Accidental Target

by Theresa Hall

  “Shh...” She fought to say the word again. “Shh...”

  “Allison, I can’t understand you!” Maddie yelled.

  “Shot,” she whispered, then the lights went out.

  FOUR

  Jackson headed to his desk with his third cup of coffee. He hoped he’d have time to enter a few reports on the computer before going home. Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his temples. His head ached and his vision blurred. The last meal he’d eaten was at lunch the day before. He knew he needed to take better care of himself. Over the past five years, he’d learned he could get by without a lot of things. Sleep and food being a couple of them. His stomach rumbled from all the caffeine he’d already had.

  “Hey, Jackson. Got a minute?”

  The look on Devon’s face said it all. “Sure. What you got?”

  “You’re not going to believe me when I tell you. Hey, I need one of those.”

  Jackson handed him the half-full foam cup he’d just poured for himself.

  Devon frowned and set it down. “Can’t you get a rookie to make us a decent pot of coffee?”

  Jackson glanced at O’Neil, who was already making his way to the break room. The young cop grabbed the coffee cup from the desk without saying a word, then walked away.

  “What’d you find?”

  Devon waited until he was sure O’Neil was out of hearing distance. “We got an ID back on the dead body. Sierra Wolfe. She’s a fed.”

  “Oh, man.”

  “DEA to be exact. No one had heard from her in a couple of days. The DEA got worried and put out a BOLO on her undercover vehicle. That earring you found was hers. What that guy did her...it was horrible.”

  “I know what they did. I saw her. Who do they think could have done it?”

  “Don’t know. She was married, but no kids. The license plate on the truck was stolen off a car in Austin, so we can at least pinpoint the truck to that area. We’ve got more questions than answers right now. What information do you have on the woman who called it in?”

  “Allison Moore. Works for Avery Guerrero at Paradigm Enterprises. No husband, no kids. She was headed to her sister’s house for the weekend. She’s in the hospital waiting to be discharged today.”

  “Don’t let her get too far away. Depending on what the lab sends us back, we might be bringing her in.”

  “I can tell by the way she’s acting that she’s not guilty of anything. She’s scared out of her mind right now.”

  “Maybe.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” His irritation was thick, and it shocked him that he felt it. He didn’t know why he needed to protect a perfect stranger.

  Devon fired back. “Do you know this woman or something?”

  “No. Never met her before in my life.”

  “Maybe she’s an accomplice. Look, until I get that DNA test back, she’s not innocent. Or guilty. So far, she’s the only person we have who was in the same place as the body. Come on, Jackson. You know how this works.”

  He did. He’d been in law enforcement a long time. Before Hope died, he’d wanted to be a detective. Now he didn’t know what he wanted.

  Jackson felt a firm hand land on his shoulder. He turned to see Captain Rusty Schmille standing over him.

  “Hey, Cap.”

  Jackson did his best to fake some enthusiasm. Something about Rusty had always irritated him. He despised all the dumb jokes and he thought he was the worst captain he’d ever worked under, but that was only a matter of opinion.

  “What are you guys following up on?”

  Jackson explained the gist of his night on duty and waited for Rusty’s reaction.

  “Sierra Wolfe, huh? Never heard of her. How’d they know it was her so quickly?”

  Devon shrugged. “DEA had already sent us a BOLO on her car with a photo of her. We were able to get some prints from the body and matched them with her profile in the DEA’s database. It’s not rocket science, Cap.”

  Jackson fought back a grin as Schmille’s ears ignited a shade of scarlet. This guy could dish it out but he sure couldn’t take it.

  “All right, you goons. If you’re done making a clown out of me, go find out who did this and see if that woman in the hospital can ID this man. If she can’t, let her go. You don’t need her to work this case. If we have any suspects, we’ll call her.”

  “No can do,” Devon said.

  “Why not?”

  “Her DNA could be on the truck, and we don’t have that test back yet.”

