The Vanishing

by Jana DeLeon

  Anna!

  She struggled to rise from the floor, still dizzy from the blow, and staggered over to the bed. Pressing her fingers against Anna’s neck, she let out a huge burst of air she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. Her pulse was steady. Anna was still with them.

  A second later, a nurse burst into the room. “What happened?”

  “Someone was attacking her. He hit me with the IV stand and ran.”

  “Is she all right?”

  “She’s fine for now. Please call security and try to catch him before he gets out of the building.”

  The nurse nodded and ran back out of the room. Colette picked up the IV stand and reconnected the tubes that had come loose in the fray. When she stepped next to the bed, Anna grabbed her wrist.

  Her nerves were so shot, she almost screamed again before she realized it was Anna. She looked down, surprised to see the girl looking back up at her.

  “Anna, are you all right? Can you hear me? Can you talk?”

  Her eyes were wide-open, her gaze wild. She stared at Colette for a couple of seconds, as if trying to figure out who she was, then she clenched Colette’s wrist tighter.

  “He’ll kill them all,” she said, her voice raspy. “My fault. Shouldn’t have taken the coins. Have to find them. Have to save them.”

  “Save who? What coins? I want to help, Anna. Please tell me more.”

  “Cache… Please save my mother....” Anna’s voice trailed off and her eyes closed again.

  Colette shook her gently but couldn’t awaken her again.

  Who had attacked Anna and why? Was he going to kill all the residents of Cache, including Anna’s mother? Had Anna gone there to warn them and then run into the killer herself? Had he tracked her to the hospital to finish off what he’d started in the swamp?

  The nurse rushed back into the room. “I alerted security. They’re searching the building now. I’ve also called the police.”

  “Thank you.”

  The panicked nurse scanned the monitors. “Is she okay?”

  “She woke up for a very short time and spoke, but then slipped back into unconsciousness. I’d like for the doctor to check her again given everything that happened.”

  “Of course. I’ll page him now. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  “Just keep an eye on the doors and make sure that no one gets in here without the appropriate credentials.”

  The nurse nodded and hurried out of the room, probably wishing she worked any shift but this one. Attempted murder in the ICU wasn’t exactly something she was trained to handle. Colette, either, for that matter.

  But she knew someone who was.

  Before she could change her mind, she pulled her cell phone out and dialed the number of the one person she knew could get her answers.

  * * *

  MAX RAN DOWN THE HOSPITAL hall, completely ignoring the nurse at the ICU desk who yelled at him to stop. Holt and Alex were only minutes behind him. They could explain. He didn’t slow until he reached the room Colette had given him during her phone call.

  Colette stood at the end of the bed, speaking softly to a police officer. He felt a rush of anger when he saw the knot on her head. “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yes. The doctor checked me out. It’s just a bump.”

  “And Anna?”

  “Stable but unconscious again.”

  “What do you mean ‘again’?”

  “She woke up for just a bit after the attack and talked to me.”

  “Wow,” Max said, trying to process that bit of information. “Did they catch the guy who attacked you?”

  Colette frowned. “No. Security couldn’t find him in the building. He must have gotten out before the nurse sounded the alarm.”

  Max looked at the cop. “Are you reviewing security tapes?”

  The officer nodded. “Are you the detective who found Anna Huval?”

  “Yes, Max Duhon.” He extended his hand to shake with the officer.

  “Ms. Guidry has been explaining to me the particulars of the case she hired you for. When you finish your paperwork on it, I’d like a copy.”

  “Sure. I typed up my notes last night. I can email you everything.”

  The officer pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it to Max. “My email’s on that card.”

  “What do you plan on doing as far as protection goes?”

  “We’ll put a guard on the room.”

  “And the investigation?”

  The officer shook his head. “I have to be honest with you. There’s probably not going to be a lot we can do. The man wore gloves, and so far, my guys have found one person on the security tapes exiting the hospital that might be our guy, but he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and there’s no clear view of his face.”

  “My friend was attacked,” Colette said, “likely twice. The first time was in the swamp near her hometown. Surely you could start there.”

  “And if it was on a map, we’d probably try.” The officer blew out a breath of frustration. “Look, right now I’ve got five murders and two sexual assaults on my desk—all happened this week. We’ll look into it, but we’re short-staffed and overworked already.”

  “I understand,” Max said. In fact, he understood all too well what the officer was describing because it was one of the big reasons he’d left police work himself. Too many victims. Not enough resources. Not enough time.

  The officer looked at Colette. “If that’s everything, ma’am, I’m going to get going. You have my card. Please call me if you think of anything else or discover anything else.”

  “Thank you,” Colette said, but Max could tell she was less than pleased.

  The officer had barely exited the room when she let loose. “He’s not going to do a single thing, is he? Tell me the truth.”

  “He’ll do the basics but unless a solid lead comes up that he can follow, he’s not likely to have time for more.”

  “And that doesn’t make you angry?”

  “At a system that’s underfunded and mismanaged, absolutely. That’s one of the main reasons I got out. But it doesn’t make me angry at the men and women who are doing their best with limited resources.”

