Page 71 of Solid as Steele
“I also located the day she was in here,” Ernie said.
“And?” Owen held his breath and willed Ernie to say the day Cassie disappeared. When he mentioned a date a few weeks later, Owen blinked as he tried to process the news. His sister had been alive forweeksafter going missing. “Say that again.”
Ernie repeated the date. She hadn’t been abducted right away as Owen had always believed. Was Ernie the last person other than Cassie’s killer, to see her alive? Could be.
“Is that helpful?” Ernie asked.
“Very.” Thoughts bounced like ping-pong balls through Owen’s brain. “Do you know where she was staying?”
“No, and as far as I know, she didn’t talk to anyone other than to shoot this guy down and order her dinner.”
“What did she order?”
“I remember because it was a kid’s meal. She had mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and applesauce. Adults don’t often order those.”
Owen wasn’t surprised. Cassie loved macaroni and cheese.
“Thanks, Ernie. Text me a picture of that receipt, please.” Owen ended the call and shared the news with Mackenzie.
“Wow. Where was she staying all that time?”
Owen shrugged. “Now more than ever I want to talk to Tovar as soon as possible.”
“Hopefully, he’ll be back when Urban said he would be.”
“What if he’s already back and was the guy who shot at us?”
Mackenzie blinked her long lashes. “It’s possible, right?”
Owen nodded.
The door opened, and an older nurse with glasses on a chain around her neck hurried into the room and handed a gown to Mackenzie. “Get undressed from the waist up and put this on. Opening in the back.”
Mackenzie smiled at the woman. “Will do.”
“I’ll return with supplies, and the doctor will be in shortly.” The nurse spun and exited the small room as fast as she’d entered.
Mackenzie stared at the gown.
Owen really wanted to stay and make sure she was okay, but she wouldn’t want to get undressed in front of him. “I guess this is when I need to leave the room.”
“Actually, I need some help getting my jacket off.”
“Of course.” He gently removed the sleeve on her non-wounded arm first and then moved to the injured side. He cringed at the blood saturating the fabric and prayed once the wound was revealed that the bullet hadn’t done serious damage to a muscle or tendon.
“I’m not sure I can do my shirt either, but I’m not getting undressed in front of you.” She blushed a crimson red. “Maybe you could go get the nurse.”
“I can do it and still make sure you’re covered.”
She clutched the gown like a shield. “How’s that possible?”
“Once when my parents were out of town, Cassie got appendicitis, and I had to help her get into a gown too. She didn’t want to undress in front of me, but she was in too much pain to do it on her own, so I figured out a way.”
He gently removed the gown from her hands. “You can slide this under the front of your shirt, and I’ll tie it behind your neck. Then I can release your uninjured arm and you can slide it into the gown under your shirt. After I pull it closed in the back, you can do the injured arm too. Then I pull your shirt over your head, and you’re fully covered the whole time.”
“Sounds sort of like the way the shy girls changed out for PE.” She gave him a soft smile. “Let’s do it so we can get out of here faster.”
He pulled the hem of her shirt forward, and she slipped the gown under. “Reach inside from the neck of your shirt with your good arm and pull it up for me.”
