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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Molly and I need to be at the hospital,” Dana said after Zach left. “My mother is with Ben, but we should be there, too. Can one of you give us a ride?”
When Haley and Robinson exchanged uneasy glances, she added irritably, “You can’t tell me that we’re under arrest here or anything. It’s only a mile—I suppose we can walk.”
“You understand that this whole situation could explode if anything goes wrong, don’t you?” Haley said. “There was a clear message regarding outside interference of any kind.”
“And we’re supposed to sit here when you two leave? I’d like to be with Ben, if you don’t mind.” Dana nodded to Molly. “Let’s go.”
“Wait. Robinson, we’ve got a good two hours until we can take position. Run them out to the hospital, and see that they get inside safely.”
The deputy gave a grudging nod and lumbered toward the front door. “I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
Outside, he waved Dana and Molly toward the back seat of his squad car without a word. When they were all inside and heading down Main Street, Dana leaned forward. “Just out of curiosity, what made you think Zach was a drug dealer?”
A dull red flush, visible even in the dim light of the instrument panel, crept up the back of his neck. “A tip.”
“From whom?”
“Uh...that’s confidential.”
“From the guy who has Katie and Alex?” She didn’t try to mask her incredulity. “And you believed him?”
“I never saw him. There was a note shoved under my door one morning that gave all those details. When I researched that DiMarco name, I came up with the background, just like the note said.”
“But he’s with the DEA. That would have been a cover.”
Robinson sighed. “On the good side, that alias gave the agents the tip they needed. Now they’ve figured out which undercover operation this El Cazador guy was involved in. They’re even pretty sure about the guy’s name—Vincent Alvarez. A rap sheet and photos of him just arrived by fax. No matter what happens here, he won’t be on the streets long.”
No matter what happens? A chill slithered down Dana’s spine. “Nothing will go wrong, Molly,” she soothed, holding her daughter’s hand. “We’ll have Alex and Katie back in no time.”
Robinson’s gaze jerked up to the rearview mirror, and she knew he’d just caught his blunder.
“Of course you will,” he said quickly. “There are more agents coming from Denver right now, plus all of us here. Those kids will be okay.”
They pulled up at the hospital emergency entrance. An orderly lounging by the door stood up abruptly and started for the cruiser, but Robinson waved him off.
“I hope Ben is okay,” the deputy called out as he watched Dana and Molly walk into the hospital.
Dana nodded and raised a hand in farewell without turning around. “Come on, Molly, we need to move along.”
The hospital, with just twenty beds, wasn’t much larger than a roadside motel. Dana headed for the first nurse she saw. “Where’s Ben?”
The nurse, hurrying down the hall with an armload of linens, stopped and smiled. “Hi, Doc. He’s in Room Fourteen. He’s doing well, all things considered. Grumpy as ever.”
