Page 48 of Only Girl Alive

They were all exhausted. Clyde said goodbye at her room after pulling her close. Bina turned away and busied herself, which made Eve’s embarrassment worse, because this was not like the relieved hug they’d all shared at the hospital.

“Sleep,” he whispered. “Check on her,” he told Bina.

“Setting up the alarms on my phone.” She lifted it to show she was doing as told.

Clyde kissed Eve’s forehead and walked out.

She removed her nightshirt from a drawer and went into the bathroom with only a side look into the mirror at the vanity. She pulled her hair the rest of the way down, ran her fingers through the tangles and quickly braided it. They’d washed her injuries at the hospital and she was too tired to take a shower. She changed quickly and walked out so Bina could get in.

“I’ll wake you every two hours,” she told Eve before she stepped into the bathroom.

Eve had been given pain medication which she’d taken in the SUV and all she could think of was sleep. She closed her eyes and grumpily opened them each time Bina checked on her throughout the night.

She was alone when she woke up, a small bit of morning sun shining through an inch gap in the blackout curtains. She took a shower, allowing the water’s spray to relieve some of her body aches. She washed her hair while thinking of what they had to get done. She added a thick handful of conditioner that had to be combed through. She detangled it carefully. There might not be open wounds on her scalp, but there were sensitive areas. Her headache was slightly better, but she still popped two ibuprofen so she could work. She had no intention of taking the pain medication again. She dressed in a pair of blue cargo pants and a lighter shade long-sleeved T-shirt to cover the bruises. She braided her hair without clipping it to the back of her neck. She didn’t think her head could take it.

She found them in Clyde’s room.

“You should be in bed,” he said after answering her knock. He stepped back so she could enter. She took the closest empty chair and ungracefully slouched into it. They watched her closely and she smiled for their benefit.

Ray handed her coffee and Bina passed over a box of donuts.

“I’m rested and clean. We have work to do,” she said after a long sip and a few bites from her selected sweet, managing not to groan in pleasure over the taste. “The doctor’s recommendation was simply a guideline.” She sat up straighter and stared them down, ignoring the sound Clyde made. “Hannah is in danger and we need to locate her. Ray, I want Family Services involved. Make the report airtight. I was assaulted while trying to check her welfare and she’s also a key lead in a multiple homicide investigation. We’ve made numerous attempts to see her with no contact at all. Be sure to include that we’ve had no cooperation from the county attorney but he’s told us he knows her location. We should have enough to get them rolling.”

Family Services had their own list of rules to follow, but hopefully they could take custody of Hannah, even if it was only temporary. If they could find her, that was. They might also be able to keep Aaron busy and out of Eve’s investigation for a day or two.

“On it.” Ray turned to the computer bag resting next to his chair and pulled out his laptop. He was their best writer and knew the criteria that would get immediate action.

“We need to finish the interviews. How many homes are left?” Eve asked.

“Five,” Collin replied. “We have no idea how many adults are in each family, but if we get an early start, this first round of interviews should be completed today, two days tops.”

Eve started to rise, but Clyde’s words stopped her.

“You will be in bed those two days.” His glare made her sink back into the chair.

“That’s not—” she tried to say.

He held up his hand, his dark eyes doing their best to intimidate. “The doctor’s orders were bed-rest for two days minimum. It was not a guideline.” She glared but Clyde wasn’t finished. “I will go above you and Lieutenant Crosby will have you in the city recuperating so fast your head will spin. Don’t push me.”

Silence filled the room as Bina, Ray, and Collin found interesting things to look at on the walls.

From the stubborn set of Clyde’s jaw, he would do exactly as promised. Her mind raced. Taking two days off in the middle of a homicide investigation was not in her mental vocabulary. She could, however, work the case by laying it out, adding a timeline, and filling in blanks while she did it. They had begun the process when Sheila arrived at the Tanners’ and interrupted them.

Maybe she could shed light on the church’s heavy-handed behavior. Whatever they were hiding would be trouble for them. Eve had to discover what they were up to. Putting a magnifying glass to the case was a good way to start. She glanced at Clyde.

His glare remained in place.

Eve shrugged off her ire, feeling guilty. She would do the exact same thing if their roles were reversed.

“I’ll stay in my room and review the photo evidence.”

“Does someone need to sit on you?” Clyde ground out, and Eve jumped.

“You should,” muttered Bina, but she looked away when he shot her a frown.

“Unless someone stays here and does just that, I’ll be working in my room. I will rest and even nap if needed.”

“You don’t know the meaning of the word ‘rest,’” Clyde said firmly.

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