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CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Her mother was waiting for her just inside the door to the ER.
“How is she?” Paige asked, swiping at her tears with the back of her hand. She’d been crying for what felt like hours, although it had been only about thirty minutes since her mother’s call.
“Are you okay?” the taxi driver had asked after ten minutes of listening to her sob in the backseat. “You need some water?”
“My friend’s been shot,” Paige had managed to blurt out.
Which had effectively ended the conversation.
“How is she?” Paige asked now.
“Still in surgery,” her mother answered.
“How bad is it?”
“She was shot three times, once to the stomach, twice to the chest,” her mother said, as if she couldn’t quite believe the words coming out of her mouth. “It doesn’t look good, darling.”
“I don’t understand. How did this happen?”
Joan led her daughter into the large waiting area, sitting down beside her on the blue plastic chairs. “From what I understand, Chloe was at her mother’s apartment—”
“Yes,” Paige interrupted. “Her mother asked her to go there and pack up her things.”
“Yes, well, apparently the place was quite a mess, and the young man who lives across the hall offered to give Chloe a hand. They’d pretty much finished the job when Matt showed up. The neighbor—his name is Ethan, a very sweet boy—said Matt didn’t look too happy to see him there, so he left. A short time later, he heard shouting, and then what sounded like shots. He opened his door to see Matt running down the hall. He went into the apartment and found Chloe on the floor, bleeding and unconscious. He called the police, then did CPR until the paramedics arrived.”
“I don’t understand. Who calledyou?” Paige asked.
“Ethan did. He checked Chloe’s phone and found our number in her contact list. I tried to reach you, but something must be the matter with your cell…”
“Shit,” Paige said, realizing she’d left her phone charging on the kitchen counter, and that she had no way of texting Mr. Right Now to cancel their date. After hearing the horrible news, she’d grabbed her purse and fled the apartment, forgetting all about him.
“What’s happening?” she’d heard Heather call after her. “Where are you going?”
Hopefully her cousin wouldn’t trash the place, Paige thought now. And hopefully Mr. Right Now wouldn’t waste too much time waiting around for her to show up. She’d apologize in the morning, try to explain, although she doubted he’d believe her, or care, even if he did. That ship had most certainly sailed. She shrugged. Some things just weren’t meant to be. “Any news about Matt?”
“Not yet.”
“And for sure he has the kids?”
“Apparently, he picked them up at day camp, right on schedule. Big smile on his face. No hint anything was wrong, that he’d just come from shooting his wife.”
Paige closed her eyes. “Oh, God. You don’t think he’d hurt them, do you?”
The silence that followed was answer enough. “The police have issued an Amber Alert,” her mother said, after the passing of several seconds. “Hopefully, they’ll find them soon, safe and sound.”
Paige felt a shift in the air and opened her eyes to see two men approaching. She knew instantly they were police detectives despite, or maybe because of, their drab attire. Brown suits, white shirts, striped ties that were too wide to be fashionable.They don’t call them “plainclothesmen” for nothing,she thought, pushing herself to her feet.
“I’m Detective Gordon,” the taller, thinner, and older of the two men said, introducing himself. “This is my partner, Detective McMillan. You are?”
“Paige Hamilton. Chloe’s friend. How is she? Is she out of surgery? Have you found Matt?”
“She’s still in surgery. And no, we haven’t found Matt yet. Maybe you can help us. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”
“No,” Paige told them. “He and Chloe were separated. I don’t even know where he’s been living. You should check with his work.” She gave them the name of the real estate company that employed him, and Detective McMillan turned away to relay the information into his cellphone.
“Does he have family in the area?” Detective Gordon asked.
