Page 77 of Wild Temple
Both Isabella and Rex weighed heavy on my mind. I knew better than to call the hospital from a hotel room or even a house phone in the lobby. I didn’t know how sophisticated the local PD was when it came to tracking phone calls, but I didn't want to take any chances. Now that Caspian was gone, they had no incentive to hunt down his adversaries, but still, we had killed a few people on the island. Bad people. Butpeople nonetheless. I had no intention of spending the rest of my days rotting in a prison in Tanjung Sur.
That night, it felt remarkable to sleep in an actual bed. It felt better to sleep in a bed with Brooke. We tumbled around the sheets and worked off as much tension as possible.
In the morning, we grabbed breakfast, then hit the strip to pick up fresh clothes. Most of the options on Sunset Row were geared towards tourists. But I picked up a few pairs of cargo shorts, underwear, cheap T-shirts, sneakers, socks, sunglasses, and a ball cap. I bought clothing for the girls and snagged luggage to carry it all in.
While I was out, I called the hospital from a courtesy phone at another hotel and inquired about Rex's status. They wouldn’t divulge his information over the phone. I asked to be transferred to Tabitha. After about a 15-minute hold, she came to the line. "Hello?”
"I'm not sure if you remember me. We spoke yesterday about Isabella. Sorry I couldn't stick around. I'm a deputy in Florida. I'm here searching for my friend. She went missing. I think she’s your Jane Doe.”
"You expect me to believe you?"
"I'm just trying to find her. Any help you could give me would be appreciated.”
"I talked to the police. They say you brought in a man with a gunshot wound. Want to tell me how he got it?”
"Like I told the triage nurse. We found him like that in the jungle during a hike."
She scoffed, not buying it for a second.
"How's he doing?"
"He's in stable condition.”
"That's good to hear. Did you talk to Isabella at all?”
"We had a few brief conversations.”
"Did she mention anything to you about her plans when she got out of the hospital?”
"No. She was having some short-term memory issues. She either couldn't remember or wouldn't reveal her last name. She got cagey when asked for specifics.”
"Do you think she could have left the hospital of her own accord?”
"She’d been in a medically induced coma for almost a week. She was otherwise healthy, but atrophy sets in quickly. We were just getting her back on solid food. She would need physical therapy to regain her full strength, but I think she was on track to make a full recovery. She could get up and walk around. But she was by no means ready to be discharged.” Tabitha paused. "I really shouldn’t be telling you any of this.”
"Do you have access to the security cameras?”
"No. And I wouldn’t give you the footage even if you asked.” She paused again. "And if you're really a cop, why did you run when the local police arrived?”
"How long have you been in Tanjung Sur?”
"Six months.”
"So, you know how things operate around here? Or are you that willfully ignorant?"
She hesitated, then exhaled a tight breath. "I am not willfully ignorant.”
"That's good to know. Listen, I may call you tomorrow. Will you be on shift?”
"How do I know you're really a cop?”
"You’re gonna have to take my word for it right now." I ended the call, and we left the hotel.
With bags of clothes, we walked back to the Nest, then grabbed some lunch.
It was a little after noon when Talia called. “I’ve got something.”
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