Chapter 40

Huck came to with a jolt, his entire right side screaming in pain. Aeneas barked wildly from inside the cabin, and Huck blinked his eyes, trying to see what had happened as he rolled to his knees

"Laurel?" he croaked. He heard a scream and then a laugh down by the river.

He shoved to his feet, swayed, and went down on one knee. Shuddering, taking a deep breath, he slammed his left hand against his right shoulder, trying to stem the blood, and then gave up the fight as he pulled his phone from his back pocket and stumbled toward the cabin.

"Officer down, officer down," he hissed after dialing 911. "Get everybody out to Huck Rivers's cabin immediately. Fucking everybody."

He fell against the side of the cabin, then pushed on, hearing movement down by the river. In the back of his head he knew he'd been shot, but he could feel Laurel fighting, needing help.

He squinted, trying to peer through the darkness, and saw Zeke Caine holding Laurel's head under the water. With a roar that came from somewhere deeper than his soul, Huck rushed forward and tackled Zeke, throwing them both out onto the ice.

Huck scrambled back and yanked Laurel from the water, flipping her over and pressing hard on her sternum.

Zeke careened into him, throwing them both back on the bank.

Huck struggled, but Zeke hit him in the face. Huck punched him back in the jaw with his left arm, cracking the man's head against the ice. Then he pushed Zeke away and lunged toward Laurel.

She wasn't moving. Then, miraculously, she shoved herself away from the ice.

Huck had almost reached her when Zeke barreled into him from behind, sending them both against the bank again. Huck landed hard, and his injured shoulder screamed agony through his body. Or was it his chest? He wasn't sure. His whole right side was killing him.

Grunting, he flailed around, and his hand landed on a set of crampons. Grabbing them, he turned and swung, viciously swiping the sharpened edges across Zeke Caine's face.

The man howled and fell back.

Huck stumbled to his feet, turned, and side-kicked Zeke in the neck, throwing him several yards. Then Huck dropped to his knees and scrambled to grab Laurel.

Zeke again tackled him from behind and cracked his head on the ground.

Grunting, Laurel pushed herself up, grabbed the crampons, and launched herself forward, slashing them down Zeke's face.

The man shrieked.

Laurel leaned to the side, shuddered wildly, and coughed. Water poured out of her mouth.

Zeke Caine limped away.

Sirens sounded in the distance.

Huck tried to get up but fell back down. The right side of his body had gone numb, but he crawled toward Laurel and gathered her close, keeping her curled on her side as she coughed out more water. Then she went lax.

Zeke disappeared into the tree line.

"Just hold on." Huck smoothed Laurel's hair back with his good arm. "Just hold on."

The sirens came closer.

* * *

A light beeping sound filtered through Laurel's consciousness, and she opened her eyes, remaining perfectly still until she recognized a hospital room. The bed was warm and soft, and her elbow hurt. She looked down to see an IV catheter beneath a stretchy bandage. "Ouch."

She glanced to the side to find Huck slumped in the chair wearing a bloody T-shirt. She tried to speak his name, but nothing came out. She swallowed, but her throat was parched. "Huck."

His eyelids instantly opened, and he leaned toward her, grasping her hand. "Laurel, are you okay?"

She blinked. "I don't know. Why am I in the hospital?" she croaked.

He reached for a plastic cup with a straw. "Drink this." He pressed the straw to her lips and pushed a button on the bed, which slowly raised her to a sitting position. She drank, and the water felt soothing.

Water.

Drinking.

In a burst of memories, the entire night came back to her. She gasped and blinked. He removed the straw and placed the cup on the table next to her. "Did I die?"

"No," he said shortly, leaning toward her. "How's your brain?"

She gulped. "My brain?"

"Yeah, you were out for a while."

She knew she had died. She had felt the life leave her body, something that she wouldn't have thought possible. "I don't know."

He flicked on a small light near her head and peered into her eyes. "What's my name?"

"Huck."

His brown eyes warmed. "How was I named?"

"You were named after your dad's dog, Huckleberry."

"Good," he said. "What's the square root of 1,020?"

All right. Her mind was coming back. "Approximately 31.937."

The tension slowly left his face. "You're okay."

She swallowed and looked at his bloody shirt. "Were you shot?"

"Yeah," he said shortly. "I'm fine."

Her entire body hurt. She looked down at her hands, which were both bandaged. "I scraped the ice."

"Yes. You took off a couple of your nails. You did good. You fought well."

"Not well enough. Where's Zeke? Is he in custody?"

Huck shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. I let him get away. I'm sorry."

She stared at him. He looked exhausted, and his hair had dried curly, standing up on end. Bruises mottled his face, and blood was quite evident on his light T-shirt. "I think you were probably saving my life." Her chest ached.

"You swallowed a lot of the water."

She looked around the darkened room. "Do I have any permanent lung damage?"

"It's too early to tell," he said, "but since your brain is fine, I assume your lungs are, too."

