In His Sights (19 page)

She switched on some music, playing low, and they got naked. For a while they simply held each other, basking in their newfound love. They talked, too, Chris sharing more about his unhappy childhood than she suspected most people knew.

“My cousin Shane knows how bad my parents got
along,” he told her, “but even he doesn't know about some of the stuff that happened. The verbal abuse and screaming were kept off the radar when others visited. My parents knew how to put on a facade. Nobody would've believed me.”

“I'm so sorry you had to go through that,” she said, hugging him tightly.

“I'm mostly over it now, but sometimes I wonder why some guys, like me, grow up to be productive citizens in spite of their sad upbringing, while some victims go on to hurt others. My crappy childhood made me want to do better, be better. Help other people.”

“You're a rare, special man. I know it, and so does Maddy.”

“Thanks, but I'm just me.”

“And you're perfect.”

Under the sheet, her hand crept downward to explore and play. As he gradually hardened, he spread his legs for her, letting her play and stroke all she wanted. They didn't speak, but he knew to follow her lead and was quite content to do it. She ducked under the covers and pressed kisses down his flat abdomen to her ultimate prize.

This time was more about connecting on an emotional level than about lust and passion. It was about loving her man, marking him as hers. He made his enjoyment plain.

Groaning, he began to work his hips as she sucked him. This time it lasted longer, and she drove him slowly out of his mind. At last he went over the edge, moaning.

“Baby, I'm gonna—”

He shot, and she swallowed every drop of him. Sucked him through his orgasm and licked him clean, then let his softened cock slip from her lips.

“I don't have any brains left,” he muttered. “You sucked them all out from the end of my dick.”

Laughing, she crawled up his luscious body and gave him a kiss, sharing his essence with him. It was hot, and he apparently liked it, eating her mouth as though he couldn't get enough.

Afterward, she settled in again and drifted off, listening to his heartbeat. For now, all worries about work and serial killers faded into the background. This had been the perfect night with the man she loved.

She had another chance, and she was going to live life with Chris to the fullest.

*   *   *

Robyn groaned when the alarm went off.

Chris wanted to be up and dressed before Maddy woke up for the day and wondered what he was doing there. At least if they were dressed and in the kitchen, they could act like he'd come by for breakfast. They hated the ruse, but she wasn't sure what else to do. Chris was the man she loved and wanted a future with, but it felt too new to share with Maddy.

How did other people juggling kids and new lovers handle it? She could only do what felt right.

They took a quick shower, fooling around a bit. Then they dressed for work, Chris in some spare clothes he'd left in her closet, plus the gun and holster he'd brought in from his car. They were in the kitchen eating cereal and fruit by the time Maddy padded in wearing purple
jeans and a pink shirt. The little girl had her own alarm clock and was pretty good about getting herself ready for school.

“Hi, Chris.”

“Hey, munchkin.”

She gave him a sleepy hug and then sat at the table, yawning. “I don't want fruit on my cereal. Gross.”

Robyn sighed. That must be one of the standard words for kids around the globe, and described just about everything they didn't like. “Not even a banana?”

“No.” She caught her mom's hard stare and amended, “No, thank you.”

“That's better.”

Once breakfast was finished, they parted reluctantly. It struck Robyn hard that she had been right—the turning point in her relationship with Chris had indeed been last night. They were actually becoming a family, right before her eyes.

It was fantastic.

“Chris? When can I ride in your car?” Maddy pointed to where the Camaro sat in the driveway.

“I don't know. Soon, if it's okay with your mom.”

They both looked at Robyn. “Anytime is fine.”

“Can you take me to school in it? Pleeeease?” She turned those big eyes on Chris, and it was apparent he was toast.

“Sure, sweet thing. Is that all right?” he asked Robyn.

“That's fine. Be sure you buckle up.”

“Yay!”

Chuckling, he helped her on with her backpack, even though she'd just have to take it off again when they got
to the car. When they were ready to go, he kissed Robyn, promising he'd see her tonight.

“Can't wait,” she said, overjoyed. Not
When can I see you again?
but
I'll see you tonight
. As a couple, they'd turned a corner for the better.

It was beyond weird watching a man load her precious baby girl into his car and drive her to school. But he was a wonderful, special man and she knew Maddy was safe in his care. The knowledge gave her peace she hadn't known in years.

She had a man she loved, and she didn't have to bear the burden alone anymore.

Cranking up the radio, she sang along to Aerosmith as she drove to work, in high spirits. There was no masking her joyous mood, which earned her a few comments and smiles, all in good fun. She didn't care.

When Shea came on shift after noon, the other woman made a beeline straight for her and pulled her into the staff lounge, shutting the door.

