Grimm ran to the front and stooped down, watching the man carefully pull the device from where it had been secured near the front left tire. “Do you think whoever put it there will know it has been removed?”
“Well…we could be sneaky and attach it to someone else’s vehicle, but I don’t want to be responsible for that person getting killed when whoever this baby belongs to finds out it isn’t on your car any longer and they are not tracking Quinn. Their anger might lead to them snapping.”
“I get it. Should we leave it here and I run over it with my jeep?”
“That’s as good as any suggestion I can come up with off the top of my head.”
They placed it at the back of his tire so that when he pulled out of the spot he’d roll over it. Then Grimm jumped into his jeep. Burrows turned and left the parking lot and Grimm followed. They headed to the hotel.
Grimm stopped by the front desk when he entered talked to the clerk on duty and explained how he needed to check out of both rooms and what had happened to Quinn.
“That’s horrible. We saw on the news about a tourist stabbing, but we had no idea,” she said. “Let’s just void the reservations. You go up and pack and come back and I’ll have it all taken care of. She is going to make a full recovery?”
“The doctor thinks so. Are you sure about this? I’m willing to pay for the time we were here.”
“Absolutely. I’m the assistant manager. You checked in, went up, and came back down if I recall to go eat. The incident happened while you were out. I can’t see charging you for your luggage to sit in those rooms,” she said.
“Okay then. Thanks. I’ll be right back.” He hurried to the elevator and went up to his room. Glad he hadn’t taken the time to unpack anything. He didn’t think that Quinn had either except maybe when she freshened up before they went to dinner. Going into his room, he grabbed his bag went through the connecting door to her room, and checked the bathroom first. He saw her hairbrush and a few makeup items on the vanity along with a toiletry bag. He put them all in there and zipped it up, then checked behind the door to find nothing. Returning to the room, he put that bag inside her roll along which hadn’t been unpacked. However, he did a quick check of the closet and the drawers to make sure before zipping it up.
He was back downstairs within ten minutes and the clerk was waiting for him. She had a printout for him to sign which showed the rooms had been complimentary. She also had a printout showing the reversal on each of their credit cards for the initial charges for one day’s stay.
“If you need anything when she gets out or a place to stay before leaving town, please give us a call,” she said. “We want her to be comfortable during her recovery.”
“Thank you.” He signed his name, laid his key card on the counter, and turned to leave, pulling Quinn’s bag behind him.
He loaded his jeep and got inside. Then headed to the cabin where Burrows had gone on to grill steaks for their dinner.
CHAPTER 11
Quinn woke feelinggroggy and extremely sore, but she didn’t open her eyes because they felt very heavy. Her mouth was dry, and her throat hurt like it had been scraped raw with something. She had a pain in her side and that made her think of the sharp sting she’d felt while walking with Grimm to get dinner. But they didn’t make it there?
She moaned.
Why hadn’t they eaten dinner?
They’d parked and walked, but something happened.
Thinking about it was too taxing.
She took a deep breath and drifted off to sleep again, but the stinging pain in her side returned, and it hurt to breathe. How long had it been since it was there? She wasn’t sure. This time it was different. She couldn’t describe it but knew it. Also, she knew someone was out to get her. She remembered that much. They’d killed Bathsheba and they’d tried to kill her. They’d stabbed her with a knife…in her side…that was why it hurt. That was why they’d left Altoona.
“No. Don’t.”
“Quinn?”
Was that her name being called? It sounded so far away and yet; the voice sounded familiar.
“Quinn, open your eyes. Everything is okay now. You’re safe”
“Bathsheba.”
She fought to open her eyes, but again her lids felt so heavy, she gave up and slipped back to sleep.
Sometime later her eyes fluttered open, focusing on a nurse standing by her bedside. Grimm sat in a chair opposite the bed, reading a newspaper.
“Look who’s finally awake,” the nurse said. “Sometimes we have trouble waking up after being put to sleep. How are you feeling?”
“Sore,” she croaked. The sound of her voice alarmed her. Her left hand flew to her throat and gently massaged the outside of it. “It hurts to talk.”
