OLIVIA AWOKE AND looked around her room. The laminate woodgrain floor and pale blue walls looked more like a cabin on a cruise ship than a hospital room. A bedside table contained a pitcher of ice water and a little pink plastic cup. Aside from the beeping of the monitor and her own breathing the room was quiet. Where was everyone? She searched around her bed, found the nurse call button and pressed it.
“Hello? Can I help you?” a chipper voice called back from a speaker on the side of her bed.
“Hello . . .” Olivia answered cautiously. The burning in her throat had mostly subsided. She was relieved to hear her own voice again. “Hello this is Olivia. I was just wondering what’s going on?”
“Oh, honey, I’ll send your nurse right in,” the chipper voice replied. Within moments a nurse with bright red hair came with a portable vital sign machine.
“Hey, glad to see you are awake. Feeling better?” a redhead in navy scrubs asked. “My name is Amanda, I’m your nurse. You had quite a reaction to those chemicals huh?” she asked as if Olivia had a little rash, not came within inches of losing her life.
Olivia stared at Strawberry Shortcake blankly for a moment. “The last I remember was being poked and prodded in the ER. What happened?
“You had a reaction to a chemical you inhaled at a crime scene. Are you guys like the people on CSI?” Amanda moved through the room as she spoke examining Olivia like a specimen in a side show. “They said your airway was closing off so Dr. Holt had to do an emergency intubation. You did great though. You were only on the vent for about twenty-four hours. Once they gave you IV steroids, you started improving. Crazy, huh?”
Olivia swatted her away. “That’s fucking awful. What the hell did they spray on that corn?”
Amanda stared at her like a deer in the headlights. “Gosh, I don’t know about that. They moved you down here to step down last night but you were still groggy from the sedatives, so you probably don’t remember much of that. She moved over to the standing cabinets. “Your belongings are in the cupboard here. Do you want me to get you anything?”
Olivia sat in disbelief and looked at the empty visitor chair. She felt more alone than she had since Grace died. “There was a man that was brought in with me. Dominic Kain did you hear anything about him? How is he doing?”
“Do you mean that super hunky FBI agent?” Amanda stopped hovering and her face lit up like a Macy’s One Day Sale.
Olivia just laughed. “Yeah him. How’s he doing?”
Amanda blushed. “They discharged him last night but he wouldn’t leave without you so we let him sleep in that chair. I hope that’s okay?” She pointed to the empty visitor’s chair. “He stepped out just a little bit ago and asked to be called as soon as you woke up. He was talking on his cell when he left and it sounded official.” She raised her eyebrows with the word official like she was in on top secret information.
Olivia envisioned that Amanda and Piper would be fast friends. She couldn’t believe he had stayed the night. The thought warmed her but she quickly chased it away. He was her partner and she was hurt in the line of duty. Of course he stayed but when the case was over she knew he would be gone.
Suddenly she thought of the case. The pin! The victim in the field was wearing a pin that bore a striking resemblance to the one her sister had and this victim was killed in the same way. That’s what triggered the panic attack. “Did they bring my bag or my cell phone? I need to make a call,” Olivia blurted with an urgency that made Amanda jump.
She hustled over to the cupboard and retrieved Olivia’s work bag that contained a change of clothes, her credentials and her phone. Olivia dug out the phone. She couldn’t dial fast enough. She had to tell Dominic and Dr. Mattis about the pin. The phone began to ring and her heart froze. That would mean telling them about Grace. She would have to tell them everything.
Olivia sat back in the bed. Each ring twisted her stomach in knots. She pulled the blankets over her trying to quench the sudden chill.
“Hello . . . Hello . . . Olivia is that you? Are you okay?” Dominic’s voice got louder and more urgent with each phrase.
“I’m here,” she said reassuring herself as much as him. How was he going to take what she had to say?
“It’s good to hear your voice. You scared the shit out of me yesterday. How are you feeling?” As he spoke relief filled his voice.
“Like I was nearly killed and had a cheese grater shoved down my throat but other than that pretty good.” Olivia paused. She knew she had let the team down. “About yesterday, I’m sorry I panicked and destroyed your crime scene. Something I saw on the body really freaked me out then that alarm started going off.”
“You didn’t tear anything up except yourself. I’m sorry we weren’t more help? Is that what you were trying to signal to us before your suit went off?” he asked. Olivia could hear a crowd of people in the background.
