demarcating the entrance ahead.
She pushed them open and stepped onto the path. The building was right where the nurses said it would be. Red walked into the elder care center. The smell of urine and antiseptic cleanser burned her nose and eyes. She could almost taste the ammonia.
Red choked and swallowed rapidly as her stomach pitched. How could anyone stand to be in this place?
Her gaze darted, taking in the elderly patients in their rooms and the ones gathered in a large common area. Their sad, downtrodden expressions told her without words that they were very well aware of the conditions they found themselves in.
Sadness welled within Red as she imagined the three women who’d visited their grandmothers here. How could anyone take away the one bright moment in their lives? She continued on until she reached the nurse’s station.
A woman twice as wide as she was tall stared into a vidscreen giggling. She didn’t bother to look up as Red approached. “May I help you?” she asked, watching the entertainment with rapt attention.
Red stood in front of her but didn’t say a word. She placed her hands on the waist high counter and began to drum her fingers.
After a few minutes, the woman glanced at her hand and then arched a disapproving brow. “I asked if you needed any help,” the woman repeated. “There’s no need to be rude.”
Red blinked. How could this woman think she was being rude, when she’d barely acknowledged her presence? She resisted the urge to reach over the counter and shake her until her teeth rattled in her head. “I didn’t want to interrupt,” Red explained.
The woman scowled.
“Have you seen Dr. Hunter today?”
The woman’s expression changed to dreamy delight before she answered. “No, he was so distraught over losing Jesse Lindley that he took a personal day. Poor man blames himself for her death. Can you believe that?”
Yeah, I can, Red thought.
“It’s too bad he’s not here though, since he always gives the ladies something to look at besides these white walls. Even a little thing like you would find him attractive.”
Red ignored the woman’s dig. “How well do you know him?”
The woman grinned and winked. “Not as well as I’d like. He’s a serious piece of man flesh.”
“Yeah, even I would find him attractive, I get it. Do you mind if I ask you a few more questions?” Red asked.
The woman shrugged. “Sure, my show is over anyway. You have,” she glanced at her watch, “five minutes before I begin my rounds.”
“It won’t take long,” Red noted her stain-covered uniform. “Do you know Renee Forrester?”
“Yes, lovely woman. She comes in for a visit every week and spends about two hours with her grandmother, Maureen.” The woman frowned. “Strange, I haven’t seen her for a while.”
And she wouldn’t ever again, Red thought in disgust.
“Do you mind if I have a word with Maureen?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You better not upset her,” she warned.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Red wasn’t about to tell the elderly woman that her granddaughter was dead. She’d leave that to the sheriff’s office. It was cowardly, but she just couldn’t bring herself to break the woman’s heart.
What about Morgan’s heart? A little voice in her head whispered.
With him, Red had no choice. A killer was on the loose and she wouldn’t allow anyone else to get hurt if she could stop him. If she was right, Morgan would probably never forgive her. The only thing that kept Red going was the realization that he would do the exact same thing.
She followed the nurse down the urine-saturated hallways to room 112. Maureen Forrester sat in a rocker next to the window, knitting what looked to be a scarf. Gold-trimmed glasses rested upon her classic nose, while silver ringlets haloed her small head. She glanced up from her task when they entered the room.
“Oh dear, for a moment I thought you were Renee.” She glanced at Red, her disappointment clear.
Red’s chest squeezed until she could barely breathe. “Sorry, not today.”
“Gladys, aren’t you going to introduce us?” Maureen stared at the nurse expectantly.
The woman turned crimson, when she realized she hadn’t bothered to catch her name. Red let her squirm for a few seconds, then stepped forward and clasped Maureen’s weathered hand.
“My name is Gina Santiago. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Forrester. That’s a lovely scarf you’re making.”
Maureen beamed. “It’s a surprise for Renee. Are you a friend of hers?” she asked.
Red glanced at their pressed palms and slowly released the woman. “No, ma’am. I can’t say that I had the pleasure.”
The woman frowned and looked at Gladys.
“I guess I’ll leave you two.” The nurse beat a hasty retreat.
Red watched her go, then turned back to Maureen. “Do you mind if I take a seat?”
Raphael circled wide, keeping himself down wind. He didn’t want the person to know he was there, until he got a good look at them. His heart sped as he rounded a dune. Sand sifted under his feet as he scanned the area.
For a moment, Raphael saw nothing in the darkness but the endless desert. He was about to return to town, when a slight glint of movement caught his eye. Someone was crouching behind the dune closest to the sheriff’s back windows.
Raphael glanced at the house and saw Gina Santiago hunched over a compunit at a desk. Morgan wandered in and out of the kitchen, carrying platters of food. From this distance, they appeared to be the epitome of domestic bliss. Raphael would’ve smiled at that thought, if warnings weren’t going off in his head.
