Page 24 of Silos and Sabotage

This was where her story usually ended. It was as if she’d rolled straight into the sunset. Or drifted back into unconsciousness, which was more likely.

“The woman was still with me,” Ella said suddenly.

Gage pulled into a parking spot near the door and stopped, swiveling his head in her direction. “Say that again.” This was yet another new detail.

“She stayed with me.” Ella sounded very sure of herself. “I was talking out of my head and begging for my dad, and she kept telling me everything was going to be alright.”

“Did you see her face this time?”Please say yes.

“No, but only because my eyes were closed. I was sort of drifting.” She gave him a rueful look. “But the woman in the wheelchair was definitely rolling down the hallway alongside me.”

“That’s…wow!” His investigative mind had been looking for any excuse to throw Ella’s kidney donor back into the mix. A woman in a wheelchair certainly kept that possibility open.

“We need to find her,” Ella declared.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.” He liked that their minds were working in tandem. “We could start our search by requesting a copy of your medical records from the hospital.”

“Good idea, Sherlock.” She unclasped her seatbelt and reached for the door handle, but she didn’t open it yet. “Just so you know, I’ve decided to use my inheritance money to hire Lonestar Security to help me track her down.” She sounded defensive, like she was expecting him to try to talk her out of it. “I want to reopen my dad’s case.”

He drew his eyebrows together. “From what I understand, the Corpus Christi police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.” At least, that’s what they told him every time he called for an update. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been authorized to ask for copies of stuff like autopsy reports and tox screenings, but he now had somebody in his court who could.

Ella rolled her eyes at him. “I think we both know my dad’s case is as cold as frozen yogurt. My goal is to thaw it out. Are you in?”

“You have to ask?” Of course, he was in. “Just make sure your plan includes a little justice for yourself.” He didn’t like the fact that Billy Bob Bolander still hadn’t been located.

She nibbled on her lower lip. “Call me crazy, but it feels like what happened to me at the diner might be related to what happened to my father. I just wish I knew whose crosshairs we accidentally stepped into.” She waved her tissue box at him for emphasis. “I don’t even know what we did wrong in the first place.”

“Who says you did anything wrong?” Over the past ten months, Gage had called enough of Mick Lawton’s professional peers and contacts to determine that the guy’s record was squeaky clean. There were no investigations into his conduct as an Army officer. No pending lawsuits against him. No ugly rumors associated with his name. Nothing out of the ordinary floating around social media about him. At his memorial service, he’d received all the honors due to a military hero.

She nibbled her lip some more. “There has to be a reason we’ve been targeted, Gage.”

“You’re right.” If they could answer that question, it wouldn’t take long to unravel the rest of the case. “We’ll start with what we know and take it from there.”

She gazed blindly out the window at the rippling lake water. “We know my dad retired from the Army a few weeks before my transplant. I honestly believe he would’ve stayed in longer if it weren’t for that. He cleared his schedule for me, Gage. He was planning on staying in my apartment with me and waiting on me hand and foot while I recovered from surgery.” Her eyes grew misty at the memory. “I should, um, get inside before I break down again.” She pushed open her door.

He gathered her shopping bags of gifts and goodies and followed her to the entrance of the sanctuary.

The door popped open while they were still moving up the sidewalk. The owner, Jillian Phillips, stepped outside. “You made it,” she crowed, waving at them. “It’s so great to finally meet you.” Her movements made her blonde ponytail dance around her shoulders. She was a curvy woman in jeans and a t-shirt with a loose-fitting red-and-white plaid shirt over it. Her son, a dark-haired toddler in denim overalls, was perched on her hip.

Gage performed the introductions. “Jillian, this is Ella. Ella, this is Jillian.”

He was pleased to see Jillian ignore Ella’s outstretched hand and lean in for a side hug.

“This is my son, Bo,” her new boss breezed. “In case you’re wondering, it’s bring-your-kid-to-work day nearly every day around here.”

“He’s adorable.” Ella reached out and tweaked one of Bo’s bare toes.

He giggled and wrapped his leg tighter around his mother’s middle to hide his toes from her.

Ella immediately stepped in front of him and started playing peek-a-boo.

He giggled some more, pointing at her in delight.

She tapped a finger against her chest. “Ell-a,” she said slowly. “My name is Ella.”

He pointed at himself, mimicking what she’d done. “Bo,” he declared with a chortle of delight.

As Gage watched them, a warm feeling spread through his chest. Despite all that Ella had been through, she radiated a rare level of generosity and kindness when it came to people skills. Because of it, she made two more friends before entering the building.

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