Anxiety rushed over her, and she knew one thing. She had to get the heck out of this hospital. Researching the guard was her first priority. Maybe he wasn’t on the payroll for the protection of the contestants but to keep the pageant’s legacy intact by guarding that file cabinet.
“I’m not nauseous, or dizzy, and I don’t remember seeing stars.”
“But you were unconscious. Give me the benefit of the doubt, Bella.” Shawn wasn’t going to budge and she let out a long sigh.
“Fine.” Sometimes giving in was the quickest way to a vital goal. Bella had to get to the bottom of this pageant’s history and apparently continued abhorrent ways, and she was running out of time. She had the length of the pageant to bring this investigation to fruition. And Bella had to get back to those files before they disappeared. Her gut sank at the thought. By getting caught trying to open them, she may have alerted the bad guys that they needed to destroy them, or at least hide them elsewhere. And who used paper files anymore these days, anyway?
She needed to get back to the school and into the staff room when the rehearsals weren’t in session, and when no security was on premises. It was the school’s break, but certainly the principal and senior staff had to come in to take care of administrative duties? She could pose as herself, doing an article on MVHS and how it had changed over the years. A profile on Shawn, from being her high school physics lab partner to becoming a trauma/ER physician’s assistant, would be a great cover.
The sense of dread in her stomach lessened, but not when she thought of walking back into MVHS.
Bella wasn’t a gambler, but she’d bet that the mysterious security guard was definitely a key to finding answers.
* * *
Two hours later and with assurances that she didn’t have a concussion, Bella pushed through the hospital exit doors and ran smack into a tall, hard mass of man in a blue uniform.
“Spencer!”
Her brother was almost a foot taller than her and kept himself in top shape as a sergeant for MVPD. In uniform, he usually exuded authority, a no-nonsense countenance. Since he was her triplet and she knew him better than most anyone, save their brother Jarvis, Bella could tell Spencer had more on his mind than police business.
“What the heck, Bella?” His blue eyes sparked with concern and not a small dose of frustration. He looked at her, then pulled her to him in a big-brother-style hug. Which technically was correct as he’d been born two minutes ahead of her. “I about flipped when I found out you’d been brought in.”
Bella soaked up the love, as her brothers were her closest friends and only immediate family. Despite the Colton name and the hundreds of distant relatives who shared it, Bella and her brothers had only ever been able to rely on one another, as had their parents before they died over twenty years ago.
“I’m fine.” She pushed back and looked into Spencer’s eyes. “Seriously. I had a scare, by some jerk who’s probably involved with the Ms. Mustang Valley Pageant. He knocked me out with one of those Vulcan-grip maneuvers.”
“Do you mean a choke hold?” His worry was evident. “What were you doing at the high school, Bella?”
“Where’s Boris?” She sought to distract her brother as she looked around for his K-9 partner, a beautiful chocolate lab they all considered part of the family.
“With Katrina. They’re working on some more in-depth maneuvers. And stop trying to avoid my question.” Spencer might be in overprotective-big-brother mode, but it didn’t stop the warmth in his eyes from blossoming at the mention of his love and local dog trainer, Katrina. They’d recently fallen in love and gotten engaged.
“Let’s talk while you drive me home.”
“You don’t have another ride arranged?”
She shrugged as they headed for the police K-9 SUV parked in front of the entrance. “I was going to call for a ride with my app.” Actually, she’d planned to walk back to the high school to retrieve her vehicle and maybe manage to sneak back inside. Nothing she’d willingly share with her cop brother.
“Why wouldn’t you call me or Jarvis? We’re your family, Bella.”
“I know, but you’re also both a bit controlling about what you think I should be doing with my life.”
“It’s no secret that something’s afoot in Mustang Valley.” He got behind the wheel and moved a laptop out of the passenger side. She slid onto the leather seat and realized how hot it was.
“Air, please.”
“Sure thing.” He flicked on the engine and put the SUV in Drive. “Where to? The high school?”
“Yes. I left my car there earlier.”
“And why exactly were you there?” Spencer’s attitude was all casual but she knew it was from years of experience interviewing victims and criminals. Her brother could be as patient as needed when he wanted information.
Bella sucked in a breath, held it and slowly released it. The technique was part of her daily meditation to keep her tendency toward anxiety at bay. If the day’s events hadn’t triggered her, she’d bet Spencer’s reaction was about to.
“Don’t get mad. The last thing I need right now, after such a, a traumatic experience,” she silently thanked Shawn for the description, “is you coming down hard on me. I’m doing an undercover exposé of the local beauty-pageant circuit and I need to participate to get my story. But no one can know about this, Spencer. You can’t tell anyone at work. Promise me.”
“Of course I won’t.” She knew he would though, if he thought her safety or anyone else’s depended on the information. “Why would you do this, Bella? Is it about Gio?”