I nodded to Officer Broderick as I paused at the door, my heart thumping. A woman in a red coat, with long, black hair had her back to me. If I found out she was his secret wife, I didn't know what I would do. Stay? Or turn and run very far away? Maybe I'd add her name to the suspect list. I slid open the door and stepped inside, bracing myself.
Relief flooded me as the woman sitting at Solomon's bedside turned around. This was no mystery woman or secret wife! I would have known the tall, beautiful woman anywhere.
"Anastasia!" I exclaimed. "You're here!"
"Lexi!" Anastasia got to her feet and we met in the middle, hugging quickly. She released me and we both looked at Solomon. "The nurse said he hasn't woken up since the surgery," she said.
"No," I said as we hooked arms. "He hasn't."
"Your mom and dad went to get a hot drink. I think they wanted to give me a few minutes alone with my brother."
"I'll go find them," said Garrett. He hovered in the doorway and raised a hand to Anastasia, half waving a greeting. "Nice to see you again, Anastasia."
"You too, Garrett," she said, turning back to Solomon. "I've never seen him like this," she said softly. "He's never looked vulnerable before. What happened? I mean, I know what happened, but why? I don't understand."
"That's what I'm trying to find out." I moved around the bed, waving away Anastasia's offer of her chair and pulled up the spare one on the other side. I sat and took hold of Solomon's hand, watching him carefully for any sign that he might awaken. Anastasia was right; he did look vulnerable. His eyes were closed, his face softer in sleep than I ever recalled. His chest rose and fell with the aid of a breathing tube. The bandage was new and I wondered who changed it and if the wound beneath it was healing. I didn't even know how many stitches he had.
"You mean, you don't know why someone would shoot him?" Anastasia turned to me, looking appalled.
"You do?" I asked.
"No! I meant I thought you would already know, or that the police would have already found the shooter... or... or... You don't know who shot him, do you?" she finished, her shoulders slumping.
"I'm sorry, I don't yet, but I have everyone at the agency working on it. We're gathering names and considering motives, and looking for witnesses, but it's a slow process. Garrett is overseeing the case at MPD and they're running ballistics on the gun and they also dusted the entire area. Everyone is doing everything they can."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Did Solomon ever mention any threats?" I asked.
"No, never, but I'm not sure that he would. He never wanted me to worry."
"Did he mention anything recently? Anything that might sound strange now?"
"We last spoke a couple weeks ago and he sent a text message to say hi a few days ago. I didn't reply because I was busy," she said, sniffing back a sob.
"Solomon knew that," I told her, wishing I had some way of comforting her other than with platitudes. "He was, he is, really proud of you."
"Thanks. Would you excuse me for a minute? I need to get some air," she said, her voice cracking.
"Of course." I listened to Anastasia go out, first her footsteps then the sound of the glass door sliding shut, leaving Solomon and me alone.
"You need to wake up," I told Solomon, my left hand over his, my engagement ring pointing up like a shiny beacon. "I love you, John, and I'll find out who did this, but you need to wake up."
Solomon remained still, and the beeping from the monitors was strangely reassuring. He still fought for his life and for me, and that was almost enough.
I slid my hands away and got up, walking over to the window. Solomon's room overlooked the front of the hospital. There was a lot of paving, interspersed with squares for trees and shrubs, and a drop off point for cars. I watched several people climbing out of taxis and making their way into the building. The day was overcast, gray clouds almost obliterating the blue sky. It would probably rain later and I'd forgotten to grab a jacket. I could probably send Garrett to pick it up but I didn't want to waste his time. For a few minutes, I watched the movements in the parking lot. Cars coming and going. People alighting from taxis. A nurse pushing a wheelchair. Someone locking their bike in the bike rack. A pair of doctors in white coats. Everything looked so normal. I wondered how many lives would be saved here today and how many people waited, like I did, for news.
My cellphone began to vibrate. "Hi, Lucas," I said as I continued to stare outside.
"I got the camera footage you wanted," he began. "There was a dark blue motorcycle picked up at the traffic lights two blocks from your house just a couple minutes after... you know."
"Go on."
"The plate is partially blacked out but I ran it through a program and got a hit for the registration. It's not good news. The motorcycle was stolen two days ago."
"A stolen motorcycle on my street at that time sounds like it had to be involved."
"That's what I thought," said Lucas. "I'm following the trail but it's going to take me a few more hours."
"Do MPD know?"
"Not yet."
"Pass on the information discreetly. It would be helpful if they put out a BOLO. Any other news?"
"I'm working on the names from the list. Twenty are dead."
"So, we're down to seventy-seven names?" I asked.
