Blood pulsed in Alyssa’s ears as she struggled to keep her fury under control. ‘Yet here we are. The girls are safe, and you’re under arrest.’

Her words were met with more disdain. ‘You couldn’t save poor little Meghan, though, could you?’

Alyssa was glad she was sitting as the lights flashed in front of her eyes. She was still trying to regain her composure when Cord asked the obvious question. ‘What stopped you from going after Holly?’

Leigh Ann’s smile was filled with hate as she drilled a glare into Alyssa’s eyes. ‘Who says I’ve stopped?’

Chapter Fifty-Four

Monday, May 27

Late Monday afternoon, Alyssa and Cord found themselves back at UNMH, this time outside Rachel’s door. She’d tried reaching the Otises, but after several unanswered calls, she opted to try Nick to see if he knew where they were. He’d surprised her by telling her they’d just arrived at the hospital.

‘Oh good. I just have a few questions I need to ask, so Detective Roberts and I will stop by shortly.’

‘Okay, but Rachel’s resting right now.’ He chuckled, but the sound wasn’t entirely merry. ‘Or at least she’s pretending to.’

‘Actually, it’s your parents I want to speak to, so if Rachel’s still resting when we arrive, we’ll just let her be.’

Due to a massive pile-up caused by a wreck on the freeway, the journey had taken longer than she’d expected, so she was relieved to see that Mr. and Mrs. Otis were still there when they entered Rachel’s room.

Rachel lay in the bed, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. The bruises on her face were still a brilliant shade of colors but fading. If only her nightmares would fade as easily. And with that thought, Alyssa swung her gaze to Mrs. Otis, who looked like she’d rather be picking weeds from her garden than sitting beside her daughter’s bed.

‘Mrs. Otis, could you please step out into the corridor. We have a few questions we’re hoping you can clear up.’

Alyssa saw Rachel’s fingers twitch, and Nick moved to settle his hand over hers.

‘Whatever kind of questions would you have that I could clear up for you?’

‘I’ll be happy to answer that for you as soon as you follow me.’ The threat implicit in her words blanched the color from Nina’s face, and it brought a great deal of satisfaction to Alyssa that she was the one responsible for it.

Maintaining her regal posture, Mrs. Otis stood and clutched her bag to her chest. ‘Very well, let’s speak outside. We wouldn’t want to disturb Rachel. After all, she does need her rest.’

Nick’s eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head, and then he bent low as if he were going to kiss his sister’s forehead, but Alyssa heard him whisper, ‘I promise I’ll be right back. I’ll just be outside the door if you need me.’

Alyssa thought it might be better if Nick stayed with Rachel, but it was his choice to make, not hers. After all, it wasn’t like he wouldn’t discover the truth soon enough. She held the door open as Cord stepped out, followed by Nick, then Mr. and Mrs. Otis.