“So, here’s the deal,” Grace went on a moment later. “I’ve put Sunny in protective custody. This Hank might be a one-off hired gun, but I can’t risk her life on it not happening again.”
“Sunny must know something if someone sent a killer after her,” Ethan spelled out.
Grace nodded. “Or maybe this is all just overkill. Eliminate her in case she knows something that she might have learned from her dead sister.” She groaned, drank more Pepsi. “Sunny has to stay the night in the hospital, so Bennie and Rory will cover that, but come tomorrow afternoon, she’ll have to go somewhere.”
“Not to New Hope,” Livvy couldn’t say fast enough.
“I can’t stop her if she insists on it, and that’s where the two of you come in. Sunny has asked to speak to the two of you. I’m not exactly sure what she wants to tell you, but I’m hoping you can work into the conversation that she’s potentially in danger and that she needs to stay in protective custody.”
“Protective custody with us?” Ethan asked.
Grace lifted her shoulder. “I’m playing around with that idea, but let me back up a bit and spell out what I’m thinking. The twoof you have to take twenty-four hours of downtime. Standard procedure after a shooting. Twenty-four hours is about when Sunny will be released.”
“Into our custody?” Livvy pressed.
“Yeah. It’ll get you off the street. And no, I’m not babying you. It’s protocol for a pregnant cop to move to desk duty. Which I know you don’t want,” Grace added when Livvy opened her mouth. “You could just do the desk duty at home while guarding a woman in potential danger.” She stopped again, and concern spread over her face. “How’s the security at your houses?”
“Good,” Livvy supplied while Ethan said, “Outstanding. I just did a major upgrade.”
“Okay, there you go,” Grace replied, as if that solved everything.
It didn’t. Livvy hadn’t been to Ethan’s place since the night she’d gotten pregnant. Lots of memories there. Also this chemistry between them. But memories and chemistry would have to take a back seat to keeping Sunny safe.
Grace checked the time again. “All right. Go talk to Sunny. She’s been moved to room 116 at the other end of the hall. Let me know what she has to say, and then go home. To his home,” she emphasized, tipping her head to Ethan. “Can’t beat a major upgrade in security.”
No. But Livvy didn’t like to lie to herself about such things. It would be a different kind of hell sharing close quarters with Ethan.
They finished their drinks, tossing the empty containers, before they made their way out of the waiting room and into…chaos. That was the only word for it. The CSIs were in full operational mode, and there were two of their fellow deputies still taking statements.
And then there was the blood.
Teddy’s body had already been examined and moved by the county ME team, but the cleanup hadn’t started yet, and that blood was a stark reminder of what had happened.
It was easy to find Sunny’s door since there was a reserve deputy, Walt Sanchez, standing outside. Walt had obviously known they were coming because after greeting them, he stepped to the side to let them in.
Livvy spotted Sunny right away, not so much lying in the hospital bed but more like cowering in it. She had the cover pulled up to her chin, and she looked ready to jump out of her skin. Livvy couldn’t blame the woman. Not once but twice today someone had tried to kill her.
“Deputy Walsh, Deputy Oakley,” Sunny said, sitting up just a little. “The sheriff told me what you did. Thank you for saving me.” Her mouth trembled. “That man was coming for me. I heard him ask where I was.” And the tears began to pool in her eyes.
Livvy decided not to verify any of that. No need to spell it out. Instead, she went with a cop’s response. “Did you know the man, Hank Stover?”
“No,” Sunny was quick to respond. “The sheriff showed me a picture of him, and I’ve never seen him before.”
So, that added some weight to the theory that he’d been a hired gun.
“Do you think he’s the same man who attacked you at New Hope?” Ethan pressed.
“I just don’t know. He was wearing a ski mask, and I didn’t see his face,” she admitted. “But it must have been him, right? I mean, I can’t have two people after me, can I? And he must have been the one who murdered my sister.”
That trembling of her lips went up a notch, and Livvy so wished she could reassure Sunny that all would be well. But shecouldn’t. It was better for Sunny to understand that they still had a lot of unanswered questions and that she was still in danger.
“We’re looking into that,” Livvy settled for saying. “We’re looking into a lot of things, and we need your help.”
“I’ll do anything.” This time, the tears spilled down her cheeks. “My sister is dead, and if that man was the one who murdered her, I want to know why.”
Ethan nodded and moved closer to the bed. “Had anything unusual been going on with Zadie in the last couple of weeks?”
“You mean something other than her break up with Anthony,” Sunny muttered, and then her head whipped up to spear them with her gaze. “Did Anthony hire that gunman?”
