“Will do.” Riley closed her notepad and began to rise from her chair.

“Just a sec. What’re we doing about Harry Owen’s bedroom?”

The Staff Sergeant threw Riley a look, and then said to Cooper, “Nothing.”

Cooper straightened. “But he shot the accused. What if he knows her?”

Pearson’s glance became impatient. “Even if he did, Harry Owen is a victim. Not a suspect. The intruder turned and confronted the father. Harry Owen believed she could have taken the gun from his father’s hand.”

Riley pushed back her chair, her face closed. “If you need to reach me, I will be at the site all day.”

He had no doubt that Detective Riley would not go home until every blade of grass had been examined.

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

9:48 a.m.

The ICU unit reminded Detective Constable Angie Gabriel of a beehive, people with focused energy hovering in the rooms, monitoring vitals, adjusting meds. She watched the activity through the glass door of Jane Doe’s room. The surgical team, headed by Dr. Rita Kapur, had just arrived, flanked by a group of residents. Everyone wanted to see Jane Doe.

Angie sipped her coffee, observing the family and friends who walked by, voices low, huddled together. It was interesting to watch what this foreign, sterile environment did to people. So far, none of these anxious family members belonged to the young woman with the distinctive white-blond hair.

Twenty minutes later, Dr. Kapur strode out of Jane Doe’s room, her pager beeping. Angie sprang to her feet, blocking the surgeon’s path. “Dr. Kapur, may I speak with you?”

Medium height, fiftyish, salt-and-pepper hair, Dr. Kapur radiated suppressed energy beneath a mask of calm. She glanced at her pager number, frowned, and looked up at Angie. “Will you be quick? I have an urgent call.”

“Yes. I am Detective Gabriel, Halifax Police Department.” She opened her badge. The surgeon’s eyes flickered over it and then returned to Angie’s face. “We are investigating the incident that resulted in the suspect’s injuries.”

That caught Dr. Kapur’s attention. “What exactly did she do?”

“Break and enter. She was shot when she confronted the owner.”

“By the police?” The surgeon frowned.

“No.” Puzzlement flashed through Dr. Kapur’s eyes. Not too many ordinary folk owned handguns in Halifax. “We need to know when she will be able to answer our questions.”

“She is sedated at present. I expect the sedation will wear off in the next few hours. But she is on narcotics. I am not sure how well she will be able to respond to an interrogation.”

“It’s not an interrogation, Dr. Kapur—”

Dr. Kapur’s pager beeped again. “Is she a danger to my staff?”

“Not as far as we are aware. We have two officers on guard.”

The pager beeped. “I’m sorry, Detective. I must go.”