He looked back at the huddled figure. The outline of a weapon rose from the shadows. Raphael moved without formulating any kind of plan.
Morgan’s windows were reinforced, but there were some weapons designed to penetrate walls. He didn’t know who the target of this assassin was, but he knew he had to stop him.
The person took aim.
Raphael stepped out of the darkness. This close, he could tell it was man, but he couldn’t see his face. The scent was over-powering now, nearly choking him with emotion.
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” he said.
The man swung around, his eyes wide with fright. The pistol came with him, until it was aimed at Raphael’s chest.
“It can’t be,” the man gasped. “You’re dead.”
Raphael took a step closer unable to believe his eyes. “Michael?”
“Raph?”
He couldn’t seem to breathe, to think. His eyes had to be playing tricks. Somehow loneliness had conjured the image of his brother. His dead brother. Raphael took a step back as emotion overwhelmed him.
“Are you a ghost?” Michael asked.
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Raphael replied, fighting back the hysteria threatening his mind.
Convinced he was speaking to the dead, Mike rose from his crouched position. “But how? You died in the explosion.” He blinked repeatedly, trying to disperse the years of unshed tears.
He replayed the last moments before hell rained down upon them in the lab. Raphael’s cell had been the closest to the explosion. He’d seen the blast detonate before being tossed in a hole.
As if reading his thoughts, Raphael answered. “When the explosion hit, the wall to my cell crumbled. The blast sent me flying through the woods. I took shelter until the last of the troops left, then searched for you.”
“But you didn’t find me.”
Raphael shook his head. “No, I found this.” He pulled the chain from around his neck. A slightly melted gold ring with a ruby at its center dangled from the end of it. “When I did, I knew you were dead.”
Mike recognized the ring instantly as the one his mother had given him. He couldn’t seem to swallow past the lump in his throat. “They buried me alive. It took me days to dig myself out. I couldn’t call for help. I didn’t dare. The only reason I survived was because I was able to draw air with the little power I had left.”
All the anger and years of despair poured over him in violent torrents. He shook and the earth around him began to part.
Raphael barely acknowledged the tremor.
“All the years of pain, all the grieving, it was for nothing. You’ve been alive this whole time.”
“You make it sound like I betrayed you.” Raphael handed him the ring.
Mike slipped it on his finger. “Not betrayed. Abandoned.”
“Never.” Raphael sighed. “I cannot return the lost years to either of us, but the sorrow can end now that we’ve found each other.”
Mike shook his head and the air around them thickened from the movement. “You don’t understand. We can’t go back. I can’t go back.”
Raphael stepped forward and clutched his arms. “No one is asking you to.”
He let out a strangled cry. “You don’t know what I’ve done. What I’ve become.”
Raphael glanced at the weapon in his hand and then at the house beyond. “Your past doesn’t matter. If you are looking for someone to play judge, you will not find him in me. We have both done things in order to survive. Things, I for one, am not particularly proud of.”
Mike’s shoulders shook uncontrollably.
Raphael pulled him into his arms. “You are not alone. Not anymore.”
He sobbed.
Raphael squeezed him tighter.
When he could cry no more, Mike stepped out of his brother’s embrace. He glanced at the house, staring at the occupants inside.
Raphael followed his gaze. “What’s brought you to Nuria?”
Mike pointed to the window. “I’m here to kill her.”
31
Red stared at the green screen of the compunit on the desk until her eyes blurred. She’d grabbed an unoccupied desk at the sheriff’s office and had been working for hours with no luck in finding a connection between the three women.
She couldn’t seem to get Jesse Lindley’s horrified expression out of her mind. Jim had tried to warn her when she arrived at the dissecting lab, but nothing could’ve prepared Red for seeing the older woman. Whatever had happened to Jesse in the moments before her death was permanently carved into her face.
Her eyes filled with tears. Red quickly wiped them away before anyone noticed. Morgan had been in and out of the office all day, taking care to check on her each time. His concern only made the situation worse.
Red glanced at the screen once again, scanning medical backgrounds and employment records. None of the women worked in or near the emergency care center. They all had different hobbies, which kept them miles apart. Lisa Solomon didn’t even live in Nuria. She had to be missing something.
She dug deeper, scanning their immediate family. Nothing leapt out. She was about to turn off the machine, when her gaze landed on a mention of the elder care center. Lisa Solomon’s grandmother had lived there before she died. She checked the date. It was a long shot, but Red was sure she’d seen something about the center in Moira’s file, too.
She toggled to another screen and scanned the information. It only took a minute to find what she was looking for but when she did, Red gasped.
Two out of the three women could be linked to the elder care facility. That only left Renee Forrester. If she had a relative associated with the center, then Red had finally found a connection.
