“What did you find out, Pierce?”
“Colby Jensen is a bit of a mystery. Her mother is a woman named Sun-ha San. She’s from Korea, immigrated to the United States about twenty some years ago. At the time, she had a two-year-old daughter, named Xiaolang San.”
“That’s a bit of a leap to Colby.” Brett closed the door to his office. Colby was an Americanized name. Though her Asian heritage was clear, her deeper honeyed skin tone suggested mixed race.
“When Colby was four, her mother married a man named Gil Jensen, contractor of Alba, Maine and the family has lived there ever since. When she enrolled in school, she was listed as Colby Jensen, so either he adopted her or they decided to Americanize her name.” Not a lot so far, but something. “She has a record. She was arrested last year for mishandling pharmaceuticals, received a suspended sentence and probation which put her at the hospital where they admitted Luc. I’m still digging on the family, and we’ll have someone in the area in a few hours to track down more.”
The information was pretty straightforward, nothing terrifically suspicious about it. “Keep me informed.”
“Will do.” A pause, then, “Is there something I’m looking for specifically?”
“I don’t know, but keep looking.” No sooner did he disconnect the call than his phone rang again. The Manhattan office—no rest for the wicked. He had to take the call. Trusting his mother would handle their guest, he answered. Instead of taking a seat at his desk, he prowled around the room. The deep shadows cast by the rain stretched across the bookshelves. Outside, lightning continued to flash intermittently, but no thunder accompanied the sound.
“This is Dalton,” he said, then only half-listened to the executive beginning his weekly check in. Hudson River owned interests in several large corporations and he ran a handful privately—investment and real estate. The pack’s money was very secure.
The check ins kept him up-to-date on events, kept him informed, and let him manage issues as they arose. Periodically, he’d surprise them at the office—usually when something was off after one of these meetings. Still, he couldn’t focus on the data. Something was off about Miss Colby Jensen. The hunt beckoned. He wanted to know everything about her.
Chapter Six
The afternoon vanished while Charles and Margie took turns entertaining and interrogating her. In many respects, Margie reminded her of Miranda. Like the charge nurse before her, Margie didn’t take bullshit and had a way of honing in on topics Colby didn’t want to discuss. Topics like nursing school, her nursing experiences and plans for the future. Further adding to the mix, Margie suggested a couple of schools in the local area, both of which offered degrees in nursing and to whom she could help her get admission. Tempting, even if she didn’t plan on staying local.
Surprisingly, their taciturn son didn’t reappear. Somehow, the day slipped away from her without another attempt to leave. The lack of sunshine proved misleading and it was only when she was towel drying her hands after washing the dishes from the coffee and snacks Charles served that she even realized how dark it had grown outside.
The older couple had excused themselves when she insisted on cleaning the cups and plates, then didn’t return. Leaving the kitchen, she glanced into the sitting room they’d occupied. The single light burned in the lamp, but no one was present. “Hello?”
Torn between escaping while no one was looking and wanting to at least bid her hosts a polite goodbye, she glanced at the stairs. Not only had the kindly couple kept her from leaving, they’d also diverted her every time she mentioned checking on Luc. He was still her responsibility. Unwilling to search through the large house for her hosts, she snuck up to the second level. Knocking once on the door to Luc’s room, she waited. Not hearing an answer, she knocked lightly again.
Brett mentioned her patient needed rest, and on that they were agreed, but she wanted to satisfy herself that he was indeed okay. Then she could leave. Bargain with herself made, she twisted the knob as quietly then nudged the door open to glance inside. Darkness awaited her. “Luc?” Pitching her voice low enough not to wake him, she pushed the door wider to let light from the hall spill inside.
The mussed bed was empty. The scent of sickness filtered through the air. Frowning, Colby took a couple of steps inside and even glanced behind the door. No way a man in two casts was on his feet, so why the hell wasn’t he in the bed?
“My parents took him over to the doctor’s house. She called. She’ll be there in about an hour.” Brett’s quiet voice behind her sent adrenaline surging through her system and her heart seemed to beat against her ribcage trying to escape. Whirling, she faced him, and put a hand to her chest. She’d never been one of those weak women who screamed nor the blonde bimbo fleeing the monster serial killer in a horror movie. Yet, the urge to scream seemed to be stuck in the back of her throat.