That wasn’t much of a surprise, especially if Chloe or Franklin had something to hide.
“Since we can’t get into the files, we talk to the former clients, employees and surrogates,” Grace explained. “Rory’s coming up with a list now. I’ll divvy that up once it’s done. For now, though,I’d like the two of you to go to the hospital and try to talk to Sunny.”
“She’s awake?” Ethan asked, already getting to his feet.
Grace nodded. “I got a text right before I came in here. Of course, her doctor is probably going to frown on her being interviewed by the cops, but this is a murder investigation, so you won’t get stonewalled.”
No, they wouldn’t, and hopefully Sunny would cooperate as well. With her sister dead, though, she might still be in shock.
“And FYI,” Grace added as Livvy and he headed for the door, “if you need that downtime, just let me know.”
They both assured her they would, knowing that such a request just wasn’t going to happen. Livvy was right—better to be out and doing something to solve this case than sitting around and having it weigh them down. Besides, with all the moving parts of this investigation, Grace had to be short-staffed right now.
Livvy and he got in the cruiser and drove the handful of blocks to the hospital. Even though Ethan had plenty on his mind, the reminder of the ultrasound popped into his head. It was scheduled for tomorrow, and it would be done at this very hospital. He wasn’t even going to try to convince himself that this was a routine appointment. None of the OB visits were. They were exciting but also carried with them that sickening slam of guilt.
He had to nudge that feeling aside, again, when Livvy pulled to a stop in the spot reserved for Renegade Canyon Sheriff’s Office. They both glanced around, checking to make sure there was no sign of trouble. There wasn’t, so they went inside.
And soon saw that here was the trouble.
“Thank God you’re here,” the on-duty nurse, Marilyn Darnell, blurted. She was hunched down behind her desk, and there was a look of raw panic on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Ethan couldn’t ask fast enough.
“I just heard that a gunman’s been spotted,” Marilyn said, her voice as tight and tense as her expression.
Hell. What was going on? He didn’t have to wait long to find out. His phone rang, and he answered it right away when he saw Grace’s name on the screen.
“Livvy and I are here at the hospital,” Ethan let the sheriff know, and then they moved behind the reception desk, taking cover in case a shooter came running in.
“I’ve got a report of an armed man wearing a ski mask,” Grace informed them. “Last seen in the patients’ wing.”
Ethan cursed. Because that was where Sunny was. “Have shots been fired?” he asked.
But Grace’s response wasn’t necessary because at that moment Ethan heard the too-familiar sound of gunfire. Two back-to-back shots. And yeah, they were in the patients’ area.
Grace must have heard the shots as well because she, too, did some cursing, “The security guard on duty is Teddy Mercer,” the sheriff explained. “He’s just let me know that he’s been shot and is pinned down by the nurses’ station. According to Teddy, there are other injuries, possible fatalities as well. He didn’t sound good, Ethan. And I’m on the way there now,” she added as she ended the call.
It wouldn’t take Grace and other deputies long to respond, but no way could Ethan just stand by when lives were on the line.
Then, he thought of Livvy.
Of their baby.
“I’ll be careful,” she insisted, as if she’d known exactly what he had flashed in his mind.
There was the sound of another gunshot, and Ethan knew he didn’t have time to debate this with her. They had to do their jobs. They had to act now.
“Find an office and lock yourself in,” Ethan instructed the nurse. Better that than her using a desk for cover or running outside and into an escaping gunman.
Livvy and he drew their guns and started moving, and Ethan positioned himself in front of her while they hurried up the hall and toward the back of the hospital to the patients’ rooms. It wasn’t a huge building by anyone’s standards, but it seemed to take a couple of lifetimes for them to reach that area.
They pulled up at the mouth of the corridor and peered around the corner of the wall. Ethan didn’t see a single soul on the right, but his stomach dropped to his knees when he saw the security guard, Teddy, slumped against the wall next to the nurses’ station. There was a puddle of blood around him, and he wasn’t moving. The irony was that medical attention was likely steps away, but no one could safely get to him.
Ethan had to try to settle down his heartbeat drumming in his ears so he could hear what the heck was going on. There wasn’t any more immediate gunfire, but there was someone moving around several rooms up from them. Possibly the shooter. Possibly a patient trying to stay out of the line of fire.
He considering calling out, identifying himself and then demanding the gunman surrender. But that could possibly lead to a hostage situation. In fact, that could already be happening.
“Wait here and cover me,” Ethan told Livvy.
