Shades of Passion

CHAPTER SIX

SIMON GRANGER GUIDED her toward the E.R. with a big hand cupped under her elbow. Even as she managed to keep up with his long strides, Nina tried to get through to him. “Wait a second. You’re saying you want me to get information from someone exhibiting a psychotic break?”

“If that’s the same thing as someone acting crazy, then yes.”

She glared at him. “And you think that’s easy to do?”

“Doesn’t matter if it’s easy or not. He supposedly kidnapped a little girl who might need medical help. We have to find out where she is. If you don’t get the information out of him, then I will.”

She managed to pull away and skid to a stop. The detective faced her with his hands on his hips.

“And just what does that mean?” she asked. “That you’ll beat the information out of him?”

“I didn’t say that. But I’ve been trained in interrogation techniques. If your questions don’t give us the answers we need—”

“Your ‘techniques’ will likely escalate the situation even more.”

His expression remained impassive. “Then let’s hope I don’t have to use them.”

He turned and strode away, leaving her to follow.

As they entered the E.R., he went up to the receptionist and showed her his badge. “There should be a patrol officer here with a 5150. Officer Dan Rieger.”

“Yes,” the woman said, her gaze finding Nina’s, who nodded. “They’ve already been put in a room. I’ll show you to him.”

She escorted them past several exam rooms to where a uniformed patrol officer was pacing in front of an open door.

“Officer Rieger? Special Agent Simon Granger. Is your perp inside?”

The man nodded. “They’re taking some blood tests. He’s in restraints and they gave him a shot to calm him down. We picked him up for shoplifting, but he got all agitated. Started saying we were part of the alien invasion. That he wouldn’t tell us where the little girl he was protecting is.”

“Are you certain he has a young girl and isn’t simply delusional?” Nina asked.

“He had a young girl’s jacket. And an inhaler. One of those over-the-counter kinds, so it doesn’t have a prescription on it. But he said the girl was having trouble breathing and had run out of her medicine. That’s what he was stealing. I gotta go with my gut on this one and say he’s got some girl hidden somewhere. And if she’s out of her asthma medication, we’re running out of time.”

Simon turned to Nina.

She nodded. “Let me see what I can do.” She stepped inside the room and nodded to the nurse who was labeling a vial of blood. On a gurney lay a young man, legs and wrists restrained by leather straps, a dazed expression on his face. Possible catatonia or maybe too heavy a dose of the antipsychotic. She just hoped he was lucid enough to discuss the girl he’d taken and where they’d find her. She stepped inside and tried shutting the door.

She gasped when Granger held it open.

“I’m coming with you.”

She glared at him. “No. You are not. I’ll evaluate the patient and report back in a minute.”

“But—”

“Let go of the door right now, Detective, or I’ll have no choice but to call security and have you thrown out.”

Their gazes held and clashed for several seconds and she had to force herself not to look away from the pure fury in his. Slowly, however, he released his grip on the door and stepped back. With an imperceptible sigh of relief, Nina shut the door, blocking out his scowling face.

* * *

“SHE A PSYCHIATRIST?” Officer Rieger asked Simon.

“Yeah.” Simon stared at the door through which she’d disappeared.

“I hope she’s a good one.”

Despite the way she’d managed to get under his skin, Simon had a feeling she was better than good. The problem was, she could be the very best and he still wouldn’t like it. If she could help them get the information they needed, great, but he knew what would happen either way. She’d already referred to their perp as a “patient.” As soon as she came back out, she’d start talking about helping the guy. Trying to help the man who’d kidnapped a little girl and probably had done God knows what to her already. And when that happened, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to—

The door opened and Nina stepped out.

“Can we go in and see him now?” Simon asked.

She shook her head. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s indeed having a psychotic break. He doesn’t know where he is but he feels threatened. The doctor gave him Haloperidol, a quick-acting antipsychotic, but he’s still having delusional thoughts. Right now, he needs to get his brain activity settled. He’s operating in a vastly different reality than we are.”

“So what are you going to do?” Simon growled. “Light incense and sing Kumbaya?”

She narrowed her eyes in warning. To Simon, sass and intelligence had always been an alluring addition to physical beauty. This woman had all three in spades. Too bad they had a life-or-death situation at hand. If the situation was different, and despite what she did for a living, he might be up for exploring what made Nina tick.

“If that’s what it takes,” she said. “You want the information, don’t you? The only chance I have of getting it is to establish trust with him and make him feel safe. And the only way I’m going to be able to do that is if I know he’s actually going to be safe.”

“Meaning what?”

“He looks like he’s been roughed up.” She glanced pointedly over his shoulder at Officer Rieger.

Simon didn’t jump to any conclusions. He knew better than most how dangerous a cop’s job was. It was easy to judge a cop’s actions once danger had passed, but unless you’d been in his shoes... “I don’t know anything about that,” he said softly.

“No, but he does.”

“He resisted arrest,” Officer Rieger clipped out.

Nina glared at the young officer. “He thinks we’re all aliens who want to suck out his brain. Of course he resisted.”

“You’re bartering with me for promises of leniency?” Simon asked, his expression and tone incredulous. And pissed. “When what I’m asking for is information to help save a little girl?”

She returned her gaze to his. Bit her lip as if contemplating his words, then shook her head. “Wanting a man to be treated with basic respect is not the same thing as asking for leniency. I’ll do everything I can to get you the information. But you involved me, which means Mr. Callahan is now my patient, and that means I’ll be doing whatever is necessary to make sure he’s treated with dignity.”

“Mr. Callahan, huh? Yes, let’s think about his needs instead of the little girl he kidnapped. At least you’ve got your priorities straight, Doc,” Simon sneered.

“I need to go in now. But this is going to take a while. And I can’t promise anything.”

“Nothing but taking good care of your patient, you mean?”

Her back stiffened and she paused with her hand on the door, but she didn’t turn back around. Instead, she said softly, “I’m well aware of what’s at stake, Detective. Don’t think for a minute that I’m not.” She stepped back into the room and shut the door with a decisive click.

An hour later, Simon was about to barrel into the examination room when Nina finally stepped out. She looked flushed, her expression pinched, but she immediately locked gazes with him. “I have something. I can’t know for sure, but...”

“What is it?”

“He grew up in a house in Pacifica. 180 West 27th Street. He said it’s the place he always felt safe. Safe to be who he truly is. Safe from the aliens.”

Without taking his gaze off her, he snapped, “Rieger?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s go.” To Nina, he said, “Keep talking to him.” He handed her a card. “Here’s my cell. If he says anything to make you think we’re headed in the wrong direction, call me.”

“I will. Good luck. I hope you find her.”

“I hope so, too.”

They found the girl in the basement of Michael Callahan’s family home. She’d been tied up and was dehydrated, her skin ice-cold and turning blue. Her pulse was thready and her breathing labored. She was exhibiting signs of exposure, shock and an asthmatic attack. Simon carried her out just as an ambulance pulled up in front.

“We’ve got it from here, sir.”

As he stared at the girl, Simon thought of Lana. Despite what he’d told Mac earlier, he had the sudden thought that he’d failed her. Had he failed this girl, too? Waited too long to get to her? Should he have muscled his way into that examination room and beaten the location out of her abductor?

“Sir, please. Give her to me.”

Simon reluctantly gave the girl to the medic.

He followed the ambulance to the nearby hospital.

And he stayed until the doctors told him the little girl would be okay.