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When the paramedics arrive, they quickly attend to Libby, while the police swarm the property, taking the two men into custody and asking a litany of questions. The process seems to stretch on for eternity, but I finally get a moment to talk to Libby before they load her into the ambulance and assure her I’ll meet her at the hospital.
Guess I’m really not meant to catch that flight.
When I see another cop approaching, I groan. It’s already been a long morning, and as the ambulance pulls away, I want nothing more than to follow
“They just stopped a van with plates matching your photo on the west side of the island. They’re bringing him into custody as well. We’re finishing up here, so if you’d like, you can head to the hospital. We’ll need you to finish up your official statements before leaving Georgia, and we might have a few more questions.”
“Sure.” I rub the back of my neck and head inside to load my things into the car since the cleaners will be in to take care of the condo before I likely make it back.
* * *
The nurses promise to let me know as soon as Libby’s ready for visitors, but after pacing around the waiting room several times, I collapse into an empty seat near the wall and check the time. It’s just after eight, so I figure it’s a decent enough hour to call Ben.
“Hey. Shouldn’t you be on a plane?” One of his girls giggles in the background.
“We might need to reschedule things a bit.”
“Things get a little too heated with that distraction?” he asks.
I make a sound in my throat. “Well, I’m sitting in a hospital waiting room after spending the last hour talking to cops. That ‘distraction’ was staying in the condo next to mine. Two men broke in and attacked her this morning.”
“Is she okay?” His voice turns hard and serious.
“They roughed her up a bit. I noticed something was off and interrupted their party. Police have them in custody but there’s still a lot up in the air. They said I could see her when they’re done with X-rays.” I rub my burning eyes. “Look, I have some pictures and info I’m sending over. The men said they were sending a message, and she’s been with me most of the week. I want to make sure those things aren’t connected and someone else has the info in case they try something else.”
“You think you somehow brought this on?”
I don’t want to jump to any conclusions at this point, but something isn’t sitting right. Waiting around and doing nothing is seriously fucking with my head. “No, but I want to rule it out. One of the guys was following Libby yesterday morning. We got rid of him, but the locals said they believed he was harmless. He was driving their escape vehicle this morning.”
“Apparently not so harmless.”
I lean forward propping my elbows up on my thighs, staring down at the white floor tiles. Something else is niggling at me too. “Her bank accounts were hacked at the beginning of the week. I think someone was trying to track her down or maybe force her hand earlier this week. I don’t want to leave any possibilities open.”
Ben starts to say something, but I’m caught off guard when someone plops down in the seat next to me. Libby gives me a tiny wave.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m making a break for it.” She looks like she’s struggling to keep her eyes open, but that could be the swelling in her cheek as well. “Really, I think they got sick of me. But the nurses are probably slightly less irritated than the cops.”
I snort into my fist. “You question them more than they could question you?”
“Guilty.” She nods toward my phone. “Need a minute?”
“It’s fine.” I put the phone back to my ear. “Sorry.”
“Do what you need to do. Let me know if you get anything new.”
While I put my phone away, Libby gives me a weak smile and wraps her arms around herself, but I can still see the shaking. “Thanks for saving my ass. Again.”
“You sure you’re good to leave?”
“Yeah. Nothing’s broken. The worst of the chloroform has worn off, except the headache and chills, and I’d rather deal with those somewhere that isn’t here. You know, if you trust letting me in your car again.” She breathes out a faint laugh.
“I told you to stay out of trouble.”
“Fail.” Her head falls forward. “Epic fail.”
* * *
