Not Carson.
Dan Morrison smiled at her in the darkness.
“Hello, Nora,” he said. “It’s time we had a talk about your father.”
Chapter 11
Carson knew something was wrong the moment he saw the gas station footage.
Dan Morrison on the security camera, asking the clerk about hotels near the downtown area. But the timestamp was wrong. The footage was from two hours ago, not thirty minutes like Finn had said.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Carson said, staring at the screen in the gas station’s back office. “You said he was spotted thirty minutes ago.”
Finn’s face paled. “That’s what dispatch told me. They said—” He grabbed his radio. “Dispatch, this is Detective Steele. Who called in the Morrison sighting at the Shell station on Fifth?”
Static. Then, “We don’t have a record of that call,Detective.”
Carson’s blood turned to ice. “It was a setup. Someone called it in to get me away from Nora.”
He was already running for his car, phone pressed to his ear, dialing Euton.
No answer.
He tried again while speeding through downtown, breaking every traffic law. Still no answer.
“Finn, get units to the Grandview now!” Carson shouted into his phone. “Dan’s there. He used a fake tip to draw me away.”
He could hear Finn coordinating on the radio, dispatching cars, but Carson was still five minutes out. Five minutes that felt like an eternity.
His phone rang. Nora’s name on the screen.
“Nora—”
The call connected, but no one spoke. He could hear breathing. Then a male voice in the background. “Hello, Nora. It’s time we had a talk about your father.”
Dan.
“I’m two minutes out,” Carson said, knowing Dan could hear him. “Touch her and I will end you.”
Dan laughed. “Bold words for someone who couldn’t even protect his own sister. Tell me, Detective, do you think about Lily? About how you failed her? Because you’re about to fail again.”
The line went dead.
Carson’s hands clenched the steering wheel so hard his knuckles went white. He pushed the car faster, weaving through traffic, sirens blaring.
Please. Please let me be in time.
***
Carson hit the hotel lobby at a full sprint, weapon drawn, badge out.
“Eighth floor,” he shouted at the night manager. “Power’s out. Someone’s in danger.”
“The power went out about three minutes ago,” the manager stammered. “Whole building. Backup generators kicked in but—”
Carson didn’t wait for the rest. He took the stairs three at a time, his breath coming in ragged gasps, every second feeling like Lily all over again. Like losing someone because he wasn’t fast enough, wasn’t smart enough, wasn’t there when it mattered.
Eighth floor. The emergency lighting cast everything in eerie red. Carson rounded the corner and saw Euton slumped against the wall outside Nora’s door, blood trickling from his temple.
