Life Flight

by Lynette Eason

  Penny shrugged. “Part of her was proud. Another part was sad, I think. Sad to see what it did to my sister and me and my dad. My dad kind of just closed up after a few years. I’m actually surprised he and Mom didn’t go their separate ways, but I guess their relationship works for them and that’s all that matters.”

  “Still, I’m sure it took its toll.”

  “In many ways. In other ways, it was good. Or at least it wound up being good. Eventually. After he fired the . . . first nanny, and hired the second—and last—we traveled the world, saw lots of different cultures, learned to love various foods, met amazing people.” She shot him a small smile. “Some parts of my childhood were really incredible. I just have to remind myself of that when the bad parts want to overwhelm me.”

  He stood. “I got a couple of prints, but I’m willing to bet they belong to you.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “It was worth a shot. I’ll just clean everything up now. You can keep talking.”

  “About what?”

  “Hmm . . . I know you had a sister and she died. Do you mind sharing what happened?”

  Penny’s smile faded and her eyes darkened.

  “Never mind,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me.” It’s not like he wanted to tell her about Zoe or explain why his sister was in prison.

  “No. You’re right,” Penny said, “talking to one another is good.” She pulled in a deep breath. “When Elise was nineteen and I was sixteen, we went skiing in Colorado with our dad. By this time, we no longer had a nanny, of course, but Mom was busy making a movie somewhere and Dad wanted to do something fun. The second day we were there, he came down with a cold but told us to go on, that he didn’t want to ruin the trip for us. We took off for the slope without checking the weather forecast.”

  “Ouch.”

  “It was dark and still and had a creepy feel, but being from California, we didn’t put it together. Like dumb teenagers can do, we decided that the normal runs were too tame, so we went off the path into the ‘Do Not Ski’ area of the mountain. There was a storm coming, but we were invincible. Thought it would be cool to ski down the side of the mountain in a blizzard.” Tears welled in her eyes but didn’t fall. “Only we didn’t count on how truly bad the storm was going to be or that the area where we were was known for avalanches.”

  “Oh no.”

  “Yeah. We got caught in it. We were skiing ahead of it and we saw an overhang kind of area. I told her to aim for it. She agreed. I whipped under it and she fell trying to do the same. The rush of snow caught her and swept her down. She grabbed a tree and held on for a long time. I thought it might be all right. Then another wave of snow swept over her and she was . . . gone.”

  He stepped over to her and curled an arm around her shoulders. “I’m so sorry.”

  Penny sighed and leaned her head against his chest. “Thanks. I found her about thirty minutes later. She was over the side of the mountain on a cliff. Much like Claire was. I had a cell phone and was able to call for help, but because of the high winds, no chopper could—or would—fly. Paramedics finally made it up there, but she died on the way to the hospital. She had a broken rib that we later learned punctured a lung. If the chopper had been able to get there, she might have lived.”

  He looked at her. “So that’s why you do what you do.”

  “Yes.”

  “And why you flew into that storm?”

  “Yes.” She looked up at him. “I mean, I’m not stupid. I won’t take chances that would endanger my flight crew. But when we left, the storm wasn’t nearly as bad—trust me, I checked numerous times—and I really thought we could get Claire to the hospital before it got worse. But we were delayed at the accident site. They had to get her stable before we could get her in the air and then the winds shifted and—” She shook her head. “We almost made it. If we’d left five to ten minutes earlier, we would have been okay. At least I think so. Who really knows?”

  “You’re a hero, Penny, I hope you can see that.”

  “Aw, Holt, I was just doing my job. For real. If it makes me look like a hero, then . . .” She shrugged. “I guess it makes me look like a hero. The truth is, Raina and Holly are the real heroes. They kept Claire alive.”

  “While you fought off a serial killer and saved my life. Again. All three of you are heroes.”

  She snagged his hand and her fingers entwined with his. “Thank you, Holt.”

