by Laura Scott
Tess looked pale and fragile dressed in a hospital gown. Her blond hair was tangled and her amber eyes were closed, her pinched expression betraying her pain.
He was relieved when he overheard the doctor order a CT scan of her head to assess for a brain injury. And he wasn’t surprised to hear that they also discussed whether or not she would need to stay in the hospital for twenty-four hours of observation.
Tess would hate staying, but he didn’t care. He needed to know she was medically stable, and Tess would likely be safer in the hospital than anywhere else right now.
Once the doctor and nurse left, he went inside and took her hand in his. “How are you feeling?”
“Declan?” She opened her eyes and turned to face him. “Have you found my brother?”
“Not yet, but don’t worry. We’ll find him.” He didn’t elaborate more, as he didn’t want her to be upset about the fact that the entire police force would be out looking to arrest Bobby.
Her eyelids fluttered closed and her fingers relaxed their grip on his, but he didn’t let her go until the radiology staff came to take her for her CT scan. Declan sank into an uncomfortable plastic chair, wishing he had a laptop so he could begin working on his report.
He tipped his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, feeling the effects of the adrenaline crash. He was exhausted and knew Tess must be even more so. She’d been through so much, and had never once complained.
His phone rang, jarring him back to reality, and he grimaced when he saw the caller was his boss. No point in ignoring the call, so he pushed the talk button. “Yeah, what’s up, Griff?”
“The FBI wants to talk to you again. How quickly can you get here?”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m at the hospital, and it’s well past midnight. Can’t this wait until morning?”
“You can’t say no to the feds,” his boss informed him. “And I need to give them a time frame.”
Declan didn’t want to leave, but Griff was right: the feds never took no for an answer. He glanced at his watch. “I can be there in ten to fifteen.”
“Good.” Griff abruptly hung up.
He tucked his phone back into his pocket and scrubbed his hands over the stubble on his jaw. He could use a shower, a shave and a change of clothes. Maybe leaving for a while wouldn’t be the end of the world. He could let Tess’s nurse know so she wouldn’t worry. Besides, he didn’t think Tess would be discharged anytime soon.
Decision made, he summoned the nurse into the room, filled her in on his plans and asked her to give him a call if Tess’s condition changed. After she graciously complied, he flashed a tired smile and then made his way back outside. There was no reason to be nervous...Tess was in good hands. She probably needed rest and relaxation anyway.
Declan drove back to headquarters, mentally preparing himself for the interrogation to come. He could only imagine what Agents Walker and Piermont would think about this latest turn of events. Was it possible they still believed he was personally involved in setting these bombs? Last time Griff had supported him, but Declan sensed his boss was quickly losing his patience with the lack of viable leads.
Despite the lateness of the hour, the building was brightly lit up, indicating an unusual amount of activity. He parked and headed inside, finding Griff and the two FBI agents waiting for him.
“About time you showed up,” Agent Walker groused.
Declan held on to his temper with an effort. “I was at the hospital with a key witness,” he said without apology.
Agent Walker scowled, but Agent Piermont offered a smile. “How about we go someplace private to talk?” she suggested.
Griff grunted and headed over to the same interrogation room they’d used earlier that day. Hard to believe that only sixteen hours had passed since Tess had discovered the bomb beneath her desk.
“I could use a cup of coffee,” Declan announced. “Anyone else interested?”
“Sure, I’ll come with you,” Agent Lynette Piermont said, jumping to her feet.
As he poured two cups of coffee, Declan wondered if she always played the role of good cop. Agent Piermont added a good dose of cream and sugar while he sipped his black.
“Long day, huh?” she asked with obvious sympathy.
He shrugged, unwilling to be drawn into whatever game they were playing. “For you, too, I’m sure.”
“Tough case,” she agreed.
He turned and headed back to the interrogation room, suddenly annoyed with the small talk. He wanted to get this over and done with so he could head back to Tess.
“So you found another bomb, the third in one day,” Agent Walker said without preamble.
Declan folded his arms across his chest and nodded.
Agent Walker stared at him, letting the silence drag out for several interminable seconds. Declan held his ground; he knew how to use these same interview techniques, too.
“How was it that you went to Greenland Park in the first place?” Agent Walker finally asked.
Declan took another bracing sip of his coffee before trodding through the same story he’d given Griff earlier. His boss remained silent as he explained how Tess had heard from her brother and gone out to meet him.
“We’ve run a check on Bobby Collins,” Agent Piermont interjected. “Seems he has a couple of disorderly conduct tickets on file.”
Declan shrugged, thinking about the disorderly conduct citations he had gotten himself as a teenager. He’d actually done worse things, but was lucky enough not to get caught. Joining the marines would have been impossible if he’d had a significant criminal record. And despite everything, he was glad he’d been given a chance to turn his life around.
“Sounds like this Bobby Collins is now your number-one suspect,” Agent Walker said. “You need to bring him in for questioning.”
