"Lissa, look at me. No. One. Will. Hurt. You." Lissa's eyes grew glassy from the pain medication. "Go sleepy. I'll be here when you wake up." Tighe held her hand until she was asleep. "Joyce, Vanessa, if anyone asks, she only told us her first name."
"Is she in danger?" Joyce asked.
"Her mom may be dead. Her dad is dead. My guess is Uncle Boyd is responsible for hurting her or is aware who did. What else is locked up in that beautiful head?"
Joyce put her hand to her mouth. "We need to protect her."
"Don't worry about that." Lissa Satanta was his newest mission. "I'll be right back." Tighe called Martin from the corridor. "I have urgent information."
A few minutes later Martin stood leaning against the wall outside Lissa's room. "I'll run Boyd through the names of cops, prisoners, and guards. I'm not sure why that little girl trusts you. I can't order you to do this, but we need some answers. Work with Joyce and our nurses and find a way to ask questions without doing more damage."
"I'm in new territory here.”
"She trusts you. Trust your gut."
Fresh from the news about Lissa Satanta, Martin walked into Lola's room. Kenny was massaging Lola's little back with one gloved finger through the porthole. Trask was hovering over the pediatric resident. "What's going on? Where's Dana?"
Kenny gritted his teeth. "The doctor here won't take our word that Lola's uncomfortable. Dana went to call Dr. Bey."
Martin roared. "Why is that, Doctor?" Their boss's unusual strong tone provoked both men to cringe.
"She received medication two hours ago. She shouldn't need anything yet," the doctor stuck with his reasoning.
"Hmm, Doc?" Trask spun the resident to face him. The resident was cornered. "Doc, you pee every few hours? Do you sometimes need to go more than that?"
"Yeah."
"And you breathe about twelve times a minute. But now, your pulse is fast, and you’re breathing faster because you’re afraid of me?" Trask moved a bit closer.
"Fine, let me examine her," the doctor said. Trask threw up his hands.
Kenny's left hand remained in the porthole. "I'll order something," the resident said, ducking under Trask's muscular arm.
"See, Doc? Not hard at all." Trask laughed, watching the resident's back. "Bet it is one of those moments he pees more often. Hey, Daddy, wash your hands. Maybe she'll relax for you."
Martin scrubbed his hands and gloved as Dana came rushing back in. She and Kenny checked the sealed vial of pain medication and dose before she gave it. When Lola's stiff body relaxed, Martin ran a finger through her ringlets. "Daddy is here."
Chapter Twenty-Two
Thursday, July 17th
Tango team's executive officer, Gwen "Witch" North, sporting a tactical rifle, called the breach. Two other operators used a ram and took out the apartment door, SECURITY marking the backs of their tactical gear. Three more team members rushed forward, searching each room. She scowled more with each "CLEAR."
"Ullman hasn't been gone for long. Coffee is still warm." A fourth team member held up a cup.
"Take the place apart," Rene "Gator" Mirouette, Tango team's leader, said.
The narrow hallway ended at a closed door. With a check of her hip, Gwen stood just over the threshold, frozen in place. Hundreds of Post-it notes in multiple colors aligned in a flow chart on the room's walls. "Take pictures." Using a pair of gloves, she opened a giant binder sitting on a desk. "Gator, come in here; you need to see this." She pulled a second one from a bookshelf. "This has been going on for a long time. They predate Elizabeth." Tango Team logged three thick volumes into evidence.
"We found a paper bag filled with empty coffee cups, spoons, energy bar wrappers, straws and a pair of panties. I'll bet they all belong to Elizabeth Reed," another Tango team operator said, entering the room. His head tilted at the sight of the walls as he approached, an evidence bag in his hands.
"XO.” The seventh team operator joined the crowded room and handed Gwen a framed picture of a sizable man holding Hailey in a suggestive position. The man in the photo wore a corrections uniform, his face hidden in shadow. "Consider these." In another photo, Hailey sat laughing around a fire pit with Krystal Slater, Pietra Hahn, and Randy Knox. In a third photo, Hailey stood in a lab coat with an unidentifiable woman. "Her hands are wrinkled with age."
"Great, we need a manicurist to help figure it out. Scan those photos. We need an ID on all the adults," Rene said before he called Martin.
A loud voice heralded Danny Logan's arrival. "Who’s taking responsibility for this fiasco? You people can't kick in a door without a warrant."
Mike Johnson ran up the stairs on the heels of Logan's roars. "Hi, Mike Johnson, Homeland Security. Here's a copy of our search warrant." He directed his brightest smile toward Logan and his fellow detectives, Riggs and Blake.
