They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes while Margo focused on the ice chips and June tried to organize her thoughts about everything that had happened. The quiet of the hospital room was broken only by the soft beeping of monitors and the distant sounds of medical staff moving through the hallways.
When Margo had finished the first cup of ice chips and was looking hopefully at the spare cup the nurse had left behind, June decided it was time to ask the questions that had been burning in her mind since the rescue.
"Margo," she said carefully, "I know this might be difficult to talk about, but can you tell me what happened at the clinic? Did you see who started the fire or threw the gas canisters?"
Margo put down the empty cup and leaned back against the pillows, her expression growing serious as she revisited the traumatic events.
"No, I never saw anyone," she said slowly. "After the Baxter family left with Chompers, I was getting ready to lock up thefront door while Aunt Lacey turned to go wash up. That's when the door just popped open, maybe an inch or two, and this metal canister rolled across the floor."
June felt her heart rate increase as she listened to the account.
"It started hissing immediately and releasing this thick gray gas," Margo continued, her voice growing rougher as she spoke. "Aunt Lacey yelled for us to hold our breath and pointed toward the front door, so I ran over and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge at all. Someone had definitely secured it from the outside."
"Oh, Margo," June breathed, her heart pounding as she imagined the terror they must have felt.
"Aunt Lacey pointed toward the back of the clinic, so we ran toward the rear exit, but when we got to the hallway, there were flames completely blocking that door. Someone had set a fire there while we were dealing with the gas in the front." Margo's eyes took on a distant, glazed quality as she relived the experience. "We ran to the bathroom because it has a window, thinking maybe we could get out that way. But as soon as we got in there, another one of those metal canisters came flying through the window."
June stared at her, feeling sick as the full scope of the coordinated attack became clear.
"I couldn't hold my breath any longer," Margo continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "I felt like my lungs were going to explode, and then everything started going black. The next thing I remember is sort of coming around when one of the firefighters picked me up, but I kept drifting in and out of consciousness until I woke up here a few minutes ago."
The methodical nature of the attack left June feeling physically ill. Someone had carefully planned every aspect of the assault, blocking all possible escape routes and using multiple gas canisters to ensure that Lacey and Margo would be overcome before help could arrive.
This wasn't a crime of passion or a spur-of-the-moment decision. This was attempted murder, carefully planned and precisely executed.
June's phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her out of her dark thoughts. She pulled it out and saw Holt's name on the screen.
"Excuse me for just a moment," she told Margo, who nodded and reached for the second cup of ice chips. “Go easy on those,” June warned Margo, stepping out into the hallway to take the call.
"Hello Holt," she answered, pressing the phone close to her ear.
"June, are you all right? Are Lacey and Margo alright?" His voice was tight with concern. "I heard about what happened at the clinic."
"I'm fine, and so are Lacey and Margo, thank goodness," June replied, leaning against the wall outside Margo's room. "They're both going to be okay, but it was very close."
"Where are you now?" Holt asked.
"At the hospital, sitting with Margo while Lucy makes her rounds. Dean is with Lacey." June paused, then asked, "Where are you?"
"I'm at the vet clinic with Rad and Ace. It's dark, but we're going to walk through the scene with Willa and see what we can determine about how the attack was carried out."
June felt a chill run through her at the thought of Willa being anywhere near the site of such violence, but she understood that as fire captain, Willa would need to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.
"I asked Margo to tell me what happened," June said, lowering her voice even though the hallway appeared to be empty. "She was conscious and aware for most of the attack."
"What did she say?" Holt prompted.
June relayed Margo's account of the coordinated assault, describing the multiple gas canisters, the barricaded exits, and the deliberate fires that had been set to prevent escape. As she spoke, she could hear Holt's breathing grow heavier on the other end of the line.
When she finished, there was a long pause before Holt spoke again.
"June," he said quietly, "it seems pretty clear that Lacey is the primary target here."
"I have to agree," June replied, feeling a cold knot of fear in her stomach. "And as Margo has also been targeted, I think the perpetrator saw an opportunity to get both of them in one go because whoever did this wanted both of them eliminated."
"That leaves me cold with fear,” Holt stated. “Not only at what they’ll try next but also if this time they come for Rad and..." Holt's voice trailed off, and June could practically hear him weighing his words.
"Rad and who?" June asked, frowning at the hesitation in his voice. “Holt…” A terrible feeling started in the pit of her stomach. “Who else might they go after?”
