Free Fatal Intent (Desert Heat Book 3) by Jamie Jeffries Page A

should have taken a Valium as soon as she learned Dawn was missing. But she had Dylan’s arms around her now, and that made her feel safer than anything. With a nod, she let him lead her to bed and hold her until she slept.
    In the morning, Alex was calmer. She assured Dylan she’d be okay at home and agreed she probably shouldn’t try to join the search. She would work on her homework and wait for his call.

NINE
     
    Alex felt blindly for her phone the next morning, to hear Dylan’s voice when she found it. “Alex, they found her last night.”
    His words broke through the fog of sleep and the calming prescription she’d used to settle herself down after he left. She felt guilty for keeping him from the search last night, knowing that every minute counted. Now her heart was in her mouth.
    “And?” She didn’t want to know, but she did. It had been four days…
    “She’s alive! Severely injured, and she may lose a leg, but they think she’ll make it.”
    Alex’s elation that Dawn had been found alive turned to sorrow as she pictured the dynamic girl crippled by the loss of a leg. “Are they allowing visitors? Where are you?” She was beginning to feel more like herself. It was time to get the story, if Dawn was up to it.
    “I’m on my way home. Stay put, Alex. I know you took a Valium, and you shouldn’t be driving. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
    Grateful for his understanding, Alex ended the call and went to take a shower. As the hot water began to wake her, Alex marshaled her questions in a logical order. Who, what, when, where and how—the classic five interview questions for a journalist. And the why, if Dawn knew. Alex had a strong hunch the why had to do with Dawn’s activism. She could only hope Dawn knew who.
    Alex was just getting out of the shower when Dylan arrived. She quickly braided her wet hair and didn’t bother with makeup. Just minutes later, they joined a group of well-wishers in the hospital’s main waiting room. Dawn was in surgery, but Alex learned the facts from Jesse, who’d been among the searchers last night.
    “Her car was half-hidden under an overpass,” he explained. “You couldn’t see it from the road, and if we hadn’t been searching, no one would have found her in time. There weren’t any roads going there, just a deep gully the road bridged.” He looked haunted, his eyes staring from a gray-hued face. “Why didn’t I raise the alarm earlier?”
    “You didn’t know,” Alex soothed. She now had a glimpse of what Dylan had suffered, the second-guessing and the what-ifs that one agonized over when something like this happened. The normal everyday things that make up a life and suddenly take on a completely new meaning.
    Taking time to rest, to go to work and not notifying the authorities sooner, all simple decisions until the unexpected happens. Even more difficult, the not knowing the grave danger their loved one faced.
    She turned to Dylan and indicated Jesse with a flick of her eyes. Dylan nodded and traded places with her. He was murmuring something to Jesse as she went to talk to others, anyone who might be able to give her some facts.
    Before she’d found anyone who knew much else, a doctor in scrubs appeared. He addressed the group. “Mr. and Mrs. Redbird have authorized me to let Dawn’s friends know of her condition. Anyone here for Dawn?”
    As one, the whole group surged toward him and he took a step back. “Okay, as of ten minutes ago, she was out of surgery and headed for the recovery room. Her status is critical but stable. She is expected to survive. Thank you, and I’ll update you as her condition improves.” He turned to go, but Alex, primed for her reporter role, called out.
    “Doctor! What can you tell us about her leg?” she asked, as he turned back to the sound of her voice.
    “Oh, sorry. Ms. Redbird’s leg was broken and pinned between the steering wheel and the console. I’m afraid we had to amputate just below the knee.