“All right, girlfriend, spill it! The minute I came through the door, every single person I saw asked me if I'd seen Dr. Feelgood today,” she said, eyes wide. “And that's no lie.”

“Hmm, wish I'd thought of that song,” Robyn joked. “I would've sung along to that one for sure.”

“Keep me in suspense any longer and I'll hurt you.”

“I'm about to explode,” she admitted. “We're not just dating anymore. We're together.”

“Get out!
Together
together?”

“As in madly in love, yes!”

Shea hugged her and they jumped around some
before collecting themselves. Her friend was beaming at her, and Robyn knew she looked the same. Insanely happy and ready to bust.

Robyn took a calming breath. “I told him about Greg. It was so cathartic, and he was an absolute doll. He's almost too freaking good to be true.”

“Nah. He and my brother are cut from the same cloth, both good men down to the bone. What you see is what you get with Chris. I am
so
happy for you, my friend.” Shea hugged her again.

“I've never felt this way,” she admitted. “Not even with Greg. He was a good man, too, but so tortured that we spent all of our years together steeped in misery. I'm not saying I would've changed meeting him or anything, because he was good at heart and I got Maddy from that relationship. But this . . .”

“I know it's different. And there's no need for you to feel guilty about being happy, you understand me?”

“I know. That part might take more time, but I know how I feel about Chris. No question.”

“Good. Then be happy and don't worry about the rest. You
deserve
this.”

“Thanks.” She blew out a breath. “Now I've got to figure out how to get out there and be professional for the rest of the day without exploding into a shower of glitter.”

“Now there's an image. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks—just roll around in that feeling.”

“I will.”

One more hug, and then they left the lounge to attend to their duties. The ER got busy, and her relief doctor
called in sick. She left Chris a message to let him know she had to work overtime, and that Rachel would still pick up Maddy if he wanted.

She saw the typical number of scrapes and bruises from falls, strep throat, the flu, and one broken arm from a teenager's skateboard trick on a metal stair railing. She shook her head over that one and said a prayer for Maddy not to try stupid shit like that.

When the inflow of patients waned, she excused herself, letting the staff know she would be in her office for a while. Really she just wanted to get off her feet and maybe eat part of the granola bar hiding in her desk. But then she remembered the list Chris had given her, and her promise to do a little digging.

She rarely got to try her hand at amateur sleuthing, only when chasing a medical cause for an illness. As a doctor she liked to think she was pretty good at that, so maybe she
could
find something helpful to Chris and Tonio.

On the fourth floor, she let herself into her office, shutting the door behind her.

Let the hunt begin.

Sitting behind her desk, Robyn chewed on a pencil and thought through what they knew.

Chris's list of burglary victims overlapped with the cyanide deaths at the hospital.

After poison was discovered in Chris's shampoo and body wash, tests had shown the poison to be hidden in bathroom products of other victims as well.

The hospital could be the common thread. Chris said all of the victims except one had died here. They all lived in the area, near each other and close to the hospital.

Chris was looking at it from a different angle, starting with the burglaries and ending at the hospital. Now, the more she thought about it, she wondered whether it was the other way around—whether something about the hospital tied the victims together to begin with.

Unlocking the bottom desk drawer, she extracted the copy of the cross-referenced list of known burglary and poisoning victims. She decided to search starting with the earliest burglary victim, bring up the hospital records, and study his case history.

A startling pattern began to emerge. The victims didn't only
die
at Sterling; they had all been treated at Sterling before they were burglarized!

Charles Adams had first been to the ER two months prior to his death from what the ME and police now knew was poisoning. He was burglarized two weeks after that hospital visit. Attending physician, Dr. Alan Chin.

Jean Caplan was treated in the ER six weeks before she died in the same manner. The burglary occurred a mere week after her hospital visit. Again, the attending physician had been Dr. Alan Chin.

On the list went, eight people total.
Eight that they knew of!
Robyn could barely believe it. Had someone at the hospital first encountered his future victims at the hospital? Did he study all the patients, select his targets, break in to their homes to plant the poison, and kill them? Suddenly cold, even with her white coat on, she sat back and rubbed her arms. Alan could not have done this. Would not have. The sweet, gentle man who was such a good friend and mentor to everyone around him just wasn't capable of this sort of evil. Of course, that's what everyone said when their coworker or their neighbor turned out to be a killer, wasn't it? He was such a nice guy, he never could have done such a thing . . . But Robyn felt it, deep down.

This killer was systematic. A planner. He had a specific reason for choosing his targets, and the method of killing them. So he was no doubt smart enough to make sure suspicion fell on someone else, such as Alan Chin.

There was some other connecting thread they were missing. She was sure of it. Something that tied all the
victims together, that explained why they were chosen out of the thousands of patients seen in the ER over the past few months.