"Uh, not exactly."
"What's not exactly about dead people?"
"I figured someone might want revenge on the dead person’s behalf."
I groaned. It was entirely possible Lucas was correct, but it would be impossible to check every single family member and friend associated with a person who might have been wronged, or felt they were. It wouldn't even be possible to track down everyone associated with the dead people. "There’s a chance someone might, but it doesn't sound right. Shooting a man at close range seems very personal, not to mention the risk involved in attacking someone like Solomon. I think it's got to be more personal. Put those names aside and work on the rest."
"Done. Any news?"
I didn't have to ask what news Lucas meant. "No change," I told him. "Did you get into the secure server? I checked the filing cabinet and couldn't find any employee files."
"Figures. He might not want information like that to be unsecured. I'm running a program for the password."
I hung up and stared at my phone for a moment. I had Solomon's phone in my bag, along with his laptop. If I could work out his password, I could search for any information pertinent to the case. Despite my career, which revolved around nosiness, snooping into Solomon's personal things wasn't my thing. I'd never had any need to prowl through Solomon's private accounts before. He never made me feel suspicious or worried about our relationship and I never even once thought he was up to anything that would hurt me, but this was different. This wasn't about my feelings, it was about what he might have kept from me, or perhaps didn't even think of as a valid threat.
Before I could reach for the phone, the door slid open. "Hey," said Anastasia, stepping into the room with my parents and Garrett immediately behind her. The small room was suddenly full as they huddled in. "I brought you a tea," she said, passing me a cup. "It's from the vending machine but they taste okay."
Mom moved to my side. "Did you get everything you needed from home?" she asked.
"Yes, for now."
"I'm going to make up your old room," she said. "You don't have to go back to your house, if you don't want to."
"I think I'll stay here," I said. What if something happened to Solomon and I wasn’t here? I had to stay.
"That's fine by us," Mom said, glancing to Dad, who nodded. Normally, my mother was a lot less ready to agree so it had to be a sign of how worried she was that she didn't argue. "All you have to do is call us and we'll pick you up. Do you want us to stay longer?" she asked.
"No, that's okay. I know you've been here all night, plus, Anastasia and I will keep each other company and Damien said he's on his way."
Anastasia's head shot up. "You spoke to Damien?"
I nodded. "This morning. He said he'd come."
"I tried to call him from the airport and he didn't answer. He didn't reply to my text messages either."
"He's probably traveling," I suggested.
"Did he say where from?"
"Boston."
"Boston? What is he doing there?"
"He said he took a job there,” I said as Anastasia’s face filled with surprise. “He also said that he would get here as fast as he could."
"I have to take off too," said Garrett. "I'm needed at MPD."
"Has there been any new development?" I asked quickly.
"Nothing special to report, but I want to be there in case something does come up. I can tell you that I just got a call from my guys. They looked into the motorcycle, which was reported stolen, so I think the rider had to be involved. It makes sense. Helmet covers most of the face, which is a great disguise. The motorcycle makes for a fast getaway. It's untraceable and easy to ditch."
"But you can find the rider? The shooter?" asked Anastasia.
"It makes it more difficult because it's stolen," said Garrett. "I put out a BOLO and every cop in the city is looking for it. When we find the motorcycle, we'll probably know more."
"We'll walk out with you," said Dad. He gave me a quick hug and kiss and said, "Stay positive."
"I should go too," said Anastasia.
"Anastasia is staying with us," said Mom. "I insisted."
"But I'll come back later. Is that okay?" asked Anastasia.
I said it was and she left with my parents and brother. Dad and Garrett walked ahead and I figured my dad wanted to pump Garrett for more information without upsetting me. I wondered what they would say if I told them I already had all of that motorcycle information. I shot off a text to Lucas, telling him about the BOLO.
Dropping into the chair, all the energy was suddenly drained out of me. I slowly sipped the tea Anastasia brought for me, and pondered my next steps. While my agency colleagues searched Solomon's past and looked for the shooter, Solomon had given me two pieces of information that I still didn't know what to do with. One was the letter with the enormous check. The other was his whispered message, something I pushed aside but couldn't ignore any longer. What did he want me to go to Maddox for? Did that mean Maddox knew something?
Did he think Maddox shot him?!
Before I could even begin to get my head around that, Lily burst into the room. "I couldn't stay away," she said. "I just ran into your parents and your mom offered to take Poppy so I'm all yours. I can do whatever you need. Fetch you tea... oh! You already got one. Well, I can pick up some more clothes... but you already have your bag. Why don't I..." She paused, her nose wrinkling in thought. Finally, when she exhausted whatever ran through her mind, she finished with " —I'm here for whatever you need."
