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Christ, if this is the extent of his acting skills, we’re fucked.
“Damien,” I say gruffly. “You’ll have to sell this story. If my men smell blood, they’ll pounce.”
“Chill, See-er,” he says, mispronouncing my name. For fuck’s sake. “This isn’t my first case.”
“Are you sure about that?” I mumble under my breath. “Okay, new plan. You don’t talk at all. I’ll do all the talking. You keep your mouth shut. It’ll be easier to sell you as the strong and silent type.”
He nods, nonchalant. I roll my eyes. Is this the best guy the chief could send in? He’s fucking hopeless. Regardless, I walk him around the house, introducing him to the few men milling around. They don’t ask questions, as they’re trained to do, but I’m sure they’ll be gossiping about it later like old women. They’ll probably go to Pocus, who will tell them the story we’ve come up with.
I call church later to introduce Damien to the club. A few men smirk as they assess his wiry frame. Pocus fumes silently in the back. I can’t be concerned with his attitude. There are bigger fish to fry. I tell the men Damien is a probationary member, just as they all were to start. When he’s gone, we’ll feed them the story he couldn’t cut it. But I think they can tell he won’t last. They’re probably taking bets as I introduce him.
Fuck me, this will be a long few months. I hope Damien finds what he needs to close the investigation and get the hell out of our lives. Looking at him inspires no confidence. More likely, I’ll have to have a meeting with the chief in a few days to tell him to get this incompetent rookie the hell away from us and forget the whole deal.
I try to swallow my dread and tell myself this will all be fine. There could be more to him than meets the eye. As I meet Pocus’s gaze, I wonder if I’ve fucked up beyond repair.
CHAPTERTEN
The hospital’s been in an uproar since Charlie’s disappearance. Thanks to some quick work by Snake, there’s no video evidence of the girl leaving the property. It all falls on Dr. Talon’s head. I would feel bad for the guy, but it’s probably good for him to have a large fuck-up on his record. He needs to find a different field.
Unfortunately, because it was in my department, it falls on me, too. Of course, the higher-ups have no idea I was involved. They’re questioning every nurse, orderly, and janitor on this floor, trying to get down to the bottom of the incident. Eventually, when they hit a dead end, they’ll sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened.
Charlie was clearly an unwell girl. The information Meredith gave when she checked her in was fake. The two looked thin and unwashed, and will probably be treated as homeless girls who garner no further thought. That’s the unfortunate reality of this system.
Still, we’re called into a meeting two days after Charlie’s disappearance. The head of the hospital is there, which is unusual. He rarely gets involved in these issues. Everyone is on edge seeing him there. The tension in the room runs high. I find a seat toward the back of the room. If anyone asks, I’ll tell them I’m on call.
“As you know, there’s been an incident of a missing patient,” he says, his voice thick and slow. “This isn’t something we take lightly. We’ll want to speak with you all individually. Until then, rest assured we’re keeping a close eye on all of you. If any of you so much as steps a toe out of line, we’ll be on your ass quicker than you can imagine.”
“Can you believe this?” one of my colleagues whispers to me. “One poor girl goes missing, and suddenly it’s a crisis. No matter that we’re dealing with a literal epidemic of drug-addicted babies.”
I look up at the other doctor in surprise, but she isn’t looking at me. Her eyes are trained at the front as she murmurs out the side of her mouth. She’s an OBGYN, one of the hospital’s best. Last year, she published a brilliant paper about fetal alcohol syndrome. I’m surprised she’s at this meeting.
“Were you here when the girl disappeared?” I ask her curiously.
Now it’s her turn to look at me in surprise. “They’re pulling everyone is on this,” she whispers. “It doesn’t matter if you started your job that day or if you’ve been here twenty years. They’re treating this like a criminal case.”
“All for some disturbed girl?” I question nonchalantly. “I met her once. She was trouble to say the least.”
The more detached I seem talking about Charlie, the better. If they’re taking this as seriously as my colleague suggests, I need to seem dispassionate about the case. Of course, I met the girl. She was a patient on my floor. Yes, I was there to sedate her, but I had no other interaction with her. Yes, I had lunch with her sister, but I recommended she follow her doctor’s instructions. Thank God they can’t record our conversations.
“They think it may be gang-related.” My colleague sighs heavily. “This town is out of control. It’s going to hell in a handbasket.”
I hum casually and return my attention to the hospital director. Someone will lose their career over this incident. I need to make sure it isn’t me. Why did I have to fall for those blue eyes? I think back over that talk in the café with Meredith. I still can’t comprehend what made me do it.
Sure, I’m passionate about protecting children, but that’s not why I’d agreed to help. Something about Meredith’s pain got under my skin. I felt compelled to help however I could. She drew me in, and I can’t understand why. I’ve never lost my head over a woman like that before. Sure, I’ve had my fair share of casual relationships, but no one has ever caused such a visceral reaction.
I didn’t have the will to tell her I couldn’t help. It was physically impossible for me to walk away from her. Still, she doesn’t trust me. From what Pocus has told me, she’s barely spoken in two days. What have I risked by helping this woman I barely know?
The question nags at me for hours as I work through my shift. I try not to panic every time my pager goes off. I’m spared from being pulled into an interview today, but it’s inevitable. Even if they don’t suspect that I helped sneak Charlie out, my ass in on the line as a supervisor. I wouldn’t mind being demoted over it. I’d love extra time in my schedule. But I worry it will be much worse.
When I’m released for the day, I rush to Pocus’s house to check on the situation. When I walk in, Daisy and Charlie are happily playing in the living room. I’m glad Charlie is enjoying herself here. Maybe it was a stroke of genius for Seer to send them here instead. What would Charlie have done isolated in her room with Meredith at the club? That would have been a disaster.
Even so, Meredith seems to have isolated herself. I can’t find her in the common areas. I ask Abigail if she’s seen her, and she tells me which room she’s put them in. Apparently, Meredith is either hovering over Charlie or locked up in her room. Abigail worries about her, and frankly, so do I. Here I thought Charlie would be the issue. I didn’t expect Meredith to shut down.
I knock on her door and wait several moments for her to come to the door and peek outside. She looks at me warily and opens the door fully, beckoning me inside her room. There’s a small desk in the corner she’s turned into an office. Papers are scattered across it, and she seems devastated.
“I’ve been trying to find Charlie a better home,” she explains. “I keep calling families I know, and none of them want her. They think she’s too much of a risk.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell her, taken aback. “If you need help with her, we can find you resources. You don’t have to raise your sister all alone.”
