Thankfully, that discussion was put on hold when a man who was clearly a federal agent walked into the waiting room. Ridge didn’t even have to look at the badge attached to the leather clip hanging at waist level to know what type of cloth this man was cut from.
There was no denying the navy-blue suit was one a fed would wear.
Ridge had his fair share of run-ins with agents from various agencies during his time with the Corps, ranging from the FBI, the CIA, all the way to the NSA and the NRO. Those with the latter agency weren’t to be messed with, but a federal agent assigned to an investigation in Winter Heights would be somewhat manageable.
“Ridge Killian?” the man inquired after one visual sweep of the occupants inside the waiting room. “Could we speak to you in private? This way, please.”
The we included another federal agent and a woman who appeared somewhat anxious. Maybe she was related to Lily, which would relieve Ridge of his current duty. Either way, anything was better than sitting in a corner about to be peppered with questions about his exploits while in the service. The familiar glint in the older gentleman’s eyes said it all.
“Of course. Are we done here, ma’am?”
Ridge answered the agent first before addressing the administrator, who seemed taken aback by the presence of federal agents. Ridge stood up when she nodded, ensuring that his leather jacket didn’t billow open. It wasn’t short-waisted, but instead came down far enough to cover his shoulder holster. He’d chosen it for that exact purpose. As for the nurse, she just mumbled a thank you and stepped around the agents to make her way out the door.
Ridge was certain that the nurse had more questions, but the arrival of the agents had rattled her a little.
The federal agent turned on his polished shoes and motioned for the other man to follow them, leaving the woman who’d accompanied them to remain behind in the waiting room. She didn’t seem too pleased about being left out of the upcoming conversation, but she was already taking a seat by the time the rest of them entered the hallway.
“Ma’am?” the agent called out, causing Paula to turn around with a raised eyebrow. “Is there a consultation room where we could go for some privacy?”
Paula nodded curtly before leading them to an actual exam room that currently wasn’t in use. She flipped on the overhead florescent light and then stepped back out into the hallway to shift a colored tile that signified the room was occupied.
“Is there any word on Lily Hudson’s status?” the federal agent asked her, holding up his identification.
“I’m sorry, but Ms. Hudson is still in surgery,” Paula responded, casting a suspicious glance Ridge’s way. He didn’t give any indication that he took her misgivings to heart. She didn’t know what had transpired this evening, but it was sure to hit the front pages tomorrow. He just hoped like hell that his name would be kept out of it. “I’ll let the surgeon know that you wish to speak with him after she is in recovery.”
“Thank you.”
The federal agent waited for her to leave before making introductions. His colleague had even closed the heavy door to ensure their privacy. Ridge assumed they were anxious for answers, but there wasn’t anything else he could add that he hadn’t already told the deputy who’d arrived at the scene.
“I’m Special Agent Dean Malone of the FBI, and this Special Agent Lincoln Roche,” Malone said as he held out his hand. Ridge returned the greeting before doing the same with Roche. “I’m sure you’ve seen on the news that we are investigating an active serial killer here in Winter Heights. We would like to get your account of events this evening firsthand, along with anything that Ms. Hudson might have said that could possibly help us with the investigation.”
Malone had pulled out a small notebook from the interior pocket of his suit jacket, along with a pen. He also wore a charcoal grey wool coat and didn’t seem to be in a hurry to remove it. It was easy for a fellow Marine to recognize another by the way he carried himself.
Everything about Malone’s appearance screamed military, and the way his shoes were shined and the fact that he’d retained the high and tight haircut was a dead giveaway. If he wasn’t a Marine, then he had to have been special forces of some ilk.
“I’ll help in any way that I can, but you should know upfront that I don’t know Ms. Hudson personally, nor have I ever met her before tonight.” Ridge also wanted them to be aware of something else. “I’m also carrying a firearm, just so you know. I understand that it goes against hospital policy, but I wasn’t comfortable traveling to an unsecure location in the back of an ambulance without protection after what transpired this evening. I’m fairly sure Ms. Hudson’s attack is tied in with your investigation. With that said, I thought it best to be prepared for any eventuality.”
“We understand,” Roche replied with a nod, though he was regarding Ridge in a way that had him tensing for the questions to follow. “You’re Ridge Killian. You were with the Marine Corps Special Operations Command as a Master Sergeant Critical Skills Operator 0372. That was most recently until you retired. You also had additional military occupational fields of Scout/Sniper 0317 and Reconnaissance, Parachute, and Combat Driver Qualified 0326. That’s about the size of it, right? I was Navy, though I didn’t stay for the full twenty years.”
Ridge remained silent, only because there was no need to discuss his time in the service. They clearly knew where he’d been and what he’d done. He nodded his respect toward Roche, ready to finish this interview so that he could return home. Now that the feds were on the scene, Lily’s family members couldn’t be very far behind.
