Rescue My Heart

by Lorana Hoopes

  Cara resisted the urge to rake her hand through her hair. She had been hoping they would be able to contain the outbreak here, but it appeared they were too late. “How about a last name?” If she had that, at least she could get Jordan involved. Maybe he could look the family up. She knew he was more familiar with the area than she was.

  Edith pursed her lips, sending more wrinkles out from her mouth and across her forehead. “Um, I think it’s Robertson. I remember it was like Robertson because that’s my son-in-law’s last name, but it wasn’t exact.”

  “No, I’m pretty sure it’s Peterson,” another woman spoke up. This one had flaming red hair that screamed it came from a bottle and not the good Lord.

  “I thought it was Richardson,” Martha spoke up. “Isn’t the mother’s name Dotty?”

  “No, Darla.”

  Cara wondered how these women got anything done. It appeared none of them had a great memory, and they were now bickering like hens in a yard. She held up her hands. “Ladies, it’s fine. Those names are helpful. I have a friend in the police department, and he can look them up. I’m sure he’ll find Robbie. Now if you can please come to the hospital with Cole and me. It really is important that we get you tested.”

  Her words were like a bucket of water on a flame. The women immediately hushed, and the tone grew somber. Cara bit back a sigh. This was not her strong suit at all.

  “Ladies, get your keys. We have work to do,” Martha said, coming to her rescue.

  As the other women buzzed around, grabbing their purses and other things, Cara stepped closer to Martha. “Thank you.”

  Martha nodded. “I know you’re just trying to do your job. They’re all a little rattled right now, but they’re good women.”

  Cara placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I know they are. Do you know where the watering can is?”

  A blank look covered Martha’s face for a moment before she perked up and motioned Cara to follow her to the back of the kitchen. There, on a small table near the back door, sat the offensive item. Cara looked around for something to pick it up with. She wasn’t afraid of contamination from the can, but she didn’t want to smear any fingerprints or add her own.

  “Here.”

  She turned to find Cole holding out a medical glove to her. The corners of her lips pulled up slightly. “You always carry one of those around with you?” This man was full of surprises.

  He shrugged. “I was a Royal Ranger growing up. Always gotta be prepared.”

  Cara had never heard of the Royal Rangers, but she assumed they were akin to boy scouts or the like. She took the glove and offered a small smile. “Thank you. Guess I could learn a few lessons from you.”

  “I’d be happy to teach you anything I can.”

  He’d appeared to say the words without thinking, but something crackled in the air between them as their gazes locked. A warmth that Cara hadn’t felt in a long time sprouted in her heart.

  “If you two are ready,” Martha said, interrupting the moment, “we are too.”

  “Yes, of course.” Cara shook her head to clear it, grabbed the can, and led the way to the parking lot. What had she been thinking? She was in the middle of what could turn into an outbreak. She had no time to be developing feelings for the man who had initially come to arrest her. So why couldn’t she get him out of her mind?

  14

  Cole

  “Do you think you could find your way back to the hospital?” Cara asked as they approached her car.

  Cole blinked at her. “Are you leaving me here?”

  “What? No,” Cara shook her head, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips, “I need to call Jordan, so I was offering to let you drive. Talking while driving is frowned upon.” She wiggled her cell phone as if to emphasize her point.

  Despite the heavy situation around them, Cole couldn’t help but smile back at the feisty woman. She was quickly earning a place in his heart with her confident words and straightforward attitude. That was certainly refreshing after the last relationship he had been in. Not that this was a relationship…

  “Yes, I can find my way back to the hospital.” He needed to keep his rambling thoughts in check or he might find himself distracted from his real duty. Finding Sergeant Steele’s killer.

  “Great.” She clicked the button to unlock the car and then tossed him the keys. Before he could say another word, she had her phone pressed to her ear. “Jordan? It’s Cara. I need a favor.”

  Cole tried not to be jealous as he listened to Cara’s conversation with Jordan. He didn’t know if they were together, and he certainly had no claim on her, but he found himself hoping they were just friends.

  “So, how long have you known Jordan?” Hoping his tone sounded nonchalant, he tossed the question at Cara as she placed her cell back in her pocket. He could feel her gaze turn to him, but he kept his eyes focused on the road.

  “A few years. I met him once briefly when I was active in the military. He always spoke so highly of Fire Beach that when I had to come up with a cover, I suggested something here.”

  “And do you still like it here?” Cole hoped her answer would give him some sort of clue as to her relationship status.

  “I do. The people are amazing, and the beach is pretty nice too.”

  “Do you go there often?” How could he phrase his words so that he could get his answer without her knowing what he was attempting? From the corner of his eye, he saw her shake her head.

  “Not as often as I’d like to. Work at the bed and breakfast keeps me busy, and it seems lately as if someone is always asking me to help them out. A few months ago, Jordan asked me to protect this woman Tia who had lost her memory, and just recently Tia asked me to shelter a woman who was running from an abusive boyfriend. Actually, she was our hostess at the restaurant the other day. I shouldn’t complain though. They’ve all become great friends.”

