Lexa thought so highly of him. Talked about how brilliant he was all the time. He seemed to have taken a real interest in her. Katja paused. Nothing creepy, mind you. Like a mentor.

That sounded about right.

I just hope hes okay, Katja said.

Im sure he is. Okay, but not willing to help her out on this case. Danielle gathered her things and said good-bye to the Windhams. Back at her car, she checked her notebook, deciding where to proceed next. Morgan Stark. She shook her head. He knew Lexa Windham better than anyone, maybe even better than her own parents. He was so damn observant, too. And logical. The leap hed made from the scrapes on Lexas knees to the idea of someone luring her into an ambush was spot on.

Why wouldnt he help? He could be the key to wrapping the whole case up. Danielle glanced at her watch. It was after five. Maybe hed be home. Shed take one last run at convincing him. She turned the key and the engine purred to life.

CHAPTER NINE

Morgan was anything but okay.

Hed come damn close to making a significant mistake today. Hed almost missed a case of sepsis in one of his patients. He didnt know where his head had been. Certainly not analyzing Reta Shumans white blood cell count or procalcitonin levels with any accuracy. Luckily, Ayres of all people caught it before significant damage was done. Hed clapped Morgan on the back and said something about good turns and everyone making mistakes and had walked away. No gloating. Morgan had misjudged the man and he was damn grateful that Ayres had been there today.

Reta could easily have died.

But Ayres couldnt be there every day and the miscalculation shook Morgan. Hard. Hed never made that kind of error before. So hed marched into his office and fired off an email informing the hospital hed be taking a leave of absence, effective immediately.

Now he was back in the worn recliner chair in his depressing apartment with an extremely good glass of Scotch. He took a sip, appreciating the way the smoky taste lingered on his tongue.

His cell phone rang. He glanced at the Caller ID and sighed. It was Ashley.

He might as well answer. It wasnt likely the day was going to get any worse. He hadnt done a damn thing about getting those papers signed and notarized. Shed made it clear that he needed to do it and hed pushed it to the very bottom of his to-do list. Hed be frustrated with himself if he was her. Hed do it tomorrow. Hed have time, after all. Hi, Ashley.

Morgan, are you okay?