SIX

Karenna tried to nod along as the doctor spoke about oxygen saturation rates and respiratory rates, but he spoke so quickly she didn’t retain much. Maybe she should call someone to sit with her. But who?

Ironic, really. She’d felt sheltered in her father’s world and wanted out, but once she was free, she’d built her own insulated world where she was safe in every way. Until now. Perhaps the feeling of safety was only an illusion anyway, especially since she was at the hospital alone. Either way, the comfort and security of the life she’d made had shattered.

If she wanted to call on someone, she’d have to share so much she wasn’t ready to divulge. Not that it mattered. Her phone was still in her apartment, along with everything else that might be useful. She glanced at her cold, bare feet. Shoes, for instance, would be nice, as well as a toothbrush to get the horrible chemical taste out of her mouth.

“—the bottom line being we’re going to move you out of emergency and admit you overnight until those levels get back to where we want,” the doctor said. “We’ll add some noninvasive, positive-pressure ventilation just to be on the safe side. Okay?”

Except, he didn’t wait for her to answer and strode out of the room.

The nurse looked at her, amused. “Looks like you might have questions.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t know where to start.”

The nurse’s tight curls bounced when she chuckled. She gestured to a wheelchair with a tank of oxygen on the back. “Your breathing was depressed for so long we need to keep an eye on you. You’ll wear something like a CPAP mask—one you can take off and on yourself—to help get your oxygen levels to rise a tick or two higher before we feel like you’re out of the danger zone.”

She was still in the danger zone? Goose bumps erupted over her arms. Her teeth chattered as her entire body started to tremble. The heart rate monitor gave a warning beep.

The nurse took one glance and stepped out of the room. What did that mean? She returned a second later with a heavy blanket. “The shivering is a side effect from the overdose medication. It’ll wear off in another hour and then you’ll feel more like yourself.”

“Yourself, maybe, after a truck has rammed into you at sixty miles an hour,” an orderly said as he pulled back the curtain, the only thing providing privacy in the crowded ER. He winked at Karenna. “I hear you get to take a ride to the good part of the hospital.”

“Ignore him.” The nurse smiled, attached a continuous positive airway pressure mask to the tank and monitors, and slipped it over Karenna’s head. “I know this feels odd, but it’s only for a little while.” She bent over and adjusted the straps around her face.

When Karenna inhaled, the machine somehow sensed her breath and air rushed into her lungs. Uncomfortably so, but her headache faded a tad, so maybe it wasn’t entirely bad.

“Let’s go on a ride.” As the man pushed her out of the exam room and through a maze of hallways, she focused on breathing in and out, trying not to fight the machine. She closed her eyes. Her mind raced ahead, allowing the thoughts and feelings she’d been pushing away to demand attention.

Maybe Sarah was somewhere in the hospital and she could finally see her. She didn’t want to be the one to share the sad news about Zoe, though. A loud sound beeped from the monitor attached to the chair and the orderly stopped pushing.

“Hey. Your heart rate just spiked. You okay?”

Karenna nodded, unable to answer without taking the mask off. She wanted to be home, to be allowed to fall apart without an audience, but she didn’t want to be alone, either.

“Where is my daughter?” A man’s raging voice could be heard echoing down the hallway, likely around the corner since she couldn’t see anyone. The voice sounded remarkably like her father’s but she hadn’t spoken to him since her short visit around Christmas. Dad wasn’t listed as her emergency medical contact, either—Sarah was, actually—so his appearance didn’t seem likely unless she decided to bother him. He was probably out of town, anyway.

“Sir,” a man’s deep voice answered. “You can lower your voice. The attendant informed us to wait here. She’s being moved—”

Ray’s voice. She was almost certain. He wouldn’t have called her dad, would he? The sound on her monitor beeped again. Like clockwork, the orderly slowed to a stop, but Karenna waved her hand in a circular motion, encouraging him to keep going. She wanted to see who was talking around the corner.

“I think maybe I should check with the doctor first,” the orderly said.

She pulled off her mask, really wanting to hurry up and get down the hall. “I’m sure I’ll be fine once we get to the room. I just have a lot of stressful things to process. That’s all.”

“Well...the doc is just in that room, two doors down. Stay here.”

