“Or we could have been the target,” Maren murmured with a shiver.
Unable to deny that tidbit, he said, “True.”
Colt knocked on the door then pushed it open. They entered the dimly lit room with the dogs at their heels. Agent Spares lay on a bed with the railings up on either side. A heart monitor and oxygen tubes were attached to him. His shoulder where he’d been hit by a bullet was wrapped in bandages. His eyes were closed. He was a thin man with dark, wispy hair and a thin mustache that stood out against the pastiness of his skin.
Colt reached out a hand and gently touched the man’s uninjured shoulder. “Agent Spares. Henry.”
Henry’s eyes fluttered and then slowly opened. His dark eyes focused on Colt then widened.
Colt wasn’t sure why he saw panic in the man’s eyes. “You’re okay. You’re here in the hospital.”
Henry’s gaze focused on Maren as she moved to stand on the other side of the bed. Then narrowed with confusion. “Who are you?” he rasped out.
“Officer Maren Anderson with Colorado Springs PD,” Maren said in a firm tone. “You said Steve Loren had information he would only give to me. What did he want to tell me?”
Henry shook his head, the confusion clearing. “He wouldn’t say. Just kept insisting he needed to talk to the lady cop who looked like Opal. I had no idea what that meant.” Henry’s gaze turned back to Colt.
“They’re twins,” Colt told him.
Henry’s eyes widened and then he nodded with realization. “That makes sense.”
Colt met Maren’s gaze across the bed.
Her gracefully arched brows came together. “Are you saying Special Agent in Charge Herman didn’t tell anyone that Opal was alive or that she has a twin?”
Colt wasn’t sure what to make of this development. He’d informed his SAC the minute he’d realized he was dealing with twins.
Henry shrugged, then winced. “He didn’t tell me. But I’m the low man on the organizational chart. Only been with the agency for less than a year.”
Still, Colt thought it odd that his SAC, Leo, hadn’t informed the agents watching over Steve Loren of this detail.
Could Leo be involved with Shadow? Could that be how Shadow was constantly one step ahead of the agency’s efforts to bring him down?
The suspicion caused a riot of anxiety and acute agitation to camp out in his chest. He hated to think the boss was dirty.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful,” Henry said. “I’m sorry about your sister.”
“Thank you,” Maren said. Her voice held a curious note to it. “Have you met my sister?”
“Only know of her by reputation,” Henry said.
“Can you explain why you told us to come through the front door?” Colt asked, still puzzling out the odd request.
Making a face filled with pain, Henry said, “Sorry. My head is fuzzy. I don’t recall saying that.”
“You don’t?” Colt and Maren shared a look of disbelief.
Henry shook his head on a wince. His eyelids fluttered closed. “No.”
Figuring they wouldn’t be getting any more information out of him at the moment, Colt said, “We’ll let you get some rest.” He gestured to Maren with his head toward the door.
She nodded. “If you think of anything Steve might’ve said that could help us find Opal, I would appreciate if you let us know.”
Henry’s head bobbed, though his eyes remained closed. “Of course. Anything I can do to help.”
Leaving the room without any more information than what they’d entered with, Colt swallowed down his frustration. Actually, they had learned something. For some reason his SAC had withheld information from the other agents. Why? Colt was determined to find out.
“Excuse me.” A tall, gray-haired man in a white lab coat with a name tag identifying him as Dr. Benjamin Sweeney stopped them. “I understand you’re visiting Agent Spares.”
