Page 41 of Todd
“I don’t know what the best advice is,” Sadie said carefully, her tone striking the perfect balance between helpful and cautious. “But if you tell them that you’re not feeling well, they will probably take you off any of the supplements, whether oral or transdermal. That way, you’ll feel better, they’ll have another happy guest, and no one will be the wiser that you think there was anything wrong.”
Todd nodded unconsciously at his screen, recognizing the tactical brilliance of her suggestion. Give Melinda a survival strategy that didn’t require revealing suspicious knowledge, while simultaneously gathering intelligence about the spa’s operational procedures.
“You’re right,” Melinda agreed, relief evident in her voice. “That makes the best sense. Not everyone who comes here can possibly feel great.” She hesitated, then confessed, “I did sneak out the pills they tried to give me the first time after our blood work. I have them hidden in my room, and I’m going to take them to be analyzed once I get out of here.”
Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place, and Todd found himself grinning despite the gravity of the situation. Melinda might be untrained, but her investigative instincts were solid. If her pills contained the same compounds as Sadie’s samples, they’d have corroborating evidence from multiple sources.
Movement on the screen caught his attention as Melinda stood and began moving toward the bathroom. Todd froze while watching. The camera was concealed innocuously on the counter, but even the hint of discovery would blow Sadie’s cover.Don’t let her in there, he thought desperately, his hands hovering uselessly over the keyboard as if he could somehow reach through the screen to intervene.
But Sadie moved with fluid instincts, intercepting Melinda’s path with casual efficiency. “Here, I’ll take the washcloth. I’m glad you talked to me, and I truly hope you feel better.”
Todd’s exhale came out as a shuddering sigh of relief. He watched through the camera as Sadie checked the hallway with practiced caution before allowing Melinda to slip past her into the corridor. Even in the limited view, her movements spoke of someone who understood that every moment of exposure was a moment of vulnerability.
The door closed with a soft click, and Sadie moved immediately toward the bathroom. Todd’s phone was already ringing by the time she appeared in frame, reaching for the hidden camera with steady hands.
“Did you get all of that?” Her voice carried the controlled adrenaline of someone who’d just successfully navigated a minefield.
“That was perfect, Sadie!” The words poured out of him, admiration and relief making his voice rough with emotion. “We got visual and auditory. We’ll start looking at the connection between the pharmaceutical company and the heads of the spa.”
Her smile blazed across the screen, and Todd felt his heart stutter in response. Even exhausted, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. But that smile also highlighted the possible danger she was in.
“Suddenly, this seems more real,” she said.
“And that terrifies me,” he admitted, unable to keep the fear from bleeding into his voice. Every protective instinct demanded he get her away from danger. The thought of her becoming ill, making her a liability to the clinic, was unbearable. “Do not do anything risky. I’m getting ready to talk to Logan and the others. The lab in Phoenix has sent its report to Landon. I’ll call you early in the morning.”
“And now we know they have something that can be used in massage oils. I wonder if I can get some of that to be analyzed?” she asked.
The casual way she mentioned obtaining potentially lethal substances made Todd’s heart stop completely. “For now, don’t let them know you aren’t taking the pills,” he said urgently, fighting to keep desperation from bleeding into his voice. “The last thing we want them to do is to add it to the massage oil or put it in your drink.”
Her promise came immediately, but when she whispered, “Good night, Todd,” with that soft intimacy that reminded him of whispered endearments in hotel room darkness, his chest ached with the weight of all he wanted to say to her.
“Good night.” The words felt inadequate, carrying none of the desperate feelings that churned in his chest.
As the call ended, leaving him alone in the silence of his hotel room, Todd stared at the black screen and felt the other piece of his soul settling into place. Somewhere in that dangerous facility, surrounded by people who might be planning her death, was the woman who completed him in ways he was only beginning to understand.
Now he was counting down the hours until he could see her again, until he could verify with his own eyes that she was safe and whole. But more than that, he was determined to keep her that way.
21
The harsh morning light streaming through Todd’s hotel window did nothing to ease the tension carved into his features as Sadie’s face appeared on his laptop screen. Dark circles shadowed her eyes like bruises, a testament to a sleepless night spent processing Melinda’s revelations. Todd’s own reflection in the black screen before the call connected had shown similar marks of exhaustion. He’d spent the night staring at the ceiling, his mind cycling through worst-case scenarios and contingency plans.
“I have everyone on,” he said without preamble, needing to dive into the briefing before their connection could be interrupted. “Dalton will patch through to us. Hang on.”
He established the secure connection that would bring the other Keepers together. Within seconds, the familiar faces of his teammates filled the screen. Todd positioned his laptop so Sadie could see them through her phone’s camera, creating a digital bridge across the miles that separated them.
The sight of his team should have been comforting. Instead, it only emphasized how isolated Sadie was, surrounded by potential threats with only her own skills to protect her.
“What have you got for us?” Todd asked, his voice rougher than he’d intended.
Casper leaned forward, his expression grim with the weight of their discoveries. “Dalton and I have been running everything through databases all night. My skills aren’t as good as Sadie’s, but we managed to verify Melinda’s story.” He paused, consulting his notes with the methodical precision that made him such an effective researcher. “She’s listed as Melinda Tork at the spa, but that’s an alias and not a very sophisticated one. Her real name is Melinda Torkel. She works for theFort Worth Chroniclein Texas.”
Todd watched Sadie’s face on the small screen, saw her eyes widen with a mix of relief and apprehension. Melinda’s story being true meant they confirmed that an untrained civilian had stumbled upon information that might put her in danger.
“We tracked down her editor. Lorie Porter,” Dalton continued. “And checking into Lorie’s college sorority records, we found Hannah March. Wealthy widow. Died one week after returning from Serenity Dunes. No autopsy. No surviving family. Everything matches what Melinda told you.”
“Good God, you found that out quickly,” Sadie breathed, genuine awe coloring her voice despite the circumstances.
“So Melinda’s story is true,” Todd murmured, his chest tightening as the implications crystallized. “She really is a reporter, and her investigation may have put her in danger.”
