to be strong for her son.
He was about all she had left now.
20
Allen unlocked the door to Wallace Henedy’s office two days after the man’s arrest. Rafe had volunteered him for this unpleasant task after Allen made the mistake of stopping by the other man’s office that morning. Now, he was stuck with one of his least favorite TSP detectives.
Not a good start to his day, by any means.
“No one’s been in here?” Detective Callum asked.
Allen shook his head. He’d already told the man that—twice. “We had Vince change the locks immediately after everything that happened. The only ones with the keys are Vince and Rafe. I had to get one today from Rafe to let you in.”
Callum nodded. “How’s the nurse who was shot?”
“Holding on.” She was fighting. Her progress had been cautiously upgraded about two that morning. Her stats were stable, and everything looked good. Allen had checked her charts carefully himself.
“Her uncle is a friend of mine. And colleague. This was senseless. The TSP is taking it personally.”
Senseless. “Personally is a good word for it. I think we’d all like to know why he did it.”
The Snotty Garlic tabloid had somehow gotten ahold of the security tapes of what had happened. Both inside W4HAV and in the hall. The clips were playing online in an almost continuous loop on all the local sites.
Allen had watched them over and over. He hadn’t been able to look away for the longest time.
There had been a madness on Henedy’s face as he’d shoved Izzie at Allen.
Madness Allen would never forget. He’d seen it again in his nightmares last night. Nightmares where the story had a different ending. For Izzie and Nikkie Jean.
Allen had had to look away when Henedy had attacked Nikkie Jean on the video each and every time. Allen hadn’t been able to stop himself from playing it again and again. Just hoping for why.
Henedy had slammed Nikkie Jean into the damned wall. As small as she was.
It was a miracle Nikkie Jean had survived relatively unscathed. She had visible bruises. Allen had checked on her himself after his shift the day before, stopping by the ranch she was now sharing with Caine.
Watching the bullets strike Izzie was something Allen would never forget. He hadn’t needed to rewatch that video to see those images again and again.
Nikkie Jean had been singing before Henedy had come in. Izzie…Izzie had been laughing and pirouetting across the lobby floor.
Then Wallace Henedy had walked in.
Izzie had been caught between Henedy and his true target.
Izzie’s expression in that next moment was seared into his brain, his nightmares. It probably always would be.
The way her body had jerked. The terror and confusion on her beautiful pixie face. The blank look on Henedy’s face as he’d done it. The terror on Nikkie Jean’s sweet face as she’d realized what was happening.
He shook off the memories again as Callum asked how Henedy had been acting in the days before the attack.
“Quiet, stuck to himself. He usually did. He’d returned after the storm. We were giving him space since his nephew had been killed. He was a part of the department, but not well-liked. Never made close connections.”
“We’ve confirmed his nephew was stalking Dr. Coulter. You know anything about that?”
Allen paused in putting a stack of notebooks into a bag for the detective. He sat the bag at his feet then looked at Callum. “Fin was being stalked?”
Callum nodded. “The security guard, Henedy’s nephew, had been stalking her for weeks. You haven’t noticed anything around here? Nothing strange going on this time either?”
Callum suspected Allen in what Logan and Banks and Jess had been involved in. There was always a look of distrust in the man’s eyes whenever their paths would cross.
“No. Fin didn’t mention anything, either. My path rarely crossed Ray’s. Dr. Henedy spoke highly of his nephew and his son, Reggie. His entire family.”
“We’re interviewing Henedy’s son and wife, too.”
They started cataloging the contents of Henedy’s desk together. It was all so random. Things similar to what Allen had in his own office. Although there were a good dozen journals. He flipped through one. Patient notes. Things Henedy had learned from certain surgeries. Rambled notes that no doubt only fully made sense to Henedy. “I’ll want a copy of the list of everything taken out of this office as well. Duplicates.”
Callum’s mouth twisted and a taunting expression hit the man’s hazel eyes. “What’s the matter? Don’t trust me?”
“Well, the TSP has a reputation for corruption