  As Rusty opened his mouth to refute his friend, O’Neil shouted from across the room. “Jackson, you’ve got a call. She said her name is Maddie Porter.”

  Devon raised an eyebrow. “Girlfriend?”

  “’Bout time, Jackson. I was beginning to take you for a recluse.” Rusty laughed as he walked away.

  “Grow up. Both of you. She’s the sister of the woman in the hospital.”

  Jackson reached for the phone on the corner of his desk. “This is Jackson Archer.”

  “Jackson, someone tried to kill Allison. She’s in ICU.”

  Jackson’s heart slammed his chest. “On my way!” He stood up, and Devon stood with him.

  “I’m going with you. You can tell me what happened on the way.” Devon was right on his heels.

  “Someone tried to kill her.”

  “Great. Our only witness and she might be dead, too.”

  Jackson glared at Devon. Cops had a way of becoming calloused, and he knew it wasn’t a personal statement. He didn’t know this woman, but something about her had gotten to him.

  They made their way to the police car. Devon buckled his seat belt and stared at the photo lying on the seat. Jackson shrugged a shoulder.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a picture of her,” Devon said. He picked it up and studied it. “This case has haunted me every single day. I’d give anything to find who did it.”

  Jackson’s temper reached a tipping point, and he snatched the picture from Devon’s hand. He shoved it back into its spot under the sun visor.

  “Sorry. Don’t take it personally.”

  “I never do.” Devon stared out the window.

  They drove on for a few minutes in silence. Devon spoke up first.

  “I hope this woman is able to talk when we get there. Did her sister say anything else? I can’t believe someone tried to kill her in the hospital.”

  “You know as much as I do. Things are escalating quickly, and I’m getting little worried for this woman’s safety.”

  “I get that, but I’m kind of starting to worry about you lately.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Devon put up a hand. “I’m just asking.”

  “Well, don’t.”

  “Come on, Jackson. We’ve been good friends for a long time. I promised Hope I’d always look after you.”

  “You don’t have to babysit me, Devon. I’m doing okay.”

  “I know. I just miss hanging out with you. When is the last time you met us for bowling on Thursday? And you turned me down the last time I invited you hunting. It’s like...you quit on life, Jackson. I worry about you sometimes.”

  The honesty of his words cut deep, but he’d learned how to ignore the pain.

  “I appreciate you worrying about me, but you don’t have to. I’m doing great.”

  Devon nodded and stared out the side window. “Yeah, okay. Just know the invitation still stands whenever you’re ready.”

  He knew Devon was right, but he wasn’t going to talk about it. It was true that he didn’t know how to live anymore. He’d accepted the fact that Hope and his baby girl were gone. He knew nothing would bring them back. But going to church? Being happy? He still couldn’t quit blaming God for taking the two best things that had ever happened to him. What on earth did he have to be ha
ppy about?

  Jackson pulled into the ER entrance. As they raced toward the sliding glass doors, he braced himself for what was about to happen. A strong urge to pray for her nagged at him, but he ignored it. She would either live or die. Praying wasn’t going to make a difference at this point, anyway. It hadn’t helped his wife and child. It wouldn’t help Allison, either.

  Jackson asked the ER receptionist where to find Allison, then they headed upstairs to the trauma floor. He wasn’t prepared for what he saw when he approached the ICU cubicle.

  Allison lay motionless while a doctor monitored her breathing and heartbeat with a stethoscope. He finished and walked toward them. “Can I help you?”

  Jackson extended his hand. “I’m Sergeant Jackson Archer and this is Detective Devon Sparks.

  “Dr. Larry Winston.”

  “Do you mind if we ask you some questions, Dr. Winston?” Jackson half expected him to say no.

  “Sure, go ahead. But I’ve only got a few minutes.”

  “Thank you. Can you tell us what happened?”

