“I’m sure it doesn’t.” With one final tug, multiplied by the force of her anger and annoyance at Hallie, Rory finally dislodged the jam in the zipper. Sliding her hand across the bottom of her purse, she pulled out her key in victory. “I’ll take care of it.” She slid the key into the lock and waited for Hallie to back away. Sometimes, things she learned while working as an officer came in handy. Her it’d be best if you left right now glare was one of them. Even Hallie didn’t miss the non-verbal message. The radio was ten times louder once the door opened. “Allie, I’ve gotta admit. I think the guys in Myers can even hear the music.” She stepped into the room and looked around. Empty. She could have at least had the courtesy to turn the music down when she left. The sheets on Allie’s bed were in disarray, and the scent of cologne hung in the air. Guess she’d been too busy to bother being polite.
“Great. So you turned on the radio to cover up whatever y’all were doing in here.” Rory lectured her invisible roommate as she stepped over the pile of discarded shoes at the foot of Allie’s bed.
Her foot brushed against something soft.
• • •
Zach wiped the steam from the mirror as he wrapped his towel around his waist. Twisting at the waist, he gingerly peeled the damp gauze from his side. So much for keeping the injury dry, but he needed to think.
Gabriel knew something.
The memory of the repeated questions buzzed in Zach’s head like a mosquito intent on its next meal. How would Gabriel know? Rory’s cover story was flawless. Her boss had done such an excellent job of establishing her cover, her true identity wasn’t even discovered when she’d been arrested and fingerprinted.
So why was Gabriel suspicious? Or was he? Zach opened the box of gauze as he thought back to what he’d witnessed of the date. The camera in Rory’s purse had an almost completely unobstructed view of the table and its occupants. Gabriel seemed taken with Rory. He’d definitely seemed to be more than willing to take Rory somewhere more private. If Rory hadn’t ended the date, Zach was fairly certain he would have witnessed another night similar to the one that had ended so badly.
An unexpected surge of jealousy flared in Zach’s core.
Most of Rory’s dates seemed to end with her playing keep away from her suspect … and that bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
He peeled off a section of medical tape and placed it on the gauze pad. Trying to reach the small of his back wasn’t too different from playing Twister with his sister Jill when they were in elementary school. Thankfully, today he didn’t have to end the game with her bony elbow poking into his side. But he would have been thankful to have her nursing skills available to change his dressing. What the hell was the doctor in the emergency room thinking when he said this would be easy for him to do on his own?
He rotated at the waist and tried again, wishing for the first time that he’d taken a few of the yoga classes offered at the rec center. Rory did yoga. He’d seen it on her school schedule. He could imagine what kind of positions she could get that lithe form of hers twisted into. His cock twitched at the thought.
Damn it. What the hell was he doing? He shouldn’t be imagining what she’d look like sweaty after a class. He sure as heck shouldn’t be thinking of other ways he could make her sweat.
She was his partner.
Christian trusted him to keep his little sister safe.
He had to keep it professional.
After placing the last strip of tape around the pad covering his stitches, he walked out of the bathroom with difficulty. He needed a distraction. Walking to his bedside table, he picked up the television remote. Surely there was a college game on tonight. He flipped through the channels, not really focusing on anything he was seeing.
The radio on Zach’s desk crackled to life. The high-pitched alarm that signaled an ambulance’s dispatch buzzed, waking Otis from his nap on the braided rug at the foot of Zach’s bed.
“Ambulance en route to Moreland University. Thompson Hall.” Donna’s voice screeched from the radio. “Available officers please respond.”
Zach practically hurdled the bed in his quest to reach the radio. He depressed the button to speak. “Rowlins here. I’m available. Is it another overdose?”
“Negative, Rowlins. You’re on medical leave.” Donna answered without even time to take a breath. “Someone else needs to handle it. Available officers please respond.” She repeated her request.
“Is. It. An. Overdose?” He spoke slowly, since she seemed to be having trouble understanding him.
“I don’t have that information. Rowlins, you’re not authorized to answer the call.”
Zach threw the radio to the ground. Screw authorization. This was his case. He was going to find out what was going on. Ignoring the additional chatter over the radio, he grabbed a sweatshirt and tugged it over his head as he stormed out of the room.
Another overdose.
He knew it. So certain, he could feel it in his toes. Damn it, they’d even had an officer in the dorm, and they’d missed the warning signs.
Zach froze with his hand on the doorknob. Yes, they’d had an officer in the dorm. And that very officer had just eaten dinner with one of their suspects. Could Gabriel have slipped something into her drink? He did the math in his head. How quickly could the drug take effect? Would Rory have had time to drive back to the dorm and pass out?
He’d wanted to think Gabriel’s actions over before trying to contact Rory about their suspect’s unusual question. What if he’d waited too long?
• • •
Zach skidded to a stop next to the curb in front of the dormitory. He’d never made it to town this fast. In his haste to reach the college, he’d practically dared an officer to chase him. He wouldn’t have minded the escort, since he was driving almost double the posted speed limit.