Declan mentally counted to ten before he spoke, keeping his tone even. “And we will, as soon as we find him.”
Agent Walker scowled. “If you knew Ms. Collins had a brother, why didn’t you put the APB out on him earlier? Maybe we could have avoided this latest bomb if you’d done your job.”
Declan glanced at Griff, but his boss’s bland expression didn’t give anything away. Was Griff siding with the feds? “If you recall from my earlier report, we had a viable suspect, the guy wearing a green baseball cap who was not only seen at the scene of the elementary school, but was literally in the area minutes before the bomb exploded. Are you suggesting that I should have ignored that suspect to follow up on Bobby Collins?”
Spoken out loud, the idea sounded twice as ridiculous. The glimpse of a smile played across Griff’s face as the two agents exchanged a frustrated glance.
“So tell me...when did you first decide that Bobby Collins might be a potential suspect?” Agent Walker demanded.
Declan shrugged. “Not until I found the bomb beneath the picnic table at the designated meeting place. There was no reason to suspect him earlier.”
“I need to be notified immediately once you have Bobby Collins in custody,” Agent Walker declared. “Understand?”
Declan had the ridiculous urge to laugh but managed to keep a straight face. “Of course. Is there anything else? Has your investigation unearthed any leads?”
The agents exchanged another frustrated glance. “We’re finished here. Don’t forget to turn in your report.”
This time it was all Declan could do not to roll his eyes. As if he really needed to be told to do his job? What was wrong with these feds anyway? Surely they had other things to worry about.
He pushed to his feet and turned to his boss. “I’m going to shower and change before heading back to the hospital. Call if you need anything.”
Griff gave him a curt nod, and Declan released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as h
e walked out the door. He went to his locker to get a fresh uniform, and then quickly used the facilities to shower, shave and change.
He felt 100 percent better as he drove back to Trinity Medical Center. The woman behind the desk recognized him from earlier, and waved him through.
As he strode down the hall toward Tess’s room, he frowned when he realized there was a man wearing a navy blue jacket and gray dress slacks peering in through the half-closed doorway.
The guy looked familiar and it took a moment to recognize Allan Gray, Tess’s geeky neighbor.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Declan called out sharply.
Clearly startled, her neighbor jerked around, gaping at Declan in surprise. Without saying a word, Gray turned and ran off in the opposite direction.
What in the world was Gray doing here? Spying on Tess? Declan sprinted after him, following as he disappeared through a doorway. Declan covered the distance as quickly as possible, bursting through the same doorway a few minutes later.
But all he saw was a long, empty hallway. There were several doors but he had no idea which one Tess’s neighbor might have taken.
Allan Gray had gotten away.
TEN
Tess faded in and out, unable to keep her eyes open for very long, which made it difficult to keep track of what was happening around her.
But every time she opened her eyes Declan was there, sitting in a chair beside her bed. Reassured by his presence, she let herself drift.
Finally she woke up, feeling as if she could actually stay awake for a while. Bright sunlight was streaming through her window and she stared at the clock on the wall in shock. Two-thirty in the afternoon?
Had she really slept for more than twelve hours?
She struggled upright, wincing a bit as her head protested the sudden movement. Glancing over to where she remembered seeing Declan last, she was disappointed to find the chair was empty.
Of course he’d probably gone to work. After all, twelve hours was a long time to expect him to sit by her bedside. Thankfully, Greenland Elementary was closed so she didn’t have to report in. Not that she was in any shape to teach anyway. She lifted her hand to her hair and grimaced at the tangled mess.
A nurse entered her room, looking a bit surprised to find her awake. “Hi, my name is Sally. How are you feeling? I must say, you’re looking much better.”
“Thanks, I feel better.” Tess realized she wasn’t in the emergency room any longer but had no memory of being brought to a regular room. “I’d like to get up to use the bathroom.”
“Certainly,” Sally agreed, coming over to help. “Sit on the side of the bed first, in case you get dizzy.”
Tess did as she was told. Sally was right on—the room tilted wildly, but then stopped moving after a few minutes. She braced herself on the bed and remained still, breathing deep and keeping her gaze focused on the bathroom door.
“Are you ready?” Sally asked.
“Yes.” Tess hated feeling like an invalid, but she allowed the nurse to assist her into the bathroom. After using the facilities, she insisted on taking a shower and felt much better afterward.
Getting the snarls out of her hair wasn’t as easy, and soon she was tired again. She crawled back into bed with a scowl, wondering when the doctor would show up to release her. She was already feeling guilty for being here this long, when all she had really needed was some sleep. And who could blame her after the day she’d had?
“Hey, you’re awake,” Declan said as he came into the room. He looked amazing with his clean shaven jaw, jeans and button-down denim shirt.
She smiled, unable to hide the fact that she was happy to see him. “Finally, huh? It’s good to see you. Any idea when they’ll spring me?”
“You’re probably going to have to stay one more day,” Declan advised. “They were worried about a small head injury they found on your CT scan.”
