Page 55 of Rage

“The guy we picked up is Todd Lewis. He’s clean, Kate. No record. There were no drugs found on his person or work area.” Tomasetti grimaces. “Look, I talked to the detective. He doesn’t think Lewis did it.”

“Do they have CCTV cams?”

“None working.”

“That’s convenient,” I snap.

“Our detective says Lewis seems genuinely baffled. And scared. He’s claiming there was a small window of time when the cup was sitting on the bar and you were turned away from it, talking to someone. Anyone could have come up and spiked your drink.”

I blink at him, trying to remember, to digest what’s being thrown at me, not doing a very good job of either. I do recall talking to someone …

If you’re looking for Angelica, check the break area out back.

“The server.” I look at Tomasetti. “She’s the one who told me I could find Angelica at the break area in the back.”

“We’ll find her.” His mouth tightens. “Did the ER doc do a tox screen?”

I nod. “Blood. Urine. Saliva. He says it’s going to be a few days.”

“I’ll get on it, see if I can light a fire.”

But we both know tox screens are usually a slow process. “Thank you.”

Tilting his head, he reaches out and lifts my hair out of the way with his fingertips. His face darkens, telling me he’s spotted the bruises that are starting to bloom on my neck.

“If I wasn’t old enough to know better, I’d punch the goddamn wall,” he growls.

My smile feels cockeyed. “There’s something to be said for you old guys.”

He grins back and I’m so thankful to see it, to be the recipient of it, tears threaten again.

“You want to take me through what happened?” he says.

The last thing I want to do is relive those moments when I was helpless and drugged and at the mercy of someone who wished me harm. I take him through everything I remember, pushing through the tougher details. All the while I’m aware that my knees are shaking beneath the sheet. That my hands have gone cold. And the hair at my nape is wet with sweat.

When I’m finished, he sets his hand against my face. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

I press my cheek into his palm. “Me, too.”

“Any idea how long you were out?”

“I don’t know. A few minutes.”

“Too damn long.” His scowl deepens. “Kate, did he…”

“No.” I shake my head. “There were a lot of people coming and going. He was more interested in getting his message across.” I sigh. “Tomasetti, this was not some random assault. Not even close. It was about the case. Yutzy and Shetler and God only knows what else. This guy threatened me. Tried to intimidate me.”

Grimacing, he reaches out and tugs the blanket up over my thighs. “Evidently, the dumb bastard doesn’t know you very well, does he?”

“Or you.” I choke out a laugh. “Which means he probably hasn’t noticed the glowing red bull’s-eye on his back.”

“When the time is right, he’s going to notice,” Tomasetti says quietly. “And he’s going to have a come-to-Jesus moment with the word Regret. That, you can bet your life on.”

CHAPTER 14

It’s a hair past eight A.M. and I’m standing at the half podium looking out at my team, trying not to feel self-conscious about my two black eyes and the unsightly bruises at my throat. Someone has set up a floor air-conditioning unit. It’s groaning like a zombie, but the room is still as hot as a sauna.

“In case you have any questions about my new look this morning,” I begin, “I was at The Cheetah Lounge last night, trying to identify Cassidy, our mystery woman. Someone didn’t appreciate my asking questions, spiked my coffee, and assaulted me.”