“Yes, but I would rather talk to you and Dr. Mattis about it in person. Where are you? It sounds like Grand Central Station?” she asked
“Close. I’m at the airport. I’m checking out a lead on the larvae we found at the scene. I think it was farmed. I should be back by tonight or tomorrow hopefully with more information. Do you have someone to pick you up and take you home?”
“Yes, of course,” she lied. “We can talk about the case more when you get back. Have a safe flight.” She felt as empty as the chair in the corner.
“Okay. Be back soon and I . . . I’m glad you’re okay,” he finished and hung up.
She was still holding her phone when the doctor came in. “Ms. Hastings. How are you feeling this morning? My name is Dr. Keyes. He stood with his lab coat and clipboard and offered her a friendly smile. Olivia wondered why everyone in this damn hospital was so cheerful?
“I’d be feeling better if I could go home and get back to work on my case,” Olivia answered. She needed to get to the morgue and talk with Dr. Mattis.
“Well let’s get you checked out and see if that will be possible today,” he offered. As he examined her nose and throat Olivia realized it had been twenty-four hours since she last saw her toothbrush and cringed. “Swelling has gone down nicely. You suffered an anaphylactic reaction to one of the pesticides used in the spray used for that field. The ER contacted the manufacturer and it contains four different chemicals so it’s difficult to tell which one caused the reaction. You may need to have allergy testing in the future. In the meantime I would like you to keep an epi-pen.”
“Well I don’t plan on going into any poison corn fields again any time soon,” Olivia replied. She would be staying far away from that craziness. Once this case was solved she was going to stick to trying cases in a nice safe courtroom.
“I don’t imagine so but since it was on food there is a chance you could encounter it again.” He looked over her chart. “Vital signs are great and your condition has improved to the point I think it’s safe to let you go home. Do you have someone to pick you up?”
Why was everyone so concerned about who was coming to pick her up? “Yes, I just need to make a call,” she answered and hoped she wasn’t lying again.
“All right then. You can go ahead and get dressed and I’ll go start the paperwork.” He started to leave the room and stopped. “I can’t stress how serious this event was.” He pressed and then turned and left.
Olivia grabbed her phone. There were about twenty missed calls from Piper. Oh, jeez. Olivia remembered that she had called Piper and left several worried messages on the way to the field yesterday. Poor Piper was probably a wreck wondering what was wrong. She needed a ride but decided to call Piper first.
“Hello.” Piper answered on the first ring.
“Hey, girly, how was your flight?” Olivia tried to sound as casual as possible.
“My flight? Are you serious? You leave those creepy worried messages on my phone, then don’t answer your phone for forever. I didn’t know what the hell happened. I was about to lose my effing mind by the time Dominic called and said that you were in the hospital. Are you okay? What happened out there?” Piper was in hysterics.
“I’m okay. I promise. Really, I’m fine now. It was just an allergic reaction to a chemical I was exposed to on a case.” Olivia reassured her friend. She pulled clothes out of her bag as she spoke.
“I finally have you back in my life, you are not allowed to go getting yourself killed! Do you hear me?” Piper scolded. Olivia could hear Piper pacing on a hard surface.
“I hear you. Loud and clear, lady, trust me.” Olivia promised. As much as she wanted to play it safe, she knew she wouldn’t rest until this case was solved. They were getting closer she could feel it. “Say, do you remember the sorority pin that Grace wore?”
“I think so . . .” Piper paused. “Gosh, honey, it’s been ten years. I think I do. I could look back through some pictures if you like. Why?”
“I can’t go into details but I think it might be relevant to the case,” Olivia confided. She had to be careful, as much as she wanted to spill the beans to Piper, a press leak at this point could be disastrous. “Any pictures you can find would be great. Could you email them to me?”
“No problem. Anything else I can do just let me know.” Piper was quiet for a moment. “Liv, you know if you need to talk I’m here.”
“Thanks, Piper, I know.” Olivia hung up and looked at the sunshine pouring through the window. Somewhere out there was the sick bastard that killed her sister and she was going to find him. She checked in with Mr. Davis and let him know she was okay. He assured her that her other cases were okay for the time being and that she should take a day to recover. Olivia was not about to take a day off. She tried Detective Shaver next.
“Hey there, girl. You scared us all half to death. Listen I’m on the way to see you. We’ve got a problem. The press got a hold of the story and the mayor is coming down hard for an arrest. Are they letting you out anytime soon?” His gruff voice barreled through the phone.
“I’m being released in just a few minutes, think you could come pick me up?” Olivia asked hopefully. She had finished getting dressed and sat impatiently on the edge of her bed. The smell of pasty eggs and dry toast was trickling down the hallway. She needed to get out of here before someone expected her to eat hospital breakfast.
