I waited, sweat dripping down my nose, splashing into my mouth. Finally she turned and shuffled back to her office. I counted to ten before creeping to the front door. My palm was sweaty when I grasped the doorknob. I stepped into the hallway, shut the door with a soft click, and sprinted down the white maze of halls.

My heart slammed in my chest, bang, bang, bang, trying to get out. I flung myself into the stairwell—no time for the elevator—and raced down, two at a time. At the bottom, I paused in the stairway, trying to get hold of myself. I sent a text to Gabe.

I’m out.

I took a few deep, steadying breaths and smoothed my hair, wiping sweaty strands that clung to my forehead. When I pushed through the stairwell door into the bright light and moist warmth of the hospital’s entry, I was still sucking in deep breaths. A few people wandered around near the front reception desk, looking lost and confused.

I hurried straight for the revolving doors in the entrance, not looking where I was going.

And ran smack into Nate.

“Nate! Oh my God!” I gasped. I rubbed my forehead where I’d thwacked into his shoulder. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just…” He cleared his throat and swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “There was a break-in in the parking lot.”

I studied Nate. He was sweating. I mean, I was sweating too, but I’d been running. He wouldn’t usually be called to deal with something like a car break-in. That was a cop’s job, not a detective’s. And why would he start a new case right as he was on his way home? Nate was lying; I was sure of it.

And suddenly I knew he’d been about to go get the video surveillance footage from Marjorie. Behind my back. It was lucky I’d been here to catch him.

I let a smile slide into place and linked my arm through his, moving us toward the revolving doors. But Nate didn’t budge.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Didn’t you get my text? I forgot my purse.” I laughed. “It was in the bathroom all the way up on the oncology floor. Your mom’s with Josh.”

Nate laughed too, and nodded at my sweaty head. “And did you run all the way up and back down?”

I swiped at a loose tendril of hair glued to my forehead. “Yeah. I haven’t been getting a lot of exercise lately so I thought I’d run up the stairs.”

“Did you see anybody suspicious wandering around the parking lot?”

I frowned and pretended to think about it. “The parking lot?”

“Yeah. Dark clothes, beanie. Likely male.”