HANDS ON HIPS, Abby cocked her head and considered the tech’s question and the wounded expression on Murphy’s face.

“She’s hanging on, at the hospital in critical.”

“Part of the long story?”

“Yeah. I’ll need you over there to check her fingernails for trace evidence. I’m off to talk to the hotel manager.”

The manager was no help. He’d rented the room a week earlier to a blonde girl who said her name was Helen Smith. He saw nothing, he heard nothing, and he only called the police because other clients were complaining. As to the guy who got involved, since he hadn’t checked in yet, the manager knew nothing about him. Twenty minutes later Abby and Luke were on their way to Memorial Medical Center.

Frustrated, Abby worked through the bits and pieces of the puzzle she had so far. The hotel was close to Destination X, and if Nadine had her card, Abby guessed it was the one she’d given Mr. Piggy. Did she run to hide because Abby had spooked her? Or was she already hiding from whoever it was who beat her?

“I need coffee,” she said as she pulled into a 7-Eleven driveway. “Do you want anything?”

“No thanks.” Luke regarded her with those eyes, and it made her tingle with warmth as she hurried into the store. She selected and poured coffee on autopilot as possible scenarios about what happened to Nadine ran through her mind. Had the girl run away with a dark purpose and had that caught up to her? What would bring about such a savage beating? Abby could only pray that Nadine would soon be able to tell her. She kept her scenarios to herself when she got back into the car to continue to the hospital.

When they walked into the emergency room, Abby got a confused smile from Woody when he saw Murphy. It changed to welcome when he saw the coffee she’d brought for him. Abby knew he hated hospital coffee.

“Bless you,” he said as he took the cup.

“No problem. How is she doing?”

“Not as bad as I initially thought, but bad enough. Possible head injury, broken arm and nose, internal bleeding, and fractured ribs.”

Abby heard Murphy mutter something as Woody listed the injuries. She didn’t look his way.

“She needs surgery, but they’re waiting on the mom for permission. I sent a unit to pick her up. Hands are bagged, but if she needs to go into surgery . . .” Woody’s voice trailed off, and Abby knew that the hospital would need her sterile in surgery.

“Lab is on the way,” she told Woody.

“How’d she get your card?” Woody pulled it out of his pocket. It was the one she’d left at Destination X, with a note to Nadine scribbled on the back.

“I talked to a manager at Destination X who said he’d seen her.” She sipped her coffee. “I guess I hoped she’d contact me.”

Woody regarded her for a moment, and Abby knew he was wondering what had gotten into her.

“I talked to Georgie on scene,” he said after a minute.

Abby knew the name. Georgie was a working girl everyone on the west side had arrested for one thing or another.

“Her john confronted the suspect, got popped in the mouth for his trouble. But that could be the reason the guy stopped punching our vic and fled, so maybe the interference saved the kid’s life.” He reached into his pocket for an interview card and handed it to her. “Here’s what she had to say. And the john was a regular, so there’s a small —” he held his hand up, pinching the index finger and thumb together —“chance we’ll get a shot at him. Georgie says she’ll call me if he shows up again.”

Just then the lab tech trotted in.

“I’ll take her back there,” Woody said. “Why don’t you wait for the mom and bring her up to speed.”

“Sounds good,” Abby said, and she and Murphy sat in the waiting room. She bent to study Woody’s notes.

“You left your card for her?” Murphy’s question jolted Abby from her thoughts.

“Um, yeah. I wanted the creep at Destination X to call me when she stopped by. Easier to give him a card than to trust him to look up my number. I give my card to a lot of people.” Abby hiked one shoulder, not sure why the subject made her uncomfortable.

Murphy smiled. “Thanks. It was a decent thing for you to do.” His phone rang, and he looked at the number and grimaced. “It’s Glynnis. The officers must be at her house.” He stepped aside to take the call.

Abby turned her attention back to the card Woody had given her.

Georgie described the beater as “big like a giant.” When she was pressed, Woody got her to specify: the man was six-five to six-six, heavy but all muscle. Abby considered this, trying to place a name to such a description, but not having the same luck she’d had when Lil’ Sporty’s name came to mind. After a few minutes she drew a blank and let her gaze wander around the waiting room, resting on Murphy, who finished up his call. Pain etched his features, and Abby felt it in her own being.

“The uniformed officers freaked her out, but she’s on her way.”

Abby returned her attention to Woody’s notes. It wasn’t long before she was pacing the waiting area. It was empty —this wasn’t a bustling weekend; it was an early Wednesday morning. She barely noticed when Murphy got up to use the restroom. But the whoosh of the emergency room door opening got her full attention.

Though she’d never seen the woman before, Abby knew Nadine’s mother immediately. It was the frantic eyes.

“Mrs. Hoover?”

“Yes, yes, where’s my daughter? What happened to my daughter?”

“I’m Detective Hart. I’ll be handling her case. Let me see if I can find the doctor for you.” Abby stepped toward the nurses’ station.

But Mrs. Hoover grabbed her arm. “What’s happened to Nadine?” Her eyes bored into Abby’s, a swirling mixture of anguished emotions —pain, fear, and anger.

“She was beaten, Mrs. Hoover, pretty seriously. We found her at a hotel on the west side —Hotel Pacific. There isn’t much more I can tell you.”

She paled. “It’s been over a week. I’ve been searching, praying for her to come home safe. I —”

Abby feared the woman would faint and shook off her grip only to exchange it for a grip of her own. Taking both of the woman’s arms, she led her to a chair. “Deep breaths, Mrs. Hoover.” She knelt in front of the woman. “Is there someone I can call for you? Someone you want to be here with you?”

“Where’s Luke? I want Luke.”