“How could you let this happen?” Dad’s voice railed. “I knew something like this would happen if she stayed with you.”

“Sir, if he hadn’t been there, your daughter would be dead,” a gruff voice Karenna didn’t recognize interjected.

“And you are?” Dad barked.

“Sergeant Gavin Sutherland, Officer Morrow’s superior,” he answered. “And I can tell you that—”

“Okay.” The orderly returned. “The doctor is going to come check on you in your room in a second. Make sure that heart rate isn’t a problem. I’ll just turn this beeping down a tad so it stops scaring us. Let’s go.”

Karenna almost groaned in frustration. Between the orderly and Gavin lowering his voice, she missed hearing half of what was being said up ahead. The orderly moved her along in the wheelchair at a much faster clip, likely eager to get a high-risk patient off his hands, lest she die on him.

“Sir, I promise you I will get the guy.” Ray’s voice could be heard again, infused with passion.

“I have no doubt you will. Catching dealers is obviously your life, but I’m not so sure you’ll treat my daughter’s safety with the same diligence.”

The orderly pushed her around the corner. She could see Ray and her father facing off in the hallway, in front of the entrance to a waiting room. Ray still wore his police uniform. Her dad’s salt-and-pepper hair complemented the medium blue suit and silver shirt he wore.

Ray reared back. “If this is about the past, I can assure you that I’m not dating your daughter. There’s no need to threaten to disown her again. I’m keeping my distance.”

Her stomach flipped. Dad had threatened to disown her before—always to her boyfriends, never to her. He’d claimed it was a good test to weed out the men who were only interested in her because of his money and career influence. Whether she liked it or not, her father’s wealth and success brought a fair amount of power to his fingertips. He’d reasoned that if a man truly loved her, he wouldn’t care whether she lost an inheritance or not.

Karenna pulled her mask off. “Oh, Dad, you didn’t. Not again.” She had no idea he’d made the threat to Ray, though. They’d already been dating almost a year before she’d introduced them. She hadn’t thought such tactics would’ve been necessary after such a long time.

The men turned to her, expressions of surprise at her appearance evident.

“Well, can you blame me?” Dad asked. “Remember Brandon?”

She fought against rolling her eyes. Bad boyfriends from back in college shouldn’t count and should never be brought up in front of other ex-boyfriends. Her father’s threat hadn’t made a difference in her relationship with Ray, had it? That couldn’t have been the reason he’d broken up with her. Ray had never cared about money. If anything, she’d felt he looked down on those who had more than enough. No, the more likely scenario was that he’d seen through her dad’s charade but was irritated enough to bring it up again all these years later.

Dad’s chagrined face morphed into a concerned smile as he crossed the divide between them. “Hi, sweetie.” He approached her and picked up her hand. “You okay?”

“I will be. Thanks to Ray,” she emphasized. Ray had saved her life. She didn’t need the added stress of hearing them fight. “It’s a long story, Dad.” A set of involuntary coughs racked her lungs. The warning beep, even though not as loud, sounded.

A nurse appeared in the hallway behind them. “Please lower your voices. We have patients sleeping.”

“Of course, we’re sorry,” Dad said as the frowning nurse disappeared.

“You need to put the mask back on,” the orderly insisted.

Karenna slipped the apparatus on with a nod. Ray stared at her, his face pale, as if he’d been punched in the gut. His sergeant stared at him with concern, glancing between them. He placed a hand on Ray’s shoulder. “I’ll meet you at Miss Mayfair’s room.”

Ray blinked a couple of times. “Sure. Thanks, Sarge.”

Sarah’s room? This was the absolute worst time to have to wear the CPAP mask. She had so many questions.

Ray stepped closer to Karenna and took a knee. “Sarah’s parents are here. She’s on the third floor.” As if he understood the questions in her eyes, he shook his head. “She’s not awake yet, but we’re hoping her parents know something.”

“Sarah’s involved? Sarah Mayfair?” Dad’s eyes bugged. “She’s from a good family. We’ve known them forever. She wouldn’t be mixed up in—”

“Sir, I’ll explain everything once Karenna gets settled.” Ray looked over his shoulder at an approaching man, hefty, wearing a dark blazer and light gray pants. “The hospital has agreed to provide a security guard for your room.”

