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“Of course not,” Janelle agreed. “I think that’s the thing that nobody is ever prepared for. But, in the end, we’ll all do just fine.”

She chuckled. “We will, won’t we? We will. How’s your mom?”

“I hesitate to say that she’s on her last days, but that’s true. My mother is on her last days.”

“And still no word on hospice?”

“No, I was just talking to a nurse, who suggested the possibility that she may not even make it to hospice.”

Tesla winced at that. “God, I’m so sorry,… for all the good that does, I know.”

“Better than anyone who doesn’t think being sorry helps one bit. However, I so appreciate the empathy. So thank you for that.”

Tesla nodded. “If there’s anything I can do—”

“Look at you.” Janelle burst out laughing. “The last thing you need to do is worry about me.”

“I’m not worrying about you,” she clarified, “but I’m concerned, and that’s what friends are for.”

“It is,” she murmured. “I told Mom when she had a moment of lucidity that Guilliam was back.”

“Wow. How did she react?”

Janelle snorted. “She said, Good timing , if you can believe that.”

Tesla went oddly quiet for a moment. Then she started to chuckle. “I have to admit. I had the same thought myself,”

Janelle groaned. “That’s not funny.”

“It may not be funny, but it makes a lot of sense to me. You will need somebody.”

“But he is far from mine , so he certainly won’t be there for me at this stage of my life.”

Just then some noise came from Mason. Tesla immediately got up to see to him.

Janelle waved. “I’ll go, but let me know if there’s anything else you need.” And, with that, she sorted out the items on the tray and headed back to her mother’s room.

Once again, as she walked down the hallway, she thought she saw the same doctor, the one from the cafeteria. This time he stepped out of what seemed to be a closet. It crossed her mind that maybe he was doing something inappropriate in the closet with somebody else. When he saw her, he frowned again. She just smiled and kept on walking.

If he was having an affair with somebody, Janelle couldn’t quite imagine making out in a closet, not when anybody could walk inside. But what else did people do in closets? She shrugged, her mind not easily filling in that blank because nothing good would come of being in a closet or of potentially hiding there. She groaned, then turned and walked back. She called out to him, “Are you okay?”

He pivoted and frowned. “What are you talking about?”

The harshness in his tone surprised her, and she just shrugged. “Sorry. I just thought maybe you needed help.” She walked away again. She didn’t know why she’d thought he might need help. Hell, he was a doctor at this hospital, and, if anybody needed help, it was her. Still wondering at her rashness, she walked into her mother’s room, realized that nothing had changed, then sat down once again… to wait. To wait for the one or two golden moments when her mother would surface and would be lucid.

They were few and far between, but every one of them was something she treasured. Putting the rude doctor out of her mind, she settled into her vigil. Feeling an odd sensation, she turned and looked around, and the same doctor, poked his head in. He frowned. She frowned right back. “I don’t think you’re in the right room,” she shared.

He glared at her, then snapped, “I don’t think you’re the one to tell me that.” He checked the room number, then turned and walked away, pulling out his phone and making a call.

She found herself wondering just what was going on. Something was incredibly suspicious about him, and yet maybe it was just her imagination. Maybe it was just a call about hospice. Hesitating, and now worried that she might have done something to mess up her mother’s chances, she called out to him. He stiffened, then turned and glared at her. She winced. “Look. I’m sorry. We’re trying to get my mother into the hospice. Is that what you’re here about?” she asked hopefully.

He shook his head. “No.”

Such a note of finality filled his tone that she had to wonder. Her shoulders sagged, and she nodded. “Okay, thanks anyway. However, if you do know how to help us, it would be appreciated.”

He turned and glared at her again.

Frustrated, she threw up her hands. “Okay, sorry. I gather you’re busy.” She felt miffed at his attitude, yet did she have any reason to? Maybe it was because she was so damn short-tempered. Shaking her head, she headed back to sit with her mom. Still, something was off in his actions, something that she couldn’t figure out.

Sighing, she sat back down again, determined to put him out of her mind. A little bit later she realized what was wrong. She recognized him, but he certainly hadn’t been in doctor’s whites back then. Not only that, he had been talking to the police. She reviewed that recalled information and would have to do something about it, even if not pertinent, if only to get it out of her brain.

She brought out her phone and asked Tesla to confirm Guilliam’s number. Seems it was the same one she had in her Contacts from three years earlier. She rewrote her text several times, and nothing she wrote made any sense. Finally she just phoned him. When he answered, his tone was surprised. “I know. I know,” she admitted. “I probably shouldn’t even be calling you, but—”

“But what?” he asked impatiently.