  Colette sighed. “You’re right. I know you’re right. But I still want to be angry.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  Max wanted to reach out and gather her in his arms, comfort her. The woman had been through hell the past twenty-four hours, and given that her normal day consisted of nothing but emergency-room trauma, that was saying a lot. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to take things to a personal level, but at the moment, he didn’t care.

  But before he could make his move, Holt and Alex entered the room. Alex rushed over to Colette and did the exact thing he’d started to do.

  “Are you all right?” Alex asked once she broke off the hug. She studied the knot on Colette’s forehead as she replied.

  “The doctor cleared me,” Colette said. “I just have a headache and I’ll have to wear bangs for a bit.” She gave them a brave smile.

  Alex’s relief was apparent. “Scared me half to death. I’m sleeping like the dead one minute and then Max comes tearing through the cabin, yelling that you’d been attacked. He was already in his Jeep and gone before Holt and I even managed to throw on shoes. I bet he broke fifty major laws getting over here.”

  “Only forty-nine,” Max said.

  Holt clapped his back. “Good man.”

  Now Colette smiled for real. “I don’t know what I’d do without you guys. This whole thing is surreal and I’m so out of my element.”

  “I felt the same way when I was trying to find my missing niece with Holt,” Alex said. “But don’t worry. You’ve got the full support of all of us. Max is going to figure this out.”

  Max felt his pride swell just a bit at the conviction in Alex’s words. They really did believe in him, and that meant a lot. Holt and Alex were the two people he respected the most in this worl
d. If they thought him capable, then maybe it was time to let the past go and move forward.

  Colette looked at him, her expression hopeful. “So you’ll continue to investigate?”

  “I will continue until you’re satisfied,” Max said.

  Alex pointed to the recliner. “Why don’t you have a seat and rest? Then if you’re up to it, tell us everything that happened tonight.”

  Colette took a seat as Alex pulled a recorder out of her purse. “If you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all,” Colette said and recounted the night’s events.

  Max tried to keep a damper on his emotions, but he couldn’t help the anger that rose as Colette described the attack on Anna and herself. Just as he thought he’d have to comment, Colette launched into Anna’s burst of consciousness and they all went completely quiet and still, focusing on every word that Colette relayed.

  “Coins?” Max repeated when Colette finished. “Do you have any idea what she was talking about?”

  “No,” Colette said. “Anna never mentioned coins to me before, and I don’t recall seeing any in her apartment, although I guess that’s not what we were looking for.”

  “Maybe we need to take another look with that in mind.”

  Colette nodded. “What about Cache and Anna’s mother?”

  Max blew out a breath. “Are you sure she was sane…or whatever you call it?”

  “Lucid? Yeah, I’m pretty sure. Why?”

  “I wondered if there was a chance she was confused about her mother being alive, given what she told you before about her family.”

  “I see. You wonder if her mind has slipped to some point in the past, but that her mother isn’t alive today.” Colette shrugged. “It’s possible, of course, but wouldn’t it make more sense that Anna risked returning to Cache to protect her mother?”

  “It’s possible. I suppose for now we’ll work on the premise that her mother is alive, which means we’ll have to make another try at finding Cache.”

  Colette bit her bottom lip and stared at him for a couple of seconds. “Do you really think he’s going to kill them all?”

  Max looked over at Holt, who wore a grim expression. “I don’t know,” Max said. “There’s a lot of assumptions we’re having to make already. The guy had no trouble walking into a hospital and attacking Anna and you. That smacks of desperation, which is dangerous, regardless of anything else.”

  Colette’s lip quivered just a bit. “You’re not going to tell me I can’t help any longer, are you?”

  Max hesitated for a second before shaking his head. On one hand, he’d love to have Colette completely and totally out of the situation and safe, but on the other hand, she’d already been attacked once, and if the attacker thought she knew anything, he probably wouldn’t hesitate to return. If Colette was with him, he could keep her safe.

  At least, he hoped he could. And that he wasn’t making a big mistake.

  Like last time.

  * * *

  EVEN WITH A POLICEMAN sitting in a chair outside Anna’s room, Colette couldn’t bring herself to leave until morning. It was childish superstition, she supposed. Just as many bad things happened during daylight hours as they did at night, but despite offers from Alex to bunk at their cottage and Max to stay with her at her apartment, she didn’t feel right leaving. With every offer of a comfortable bed and clean sheets, her mind flashed back to the swamp, and that same feeling of unrest came over her that she’d felt when they were there.

  She was beginning to wonder if maybe there was more to Mystere Parish than just rumors and tales to scare children.

  Despite her many protests, Max insisted on staying with her. The harried ICU nurse scrounged up another chair for him, relieved that she would have so many reinforcements of the male persuasion for the remainder of her shift. Colette didn’t think she’d be able to sleep a wink after everything that had happened, but exhaustion must have won out and she drifted off, safe in the knowledge that Max was only five feet from her.

  * * *

  COLETTE AWAKENED WITH a sore neck, probably due to the odd way she’d slept slumped in the chair. Visions of a hot shower ran through her mind, and she decided it was the first order of business before any more investigating could happen. She’d already been in the same clothes for twenty-four hours, and considering what they’d been through, it was definitely time for a refresher.

