Page 98 of Paternal Instincts
I switched the phone to my other ear, balancing the device awkwardly as I took Aslan’s call and maneuvered my full mug of coffee to the counter, hoping the hospital had something that wasn’t powdered milk. I would use real sugar if I had to, but I drew the line at shelf-stable dairy.
“What’s up?”
“Where is Nixon going?”
I paused, confused. “What?”
“Nixon. He left the hospital.”
“He…” I spun and faced the crowded waiting room, puzzling Aslan’s words. “What do you mean he left? Are you sure he didn’t step outside for fresh air?”
“I thought that too, so I wrapped it up with Clementine’s parents and followed him, but he’s nowhere to be found.”
“Shit.”
Costa and Jordyn glanced up from across the room where they were chatting. Abandoning my freshly made coffee, I bolted for the door, aiming not for the elevator but for Imogen’s room. The constable had been joined by hospital security, and when I demanded to be let inside, the latter refused to allow it.
“You’re interfering with a case,” I barked at the burly man who stood in my way as though he had more authority than a Toronto detective.
“The patient is in distress, and I’ve been told to admit no one.”
It was then I noticed the silently flashing lights that lined the upper edge of the hallway. A doctor and nurse raced from another room and aimed for Imogen’s. When they opened the door, a woman’s soft moans hit my ears, and my stomach dropped.
“Is she in labor?”
“I’m not a doctor.”
To the constable, I asked, “What happened?”
The man eyed the security guard as though unsure who to defer to. Ultimately, he tugged me aside and shared that Nixon and Imogen had started yelling. A nurse removed Nixon, but Imogen had tried to go after him.
He shrugged, knowing I could follow the story to its natural conclusion.
“Shit.”
“What’s going on?” Costa and Jordyn came up behind me. Diane spoke with a nurse in the background, who I figured must have been explaining about Imogen. Diane held a hand to her mouth, nodding at whatever the nurse said. The distress of the conversation was palpable from thirty feet away.
I pulled Costa and Jordyn out of earshot and was about to speak when the nurse guided Diane toward Imogen’s room and allowed her entrance.
“Hey! Stop. I need to talk to you.” But Diane didn’t stop, and when the door banged closed, I was met by the brick wall of a security guard as he barred my way.
At that moment, Aslan appeared from the bank of elevators at the end of the hallway and jogged toward us.
“Tell me you found him,” I shouted before he crossed the distance.
“Nope. I looked.”
I tore a hand through my hair and growled in frustration.
“What’s going on?” Jordyn asked.
“Nixon vanished, and Imogen’s in labor.”
“Christ. Where did he go?” Costa asked, frowning.
“No idea. Aslan saw him leave the hospital less than ten minutes ago.”
“Do you think he knows where Crowley is?” Jordyn asked.