Most definitely a certain tone filled his words, but it was almost the same as the doctor, and that somehow managed to piss her off again. “It’s probably nothing, and I get that, but I can’t let it go.”

“So, tell me then,” he stated. “What is this nothing ? Why can’t you let go?”

“This man,” she began, “the one who was just here, I don’t think he’s a doctor. I think he’s here for some other reason.”

Surprise filled his tone as he asked, “Okay, slow down. What are you talking about? Better start at the beginning.”

“I don’t know,” she muttered. “Maybe I’m completely out to lunch.”

“Maybe, and maybe not, but you need to tell me regardless. Now that you’ve started, you need to finish the conversation. What is it that’s wrong?”

“The man,” she repeated. “The last time I saw him, I think he was talking to a police officer.”

“And?” he asked. “A lot of people get stopped and are asked questions. People see things, are involved in car accidents, all kinds of stuff.”

“From the little bit that I overheard, it had to do with a gun, but I can’t remember what it was about.”

“I need more than that,” he stated. “What do you mean about a gun?”

“I went to the station. It was a while ago, but he was there. He was helping a friend of his or something. It was confusing. Anyway, the two MPs were talking with him, but they let him go.”

“And why were you there?”

“Because my car had been broken into, and I was hoping for some help.”

“When was this?” he asked, his tone brisk.

“It must have been, I don’t know.… Maybe six months ago? I’m not sure.”

“But you’re sure it was him at the station.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure it’s him, no doubt. Yet I must admit, I’ve walked past him several times today, and it didn’t register, not until he came to my mom’s room.”

“He came to your mother’s room?” he asked.

“Yeah. And I talked to him, but just something is off, you know?”

“Yeah, I do know. Okay. Would you recognize him again in a picture?”

“Yes, of course. I just told you that I recognized him today. I was taking some photos earlier. I might have caught him in one of them.”

“You may have taken a photo of him?” he asked.

“Yeah, I was taking a bunch of pictures. I get bored, just waiting.… If I have a picture of him, I’ll let you know.”

“Yeah, look through your photos. I need to figure out who this guy is.”

“I don’t think he’s very happy about the fact that I might have recognized him, but—”

“Did he know that you recognized him?” Guilliam asked.

“No,… I guess not. Honestly, I don’t know. I’m a mess, so anything’s possible.”

After a moment of silence, he added, “Have a look at your phone and see if you’ve caught him in a photo. Did you say anything to upset him? Do I need to worry about him coming back after you?”

“Oh no, I don’t think so,” she replied. “Besides, he might just be having a bad day, and maybe he’s truly a sweetheart.”

“But you don’t think so, do you?”

“No, of course I don’t,” she declared. “How could anybody so rude and curt be a sweetheart?”

“True,” he murmured. “Anyway, go through your phone. Let me know if you find a picture of him. I can always get access to the hospital security cameras, but I’ll need to have a reason.”

“Right. I didn’t think about that,” she muttered.

“Where did you last see him?”

“He came by Mom’s room, just a few minutes ago, but I did see him earlier on the same floor as Mason.”

“What?” he asked.

“Yeah, I was bringing Tesla some tea. I didn’t think about that though.”

“Didn’t think about what?”

Guilliam’s exasperation shone through, pointing out how disjointed her conversation sounded. “I didn’t think about what he was doing there. He was just leaning against a wall, maybe texting. And then I did see him again at a closet.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a minute. You need to go back over this slowly. What exactly are we talking about here?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m just telling you that I saw this guy in a white coat, thinking he was a doctor, but he seemed suspicious. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen him before too, with that cop, but that’s all I can tell you.”

“Even that much is something,” he noted. “So, repeat what you told me one more time.” She went over it again, and he replied, “Okay. See if you’ve got a picture of him because I need to know who this guy is now , and we’ll go from there.”

“If you say so,” she quipped, with a note of humor.

“Yeah, I say so,” he snapped, his voice harsh.

She winced at that. “Look. I’m—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It doesn’t matter if you meant to upset me or not. Anything different, odd, or unusual that has to do with Mason’s room is important. How’s Tesla holding up?”

“Tesla is as she always is. Fine. That woman is a rock.”

“She might be a rock, but she’s also had a hell of a rough few weeks.”

“I know. I didn’t mean it in a negative way.”

“I know you didn’t. I just need to know more about this guy.”

“It might be nothing.”

“But, if you were suspicious enough to give me a call, then I will take it seriously.”

“Fine. I’ll spend the next little bit going through my photos to see if I can come up with an image.”

“Right, and, if you see him again, don’t do anything stupid.”

She hesitated, then asked, “What does that mean?”

