“Our index case, Angie Fischer, disappeared right after she left the ER,” he said. “Her mom called yesterday. You’ll never guess where she headed.”

“Not to Seattle?” Lopez asked, her voice rising.

“Yup.”

“Wait a minute, Graham. You think your index case is also our index case?”

“I would love to find out.” Kilburn said as he turned into the St. Michael’s parking lot. He pulled into a spot and switched off his ignition.

“How?” Lopez asked, her tone subdued.

“Angie’s mom gave me the name of her boyfriend in Seattle,” Kilburn said. “I think we should track him down.”

“We?”

“If it’s okay with you, I would like to come down to Seattle later today.” Thinking of his conversation with Teal, he said, “If nothing else, I could use the change of scenery.” As he said it, he realized he would have to ensure that Kyra or Corazón could take the kids overnight.

“Fine by me,” she said. “You’ve got my cell number, right? Call me as soon as you get into town. Meantime why don’t you give me the boyfriend’s name? I’ll see if I can track him down.”

“Jacob or Jake Fasken. He’s twenty-two. That’s about all I know.” He paused. “Though it sounded to me like he must have a criminal record.”

“That might help. Means he should have a parole officer. I’ll see what I can find out.”

Having parked his car, Kilburn headed straight for the hospital’s elevator. Stepping out onto the fifth floor, he thought he heard a low-pitched noise. As he strode closer to the doors of the ICU, he realized it was the sound of a man crying.

Kilburn’s heart pounded in his ears as he broke into a run.

Bursting through the opening of the translucent sliding glass doors, Kilburn saw Gurdev Singh. The young man stood beside the main ICU desk. His palms covered his eyes and his fingers reached to the edge of his turban. Shuddering, he rocked back and forth on his heels, while a few feet away the unit clerk clutched little Harjeet in her arms. But the baby’s cries were drowned out by the plaintive sobs from his father.

Oh, shit! Kilburn knew without taking another step.

Then, more from reflex than reason, he sprinted for Parminder’s room.

27 - Portland, Oregon

27

Portland, Oregon