Page 102 of Wild Escape

The thought of it made me sick to my stomach.

Savages.

I called the sheriff, and he sent the forensic team.

It wasn't long before Dietrich snapped photos, and investigators chronicled the evidence. They took blood samples from the concrete. There was no doubt in my mind it would be a match for Gabby Templeton.

We returned to the station, filled out a report, and went through the process of getting a warrant for cellular records. We needed to legitimately establish who was at the warehouse around the time of Gabby's death.

The sheriff poked his head into the conference room as we tapped on tablets. "You're going to like this. Ballistics came back on that pistol you took from Levi's truck. It matches the slugs pulled out of Douglas Caldwell. Levi’s currently under watch at the hospital. Looks like he's going to make it," the sheriff said with a frown. "Kenzie is still there as well.” He shook his head in dismay. “Such a waste.”

Daniels motioned for me to join him in the hall.

I excused myself and stepped out of the conference room.

With a slightly annoyed look on his face, he said, “What’s the story with Daphne? Are you getting anywhere? Besides into her pants?”

I raised my hands innocently. “I have done no such thing. She’s actually proving herself to be useful. If all goes well, we have a rendezvous with Dane and Brock at midnight.” I gave him the details.

“You keep me posted, and let me know if you need backup. I don’t want these bastards getting away.”

“You got it, boss.“

After we finished at the station, we headed to the hospital and talked to Kenzie. Facing at least two counts of attempted murder, the future wasn’t promising. I had no doubt Levi was more than willing to testify against Kenzie in the burglary case. He had to know we’d match ballistics on his pistol. He might not have been a world-class thinker, but he was smart enough to realize that.

We stepped inside the lobby and made our way up to the trauma ward. The three of us walked the seafoam green hallways, past rooms of sickness and death. Monitors blipped, and ventilators wheezed. Pastel seascapes hung on the wall, but they did little to brighten the mood in this place.

Deputy Halford waited outside the room, standing guard over Kenzie. With one hand cuffed to the bed, she wasn't going anywhere.

We chatted with Halford for a bit, but he didn’t have much to report.

“I guess I’ll go check on the other dirtbag,” Halford said.

He’d been making the rounds, covering both prisoners.

JD and I stepped into Kenzie’s room with Daphne.

Propped up in bed with an IV in her arm, she had seen better days. The pale green hospital gown under the fluorescent lighting didn’t help her sickly complexion. The deep circles under her eyes weren’t doing her any favors, either.

A monitor beside the bed displayed vital statistics. A morphine drip kept the pain at bay, as well as withdrawal symptoms.

She cringed when she saw me.

Audrey sat by the bed, holding her hand.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"How does it look like I'm feeling?"

It was a fair response.

"I'm sure you're aware by now that you're being charged with two counts of attempted murder.”

She looked ill, like she wanted to revisit lunch. Facing that kind of time would make anybody’s stomach turn. Kenzie stammered, "I wasn't really going to shoot you.”

I laughed. "If that were the case, you shouldn't have pulled the gun. You're lucky to be alive.”

She frowned, and her mother looked on with a face full of sorrow.