“Oh my, Jade. This is delightful,” Astrid compliments around a spoonful of the pie.
Just then, West’s phone rings, halting all talk.
“Sorry, I gotta take this,” he says, stepping away.
A moment later, the sliding glass door is whipped open as West’s eyes land on Cade.
“It’s Natalie,” he says in shock. “She’s awake.”
Idrop Jade back off at my place and get into my cruiser, following Cade into town where we meet at Lavender Falls Hospital.
“Did they say if she’s coherent?” Cade asks as we press the number on the elevator to the correct floor.
“All they said was that she was awake.”
The doors open to the ICU, and Cade and I march up to the nurse’s desk.
“This way, officers.” A young nurse directs us down a hall, stopping outside of a room. “She’s been sedated, so she might be a little out of it. Her grandmother is in there with her, and I ask that you please don’t upset our patient. I understand you need information from her, but my priority is Natalie, and if she starts to get distressed, I will need to ask you to leave. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.” We nod as she begins to open the door to Natalie’s room.
“Ms. Tizzy,” I greet the old lady, pulling her in for a hug.
“Thank you for being here, Sheriff. We want to find who did this.”
“We are going to do everything we can.” I step up to the edge of the bed where Natalie lies.
“Hi, Natalie. I’m Sheriff Donovan, and this is Detective Cade. Do you know why we are here?” I ask the frail-looking woman.
She nods, tears slipping free.
“Natalie, do you remember anything from the night you were attacked?” Cade asks her gently.
“It was supposed to be a date.” She cries, tears streaming down her face.
I nod, waiting for her to continue.
“Can you tell us what happened during this date?” Cade asks her.
“It started off well. He’s come into the restaurant a few times and always flirted with me. I agreed to a date because he seemed so friendly.” Her voice cracks, and Cade and I both reach out, grabbing her hands. “We laughed the entire date. It was good. And then we left, and it was like a light switched in his eyes. He kept calling me Hadley.”
She takes a few moments to gather herself before continuing. “I was so confused. He drove to a spot near the river, and I kept thinking he meant Hadley the river, but no, he thought my name was Hadley, and I didn’t understand. He kept telling me I got away once and I won’t escape this time. I have no idea what he was on about, and then he, he…” Tears begin to flow down her cheeks, and the monitors she’s connected to begin to beep.
“Hey, you’re safe now. It’s okay,” I say to comfort her, but the nurse from before enters, scowling at us.
“Officers,” she says in warning.
“Just one more question,” Cade tells both Natalie and the nurse.
Ms. Tizzy wipes away Natalie’s tears, and the nurse crosses her arms.
“It’s okay,” Natalie says. “I want to help.”
“Fine,” the nurse agrees. “But wrap it up.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Natalie. Can you tell us what this man looked like and what his name was?”
