He turned toward his boy. “You think you can drive in this? Both of my legs are injured, and it’s going to be tricky.”
Will nodded. “I can do it, Dad. You’ve had me out in fields and rough terrain lots of times.”
“But never in this kind of water.”
“I got it here. I can get us out. I have to.” Will got behind the wheel.
God had gotten them this far. Reid climbed into the back where the kidnapper sat with his hands cuffed behind him. He was barely conscious and kept moaning, but Reid barely spared a glance his way.
Reid leaned forward to look at Jane through the cage keeping the backseat secure. “Jane?” He wanted to touch her, to make sure she was still alive, but he couldn’t poke his fingers through.
“She’s still breathing, Dad.” Will cranked the engine, and it coughed several times before it caught.
He put the SUV into Drive and began to drive back the way he’d come. The water was nearly up to the engine compartment a few times as he navigated the vehicle through dips.
Reid held his breath and prayed whenever the engine sputtered. It somehow kept going, and they reached the main road on higher ground. Even there, several inches of water stood on the pavement.
Reid didn’t have his phone any longer. “Your mom have her phone? Or you?”
Will shook his head. “I already looked. Yours is gone too?”
“Yeah.” Reid felt the prisoner’s pockets. “He’s got his.” He pulled it from the man’s pocket. “Turn on the lights and siren, Will.” He dialed 911 and asked for an ambulance and a squad car. “We’re going to keep driving,” he told the dispatcher. “Tell the ambulance to look for our lights and siren. We’ll pull over when we see it.”
He prayed Jane survived until then. Her breathing had grown more and more shallow, and her pallor terrified him. She had to live.
Thirty-Eight
Had Jane lost too much blood to survive?
In a bed in the ER, Reid lay with Will and Charles in chairs beside him. Parker lay sleeping on the cool tile floor. Reid listened to the squeak of nurses’ shoes and the beep of machines as he prayed. Megan and Olivia were on their way here now.
His last glimpse of Jane had been in a bed with her face nearly as pale as the pillowcase. She’d lost a lot of blood. It was a flat-out miracle she hadn’t died en route, and even more amazing that she’d managed to fight the guy off as long as she had.
He raised the head of his bed with the lever and looked at his boy, so grown up and strong at fifteen. “Will, you saved us. Me and your mom both. I’m so proud of you.”
Will had been staring unblinkingly at a game show on TV, and he turned an anguished face to Reid. “It’s my fault though, Dad. I shouldn’t have wandered off into the woods. I wanted to find Megan, but I disregarded all the warnings about someone trying to hurt us.”
“It’s not your fault, son. You’ve got your mom’s heroic impulses. The same drive to help others that drove you to look for Megan made you push through in the face of incredible danger to save us.”
Charles clapped the boy on the shoulder. “You’re a chip off the old block, Will.”
Will still looked troubled. “Maybe. Is she going to make it?” His voice wobbled.
It was the same question Reid had avoided asking the doctor who wasn’t in control of this anyway. God was. “I hope so.”
A white-coated doctor stepped into the room and his gaze landed on Charles. “Mr. Hardy, your daughter is out of surgery.” He hesitated as he glanced at the other two occupants in the room.
“I’m her son. And this is my dad.”
Charles nodded. “They can hear whatever it is you have to say.”
The doctor eased into a green plastic chair across from them. “I got the bullet. It nicked an artery, which is why she lost so much blood, but luckily it hit no major organs. I’ve given her three units, and her color is better. She should survive, but she’s in ICU now for closer monitoring. You can go back one at a time to see her but just for five minutes. She’s waking up and asking for Will and Reid.” He glanced at the boy. “That would be you and your dad?”
Will shot to his feet. “Yes! Can I go back right now?”
“Sure. Stop at the nurses’ station for directions.”
When Will rushed from the room, the doctor turned his attention back to Reid. “I hear that bear trap didn’t break any bones. You were lucky. Elevation, ice, and rest.”
