by Robin Caroll
With a sigh, he sat and studied Remington. In sleep, she looked as angelic as Savannah.
Lord, please help me keep her safe. Lead me to do what’s best for her. Please.
No longer able to resist, Rafe leaned over and planted a feathery kiss on her temple. The scent of her shampoo filled his senses. He breathed her in, letting the heat wash over him. He returned to his watch in the chair beside her.
If Hartlock, Devane, Jackson, or anyone else wanted to harm her, they’d have to come through him first.
His officer might not make it. His best friend had endured three attempts on her life. His sister was under mental evaluation. And the father he’d adored all his life wasn’t really his father. Hayden decided it just wasn’t his week.
He headed back down the hospital wing, two folders tucked tightly under his arm. One contained the information on the Cason Moore case that linked Daniel Tate to Hartlock and Devane. The other contained photographs of Hartlock and Devane for him to show Nurse Cheryl, who’d been more than willing to pick the man who’d flattened her out of a picture lineup.
The two officers he left guarding Bella’s room still sat at the ready in the hall. They’d better—after what happened to the last officer, everyone was on full alert and in pairs.
Bob Travis rounded the nurses’ station. “I have two officers sitting in a conference room with nurse Cheryl Lee and the hospital attorney and chief of staff. If you’d like, I can do the photo lineup.”
Hayden handed him the file. “Thanks, Bob. I appreciate it.”
“No problem, Commish.” He took the folder and headed down the hall, another officer by his side.
If Hartlock was in this hospital waiting for another chance at Bella or any of the Hopewell police officers, he was in for a rude awakening.
Hayden headed to Bella’s room. He nodded at the two officers, then eased the door open and silently slipped inside.
He froze at the sight before him.
Bella lay sleeping peacefully. Rafe sat in the chair beside her bed, facing the bed, holding her right hand. His head rested on the bed beside her.
Tranquil.
It was a couple scene if ever Hayden had seen one. He didn’t know what to think. She was his best friend, but at the moment Hayden felt like an intruder. He took a step back to leave.
Rafe’s head shot up and he twisted, hand on the butt of his holstered gun.
“It’s just me,” Hayden whispered, moving toward them. He nodded at Bella. “How’s she doing?”
“Good. Finally sleeping.” Rafe eased his hand from her grip. She mumbled in her sleep. Rafe smoothed her blanket.
The intimacy slammed against Hayden. He held out the folder. “Here’s the case Bella and I found that Daniel presided over and Hartlock and Devane were witnesses.”
Rafe took the folder and flipped through the notes. “And this was the only one you could find that involved the three of them?”
Hayden nodded. “For the six months prior to Daniel’s murder.”
“I’ll get some of my buddies in the Memphis office to look into this. No one in Little Rock will have any idea things are being checked.”
“Good. And talk to the government witnesses. Two of them talked to Daniel, which is what got him killed.”
“Don’t worry, the Memphis agents are good.”
Hayden waved toward Bella. “She needs whatever security we can provide her.”
“She’s agreed to go with me to my SAC in the Memphis office.”
Hayden’s heart sunk to his toes. “When?”
“As soon as the doctor releases her. There’s no sense in staying around.” Rafe turned from her. “Did you talk with that nurse Remington mentioned? Cheryl?”
His calling her Remington made it all real. That he was losing his best friend. “Uh, yes. We’re conducting a photograph lineup right now.”
“Good. If we can get a corroboration of it being Hartlock, it’ll make my job that much easier.” Rafe turned back to her and took her hand. His thumb rubbed her knuckles. “And that’ll keep her safe.”
Hayden struggled not to be jealous. Bella was too wonderful not to eventually have someone in her life other than him. He just thought the transition would be slower . . . that he’d have time to adjust to her having another man in her life and heart.
“I’ll stay with her.”
Rafe lifted his head. “I’m okay. I told her I’d stay.”
Hayden moved closer to the bed. “It’s going to be a long night. Why don’t you grab a cup of coffee and stretch a little? I’ll stay with her in case she wakes up.” He needed privacy to say some of the things he needed to say to her.
“Coffee does sound good.” Rafe released her hand and inched back. “Can I get you a cup?”
“No, but thanks.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Rafe headed to the door.
“Take your time.”
The whoosh of the door indicated they were alone. Hayden sat in the chair and took Bella’s hand. Dear God, help me give her peace for the journey she needs to take. Don’t let my own wants come out and influence her. “Bella, honey.”
Her eyelids fluttered open. She blinked, then focused on his face. “What’s wrong?” She struggled to sit.
“Nothing’s wrong. I just need to talk to you for a minute.”
“Okay.” She managed to get in a semi-sitting position.
“You know I love you, right?”
“Yeah.” She frowned. “Hay, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He forced his emotions to remain in check. God, help me get my point out right. “I just wanted to tell you I’m glad you decided to trust Rafe.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I told you he was a good guy.”
She grinned and relaxed. “You woke me up just to be able to say you told me so?”
