She took the food, paid and gave a tip, and then sat on the edge of the bed. Any thought of calling Jack to head out for a drink had been dashed by the inner dialogue shed just had with herself. She suddenly didnt feel like seeing Jack. Hell, she didnt even feel like leaving this motel room and venturing outside. She simply sat on the edge of her bed, the TV blaring its nonsense, and ate her orange chicken. On occasion, shed look over to the table, her eyes searching out the transplant list as if she was sure there was an answer there somewherenot just to the case, but to her own turmoil as well.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Christina Ragland looked through the blinds of the living room window and easily spotted the cop car parked on the side of the street. The shape of it was perfectly outlined in a nearby streetlight. According to the call shed received from the police roughly three and a half hours ago, there were two men in the carand they were there to make sure she was not attacked by some maniacal killer that was taking people out seemingly because they were on a transplant list.

Running it over in her head, it sounded pretty ridiculous. It was almost like the punchline to a morbidly dark joke. It was bad enough having a liver that had decided to simply stop working properly seven months ago and ensuring the endless doctors visits that came with it, but now she could very well be killed because of it…and it would have nothing to do with her bad liver.

Youre going to drive yourself crazy if you keep looking out there.

She turned away from the window to the couch where her husband was watching television. He was watching one of those shows where Gordon Ramsay was yelling at people. The comment was not made out of irritation, but out of concern. As a matter of fact, Ryan seemed to have taken the news harder than Christina had when the call had come in. Hed already gone to the upstairs coat closet to retrieve the Smith and Wesson hed owned for three years and only ever used once, at a target range. It was currently with them in the living room, wedged between the cushion at the end of the couch and the armrest because it made Christina very uneasy to see it out in the open.

Im just checking, she said, joining him on the couch.

The cops will handle it, Ryan said. I bet you anything theyll have this whacko before the morning even gets here.