With a firm hand on his arm, she pulled him away. ‘I think the team downstairs could use your help.’

Without a word, he dragged his gaze from the blood stains on the mattress and stared down at her hand before lifting his eyes to meet hers. Coldness replaced whatever memories his brain had forced upon him, and after a quick nod, he walked away, leaving her to oversee the rest.

By the time the forensics team had combed every inch of the house and collected all the evidence, it was dark out, with the only light slicing through the darkness coming from the headlights on the vehicles as they drove away. The car said it was close to ten; still, instead of heading home, Alyssa and Cord were headed to the hospital. There was a good chance they’d have to wait until tomorrow to interview the girls, but even if that were the case, she wanted to check in, see them for herself. If she didn’t, sleep would elude her until she did.

Finally turning onto the main road, Alyssa blindly reached out her hand and touched Cord lightly on the arm to get his attention. From her peripheral vision, she saw his head tilt her way. ‘That had to be hard to see, for more reasons than one. How are you doing? And don’t try to BS me.’

Cord’s fingers tightened into a fist in his lap, and he tipped his head back. She heard his teeth grind against each other before he exhaled in such a rush of air, it was almost as if he’d been holding his breath for the past hour. ‘I wanted to shoot every one of those bastards.’

She took her eyes off the road long enough to catch him watching for her reaction at his admission. ‘It would be unnatural if you didn’t feel that way. In fact, I’d be more worried if you didn’t. Thank you for telling me the truth.’

A mirthless sound slipped past his lips. ‘Like you wouldn’t have been able to tell otherwise.’

‘True. Still, you could’ve tried. I can drop you off at the precinct to get your car, or I can take you home and pick you up in the morning if you don’t want—’

He cut her off with a wave of his hand, his voice firm. ‘I’m going to the hospital with you. Don’t treat me like I can’t be objective, like I’m incapable of doing my job.’

‘I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry if it sounded that way.’ The rest of the drive to University of New Mexico Hospital was made in silence.

Chapter Forty-Two

Saturday, May 25

A steady beeping penetrated Rachel’s fog-filled sleep, and she forced her eyes open to locate the source, only to discover her brother’s face looming over her. An unpleasant sensation of being trampled by elephants replaced her confusion as awareness inched its way in.

A deep inhalation sent shards of pain through her ribcage as if she’d swallowed shattered glass, and she gasped, then cried out when the movement seemed to rip the skin off her back. Something pulled at her arm when she struggled to sit up, and her head snapped down to see an IV poking out her arm, the drip suspended from a metal hook resting beside her bed. Next to it was a monitor flashing her vital signs.