“I’m not talking to you,” he snapped, turning his back on them for a second time.
Nate stepped forward with his handcuffs, and Laura braced herself to catch him if Mullins tried to make a break for it.
“We’re arresting you on suspicion of murder,” Nate said, because he was giving them no choice. If he wouldn’t come calmly, then they needed a reason to take him in. A reason to keep him in, at least until they were satisfied one way or another as to his guilt or innocence.
Mullins started to really yell then, words that were so loud and angry Laura couldn’t even make them out, and his eyes flashed as he tried to break away from Nate—even throwing an arm in the air toward him. Laura saw it—what must have happened at the museum, the reason why no one had tried to stop him from quitting, why he’d gained a bad reputation.
And maybe, she saw the potential in him to turn to killing.
Nate managed to wrestle his other arm down behind his back so that he could snap the second cuff into place, and Mullins wrenched his shoulders back and forth as though it was going to help him get out. Finally, he slumped, giving a growl of frustration. All around them, men had stopped working to stand and stare.
“Let’s get him out of here,” Laura muttered.
“Couldn’t agree more,” Nate said, keeping a firm hand on Mullin’s cuffs and pushing him in the direction of the car.
Laura’s phone rang in her pocket, and she grabbed it as they moved away from the noise of the cement mixer to a place where she would actually be able to hear the person on the other end of the line. “Hello?” she said.
“Agent Frost,” the Sheriff said. “This is Sheriff Landyn. I just got a call from the hospital. You need to get over there right now.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Laura rushed through the doors of the ward, hearing Nate catch them before they closed as he rushed after her. She made a beeline directly for the room where they had last seen Alana Garland being treated, pausing only for a second to look through the window and check she wouldn’t be running into something she wasn’t supposed to.
The bed was clearly visible from the door, and Laura could see Alana lying there.
No, sitting.
She was sitting up in the bed, surrounded by doctors and her family, glancing around at them and smiling weakly.
Laura glanced back at Nate in relief and entered the room, causing everyone to turn and look at the two of them. She gave a nod of recognition to the doctor and the siblings, who knew her already, and then turned her full attention on the victim.
“Alana,” she said, keeping her voice soft to avoid any unnecessary distress. “It’s good to see you awake. Would you be up to answering some questions? I’m Special Agent Laura Frost.”
“Yes,” Alana said, though her voice was somewhere between a croak and a whisper. She attempted somewhat to sit up, but both the doctor and her older brother immediately held her back. The brother adjusted her pillow for her.
“You need to take it easy,” the doctor admonished. “Stress is not good for you at this time. You have to get a lot of rest.”
“I will feel more stressed if I know my attacker is still out there,” Alana argued. “I need to do this. I’ll tell you as much as I can.”
“Thank you,” Laura nodded. She turned to the others. “If we could have a moment alone…?”
“I’m going to be right outside,” the doctor said fiercely. He turned to Laura and Nate, piercing them with his eyes. “I mean it. She’s been through a serious medical trauma. We’re lucky that she survived, so please don’t push her at all. If it gets too much, you’ll have to come back and ask more tomorrow.”
“I understand,” Laura nodded.
“We don’t want to upset anyone,” Nate agreed. “We’re just as relieved as you must be.”
The doctor made a sound in his throat that suggested he disagreed, but he left the room along with the others, all of them trailing out one by one. The sister, Alexis, lingered the longest, looking back at Alana with a worried stare.
“I’ll be alright,” Alana said, giving her a soft smile.
Alexis left the room, the door closing behind her, and Laura saw her chance to finally identify the killer once and for all.
“Alana,” Laura said, taking one of the seats by her bed that had just been taken up by her family. “I know this must be very difficult to think about. But we need as much information as possible to catch the man who tried to kill you.”
“I don’t know how much I can tell you,” Alana said. She looked sad, as though she was disappointed in herself for having to say it. “The thing is, it was dark, and he was behind me. I never got a good look at him.”
“That’s okay,” Laura said, though inwardly she felt her heart sink. “There may be other things that will help us. Did you hear him say anything?”