A crowd of spectators lined the rain-dampened sidewalk as groups of girls huddled close together beneath the flashing lights of the ambulance. Two Peytonville PD squad cars were parked haphazardly in the fire lane behind Captain Davies’ car. What was she doing there? With the amount of officers responding to the call, he had little doubt their drug problem had claimed another victim.
“Who is it?”
“No idea.”
“I promise, that room is cursed.”
Zach spun in search of who’d just spoken. A thin girl with her hair in braids over her shoulders stood looking wide-eyed at a room on the seventh floor. A flurry of activity was evident behind the blinds. “What room?”
“Seven eighteen.” Her friend standing next to the tiny girl answered. “First Cadie — ”
Zach didn’t stop to hear the next name. Of course it was. Not waiting for the elevator, he tore open the door to the stairwell and mounted the stairs two at a time, ignoring the stabbing pain he felt in his side with each step.
• • •
The elevator doors closed with a sound of finality just as Zach stepped from the stairwell. A group of officers and fire department personnel milled around at the end of the hallway. Still too far away to hear their conversation, their low tones spoke volumes.
Zach jogged down the hallway, drawing more than one curious look from his friends.
“What are you doing here?” Hart looked up at Zach in surprise from keying information into his tablet computer.
“We’re going to need you to come down to the station.” Mueller spoke to an unseen person standing inside room 718.
“Sure. I understand. Can you give me a second?”
Mueller shook his head. “Probably best if you go ahead and come with me.” He disappeared behind the doorway for a moment before reappearing with his hand firmly gripping Rory’s arm.
The momentary burst of adrenaline was gone. Zach had never seen her look so tiny … or afraid.
“Y
ou can give her a minute to compose herself.” Zach stepped to his junior officer’s side.
“Time’s a top priority right now.” Mueller looked at Rory with suspicion.
“I just want to go to the restroom.” Rory gripped the side of the doorway.
Mueller shook his head and clucked his tongue. “No can do. What if you’re trying to protect your roomie? You could be disposing evidence.” He was obviously enjoying the power he wielded over Rory.
Rory sighed in defeat. “You got me. I obviously had plenty of time to think of something like that while I was doing CPR.”
“I’ve been there. Covering for your friends.”
“Well, maybe you need to arrest yourself.”
Zach stifled a laugh. Rory didn’t even try to mask how much she disliked Mueller. “Tell you what, Officer Mueller, you finish up here. I’ll bring our witness in for questioning myself.”
“Aren’t you off right now?”
“Seems like I’m already here.” Zach stiffened. “That’s really all you need to concern yourself with.” He reached for Rory’s arm and guided her farther out into the hallway. As they walked farther from the room, he placed his hand in the small of her back for support. He could feel her shaking through her light jacket she’d worn earlier in the evening. Whatever had happened, she hadn’t even had a chance to change clothes since her date.
• • •
Zach walked alongside Rory on their way to his car, hoping to make it clear she wasn’t a suspect. He didn’t want to make this any more difficult for Rory. Whispers, mumbled phrases, and pointed fingers took care of that for him. When he stood next to the car door as he opened it for her, he was surprised at how pale she’d become.
She might have been doing this for a long time, but she wasn’t a police officer. Not really. As she slid into the passenger seat, he realized just how far she was in over her head.
The head of the state narcotics task force had taken advantage of an innocent young girl. Bitter over her sister’s death, blaming herself for her small role in it, of course Rory would jump at the chance to catch the person responsible for ending her sister’s life.
Now, she looked tiny and vulnerable as she leaned over and held her face in her hands.
“Is she?”
Rory shook her head. “Allie was breathing when they left.” She massaged her arms. “Ten minutes of CPR is exhausting.”
“I imagine it is.” Zach leaned over and brushed a strand of sweat-dampened hair behind her ear. He stared into her eyes and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “You did good. We’ve never had one make it to the hospital before.”
“We still don’t know if Allie will.”
“Yeah we do.” He nodded confidently. “You were there when she needed you most.” The bystanders had noticed him sitting in the car with Rory. No need to fuel the gossip that was certain to follow from even the short exchange they’d witnessed. Rory couldn’t afford to be linked with him. He refused to be a part of her having her cover blown.
He started the car and coasted slowly down the street. A news van had arrived. Just what they needed. Captain Davies was busy at the hospital with Allie. Someone else would have to handle the PR nightmare that was surely about to unfold. It wasn’t his problem. He was on medical leave.
“Do you need to stop and get something to drink?”
“I don’t think having alcohol in my system would help my case right now.”
“I meant a soda.” He pointed to the convenience store on the corner diagonal to the nursing school.
“No. I’m fine.”
“It’s going to be ok.” He pulled the car to the side of the road and turned on his hazard lights. Pivoting in his seat, he took both her hands in his. The golden streetlight cast a faint glow in the car, and Rory’s pupils were so wide, her eyes appeared black instead of the familiar green. “If you weren’t there, your roommate would be dead by now.” He squeezed her hands and her eyes widened in response. Her eyes weren’t just marked by fear any longer as her breathing slowed to match his. The tension between them was palpable.