  She turned to the spot next to the door where Max had placed his chair the night before, but it was empty. For a split second, she felt a twinge of disappointment, then chided herself. His chair had been even older and quite possibly more uncomfortable than hers. He was probably pacing the halls, waiting for her to wake up.

  Besides, wanting Max to be the first person she saw in the morning was very dangerous ground. He saw protecting her as doing his job, whether he was on the clock or not. Whatever he felt for her was about the case or his sense of duty, not personal.

  Sighing, she rose from the chair and stretched, then gave Anna a thorough check, relieved to find the girl was still stable despite the night’s events. Voices drifted from the hallway and into the room, and she recognized one of them as Max. She stepped into the hall and found him talking to the policeman who was stationed outside Anna’s room.

  Max flashed a look of concern at her as soon as he saw her in the doorway. “Is Anna all right?”

  “She’s fine. Still unconscious but her vitals are good, especially given the night she had.”

  The police officer extended his hand to her. “I’m Officer Monroe, ma’am. I came on shift at six this morning. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

  She shook the young man’s hand. “Thank you, Officer Monroe. You don’t know how much better it makes me feel having you here.”

  Officer Monroe blushed just a bit. “Just doing my job, ma’am.” He motioned down the hall to the reception desk. “I’m going to introduce myself to the morning shift.”

  Max smiled at her as Officer Monroe walked away. “I think he has a crush on you.”

  “Don’t be silly.”

  “Blushed when you thanked him.”

  “He probably blushes at all compliments. I’m sure it wasn’t personal.”

  He stared at her for a couple of seconds. “You’re an attractive woman giving him positive attention. He’d be a fool not to be flattered.”

  She felt the heat rise on her neck and silently wished it away.

  “I see Officer Monroe is not the only one who blushes at flattery,” he teased.

  “Maybe neither of us hear it often enough to be comfortable with it.”

  “That’s a shame—in your case, anyway. Officer Monroe isn’t exactly my type.” He smiled at her. “Are you ready to leave, or were you waiting to talk to the doctor?”

  Colette tried to process Max’s words. Was he saying she was his type? Or maybe she was reading entirely too much into simple banter. “I left Alex’s number with the doctor. She’ll understand everything and relay it to me. I don’t want to hold up the investigation any more than it already has been. If those villagers are in danger, we have to find them before Anna’s attacker does.”

  He nodded. “I’ve already arranged to rent a boat at a marina on the way to Pirate’s Cove.”

  “I want to stop by my apartment first. Take a shower and get some more suitable clothes and gear for the swamp. What about you?”

  “Holt already brought me a change of clothes and my boots this morning. If you don’t mind my using your shower, then we can be on our way shortly.”

  “Of course,” she replied, judiciously preventing her thoughts from sliding into a vision of Max in her shower. There were some things that weren’t safe even only in your mind.

  Twenty minutes later, she was safely ensconced in the passenger seat of Max’s Jeep and they were headed across town to her apartment. The events of the past day ran through her mind over and over as she tried to make sense of it all.

  “You haven’t moved an inch or spoken in ten minu
tes,” Max said. “You all right?”

  His words brought her out of her thoughts. “I’ve been running everything through my mind, hoping to clue in to something new.” She sighed. “But I can’t come up with anything. I don’t know how you do this kind of work all the time without staying frustrated.”

  “A lot of detective work is tedious, and sometimes you have to catch a break because there’s not enough facts to put you in the right direction. Sometimes you never solve a case. But the worst is having to give up on a case that you think you could have solved if you’d been given more time.”

  “Last night, that police officer said they didn’t have the resources to investigate properly.... That’s what you mean, right?”

  “Yeah, I spent a good bit of time being angry about it before I finally realized the only person it was hurting was me. All my righteous indignation wasn’t going to change anything.”

  “So you went to work with Holt.”

  He nodded. “I knew Holt wouldn’t tell me to let something go just because there was no evidence. I knew he had respect for the intuition you develop on the job and would back me if I wanted to follow what others would consider a whim.”

  “Holt was never a cop, was he?”

  “Except for his temporary stint as sheriff, no. But he fought in Iraq. He doesn’t talk about it much and I don’t ask, but he came back different. I imagine he learned plenty about trusting his instincts.”

  “He’s a good man. I know that for sure because otherwise Alex wouldn’t be with him. She’s the smartest, most together woman I know.”

  “She’s kinda scary. I haven’t found a flaw in that armor yet, except her cooking, which can be deadly. For the record, she was just as scary as a kid—her self-control and practicality are unmatched. Holt is either very brave or in big trouble.”

  She smiled. “No, he’s just in love. You have a great family.”

  A momentary look of surprise crossed Max’s face, but he immediately masked it. “Yeah, I guess I do,” he said, almost as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him until she’d said it.

  Colette studied him for a couple of seconds, but the determined look was back in place. Still waters run deep. It was a favorite expression of the night nurse she’d exchanged shifts with for years. She’d never really given it much thought until now. With Max, she understood exactly what the nurse meant.