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“You too!”
“So, Stephanie wasn’t the persona who worked at UMC,” Jason said. “It’s been the real Heather all along.”
“I’d hate to corner her at the hospital and bring more attention to whatever she’s doing there.”
“I’d also hate to wait all day until she comes back home. She might run away again if she sees us sitting outside her apartment. At least at the hospital she can’t go far.”
Cassie couldn’t argue with that logic, so she and Jason got back in his car, returning to where all of this had started.
UMC was busier than usual when they stepped into the waiting room for the second time that day. Cassie felt like they were running in circles. The activity around her only added to the chaos. Families were arguing and patients were crying and nurses were trying to calm everyone down. Cassie stepped up to the registration desk, but a single finger held her at bay. The nurse was on the phone, listening intently. She moved the receiver away from her mouth and hissed something into the ear of the nurse sitting next to her. Cassie only caught the end.
“—Dr. Amos. Find him.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now. It’s a Code Blue.” She listened to the other line for a moment. “Send him to 619.”
Cassie didn’t wait. She knew her way around the hospital now. She punched the elevator button and waited for what felt like eons until it arrived. Four people got off. Two more ahead of her and Jason got on. They stopped at floors three and four and five until finally—finally—they arrived on six.
Cassie was out the door and halfway down the hall before she heard Jason call out for her to slow down. Hearing Code Blue was enough for her to take a chance that it was happening again, despite how close they’d come for answers.
She took the corner too sharply, and her feet almost slid from underneath her. Jason had caught up just in time. He steadied her. At the other end of the hall, outside room 619, a group of nurses were shaking their heads. Some were crying. Some were angry. Some stood staring at the ceiling as if asking why God had taken another person in their prime. Cassie’s heart sank as she took in the scene.
They were too late.
35
Cassie hadn’t seen Heather Stephens at the other end of the hall, but Jason pointed her out with a single finger. Cassie followed the length of it and met the eyes of a brunette who wore her hair in a messy bun. She wore slacks and a cardigan and looked much older than Charli or Stephanie. Though she looked nothing like the bohemian beauty they’d seen on Instagram, there was no mistaki
ng who this was.
As soon as she saw Jason pointing in her direction, Heather took off around the corner. “Cut her off.” Cassie shoved Jason in the opposite direction while she slipped through the crowd and followed Heather. There were only two ways off this floor: Down the elevators, or down the stairwell. They had to cut off her egress points before she could get away for a second time.
Cassie saw the forest green of Heather’s cardigan disappear around the corner. If Cassie chased her, she’d draw too much attention. But the stairwell was on this side of the building, and she couldn’t risk Heather getting off on another floor. There were a million rooms she could hide in.
Jason appeared at the other end of the hallway, and Heather skidded to a stop. It was clear she’d been heading toward the elevators. It was the quickest way down, after all. Now she looked to her left and sprinted toward the door that led to the stairs. A few more seconds and she’d disappear forever.
Cassie made it to the door ahead of Jason and before it had time to swing shut behind Heather. She all but jumped from one landing to the next. One second they were feet apart, and the next they were face-to-face.
“Heather.” Cassie was gasping for air. “Please don’t run. We’re not here to hurt you.”
“What do you want?” Her eyes were wide. This close, Cassie could see she was wearing colored contacts to make them look brown. “Who are you?” Dawning spread across her face. “I’ve seen you before.”
“We came to your apartment. You introduced yourself as Stephanie.”
If Heather felt ashamed for being caught in a lie, she didn’t show it. “What do you want?”
“We don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then why are you chasing me?”
Cassie’s breath was under control now. “To be fair, you’re the one who ran.”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.” She went to move down the stairs, and Cassie threw out her hand to stop her. “I’ll scream.”
“Something tells me you don’t want to draw that kind of attention to yourself.” Cassie held up her hands in surrender, though she stayed at the ready to move in either direction if Heather attempted to run again. “Look, I think we might be after the same thing.”
Heather barked out a laugh. “I doubt it.”