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “Well, that too, but not only that.” He inhaled deeply, held the air in his lungs for a long moment, then slowing released. “I wanted to tell you that I want you to be happy.” Lord, please help her understand.
“What’re you talking about?”
“With Rafe. In Memphis. Or Little Rock. Or wherever.” Far away from him.
“I don’t understand.”
He kissed her hand. “You’re going to leave Hopewell, and me. And I want you to know that it’s okay.”
“Oh, Hay . . .”
“I’m serious. Once you don’t need to hide out here anymore, you’ll need to get on with your life. Using your education, your degree. It’d be a waste for you not to, once everything’s cleared up.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Tears pooled in her eyes.
“Not at all. But I wanted you to know that you’ll always be my best friend, and no matter where you go, you won’t get rid of me.”
She smiled and opened her right arm. He stepped in and gave her a hug.
“I love you, Hayden Simpson. And you’ll always be my best friend too.”
Except that he wouldn’t.
Chapter Thirty
“Take away love and our earth is a tomb.”
Robert Browning
Buzzzzzz!
Rafe bolted upright in bed. Disorientation clogged his head. Then he remembered. He slapped the alarm on the motel room’s nightstand and pulled himself to sitting. He ran a hand over his face, then scrubbed his head. Morning had come entirely too soon.
The coffee from the maker in the room was less than appealing, but a cup of black coffee, along with a hot shower, helped Rafe feel a little more human and a little less like a bear. His cell chimed.
“Baxter.”
“Well, imagine that.” Nick’s deep baritone boomed over the line. “Bet
ter be you since that’s who I called.”
“Thanks for calling me back.”
“What’d you expect after the voice mail you left me last night? Excuse me, early this morning.” The Memphis SAC cleared his throat. “You were rather cryptic.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Rafe had left the message after he left the hospital and after he’d read the notes on the Moore case.
“So, what’s this all about?”
Rafe took a deep breath. “I’m working a cold case that has . . . I believe . . . well, there’s no other way to say it, dirty agents involved.”
A thundering pause. “Did you say dirty agents?”
“Yes, sir. One of them is the ASAC. And I’m talking to you about this because I’m not sure if the SAC is involved or not.”
“Maybe you’d better back up and start at the beginning.”
“Yes, sir.” Rafe relayed the entire story, including all the details. He used the file for reference to make sure he didn’t miss anything.
“I can’t believe . . .”
Rafe remained silent, letting his former boss work things out.
“We can always go straight to main justice in DC.”
He could hear the hesitation in Nick’s voice. “But?”
“But that’s a long process. If I’m getting what you’re saying, this girl’s in danger until every person involved is put away.”
Leave it to Nick to cut right to the heart of the matter. “Right.”
“Have you looked into that case you found linking the judge to the dirty agents?”
“Not yet. Just got it last night. I don’t have anyone in the Little Rock office I can trust yet.”
“Fax the details to my personal fax number. I’ll get a couple of boys to look into it from here.”
“Thanks, Nick. I really appreciate it.”
“You seem to have gotten yourself into a fix over there. Guess it wouldn’t do me any good to say I told you so, huh?”
He knew Nick wouldn’t let it pass. “No. We both know why I’m here.”
“Apparently, for more than one reason.”
“Yeah.” Rafe studied the photograph of Remington. How had he missed that she was Bella? Now that he knew, he could clearly see it was the same person. “And you’re okay with me bringing the witness in to the Memphis office? It won’t cause problems?”
“Oh, it’ll cause some problems, but if Alphonse Jackson isn’t involved, he’ll understand. And if he is . . . well, we won’t care what he thinks at that point.”
“I’m grateful to you, man.” Rafe released the tension in his shoulders. “I don’t know when she’ll be released from the hospital, but I’ll call you before we head in.”
“Fax me that info ASAP. We’ll start on that.”
“On its way as soon as I get off the phone. Thanks again.”
Nick grunted before disconnecting the call.
Rafe glanced out the window across the parking lot. Hartlock’s car was parked in front of their motel room. He shrugged off the urge to storm over there and beat on the door, just to see if he’d hit Devane. The hospital reported no gunshot wounds in the ER last night. Rafe shook his head. He’d been so sure he’d hit him.
He grabbed the Cason Moore file and his jacket, then rushed out the door and strode to the motel’s office. A chilly fog-like density hovered low.
A blast of forced heat slammed him when he opened the office door. Daisy was on duty, allowing him to use the fax machine at no charge, even though it was long distance and against policy, as she was quick to point out. Still no sign of life from Hartlock and Devane’s room. Their car still sat unmoved outside. It didn’t matter—they’d get what they deserved. Rafe got behind the wheel of his car, then headed to the hospital.
Simpson met him as soon as Rafe stepped off the elevator on the hospital floor. “We’re about to bring in Hartlock as a suspect in the attack on Bella.” His eyes shone with excitement. “The nurse picked him out of a photo lineup. We just got all the paperwork.”