“Really?” She put her hand to her temple, outlining the swollen area gingerly with her fingertips. “It doesn’t seem any worse than the lump on the back of my head.”
“Two head injuries in one day are serious enough to warrant close observation for a while.”
She had no intention of staying here another night, but there was no point in arguing with Declan about that, so she changed the subject. “What did I miss? Have you found Bobby? Has anything else happened?”
Declan shook his head. “No, we haven’t found Bobby and the only thing I’ve done is to write a bunch of reports and be interviewed by the feds.”
Her good mood faded at the realization that her brother was still missing. “Did you check to see if Bobby reported to school this morning?”
“Yes, I called first thing. But he didn’t show.”
Despair nearly overwhelmed her. Where on earth could he be? The only logical explanation was that something bad had happened to him.
“Tess, tell me about your relationship with your neighbor Allan Gray,” Declan said, breaking into her troubled thoughts.
She frowned. “What do you mean? We don’t have a relationship. He’s just my neighbor.”
“Has he ever made any romantic overtures toward you?” Declan pressed.
“No, of course not. He offers to help me at times, and we chat if we see each other outside, but that’s about it.”
“What does he help you with?”
“Neighborly things, you know, like helping me to carry in my groceries or offering to shovel my driveway.”
“He’s been inside your house?” Declan asked, obviously appalled.
“Only in the kitchen, and it’s not a big deal.” She shrugged at his stern expression. “Honestly, I rarely take Allan up on his offers because I’m afraid of leading him on, or giving him the impression that we’re more than neighbors. I’m nice to him and he’s nice to me, that’s all.”
“So you do sense that he’s a little off,” Declan mused. “I don’t blame you for being wary, since the guy is clearly following you.”
Her jaw dropped. “What makes you say that?”
“He was here in the middle of the night, standing outside your room while you were still in the E.R.,” Declan explained with a dark frown. “The minute he saw me, he took off. I went after him, but I lost him.”
She relaxed and fought a smile. “Allan’s not following me. He works as a third-shift security guard here at the hospital. He probably walked by my room and stopped when he recognized me. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
Declan was not amused. “So why did he run off when I asked him what he was doing? Why not come over and talk to me?”
“Maybe because you’re scary?”
His scowl deepened. “I’m not scary and I’m telling you, he definitely looked guilty. Don’t forget I saw him in my old neighborhood, too, shortly after you crashed. There’s something not quite right with that guy and I wouldn’t put it past him to plant bombs in the area. For all we know, he’s carrying some sort of grudge since high school.”
She sobered, thinking about how close she’d come to being seriously hurt when she crashed into the light post after the rock had shattered the windshield. It was strange that Allan would be nearby after that incident, but it had to be a weird coincidence. Because no matter what Declan thought, she couldn’t imagine Allan doing something as crazy as setting bombs around the city.
“I’m sure he’s not following me,” she repeated. “You can’t blame the guy for being around while he’s working. Do me a favor and find my doctor. I’d really like to get out of here.” Seeing Declan’s dark scowl, she quickly added, “You know that I need to keep looking for my brother, and I can’t do that from a hospital bed.”
Flattening his lips, he stared at her for a long moment. “Look, Tess, every cop in the city is looking for Bobby. And they have a much
better chance of finding him than you do.”
“What?” She did not like the way Declan made it sound, as if her brother was some sort of criminal. “Why? Did you list him as a missing person?”
He winced and averted his gaze. “Not exactly.”
A flash of anger burned through her. “You actually think he’s guilty of planting that bomb under the picnic table? Come on, Declan, he’s seventeen years old! Bobby has no reason to set bombs or try to blow things up. Especially not me!”
“Tess, you have to admit it’s possible—”
“No, I don’t,” she interrupted. “No matter what kind of trouble Bobby is in, he wouldn’t hurt me.”
“What about the incident last night?” he demanded. “Someone hit you from behind and then robbed you. And you saw Bobby’s truck. Why wouldn’t he be involved? Clearly he’s in way over his head.”
“You’re way off base. Bobby didn’t hit me. It’s clear he’s in trouble. Maybe his friends turned on him for some reason and took his car and his phone.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Declan scoffed. “You’re wearing blinders, Tess. Trust me, I’ve been Bobby’s age. I know what it’s like to get mixed up in the wrong crowd. He could very easily have gotten sucked into something illegal.”
She bit her lip and tried not to cry, deeply disappointed in Declan’s attitude toward her brother. He was just like Jeff, believing the worst. She sniffed back her tears, turned away and pushed the call light, asking for her nurse.
Declan could believe whatever he wanted to, but he’d never even met Bobby. She knew her brother, had raised him for the past six years. Granted Bobby had a couple of run-ins with the law, but deep down, he was a good kid. She believed Bobby loved and cared about her, the same way she loved and cared about him.
Too bad Declan couldn’t trust her judgment. And for the first time since yesterday, she felt completely alone.
* * *