“That’s what I was told. And they cleaned the abrasions on my other ankle. Nothing broken there either.”
Not that he intended to do much resting. Jane would need care. The doctor had cleaned and dressed his skin flayed by the chain, and an elastic bandage encased his bruised ankle. All he wanted to do was get out of this bed and see Jane.
“You can go see her, Charles.”
The man shook his white head. “My girl needs you right now. Your strength and your love. I’ll wait. You can take a wheelchair down.”
It was more like ten minutes by the time Will returned, his dark eyes somber. “She’s still pale and washed out, Dad. She tried to smile though, and she took my hand.”
“She’s probably still groggy from the anesthetic.”
“Maybe. You want to go next?”
“Yes, I need to see her.”
“There’s a wheelchair by the desk. I’ll grab it for you and wheel you down.”
Will stepped out of the room and returned in moments with the chair he moved close to the bed. “Let me help you.”
Reid leaned on his son’s strong arm and got in the chair without as much effort as he’d thought it might take. He probably could have walked. Will wheeled him out and down the hall to the ICU. The stink of antiseptic stung Reid’s nose and eyes, and he leaned forward as Will pushed him into Jane’s room.
“I’ll be right outside, Dad.” Will left him beside the bed and stepped out into the hall but didn’t go far.
She was attached to a bunch of machines, and the lines and numbers didn’t mean anything to Reid so he stared into her beautiful face. Dirt and debris matted her hair, and scratches and bruises aplenty decorated her face and arms. He picked up her closest hand, and she felt cool to the touch.
She startled awake and turned her head toward him. “Reid? You’re all right?”
“Thanks to Will. He saved us both, Jane. You were out of it, but our boy figured out how to get out to me on the dock and cut my chains. I’d be dead now if not for him.”
A smile curved her lips, and her gaze went to Will standing on the other side of the glass door. “That’s some kid you raised.”
He squeezed her hand gently. “He got your superhero genes.”
Her smile widened a bit. “He might have a bit of his mama in him.” She clutched his hand, and her smile faded. “I should have been the one to get to you. I couldn’t figure out what to do—whether to make sure Will had made it to the SUV or to go look for you.”
“Will, always Will.”
“I couldn’t leave without trying to find you. I-I don’t quite know what that means.” Her gaze skittered away. “I couldn’t bear the thought of walking away and letting you drown.” Her voice wobbled, and tears trickled down her cheeks.
Her admission squeezed his heart, and he lifted her hand to his lips. “I was chained to the dock with the water rising. I wish you’d seen Will. He was amazing.”
“What about the kidnapper?”
“Augusta is questioning him as we speak.”
Her eyes widened. “The oil platform! It has to be evacuated. The kidnapper said the explosion is in a few hours. What time is it? How long have I been out?”
Reid glanced at his watch. “Four a.m. on the twelfth.”
“Tuesday?”
“Yes.”
She struggled to sit up. “I need a phone. This is bigger than my department can handle, but the state police can intervene. Or the Coast Guard and Homeland Security. We have to move quickly.”
“I don’t have
a phone either. I’ll step out now and find one for you, and I’ll go get you a new phone when I get out of here.”
“The department will reimburse you.”
The silence of so much unspoken stretched between them, but he wasn’t willing to risk saying anything more of what was in his heart. It could wait.
* * *
How long did they have before people died?
The urgency in Jane’s voice had Reid leaning forward in the wheelchair as Will rolled him back to the ER. Charles would have a phone.
Charles was leaning back in the small room’s recliner with his eyes closed, and he sat up when they entered. “How is she?”
“Doing fine. Can I borrow your phone? Jane says an attack on the oil platform is imminent. The whole thing needs to be evacuated.”
Charles’s eyes widened, and he pulled out his phone. “It takes time to get that many people off. Let me call the state police and warn them. This is bigger than Jane’s department can handle.”
“That’s what she said. She planned to call the state.”
Charles hesitated. “I’m not sure she should jump back into work with that injury.”