“I was at home this evening when my security system alerted me to the fact that there was movement on the west side of the back property along the perimeter.” Ridge was careful not to leave out any details that could help them in their search. “Once I saw that it was a woman alone without any winter clothing, I retrieved my firearm and went out the back door. Once I’d cleared the area of any immediate threat, I helped Ms. Hudson inside the house and secured the door. She’d been stabbed in her right side, underneath her ribcage. I applied pressure to the wound after calling 911.”
“Did Ms. Hudson remain conscious?” Dean asked, jotting down notes in the small pad. Roche was still regarding Ridge with interest, though he didn’t interrupt Ridge’s account of events. “Did she say anything to you?”
“Yes,” Ridge replied concisely. “In order to keep Ms. Hudson conscious and from going into shock until the paramedics arrived, I prompted her to remain talking. She explained to me what had taken place at her residence. She felt that the serial killer you are hunting was the one to attack her. She said that she’d stabbed him, removed his mask, and escaped with her life barely intact. As a matter of fact, Ms. Hudson still had the mask in her hands when the deputy arrived. He bagged it for evidence.”
“I’ll reach out to Chaz,” Roche murmured, stepping to the side of the room quietly to most likely have one of his task members reach out to all surrounding hospitals and veterinarian practices that might do a bit of back door business. Depending on how deep Lily had been able to penetrate the blade, her attacker might very well need medical attention. “Chaz, there’s a good chance that…”
Ridge focused on Malone, allowing the other agent to do his job. This should be rather cut and dry, so a few more minutes at most before he was able to leave the hospital and return home.
“How is the adjustment period going?”
Ridge tensed a bit before forcing his muscles to relax. It had only been a matter of time before Malone tried to connect with him on a more personal level. He didn’t take offense at the tactic, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.
“Fine.”
Malone nodded his acceptance of the answer, most likely figuring it was as good of a response as he was going to get. One, Ridge wasn’t the talkative type. Second, Malone understood damn well the transition from career military to civilian life was like being dragged five miles through broken glass.
/> There was a code of conduct that was followed in the service that didn’t even see the light of day out in the civilian world. Hell, he wasn’t even sure it existed in everyday life.
“Did the victim say whether or not that she saw her attacker when she removed his mask?” Malone asked, getting back to the topic at hand. He finally looked up from his notepad, regarding Ridge with a caution that he was used to seeing when engaging in conversation. It was the reason Ridge didn’t reply right away. He liked to go over his words carefully before saying them aloud. It was how he’d avoided any miscommunication for years, and he wasn’t about to change the way he conducted business now. “Look, I get it. Twenty years in and retiring with a record like yours most likely has you valuing your privacy. Truthfully, Ms. Hudson was a lucky woman to have stumbled into your back yard. I’m not sure she would be alive right now if you hadn’t gone outside to help her.”
Ridge didn’t like idle praise, either.
He preferred to stay under the radar, and Malone was most likely the same way. Being a federal agent almost certainly had him used to dealing with civilians on a daily basis, so Ridge did his best to relax his stance.
Malone had a case to solve, and time was of the essence.
“Ms. Hudson didn’t say whether or not she saw her attacker’s face.” Ridge could see that Roche was finishing up his phone call. “I’m sure the two of you have your work cut out for you. I just wanted to make sure that Ms. Hudson’s family was notified. As I mentioned, she lost a lot of blood. She asked me to stay with her, but I’ll head back home after her parents or siblings arrive to be here when she wakes up. If you have any other questions, I’m at…”
Ridge rattled off his address and cell phone number, even though Malone and Roche already had the information from the 911 call.
“We appreciate your cooperation.” Malone flipped the cover over on his small notebook before slipping it and the pen back into the interior pocket of his suit jacket. “Unfortunately, Ms. Hudson has no family in the area that we’re aware of, but I’m sure the hospital will ask her for more details in the recovery room. We’ll do the same, of course. If you think of anything else, please give me a call.”
Agent Malone handed off a business card, which Ridge took and put into his pocket without looking at it. He’d made sure to include all of tonight’s events, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t find something on his property that couldn’t help law enforcement later on down the line.
Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the hospital quite yet.
Lily Hudson had no one.
“I gave Ms. Hudson my word that I wouldn’t leave until her family was notified,” Ridge explained, not liking the fact that he was put in a position to ask for help. Unfortunately, privacy laws in the healthcare system made it rather difficult to get information if one wasn’t related to the patient. “I was truthful with the intake staff, which will most likely be a problem garnering information on Ms. Hudson’s status.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Roche seemed surprised by Malone’s acquiescence, but Ridge wasn’t going to question the agent’s reasoning for being cooperative. There was nothing to gain when he’d already been forthcoming over the evening’s events. He nodded his appreciation before sidestepping the two men in order to open the exam room’s door. There was one more thing that he wanted to confirm before heading back to the waiting room.
“You’ll be posting a veteran officer on Ms. Hudson, right?”
Agent Malone and Roche exchanged glances, but it was the latter who responded first. Ridge realized in that moment that the man was a profiler. He’d seen his fair share out in the field, though Ridge was usually only given a task to accomplish and the commander’s intent.
The reasons why were for those higher up in command.
