Page 5 of Gunner

“Dr. Collier, the acting chief of police is here.”

“Thanks, Suzanne. Please close the door on your way out.”

As I walked into the office, the man sitting at his desk rose. He was my height and in his forties, with sprinkles of gray hair at his temples. He had the bearing of a man in charge. So damn sure of himself. Shrewd gray eyes stared back at me from behind a pair of glasses.

“Ben, please sit.”

The weeks we’d interacted since our patient’s hospitalization had left us on a first-name basis. I nodded and claimed one of the chairs opposite him.

“I just checked in with the officer on duty,” I said. “Things are still quiet, which is good.”

“I handpicked the staff caring for him,” Logan said. “They’re trustworthy.”

“Thanks for that, by the way, but I fear too many people are involved. Sooner or later, someone is going to get curious and possibly leak the information.”

“It’s the nature of the human mind to be curious. The officers on duty know who the only staff members allowed to tend to the patient are, though. We’re treating this with caution.”

“I have no doubt you will.” I shuffled forward in my chair. “What about his condition? Any improvement?”

“Unfortunately, not the way we’d hoped. He flat-lined last night.”

I inhaled sharply. “I thought you would call me in the event something happened.”

“Why would I call you? He was nonresponsive for less than a minute before we revived him. He’s stable once more, so technically, nothing has changed.”

I scrubbed my cheek with the heel of my hand. “We’re back at square one.”

“Ben, let me be frank with you,” Logan said. “The chances of him waking up are not favorable enough for you to hinge this case on it. If you have other leads to catch those culprits involved in this whole affair, then pursue them.”

Just as I’d feared. The odds weren’t in my favor. None of my other leads had panned out. In a few days, I would have to recall my sister, Alice, from the case. Since the bust, no one had contacted her about buying her baby. I was pretty sure the prison was compromised. Whoever was behind this would be stupid to continue operating in the same place.

A rapping on the door startled me out of my thoughts. When I started getting up, Logan motioned for me to remain seated.With a hospital of this size to manage, he had to be a busy man, so I didn’t dare linger for too long. If he couldn’t help me, I had no reason to stay.

“Enter,” Logan barked.

The door opened, and a young man looking fresh out of high school entered, wearing the uniform of a delivery company. He struggled to get a large box almost his height into the center of the room.

“Dr. Collier?” he asked breathlessly. “I have a delivery for you.”

Logan frowned. “I’m not expecting a delivery.”

The young man shrugged. “It has your name and the hospital address on it.”

Logan rose to his feet and inspected the package. With a curt nod, he accepted the clipboard and signed for the delivery.

“Have a nice day.” The young man hurried from the room as though afraid Logan would change his mind and ask him to take the package with him.

Logan’s frown deepened. He seemed tense, and a muscle in his jaw ticked.

“Something wrong?” I asked. “Do you suspect this package might be dangerous? I can always get a K-9 to sniff it out.”

“No need.”

“All right. I guess there’s nothing to be done about—”

Logan held up a hand. What was it about that damn box that had changed his mood?

“Come out,” he said in a stern voice. “Come out right now, or I swear to god.”

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