“We should go.” Rory coughed and pulled her hands from his grasp. “If Mueller gets back before we do, he’s going to think you’re helping me with a cover story or something.”
• • •
“Would you like to explain how you missed it?” Lieutenant Evans planted his palms against the desk and lunged at Rory. “Your roommate was using.”
“I could ask Captain Davies the same question. Allie’s her daughter.” Rory sat across from the head of the narcotics division, unwilling to take responsibility for missing something that might not have been there to see. “We’re not even sure it was an overdose yet.”
“What else would make a 20 year old pass out in their dorm room?”
“Any number of things.” In her years working undercover, she’d seen more unexplainable acts than she cared to mention. Over an hour spent giving her statement as to what transpired in her dorm room, and she was more than ready for this weekend to be over. The phone on his desk rang, and he motioned for her to keep her seat. “We’re not finished.” He muttered as he cupped his hand over the phone.
What he meant was that he wasn’t finished yelling at her yet. She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. Rory hadn’t been in this office for any length of time. She hadn’t really spent any time getting to know Lieutenant Evans at all, actually.
An array of family photos was positioned across the top of the bookshelf behind his desk. No wedding photo, but he had plenty of pictures of his children and his dogs. Obviously a hunter, he had snapshots of himself with three young boys who she assumed to be his sons. One of them stood with a shotgun in one hand and a dead rabbit in the other. She suppressed a shudder. In the next photo, a smaller boy in a freshly starched Cub Scout uniform beamed out while Lieutenant Evans knelt next to him. In the largest of the frames, an age-faded group photo featured a number of younger men standing beneath a familiar bronze statue. She passed the monument to the founder of Moreland University every day on her way to her English class.
He cradled the phone and looked at her apologetically. “That was Lynn.” It took a second for Rory to realize he was referring to Captain Davies by her first name. “Allie’s going to be ok.”
“Do they know what happened?”
Lieutenant Evans clucked his tongue and focused on Rory’s chin. “They’re not sure yet. Doctors think she might have a heart condition they didn’t know about.” He tapped his fingertips on the edge of his desk as he took a seat in his oversized office chair. “She tested clean for drugs.”
Rory sighed with relief. She hadn’t missed anything.
“If you hadn’t done CPR, she wouldn’t have made it.” He glanced up at his door. “I think we’re done here — for now. But you’re on borrowed time. I want this case wrapped up.”
“Don’t we all?” She shot him an annoyed glare as she walked out of the office.
Chapter Ten
“Miss Johnston?” Dr. Maxwell called out as the students filed out of the lecture hall. He closed the top of his laptop and watched Rory descend the stairs at the side of the room. “Stay.”
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Being addressed like a golden retriever was always a favorite of hers, but she’d come to expect a great deal of attitude from directors — especially those who’d actually spent time on Broadway, even if he’d just been an understudy in a way-off-Broadway show. Those generally had even more attitude. Dr. Maxwell was no exception. Rory slid the strap of the messenger bag higher on her shoulder as she stood before him. As he walked on the raised portion of the floor at the front of the lecture hall, he towered over her by over a foot due to his already impressive height. He didn’t step down to better meet her eye to eye. He liked to be intimidating.
�
��You didn’t come by to pick up your rehearsal schedule from the week.”
Rory blinked. This was something she hadn’t expected. “Gabriel made it pretty clear that I’m not on the cast any longer.”
Dr. Maxwell shook his head and chomped on the gum he’d been chewing. “Figueroa doesn’t get to make the casting decisions.”
“But isn’t he directing the play?”
“My play. My cast.” He smirked beneath his bushy mustache. “I said I wanted you to play Lena. He doesn’t have permission to make any changes.” He turned his back to her and picked up a sheet of paper off the top of his briefcase. “This week’s schedule.” He handed it to her. “I expect to see you there.”
Rory took the paper and tucked it into the outside pocket of her messenger bag. “Thank you.”
“You’re the best one for the part. Simple as that.” He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “But there’s one more thing.”
“Yes, sir?”
“I understand you’ve been late to a few rehearsals.”
Rory tucked her hair behind her ear. She couldn’t deny the truth. “Yes.”
“That won’t happen again?”
“No, sir.”
“Good to know.” He took hold of his briefcase as he stepped down the two stairs. Standing closer to eye to eye, he gave Rory a knowing look. “And the costume closet probably needs organizing. Do you understand?”
Rory flinched. She knew just how badly disorganized the backstage area could become during the off-season. The wardrobe area was a favorite spot to hide anything the cast wasn’t quite certain what to do with after a show’s conclusion. “I understand.”
• • •
“You survived.” Justin popped out from behind the corner of the almost empty hallway as Rory approached the exit.
“And I still have my part.” Rory allowed the relief to wash over her. Now that she’d identified the theater department as the point all the victims had in common, she knew the more time she could spend here, the better.
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