She liked that logic. "I see." She took a deep breath and looked down. Somehow, she already knew. "The baby?" Then she looked in his eyes.

"No," he said. "I'm sorry." His voice cracked at the end.

Surprising tears filled her eyes. Could she have fought harder?

"It's okay." He leaned in and pulled her against the left side of his shirt as if trying to keep the blood off her.

She shocked herself by crying hard sobs that didn't make a lot of sense. She hadn't realized how much she'd hoped for that baby. She settled her nose into his shirt and let the tears fall. "This is silly," she said. "Twenty percent of women miscarry in the first trimester. I was still in the first trimester. We hadn't even heard a heartbeat yet."

"I know." He kissed her neck, one scalding hot tear sliding from his skin to hers. "I'm still sorry."

She gulped. "So am I. I had big plans for that kid." She tried to chuckle, but the sound sounded like a sob.

"So did I," he said. "I will find Zeke Caine, and he will pay for this."

She forced herself to grow calm. "I know."

"I will find that bastard," Huck said, his voice still quiet. He leaned back and gently wiped her tears away with his thumb. "It's okay to feel sad."

"I do," she said. "Very. I wonder who that baby might've been."

"She would've been perfect," Huck said, kissing her on the mouth and then sitting back down.

That was probably a stretch, but the baby would have been perfect to her.

She might be off the case, but she would use every one of her gifts and IQ to find Zeke Caine and put him in prison, where he should spend the rest of his life.

Movement sounded by the doorway and a woman walked in. "Captain Rivers. It has been long enough," she said.

Laurel blinked to see a nurse with both hands on her hips. The woman appeared to be in her midthirties, with sparkling black eyes and dark hair in a bun. Laurel looked at Huck. "Long enough?"

"He needs stitches from being grazed by a bullet," the nurse said. "The guy's bleeding all over the place. I'm surprised you have any blood left."

Laurel sat up. "What? You need stitches?"

"He wouldn't leave until you woke up." The nurse threw both hands in the air.

Laurel shook her head. "Huck, I'm okay. Go get some stitches."

"They can do it right here," he said, his jaw set.

"No, we can't," the nurse retorted. "We need a sterile environment, unless you want to die of sepsis."

Laurel winced. "Huck. I'm really okay. It'll only take fifteen minutes as long as you listen to them." She said the last part with emphasis. He looked at the nurse and then back. "I could use a couple moments to myself," Laurel lied, knowing it was the only way to get him to go.

He faltered. "Okay. I'll be right back. Can I bring you anything?"

"No," she said. "Just you."

His forced smile cut through her. "I'll be right back." Glaring at the nurse, he stood, his arm bent at the elbow and held against his rib cage. As he followed her out, he paused at the doorway. "I have two guys on the door."

Laurel blinked. "Zeke Caine is not coming back for me. He's running. We need to figure out where he's going."

"Still, two guys on the door," Huck said grimly and then disappeared.

She settled back against the pillows and allowed herself to experience the loss. The baby hadn't been planned, but she'd been happy once she'd wrapped her head around the idea, as had Huck. They had even started to plan. Anger flowed through her, aimed at Zeke Caine. She would find him.

"Let me in right now. I'm her sister," a familiar voice ordered from the hallway.

Laurel sighed.

A young, uniformed police officer poked his head in. "Ma'am, would you like to see your sister?"

"Absolutely," Laurel said with authority.

"Exactly," Abigail said as she swept inside and walked over to take Huck's seat. "I'm surprised you want to see me."

"I definitely want to see you." Laurel pressed the button so she could sit more upright and ignored the pain that clashed through her entire body as she did so. Fighting on ice led to many contusions. "Where is Zeke Caine right now? Tell me, Abigail."

Abigail wore jeans and a black sweater with her hair up in a messy bun as if she'd rushed to the hospital. "I don't know where he is. His face is all over the news, and the entire city's out looking for him. Every cop we have is trying to find him. They will. Don't worry." She patted Laurel's arm. "I didn't think he would go after you like this, or I would have stayed closer."

Laurel looked at the now-empty doorway. "I provoked him," she admitted. "I brought him in and embarrassed him."

Abigail's jaw dropped. "Why in the world would you do that? You know how dangerous he is."

"I figured he'd make a mistake," Laurel said. Which he had. Unfortunately, it had cost her just as much. "We both know that you understand him better than anybody else, Abigail. Please, for once, do the right thing and tell me where he is."

Abigail patted her shoulder. "If I knew, I would tell you. I'll call all the parishioners who still speak to me and see if I can find anything out, dear sister. Do not worry. We will take him down together."

Laurel didn't think Abigail would help unless Zeke's capture served her own self-interest, and right now it definitely didn't. "He admitted that he didn't kill Teri Bearing."

"Is that a fact?" Abigail sat back. "He's a liar, you know?"

Laurel nodded. "He is a liar, but the crime scene wasn't the same, and Haylee Johnson saw you in a truck in the vicinity." Of course, Haylee had thought it was Laurel, but it was actually Abigail. "What I can't figure out is why you would kill Teri Bearing."

