Page 76 of Long Past Deadly

“Understandable. We’re almost there. Hold it together.”

Tane turned into the parking lot. Frank had indeed beat them, and one other QM car was parked beside him. The parking lot was empty, common for this time of day. Lunch was an hour off, and night hours started their busy time.

Quaid put a hand on her leg when she grabbed for the door handle. “Watch the surroundings. Let’s take extra care.”

She hated the reminder. “Not the time to make rookie mistakes.”

“No, it’s not. He could be out there, especially if your theory is true.” Quaid exited and took a long survey of the area, noting cars, trees, building heights, and noises. Tane was out and right behind him. “In the side door. One-two-three.”

Impatient, Alanna griped at him. “I’m not a protectee.”

“I beg to differ.” Quaid took her hand and helped her step to the pavement.

They hurried across the blacktop and skirted around the potholes, making for the side entrance with the Open Door Assistance Program sign. The church’s white stucco walls, red tile roof, and small bell tower were surrounded by a sparse courtyard with cracked bricks and stubborn bougainvillea that had been there from when she’d used the place as a teenager. She’d been obsessed with those pink flowers. The parishioners maintained the building to minimal standards, but put everything else into the homeless services for the surrounding neighborhood.

The man who was their padre stood under an awning by the door. Eli Navarro wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled to forearm exposing tattoos and khaki pants with black boots. He had the dark Latin features common to the ancestors of this area and must have been a young man when he’d taken over here. Mackey stood beside him.

“Father, this is Alanna Williams and Quaid Daniels. As I’ve explained, Alanna has known Whit for a long time.”

She decided Quaid had pampered her long enough. “Give me a brief. How bad is he?”

Mackey moved closer, covering her. “Mercer hurt him pretty bad.”

“We offered to take him to a hospital, but he wouldn’t go,” Father Eli inserted.

Mackey glanced around, then returned her gaze. “Brucker says the wounds have developed a staph infection. Cait’s on her way. He’s going to have to be hospitalized. Probably need surgery.”

Quaid stopped him there. “Can we use UCSD or can the med bay handle it?”

“Doc already nixed the med bay. She wants him in a hospital. Rapid response to the infection will be critical.”

“We should get prepped with 24-hour security until we can move him to our med bay. I don’t want Mercer getting to him or him walking out on us again. I’ll text Harrison.” Quaid shifted to take care of the task.

“Has he said anything?” She looked from Mackey to Father Eli.

Father Eli went first. “He didn’t tell us what happened. Most of the people who come in injured are reluctant to say why and how. I assumed a common street fight. They happen all the time. He’s stayed to himself. Helped where he could. We usually let those with injuries stay.” He shrugged. “I heard rumors someone was searching for him. Didn’t realize it was you. As an organization we tend to mind our own business unless we suspect a serious crime. Whit wasn’t helping with facts, so we let it go.”

Mackey checked traffic. “He wouldn’t say anything to me. But he’s feverish and not lucid. Delaney and Brucker are with him. So is Frank.” He tipped his head to the SUV pulling in the lot. “There’s Cait.”

Father Eli’s brows raised. “You have a lot of people here. It’s going to scare off our residents. Is there a threat to Whit?”

Alanna went blunt. “Yes. We’ll get him out of here as soon as Dr. Hunter says the word. I’ll take it from here.”

“Sorry to say this, ma’am. But the decision is up to Whit and the SDPD.”

“I’ll work with the police. He’ll get the care he needs. I promise.”

“How do you know him?” Mackey had stepped away to meet Cait. Quaid was on the phone. But mindful of Frank’s presence with Whit, she exposed a bit of what he was to her.

“He raised me on these streets. A long time ago.” She brushed past him and went into the building. She needed to see Whit before Cait banned visitors.

A young woman pointed her to another hallway when she flashed her badge. She followed the voices. Drucker’s medical bag was on the floor beside the last door on the left. She stepped around it into the doorway.

Whit had a weapon pointed at Frank.

What?

Frank’s hands were raised. “Drop the weapon, Whitaker. It’s not necessary.”