With her peace shattered, she opened her eyes and moved to sit up, gripping the sheets underneath her hands. “I’m going. I’m going.”
Fabric slipped over her head, twisting on her throat and trapping her against the bed. She clawed at her neck, kicked with her legs, and bucked with all her strength. She had to free herself. In response, the fabric pulled tighter. Every breath burned as her air supply was cut off.
She was dying. Through the fabric, a pillowcase she realized, she couldn’t make out her assailant. Her vision blurred. This was the end. Why? Shouldn’t her attacker explain themselves? TV and movies convinced her a villain would monologue. The silence permeated the atmosphere.
A knock pounded the door.
“Sorry, I promise I didn’t forget about you,” the male nurse said, opening the door.
The assailant dropped their hold and ran, shoes squeaking against the tile.
Gasping, Emma whipped the pillowcase off her head and sat up.
The male nurse gaped as the dark clad figure knocked him to the ground and burst from the room.
Emma coughed, choking on big gulps of air as she massaged her neck.
“We need help,” the nurse shouted down the corridor. He rushed forward and put an arm around her, holding her upright.
Daniel stood outside the doors of the surgical wing. In a hospital with plenty of noise and light, he didn’t want his presence to add another distraction. He needed to follow up about Owen, deciding how to best proceed forward. He’d deliver the news to the Thomases in person and offer to drive them back. He saw no sense in having them rush over so late on their own. He’d be there after he dropped-off Emma. A little one on one time with her in the car might provide an opportunity for her to clarify her statements.
Meeting at the scene of a car crash wasn’t how he imagined his next conversation with her during the long years since she’d left. He’d feared that he’d never see her again. He’d wanted to complete his investigation into what happened to her sister so he could make contact. He’d wanted answers but tonight’s events only stoked more questions.
“Sheriff,” Dr. Knick said. “Waiting on word about Owen?’
He raised his head and spotted the doctor at a nurse’s station behind him. He followed her summons as she waved him over. “Good evening, Dr. Knick. What’s the prognosis?”
She flared her nostrils on her inhale.
“Yikes. That bad?” he asked, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.
“He’s stable. The car accident was the least of his worries. According to Dr. Lewis, he’d been shot in the right leg. Just a couple of inches shy of his femoral artery. They were amazed he could drive at all. She’s lucky he didn’t crash into her.” Dr. Knick tilted her head down the hall in the opposite direction.
Daniel absorbed the news from the doctor. Emma had expressed her impression that Owen was chasing her and that the same car that ran her off the road had turned around. Had Owen prevented her death by following her? The facts certainly supported the theory. But why? Did she have enemies? Who was the target? Both of them?
“Can you contact the family?” Dr. Knick asked.
“Yes, of course. I’ll take care of that.” The full extent of the injuries changed his plans. The Thomases needed to be informed ASAP. “What about Emma? Is she free to leave?”
Dr. Knick nodded.
“Great. Do you mind if I use this phone?” He pointed to the landline at the nurse’s station. “I’d like to call the office and get a deputy at his door.”
“By all means. Please do. I’d feel better. He’ll be in the first room on the right through the swinging doors.” She stepped away, continuing her rounds with another patient.
The gunshot bugged him. Those injuries didn’t line up with the timetable Emma had presented. He called his deputy on the scene first. “Hello? Deputy Wells?”
“Sheriff, I finished processing the scene. There was a substantial amount of blood on the seat and floor mat. More than could come from the scratch on his forehead.”
“He was shot. Consistent with that?”
“Yep. But I didn’t see any bullet holes. Do you want me to go back and look again?”
“I trust you, Frankie. No one has an eye for details like you.” Something heavy in Daniel’s chest shifted. He’d hated entertaining the idea that Emma hadn’t been entirely forthcoming with her version of events. “I’m waiting on more details. Listen, I need you to swing by the camp and tell the owners about the accident. Give them a ride here if they want. We need to set up a watch around the clock. I’ll call Chip to give him the heads up. He can take first shift.”
“Don’t worry. I already suspected something strange. He should be there in a matter of minutes.”
The door at the end of the hallway swung open. A deputy strode the length, his boots clicking against the tile with every step.