  His heart pounded out a faster rhythm, like it always did when he was with Penny. He’d been enjoying getting to know her, thought she was fun and interesting and amazing. And deep. Now, he just wanted to lean over and kiss her.

  Penny cleared her throat. “Holt?”

  He blinked. “Yeah?”

  “Your phone is buzzing like a bee on speed.”

  “What?” The next time it went off, he sighed and snagged it from the clip on his belt. “Hello?” He didn’t mean to sound quite so snappy, but he couldn’t help it.

  “Holt? This is Lexie.” Lexie Anderson, one of the medical examiners for the city of Asheville. He’d worked with her before on several cases and was impressed with her professionalism and attention to detail. “I’ve got your dead escapee here and have just finished up his autopsy.”

  “Let me guess. Cause of death was a stake to the heart.”

  “Cute. No vampires here. The knife blade was all it took.”

  “Okay, well, thanks for letting me know.” But he had a feeling she wasn’t done.

  “I have some information you might find interesting—and disturbing—about this guy.”

  Some days he hated being right. “What did you find out about Mr. Rabor that’s disturbing?”

  “That’s just it. Mr. Rabor isn’t Mr. Rabor.”

  CHAPTER

  NINE

  Holt blinked and Penny met his gaze. He looked a little shell-shocked. “What do you mean, Mr. Rabor isn’t Mr. Rabor?” he said.

  Penny gaped and Holt frowned. She stayed silent while he listened. A lot of “Uh-huhs” later, he hung up.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Let’s go to the den. I need to sit down.”

  Returning to the living room, she pointed to the couch and he sank down onto it, then dropped his head in his hands. “Holt? Come on. You’re scaring me. To repeat your question, what do you mean that Mr. Rabor isn’t Mr. Rabor?”

  “I can’t discuss this with you. I’m sorry.”

  “Then I’ll guess. The guy in the morgue is someone who looks like Darius Rabor but isn’t him?”

  He studied her and sighed. “I guess that wasn’t too hard to figure out, was it?”

  She gulped. “But . . . yes it is. It has to be. I’ve seen pictures of him on the news. I watched the documentary channel 7 did after he was arrested, and they had tons of pictures of him, his family, his church, everything. He talked about how he killed his wife because she disrespected him, but now that he thought about it, it really wasn’t her fault because she’d never been trained and that—” Penny snapped her lips together to stop the outpouring. “That was Darius Rabor who fell on his knife and died.”

  “Well, since you figured it out . . . I thought it was him, too, but Lexie says no.”

  “Why? What was it about him that makes her say that? Can you tell me?”

  “No.” He held up a hand. “And not because of the case. She didn’t say why, just that I needed to come to the morgue and she’d explain.”

  “Oh . . .”

  Another sigh slipped from him. “I need to go.” He stood, rubbed his neck, then dropped his arm to his side. “I also need to call Gerald and see how he wants to move forward from here.”

  Penny rose from her chair. “Okay. I understand.”

  Holt pulled her to him in a quick hug and kissed her cheek. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  He paused. “What are you going to do today?”

  “I have no idea. Work on the house, I guess.”
>
  “Are you going to be able to sleep here tonight?”

  “No, but I’ll survive.”

  He groaned and settled his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry, Pen.”

  “It’s fine. Go.” She gave him a slight shove toward the front door. “I’ll pack a bag and go stay at the base at the hospital when I’m ready.”

  “Aw, Penny, I don’t—”

  “Holt. Go.”

  “I can’t. Not without you. Go pack. I’ll drive you there.”

  “But . . .” She frowned. Did she really want to work on the house? She’d be jumping at shadows and every noise the old house made. Yeah, not today.

  Ten minutes later, on their way back to the hospital, Penny glanced at an exhausted Holt. So much for taking the time off to rest. But the truth was, she wasn’t a big fan of taking time off. She liked staying busy and she loved her job.