“It means, you leave him alone. Don’t approach him. Don’t start a conversation with him. If he talks to you, you just talk to him politely.”

“Right. I did run after him because I thought he was a doctor and wondered if I’d messed up my chances to get my mother into hospice.”

He repeated, “Hospice?”

“Yeah, she’s—she’s at the end but not quite,” she explained. “I know it sounds terrible to put it that way.”

“There’s no good way to put it,” he noted. “Anyway, send me those photos.”

“Right. Will do,” she muttered. And she ended the call and got to work searching her phone.

*

Guilliam glared at his cell phone. They had just finished up at the airport, checking the angles on the sniper’s shot at Mason. Nodding, not saying a word, he and Gideon were back in the car now.

At his side, Gideon asked, “Who was that?”

“An old friend. I haven’t seen her in years, but she’s in the hospital with her mother, who’s apparently ready to go to the hospice.” Then he gave his head a shake. “She saw somebody there today dressed like a doctor that she recognized from another time, like six months ago, when she saw the military police questioning the guy about a gun.”

Gideon just nodded.

“And none of that would necessarily be an issue, but she says she saw him near Mason’s room a little bit ago today .”

“Okay, hang on a minute.”

“I know. I know. She thinks she might have a photo of him and would certainly recognize him.”

Gideon frowned. “We’ll need to get those as soon as we can.”

“We do. I was hoping that maybe… Could Jasper get some books over to her?”

“Maybe. I’m not sure exactly what we have to offer. I’ll contact him, but I’m thinking it’s probably all online instead of in physical mugs books. We’ll put the guards on alert too.”

“Right,” Guilliam grumbled, kicking himself. “Everything’s digital now, even mug shots.”

“Only in some places,” Gideon told him, with a smile, looking over at him as he parked at Drew’s house. “Let’s go,” Gideon said, with a wave of his hand. “Let’s make a quick trip inside. I already texted Jasper.”

“If Jasper got the message from your short text,” Guilliam stated, “he’s better at communication than I thought.”

Gideon laughed. “Jasper’s very good at reading between the lines.”

“He is, isn’t he?” Guilliam glanced over at him. “You guys have known each other for a long time.”

“We have. Worked together too for a while.”

“Will you continue working with him?”

“Not sure yet. Why?”

“He mentioned a job, though I’m not sure I want one.”

“Oh, you and me both,” Gideon murmured. “I think he’s looking at replacing all the former investigation staff.”

“You mean, those two guys who were off to the side this morning?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are they still there?”

“We’re not sure,” Gideon acknowledged. “Basically Jasper was told to bring in whoever the hell he wanted, so he did, and those original team members are not necessarily who he wants.”

“Knowing Jasper, they’re not even close to what he wants,” Guilliam noted.

“Exactly. But you also know that he’s not one to rock the boat until he has to. And, right now, he hasn’t been able to clear any of those guys. So, until they’ve been thoroughly vetted, he doesn’t want them operating with him. The original team lead, Morgan, was compromised and tried to kill Gideon and tried to sell the newest coroner to the highest bidder. So… we don’t trust any of them. But this way, we keep the others close, so we can watch over them.”

“Why the hell weren’t they cleared?”

“That’s a good question,” Gideon stated, raising an eyebrow at him, “and we don’t have an answer. A lot of their files are sketchy as hell, and you know how Jasper feels about that.”

“Yep, I sure do,” Guilliam confirmed. “Something that we’ll have to give him a hand with, when this is over.”

“Maybe. I think he’s just hoping they’ll all go away, though one of them already did—Steve, supposedly on medical leave.”

“Are they upset about Mason getting shot?”

“I don’t think they give a crap.”

“In that case they need to go,” Guilliam said, “because, if they aren’t pissed off and fed up and upset, they don’t belong here.”

Gideon laughed. “That’s exactly how I feel, but some of these guys seem more pissed off that Jasper’s come in and stepped on their toes than about anything else.”

“Boo-hoo,” Guilliam replied. “I don’t give a crap whose toes get stepped on, as long as the job gets done.”

“That’s why we’re all here doing this job,” Gideon stated, “because we all are friends and think the same way.”

“No other way to think. A friend of ours, somebody decent, was shot down by a sniper on the goddamn base,” Guilliam grumbled. “What’s to think about?”

“I won’t argue that,” Gideon said, “because we’re on the same page.”

“It’s just BS,” he muttered. They walked into the small house, and Guilliam added, “From this one, I wanna go to the girlfriend’s place.”

They quickly did a walk-through of Drew’s place. The forensics team was gone, so it wasn’t an issue.

Guilliam frowned. “It’s completely cleaned out.”

Gideon sighed. “He gave up the lease and more or less just never showed up again.”

