Page 13 of Unhinged

After Mr. Pruitt left, Hannah drummed her fingers on the desk, considering Andrew’s words. Maybe he was right. She’d been on edge the last couple of days since the murder, and a little extra security would go a long way to making her feel safer, at least at work. Her community was gated, so she didn’t worry too much about someone gaining access to her house. Here, though, she felt exposed.

Picking up the phone, she dialed the building manager’s number.

“Ramirez.”

“Hi, Raúl, it’s Dr. Whitmore. How are you?”

“Just fine, Doctor, how about you?”

“Great, thanks.” Formalities out of the way, she dove right in. “Raúl, you may have heard about my recent involvement in a woman’s murder.”

“I sure did. Sorry to hear about that. Is there something I can help with?”

“Actually”—she rubbed her damp palm briskly on the material of her dress slacks—“I was wondering what kind of security this building has.”

“Well, now.” His voice was tentative and a bit defensive. “We don’t usually have too much trouble here. We just call the police if anything happens. Why do you ask?”

She sighed. “I’ve had a little trouble with an ex-patient of mine, and I was just wondering if there’s any chance we could get some extra security around here for a while. I’d feel safer if someone was here in case anything happened. I don’t want to jeopardize my staff or my patients. Just until things blow over,” she added.

“I suppose I can ask, Doctor. Don’t know what the owner will say, though. Security can get awful expensive.”

Her hackles rose at his dismissive tone. She wasn’t above playing hardball. “Well, Mr. Ramirez, many medical facilities have full-time security guards. I’m sure the owner wouldn’t want anything to happen in his building. I’m certain he values the safety of the people here and will justify the cost. It would be just awful if something were to happen to affect business, and I imagine he’d rather be proactive since the safety of his building and the people here is paramount…”

She trailed off, allowing him to draw any conclusion he liked. She really had no other avenues to pursue if he turned her down, but Raúl didn’t need to know that. In truth, nothing bad had ever really happened here that she knew of, and she was asking quite a lot for the owner to provide additional security for what may possibly have been a fluke.

“Of course.” The building manager’s voice was stiff. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Raúl. I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure, miss. I’ll be in touch.”

Hannah hung up with a grim smile. She wasn’t completely confident that Raúl had taken her seriously or that the owner would even consider her request without laughing at her, but she had to try.

Ten years ago, a man had stolen her confidence and security. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—let that happen again.

CHAPTER

SIX

Luke tapped the screen of the tablet, pausing the video taken Tuesday morning just before dawn. “What do we know so far?”

“Not much.” Knox shook his head. “Dr. Whitmore claims to have never met the victim. According to the police reports, there was no sign of forced entry.”

“Boyfriend?”

“No one serious that any of her friends or colleagues are aware of. The police don’t have any leads yet, or, if they do, they’re not sharing that information.”

Luke frowned. It was a gruesome murder, but they’d always look first at people closest to the victim. “How is Dr. Whitmore tied into this?”

Knox shrugged. “She’s a psychologist. Maybe a former patient or a boyfriend trying to get her attention?”

Luke turned his gaze back to the beautiful woman on the screen. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she looked exhausted. “So, what are they requesting?”

“Basic security at the health center on the south side. Her practice is on the fifth floor.” He lifted a shoulder. “You’ll make rounds through the building, put any precautions into place that you feel necessary. You’re just hired muscle to make sure she’s safe.”

Luke lifted a brow. “Isn’t that a little much after only one incident?”

“Better to take the preventative measure than risk something happening to her.”