Chapter 55

The Hunt

Patrick followed Lisa, Jamie, and Roderick as they rushed down the seemingly endless maze of third floor hallways, finally reaching Sheila’s room. With dread, he saw that several police officers were at the scene, and a nurse was handing an ice pack to an officer with a large black-and-blue lump on his forehead.

“She was so strong,” said the injured officer weakly. “I never imagined a coma patient would come at me like that. So
strong . . .”

The four stepped back, not wanting to get in the way.

“What do you think happened?” asked Roderick.

“From what the officer is saying, it sounds like Sheila escaped on her own,” said Jamie.

“So it wasn’t my dad?” asked Patrick, relieved that his father hadn’t committed yet another crime.

“Mayor Salder says Victor was having Sheila watched. We still need to find her first.”

“Checking all the rooms is pointless. This place is huge,” said Lisa.

Patrick nodded. “Agreed, we don’t even know if she’s still in the building.”

Jamie’s phone dinged, and she scanned the screen. “She’s not. She’s outside on a loading dock on Lovejoy.”

“Let’s go,” said Roderick eagerly.

“Maybe we should ask one of these officers to go with us. You know, just in case. I mean, Sheila’s already taken out one cop twice her size,” said Lisa.

“We don’t want to scare her off either. I say we should just go. Your mom is headed that direction too. If she wants back up, she can make that call,” said Jamie.

“Okay, lead the way Jamie,” said Patrick. He glanced back at the police, thinking how close he’d come to getting arrested today and wondered how long it would be before his father was led away in handcuffs.

“What about Sue and George? Shouldn’t we send an officer to their room?” asked Roderick.

Patrick exchanged glances with Jamie and Lisa, and they all erupted into laughter at the thought of the Green’s stuck in a tiny bathroom together.

“Let’s give them a few more minutes,” said Lisa. “They could use some alone time.”