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At some point she dozed and only started awake when she heard her cell chime with a text. A glance at the clock and she realized it was four in the morning. Assuming it was Alex, she imagined he wasn’t having much luck sleeping. She reached for her phone, and when she glanced down and saw Gail’s number, she grew curious.
She opened the message. Gail was smiling, laughing, her eyes brighter than Leah had ever seen them. The man next to Gail was kissing her on the cheek. His face was turned away from the camera, but there was no missing the strong shoulders and the military-neat, short, dark hair.
Leah was poised to text back a smiley face when she took a second look at the man. Something about him . . . and then she saw his hand and the dark signet ring on his pinky finger. The gold embossed L shined out at her like a warning beacon.
Bile rose in her throat, and she nearly dropped the phone. That was Philip’s ring—the same ring that had winked in the moonlight as he’d traced the tip of his knife along her belly.
Silence coiled around her and tightened as she stared at the picture. This was all a game to him. He wanted her to know he was close. Wanted her to know he could reach any of her friends. Wanted her to be afraid. Her bones chilled.
Hands shaking, she texted Gail. Who is this guy?
She waited, one, two, three minutes. But no text came back. She hit the Call button and leaned forward as the phone rang. Four rings and her call went to voice mail. “This is Gail. Leave a message!”
“Gail, this is Leah. Who’s that guy? He looks a lot like my ex-husband, Philip. If he’s Philip, he’s very dangerous. You need to get away from him. Call me.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tuesday, January 24, 7 A.M.
Alex struggled as he tried to slide his left arm into his shirt. Pain shot up his arm and across his ribs, and for a moment, his breath caught in his throat as an oath leaked past clenched teeth.
Deke found him cursing when he knocked on the door. “How’s it going?”
Cutting pain banded his ribs. He was almost sorry he’d refused the painkillers when a nurse had offered them to him at five that morning. He needed a clear head today. Too many pieces of this puzzle still missing. A fuzzy mind wouldn’t get the job done. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
Positive talk didn’t temper the pain as he slid the arm into the sleeve and slowly pulled it up to his shoulder, inch by painful inch. The second arm promised to be more difficult. “Looks are deceiving.”
Deke came up behind him, set two cups of coffee down on the side table, and lifted the collar of Alex’s shirt so that he could insert his arm into the sleeve. The simple task left Alex’s heart pounding as he reached for the first button and began to fasten it. Not as painful, but miserably slow-going. “Thanks.”
“The doctors said you’re supposed to be on pain meds for a few days.”
“I’m waiting for the aspirin to kick in.” He’d reached for his cuffs and started rolling them up.
“Aspirin? I think something stronger is in order.”
“Not today.”
“Going to be a tough guy?” Deke sipped his coffee, a grin peeking over the cup.
“You’d be wise not to poke the bear today.” Alex left the second cuff unrolled as he accepted the warm cup and took a sip. “Thanks.”
Deke’s mouth lost its grin but the smile remained in his gaze. “Understood.”
“This tastes good. The nurses wouldn’t give me coffee this morning.”
Deke grunted. “That’s just not right on so many levels.”
A half smile tweaked his lips. “A few of them barely escaped with their lives.”
Deke pulled up a chair, flipped it around, and sat. “I also think the doctors aren’t expecting you to leave so soon. Is this a sanctioned escape?”
“No.”
“You haven’t been cleared?”
“Cleared enough. Bruised ribs, no breaks, and no internal damage. And when the aspirin takes hold, I’ll be fine. I just need to get moving.”
“I’m guessing they want you to take it easy for a few days.”
Alex set down his coffee and rolled up the second sleeve. “It’s not about what they want, it’s about what I need to do.”
Deke sipped his coffee. If any arguments crossed his mind, he kept them to himself. “Any thoughts on who would like to beat the hell out of you? I’ve theories, but I’m curious about your ideas.”
“There’s a long list somewhere.”
“Any of Ray Murphy’s pals? Tyler Radcliff should be at the top. And the mysterious Philip Latimer.”
“Radcliff is laying low, from what I’ve heard. He’s taken the week off from work.”
“So no one knows if he’s passed out drunk at home or wandering the streets with a baseball bat?”
Carefully, Alex tucked in his shirt and considered the theory. “Maybe.”