“I’m not so sure either, but we both know Jane. She’ll want to handle it.”
“I’ll take it to her. I want to see her anyway.” Charles exited the room almost at a run.
Reid felt the urgency too. Who could he call to move things along more quickly? Even one life lost would be too many. Maybe Jane would have an idea. “Let’s go talk to your mom, Will.”
“Sure thing, Dad.” He grabbed the chair’s handles and maneuvered Reid into the hall.
As they neared the nurses’ station, he heard a familiar voice and saw Olivia and Megan standing at the counter.
“Megan!” Will left Reid sitting in the chair and rushed toward the two.
Megan ran into Will’s arms. She was crying and incoherent. Olivia followed at a more sedate pace and reached Reid. There was a bruise on her forehead, but she was smiling.
Her gaze traveled to his bandaged feet. “How’s Jane? You look a little worse for the wear.”
“Mine was minor stuff. Jane was shot in the shoulder, and she lost a lot of blood. She came through surgery okay, and she’s conscious. Weak though. Can you ask Augusta to come see Jane? She is fretting about this whole thing, and I think she’ll rest better if she hands some direction to Augusta.”
“Of course.” Olivia made the call and walked away a few feet.
A sense of unease haunted Reid as he waited. Maybe he should call his buddy in the Coast Guard about this. They could order extra patrols to keep intruders off. Reid tried to imagine the different law enforcement branches springing into action when Jane called, but even that mental exercise didn’t calm his foreboding.
He might feel better after he talked to Jane. Reassuring her might reassure him too. He left Will talking with Megan and wheeled himself back to ICU.
Olivia caught up with him and limped alongside him. Her muscles were stiffer than the last time he’d seen her, but her speech was better than the other day.
“Augusta is on her way,” Olivia said. “She’ll be here in five minutes. I got the enhanced picture of the person in the shadows from the video, but I haven’t looked at it.”
She held the door to ICU open for him, and they found Jane sitting on the edge of her bed. The blood transfusion was done, and only saline hooked her in place.
He recognized the determination on her face. “Jane, what are you doing?”
“I just called to have them unhook me. I’m fine. I can’t lie here when people are in danger.”
“It’s under control. Augusta is on her way here, and you can tell her what to do,” Olivia said. “You’re in ICU, and you just had surgery. You can’t just check yourself out of the hospital. I’ve got something to show you too. Just lie down and wait on Augusta.”
Jane frowned. “Show me what?”
Olivia pulled out her phone. “Augusta sent me a copy of the enhanced picture. I haven’t looked at it yet.” She called up the picture and handed it to Jane.
Jane looked at it and gasped. “It’s Victor Armstrong. What would he be doing on the platform? I don’t get it.” She showed Reid the picture.
Reid stared at the man’s face. “He’s a real estate agent, right? And on the city council.”
Jane exhaled. “I’ve got to find out what he knows.”
Thirty-Nine
This was crazy, and Jane knew it. Reid had been kicked out of her room, and she used the quiet time to think things through.
She’d just been shot and her shoulder still felt on fire. But it wasn’t bleeding. She’d had the blood loss replenished, and the doctor said no major organs had been hit. She would go crazy if she waited in the hospital as all this went down.
It seemed preposterous that Victor could be involved, yet he seemed to be implicated in this plot, and she had to get to the truth.
How did she find out what was happening? Who could help? She stared out the window into the dark parking lot, then looked at the nurses’ station and pressed the call button.
A young male nurse hurried in. “What can I do for you, Chief? You have pain?”
While her shoulder felt like it was on fire, Jane shook her head. She needed to be alert. “I want to be discharged.”
The guy seemed like he’d spent a lot of time in the gym. “You’ve lost a lot of blood. We’ll see what the doctor says later today.”
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “The blood was replaced. Either you take out the IV, or I’ll do it myself. Lives are on the line—many lives. I have to go. Now.”
