Dark Hearts. Sharon Sala
It took a while to remove all the bone fragments. I pulled a couple out of one kidney and one from her liver. The bullet also nicked part of her spine on exit, but the spinal cord is intact. She lost a lot of blood, and for the time being I’ve put her into a drug-induced coma.”
“Dear Lord,” Trey muttered, and then the cop part of him kicked in. “Did she regain consciousness at any time before she was moved to ICU?”
“No, and as serious as her injuries were, that was to be expected.”
“When can I see her?” Lee asked.
“Check the visiting times in ICU, and discourage anyone but immediate family,” Dr. Lowell said.
Trey had his own comment to make.
“Just so you know, I need a no-visitor hold put on her chart, and there will be a guard stationed outside her room. She’s the only living witness to the latest of three murders, and the killer isn’t going to want her to wake up.”
Dr. Lowell grimaced. “Yes, so I was told. I’ll make sure that’s taken care of.”
“On behalf of our family, we thank you,” Trey said.
Lee pulled himself together to add his thanks. “Yes, Dr. Lowell. Thank you for saving her.”
Lowell nodded. “It wasn’t all me. I had a good team with me in the OR. I’ll be checking on her on a regular basis, so I’m sure we’ll speak again,” he said, and left the waiting room.
Now that Trey knew what he had to work with, he moved into action.
“I need to make some calls and get a guard rotation set up here.”
“I’m going to find ICU,” Lee said. “I’ll text you the visiting times.”
Trey nodded. “I’m not leaving the area. I just need a little privacy to make those calls.”
Lee went one way and Trey the other as they left the waiting room. Trey sent a text to Dallas on the way down in the elevator, then waited to call Sam until he was in a more private place. He was on his way out to his cruiser when he realized the predicted rain was imminent.
Thunder rolled as he made a run for the car, followed by a shaft of lightning that momentarily lit up the sky a few miles away.
He unlocked the car and slid into the seat. The silence was brief. There was traffic on the police radio, but from what he could hear, Dwight Thomas, their night dispatcher, had everything in hand.
He thought about Sam, and then shifted focus to the need for security on Trina. He didn’t have enough officers in Mystic to keep someone on guard day and night. He was trying to remember the security service Mack Jackson had used a few months ago for his fiancée, Lissa, when she was being stalked by the janitor where she worked, and looked to see if he still had Mack’s number in his contacts. He did, so he hit the call button, and then wiped a shaky hand across his face as he listened to Mack’s phone ring.
Trey’s heart was so heavy he could hardly breathe, and yet he had to stay focused. When Mack picked up on the third ring, Trey braced himself to say what had to be said.
“Hello.”
Trey cleared his throat. “Mack, this is Trey. I know it’s late. I hope I didn’t call at a bad time.”
“No, not at all,” Mack said.
“I was wondering if you could give me a contact number for the security guard you used for Lissa.”
“Sure, his name is Cain Embry. I don’t have it on me, but I’ll find it and text it to you in a few minutes, okay?”
“Yes, I would appreciate it.”
“Is something going on? Something related to the murders?” Mack asked.
“Yes,” Trey said, and then his voice broke. He had to clear his throat again and start over to get it all said. “Yes, something happened. Mom is dead, and Trina just came out of surgery. We still don’t know if she’ll make it or not. They were shot on their way home from the memorial service.”
Trey heard a gasp and then a groan, followed by a couple of anxious whispers, and guessed Mack was telling Lissa.
“Dear Lord! I don’t know what to say except that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Mack said.
Trey stared out across the parking lot.
“Yeah, me, too,” he said. “I keep thinking about that little speech I made at the church, wondering if I pushed the killer into it.”
The shock of what Mack was feeling echoed in his voice.
“Hell no, you didn’t push the bastard into anything. For one thing, he already killed twice before. Without a clue as to why this was happening, you’ve been helpless to stop anything. I’m finally coming to accept that they were all doomed from the start. Did Trina say anything? Do you have a lead?”
“No, she was unconscious when I found her. That’s why I need the guards. If she pulls through, she might be able to finger the killer. I can only imagine how freaked out he must be, knowing she’s still breathing.”
“Is there anything I can do? Do you need help—”
“You’re helping by getting me the number. I’ll be watching for the text. I’ve got to call Sam. He’s on his way home. He doesn’t know Trina made it through surgery yet.”
“Believe me, Trey, I know everything you’re going through right now. Just know Lissa and I will keep you in our prayers.”
“I know you do, and thanks,” Trey said and disconnected. While he was waiting for Mack’s text, he called Dallas to let her know Trina had made it through surgery, then made the same call to Sam.
* * *
Sam’s eyes were burning, and his shoulders ached. He’d been driving in rain for over an hour, which was making it twice as difficult to see the highway. When his cell phone finally rang he almost jumped out of his skin. Then he saw it was from Trey and put it on speaker so he could keep both hands on the wheel.
“Please give me some good news.”
“Trina made it through the surgery. She’s in ICU. I’ll give you details when you get here. Right now I’m waiting on a phone number so I can get twenty-four-hour security on her.”
“Thank the Lord,” Sam muttered. “I can help with security when I get there,” he added.
“I know, but I’m selfish enough to want you with me. I have a couple of ideas as to where to take the investigation but I’m waiting on you to get here to implement them. Where are you?” Trey asked.
Sam sighed.
“Somewhere in Tennessee. I’m north of Knoxville, and that’s all I know for sure. It’s raining pretty hard right now. Difficult to see road signs.”
Trey frowned. “Be careful. Stop and sleep over somewhere if you need to.”
“Yeah, I watched one young man die tonight. I don’t want to be next.”
“What? Are you okay?” Trey asked.
“Yes. It was a wreck. I saw it, but I wasn’t in it.”
“I’m sorry, Sam.”
“Yeah, so am I, for a whole lot of reasons. I’ll see you sometime tomorrow. That’s all I know for sure. Keep me posted on any change in her condition.”
“I will. Be safe. Oh...hey, I just got a text. It’ll be the info I’ve been waiting on. I’ll talk to you later,” Trey said and hung up.
Sam heard the click in his ear and disconnected, too, thinking to himself how his little brother