She found an area outside near the entrance, but far enough away from it that no one would overhear her. Immediately after Luke’s shooting, the press had descended on the hospital, hungry for news of his condition, but now only two news vans sat across from the hospital’s entrance, their occupants nowhere to be found.

Pacing back and forth, she dialed Ray. The call went to voicemail and she hung up without leaving a message. From the other side of the entrance, Lara stared at her. Josie had no idea where she’d found a cigarette, but she lifted one to her lips and inhaled. Josie waited three long, tortuous minutes and dialed again. This time, he picked up on the fourth ring.

“Jo?”

The moment she heard his voice—so familiar, a voice that had been a source of comfort to her since she was nine years old—a sob rose in the back of her throat. She tried to keep it down, but her voice cracked when she said his name.

Ray’s voice was filled with concern and a tinge of urgency. “Jo?” he said again. “Are you okay? What’s going on? Where are you?”

She took in a long, shuddering breath. “I’m with Luke,” she said, her voice shaking. “But I guess you know that, don’t you?”

He completely missed the accusatory note in her voice. “I’m sorry, Jo,” he said. “I saw it on the news. How is he?”

So he was going to act stupid, normal, like he hadn’t lied to her face. “He’s clinging to his life, you asshole.”

He sounded genuinely confused. “What?”

“You and your… cronies know exactly how he’s doing. Tell me, Ray. Did the shooter mean to kill him or just to wound him? Who did you send? Because whoever it was—they’re not a very good shot.”

His tone got slightly colder. It had none of the indignation she would have expected had he known nothing at all about who was behind Luke’s shooting. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Josie.”

He never called her Josie.

“How many of you are involved, Ray?” she asked. “How far does this go?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Who is Ramona?”

There was a beat of silence followed by a long sigh. “There is no Ramona.”

“I know that’s not her real name. Who is she?”

“I wish you would stop with this,” he said. “I’m getting concerned about you. You’re starting to sound crazy, Jo. You’re not handling this suspension very well. Making up people with fake names, harassing the department when we’re in the middle of an investigation. Even that stunt you pulled with Misty the other night. What did you say to her?”

“What?”

“She won’t talk to me now. Won’t take my calls. I don’t know what happened, what I did. The only thing I can think of is that you said something to her, and after she had time to think about it, she decided she was finished with me. What did you say to her?”

“Don’t change the subject, Ray. Do you think I give a shit about your stripper girlfriend right now? Didn’t you hear me? Luke is fighting for his life. What have you gotten us into, Ray?”

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammered.

He had an official party line, and he was sticking to it. She changed the subject. “Where’s the Standing Man, Ray?”

His sharp intake of breath told her she’d hit on something important. When he spoke again, there was naked fear in his voice. “Josie,” he said. “This is very important. You need to walk away from this. Leave it alone. All of it. I’m begging you.”

She’d hit the right nerve. It was time to keep pushing.

“Why did you lie to me about the acrylic nail? I know it was Isabelle Coleman’s. She’s wearing the nails in the video her friend took of the two of them on the day she went missing.”

“Listen to me, please. You need to stop this right now. Do you understand? I can’t protect you.”

“Protect me from what?”

His voice was barely audible. “Them.”

“Who, Ray? How far does this go?”

“Far. Very, very far. You have no idea. I am begging you, Jo. As my wife. Please walk away.”

His words were like barbs in her heart. Her voice cracked again. “How much do you know?”

“Enough.”

“You know I can’t walk away, Ray. I’m not built that way.”

He whispered, “They’ll kill you, Josie.

“Then I have to stop them. Where’s Isabelle, Ray?”

“I don’t know.”

“Ray.”

“I’m serious. I don’t know.”

“Did you know? When she went missing?”

“Not at first. I suspected that… that they were involved. No one said anything outright. Everyone kept looking for her. Then the searchers found her phone in the woods—I think it was purposely missed by our guys. I think… I think maybe someone was supposed to get rid of it, but they didn’t do it in time. The chief started calling it an abduction. I think he knew where she was. I think a lot of them did.”

“Where, Ray?”

“I can’t tell you that, Jo. You’re in too much danger as it is. I don’t even know for sure.”

“But you think they are behind her abduction.”

He didn’t speak, but she could hear him breathing.

“Ray.”

“I don’t know. I—I think they could be.”

“Do they have her now?”

“No.”

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know,” Ray said. “And I don’t think any of them do either.”