“Any hits on Thurman?”

“Nothing,” Decker answered. “He’s been completely radio silent. I think his injuries may be keeping him out of commission more than we anticipated.”

He was about to continue when the conference room phone rang. He picked up and listened, his face getting more ashen with each passing second. When he hung up, he looked straight at Jessie.

“I maybe have spoken too soon,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“A man matching Thurman’s description attacked a detective earlier this morning, stabbing him multiple times.”

“Who?” Dolan asked.

Jessie already knew the answer before Decker replied.

“Ryan Hernandez.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jessie felt her heart drop into her stomach.

“He’s alive,” Decker continued before she could speak. “He’s in surgery now. They’re confident he’s going to pull through.”

“Did they catch Thurman?” Dolan asked immediately.

“No. The team was searching for evidence in a wooded area in Topanga Canyon. It was dark. Hernandez managed to fend him off after the first few cuts. He even fired off a shot. Good thing too because that’s what alerted the rest of the team. By the time they arrived, he was barely conscious.”

“Where was he stabbed?” Jessie asked with an even voice, betraying no hint that her concern was more than just professional.

“Once in the stomach just below the left ribs and several times in the left forearm. It sounds like he tried to block the blows with his arm.”

“Did he think he hit Thurman when he fired?” Dolan wanted to know, seemingly oblivious to Hernandez’s medical situation.

“Don’t know at this point,” Decker said. “If he did, it obviously wasn’t a kill shot because they didn’t find the guy. All Hernandez said before he passed out was that it looked like Thurman.”

“How bad are the wounds?” Jessie asked, again noting that she sounded shockingly even-keeled.

“One forearm cut went down to the bone but they feel good about it in general. No major arteries were severed and they wrapped it tight. The abdomen wound is what concerns them. They’re worried it might have gone deep enough to puncture a kidney. He apparently lost a fair bit of blood before they could get him to the hospital. The canyon was isolated and access was challenging. They used a helicopter.”

The magnitude of the situation settled in among them and no one said anything for several seconds.

“Where is he?” Jessie finally asked. “I’m going to see him.”

“No,” Murph said firmly from the corner of the room.

“It’s not a request,” Jessie replied. “I’ve worked with Ryan Hernandez. He’s not just a colleague. He’s a friend. And he was attacked by my father because of me. I’m going to the hospital.”

“No,” Murph repeated, unmoved.

Jessie started for the door when Dolan put a hand gently on her arm.

“Hold up just a second before you go,” he said in an unexpectedly soft voice. “Just think this through for a moment.”