“Do you really think Deidre’s plan to bring Philip Latimer to Nashville worked?”
“Someone has been stalking Leah. She keeps a journal like she did when her ex-husband stalked her.”
“She still keeps notes?”
“She’s the first to admit it’s a bit OCD.”
“Yeah.”
“I read through the journal yesterday. Lots of odd things have been happening to her. Almost as if someone’s been slowly turning up the heat. She thought someone was in her house. Hacked credit cards. Flowers wishing her a happy anniversary. Someone set up movers to move all the stuff out of her house.”
“You think it’s Philip Latimer?”
“If it’s not him, it’s someone just like him.”
“She dated anyone else since him?”
“She says no.”
“Crazy neighbors? Odd coworkers? Stalkers come in all shapes and sizes.”
“I’d agree, if not for Deidre. She’s tied up in this.”
“She nailed the stalker, maybe?”
“I don’t know.”
Deke smoothed out Alex’s crumpled red tie and handed it to him. Then he pulled Alex’s gun from his waistband. “I hung onto this after they admitted you.”
“Thanks.” He fastened the cuffs of his shirt and, with Deke’s help, eased on his coat. He reached for his wallet, pocket change, and utility knife and slid it in his pockets. He opened his phone and typed in his passcode. The low battery light blinked. One more text from Leah. Maybe she’d scored a few hours of sleep last night.
I RECEIVED A TEXT FROM A FRIEND LAST NIGHT. SHE WAS WITH A MAN. THE MAN’S FACE ISN’T CLEAR BUT HE IS WEARING PHILIP’S RING. I’M FORWARDING THE PICTURE. ALSO FOUND A LISTENING DEVICE IN MY HOME. CALL ME.
Alex studied the picture Leah sent and showed it to Deke as he supplied the backstory.
“A listening device. Like the one found in Deidre’s town house. Someone was tracking them both?”
“I’d say so.”
“Why play cat and mouse?”
Anger churned as he thought about Leah alone and worried over the texted picture. “Control is part of the thrill, the addiction. He gets a kick out of playing games.”
“So who’s in the picture with the mystery man?”
“Her name is Gail. She works at the animal hospital with Leah.”
“And Leah can’t reach her.”
“Not as of the last message, which she sent twenty-two minutes ago.”
Deke handed Alex his badge. When Alex clipped it on his belt, Deke took his coat and held it up. Alex eased the arm of his injured side into the coat first and carefully followed with his second. Painful, but not as bad as the shirt.
“Want me to get a wheelchair?” Deke asked.
“Hell no.”
A nurse swiped back the curtain. She was tall and wore green scrubs and a scowl. She’d tried to convince him to take the pain meds earlier, and when he’d refused, she’d eyed him with suspicion. “I thought you would try to make a break for it.”
Alex braced for a fight. “I am.”
She shook her head
, disapproval furrowing her brow. “I brought you these.” She held up a cup with two pills.
“No meds. I need to think.”
“They won’t make you woozy. Not much stronger than aspirin, but they’ll take the edge off better than anything over the counter.”
“You sure they won’t cloud my head?”
“Positive.”
Alex gratefully accepted the pills and tossed them in his mouth. He chased them back with a cup of water from the nurse.
“Try not to get banged up again, Agent Morgan.”
“Will do my best.”
He took a step forward and saw the waiting wheelchair. “I don’t need that.”
“If you want out, that’s your only ticket. I’ve met you halfway; now it’s your turn.”
“Fine.” He lowered himself into the chair and was oddly grateful to be sitting again. With the nurse pushing, Deke led the way. As Alex waited with her at the front entrance curbside, Deke got in his car and drove around front. It was a late-model black four-door that looked like it would move if Deke stomped on the accelerator.
Alex slid into the passenger side and very slowly buckled his seat belt.
“Where to, boss?”
“The vet hospital where Leah works.”
“Will do.”
Alex dialed the hospital and got a recorded message. Halfway into the recording the message stopped and he heard a breathless, “Nelson Animal Hospital.”
“This is Agent Alex Morgan. I’m looking for Leah Carson.”
“She’s in surgery right now. Can I take a message?” Papers shuffled in the background, as if she was searching for a pen.
“Who is this?”
“This is Gail.”