Rafe wasn’t entirely sure what the proper protocol was when bringing in an FBI agent for questioning regarding an assault, but he was pretty sure it’d be better if he went with the police commissioner. Just in case. “Mind if I tag along?”
Simpson smiled and nodded. “Hoped you would be interested in joining us.”
“What about Remington?”
“Two of my men are guarding her and the hospital security is on full alert. I told her we were going to pick up Hartlock. She’s relieved.”
He’d like to at least say hello to her before he left, just to see for himself that she was okay this morning, but Simpson stepped into the elevator and jabbed the button to the lobby. “You can ride with me. Two other units are following us. I have a car already on-site, just to make sure they don’t leave before we get there.”
“I didn’t notice any activity when I left the motel.” Rafe followed Simpson from the elevator.
“Good. I don’t want him getting away.” Simpson slipped inside the cruiser before Rafe could even open the passenger door.
Dare he call Jackson? If he didn’t and Jackson was clean, Rafe’s head would be on the chopping block. To not give the SAC a heads-up when the ASAC was being brought in for questioning? Yeah, Rafe could kiss any hope of a promotion good-bye.
On the other hand, if Jackson was involved, calling him in advance would give him time to warn Hartlock. It was a catch-22 in the worst kind of way.
Or the best opportunity.
Rafe pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. “Simpson, I need to call Jackson and tell him we’re about to pick up Hartlock.”
“What are you doing? He’ll warn him.”
Rafe nodded. “If he does, then we know for a fact he’s involved in all this. Don’t you see? This is one safe way to learn if we can trust him about Remington’s story.”
One slight measure he’d use to help keep her safe.
Why hadn’t Hayden called her yet? And where was Rafe?
Bella sat on the edge of the hospital bed. She’d already taken a shower, having been set free of the IV after the bag of antibiotics had emptied. The morning nurse assured her the doctor would be by any minute for his morning rounds.
She planned to be discharged soon. No matter what Dr. Benton said, she wasn’t going to stay in the hospital any longer. She felt fine. Her shoulder was pretty sore, but Rafe had already warned her about that.
Rafe.
He had haunted her dreams during the early morning hours. Bits and pieces of images: his smile, those smoldering eyes of his, the set of his jaw, the broadness of his shoulders. She’d faded in and out of reality and dreamland, never really sure which was which. The result was her road map eyes and restless irritation.
The hospital door swung open and Ardy rushed to her side. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. Hayden just told me about you this morning.” She smoothed Bella’s hair. “I can’t believe you were shot. I already gave my son a good talking-to for not telling me about this last night. I could’ve stayed with you. And then to have to go through such a brouhaha to get in your room . . .” She stood back and stared at Bella’s bandaged shoulder. “Oh, honey. I just can’t believe this.”
“It hardly hurts anymore.” Hayden probably hadn’t told Ardy earlier to save Bella from this overzealous attention. She’d have to remember to hug him for it later.
“But shot?!” Ardy shook her head. “I just don’t know what Hopewell’s coming to. Shot, in your own home.”
“I’m going to be fine.”
“Hayden said they have a suspect and will be picking him up this morning. Have you heard if they’ve done that yet?”
Ah, so that’s why he’d told Ardy . . . so she could babysit Bella while Hayden picked up Hartlock. Sneaky man t
hat he was. “I haven’t heard.”
The door whooshed open before Ardy could further comment. The doctor, with a new nurse trailing him, went straight to the computer at her bedside. “Good morning.”
Click-click-click. “Looks like you had an uneventful rest of the night after your excitement.”
“Yes.”
Click. Click. Tap. Tap. Tap. “Your stats are good. Bloodwork from this morning gives no indication of infection.”
Tap-tap-tap. Tap. Tap. “Everything looks great.” He finally turned from the computer and addressed her. “Let’s take a look, shall we?” He faced Ardy.
The nurse scooted Ardy toward the door. “You’ll be allowed back in after the doctor completes his exam.”
Dr. Benton eased the bandage back, then peered over the rim of his glasses. He secured the bandage back in place, then did the same thing on the back of her shoulder. “Well, Miss Miller, everything looks like it should. How’re you feeling?” He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.
“Fine. Ready to go home.”
“Are you sure? You might prefer staying another night.”
“No. Please. I’d really like to go home.”
He scribbled on a pad of paper the nurse passed him. “Well, it seems you have a ride home, so you’re free to leave.” He handed the nurse the papers, then patted Bella’s right hand. “The nurse will bring you the discharge papers and your prescriptions. If you have any problems, call your family doctor.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded and left, the nurse on his heels.
Bella stepped to the floor. A sensation of wooziness caused her to sway. Ardy rushed to her side and balanced her. “Honey, should I call that doctor back?”
“No. I’m fine. It’s a side effect of the pain medications.” She straightened, giving her equilibrium a chance to right itself. “I’m being discharged. I wonder where my clothes are.”
“You just sit down. I’ll find your clothes.” Ardy helped her sit in the chair Rafe and Hayden had taken turns occupying throughout most of last night. She shuffled into the bathroom, making odd noises.