  Friends. That was certainly something Cole didn’t have enough of. At least not enough close ones. His lonely life was just one of many reasons he was considering a career change.

  “I just hope I haven’t put them all in danger,” Cara continued.

  He chanced a single glance at her. “We’ll do everything we can. Did Jordan know the boy?”

  “No, but he was going to ask around the department. Hopefully somebody will recognize the names.” She sighed as she turned her face away from him and out the passenger window.

  When they reached the hospital, Cole and Cara waited until all the women were out of their cars as well before leading them into the large building.

  Nick met them at the receptionist desk. It appeared Jordan had called ahead warning him of incoming patients.

  “All of these women were exposed?” Nick’s eyes roamed from one woman to the next.

  “We’re not sure. They were all working in the garden where the other patient was spotted. I also brought his watering can. Is there a lab where I can run tests on it? That will help us determine if they were exposed as well.”

  Nick blinked at her, his words coming out in a stammer. “Uh, yeah.” Turning to the nurse at the desk, he began issuing orders to get the women taken care of. “I’ll show you to the lab really quick, but then I have to get back. This creates a larger need for isolation than we’ve ever needed before.”

  “Of course.” Cara nodded and she and Cole followed Nick down to the laboratory section of the hospital.

  After a quick introduction with the technician on duty, Nick excused himself to return to the women. Cara quickly began gathering items from around the lab. Though Cole was enjoying watching her work, he felt completely out of his element at the moment.

  “Can I do anything to help?”

  “Yeah, grab me some swabs,” Cara said without looking in his direction.

  He scanned the area, unsure of where they might be, and was saved when the technician pointed him in the right direction. Grabbing the swabs, he returned to Cara’s side and watched as she set up the equipm
ent she would need.

  When she was satisfied that she had everything organized, she grabbed the swabs from him and began wiping different parts of the can. Then the swabs were placed into another machine. Cole had no idea what any of them did, but he found the process fascinating.

  After a few more procedures he didn’t understand, Cara slipped slides under a microscope. At least this part he understood. He hadn’t enjoyed much of science in high school, but studying items under a microscope had been the one exception to that. He’d always looked forward to those days. In fact, when he was done with the assignment, he’d often grabbed random items from the floor or the room just to see what they looked like magnified.

  “Darn it.” Cara’s words were little more than a soft sigh before she pushed her chair back.

  “Can I see?” Cole hesitated to ask, not wanting to sound too eager but curious to see for himself.

  “Sure.” She scooted a little farther away so that he could lean over the microscope.

  He stepped closer, trying to ignore the heat he felt from the closeness of her body. In the microscope, he could see the spiky spheres that were signatures of most viruses. He blew out his breath in a frustrated huff. “Okay, so we know the can was contaminated.”

  “Yeah, we just don’t know what else was. Come on, we better go see if any of the women have tested positive.” She stood up and glanced toward the lab technician. “Can you leave this here until we come back?”

  “Sure.” The lab technician was too involved in her own work to have paid them much attention, and Cole doubted she would get around to moving Cara’s stuff.

  They were almost to the entrance of the lab when suddenly Cara froze. Her whole body stiffened, and her mouth dropped open as her eyes widened. For a second, Cole feared she was having some sort of reaction. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  She turned her fear-filled eyes on him. “I know who patient zero is.”

  15

  Cara

  Cara couldn’t believe she hadn’t remembered the man immediately when she’d seen him. Of course, he’d looked different than the last time she had seen him, wild eyed and ranting as security dragged him away, but there had been so few interruptions at their lab while they had been in the lab that he should have come to mind immediately.

  “So, who is he?” Cole asked.

  “His name is David Grissom. He was an intern at the lab shortly before we went undercover.” Cara paused as the past flooded into her mind.

  “What are you working on Lieutenant Hunter?”

  Cara smiled at the young intern. He’d been placed with them only a week ago, but he seemed eager to learn. The shaggy cut of his sandy brown hair added to his youthful appearance as did his doe like brown eyes though they were often hidden behind his glasses. “I’m trying to isolate parts of the virus so I can study possible vaccine options.”

  “That sounds fascinating. Have you found anything yet?”

  He pushed his glasses up his nose, and Cara couldn’t help noticing that he seemed nervous. But perhaps what she thought was nerves was really excitement.

  “Not yet,” Steve piped up from the other side of the room. “This virus is proving to be tricky.”

  David swallowed, and it seemed almost audible to Cara as she watched a droplet of sweat trickle down the side of his face. It wasn’t that warm in the room, so why was he sweating?

  “But you’re going to, right? Soon?” His voice had risen higher than his normal pitch, and Cara took a step toward him.

  “David? Are you okay?”

  He turned wild eyes on her and then took a deep breath as if realizing how crazy he sounded. “I’m fine. Of course. Just hoping we find a vaccine soon.”

