by L. T. Ryan
“I can’t blame them,” Bear said. “But I can’t agree with them either.”
“I know.”
“And I’m not one to back down from a fight.”
“I know.” She sounded sad this time. “Your meal’s on the house. Finish up. Maybe when this is over, we’ll see you again.”
Bear nodded his thanks. He finished every bite of his meal. After throwing a wad of bills on the table, he walked through the diner and gave the room a wave before exiting and getting into his truck.
At this point, it was the only place in town where he was welcome.
32
Bear beat the bus home by twenty minutes. Enough time for him to grab his gloves and start working on the front garden. It felt like months had passed since Mandy had come bounding up the driveway, a smile on her face. Just an hour before he found Katie’s body.
Right before everything went downhill.
He drove those thoughts out of his mind. Today was cooler than it had been in weeks, and for once, he didn’t have rivers of sweat rolling down his back. Manual labor felt good. His muscles pushed and pulled. Every time he reached his limit, he felt stronger. Gardening wasn’t as flashy as a weight rack, but it kept him loose.
The squeal of brakes told him it was just past three o’clock in the afternoon. He smacked the dirt from his gloves and wiped the sweat from his brow. Mandy stomped down the school bus steps and up their driveway. He raised a hand in greeting, like he had just a few days ago, but there was no laughter or rolling of her eyes or even use of her new favorite word, lame.
Mandy marched right by him, through the front door. She slammed it shut behind her.
Bear had dealt with plenty of Mandy’s tantrums over the years, but this had teenager written all over it. Despite his bad day, he had no problem shrugging off dirty looks and ill tempers. But Mandy was still sensitive, as much as she didn’t want to admit it to him. And he wondered what happened at school to elicit this behavior.
He gave her a solid five minutes to cool down before he went inside. He washed up, then climbed the stairs to her bedroom. The door was shut halfway. He knocked before pushing it open. Mandy was grabbing clothes out of her dresser and shoving them into a duffel bag.
“Whoa, whoa.” Bear stepped into the room. “What’s going on here?”
“You were right.” Mandy was full of emotion. “We should leave. Is there any point in staying here?”
“What happened?”
“What do you mean, what happened? Haven’t you been paying attention?” Her voice was sharp, but there was pain, not anger, behind it. “You found a dead body. Laura Lynn is sick. Everything is falling apart. Everyone hates me.”
“Everyone doesn’t hate you.”
“Yes, they do.”
Bear walked up to her and gently took a shirt out of her hands and set it on the bed. Tears streamed down her face. “I don’t hate you. So, technically, everyone doesn’t hate you.”
Mandy shook her head. “You don’t count.”
He put a hand over his heart. “That hurts.”
She tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge. “You know what I mean.”
Bear tilted her face so she’d look at him and see how much he wanted to help. “Who hates you?”
“Everyone.” Her voice was quiet. “Marcus.”
Bear tried to control the ripple of anger that coursed through him. The kid was only fourteen years old, but Bear swore to God, if that pipsqueak hurt her, there’d be hell to pay. “What happened?”
“It’s not important.”
“It’s important to me.”
“Why can’t we just leave?”
“For the same reason you told me we couldn’t. There are a lot of people in this town affected by what’s going on, not the least of which are a bunch of kids.” He softened his voice. “Including Laura Lynn.”
Mandy huffed and collapsed onto her bed in a heap. She buried her face in her pillows. Bear still caught what she said. “This isn’t fair.”
“Are you going to tell me what happened?”
Mandy rolled over onto her back and stared straight up at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact. Her words came out in a rush. “Everyone was talking behind my back today, and normally I don’t care because, whatever. But Laura Lynn isn’t there, and it’s harder to ignore them. And I didn’t see Marcus all day until lunch, and he didn’t sit with me, and when I went over to his table, he was mean.” She blinked away some tears. “He was looking at his phone and said he didn’t want to be friends with me anymore because of something I posted on Instagram.”