  “All I can tell you is that when her sister found her, she was pretty close to dead. Her breathing was labored, heart rate had dropped, blood pressure was low. Her pupils were pinpoints. She was able to tell her sister a few words before she lost consciousness. She mentioned a shot. Based on the symptoms she was presenting, we gave her Naloxone to reverse the drug. The lab is running tests right now, but I’m pretty sure she was given a large dose of morphine. She responded almost immediately to the antidote, but she’s very fortunate to be alive. She’s sleeping now, and her vitals are doing remarkably well considering what she’s been through.”

  Jackson let Devon take the lead with the questioning.

  “Who was the nurse on duty? I’m going to need the names of everyone who went into that room.”

  “Unfortunately, accidents do happen, gentlemen. Hospital administrators are on their way down to talk to you. But like I said, I only have a few minutes and they’re up right about now.”

  Jackson didn’t like the doctor’s tone or attitude. “That’s unfortunate, Doc. Look, we get that this is throwing your day off. A woman was almost murdered in this hospital, and it’s our job to find out what happened. I think whatever you have in your schedule can hold for a few more minutes. Don’t you?”

  His demeanor quickly changed. “I apologize. I haven’t slept or had anything to eat, so I’m feeling some burnout right now.”

  Jackson brought his own tone down a few notches. The doctor was talking about something they could relate to. “We totally understand that feeling. Why don’t you let Detective Sparks take you to get a cup of coffee and a bite to eat and you can answer his questions?”

  The doctor nodded. “Sure, I guess I can do that. But only for a few minutes. I have to finish my rounds and get some sleep.”

  Jackson heard Allison’s voice from behind him. They all turned around to see Maddie standing over her bed. A flutter went through his stomach.

  “What’s going on?” Her head turned in their direction.

  Jackson ignored the fact that his heartbeat sped up when she looked at him. This time, he didn’t try to hide what he was feeling. His mind whispered a thankful prayer that she was alive.

  * * *

  Allison fought to open her eyes. Her mouth was dry and her body felt weak. “What happened?”

  “Allison! Oh, thank God.” Maddie leaned down and hugged her shoulders. She pulled back and kissed her forehead.

  “Someone tell me what happened.” She wondered if she was awake or if this was a dream. Her brain was still foggy.

  “Allison, I’m Dr. Winston. It seems someone gave you the wrong medication. You’re going to be fine now. Just relax and rest. You’ll need to stay in the hospital a little longer, but you’re doing great.”

  “What? No!” This couldn’t be happening. She was leaving. She didn’t care what they were talking about. They’d promised to let her go today and she was going.

  She fought to sit up in the bed. “There’s been a mistake. I was about to be discharged.”

  She noticed Jackson and another officer. “Why are you here?”

  After a few seconds, Allison processed what the doctor had told her. Had someone given her the wrong medication on purpose?

  The nurse! He came into her room without checking the medicine into the computer. How could she have been so stupid to trust him? He had given her a shot of something.

  “Someone tried to kill me again. Maddie, I’m getting out of here.” She threw the blankets back and tried to swing a leg over the edge of the bed. Her body betrayed her. She held the bedrail when the room began to spin.

  “Ally, calm down. We don’t know that for sure. Just rest and get better so you can come home with me and see the kids.” Maddie smoothed the hair out of her eyes with her fingers. Allison grabbed her wrist.

  “Listen to me. Someone came into my room and gave me a pill. He didn’t log it in. He told me he did, but he didn’t. When I questioned him, he said the pill was for pain. I realized he didn’t log it into the computer, so I asked about that, too. That’s when he got irritated. He asked me to show him that I swallowed it.”

  She felt around in the bed. Her hand brushed over the pill she’d pretended to take. “Here it is!”

  “Let me see it. We’ll be needing that for evidence.” Jackson stuck out his hand.

  She gave him the pill and continued with her story. “As soon as I opened my mouth, he grabbed my arm and gave me a shot. I started to feel weird and then I passed out.”

