Logan had spent his whole day in the hospital, waiting beside Maggie’s bed for a sign of life. It wasn’t until the sun went down that she’d slowly edged her way back to this world. Logan had been in the waiting room at the time, but as soon as he found out she was conscious, he’d run into the room at the speed of light, desperate to see her again.
“Jenny?” had been her first word.
“She’s fine.”
Logan took her hand and pulled a chair closer to the bed, lowering himself into it. He admired how beautiful she looked, even when she’d been shot and sleeping for ages. Her eyes were black around the edges, but the emerald centers blazed brighter than ever.
“The shooter?”
“We’re still looking for him.”
“And you?”
“Me?”
“How are you doing? I know it’s been a tough ride lately.”
Logan was blown away. After everything she’d been through, all she could think about was others. He’d always known she was a tough cookie, but the most resilient people had usually become so by being selfish. Maggie seemed to be a different breed, putting everyone else before even considering herself.
They talked for a long while, going over the case and the impossible situation they were in. Logan kept trying to steer the conversation back to her, but even as nurses came and went to check on the bedside machines, she still fought back and focused on him instead.
After a couple of hours, a different nurse poked her head through the open doorway. She glanced around the room, her eyes settling on Logan.
“Mr. Fox?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“There’s a telephone call for you. Somebody named Peter.”
Peters, he silently corrected as he kissed Maggie’s hand and followed the nurse back to her station. They let him behind the desk, handing him the phone and clearing the way for him to get through. Logan thanked her, then spoke into the handset.
“What do you have?” he asked.
“Not much, I’m afraid. An IAD investigation can take weeks or even months. But while they were digging, I did a little snooping on the computer. Took me ages to learn what I was doing with the darn thing, but I got there in the end.”
Logan waited patiently, thinking of Maggie. Only Maggie.
“There was a lot to cross-reference with Helen’s ex-husband being a cop and all, but I think I found something. I started with closest associates and ex-cops, then worked my way out. Did you know we can use keywords now? It even works on names.”
“So you have a name?”
“Just some ex-cop ideas. Does Harry Redman mean anything to you?”
“No.” Logan felt disappointed.
“Frank Elderson?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.”
“Damn. There’s only one more name on here. Jason Lane.”
Logan froze. He knew that name from somewhere. He was sure of it. He racked his brain, trying to figure out where from. It gave him a headache as he searched his memory banks, turning up nothing until…
“Does the computer have images? Like photographs?”
“Sure it does.”
“Is he a big guy, bald head, and a scorpion tattoo on his neck?”
“That’s the one.”
Quickly realizing his hand was shaking, Logan stood upright and looked around at the nurses’ station. The nurses themselves were listening in, sensing the dramatic tone in his voice. He couldn’t help but feel light-headed as he pieced the facts together. Was it purely a coincidence? There was only one way to know for sure.
“Run a search on his profile.”
“Searching for what?”
“Max Colby.”
Peters sighed like it was a long shot. He came back quickly.
“There’s two mentions of him. The first was during some sort of bar brawl. Max offered a witness statement after Jason broke some guy’s nose in a fistfight. The second is a recommendation for a security team in… oh.”
He didn’t need to go any further. Logan had already taken the news and figured out the truth. Jason Lane used to be a police officer, and his file demonstrated he was friends with Max Colby. With that kind of information, coupled with the fact he was now on Helen Beck’s security team, it was easy to see the truth through the fog.
The information hadn’t come from a cop at all but an ex-cop. A dangerous man who was working alongside the killer the whole time. Logan took this information, slammed the phone down, and ran for the hospital doors as fast as his legs could carry him. All the while, one horrific thought entered his mind and circled it like a hungry vulture.
Jenny was with Jason right now.