“Well, here it is.” Ben stepped into the room, balancing a cafeteria tray in his hands. “A can of soda for the patient, a bowl of soup for Mom, and a fresh cup of black coffee since that first one didn’t really go as planned.”
Jade took the tray from him. “Thanks so much. Did you get something for yourself?”
“I ate earlier.”
Jade didn’t want to admit that she was disappointed.
“Sorry it took me so long to get here,” he said. “I’ve been going back and forth with hospital security and the Anchorage police, trying to fill in all the gaps so everyone knows what’s going on.”
“What is going on?” Jade asked. “I’d like to know myself.”
Ben sat on the stool, stretching his legs out from under him. “Well, the guy you saw really is a nurse here, but he’s also a member of Morning Glory International. Does the name Caleb Houghton mean anything to you?”
“Houghton?” Jade repeated. “Yeah. Their family was one of the really vocal ones when we went to the police.” She didn’t say any more.
Ben sighed. “We’re still trying to decide if he acted on his own or not.”
Jade didn’t respond. All that really mattered was that Dez was feeling better. She was safe.
Ben stared at Jade eating a spoonful of soup then leaned down toward the hospital bed. “Hey, kiddo,” he whispered, “mind if your mom and I step outside for just a minute?”
Dez drank a sip of Coke from her straw and grinned. “Why? Do you want to kiss her?”
“Dezzirae Rose Jackson,” Jade snapped, nearly choking on her food.
Dez shrugged. “It was only a question.”
Jade didn’t have the courage to meet Ben’s eyes. She set her bowl of soup down and followed him out into the hallway. “What’s going on?”
He turned to her, his eyes full of seriousness. “I heard from the search and rescue team. They found the spot where you shot Sapphire.”
Jade had been waiting for this. Even though it was clearly a case of self-defense, Jade had shot an unarmed woman. She’d also killed Gabriel back in the cabin. That wasn’t the kind of thing you could simply walk away from.
“How much trouble am I in?” she asked. “Do I need to find a lawyer?”
He looked confused. “What? Oh, no. That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” Her stomach churned at the worried expression on his face.
“It’s Sapphire. The rescue team discovered the spot where she fell. They saw the blood, but they didn’t find a body. In fact, they were able to follow the blood drops for almost a quarter of a mile.”
“What’s that mean, exactly?”
“It means Sapphire survived. She’s still alive.”