With trembling fingers, she clicked on the file. Renee’s life had been condensed to fit on one screen. Red scanned the page but nothing stood out. She looked again and her breath caught.
Like Moira, Renee Forrester had a grandmother currently living at the facility. Suddenly, something about the women’s deaths jarred Red’s memory.
Her fingers flew over the keys to bring up the files that held the images of two of the victims. One’s eyes were missing, while the other’s ears were gone. What was that story her grandfather used to tell her when she was little about a girl?
Red coat? Red cape? Red something...
She tried to recall the story. Red knew the tale involved grandmothers somehow. Wasn’t there a wolf in that story? It was a leap. A massive leap. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.
Why would Kane follow a children’s story?
She was tired and grasping at wisps of smoke. Her mind was grappling for anything that would tie the murders together. Red woke Rita.
“Take a reminder,” she said.
“What is it you’d like to remember?”
“I need to look up a story about a wolf that terrorized a girl dressed in red.”
There was a pause.
Red glanced at her navcom and frowned. “Rita, did you get that?”
“I received the message, but it does not compute. Wolves have not existed in this area for over seventy years.”
Red chewed on her bottom lip. Hadn’t Nancy told her that she’d spotted wolves? She’d said it had been a while, since she’d last seen them but that was certainly less than seventy years ago.
Nancy didn’t look a day over thirty. And the crime-scene techs had detected a canine presence, though they hadn’t been able to identify the species with any certainty.
“I’m not referring to a real wolf.”
“Affirmative, then your message has been saved. I’m processing now.”
“Thank you.”
The connection crackled. “You’re welcome. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”
“No. Just let me know what you find.”
“Affirmative,” the nasal voice said, then added, “Commander Santiago has been trying to reach you on your private line. Should I contact him now?”
Red’s stomach fluttered. “No, not yet. I’ll do it later. You can power down.” She’d purposely avoided contacting her grandfather because Red didn’t want him to worry. She also wasn’t sure how to begin to explain her extended visit to Nuria. If he found out about the attack, he’d send in an entire army of tactical team members and the killer might slip away.
She put her head down on the desk. How had she gotten herself into this mess?
“You okay?” Morgan touched her shoulder.
Red had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn’t heard him approach. “I’m fine. Just tired.”
“Why don’t you rest in my office? I can work out here.”
She stood and stretched her arms over her head. “I think I just need some fresh air to clear my head. I’ve been staring at the compunit for hours.”
What Red really needed was to get to the elder care center to confirm her suspicions. She had no intention of confronting Kane. If he was behind the murders, then he was far more dangerous than she’d ever imagined. He’d killed at least three women, possibly four, if Jesse’s death turned out to be anything but natural.
Morgan watched her, his amber eyes filled with concern. “I know you’re feeling better, but you are still not at one hundred percent. Until you are, I’d appreciate it if you’d take it easy.”
Red smiled. She couldn’t do otherwise. He’d been hovering over her, ever since they’d slept together. If she were being perfectly honest, he’d started beforehand and it had only gotten worse.
She had never had anyone other than her grandfather show this much concern about her well-being. She’d be a liar if she didn’t admit that it affected her deeply.
“I swear I won’t do anything overly strenuous.” She met his gaze. “I promise I’ll be back before you can miss me.”
“Doubt it.” Morgan hesitated. He looked as if he might protest but suddenly thought better of it.
Red wanted to reach out and hug him for trying so hard not to push her right now. He hadn’t asked for anything other than what they’d shared, but she could see the fire banked in his eyes. Morgan may not admit it, but he wanted more. And Red was beginning to think that she did, too.
The emergency care center was bustling. Red kept an eye out for Kane but hadn’t spotted him yet. She strode toward the nurse’s station. Two unfamiliar faces stood behind the low counter, but they both greeted her with a smile.
“May we help you?” they asked in unison.
“Is Dr. Hunter here?”
The nurse with the blonde hair turned to the brunette for assistance. “I haven’t seen him, but that doesn’t mean anything. Would you like me to page him?”
“No, thank you. Could you direct me to the elder care center?” Red asked, addressing the brunette.
“Just head straight down the hall and make a left. You’ll see a set of double doors at the end of the ward. Pass through them and walk down the path for a hundred yards. The elder care center will be right in front of you.”
“Thanks!” Red strolled down the hall, keeping her eyes peeled for Kane.
Doctors and nurses passed her. She received several curious glances. A few paused to sniff the air as she went by. While others nodded in her direction, showing a strange deference.
Red glanced down at the front of her clothes. Nothing appeared to be out of place. She gave her armpits a quick sniff, but her deodorant appeared to be working. Maybe they recognized her from her visits to Jesse.