“You don’t even have an Instagram.” Bear froze. “Do you?”
“No!” She threw her arms up in the air and let them crash back down again. “I had to make one just to see what he was talking about. Someone was pretending to post as me, saying awful things about people in my grade. They said Laura Lynn deserves to die, and they said Marcus liked me and he was pathetic and that I was using him to pass math class.”
“I can see why he was upset.” Bear placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Kids can be mean. But there must be a way—” A banging from downstairs interrupted them. It was a knock on the door, but it made Bear’s heart race all the same. “Stay here.”
He made his way down the stairs and positioned himself along the wall so he could peer through the blinds and see who was on the other side of the door. The knocking came again, but this time it was less sure. The person on the other side moved a little to their right, and Bear caught sight of his face.
Bear opened the door. He towered over the kid. “What do you want?”
“Oh, hi, Mr. Logan. Um.” Marcus looked down at his shoes. “I was wondering if Mandy’s home?”
“I don’t think she wants to talk to you right now.”
He sighed. “Yeah, I kind of figured that. Could you—”
“I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
“I understand.” He stepped back, stopped, and looked Bear in the eye. “Give her a message for me?”
Bear let the silence hang in the air for a minute. He tried not to enjoy the way the kid squirmed on his doorstep. “What?”
“Can you just tell her I’m sorry I ever believed she wrote that stuff?” Marcus looked down again. “That was stupid. I should’ve known better. I should’ve, I dunno, asked her about it first instead of getting all butthurt.”
Bear opened his mouth, but Mandy beat him to it. He hadn’t even heard her come down the stairs. She was getting better at remaining invisible.
“What made you change your mind?” She squeezed past Bear. She still sounded hurt, but there was genuine interest in her voice.
“I, uh, found a way into the account.”
“Found a way, huh?” Bear chuckled. This kid was going to end up on a watch list or recruited by the government by the time he turned eighteen. Perhaps both.
“Yes, sir.” He gulped and looked beyond Bear to Mandy. “It’s Pete. He used his own email address to make the account. He was the one who posted all that stuff.”
“Didn’t really take a genius to figure that out,” Mandy said.
“Look, I’m sorry. It’s just—” Marcus’ gaze flickered to Bear and back to Mandy. He didn’t want to say whatever it was in front of her dad, but Bear wasn’t going anywhere. Let the kid suffer a little longer for making his daughter cry. “It hurt my feelings, okay? I really thought we were friends. Like real friends. And then I read that—”
“We are friends.” Mandy took a step forward, pushing Bear a little to the side. “I would never say that about you.”
Marcus smiled, and Mandy returned the gesture, even if she still had a few tears in her eyes. “Do you maybe want to hang out?” The boy’s eyes darted to Bear and back. “I did kind of ride my bike here, though. My mom thinks I stayed late after school.”
A buzzing in Bear’s pocket caught his attention. He pulled his phone out. McKinnon. “You.” He pointed to Marcus. “Come inside
and sit on the couch. Call your mother. She needs to know where you are.” He aimed his finger at Mandy. “You. Make a snack or something. Stay out of trouble. And no eavesdropping.”
Mandy scowled, but when Bear raised his eyebrows at her, she scampered off into the kitchen. Then he put the phone to his ear, narrowly missing the call altogether. “What’s up? Any news?”
There was a cough and a wheeze on the other line. “Something’s wrong.”
“McKinnon?” Bear didn’t bother keeping the panic out of his voice. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel good.” Another cough. Something brushed against the phone. When the sheriff spoke again, her voice was muffled, like she’d dropped her cell and couldn’t reach it. “I need help.”
33
Bear made it out the door in under sixty seconds. He shoved Marcus’ bike in the back of his truck while the kids climbed in. The boy’s mother had made it clear she wasn’t comfortable with Mandy hanging out at their house anymore. According to Marcus, she wouldn’t be home for another couple hours. It’d be a surprise for the woman. Bear had instructed Marcus to tell her they didn’t have any other choice.