Idly, she wondered what each victim did for a living. Did that matter? It might. Here she was playing amateur detective when she should be talking to the real one and giving him what she had. Picking up her cell phone, she punched the button for Chris's contact.

His phone rang several times, finally going to voice mail. Damn. She left a message, a sense of urgency nagging at her.

“Hey, it's me. Still working, but I'm leaving soon. I'm in my office and I've been doing some digging on your current case. I'm guessing you didn't get permission yet to come by and look at the records since I haven't heard from you. An interesting pattern has shown up regarding the burglaries and the visits. I don't want to say too much on the phone, so call me back. Or I'll be home in about an hour. We can talk then.” She hesitated. “I love you.”

That was still so new, saying those words. But she meant them and was no longer afraid to express how she felt. That made her smile.

Evening rounds went much too slowly, since all she wanted to do was get home to Maddy and Chris. At last, another doctor arrived to take over. Making sure the list was in her purse, she gathered it and left her office. She said good-bye to Shea and Cori on the way out and took the elevator down to the staff parking garage.

Her shoes squeaked on the concrete, echoing in the cavernous space. The sound always gave her the creeps even though there was nothing to be afraid of. There
were plenty of cars here, doctors, nurses, and other staff members coming and going at all hours.

Just not tonight. There was nobody else around as she crossed to her car, which was weird. Keys in hand, she punched the automatic unlock button and was reaching for the handle when she heard a scuff of shoes from behind.

Fear shot through her and she whirled, only to be caught by a strong pair of hands and hauled back against a hard chest. Opening her mouth to scream, she stomped on the assailant's foot and shot her elbow backward, into his stomach. But one of his hands immediately clamped over her mouth, muffling the sound, and her counterattack had little effect.

Twisting, she fought him for all she was worth. And as she turned her head, she got a good look at her attacker. The shock was profound.

“Noo!”

She scratched, bit, and clawed. And she almost got free—

Then there was a sting in her arm, followed by a rush of cold numbness that spread through her body. He held her tight as the drug swiftly took effect.
No, no! Chris!

Against her will, the world dimmed and vanished.

*   *   *

“Maddy, eat your peas,” Chris said patiently. Or with what he
hoped
was patience and not a frightening growl.

“No! I hate peas. They're
gross
.” Scowling, she flicked one of the green orbs away from her chicken strips. “When is Mommy coming home?”

He sighed. “I don't know, munchkin. She had to work late. Please, eat just two bites?”

“I'll throw up,” she warned him seriously. “It'll come up
green
.”

Jesus. How had Robyn done this by herself for the past two years? Maddy was a great kid, but parenting was exhausting. He didn't know what the hell he was doing. With his luck, he'd scar the little girl for life and Robyn would never forgive him.

“Fine,” he said, giving in to defeat. Because he was
not
cleaning up green pea puke. He didn't care how annoyed Robyn got with him for letting the kid have her way.

Happy, she attacked her chicken with renewed gusto as the danger of consuming mushy vegetables was past. Chris finished his meal and took his plate into the kitchen, rinsed it, and put it in the dishwasher. Dinner accomplished, even if it was with the help of frozen, ready-to-cook chicken strips.

Patting his front jeans pocket, he wondered where he'd left his cell phone. Then he recalled taking it out of his pocket and laying it on the nightstand in Robyn's room. He'd forgotten it in the midst of making their dinner.

Padding to the bedroom, he picked up the phone and checked the display. One missed call from Robyn. Figured. Checking the voice mail she'd left, he frowned as he listened. The first part give him a slight chill, and he wondered what she'd found.

The
I love you
part of the message made him feel warm and content inside.

He called her back, but her phone went to voice mail. Seemed they were going to play phone tag this evening. But she'd be home soon, so he guessed whatever she had to tell him could wait.

However, when two more hours had passed, long after she should have been home, he tried again. Again the call went straight to voice mail, and he started to grow worried. He knew she must be with a patient, but trying his luck anyway, he called the direct line to her office. She didn't answer, so his last gasp was the ER.

“Sterling Emergency Room, this is Barb. How can I help you?”

“Hello, I'm Detective Chris Ford with the Sugarland PD, and I'm trying to track down Dr. Lassiter. Is she available?” He had no guilt whatever at pulling rank to get through to his lady.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Detective Ford. Dr. Lassiter left for the night some time ago.”

His gut clenched. “Are you certain?”

“Yes. I know because she told us good-bye on her way out, and she had her purse with her. Can I leave a message or anything?”

“No, thank you. I'll catch up with her later.”

“Okay. Good-bye.”

Dread crept over him as he hung up.
Where the hell are you, baby?

