Page 81 of Silent Threat
“Under the circumstances,” Dan said, “I think we should hold this information back for now unless someone specifically asks after Mitch.”
The rest of them nodded.
Annie felt too numb to say anything.
Murph kept the meeting short, and then everyone left to focus on the patients, to help where they could.
“I’m officially back at work,” Annie told Murph as she headed out. Her vacation was over. “I can put in as many extra hours as you need. And I’m going to carry my cell phone all day, so anyone who wants to talk to me can reach me.”
She definitely expected Detective Meritt to call her for an interview at some point, since she’d treated Trevor. But when, at midmorning, her cell phone buzzed with a call from the police, the caller was Harper.
“I have an update for you, although it’s not exactly progress,” the detective said on the other end. “Joey Franco has no alibi for last night. But neither can I find any proof that he was involved in your hit-and-run. No damage to his truck, no damage to his mother’s SUV, none of the neighbors heard him come or go in the middle of the night. He says he was home alone, sleeping. I don’t even have enough to bring him in.”
“Thank you for checking.” She didn’t know what else to say.
She was relieved, because she didn’t want to think that Joey hated her enough to want to kill her. But she was also disappointed, because she wanted the guy who ran her off the road caught so she could feel safe again.
Annie headed back to her room to grab a couple of painkillers from her purse. Her headache was gone, but her body was even more sore than it’d been last night. She walked through the rec room and for a minute studied the half dozen guys there. The TV was on, but nobody was paying attention to the game, and a grim mood filled the room.
They asked how she was. They’d all heard about the car accident. She told them not to worry.
Then, on impulse, she asked, “Anybody want to go for a walk?”
Brett, an army colonel who’d lost a kidney and half a lung to an IED, asked, “Like group therapy?”
“Just a walk.” Whether they called the walk official therapy or not, it’d still help.
She wished Cole would go with them. As soon as they’d found out about Trev this morning, Annie had to run off to the emergency meeting. But she was worried about Cole. What happened to Trev had to bring back memories of Cole’s father’s suicide. She wanted to seek Cole out to make sure he was all right. But she had other patients.
Brett stood. “Sure. I’ll go.”
Three of the other guys stood with him.
As the group crossed the courtyard, Cole jogged up, joining them, nodding a greeting, which all the guys returned with obvious respect. Despite his disabilities, every time she saw Cole in a group setting, the other men were always deferential to the Navy SEAL.
He had incredible presence. The first time she’d seen him, she’d been scared of him. But then she’d gotten to know him. And now, she never felt as safe as when she was with him.
She was glad he’d come. A hard knot inside her relaxed at his presence.
He looked shaken but OK. He was dealing with Trev’s suicide, but she wanted to talk to him about it anyway. She needed to catch him one-on-one later.
The man who watched the small group from across the courtyard wasn’t pleased. His gaze settled on Annie. She refused to learn her lesson. And catching her on her own was increasingly more difficult. She was never alone these days.
The Navy SEAL, especially, had appointed himself her constant companion. He was a big guy. It’d take a lot of drugs to eliminate him. And he wouldn’t go as easily as Trevor had. The SEAL was always alert, never let his guard down for a second, not even here.
The man in the window watched as Cole maneuvered himself so he’d be walking next to Annie.
Another suicide would be suspicious right now.
Car accident? The SEAL did drive.
No, that’d raise questions too. Mitch Moritz’s car accident had just been discovered by the staff.
The man thought carefully and considered sedatives, something that would knock Cole out just long enough to drown him during his morning swim.
So much to do. Both at work and at home.
His mother wasn’t doing well. Was she dying at last? Dark fury sliced through the man at the thought. His mother could not die. She still had a lot to atone for.
