Page 57 of Tough Justice
He didn’t bother to knock before entering the room with Suzy beside him.
Heather sat straighter in the bed, her face pale and eyes wide with fear. “Did you find Mom?”
“Not yet. And where’s the deputy? Someone’s supposed to be here twenty-four hours a day.”
Suzy hurried to Heather’s side and took her hand. She hadn’t said much during the drive, but her presence and silent support was enough to keep him from jumping out of his skin.
“I asked him to go down to the cafeteria. He hasn’t been gone long.”
“He shouldn’t have left his post,” Duke snapped.
“What else was I supposed to do? I’m sick with worry and I couldn’t head down there myself.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the impending headache to go away. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll go to the cafeteria and see if Mom’s there. Keep your phones on you. Suzy, stay here with Heather. If trouble’s brewing, I don’t want it to find either one of you.”
Suzy nodded. “Okay. Hurry back.”
He rushed into the wide hallway and followed the signs to the cafeteria. The well-guided path made his stomach drop. His mom might be directionally challenged, but she wasn’t an idiot. Finding her way back to Heather’s room would have been a piece of cake.
Not to mention she had no trouble asking for help from anyone. Especially if she knew Heather was waiting, probably worried that she’d been gone so long.
Doctors in scrubs and nurses attending patients whizzed by. He checked each face, searching for his mom. He didn’t want to rush by and not see her. Not notice if she’d found herself in trouble or in need of medical attention.
Hell, that thought hadn’t dawned on him until now.
He quickened his pace, scurrying around a corner and racing for the dining hall. Tables were filled with visitors and hospital workers. He slowed down, making sure to look at every table and every person but coming up empty each time.
Positive she wasn’t there, he stormed into the cafeteria. Lines formed from different stations around the room. The salad bar in the center of the space hummed with activity as people piled fixings high in takeout containers. He walked through the room three times, each time serving nothing but disappointment and stretched nerves.
Not knowing what else to do, he called Lane. “I don’t know where my mom is,” he spat out as soon as his friend answered.“She went to grab food for her and Heather over an hour ago and she’s nowhere. I’m losing my freaking mind over here.”
“I’ll be right there,” Lane said. “In the meantime, go to the security guard and ask to see video footage. If she was in the hospital, cameras should have picked her up. Maybe it will show you where she went.”
He gave himself a mental slap on the head. He really was losing his mind if he hadn’t checked the security footage. He needed to get his shit together and fast. There was too much at stake, too much he wasn’t willing to lose just because he let panic steal all logical thought.
“I’m on it. Head to Heather’s room when you get here unless you hear from me first. Suzy’s in there with her now.”
“Got it.”
A sliver of relief wiggled its way through the panic. He had a plan, and his support system was on the way to help. They’d find his mom.
They had to.
Heading back the way he came, he sprinted to the waiting room where the security office was located. The door stood open and an older man with gray hair and thick glasses sat at a desk. A trio of monitors hung in front of him and displayed different scenes playing out around the hospital. The nameplate on his desk read Jason.
Duke tapped on the doorframe before taking a step inside. “Jason, I need some help.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I can’t find my mom, who’s visiting my sister and stepped out to get some food. I’m Duke Pierson and work with Lane Tipton at Rough Ride Security. We’ve been working with the sheriff’s department on a case, and I’m afraid she’s in danger.” He plucked a business card from his pocket and laid it on the desk.
Jason glanced at the card then said, “If you tell me where she was at what time, I can try and see if she’s on the camera.”
He spouted out the information and waited while Jason messed with the keyboard and pulled images up on the screens. Nerves crawled over his skin like a pack of angry ants. He crossed his arms and tapped the tip of his boot against the ground to stop himself from launching over the desk and finding what he needed on his own.
Video played on the screen. Duke held his breath and prayed to spot his mom. Seconds ticked by until he saw the short bob and friendly face he loved so much. “There,” he said, pointing her out. “She’s right there.”
Jason kept the video going, speeding it enough to make his mom look cartoonish as she made her way toward the cafeteria. She stopped before making the last turn to get food, her attention shifting in the opposite direction.