  Cara glanced over at Steve and saw him moving his hand slowly under his desk. Monroe had installed panic buttons under their desks that allowed them to alert security if anyone got into the lab who wasn’t supposed to. Cara had never thought they would actually need to use the alarm, much less against one of their own. She gave him an imperceptible nod, her silent assent, before turning back to David. Perhaps if she could diffuse this, they could all laugh about it later.

  “David, what’s going on? We told you this was a long process when you first joined us.”

  He ran his hand through his hair and took another shaky breath. After a moment, he appeared to calm slightly. “I know, but I thought it would be faster. People’s lives are at stake, you know?”

  “We do know, and we are working as hard as we can.” She looked up as Security entered the lab. “David, these men are going to escort you out of here for now. I think you need a break.”

  His eyes turned wild again as the security officers stepped toward him. “What? No! I have to stay! I have to know what’s going on!”

  Cara and Steve watched with wide eyes as David continued to yell and fight the guards as they dragged him out of the room.

  “Well, that was weird,” Steve said when the silence descended again.

  “To say the least. What was that all about?” Cara couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on than what it seemed.

  “Who knows? Maybe the pressure of college got to him.” He bent back over the microscope as if that was the answer and therefore the conversation was over.

  Maybe, but Cara wasn’t so sure. She’d have to make sure Monroe knew about this.

  “And did you tell Monroe?” Cole asked when she finished recounting the story.

  “Yeah. He seemed surprised by David’s actions, but that was the last time we saw David, and the last time we had an intern. I always assumed Monroe fired him. In fact, it was shortly after that incident that Monroe informed us we had a leak and needed to separate. I need to call him and let him know. Plus, I’d like to make sure CDC knows about our situation.”

  Cole nodded. “I’ll give you some space while I check on the women.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.” Cara watched Cole disappear down the hallway before pulling out her cell phone. Questions raced through her head as she dialed Monroe’s number. Who was David really? And had he stolen their research? Had he been the one to kill Steve?

  “Cara.” Monroe’s deep voice flooded the phone after the second ring. He didn’t even bother with the normal pleasantries. “Have you found anything out?”

  “A little. There’s a man who’s taken ill here, and I’m fairly certain it’s David Grissom.”

  “Who?” The word came out a little squeakier than Cara would have expected.

  “David Grissom. You know the intern we had for about a week? I assumed you fired him after he got all weird that one day.”

  “Oh, right.” Something in his voice didn’t sit right with Cara, but she wasn’t exactly sure what it was. “You say he’s there?”

  “He is, and as he appears to be the first person sick, I’m fairly certain he was trying to poison the town though his case seems advanced. He was seen in a food garden with a watering can. The can was positive for Melioidosis.”

  “The first? How many are there?”

  Cara narrowed her eyes as her instincts prickled even further. Why did he sound more excited than concerned? “None so far, but there were several elderly ladies who were in the garden after David. They’ve just come in for testing. I was about to call the CDC and inform them of our cases unless that’s something you need to do?”

  “The CDC? Yeah, I can call them, but they generally don’t come out until there’s officially an outbreak, and with your one case, I don’t think it qualifies yet. However there is guidance you can follow posted on their website.”

  Anger flooded Cara. “What? Do they know how fast this virus can spread if it gets in the food or water supply? And how deadly it is? By the time we have an outbreak, it may be too late to do anything about it.”

  “It’s procedure, Cara, but ’ll call them now that you have a confirmed patient, and we’ll see what they say.”

  “Please. I need some help here, Monroe. Without Steve,
I’m now trying to find a vaccine all on my own along with trying to save the people of this town. Were you able to secure me any more help yet?”

  “Not yet. You just focus on the vaccine. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Cara rolled her eyes. How exactly was he going to take care of the rest from his office across the country? “Okay, Monroe, I have to go. I’m going to check on the women, but I’ll call back in later.”

  As she hung up the phone, she couldn’t help but wonder if Monroe was distracted by something where he was. He certainly hadn’t seemed overly concerned with her plight here, and now she felt more alone than before. At least Cole seemed to believe her and had stopped looking at her like she might be a suspect. In fact, a few times she had even caught him looking at her like he considered her a friend. Or more.

  Whoa! She had to get her thoughts under control. Cole might be easy on the eyes, but she could not be thinking about that right now. Not with a virus spreading through her town

  16

  Cole

  Cole stared at the frail looking man in the hospital bed and tried to process what he had just learned. If the intel he had received was true, the man’s actions were understandable. Not justifiable, but understandable.

  “Any news on the women?”

  Cole turned to see Cara striding his direction. Her face wore an even more worried expression than when he’d left her, and he wondered how the call with her boss had gone. “The women have all been admitted while they wait on the blood test results, but no news so far. At least not on them.”

  Cara’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  Cole turned back toward the glass that looked into the hospital room. “I did manage to find out some information on your friend in there.”

  A derisive scoff escaped Cara’s thin lips. “He’s no friend of mine. Especially not if he’s the one who killed Steve, attacked me, and stole our research.”