Page 10 of Colorado K-9 Rescue
Then he’d met Mckenna.
The more he was around her, the more attracted he was. At least she wasn’t another agent, but even if he only had a friendship with her, he was certain the rumors would flare up again.
No, he had to quit thinking about Mckenna for many reasons. Evan parked at the hospital and found his way to the nurses station. One of the nurses took him to Lily’s room but mentioned that she hadn’t spoken at all.
“She just stares out the window at nothing,” the nurse told him as they approached Lily’s room. “I don’t know how much I can share with you, though.”
Evan hesitated outside the door. “Lily’s parents gave me permission to have access to her records. You can find it in her files. How are her vitals? Did she have any injuries?”
The nurse peered at Lily’s chart. Evan saw her double-check the note allowing him to receive medical information.
“No, vitals are good,” she answered. “They did a CT scan and there’s no brain trauma. Overall, she’s in good health, but won’t speak, eat, and has barely slept. The doctor has ordered a psych eval. That should happen in the next hour or so.”
“Did the doctor pull blood for a tox screen?”
“He did. It’s been sent to the lab already, but it may take a couple of days to get results even with a rush.”
“Thanks,” Evan said, wishing he had contacts to pull strings and get the tox screen done faster. As he stepped into the room, the first thing he noticed was untouched food on the overbed table. Like the nurse mentioned, Lily was staring out the windowin a fugue-type state. Her parents sat next to her bed holding hands. Evan reintroduced himself to them as the nurse left.
“If it’s okay, I’d like to try to talk to her,” Evan said.
Lily’s mom, Brenda, spoke up, “It’s fine, but she hasn’t said a word to anyone.”
“Okay,” Evan said. He went over and pulled up a chair to sit down next to Lily, taking in the view that seemed to completely occupy her. The city bustled below, and buildings blocked any view of the mountains. “Lily? I’m Agent Evan Knox. I met you yesterday. I need to ask you some questions. Is that okay?”
No answer. Evan continued.
“I’m here to help you, Lily. You can talk when you’re ready. No hurry. I want to catch the person who did this to you. I want justice for Autumn, and I know you do too.”
Lily blinked a couple times and Evan leaned forward hopefully. If she could even just give him something to go on, that would be helpful. Instead, Evan watched tears start streaming down her face.
“I’m sorry, Lily,” he whispered to her. He pulled a Kleenex out of a box and started dabbing her cheek. Brenda leaned in and took over with the Kleenex as Evan stood and backed out of the way, keeping his frustration in check. He could ask the tech person if they’d been able to get anything off Autumn and Lily’s phones, but his best bet was getting Lily to talk. He could try again after the psych evaluation. Maybe there was something they could give her to help.
Evan heard the words again—I told you so.Mckenna.Mocha. It was worth a shot. Did Lily even like dogs? Evan asked her father, and he answered with a very enthusiastic yes. Pulling his cell phone out, Evan stepped out into the hall. He hesitated before hitting the contact he’d created for Mckenna. The call rang and rang as he paced back and forth.
Good grief, I’m nervous to talk to her. It’s like being in high school and asking a girl to the prom.
Just when Evan thought the call would go to voice mail, Mckenna answered. He was tongue-tied for a moment hearing her say “Hello” again.
“Uh, Mckenna?”
“Agent Knox?”
“Yes. You know how you said you’d be able to say, ‘I told you so?’ Well, you’re going to get to tell me that. Could you come to the hospital? With Mocha? To see if he can help me with Lily?”
“Mocha will always help, especially with Lily,” Mckenna said. “Text me her room number. I can be there in about forty minutes.”
“Thanks,” Evan said.
“I’d say you’re welcome, but I want to make it clear that Mocha and I are coming for Lily. Not for you. That’s what I was trying to get across to you. This is why I get to say, ‘I told you so.’ See you soon.”
Mckenna hung up and Evan was left once again speechless.You deserved that. She had every right to speak to you that way. I guess I was hoping for a warmer reception, but why would I think that would happen after the way I’ve been?Plus, why would he even think she would like him likethat? No one else in the office seemed to like him. And the thing was, that never bothered him—until now.
CHAPTER 9
Mckenna locked the door to her house and loaded Mocha into her SUV. She’d saved for a long time and her parents had helped her with the down payment so that she could live in a house that was in the mountains and made her feel safe. There was too much activity in the city and the sound of emergency vehicles, people yelling or even laughing after a late night out and everything else that went with city life set Mckenna on edge.
Instead, she loved her home in Idaho Springs—a small town that attracted many tourists through the summer and winter months. The commute to Denver wasn’t bad; the wintertime drive could be dicey, but there were plenty of things she could do for her job remotely on the days that I-70 was snowy, slick and nasty. It was all worth it to escape the city and breathe in crisp mountain air.