“So, he had plans. As in solid, in the works, we can do this getaway plans.”

“Yes, I would think so.”

From there they went to the sniper’s partner’s place, a woman who called herself Suzan, now dead.

“And do we know for sure they were lovers?” Guilliam asked.

“It’s possible. And it’s also possible he ditched her because of the changes in his circumstances.”

“And we don’t know what that is either, do we?” Guilliam turned to face him.

“No, we sure don’t,” Gideon said. “There is a thought that they were in it together. There is also the thought that they were both more or less coerced into it. Still another thought is that they got in over their heads and would make a run for it. Yet another thought was he got paid and took the money and didn’t want to share it with her.”

“All of which are very good thoughts.”

“Exactly. But these two people are dead, so we don’t get to interrogate them and to determine just what they were thinking. We are pulling apart their lives for all known associates and family, but they kept to themselves pretty much. Now the woman’s brother we do have in custody.”

The second property, that of the girlfriend Suzan, didn’t look viable either. He walked through the small apartment and shook his head. “She was leaving, wasn’t she?” Guilliam asked.

“It looks that way, doesn’t it?” Gideon came up behind him. “No bags or suitcases, so I presume she was staying someplace else, but she’d already left this place, if she was ever here long-term.”

“And I’m not sure that she was,” Guilliam muttered, with a nod. “It seems very much like either they were both running, or he was running without her.”

“Which would have just pissed her off.”

“Potentially, or what if she took something that she considered both of theirs, like the payday from doing a job?”

“And would that be both of theirs?” Gideon asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe she was also pissed off because she knew what Drew had done and figured they wouldn’t get out of it alive. I don’t know. There are all kinds of scenarios that we’ll have to take a closer look at. The bottom line is that they’re both dead, and we didn’t get to them in time.”

“I’m not sure anybody could have got to them in time. They were targeted to die the minute they agreed to do the job.”

Guilliam nodded. “That’s what you and I would both do. If we had no intention of keeping our word, we would ensure that nobody got anything out of this deal.”

“Unfortunately that’s all too true in this case,” Gideon murmured. “And now we’re only guessing at motives.”

Guilliam took another walk through the place and frowned. “I had hoped there might be something personal here, and yet Suzan had already moved out—or had already arranged to meet with Drew somewhere else. Maybe she didn’t know they had killed Drew. Maybe she thought Drew took off on her.”

“Which also would make sense and would give her a good reason for being pissed off.”

“Yet nobody mentioned anything about an attitude, about any hidden aggression on Suzan’s part.”

“Other than hitting Tristan on the head, nothing along that line came from Suzan, even when she asked questions of Drew’s neighbor, Pearl, wanting to know if she was Drew’s girlfriend,” Gideon added. “So, I’m not sure that’s quite the right track. Although, if Drew ditched her, she could be angry at him for that. Maybe Suzan was afraid that she would die next. Maybe she was hoping she could do something to keep them both alive.”

“What about a safe deposit box or a locker someplace that may be tied to any of our suspects?”

Gideon frowned. “Could be one at the airport, but we would need the key, or we might find out something through security as to where everything is,” he pointed out. “Then we might not need a key.”

“It’s possible, but I wouldn’t worry about asking the authorities either,” Guilliam cautioned, with a sideways glance at him.

“Agreed. We have to watch who we can trust, even here on base. Plus, we have this tangent case that was taken from us. I’m sure Jasper filled you in.”

“Yep. Dirty officers high up in the military? Makes me sick. Another reason not to ask anybody outside of our group.”

“Good. We’re all on the same page then.”

“Right,” Guilliam muttered. “Okay, back to a locker. What about a gym locker, a bus locker? What about—” Guilliam stopped. “If they were living off base, all kinds of options are there.”

“I think they probably were, but is a gym locker the safest place to leave something incriminating?”

“Maybe not, yet what would they have done? If Suzan thought she and Drew were both in danger, what would she have done?”

“To keep them alive, if she had any blackmail material, she might have left that with a mutual third party,” Gideon suggested, staring at him.

Guilliam frowned. “That could very well be what she’s done. We just don’t know who she would have left it with. Family?”

Gideon shook his head. “Drew didn’t have any.”

“What about Suzan’s family?” Guilliam asked.

Gideon frowned. “A brother, in our lockup, who’s very angry about her death.”

“Still, if Suzan had regrets, wouldn’t she leave these incriminating details with somebody like Mason, so he would know what happened? That way, maybe Suzan’s killer gets taken out by Mason’s men.”

“But they must be pretty major regrets to do that,” Gideon pointed out. “On the other hand, with people dropping like flies who are connected to this attempt to kill Mason, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.”