She had to admit that a lot of them didn’t look familiar. Small towns were rife with rumors and gossip. Maybe they were staring at her because they’d heard about the attack. Surely they hadn’t heard about her and Morgan already.
Two nurses passed her and broke into giggles, confirming her suspicions. Red blushed. Mortified.
The gossips could go hang. Rumors couldn’t kill you. She shrugged off her embarrassment. No one would make her feel ashamed about what she’d done with Morgan. The only important thing was to find out the truth for Jesse Lindley. She hadn’t deserved to die, especially not for helping her.
Red ignored the medical staff members bustling around her and picked up her pace. She made a left and headed to the end of the wing. A huge sign hung over the double doors of the elder care center demarcating the entrance ahead.
She pushed them open and stepped onto the path. The building was right where the nurses said it would be. Red walked into the elder care center. The smell of urine and antiseptic cleanser burned her nose and eyes. She could almost taste the ammonia.
Red choked and swallowed rapidly as her stomach pitched. How could anyone stand to be in this place?
Her gaze darted, taking in the elderly patients in their rooms and the ones gathered in a large common area. Their sad, downtrodden expressions told her without words that they were very well aware of the conditions they found themselves in.
Sadness welled within Red as she imagined the three women who’d visited their grandmothers here. How could anyone take away the one bright moment in their lives? She continued on until she reached the nurse’s station.
A woman twice as wide as she was tall stared into a vidscreen giggling. She didn’t bother to look up as Red approached. “May I help you?” she asked, watching the entertainment with rapt attention.
Red stood in front of her but didn’t say a word. She placed her hands on the waist high counter and began to drum her fingers.
After a few minutes, the woman glanced at her hand and then arched a disapproving brow. “I asked if you needed any help,” the woman repeated. “There’s no need to be rude.”
Red blinked. How could this woman think she was being rude, when she’d barely acknowledged her presence? She resisted the urge to reach over the counter and shake her until her teeth rattled in her head. “I didn’t want to interrupt,” Red explained.
The woman scowled.
“Have you seen Dr. Hunter today?”
The woman’s expression changed to dreamy delight before she answered. “No, he was so distraught over losing Jesse Lindley that he took a personal day. Poor man blames himself for her death. Can you believe that?”
Yeah, I can, Red thought.
“It’s too bad he’s not here though, since he always gives the ladies something to look at besides these white walls. Even a little thing like you would find him attractive.”
Red ignored the woman’s dig. “How well do you know him?”
The woman grinned and winked. “Not as well as I’d like. He’s a serious piece of man flesh.”
“Yeah, even I would find him attractive, I get it. Do you mind if I ask you a few more questions?” Red asked.
The woman shrugged. “Sure, my show is over anyway. You have,” she glanced at her watch, “five minutes before I begin my rounds.”
“It won’t take long,” Red noted her stain-covered uniform. “Do you know Renee Forrester?”
“Yes, lovely woman. She comes in for a visit every week and spends about two hours with her grandmother, Maureen.” The woman frowned. “Strange, I haven’t seen her for a while.”
And she wouldn’t ever again, Red thought in disgust.
“Do you mind if I have a word with Maureen?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You better not upset her,” she warned.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Red wasn’t about to tell the elderly woman that her granddaughter was dead. She’d leave that to the sheriff’s office. It was cowardly, but she just couldn’t bring herself to break the woman’s heart.
What about Morgan’s heart? A little voice in her head whispered.
With him, Red had no choice. A killer was on the loose and she wouldn’t allow anyone else to get hurt if she could stop him. If she was right, Morgan would probably never forgive her. The only thing that kept Red going was the realization that he would do the exact same thing.
She followed the nurse down the urine-saturated hallways to room 112. Maureen Forrester sat in a rocker next to the window, knitting what looked to be a scarf. Gold-trimmed glasses rested upon her classic nose, while silver ringlets haloed her small head. She glanced up from her task when they entered the room.
“Oh dear, for a moment I thought you were Renee.” She glanced at Red, her disappointment clear.
Red’s chest squeezed until she could barely breathe. “Sorry, not today.”
“Gladys, aren’t you going to introduce us?” Maureen stared at the nurse expectantly.
The woman turned crimson, when she realized she hadn’t bothered to catch her name. Red let her squirm for a few seconds, then stepped forward and clasped Maureen’s weathered hand.
“My name is Gina Santiago. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Forrester. That’s a lovely scarf you’re making.”
Maureen beamed. “It’s a surprise for Renee. Are you a friend of hers?” she asked.
Red glanced at their pressed palms and slowly released the woman. “No, ma’am. I can’t say that I had the pleasure.”
The woman frowned and looked at Gladys.
“I guess I’ll leave you two.” The nurse beat a hasty retreat.
Red watched her go, then turned back to Maureen. “Do you mind if I take a seat?”