“Yes, we will. This unsub has never allowed a victim to escape before, so it stands to reason that he’ll attempt to finish what he started.”
“A federal agent?” Ridge asked, wanting clarification.
“Most likely a deputy or a state police trooper,” Malone replied, following up with a standard response that didn’t sit right with Ridge. “Ms. Hudson’s safety will be in good hands, I assure you.”
Ridge nodded his understanding, although he found himself in a rather uncomfortable position. He reminded himself that he had no obligation other than fulfilling his promise, which was to stay with Ms. Hudson until her family or a friend arrived to hold her hand. He should trust that these agents were professionals.
Unfortunately, Ridge wasn’t a trusting individual. He tended to inspect what he expected.
Chapter Four
The fire in Lily’s diaphragm burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. Every breath was an exercise in pain, not to mention that the rest of her body just plain hurt all over.
Drawing in air caused an immediate searing sensation to radiate out from her core. She didn’t remember working out any harder than usual, but it was as if she’d entered a boxing ring with the leading contender for the heavyweight championship. She tried to even out her breathing, but it was a struggle to simply take oxygen into her lungs.
Blinking rapidly to try and get used to the sunlight shining in through the window took longer than she would have wanted, but it also gave her additional time to remember what had happened in her very own kitchen.
Panic surged through her bloodstream, and she experienced the effects of yet another huge rush of adrenaline.
She attempted to sit up, but she had to bite her lip when the pain in her lower ribcage on the right side intensified to the point that it made her nauseous. It took a moment for the queasiness to fade into a dull ache. While she waited an additional moment, she recognized the strong odor of antiseptic. Eventually, the various beeps that she found so familiar began to penetrate the fog that surrounded her thoughts.
She was in the hospital.
The vivid memory of being attacked slammed into her mind as if a projection had just been flipped on by a simple switch.
How could she have forgotten that she had been attacked in her own home by The Widow Taker?
“…under protective custody,” a man commented. She turned her head on the pillow to see if he was visible, but he must have been right outside her room from how easily she could make out his words. “She’s not safe, and she’s certainly not well enough to help us bring him in. I know it’s not ideal, but we don’t have a choice right now.”
“Where did Quinn go?” someone else asked, though he sounded more cautious than worried. “This morning’s headline from Katie Sloane asserted that a certain member of the community, one retired U.S. Marine Master Sergeant by the name of Ridge Killian, was the man who helped aid Ms. Hudson in her time of need. We’ve lost control of the narrative.”
Ridge Killian.
The name suited the man who’d helped save her, and she had no idea how she was going to repay him. He’d been strong, capable, and kind. He didn’t have to help her, yet he done that and more. She vaguely remembered him being there in the ambulance with her, and she closed her eyes at the embarrassment of recalling her plea for him to stay with her.
It had been an unfair request.
An appeal in the darkness that never should have seen the light of day.
“I had one of the state police detectives take Quinn home. He’ll stay with her until I’m able to join her, but she’s working on a piece for today’s podcast. I might have an idea on how we can spin this to our advantage.” The man who Lily had first heard speak seemed a bit closer to her room now. “The unsub’s life as he knew it was shattered yesterday after killing a woman who didn’t fit his criteria. On top of that, he failed at giving Ms. Hudson the peace he feels that she deserved. He’s scrambling and desperate, and there is no telling how the end of this is going to play out.”
Hearing the two men talk about the situation as a whole made her realize that she had once again been put out there into the spotlight. Her
name had no doubt graced several headlines of the local paper, dashing with it any chance of her being able to remain under the radar. She fought back the tears at the loss of the sanctuary that she’d spent the last year building in her New England home tucked away in a corner of the world that she’d come to love.
The only answer was to leave the hospital before the media could descend, dredging up a past that she would much rather have stayed dead and buried.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
A large hand prevented her from reaching for the IV that had been inserted into her left arm, startling her to the point that her breath got caught in the back of her throat.
The man who’d saved her life was standing beside her bed, though he must have been nearer to the far window. She hadn’t even known he was there, which was far more concerning than the pain in the palms of her hands. One would think after being attacked that she’d be better aware of her surroundings.
She chalked up her delayed response to the pain medication.
“You…” Lily’s voice was rather hoarse, so she cleared her throat and tried again. “You stayed.”
Ridge Killian didn’t reply right away, but instead seemed to scrutinize her rather thoroughly. There was a flicker of a familiar emotion that she’d come to recognize too well.
Judgement.
Someone had filled him in on the details of her life.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
Lily pulled away from him, feigning an attempt to adjust the thin white blanket. All she wanted to do right now was to leave this place. Given the amount of pain that she was in, it was highly doubtful that she was going to be able to be discharged today. She would figure out a way around that hurdle once she had time to regain her wits. She wanted to leave mainly due to the fact that the employees of this hospital wouldn’t display a great bedside manner because of her past. He wouldn’t understand her position, though.
Ridge Killian probably assumed that he’d been a safe haven for her last night.
The Reclusive Widow (The Widow Taker Book 3) Page 4
