Detection Mission. Margaret Daley
by all that had happened, Heidi dug her teeth into her lower lip and studied the man. His icy gaze nipped at what little composure she had left. If she could remember, she might know if he was someone she knew—had a reason to try and kill her. But she couldn’t answer that. There was nothing about him that seemed familiar except his eyes. Should she say something to Lee about that?
She glanced at her rescuer and as long as she kept her gaze on his face she was all right, but when she looked down at his badge and dark blue uniform, her throat closed, her stomach clinched. Frustration swamped her. She had reactions to certain things and didn’t understand where they came from. Did she have something against the police?
“Still doing okay?” Lee asked, his gaze trained on Gus Zoller.
“Yes. Thank you for being here.” Her voice still quavered, but she was regaining her composure.
“I’m not sure if I’m glad I was late or not. If I had come earlier, he might not have attacked you.”
“But he would have waited until later. He’s been in here before.”
“Other than yesterday morning?”
“Yes, yesterday evening.”
Lee’s glare drilled into the man. “What happened?”
“I woke up from a bad dream, and he was hovering over my bed. I panicked and pushed the call button.”
“Obviously a good thing you did. Why didn’t you tell me?”
She gestured toward Gus. “Because he said I was thrashing around and he claimed that he was putting up my railing. I woke up punching the air, so I thought he was right.”
“That must have been some dream.”
“You know how dreams are. Often weird with strange things happening.” She hoped that was the case because her nightmare had scared her. Not knowing what was real or not real only heightened that feeling.
The door swung open and a patrol officer came inside. “Is that the suspect you want me to take down to the station?”
“Yes. I’ll be down later to have a little word with him. Book him on assault, for starters.”
“Will do.” The officer grabbed hold of the man and pulled him to his feet.
When her assailant left, some of the tension in Heidi drained away. She dropped her head and inhaled a deep breath. “I wanted to ask him why he was trying to kill me. What have I done to have someone after me?”
“That’s a good question. One I intend to find the answer to. I’ll be asking the man later and will see if I can’t convince him to tell me why.”
“Please do. It may help me figure out who I am.” Even if she discovered something bad, this not knowing was driving her crazy.
“I’m going to talk to the staff and personnel about the suspect. I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Please...don’t leave me alone.”
Lee gave her a reassuring look. “You aren’t alone.” He walked to the door and motioned for someone to come into the room. “This officer will be standing guard. While I’m gone, I’ll have the doctor make sure you’re still all right to leave the hospital.”
“Thanks.” She lay back against her reclined bed and closed her eyes, trying to picture anyone from her past.
The same dark screen mocked her. She’d never felt so alone in her life. She didn’t have to remember her past to know that was true.
* * *
After paying human resources and hospital security a visit, Lee caught his friend Gail in the hallway coming from the room where there had been a code blue earlier. “What happened?”
“Someone unplugged that man’s life support, and he crashed, but thankfully we revived him and he’s fine now.”
How convenient for Gus that everyone was in Room 253. Planned or a coincidence?
The nurse looked around him. “Why is an officer standing outside Heidi’s room?”
“One of your custodians assaulted her.”
Alarmed, Gail pushed forward. “Is she all right?”
Lee stopped his friend. “She’s fine. Just confused and scared. I asked her doctor to check her out before she’s discharged from the hospital.”
“Who was it?”
“Gus Zoller. What can you tell me about him? Any reason you can think of why he would do this?”
Her forehead creased, and she slowly shook her head. “It doesn’t make any sense. He’s new here. He started in January. But he always did his job and was pleasant to the patients when he interacted with them.”
“Was he friendly with anyone? Another staff member?”
“No, come to think about it. He kept to himself. Did his job and went home.”
Lee nodded. “If you think of anything else that might explain why he went after Heidi, call me.”
He continued toward Heidi’s room with the information he’d received on Gus from human resources. Later tonight after he interviewed the suspect, he intended to check his apartment out.
When he entered the room, he found Heidi lying on her bed, staring at the wall. “Are you sure you’re all right?” Lee brushed his gaze over her cheeks, which were still drained of color. He couldn’t blame her for being jittery with anyone she saw. She didn’t know what happened to land her in the hospital. Who was a friend? Who was a foe? Her aching despair spiked his protective instincts.
Heidi nodded slowly.
“Did Gail tell you I found a place for you to stay?”
“Yes.”
“I live in a Victorian boarding house run by Molly Givens. She lives on the bottom floor and another police officer lives on the second floor in an apartment across from me. Molly has wanted to open up her third floor for another tenant. It doesn’t require a lot of work so a group of my friends are going to put the finishing touches on it over the next several nights.”
“The doctor said I could still leave today,” she informed him. “And after what just happened, I want to get out of here.”
“I don’t blame you. I can keep an eye on you at the house so there isn’t a repeat of this afternoon. Molly has a spare bedroom downstairs for you to use. Your place should be ready for you to move into in two days. Are you okay with that?”
“Are you sure Molly is all right with it?”
“Meet Molly. You’ll see she’s fine about you staying. Like I said, I’ll feel better if you’re nearby.” He smiled gently. “Mark, my neighbor, works the graveyard shift. He’ll be around while I’m working if you run into a problem. I’ll be there at night.”
Her eyebrows slashed downward. “I hate not knowing what’s going on. I don’t feel like I’m the kind of person who made someone angry enough to want me dead.”
“This has to be hard on you, but I’ll help you find answers. I know you feel alone, but you aren’t now.” He couldn’t shake from his mind the haunted look he glimpsed a few times on her face.
Tears glistened in Heidi’s eyes. “Why are you doing this for me?”
“Several reasons. First off, I’m a cop. I became one to help others in trouble. And you’re most definitely in dire straits. Also, I want you to remember. You might be able to help us with what’s been going on here in Sagebrush.”
“What’s going on?”
“Last month Captain Slade McNeal’s father was almost beaten to