"Read this," I said, handing her the letter that I'd stuck in my pocket.
"What is it? No, shush! Don't spoil the surprise." Lily read it quickly, her eyes moving from side-to-side like a typewriter resetting every line. "What the fudgsicle?" she asked.
"There's this too," I added, passing her the check.
"Fudging fudgsicles!" she whispered, her eyes widening. She pushed back her blonde curls and they escaped her hand and fell around her shoulders again. "I have so many questions."
"Me too."
"Solomon has a million bucks to spare? That's number one. Number two, what the fudgsicle?"
I held back a smile at her obvious surprise. "You asked that already."
"It's so important, it needs to be asked many times. Where did you get this?" she asked, flapping the letter.
"A lawyer approached me outside the hospital this morning."
"How did they know to do that?"
"I didn't ask. I suppose word must have gotten around."
"What are you going to do with this check?"
"Garrett said I should cash it."
"I agree. Solomon wanted you to have it. He wanted to make sure you were looked after. He says so, right here." She tapped the letter.
"I get that. I wish I knew why he thought he needed to prepare for something like this. He must have thought there was a realistic expectation of it actually happening."
Lily glanced to Solomon. "You were right," she said to him. Then to me, "He was right."
"I heard you the first time."
"You should listen to both of us. Plus, what if someone comes after you? You can use this money to get on a plane and go anywhere you like to stay safe."
"I'm not leaving Montgomery and I am definitely not leaving Solomon."
"Yeah, I knew you would say that." Lily dropped into the chair Anastasia vacated.
"I'm going to speak to the lawyer," I decided. "Just because he didn't tell me anything when he gave it to me doesn't mean he doesn't know anything about it.
"When are we going?"
I smiled at Lily's assumption that she would come, without even asking. "I want to stay here a little bit longer; then I'll go later when one of the PIs comes and sits with Solomon," I said.
"You're not okay with that guy?" Lily thumbed the direction of the police officer still stationed outside.
"I'm sure he's fine but Solomon might have crossed paths with someone very dangerous, in which case, they might try again."
"Maybe you should put it out that he's dead," said Lily. Her hand flew to her mouth. "I did not mean for that to sound so blasé. I just thought it might protect him if someone thought their job was already completed."
"I know what you meant," I said softly because I wasn't mad at her. It was actually a good idea. I just wasn't sure I could pull it off. There were too many people who could easily walk past the room and see he was still here. "There's something else. Solomon said something."
"When?"
"Last night, after he was shot. He told me to go to Maddox."
Lily frowned. "What for?"
"I don't know. He passed out right after he said it."
"Do you think he was giving you to Maddox? Like, a parting gift?" Lily winced. "I didn't mean to say that either! Solomon is not going anywhere. Do you hear that, Solomon? You're not going anywhere! Do you think he'd mind if I kicked him? It might be the angry prod he needs to wake up."
"I think he would mind but thank you for offering."
"Okay, fine. No kicking. Back to your Maddox thing... Why do you think Solomon would want you to go to him? It's not like they're besties."
That was true. When I first met Maddox, he worked with Solomon and while they both got along, and respected each other, it wasn't an easy friendship. They tolerated each other but they didn't hang out. For a long time, I thought that was because of me. I was madly in love with Maddox and we had a happy relationship until it suddenly went wrong and abruptly ended. There had always been an attraction between Solomon and me but we never properly acted on it until after I was free. I called it off between Solomon and me initially for a while, giving me more time to think, but then I realized I wanted to give it a shot. Solomon wasn't thrilled about my continued friendship with Maddox but he accepted it. Or, at least, he tolerated it. Maddox warned me a few times to find out more about Solomon. Did he expect me to uncover something nefarious?
"I can't work that out. It could be that Solomon realized it was something to do with the jobs they worked on together. Maddox might know something. They were on the same team when I met them. "
Lily huffed. "They've always been on the Lexi team."
"I meant the insurance scandal."
"Surely, this has nothing to do with that!"
"I doubt it, but maybe I'll add it to the list."
"There's a list?"
"A long one. We're trying to cross some names off it but it's going to take some time."
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather leave this all to the police?"
"I need to do something. I can't sit here and do nothing."
"You are definitely not that kind of person," said Lily. "I think you should ask Maddox. If he knows anything, he'll tell you and Solomon must have wanted you to go to him for a reason. He's the best lead you have so far."
"I'll call him," I decided as I placed the half-drunk tea on the small side table. I reached for my phone and scrolled the favorites list, pushing Maddox's name.
"I've been waiting for your call," he said when he answered. "What do you need from me?"