"I wouldn't," Abigail said smoothly. "She was a tepid, silly woman who planned parties all year long. Remember, I was involved in the one for the . . . I don't know. It was one of those charities." Abigail knew exactly which charity.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" Abigail asked.

Laurel sniffed. "Act forgetful or as if you're not as smart as you are. Pretending."

Abigail shrugged. "Habit, I guess. You do the same."

Laurel's chin went up. "I most certainly do not."

Abigail chuckled. "Yes, you do. You dumb down your language all the time."

There might be some truth to that. Laurel didn't think of it as dumbing down, just using more accessible words. "I don't consider it pretending."

"I guess it's a matter of degree, isn't it?" Abigail asked with a catlike smile on her face.

Laurel had never understood that turn of phrase until she'd met Abigail. Now she saw the perfect illustration of it. "Why would you kill Teri Bearing? I'm in the hospital. There are no recording devices. Just tell me the truth."

Abigail crossed her legs and tapped her nails on her knee. "I did not kill the mayor's insipid wife, sister. You are an FBI agent and are perfectly capable of testifying in court as to any conversation you may have, and we both know it, so don't play me for stupid."

"I was hoping to play you for being a decent person," Laurel retorted. Though, as the saying went, that ship had probably sailed a long time ago.

Abigail rolled her eyes. "You think I killed Teri Bearing and also Jason Abbott? Tell me, are you going to pin every unsolvable murder on me? Maybe you're just not smart enough to solve them. Perhaps you should join your mother's tea service and just make money."

Laurel studied her sister's expression. Abigail's eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together, revealing classic signs of irritation. Laurel applied more pressure. "I know you killed Abbott. I strongly suspect you of killing Teri Bearing. I know she was dating Pastor John, whom you had dumped a long time ago, but even your ego isn't that big. Of course, the body was left at the church, which ruined or at least postponed the television show. Are you so petty, Abigail, that you would kill a woman just to mess with your father and stick it to an old flame?" Her heart sank as she realized that, yes, Abigail was exactly that narcissistic. "Did you mean to implicate Huck?"

"I'm finished with this discussion," Abigail said calmly. "Besides, when Mrs. Bearing's body was found, nobody knew that the first victim was Huck's mother, did they?"

Laurel sat back. That was true. So, Abigail could have been just copying the most recent murder. Nausea rolled through her, and she felt chilled. She wasn't sure her body would ever get warm. "I think you should leave now."

Abigail stood. "More than likely. Anyway, get better, and we'll make all sorts of plans for that baby of ours. Maybe Genesis Valley isn't the right place for all of us to live."

Laurel blinked and hurt crashed through her again. She cleared her throat. "Abigail, the baby didn't make it."

Abigail reared back. "What did you say?"

Laurel plucked at a string on the blanket. "Our father drowned me. I think I died for a few seconds. The baby didn't survive, Abigail."

Red lanced across Abigail's face, and her eyes sparked a wild blue and green. "Is that a fact? I am sorry to hear it, dear sister." Her voice cracked. She turned and strode out of the room, her boot steps powerful.

Laurel reached out a hand. "Abigail, wait. Wait. Officer, Officer," she called out.

The young officer leaned inside the doorway. "Yes. Can I help you?"

"Yes. Follow her. You have to follow her," Laurel said urgently.

The guy shook his head. "Absolutely not. We have orders not to move. We are not leaving you, Agent Snow. I'm sorry."

"You have to," she cried out.

He disappeared from sight. "No."

"Phone. I need a phone," she yelled out, looking wildly around. She grabbed the hospital phone and started to dial. A buzzing met her ear. "Damn it." She hit nine and then dialed.

"Agent Lewis," Nester answered, sounding wide awake.

She pushed the blanket away. "Nester, it's Laurel. Where are you?"

"I'm at the office, boss. I drove here immediately from Seattle and am on duty trying to find Zeke Caine. Monty and I wanted to come see you, but Huck said it was more important that we find this bastard. How are you?"

"I'm healing," she said. "I need you to ping Abigail's phone right now."

"Sure thing. Do we have a warrant?"

A warrant? "No."

"All right," Nester said. "Just a sec." He was gone for several minutes before he came back. "I have her phone. She's at the hospital."

Laurel's shoulders sagged. "She left the hospital a few minutes ago."

"Her phone stayed there."

Of course it did. She'd probably dumped it out on the ground outside. "I need somebody to follow her."

"We don't have anybody in that vicinity, boss."

Frustration clawed through Laurel. "I need you to start gathering CCTV from the hospital in every direction and track her movements. She's going to lead us right to Zeke Caine. I know it."

"I'll get back to you. Hang in there." Nester ended the call.

Laurel shoved the sheet away and swung her legs over the bed. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the IV and then winced as blood spurted from her arm. She pressed hard with the elastic bandage against the wound until it stopped bleeding so much. She had to get dressed.

Now.