“Okay.” Zoe crept out trembling fingers and ran them over the black mask on Ben’s golden head. “He has the kindest eyes.”
Running his gaze over her face, Raven could clearly see that one of her pupils was dilated. She had suffered a severe head blow and needed more medical attention than he could give her. “May I sit down? I won’t touch you.” He could see her hesitation and hear her quick intake of breath. He terrified her. No doubt all men would right now.
“Okay.” Zoe looked at Tracy. “Can you stay with me, please?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Tracy moved closer to her. “You have my word. This is one man you can trust. He’ll protect you with his life if necessary.”
Seeing Zoe relax a little, Raven met her troubled gaze. “Can you tell me what happened to you?”
“Not really.” Zoe looked away, and even with Ben close by, her fingers still trembled. “I can remember bits and pieces, but there are great blanks. I’ve been trying to recall everything that happened. I can remember the man beating me and telling me I was evil. I don’t know how I got in the cabin with him. His voice keeps running back over and over in my head like an earworm, but I can’t tell you what he looks like apart from he wore a balaclava and his eyes looked like black coals.”
Recognizing severe head trauma, Raven nodded. “You’re doing just fine. Do you have any other injuries apart from what I can see?”
“Yeah, I think my ribs are broken.” Zoe winced as she moved to look at him. “They hurt real bad and it’s difficult to breathe.”
“Here you go.” Cheryl dropped a blanket very carefully over Zoe’s shoulders. “You can keep it. I’ve got a ton of them.”
Getting Zoe safely to the hospital and in the secure ward was Raven’s priority. She needed urgent medical care. Scans were needed to determine the head trauma. She could easily have a fractured skull and be bleeding on her brain. Broken ribs could puncture a lung, and getting her to trust him to drive her to the hospital would be difficult. “Tracy already mentioned to me that you didn’t want to speak to the sheriff, and you refuse to allow her to take you to the hospital. Is there a reason for this because, even as a doctor, I’m not able to treat you without the necessary scans and X-rays you require. You might need specialist attention. Your memory loss is a problem. You might have a fractured skull. If there is a man hunting you down in the forest, you would be far safer in the secure ward at the hospital. If you don’t have insurance, you don’t need to worry. We have a fund for victims of abuse. Most times women who find themselves in this position come to us with only the clothes they stand up in.” He opened his hands wide. “Will you allow me to take you to the hospital?”
“I didn’t want her to take me to the hospital because I believed that the man was still out there trying to kill me.” Zoe raised her tear-stained face to look at him. “The reason I didn’t want to speak to the sheriff was because I couldn’t tell her anything about the man who hit me. I really don’t know how I got there. I can’t remember anything. It’s very confusing.” She reached out a hand to Tracy. “Will you come to the hospital with me?”
“I’ll drive you.” Tracy smiled. “But you’re giving up a ride with the most eligible bachelor in Black Rock Falls.”
Feeling his cheeks heat, Raven shook his head, wishing that everyone on the mountain would stop matchmaking. “I figure I might be giving up that crown soon. I’m dating Emily Wolfe.”
“Oh, a power couple.” Tracy turned back to Zoe. “Emily is the new medical examiner in town.”
Impressed by the way Tracy had flipped the somber mood in the room, Raven stood slowly. “Look at me, Zoe. The man who hurt you, was he my height and size?”
“No.” Zoe shook her head and winced. “Not as tall or broad. He was thinner but muscular.” She blinked a few times. “He wore coveralls, like the allover ones with sleeves, and leather gloves. I don’t even know what race he is but he had a local accent, I believe, but husky and menacing.”
Raven nodded, locking all the information away in his head for later. “Drink your coffee while I call ahead and make arrangements. I’ll make sure you have female doctors, okay?”
“Thank you.” Zoe reached for her cup.
Raven picked up his cup, drank the coffee, and then walked into the hallway. He called the hospital and made arrangements for Zoe to be admitted to the secure ward and for the tests and doctors he required to examine her. Next he called Jenna. After explaining the situation, he waited for Jenna to explain everything to the others.
“I’m so relieved that Zoe has been found alive.” Jenna cleared her throat. “We need to find that cabin. I’ll meet you at the hospital with Dave. Do you believe she is capable of giving us a map of the area she traveled through?”
Raven sighed. “She’s very confused and could easily have a fractured skull.” He moved into the family room and shut the door behind him. “I would imagine as the perpetrator heard my siren he would have left the area immediately. He’s had plenty of time to return to his cabin, clean out the evidence, and get away. I know most of the cabins in this area. In fact, I own quite a few of them. There are a couple of derelict ones that used to be owned by the forestry. She mentioned being held in a metal meat locker. If it’s one of the three cabins I believe it to be, this guy came across it one day and took her there by truck. It’s a mile or two by road from my current location. No one owns it. It would be perfect for a place to torture someone. There are no other cabins around for miles.”
“Okay, she is your priority.” Jenna turned and spoke to Kane. “What do you think, Dave?”
“Raven, secure the victim and leave a map with Cheryl. I know where she lives. We’ll find the cabin.” Kane’s boots clattered on the floor as he walked. “We’ll have Carter as backup if the animal is still hanging around but I doubt it. Cowards hit women, so he’s likely already in the wind.”
Raven nodded. “Okay. I’ll call you once the results of the scans come through.”
“Stay alert. This guy will know that you’re going to the hospital. You don’t need to be ambushed along the way. Call me when you get there.” Jenna shut the door to the truck and an engine roared. “We’ll catch up with you later.” She disconnected.
Raven walked back into the kitchen and smiled at Zoe, trying to put her at ease. “Okay, everything is set. You’ll be very safe at the hospital. No one gets inside that ward without scanning a card and there’s a security guard posted outside day and night.” He gathered his things. “Is there anyone I can contact for you?”
“Not that I know of.” Zoe frowned. “I do remember being in foster care and I don’t recall any relatives at all. I don’t have complete amnesia; I can remember some things, but I can’t recall where I was before I ended up in the cabin. I know that I worked on ranches, not any particular ranch, but many different ones.”
She fit the symptoms of dissociative amnesia. The type that only happened after physical or violent trauma. It would be likely that she’d never remember exactly what happened. Raven turned his attention to Tracy. “Okay, head out to the trucks now. You go first and I’ll cover you. Don’t stop for anything. We don’t know who this person is or what he’s capable of, so keep driving until you get to the hospital. When we get there, I’ll overtake you and open the secure parking lot. Only police vehicles can get in there. From there we can access the elevator that goes to the secure floor. Don’t forget. Do not stop for anything.”
Thirty
Black Rock Falls
