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Bastien and another man walk in, and Bash rushes to my bedside. “You’re okay?”
“I’m okay.” Looking to the other man, I ask, “Who’s your friend?”
Bastien’s brows knit together in confusion, and he snaps upright again. “This is Clothespin. He went to the dog park with us because we needed to borrow his dog. He sat with you the whole time I was undercover. You don’t remember?”
I turn to study the man. He’s maybe a couple of years older than Bastien. Built and ruggedly handsome, just not as much as Bastien, in my opinion. Nothing about him seems familiar. “The doctor said the drug I was given wiped my memory of everything past breakfast. What were those apple things called again?”
Bastien pulls his hat off and drops his head. “Then he was trying to kill her. The EMTs said they thought she’d overdosed on something.”
“Not quite an overdose,” the doctor says. “The dosage was strong enough to incapacitate her but not cause death.”
Throat suddenly thick, I swallow and ask, “For what purpose?”
Knot pipes up when no one else does. “My guess is that he was trying to make you disappear.”
“Oh shit.”
The crowded space grows even more packed when another body enters the room. This one I do recognize. He’s Cooper’s partner. Speaking to Cooper and pointing to Bastien and the other man, he says, “I deposed these guys while you had your hands full. Until we get the official medical reports, we’re all wrapped up here.”
Detective Cooper nods and walks toward the bed again, displacing Bastien. “Once you’re out of here, I’d like you to come to the station to give a statement.”
“I don’t remember anything, remember?”
“I’d like to hear more about the night you were followed home,” he replies.
“Okay.”
The two cops exit the room, leaving Bastien, Knot, Bastien’s friend, and the doctor. “How long will she be here,” my boss asks.
“Now that she’s awake and showing no adverse effects besides the memory loss, I’ll be comfortable discharging her as soon as—” he points to a bag of clear fluids hanging from an IV pole “—this is empty.”
The doctor takes his leave then, and I find myself alone with three very angry males. “So… how much trouble am I in?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” the stranger insists. “It’s my fault. I left your side to get us some water.”
“Stop,” Bastien tells the man. “This isn’t on you. We had no reason to think that Birdie was in danger. It’s not even like we were followed to the dog park. I checked.”
“Well, if you weren’t followed, how did some asshole find Birdie?” our boss demands.
“That’s what I can’t figure out,” Bastien confesses. “We were in my truck. Birdie rode with me to my place, and from there, we went straight to the biergarten.”
Knot’s expression is dire. “Give me your keys.”
Bastien gives them up and accepts the set Knot hands him in return. During the exchange, Knot asks, “What’s your home security like?”
“Standard. No exterior cameras. I haven’t gotten around to upgrading yet.”
“You might want to get on that. Whoever this is found you without following. He probably tagged you. I’m taking your truck to get scanned for tracking devices.”
Knot pats my hand and adds, “Make sure she gets home safe.” He turns for the door, nodding at Bennett on his way out.
Bastien’s friend comes closer then, his stony face finally coming into focus. “I hate that you don’t remember me. I told you some pretty good stories about our boy here. Maybe I can tell you again someday.”
“I’m sure I’ll like them just as much as the first time.”
With a wink for me and a pat on Bastien’s back, Jackson leaves. Bastien hasn’t moved from his spot. He looks miserable, making me feel guilty. Wanting to snap him out of this funk, I ask, “What were we doing at a dog park?”
Bastien leans forward onto his elbows and drops his head. Next, he pulls his cap off and turns it over several times. “Executing a stupid idea.”