  She also needed some peace. Some time to let her nerves calm down and some time to think. Not to mention, she liked a good night’s sleep. If she stayed home, that wouldn’t happen. They pulled into the parking lot near the base and he dropped her off at the entrance. She turned to wave at Holt and made her way inside.

  Raina was sitting at the table, munching on an apple. Her eyes widened when Penny sat in the chair across from her. “What’re you doing here?”

  “Couldn’t sleep.”

  “I guess not. Are the reporters all over your house right now?”

  “Not at the moment. I expect them to show up at some point. They’ll figure out I bought it under a different name eventually.”

  “Then what’s going on?”

  Penny told her about the break-in at the house and confronting Mike.

  The more she talked, the wider Raina’s eyes got. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I wish.”

  “Well, you can share my bed if you need to, but you’re not going back home.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll just crash on the couch. I brought a pillow and a blanket, so I’ll be fine.”

  The door opened and Byron stepped inside. He stopped when he spotted Penny. “What’re you doing here?”

  “That’s the question of the day.” She explained once more the reason for her presence. When she finished, she narrowed her eyes at the man. “Thank you for coming to the rescue earlier. You deserve the title of hero as well. I’m sorry everyone’s so focused on me—and who my mother is.”

  He shrugged. “I almost told Mike to stuff it, that I wasn’t flying, but I couldn’t do that to you guys. And I’m a little starstruck at the fact that Geneva Queen is your mom, but I also know you, and you’re . . . you. So, I’ll get over it.” He flashed her a dimpled smile, but she could see the sincerity behind it.

  “Claire’s alive because of you,” she said. “Don’t downplay it.”

  “She’s alive because of all of us.”

  “Okay. True. We’ll go with that.” She yawned. “Anyway, I need to take a nap. I was up almost all night and I’m wiped out.”

  “Oh,” Byron said, “some reporter stopped me in the hallway. Seems real interested in you.”

  Penny rolled her eyes. “No kidding.”

  “I told him to get lost, but he was pretty insistent. Just giving you a heads-up that he might turn up like a bad penny.” He smirked. “See what I did there, Penny?”

  She groaned. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”

  “Come on, I’ve been waiting to use that ever since I met you.”

  “You, and everyone else. Go away, Byron.” She couldn’t express her relief that he was treating her the same, even though he knew who her mother was now. But that was Byron. He was a good guy.

  He laughed and went to the refrigerator, pulled two bottles of water from it, and tossed her one. “You did good out there, Pen.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Don’t worry about all the extra. It’ll die down soon enough.”

  “Yeah.”

  He disappeared into the game room, and soon she heard the dings and whistles of one of the video games that he liked.

  Holly joined Penny and Raina at the table. “So . . . we need a vacation. Some time away. My parents have offered their condo at the lake. Do you think we could swing having a few overlapping days off?”

  “Count me in,” Penny said.

  Raina nodded her agreement, then turned her attention to the television.

  Penny groaned. “Seriously? Don’t they have anything better to cover?”

  “Geneva Queen’s daughter faced down a serial killer,” Holly said. “No, they probably don’t have anything better to cover.” She reached out to squeeze Penny’s hand. “What was it like up there, knowing the guy was a serial killer?” Before Penny could try to form an answer, Holly went on, releasing Penny’s hand and twisting her fingers together. “I saw him in the trees. His eyes locked on mine and he swung the gun right at me. Before he pulled the trigger, the chopper shifted and I was out of the line of fire. I think that’s when he shot one of the agents.” A shudder rippled through her. “How could you even think straight?”

  This time it was Penny who reached across the table to grasp her friend’s entwined hands. “It was terrifying. All I wanted to do was make sure Holt and I survived.” And if it was that scary facing down the man on the mountain, how much worse would it have been if it were the real Darius Rabor?

