Read Online Her Last Whisper by Karen Robards - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Karen Robards
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went out on the town and never came back. Some of them are officially listed as missing persons and some of them are in the police records as deadbeats who skipped out on their hotel bills and some of them popped up in the computer because they had round-trip tickets to Vegas and apparently never used the return part. There are so many similarities in the cases that I think we’re dealing with an active serial killer at work. I called Bartoli. He and Crane are coming.” Kaminsky’s voice wobbled. “Please come. I know I haven’t always been—” Her voice broke off. When it resumed it was fierce: “It doesn’t matter. I have to do everything I can to find her. She’s my
sister
.”
As Kaminsky clicked off, Charlie could feel the other woman’s anguish so strongly that it seemed to be seeping through her pores into her bloodstream. A large part of her
wanted
to rush to Kaminsky’s side just as fast as she could. But—
Charlie realized that the message had been loud enough to be overheard only when Michael growled, “I’d be crying my eyes out here, except she’s got the whole damned FBI to help her find her sister. She doesn’t need
you
.”
Having turned away from the guards, Pugh moved to stand besideTony. “Dr. Stone, I was told that you were the one who ordered the infirmary shut down.” He frowned at Charlie. “Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Charlie replied, trying to keep her attention focused on Pugh rather than letting it be diverted by Michael, who was planting his booted feet and bracing his hands on his blue-jeaned knees and giving every indication that he was preparing to try to stand. She was sure that, as the hunter’s prey, he was as conscious of their continued vulnerability as she was. Even if the salt worked, they couldn’t stay where they were forever. He knew they needed to leave her office, and the prison, as soon as possible. Best case scenario, before the damned thing came back.
But there was Michael. And the whole I-hear-disembodied-voices thing she had going on. And then there was her growing aversion to the idea of ever putting herself anywhere near an active serial killer again. Because, Charlie had discovered, she really, truly didn’t want to die. Once was enough: even though she didn’t remember much about it, what she had taken away from her recent near-death experience was the unshakable conviction that she never wanted it to happen again. Eternity was something she just wasn’t ready for.
She might learn slowly, but by God, she apparently learned.
“Why was that?” Pugh looked at her probingly. “What was it that made you suspect something was amiss in the infirmary?”
Michael said, “Get your stuff together, babe. I’m going to be on my feet here in a minute and when I am we want to be able to make tracks.”
Shooting a hooded, anxious glance at him, Charlie responded with a barely perceptible nod of acknowledgment.
Stepping over to her desk with the intention of retrieving her laptop, which had all her files on it and which she really didn’t want to leave behind, she forced herself to focus on Pugh. “While Dr. Creason was treating my hand, I noticed that he was behaving oddly.” As she spoke, Charlie thrust her laptop into her purse, then began hurriedly gathering up the rest of her spilled belongings and stuffing them in there, too, skirting Michael, who gave her a sardonic look, as she bobbed and weaved around him snagging items from the floor. “It’s possible, as you suggested, that he was experiencing a reaction to a medication, or a gas, or something of thatnature. I also noticed that one of the trustees was behaving oddly. I don’t know what was happening to make them behave as they were. I only know that I was convinced that something out of the ordinary was occurring, and needed to be contained until it could be evaluated.”
She didn’t
know
that the hunter couldn’t track Michael like a bloodhound anywhere they went, but she was
sister
.”
As Kaminsky clicked off, Charlie could feel the other woman’s anguish so strongly that it seemed to be seeping through her pores into her bloodstream. A large part of her
wanted
to rush to Kaminsky’s side just as fast as she could. But—
Charlie realized that the message had been loud enough to be overheard only when Michael growled, “I’d be crying my eyes out here, except she’s got the whole damned FBI to help her find her sister. She doesn’t need
you
.”
Having turned away from the guards, Pugh moved to stand besideTony. “Dr. Stone, I was told that you were the one who ordered the infirmary shut down.” He frowned at Charlie. “Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Charlie replied, trying to keep her attention focused on Pugh rather than letting it be diverted by Michael, who was planting his booted feet and bracing his hands on his blue-jeaned knees and giving every indication that he was preparing to try to stand. She was sure that, as the hunter’s prey, he was as conscious of their continued vulnerability as she was. Even if the salt worked, they couldn’t stay where they were forever. He knew they needed to leave her office, and the prison, as soon as possible. Best case scenario, before the damned thing came back.
But there was Michael. And the whole I-hear-disembodied-voices thing she had going on. And then there was her growing aversion to the idea of ever putting herself anywhere near an active serial killer again. Because, Charlie had discovered, she really, truly didn’t want to die. Once was enough: even though she didn’t remember much about it, what she had taken away from her recent near-death experience was the unshakable conviction that she never wanted it to happen again. Eternity was something she just wasn’t ready for.
She might learn slowly, but by God, she apparently learned.
“Why was that?” Pugh looked at her probingly. “What was it that made you suspect something was amiss in the infirmary?”
Michael said, “Get your stuff together, babe. I’m going to be on my feet here in a minute and when I am we want to be able to make tracks.”
Shooting a hooded, anxious glance at him, Charlie responded with a barely perceptible nod of acknowledgment.
Stepping over to her desk with the intention of retrieving her laptop, which had all her files on it and which she really didn’t want to leave behind, she forced herself to focus on Pugh. “While Dr. Creason was treating my hand, I noticed that he was behaving oddly.” As she spoke, Charlie thrust her laptop into her purse, then began hurriedly gathering up the rest of her spilled belongings and stuffing them in there, too, skirting Michael, who gave her a sardonic look, as she bobbed and weaved around him snagging items from the floor. “It’s possible, as you suggested, that he was experiencing a reaction to a medication, or a gas, or something of thatnature. I also noticed that one of the trustees was behaving oddly. I don’t know what was happening to make them behave as they were. I only know that I was convinced that something out of the ordinary was occurring, and needed to be contained until it could be evaluated.”
She didn’t
know
that the hunter couldn’t track Michael like a bloodhound anywhere they went, but she was
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