Deadline

Twenty acres of dry ground wouldn’t be that difficult to navigate in daylight. But it would be crazy to strike out through a salt marsh in total darkness, not knowing where he was going or even what he was looking for. Until sunrise, he was stuck.

He got back into the car and turned off his phone. Then, as a safety precaution, he removed the battery, having heard that one could transmit a signal even if the phone was turned off.

He didn’t want to be found until after he had found Carl and Jeremy.

* * *

Amelia and Eva had passed the night in the hospital waiting room. Eva hadn’t even considered a nurse’s suggestion that she go to a hotel and get a good night’s rest. She wouldn’t leave and miss even one of the periodic visits with Headly that she was allowed.

In the event that his condition changed for the worse, Amelia didn’t want her to be alone, so she had declined Tucker’s offer for a deputy to escort her back to Saint Nelda’s. Further, she didn’t want to leave the place where she’d last seen Dawson. She was entertaining a silly notion that if she stayed, he would soon return with a full explanation for his sudden departure.

Now as dawn approached, her eyes felt gritty and dry. She longed for a shower. She had stinging scrapes on her right palm and elbow, which had borne the brunt of her fall when Dawson had pushed her to the concrete. But these physical discomforts were negligible compared with her emotional upset. She was desperate with worry over him.

As Eva returned from a visit with Headly, Amelia lowered her cell phone from her ear and disconnected. “I’m not even getting Dawson’s voice mail anymore. How’s the patient?”

“Impatient. Cranky. Fretful. His blood pressure has gone up. The nurses are blaming it on pain, but I know better. Lying still, unable to move his arms is driving him crazy. He thinks we’re not telling him the truth about the paralysis being temporary. And every time I go in there, he asks me about Dawson.”

Amelia looked at her wristwatch, running her finger around the crystal, remembering that it might never have been recovered if not for Dawson. “He’s been gone for hours. Why hasn’t he called me back?”

“I’m sure there’s a good reason.”

“I’m sure of that, too. But I’m unsure I want to know what it is.” The more she thought back o

nto their last conversation, the more convinced she became that Dawson had withheld something from her, not because he didn’t trust her but because he predicted a negative reaction. “Should I share my concerns with Agent Knutz? The detectives?”

“What would you tell them?”

“That he lied about where he was going.”

“Men frequently lie to women about where they’re going.”

“They would probably think he went out to buy drugs.” Quickly she added, “He only needed antianxiety pills to help him sleep, you know.”

“I know.”

“He hasn’t even had a drink in days.”

“You’ve been a good influence.”

“Me? No. I haven’t had anything to do with it.”

Eva smiled knowingly. “In a very short period of time, you two have become remarkably close.”

“One step forward, two back.”

“Oh?”

She hesitated. “Woman to woman?”

“Anything you tell me will go no farther, Amelia. I promise you.”

“Truth is, he makes my head spin.”

The older woman laughed softly. “So there is an attraction.”

“Definitely.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”