Dad stiffened. “I’ll see about his credentials.”

As soon as her father stepped away, the orderly took advantage of the space in the hallway and rolled her to the room three doors down. “I’ll go let your nurse know you’re here.” He acted as if he couldn’t get away fast enough from the drama surrounding her. She didn’t blame him.

As soon as they were alone, Karenna realized Ray didn’t have his partner with him. She’d have thought K-9s were allowed in hospitals, but maybe not. “Where’s Abby?”

He tensed. “She got a little too close to the fentanyl.”

Her hand covered her mouth. “Oh, Ray. I’m so sorry. Is she okay?”

“The vet thinks she will be.” His hands fisted. “And don’t go blaming yourself. You didn’t do it to her.” He cleared his throat, as if putting aside all emotions, and handed her the phone she’d left behind. “I thought you might want this. Since you gave me permission earlier, I went ahead and checked your privacy settings. You did a good job, but...” His hesitation was enough to fill her with dread. “You must have shared your location with Sarah through the Now You See app.”

She pulled the mask down to answer. “No, I didn’t...” Her voice faltered as her memory cleared. “I did once. It was months ago when she never showed on St. Patrick’s Day. We were supposed to meet for the parade. I sent her my location in case she couldn’t find me. Turned out she’d bailed on me and forgot to let me know. But I’ve checked my settings since then. I know I haven’t been sharing my location with anyone.”

“Apparently there’s a glitch. Your phone continues to share the location through the app once you’ve done it once, despite your general phone settings.”

The shivering returned, though this time she had a feeling it wasn’t because of the drugs coursing through her veins. “So he... Marcus knew my every move since he tried to kill me.”

Ray’s frown deepened, confirming her theory. “Since he likely had Sarah’s phone, yes. Well, at least enough to know where you live and plan the...” He exhaled. “The close call. He obviously got all the information he wanted because he left Sarah’s phone at Zoe’s house, as you know. I took the liberty of deleting the app on your phone and asked our resident tech guru to do me a personal favor and double-check my work. Your phone is safe now. I hope I didn’t overstep. I thought you might want to call someone from the hospital.”

“Thank you.” She glanced at her phone, simultaneously glad for it and wanting to hurl it across the room. Betrayal wasn’t a feeling she normally associated with inanimate objects. Nonetheless, frustration built that she couldn’t have heated words with the device.

“I’m afraid I left your purse in my SUV, which is back at the station.”

“You didn’t drive.” She tilted her head, trying to make sense of the last few hours. “Why’d your boss bring you here, anyway?”

Ray shifted, avoiding eye contact. “He thought it would be best to come along to interview Sarah’s parents.” He finally met her eyes. “And because I was pretty upset after you...” He cleared his throat. “Well...and Abby.”

“Because of your father.” Pieces fit together about his history with his dad overdosing and understanding dawned. Since his father’s death, seeing someone go through the same thing had to be awful. “I’m sure it’s hard to see anyone overdose—”

He groaned. “You’re not anyone, Karenna. I thought—”

“Sounds like we have a high heart rate?” A nurse stepped in, the orderly behind her. “The doctor said we should get you settled before he comes in to have a second look.”

Ray dropped his head, looking spent and defeated in a way Karenna had never seen him before. She almost wanted to reach out and comfort him even though she was the one in the wheelchair. His words to her father about not being in a relationship stopped her from acting on the impulse.

Her father stepped into the room but didn’t come any closer, shooting Ray daggers with his eyes.

Ray didn’t acknowledge him but touched her shoulder. “I should go. I’ll be back in the morning. Get some rest and don’t go anywhere without me, okay?” He smiled and walked out the door.

She stared after him, so much unasked and unsaid. Why did she feel like her heart was in danger in more ways than one?


Ray dragged himself to work at six in the morning so he would have time to stop by the veterinarian’s at the training center to check on Abby.

Dr. Mazelli must’ve known he would stop by early because there was a message for him at the front desk. As long as no complications arose, he could pick Abby up for the remainder of their shift later in the day.

