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He reached across the table and took her hand. “We’ll make this work. This guy knows the good stuff, and we’ll drain him dry. It’ll all be worth it.”
She squeezed his fingers, appreciating the gesture and feeling the warm connection all the way down to her toes. “Thanks, Cal.”
Suddenly, she felt hungry. What was it with this guy? Somehow he always gave her an appetite. She caught the waitress’s attention and turned to Cal. “You ready to order, mister? I’m starving.”
He chuckled. “Me too.”
She’d need a hearty breakfast if she was going to face that cartel scumbag. And now she felt ready to do it.
***
Cal made a quick assessmentof Vic as they strode down the hospital hallway. She seemed calm and in control, yet her hands were balled into fists. So she was tense as hell. He’d keep an eye on her. This case was personal, and the interrogation would be the same.
They stopped at the nurses’ station and found out that the doctor was making his rounds, but that he hadn’t made it to Room 114 yet.
Vic asked, “Does he know that we need to speak with him?”
“I put a note in the patient’s chart, but if I were you, I’d go stand by his door. That way, as soon as the doctor’s finished, you can talk with him.”
Vic smiled. “Thanks. We’ll do that.”
When they arrived at Room 114, she told the officer at the door, “You can get some coffee. We’re waiting for the doctor.”
Cal endured fifteen minutes of Vic pacing up and down the hallway, popping her knuckles and griping about how long the doctor was taking. Finally, as if realizing that she was being unprofessional, she strode over to stand beside him, crossed her arms on her chest, and bit her bottom lip. She stood that way in silence until several minutes later when a man in a white coat and carrying a clipboard came walking toward them.
Vic expelled a long breath as the doctor stopped in front of them. She introduced herself and then Cal. “After you’ve seen Mr. Escareno, we’d like to speak with you.”
The doctor nodded. “I won’t be long. Just wait here.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Cal said and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms on his chest.
Vic began pacing again, but this time in silence.
Ten minutes later, the doctor left the room. “I assume you want to know when I’m releasing my patient?”
“Yes, sir,” Vic said.
He nodded. “And I also assume you want that to happen quickly?”
“We do,” Cal said.
“I’d like to keep him the rest of the day for observation, but if time is of the essence, I don’t see why he can’t be released at say, six this evening? I’ll put that on my discharge orders.”
Vic offered her hand. “That’s great. Thanks, doc.”
“You’re welcome, Agent Quinn.”
As the man walked away, Cal said, “We should check out the safe house.”
She nodded. “Agent Banning has supposedly stocked it with groceries by now. He’s also bought the shooter some sweats and T-shirts.” She grimaced. “I can’t believe we’re pampering the asshole like this.” She scrubbed her palm across her forehead.
The DEA regularly worked with the Fort Stockton Police Department and had found that having a nearby safe house was an effective strategy. It was certainly going to come in handy now.
The officer walked back over to relieve them, and Vic headed for the exit.
Cal kept up with her quick strides. She was a kettle about to boil. He just hoped that she would put her personal feelings aside when it came to interrogating the criminal.
He followed her car for about ten minutes to a nice neighborhood on the outskirts of town. It wasn’t fancy, but it was well-kept, and by the look of the half-grown trees in the front yards, the houses were fairly new.
