Chapter 2 - The alarm turned the hallway into chaos.Doors opened.
Nurses shouted.
Patients began looking around.
A hospital security officer came running from the emergency entrance.
“What's happening?”
Nobody answered.
I was still staring at the index card in Nurse Sarah's hand.
The woman, Ms. Collins, suddenly grabbed the boy.
“We're leaving.”
She spun toward the exit.
Jax blocked her again.
The woman froze.
The security officer stepped closer.
“Ma'am, please remain here until we determine what's causing the alarm.”
She ignored him.
“You don't understand. We have to go.”
“Why?”
She looked at me.
Then at Jax.
Then back at the boy.
“Because that dog is dangerous.”
Jax's eyes remained fixed on Evan.
I had seen suspects lie under pressure.
I had seen hardened criminals stare directly into body cameras and invent entire lives.
Ms. Collins did something different.
She looked at the boy like she was afraid he would speak.
That was enough for me.
“Sarah,” I said, “call hospital administration. And get me the emergency contact records for this child.”
She nodded.
Ms. Collins stepped backward.
“No.”
“Ma'am?”
“You cannot do that.”
“Why not?”
“He isn't your responsibility.”
I glanced at the hospital band.
“Apparently someone at St. Luke's disagrees.”
Her jaw tightened.
Then a voice came from behind us.
“Officer.”
It was the man who had just arrived from security.
His name tag read MARTIN.
He looked at the bracelet.
His entire face changed.
I noticed.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You recognized it.”
“No.”
He answered too quickly.
Jax suddenly turned away from Evan.
He looked at Martin.
His ears rose.
Martin took one step backward.
I noticed that too.
“Have you seen that bracelet before?”
“No.”
Jax growled.
Martin swallowed.
Before I could ask another question, Nurse Sarah rushed back.
“We have a problem.”
“What kind?”
“There is no record for the boy.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“Registration searched St. Jude's system. The woman never checked him in.”
I looked at Ms. Collins.
She was standing perfectly still.
“You told us you brought him in for an injury.”
She said nothing.
Sarah continued.
“The exam room was already occupied when our nurse went in.”
“By who?”
Sarah hesitated.
“An elderly man.”
I frowned.
“That doesn't make sense.”
“The nurse said the room was empty when she returned.”
The hospital suddenly felt colder.
“What about the boy?”
“No record.”
“What about Ms. Collins?”
“Nothing under that name.”
The security officer moved toward the woman.
“Ma'am, I need to see identification.”
She reached into her purse.
Jax exploded.
He lunged.
I barely held him.
“Jax!”
His nose wasn't aimed at her face.
It was aimed at the purse.
The woman froze.
Then she dropped it.
The purse hit the floor.
A phone slid out.
A wallet.
A small bottle.
And a disposable hospital access card.
I picked up the card.
It belonged to St. Luke's Children's Hospital.
The magnetic stripe was scratched almost white.
The name printed on it was not Collins.
It was:
DR. ELIAS VOSS
I looked at the woman.
“Who is Dr. Voss?”
She didn't answer.
Evan did.
His voice was barely audible.
“He's the bad man.”
Every person in the hallway turned.
Ms. Collins grabbed his arm.
“Don't talk.”
Jax growled.
I stepped between her and the boy.
“What did he do?”
Evan's lower lip trembled.
“He took the other kids.”
A long silence followed.
“What other kids?”
Evan looked toward the ceiling camera.
Then he whispered:
“They're still here.”
I looked at the hospital security camera.
A tiny red light blinked above us.
Then the screen beside the nurses' station suddenly went black.
May you like
Every monitor in the hallway shut down at once.
And somewhere beneath the hospital, something heavy slammed against a metal door.
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