He walked to the kennel where the spaniel was resting. She lifted her head and rose to attention as if ready to work. “Sorry, girl. Not yet.” He stuck his fingers through the kennel bars. “Looks like we get to be back together after lunch, so follow doctor’s orders, okay?” Abby nuzzled the side of her snout against the backs of his fingers before she returned to her bed.

He stood there, watching her while she got comfortable and fell back to sleep. She’d never been much of a morning person—well, dog—anyway. At least he knew Abby was comfortable.

He would do anything for her, with plans to adopt her once she reached retirement. To the city, Abby was a vital, valuable part of the NYPD. Only the best food, the most comfortable temperatures, and the best medical treatments were allowed. It was also why each handler—even the ones who didn’t work in narcotics—carried a syringe of naloxone. He’d never been so thankful for policies that made them carry so much in their belts.

Once Abby’s breathing turned to light snoring with the occasional moving paws, he knew she was fine. She had to be dreaming about that squirrel that taunted her behind his apartment. Ray quietly slipped out of the area reserved for recovering dogs and walked next door to the police station.

His boss stood at the coffee maker, filling a tumbler. Gavin caught sight of Ray and gestured to the meeting room with his chin.

Gavin had said the bare minimum last night, even driving back from the hospital in silence, but Ray knew a debriefing conversation was overdue. Maybe it was because Gavin’s partner was a springer spaniel, as well, but Ray respected and related to the man more than he imagined he could with a superior.

Ray followed him inside the room. Since the unit meeting wasn’t due to start for half an hour, they had some privacy. So he didn’t wait for Gavin to ask questions. “I want to thank you for standing up for me with Mr. Pressley last night. It wasn’t necessary, but I still appreciate it.”

Gavin shrugged as he took his seat. “I could tell you intended to remain silent while he ranted, but I don’t take kindly to false accusations, as you know. Especially when he’s your ex-girlfriend’s father and didn’t have all the facts.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “What was all that about disowning her?”

Ray’s gut sank again at the mention. When Karenna hadn’t seemed surprised by her dad’s admission, Ray had felt as if he’d failed an exam he didn’t know he should’ve studied for, even though it had happened years ago. “I shouldn’t have opened my mouth and dragged the past into the conversation, but his insinuation that I wouldn’t consider Karenna’s safety rubbed me the wrong way.” He shook his head and sank into the closest chair.

Gavin nodded with an understanding he couldn’t possibly have. “You didn’t break up with her because of that disowning threat, did you?” His eyes narrowed but then he pulled back and held up his hands. “Sorry. None of my business.”

If Gavin hadn’t admitted that it wasn’t his business, Ray would’ve stayed silent based on principle. But he realized he really needed to talk about it. “The short answer is no. I can’t honestly say his threat didn’t play a part, though. I don’t have a dad anymore.” He slipped the challenge coin out of his pocket, as was his habit whenever he thought of his father, and started rolling and flipping it over his knuckles. “And Karenna only has her dad. So even as messed up as the threat seemed, I wasn’t about to stand in the way of a relationship between father and daughter.”

Gavin’s brow furrowed. “I’m guessing you didn’t give her the chance to weigh in on that decision.”

Like finally finding the last piece to the puzzle, Ray’s emotions clicked together, distracting him. The coin slipped from between the third and fourth finger and fell to the ground, spinning. His decision to call it quits the way he had seemed so wrong now but had seemed so right back then. Was the difference maturity or something else? He grabbed the coin and sat back up.

Gavin tapped his pen against the yellow notepad on the table. “So, back to the case. I need to know if you have your head in the game. We can assign this case to someone else.”

Adrenaline coursed through his veins. He had to get Marcus. Surely, Gavin understood that, as well. And if not, he had to make him see it.

Ray leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. “We know Marcus used to work for a pharmaceutical company as a scientist or a chemist. The drugs that were in Sarah’s apartment and in Karenna’s tea were a composition of fentanyl our lab had never encountered. I think he’s making his own formula and targeting the upper class in the area. My gut says Marcus is working on his own, for now, trying to start his own enterprise. I can take him down before he builds it.” Ray leaned back, hoping he’d just proved how deeply his head was in the game.

Gavin folded his arms across his chest, studied him for a second, and nodded. He looked up as Eden entered the room. In her late twenties, Eden wore all black, her long, dark hair in a low ponytail.