  Holt sat in the parking spot outside his hotel room. He’d spent the day chasing down dead-end leads and lunatic tips. But everything had to be checked out no matter how crazy it sounded. In lieu of beating his head against a wall, he made a few phone calls. Right now, he had his SSA, Gerald Long, on FaceTime. The man was in his office looking at him, his gaze steady but weary. “Gresham’s funeral is next week. His family said they’re doing a small private one but would have a graveside service for anyone who wanted to come. It’s going to be in Texas, though.”

  “I’ll see where we are on this case. I really hope we have Rabor in custody at that point.”

  “Amen to that. Marty texted me and said he was doing fine. Julianna too. Gus . . . not so much. I’m worried about him.”

  The words cut deep. The men and women he worked with were more than just coworkers, they were his friends, his brothers and sisters. Family. “I know. I am too.”

  “Well, nothing we can do but pray for them at this point. At least the guy who shot them is dead.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So Penny had a hand in saving your hide once again. How’s she doing?”

  “She’s doing all right.” He paused. “Truthfully, she’s the reason we’re both still alive.” He explained in detail Penny’s tackle that had kept the knife from doing him harm. “This was the second time she’s saved my life.” Nothing Gerald didn’t know, since he’d been there the first time around.

  “Brave woman. She interested in a career change?”

  That pulled a laugh from Holt. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Hmm. That’s too bad. What about Shondra Miller? The girlfriend who helped Rabor escape? Because the guy in the hospital was Rabor regardless of who was on the mountain.”

  “Nothing so far. It’s like she dropped off the planet.”

  Gerald pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked back at the screen. “Okay, so let’s go through what we already know.”

  “Well, Rabor has family on that mountain. We located them last time we hunted him. We sent officers all over, into good and really bad areas, and we watched and waited.” Holt paused. “That profiler was right—Rabor did eventually show up where he felt most comfortable.”

  “One of the worst trailer parks up there.”

  “If it weren’t for that kid calling us, we might not have caught him when we did.” The boy lived across the road from the trailer Rabor had holed up in and was afraid the man would kill them next. “The whole thing was bad from start to finish. You know how it all went down.”

  “But you got him.”

  “We did.”

 
“And you lived to do it again. Just try not to get stabbed this time.”

  Holt laughed. “That’s my preference.”

  Gerald rubbed a hand across his balding head. He was one year from retirement and expressed his total dislike of the idea on a regular basis. “What’s this nonsense Lexie’s saying about the stiff on her slab not being Darius Rabor? Where’d he come from?”

  Holt raised a brow. Stiff? “You’ve been watching old cop shows again, haven’t you?”

  The man shrugged. “Gotta do something to get my mind out of these files. Anyway, Lexie?”

  “I know we’ve only worked with her a couple of times, but have you known her to talk nonsense?”

  “No, and that scares me.”

  “She wouldn’t give me anything more than it wasn’t Rabor on her table. Said she was waiting on a couple of other test results but could meet with me in the morning as long as they came in. So I’ll head to the morgue first thing tomorrow.”

  “Call me and let me listen in on how she concluded without DNA that the man isn’t Rabor. I want a firsthand account of it.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll FaceTime you so you can see what she’s talking about.”

  “Good enough. We’ve got a lot of manpower searching for Rabor. You better get some sleep. You’re going to need it.”

  “I’m headed in that direction now. You should do the same.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m going.”

  Holt climbed out of his vehicle and walked into his hotel suite. It had been a very long day of producing pretty much nothing. He’d had days like this before and tried not to let it discourage him. Tomorrow the case could break wide open. He just had to be patient and do his job. Easier said than done most of the time, but he was good at what he did. Unfortunately, so was Rabor. Holt just had to be better. Again.

  He set his gun and badge on the counter and flipped on the television to the local news. The refrigerator held three bottles of water and a bag of Kit Kats. He pulled out a bottle, popped the frozen dinner he’d bought in the microwave, and chugged the water. Then he checked on Marty and Gus and got the same information that Gerald had given him. For a moment, he bowed his head and prayed for his partner and friend. The microwave and his phone buzzed one second apart.