How long had she actually been gone? Checking the call he'd received from her, he noted it had been placed while he was cooking dinner, a little over three hours before.

She could have gone by the store, he reasoned. That
was pretty much the only place she would have gone so late at night, but even that explanation didn't satisfy him. He was almost positive she would've let him know, because she wouldn't want Maddy to worry.

That was the clincher for him. There was no way Robyn would leave her daughter to wonder where her mother was. No fucking way.

He had to go look for Robyn. But he had to see Maddy safe first. Looking on the fridge for Rachel's number, he called to ask if she could come sit with the little girl. But Rachel's mother answered the phone and told him that she was studying at the library for a big test and there was no way she could come. She apologized, but Chris told her it was fine, even though he was starting to panic.

Next, he called Shane and explained the situation.

“Hang tight. We're both on our way,” his cousin said in a tone that brooked no argument. “Daisy will take care of her while you and I check out the hospital.”

Glad to have backup from his cousin, he exhaled in relief. “Thanks, man. See you soon.”

The wait was only about twenty-five minutes, but seemed interminable. Chris paced the floor, checking his phone constantly and leaving more messages for Robyn, each one more tense than the last.

“Baby, please call me. I'm getting worried. I love you.” Thank God Maddy was in her room getting ready for bed, and hadn't a clue what was going on.

When the doorbell rang, Chris practically ripped the door from its hinges to let them inside. “Thank God you're here. I'm going crazy.”

“Still no word?” Daisy asked. She and his cousin wore identical expressions of concern.

“None. This isn't like her,” he said, pacing, running a hand through his hair. “I know Robyn. There's
no way
she'd go this long without letting Maddy know where she is. Me, maybe, but not her daughter.”

Shane nodded. “I believe you. Let's start at the hospital and go from there. We'll find a reasonable explanation, I'm sure.”

“I am, too, but I'm scared of what that's going to be.”

Moving forward, Daisy gave him a tight hug. “She'll be all right, Chris. You guys go. I'll make sure Maddy gets tucked into bed.”

Chris kissed her cheek. “Thanks a million.”

“No problem. I know you'd do the same for us.”

It was true. There wasn't much of anything he wouldn't do for Shane and Daisy, and Drew as well. They were his family. He hoped Robyn and Maddy would be his one day, too.

Shane drove, and Chris stared out the window. Darkness had fallen a while before, leaving the city under a blanket of lights. Everywhere people were going about their business, completely unaware of the drama unfolding around them. They had no clue that one of their own was racing to find his lover, fear growing with every mile.

When they arrived at the hospital, Shane parked and they hurried into the ER. Chris stopped at the sign-in desk and schooled himself to be polite and not snap at the woman working there.

“Hello, I'm Detective Chris Ford and this is Detective Shane Ford,” he began.

“Oh!” the perky young nurse exclaimed. “Brothers?”

“Cousins.” He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I called earlier looking for Dr. Lassiter, but Barb said she'd left a while ago.”

“Yes, she's gone. I mean, I didn't see her go, but that's what I heard.”

“Did she maybe come back?”

“I don't think so, but I can get Barb for you if you'd like.”

“Could you, please?” he asked in his most polite tone.

The girl beamed. “Sure.”

She disappeared through the double doors into the exam area, and he glanced at the clock on the wall. Each tick seemed sinister, marking the passing of more time with no answers.

At last the young nurse came back with an older woman he assumed was Barb.

“Hello,” she said in a friendly tone. “Are you the detective I spoke to on the phone?”

“I am. I'm still looking for Dr. Lassiter. Has she been back here since she left?”

“Not to my knowledge,” the woman said. “But if you'd like, you can check her office on the fourth floor. She keeps it locked, though. If she's not there, I wouldn't be able to let you in.”

“Who can?” he pressed.

“Maintenance has a set of master keys. Rafael is around somewhere, so he could open it up for you guys.”

“Would you mind having someone find him and meet us there?” He had a strong feeling Robyn wasn't in her office. If not, he wanted to see if she'd left any papers,
notes, or other information behind for him to look at regarding the cases.

“Sure.” The nurse pointed toward the bank of elevators. “Take those up to the fourth floor, and turn right. A few doors down on the left is Dr. Lassiter's office. The door has her name on it.”

“Thank you so much, Barb.”

She nodded, expression concerned. “I hope you find her and nothing bad has happened.”

“Me, too.”

Chris was practically vibrating by the time they reached Robyn's office. He tried the door and it was locked, so he knocked just in case. No answer. Some sixth sense told him she wasn't inside, but he had to be sure. If she
had
come back and something had happened to her, she could by lying in there, unconscious. Or worse.

“What's going on, Shane? Where is she?”

“I don't know, bud. We're going to find her, though. Try not to worry.”