“Glad I caught you both before the meeting.” Eden pointed at Ray. “I contacted the geneticist—she prefers we call her a DNA detective, though. I can’t blame her since it carries that little bit of street cred with it, you know?”

He’d never thought of a geneticist carrying street cred, but Ray nodded all the same, encouraging Eden to continue.

“She’s very interested in tackling the McGregor cold case, especially since she knows Bradley and Penny work here. So she agreed to officially bump it to the top of her stack. She’ll take a look at the DNA sample as soon as we get through the red tape of contracting her.” She offered a thumbs-up as she left the meeting room. “Good idea, Morrow.”

Ray didn’t feel like congratulations were earned yet. “Let’s hold the applause until we see if we get anywhere.”

“The idea brings hope and, right now, our team needs help with morale.” Gavin didn’t need to explain why. The murder of Bradley and Penny’s parents may have been twenty years ago, but that kind of wound remained fresh.

Ray had been reminded of that last night. His dad’s death from oxycodone was almost fifteen years ago. He never wanted to see someone overdose again, but he also wanted to stop it from ever happening. Knowing the same murderer, or a copycat, had killed someone else’s parents in the same way had to be gut-wrenching for Bradley. Particularly when Officer Nate Slater would be adopting the orphaned little girl, Lucy Emery. Nate’s fiancé, Willow, was Lucy’s aunt. Ray looked around for Nate but didn’t see him among the officers coming in.

Most of the team was there, so Gavin changed gears and rattled off news from the boroughs. Ten minutes into the briefing, Nate Slater stepped inside, carrying a tablet.

“Being engaged is no excuse for being late, Detective,” Gavin quipped, his voice light but his face serious.

Ray cracked a smile as many laughed, but Nate’s somber expression didn’t waver. “It’s relevant, sir,” he said. “I’ve been following a new lead.”

Gavin waved at the empty chair. “You have the floor.”

“It’s going to sound ridiculous. I offered to watch some cartoons with Lucy while Willow cooked dinner. Ten minutes into the show Lucy got scared and said, ‘He sounds like bad man.’” Nate took a deep breath, his face paler than usual. “I tried to shake it off as a comment on the character, but she looked at me. She asked me if he killed Mommy and Daddy.”

A chill went up Ray’s spine. What a horrible thing for a three-year-old to have to wonder.

“So I came in early and traced the actor. Lives in LA. The guy apparently has steady work and, as such, has an alibi for both twenty years ago and now. So another dead end.” Nate sighed and sank into a chair. “But...on the odd chance it might help, I’d like to play the audio clip that caused Lucy’s reaction.”

Gavin pursed his lips, considering. If Ray hadn’t been watching, he wouldn’t have seen the quick side glance his boss made in Bradley’s direction. Bradley had his arms across his chest, so still that he looked like a statue. Gavin finally nodded his approval, and Nate pressed Play.

A rich, comforting voice with firm, bass notes reverberated through the room. Such a laid-back baritone would be the go-to choice as an emcee for events.

Nate paused the recording and leaned back, surveying the team. “Look, I know a three-year-old isn’t the most reliable witness, but I think you’d agree this voice is very distinct.”

“We’ll keep it in mind,” Gavin said, effectively closing the matter.

Such a small clue and yet Ray found himself slightly envious. At least Nate had a lead on a case.

The meeting was excused, but Penny McGregor waved him over to the front desk before he left the building. “CSI just finished cleaning Karenna Pressley’s apartment. They found fentanyl in everything.”

Belle Montera stopped behind him and leaned forward. “What do you mean ‘everything’?”

Penny shoved a piece of paper across the counter. “Seriously, whoever did this went overboard. More than a dozen items in her pantry and refrigerator all contained the stuff in lethal amounts. All the staples had the stuff. Would’ve been unavoidable.” She smiled sympathetically. “On the bright side, the place is fully cleaned and sanitized now. She can go home without worrying.”

Ray’s head swam. More than a dozen items? To taint that many things with lethal amounts... There was no way she would go home without worrying because one thing had become evident. Marcus was never going to stop until Karenna was dead.

Unless Ray got to him first.