Mandy wanted to come along to McKinnon’s. Bear refused to allow her. He didn’t know what he was walking into. She’d said she didn’t feel good. He presumed that meant she was sick and not injured. Considering they had a poison epidemic on their hands, he had an idea of what was happening. Her symptoms had come on at once, though. Not gradually like Laura Lynn’s. That meant it was something different. Potentially deadlier.
Bear came to a screeching halt outside Marcus’ house, not even bothering to turn into the driveway. He twisted around in his seat and looked Mandy in the eye. “Grab the bike, go inside, lock every door and window. If anyone other than me or his mother comes to that door, you don’t answer it. I don’t care if it’s a cop or a neighbor or his favorite uncle, you hear me?”
Mandy nodded and said, “Yes, sir.”
“Good. If someone breaks in, what do you do?”
“Run or hide.”
He turned to Marcus. “If anything happens, stick with Mandy. Listen to her. She’ll protect you.”
If this teenage boy had any qualms about a girl protecting him, he didn’t show it. He just nodded his head, tears in his eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Not sure yet. But I’m gonna figure it out.” Bear turned back to Mandy. “I’ll send you a text once I know what’s going on with the sheriff, okay? Check in with me in an hour.”
“I love you.” Mandy’s voice cracked. “Be careful.”
“I love you, too,” Bear said. “Always am.”
He waited for them to grab the bike and shut the door behind them before he took off down the road, tires squealing. It was drizzling now. The dark sky cast the world around him into shadow. Bear operated on autopilot while his brain worked through various scenarios. He had to be prepared for anything. Luckily, he had tossed his Glock in the glove compartment as soon as he got his truck back from the car dealership.
The sheriff lived a couple minutes outside town. Bear made it in less than ten. He pulled into the driveway and skidded to a stop behind the sheriff’s cruiser. The front of the house looked normal. The door was closed, the blinds open. He grabbed his gun anyway.
Bear dropped from the truck and left the door open. He allowed himself five full seconds to stop and listen. The only sounds he heard were the distant passing cars and chirping birds. He approached the house. Leaned his ear close to the door. All he heard was silence.
Bear tested the doorknob. Unlocked. He swung the door wide and pressed his back to it as he turned to clear the room.
As he climbed the stairs, he thought he heard a soft moan. Bear quickened his pace. Kept his feet light. At the landing, he headed left and cleared each room. Nothing. Another groan, this time louder and more drawn out. Bear stalked down the hallway in the other direction.
In the first room he came to, Bear saw McKinnon on the floor next to her bed. Her cell phone was inches away from her outstretched hand.
Bear moved on. It killed him, but he had to clear the other rooms. A spare bedroom. A bathroom. A closet. He had to be sure they were alone and that no one would jump him.
After inspecting the final room, Bear sprinted back to McKinnon’s side. He knelt beside her and checked her pulse. She stirred but didn’t open her eyes. He felt the blood pumping through her veins. Her heartbeat was erratic and slow. Her breathing was shallow.
“McKinnon?” Bear peeled one of her eyes open. “Josie? Can you hear me?”
Another soft moan escaped her mouth, but otherwise, she didn’t move. Her eyes were unresponsive, like she saw right through him. Bear ran his hands down her arms and legs and neck, feeling for any breaks or injuries. He detected none. His worry deepened. How did they get to her? Out of everyone, she was the hardest to target.
Those questions would have to wait. Bear snatched her cell phone, then stuck one arm under her neck and one under her legs. He groaned as he lifted her. Her slender body was dense with muscle. By the time he reached the truck, Bear was out of breath. He had to remind himself he was still recovering from surgery.
Bear placed the sheriff in the passenger seat and buckled her in. When her head rolled to the side, he lowered the back of the seat until she was almost flat. He had no way of telling if she was comfortable. He’d need to drive slowly and take the corners easily.
After slamming the door shut, Bear sprinted back to the house. Part of him wanted to go upstairs and see if he could find anything. A pill. A needle. A weapon. Anything that might be out of place. But time was of the essence.