The nurse frowned and held up his hands. “I can’t do it, Chief. Sorry.”
“Okay.” She’d seen it done before, so how hard could it be to pull out a needle?
Jane peeled the tape cage thing away, and the nurse reached out to grab at her arm. “You can’t do that!”
“Yes, I can.” She pulled out the IV. “Got a Band-Aid?”
Muttering to himself, the guy whirled around and left the room. Jane feared he was going after security so she stood and paused until her vision cleared. She’d have to hurry, but she couldn’t go out in this gown.
Sure enough, the nurse returned with a guard. “Chief Hardy, you must get back in bed.”
“You can’t hold me, guys. It’s illegal. I’m leaving. Either get me a wheelchair, or I’ll walk out on my own, and you’ll be in trouble with your insurance company.”
The nurse scowled. “I’ll get a chair. And some scrubs. You can’t walk around like that. And a prescription for pain meds and your antibiotic. You’ll need both.”
Jane sat on the side chair to wait and pulled out Olivia’s phone. “Augusta? Come pick me up. We’ve got work to do.”
She was prepared for Augusta’s objections, but her detective didn’t argue. “Already on my way. I saw the enhanced picture, and Nora passed along some interesting information. I’ll tell you when I see you. I’m in the parking lot now.”
“Meet me at the entrance. I’m on my way down.”
The nurse brought in the wheelchair and scrubs. Jane had him leave long enough for her to pull up the pants under the gown. She eased her arm out of the sling and slid it into the short sleeve top. Perspiration popped out on her forehead from the pain, but she managed to get dressed. The exertion left her weak and shaky, and she nearly fell into the chair.
The nurse glowered as he wheeled her down to the exit, and she didn’t bother to try to ease his anger. Too many people might die if she didn’t get to the bottom of this.
“There’s my detective.”
The sun gilded the tops of the French Quarter buildings as Augusta stopped the car in front of Jane and got out to help her in. “You shouldn’t be doing this.”
“I know.” She told her detective about the suspicions surrounding Victor. “I want to talk to him myself.”
Augusta buckled Jane’s seat belt since her right arm was in a
sling. “I’m a good detective, Chief.”
“I know you are—that’s why I hired you. Too many lives are at stake, so it’s all hands on deck. What did Nora tell you?”
“Were you aware Victor had a daughter who drowned?”
Jane thought back, then nodded. “I might have heard something about it, maybe five years ago? She didn’t live here. She’d gone swimming out off Fort Morgan and was caught by a riptide.”
“His daughter, Belle, was friends with Nora’s cousin, and when she was investigating who might have come in contact with Steve at college, her cousin said she always thought Belle’s death wasn’t an accident. She suspected Belle swam out and drowned on purpose because she was so despondent.”
“Does she know why?”
“She’d been having an affair with an older man, and he dumped her. Steve Price.”
Jane turned the radio down. “And Victor wants revenge?”
“It’s possible.”
“Any idea why the explosion is scheduled for later today?”
Augusta nodded. “There’s an important inspection happening, and Steve has to be there.”
“Victor wants to kill Steve and doesn’t care what he does to other people or the environment. Does it happen to be the anniversary of her death?”
“Yep.”
“We need to shut this down.”
Augusta nodded and shut Jane’s door before going around the front of the car and getting in. Jane used Olivia’s phone to call Homeland Security, but she got voice mail and left a message. How did she find out what was happening? Who could help? She stared out the window into the dark parking lot.
Senator Jessica Fox.
Jane had helped save her daughter and grandson a few weeks ago, and she was sure the senator would do anything she could to help in a situation like this.
She reached for the phone Olivia had left for her. Her efficient friend would have the senator’s number. Jane found it in the digital phonebook and placed the call even though it was five o’clock in the morning.
The call dropped into voice mail, and Jane left a brief message about needing urgent help. Did she dare call again, hoping the senator would pick up this time? While the matter was urgent, there was no guarantee the senator kept her phone nearby. What should she do?
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