“Sure, but where’s bug boy?” he said with the annoyance of a dad for a deadbeat teenager. She could hear him take a long draw of his cigarette.
“He’s following a lead on the larvae he found at the scene. He said he would check in with us later.” She did her best not to sound disappointed. His reaction let her know she failed miserably.
“Ah hell, at least he’s working on the case. I’ll be right there. You okay, girl?” His gruff voice softened just a little. This she imagined is what John Wayne must’ve been like with his grandchildren.
“I’m good, thanks. See you soon.” Olivia hung up just as the nurse came in with her discharge papers.
“That was quick,” Olivia said and jumped up.
“Don’t get too excited yet.” The nurse walked over to the window and looked down toward the parking lot. “There is a sea of media out there hoping to get a piece of you or one of the officers that were injured.” She shut the curtain quickly. “Dr. Keyes got your paperwork done as quickly as possible. Is your ride on the way? While the director is making a statement to the press we are going to let you leave through the surgery area.
“Thank you.” The last thing Olivia wanted was to have her face plastered all over the news. She notified Detective Shaver where to go and left with Amanda. Olivia kept her head down in the hallway and they moved quickly to the exit. Reporters were like sharks once they caught a whiff of blood in the water they worked into a frenzy. They descended the steps and reached the main floor. Her heart began to race as they approached the entrance. Light flooded through the massive glass doors. Olivia stopped short and broke into a sweat. She had sudden déjà vu of being led out of a hospital into a sea of media. Nausea swept over her. She felt them grabbing at her asking questions. Desperate fingers on her flesh, demanding a piece of her. A hundred voices shouting at her at once. There was no escape they were going to swallow her whole. Was she losing her mind?
Olivia forced several slow breaths. She was not going to get stuck in here another day for losing her shit. Come on mind don’t fail me now. I’ve got to solve this case.
“You look pale. Are you okay? Amanda asked stepping in front of her.
“I’m fine. The media craziness just makes me nervous,” Olivia answered through clenched teeth. She just needed to get out of here and into Shaver’s car. Relief flooded over her when she saw him coming through the sliding doors. “Boy, am I glad to see you,” she blurted and grabbed onto his arm.
“Are you feverish? You look like you’ve been in a sauna.” He wrapped his arm through hers as if he was about to walk her down the aisle. “Did something happen? You sounded good on the phone.”
“Let’s just get out of here and we can talk in the car,” she urged, the need to escape overwhelmed her. They moved quickly down the ramp and into the unmarked Ford Interceptor while all the media attention was on the hospital director in the courtyard by the main entrance. The midnight blue sedan smelled heavily of cigarette smoke and Old Spice. Olivia cracked her window to let in a little fresh air. The dark windows let her see out without being seen. As they drove by Olivia scanned the faces of the crowd that had gathered. Was one of them the killer?
Once he pulled onto the highway Shaver turned to her. “You gonna tell me what was going on back there?”
Olivia picked at the stitching of the leather seat and bit her lip. “Have you ever had déjà vu?” she asked hoping like hell she didn’t sound like a nut case.
“Sure, I guess. I think everybody feels that way sometimes. Doesn’t freak me out like that though. You looked like you saw a ghost or something.” He glanced at her and drove on. “Speaking of Dr. Mattis, she wanted us to stop by. She has some information for us.”
“I guess I’m still a little shook up from that reaction. I’ll get over it.” She twisted her hair up into a ponytail and forced a collected breath. “In the restaurant there was another girl with the victim. Have you guys located her? Is she okay?” That poor girl couldn’t have been more than twenty-one or twenty-two. What a waste. Just like Grace.
“Jake and the other girl were picked up this morning in Vegas. The flew on one of those charters that we’ve been investigating. The LVMPD is questioning them now. I may have to fly out there.” He lit a cigarette and rolled his eyes.
Olivia recalled how much he hated flying. He was going to need a horse tranquilizer to make it there without taking out a few airline employees. She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. She knew she had just slept for twenty hours but she felt like she hadn’t slept in weeks.
The sudden silence left in the engines absence woke her with a start. Olivia looked around and tried to get her bearings. They were at the morgue. Anxious to ask Dr. Mattis about the pin Olivia unbuckled quickly. Could it really have belonged to Grace? She hustled into the building and down the hall leaving Shaver behind.
“Slow down there, speedy. I promise the victim isn’t going anywhere.” She could hear him wheezing behind her.