“Right,” Guilliam agreed. “Still, we don’t know enough yet, so we gotta keep our minds open.”

They went back through her apartment, but it was essentially vacant, other than a couple big pieces of furniture. Guilliam walked over and sat down on the couch, shoving his hands in and around the couch cushions to confirm absolutely nothing was there. When he stood up, he rechecked the closet, looking on the shelves. “What about a purse? Did you find a purse?”

“Forensics has it.”

“I think we need to take a look at that.”

“If there was anything, they should have already found it.”

“They should have, yes, but just like that special USB key, it might not be something easily visible or readily identified.”

Gideon nodded. “We can go take a look.”

“We may need Tristan to sweet-talk us into forensics. I understand he’s become quite friendly with one of the ladies in the coroner’s office.”

Gideon nodded. “Yes, quite friendly with Amarylis, the newest coroner. She’s also the one who recognized that USB key of Nicholas’s for what it is.”

“Ooh, I like it,” Guilliam said, with a bright smile. “Smart too. I do like smart ladies.”

Gideon gave Guilliam a wry smile. “So far, Jasper and the rest of us on his team have found our Keepers. I’m seeing the PT stationed on base. And hoping to become a whole lot friendlier on a more permanent basis.” When Guilliam frowned, Gideon shrugged. “I know, not exactly what you expected to hear from me.”

“No, but I trust your judgment. So, if this is it, this is it.”

“And it is,” he declared, with a huge smile. “I heard there’s a lady in town for you too.”

Guilliam winced. “I don’t know about in town for me .” He had an odd expression on his face. “Let’s just say that we have history.”

“Lots of us have history,” Gideon noted, “but this one of yours seems like maybe the history is ready to change.”

“I don’t know,” he murmured. “Definitely not today’s topic.” And, with that, he willed it away. “Let’s swing by forensics and have a look at Suzan’s purse.”

*

Tesla woke from another nap, stirred in place, and straightened to look around. She got up, walked over to the bathroom, and then called her family to confirm everything was okay. Her son, Sebastian, was with her father, and both were not allowed to come to the hospital again, as it had put targets on their backs. More volunteer guards were on them in rotating six-hour shifts as well. It pained her to be separated from her son, but thankfully her father kept the toddler busy. With a sigh, she told them both she loved them and ended the call.

She left the bathroom and returned to the hospital room to find Mason still sleeping, but at least it was a more relaxed sleep, and not that harsh, almost flat, nobody-at-home expression that he’d had earlier.

One of the nurses came in and smiled at her. “You’re awake again.”

“I seem to be sleeping most of my time away.”

“Don’t take that the wrong way,” she murmured. “You’re pregnant and under a lot of stress, so there are far worse things you could do for yourself than sleep.”

“Maybe,” she murmured. “And it is helping to make the time go by faster.”

“Good, and he’s doing much better.”

“I think so,” Tesla agreed, nodding, as she looked over at Mason. “It seems like there’s a definite improvement in his breathing.”

“And how are his cognitive functions?”

“He’s been awake a couple times.” She smiled broadly. “And he recognized me, so that’s huge.”

“Wow. Sounds like he’ll do just fine in the end then. Just remember that the road to recovery will be stressful.”

“And that’s fine,” Tesla noted, “as long as he recovers.”

“We hear that all the time, from wives looking for that little bit of joy that says that their life will get back to normal.”

“Of course it’s what we all want,” Tesla shared. “Every one of us just wants to know that our husbands will be back with us again.”

“One of the nurses was given an envelope for you,” she said, holding it out. “We didn’t want to wake you. She did come by earlier, but you were out cold.”

“Of course I was,” she muttered. “Seems to be the standard state for me these days.”

The nurse chuckled, as she handed it over.

“Why would somebody bring an envelope to the front for me?”

The nurse just shrugged. They talked another few minutes while the nurse checked on Mason, recording his vitals. Then she turned. “I’m leaving you now.” And, with that, she was gone.

Tesla sat down with the envelope. Not recognizing the handwriting, she took a photo of it and sent it to Jasper.

He called her. “What is that?”

“I don’t know. Someone left this letter with a nurse for me.”

“Do you want me to come?”

“Is there any reason I shouldn’t just open it?”

“Good question. How do you feel about it?”

“I don’t understand why somebody would have left it.”

Jasper groaned. “I’m on my way. Don’t open it.” And, with that, he hung up.

She stared down at her phone and winced. “I didn’t mean to set off something new,” she muttered. “For all I know it’s nothing.” But it could just as easily be something. This was her life now.

She sat back down and waited for her cousin to show up.