Page 22 of Shadow of Death
They’d reached the car. He realized he was still smiling. This case was intense—just as the two that had come before it. But there was something about this partnership that was amazing. They could both accept it. The work. Neither of them could do anything else. And while that would probably ruin many an outside relationship, for them it strengthened everything.
Amy knew where he came from. She understood the darkness that had haunted his childhood. She knew him, as few people ever would. She accepted everything about him.
His phone rang again as he geared up the car. It was his supervising director, Charles Garza, and Hunter quickly informed him they were playing it safe.
They’d find an agent sitting outside Carey’s hospital room. Local police had watched over the floor when she’d first gone in. But as it appeared she was no longer in danger, the watch had been curtailed.
Andy Mason decided they needed to keep an eye on their one living victim.
“Maybe it’s overcautious, but this thing is huge, and we need an ending,” Charles Garza said.
“I don’t think it’s being overcautious at all,” Hunter quickly informed him. “Amy and I are on our way there now. She is allowed visitors, and we understand the friend who reported her missing is with her now.”
“I don’t care who it is. We need to keep an eye on her.”
“Agreed,” Hunter said.
They ended the call. Amy was nodding; he hadn’t put the phone on speaker mode, but she had apparently heard or understood what was being said.
“Not a bad idea at all,” she murmured. “Though Hayden is with her—”
“And no one—no one—is above suspicion at this time,” Hunter said.
Amy nodded. “Right. Agreed. But I wonder if there is anything else either she or Hayden might be able to tell us. According to Milly, Don Blake was...well, out of Carey’s league. But he was eager to go with her when it was a physical adventure. Physical as in sporting, not as in...”
Hunter laughed. “Not as in sex.”
“Right. So, maybe they know what kind of thing Don was into. If he thought Carey had just taken off on him, where might he have gone?”
“I don’t know and, as to most of this...we don’t really know for sure about much of anything yet. Maybe.”
“There are probably more important things to get to, but—”
“We started early—we go to the hospital, and Loretta Peterson is next on the list and then Brenda Hayes.”
“Unless we find out something new from Carey or Hayden.”
Hunter nodded. “Eventually, it all has to be done.”
“Uh-huh—but we could find Don Blake, right?”
Hunter shrugged. “If he chooses to be found.”
“You think he’s in on all this—whatever this is?”
Hunter was silent a minute. “The rider on the black horse carries scales. I can’t help but think this has to do with weighing a person’s sins.”
“From the way Milly talked, Don Blake did a lot more sinning than Carey.”
“There are so many sins...seven deadly ones. Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.”
“Well, I guess Don Blake might fall into lust or pride or maybe even greed. But where would Carey fall? If she didn’t happen to be an accidental victim—and if this theory holds truth at all?”
“Carey, huh. Hmm. None. Unless her crush on Don could be seen as lust. And you’re right—I may be way off base. Anyway, here we are. We check in with Carey and we move on.”
“Gotcha!” Amy said.
At the hospital, they found a young officer—in uniform—seated before the door. He appeared to be barely out of college, a good-looking kid with a crop of light brown hair and bright green eyes. But he rose as they approached, giving them a nod and a slight frown while he waited for them to state their business there. They produced their credentials and the officer smiled. “Hey, you’re the guys who cracked this thing. Thanks—our list of missing persons in the county was getting out of hand.”