  “Can you remember what he looked like?” Jackson asked.

  Maddie spoke up first. “I saw him. He came in while I was still here. He was tall, heavyset, broad shoulders. His hair and eyes were dark.”

  Allison nodded in agreement. “Exactly like that.”

  “Maddie, stay with her. I’m going to go talk to administrators and pull some surveillance video. Don’t let her out of your sight.” Devon walked toward the door.

  Maddie cleared her throat, then said, “Of course. I need to make a quick call. I keep getting texts from my mother-in-law asking me where the extra milk is. She’s wants to know how much longer until I get there. I’m not sure if she’s got everything under control or not. It’s starting to worry me.”

  Her sister was babbling. Maddie always did that when she was nervous. Allison sighed and fought back the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. This was all getting worse instead of better.

  “What’s wrong?” Maddie asked.

  “Nothing. I came here to see my nieces, and look at the mess that’s happened to me. I’m sick of it. For once in my life I wish something would go right.”

  “Shh. You’re starting to yell, Allison.” Maddie patted her hand.

  She didn’t mean to raise her voice, but her emotions were raging.

  “You’ll be out of here soon. Just be patient.” Maddie kissed her forehead and shot Jackson a look.

  “I’m going to step out for a second. Scott’s mom is a worrier, so I really need to call her.”

  She was alone with Jackson in the ICU. He paced the floor at the foot of her bed. It was an irritating gesture that made her both nervous and angry. “Please, sit down.”

  Jackson shot her an incredulous glare. The firm set in his jaw and creased eyebrow left no doubt what he was thinking. She was grateful when he walked over to a chair in the corner and sat. Fatigue showed on his face, but it didn’t distract from his handsome looks.

  Allison picked up a clear cup of water from her bedside tray and caught a glimpse of her reflection. There was no telling what he must think of her appearance.

  “I’m sorry. My nerves are on edge.” Allison tried to ease the tension between them.

  “No, it’s fine. It’s a bad habit.”

  “My attitude?”

&n
bsp; He laughed. “No, the pacing. I do it when I’m nervous, angry, bored. Or whenever I’m cooped up in a tiny space like this.”

  “I feel the same way right now. Only I’m not allowed out of this bed.”

  Devon walked in without saying a word. His eyes met Jackson’s, and they looked at each other as if they knew some deep, dark secret that she didn’t.

  Devon turned to her. “Are you ready to go?”

  Finally, someone was making sense. “Now that is a man with a plan. I’m ready when you are.”

  “Did the doctor clear her?” Jackson stood up.

  “Doesn’t matter. We need to get her out of here ASAP.” He winked at her. “She’s been here long enough.”

  Something in Devon’s tone told her he wasn’t really joking around. This was serious.

  “What is it? What’s going on?”

  “Nothing. We’re just getting you out of here.”

  She wasn’t buying it. “My sister is here. Why can’t I go home with her?”

  Devon shook his head. “No. I know this isn’t making sense to you, but we’ll tell you everything when the time is right. We’re going to get you to a safe house until this mess is resolved.”

  A safe house? Her stomach felt like it was sliding out of her body.

  Jackson turned to her. “Allison, you’re going to have to trust us.”

  She didn’t miss the look the two men gave each other. Trust was something she wasn’t good at. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t. Not yet. The room felt uneven and heat warmed her hands. The beating of her heart slammed the inside of her chest like a sledgehammer.

  Her life was really in danger.

  And they knew it.

  FIVE

  Jackson helped Allison sit up on the edge of the bed. He didn’t know much about being a doctor, but she didn’t appear to be ready to leave the hospital yet. A morphine overdose had to be a hard thing to bounce back from, but somehow, she made it seem like a cakewalk. Allison was a tough woman. She reminded him so much of Hope. Not one thing about their physical appearance was the same, but something about her brave determination made them a lot alike. Hope would’ve liked her.