He closed and locked the front door. Ran back to the truck and hopped in. The sheriff stirred. Bear threw the truck in reverse and headed back the way he had come. The hospital was ten minutes away.
Bear pulled up the number on his way. Someone answered after a half a dozen rings. He didn’t bother hearing what the woman on the other line had to say. “I’ll be arriving in about ten minutes. I’ve got Sheriff McKinnon with me. She’s sick.”
“Injured?” The woman’s voice was sharper now. “How?”
“Not injured. Sick. I don’t know how.”
“Sir, call 911. She needs an ambulance.”
“I’m already on my way,” he roared. “She might’ve been poisoned. Her pulse is erratic. She’s having trouble breathing. She’s unconscious, but moving and groaning occasionally, like she’s in pain.”
“Did she take anything?” The woman asked, sounding like she wasn’t sure what he expected from her. “Eat anything?”
“I don’t know. Didn’t see anything around her in her bedroom. She called me twenty minutes ago, and then I assume she collapsed.”
“I’ll prep a room. What’s your ETA?”
Bear looked at the clock again. “Eight minutes. Maybe less.” It’s not like he was abiding by the rules of the road. He saw a light turn yellow up ahead and slammed down on the gas. “Definitely less.”
“Keep her talking. See if she can give you any information.”
Bear put the phone on speaker and then stuck it in his cupholder. He placed a hand on the Sheriff’s shoulder and jostled her slightly. “Josie? Can you wake up? I need you to talk to me.”
She groaned again. Her eyes fluttered, then closed. Her mouth opened like she was gasping for air.
“She can’t breathe. I’m two minutes away.”
“Bring her in through the back entrance. It’s closer.”
That’s all Bear needed to hear. He pulled into the parking lot, swung around, and parked at the rear entrance. A couple of cars honked at him. Bear ignored them. He put his truck in park and jumped out without cutting the engine.
McKinnon groaned again as he hoisted her into his arms. She looked pale. Sweat gathered on her brow.
“Hang tight,” he said. “Almost there.”
They were halfway to the entrance. A pair of nurses burst out of the sliding doors, pushing a gurney.
Bear didn’t ask questions. He placed McKinnon on the bed.
Bear made it to the first set of double doors before one of the nurses detached herself from the group and held up a hand. “You can’t go back there.” She sounded like the woman on the phone. “Wait here. We’ll give you any updates as we can.”
“I want to stay with her.”
“You can’t.” Her tone made it final. “Either stay here or give me your number. I’ll keep you informed.”
He thought about pushing past the nurse and through the doors. That would bring more attention to his situation. And he had enough problems already.
34
Bear tried sitting in the waiting room, but that lasted all of five minutes before he stood up and started pacing. The nurses gave him a wide berth. Someone awaiting news about a loved one was common in their world.
He sat down again, bouncing his leg to expel the energy coursing through his body. He felt like he could fight an entire army. Part of him thought that was a good idea. He could always go knocking on HealTek’s door if he wanted some trouble. He doubted McKinnon would approve, though.
Although Bear hadn’t known the woman for very long, he’d come to respect her. She was a kind, caring person who helped people. He’d run into enough corrupt cops and officials over the years. They were easy to spot. McKinnon was as advertised. His time here could’ve been far worse without her.
The elevator opened with a ding. Bear craned his neck in search of a momentary distraction. He found something much better. Laura Lynn’s father stepped into the waiting room. He looked pale and haggard. The girl was upstairs fighting for her life. Bear couldn’t feel bad for the guy. He was hiding something.
He was on his feet before his brain told him don’t do it. Weinberger was distracted, trying to pull his car keys out of his pocket. He stumbled through the sliding doors as though he hadn’t slept in a week. Bear followed. He waited for the man to get close enough to reach for the handle of his car before spinning him around and pinning him against the door. Weinberger grunted. Then his eyes went wide with recognition.