Olivia couldn’t wait. She reached Dr. Mattis’ office and burst in without knocking. Dr. Mattis was sitting at her desk engrossed in her computer. She wore a set of red scrubs with navy trim. Her light brown hair was pinned neatly up in a bun. The smell of formaldehyde permeated every square inch of the building but something in this office hinted of crème brûlée.
“Olivia!” Dr. Mattis looked up in surprise. I’m so happy to see you are okay. Is Detective Shaver with you?”
“Yeah, he’s still making his way up the—” Before she could finish, Detective Shaver walked into the room behind her.
“Good, you are both here.” Dr. Mattis continued. “I have some interesting findings for you. Have a seat.” She motioned to the red upholstered chairs before them. Files and labeled containers covered her desk. Olivia glanced at the various diplomas on the wall and was impressed to see that Dr. Mattis had graduated from Cornell.
Once they were seated the doctor continued. “The victim’s name is Rebecca Tate. She was a twenty-one-year-old student and a member of the Lambda Sigma Delta Sorority. We were able to identify her using dental records. Her parents will be here soon to identify the body.”
Olivia shuddered. She did not want to be anywhere around when the parents arrived. She couldn’t bear to see them go through that pain. The sound a mother makes when she sees her deceased child for the first time is unforgettable. It’s the same sound she made when she gave birth to that child. The heart wrenching pain erupts out of her in a guttural scream like a part of her soul is being ripped from her body. Olivia closed her eyes. She remembered her mother collapsing to the floor afterward in heaping sobs.
“Agent Kain is following up on the larvae we found at the scene. It looks like they were placed there by the killer. Our perp has extensive knowledge of entomology. Kain was able to retrieve traces of a bacterial substance that was sprayed on the body post mortem that attracts black soldier flies to the body. When the crop duster sprayed the field it killed the larvae and the few flies that had already come.”
“So, you are saying the murderer brought their own bugs?” Detective Shaver looked at her as if she was suddenly speaking Russian. “Why the hell would he do that?”
“It may have been an attempt to dispose of the body quicker. We are still working on that.” Dr. Mattis pulled out a clear plastic bag and held it up. “Do you recognize this, Olivia.
The pin! The room suddenly felt arctic. Olivia gasped. “I think so. It’s not the one the victim was wearing at the restaurant. I know because I commented on the one she had on. At the crime scene I noticed it was different. That’s the reason I started freaking out.” Olivia took a shaky breath. She began tapping nervously on the desk. “This pin is older. I think it belonged to my sister.” She watched Shaver’s mouth fall open in disbelief. Dr. Mattis sat quietly and waited for her to finish.
“Hell, I didn’t even know you had a sister,” Shaver exclaimed in disbelief. “How could you be sure that’s the same pin?”
“My sister was murdered during her senior year of college. Her body was found in the same way as this victim and Gwen Robertson. Her name was Grace Wilson and she was in the Lambda Delta Sigmas too. I know that is her pin. It’s missing the same ruby.” She briefly told them about the riding trip when the ruby was lost. “The date is the same as hers too. 2006. It’s the year she should have graduated.” Olivia paused and placed her fingertips to her mouth to keep from crying. She needed to keep her composure now more than ever. “Grace wore that thing everywhere. She was so proud of that stupid sorority. Police said it might have been motive for a robbery as it had real stones.”
“That was ten years ago,” Shaver insisted. “There have to be hundreds of pins like that around the country.” She could see in his eyes he didn’t believe her. She had to make them believe her. This was related to her sister somehow. She knew it.
“I know you think I’m crazy,” Olivia answered but Dr. Mattis interrupted.
“Actually what you are saying makes sense.” She looked from Shaver to Olivia.
“Are you fucking serious?” Shaver blurted and slapped his notebook down on the desk.
“Quite.” She began arching a disapproving brow at the hotheaded detective. “I found a partial print on the pin.”
“Do you have a match?” Shaver asked impatiently.
“This isn’t TV, Danny. There are over fifty-three million files in that database and as I said this is only a partial print, so we still have some work to do. However I do have two potential matches that stood out.” She turned the computer screen around so they could see. Shaver and Olivia sat back, their jaws nearly hit the desk. There on the split screen was a background clearance photo of Olivia Wilson Hastings for the Norfolk DAs office and on the other side what looked like the exact same girl just a tad younger in a mug shot from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
“Holy. Shit.” Shaver stared at the screen for a moment and then turned to Olivia. “Where did you go after the restaurant last night?”