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ELEVEN
Hours later, Chase exited the exam room of the ER. His dislocated shoulder had been reset and his arm was in a sling. He was under strict orders from the doctor to rest, but with Faith’s attacker still out there, recuperation wasn’t his first priority. Keeping her and Anna safe was.
Not that he was doing a good job of it. Chase had worked hard to distance himself from the reckless teenager he used to be, but this case was tearing at all those old wounds. He felt like a failure. Coupled with anxiety over kissing Faith and the pain from his injuries, he was in a foul mood. He shoved the door leading to the waiting room with more force than necessary and marched over the threshold.
David Carpenter, Chase’s friend and a fellow officer with the Cutler Police Department, was waiting with Faith in the corner of the room. His six-foot-tall frame was encased in a bulletproof vest that widened his bulky frame. In one hand, he held a cup of coffee. Two others—one for Faith and perhaps Chase?—rested on a nearby table. David grinned. “Took you long enough, McKenzie. I was beginning to think they’d never set you loose.”
“You and me both.”
“How bad is your arm?” Faith rose from a chair. Her head wound had been restitched, but blood still matted the strands of her hair. She was pale, her features pinched.
Chase wanted to gather her into his arms and kiss that worry from her beautiful face, but didn’t dare. He’d learned a long time ago to smother his feelings for Faith behind a wall of pretense. So instead of touching her, he forced the corners of his mouth into an easy smile. “Dislocated, but the doctor reset it and I get to wear this sexy sling for a few weeks. I’m hoping it’ll earn me another batch of your brownies.”
The comment had the desired effect. Faith rolled her eyes. “For heaven’s sake. Brownies aren’t the answer to everything.”
“Maybe not.” He winked. “But it doesn’t hurt to have them either.”
She laughed. “I can’t argue with you there.” Faith retrieved one of the takeaway cups and handed it to him. “Coffee.”
“Thanks.” He turned to David. “What’s the update?”
David hooked his thumbs into his belt loops. “The shooter got away. Crime scene techs are working the scene now, and I’ve had your truck towed to the evidence shed, but so far, we’ve got nothing new.”
“What about the civilian in the other vehicle? Is she okay?”
“Yes. She drove straight to the police station after leaving the scene of the accident. The chief interviewed her, but all she remembers is seeing a man dressed in black holding a gun.” David frowned. “From what we’ve been able to piece together, the shooter saw y’all to go to the Hicks’ house. Then he spread water on the road to create black ice and lay in wait for you nearby. The woman driving the sedan was an innocent bystander.”
Faith wrapped her arms around herself. “It’s a miracle no one was killed.”
Chase nodded as a wave of fresh anger washed through him. The black ice on the road had been a desperate and reckless move. It was clear this criminal didn’t care how many people he put in danger. And Chase didn’t want to even think about what could’ve happened if the baby had been in the truck with them at the time of the accident. His hand tightened around the takeaway coffee mug and it crumbled under the force of his grip.
David pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “I’ll drive y’all home. The chief and Holly will meet us there with the baby.” He clapped Chase on the back. “Glad you’re okay, man. We’ve got everyone in the department working this case. We’ll catch him.”
“Appreciate it, David.” Chase didn’t doubt the work ethic of his department. They would move heaven and earth to catch the criminal responsible. But how long would it take? And how many more dangerous situations would Faith and Anna be put in?
David left the waiting room, and Chase tossed his creased coffee mug into a nearby trash can. A cold blast of air rippled across his face as the sliding doors swished open. Dr. Robert Whitcomb strolled in. He carried a briefcase in one hand and an insulated lunch sack in the other. His gaze landed on Faith, and he beelined straight for her, a determined expression etched on his face.
Chase stepped between them. “Doctor Whitcomb, is there something you need?”
His tone came out harsher than he intended, but it couldn’t be helped. Chase hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Faith’s comments in the car on the way to her parents’ house. Robert had looked strangely at Anna during their first visit to the hospital. Was the man hiding something? Was he Anna’s father?
Had he killed Hillary?
Robert came to a halt. He blinked in surprise. “I received a phone call from the doctor on duty. He said Faith’s wound had been reopened after she was involved in a car accident. I want to check on her.”
“That’s kind of you.” Faith placed a reassuring hand on Chase’s arm. “I’m a bit worse for the wear, but the doctor said I’ll be fine in a few days.”
“This is connected to Hillary’s murder, isn’t it? I’ve heard the rumors around town about the baby found in your barn. The police questioned me the other day. Why would anyone want to hurt Hillary or her baby?”
“We’re trying to figure that out.” Chase forced his muscles to relax. “It’s my understanding you and Hillary broke up shortly before she moved out of town. Did you know she’d had a baby?”
Robert sighed. “Yes. We didn’t speak often after she moved to Austin, but we occasionally texted each other.”
“Who is Anna’s father?”
“I don’t know. That’s the reason Hillary and I broke up. She had fallen in love with someone else but refused to say who.” Sadness bracketed the sides of his mouth. “I loved her. I’m not ashamed to admit that, and it broke my heart when she ended our relationship. Secretly, I think a part of me was hoping the new relationship would fall apart, and she’d come back to me.” Tears filmed his eyes. “Obviously, that won’t happen now.”
Either Robert was truly distraught over Hillary’s death or he was an excellent actor. Still, there were lingering questions. Chase remembered the strange way the doctor had looked at the baby. Faith must’ve been thinking the same thing because she said, “You recognized Anna when we brought her into the hospital a couple of days ago. Why didn’t you say anything?”
