The woman’s countenance immediately fell.“José isn’t doing well. He slipped into acoma about thirty minutes ago.”
“He did?” Adrian’s question came right when Meganopened her mouth to ask the same thing. The kid was in a coma? Theyneeded to know if he’d conveyed the message to anyone—his mom, orone of the nurses—before he went unconscious. This would changetheir plan of action.
After the nurse nodded, Megan said, “Was anyone inthe room around the time he slipped into the coma?”
“His mother was.” The nurse glanced between Megan andAdrian. “She’s been by his side for weeks.”
Megan nodded. If they wanted to be completely sure,they’d need to look at surveillance. Make certain no one whoshouldn’t have been in the room had entered. She glanced at Adrian,who gave her a short nod. They were in agreement then. And he knewwhat she’d been asking.
It was possible the coma hadn’t come naturally as aresult of the illness. Someone could have forced the child’s bodyinto the coma. Hurt him, so he couldn’t tell them anything.
“Did you see the man?” Adrian asked her.
The nurse shrugged. “He seemed familiar. Like maybeI’ve seen him somewhere before.”
Maybe on the news? Zimmerman’s face had beenbroadcast on TV and social media over the past day. If she’d beenonline at all, she’d likely seen his image.
“I can ask the mom if she’ll speak with you.”
Megan shrugged. “The last thing we want is to botherher at a time like this, but I’m afraid it’s unavoidable.” Shedidn’t want to use the word “terrorist,” but she would if she hadto. “And if we could look at your surveillance footage that wouldbe great.”
If a verbal message had been given, they wouldprobably never learn what it was.
“Let me check with José’smom,” the nurse said, lifting out of the chair. “She might be readyfor a break and willing to talk.”
Megan thought for a second about the boy. About hislife being in danger.
They needed to put it out there—maybe on the DoubleDown server—that he’d slipped into the coma before he could tellanyone anything. Then the blackmailer would see it. Megan wanted tomake sure he knew the child couldn’t say anything, in the hopes theblackmailer would leave the boy alone. No sick child needed that,and it galled her that Zimmerman had dragged him into this in thefirst place. It was the last thing that should be on the rogue FBIagent’s to-do list right now.
After the nurse moved out of earshot, Adrian said,“You should take point with the mom. I’ll get with security aboutlooking at their surveillance.”
It wasn’t an order, as such, but he also wasn’tasking for her opinion. Adrian was a capable agent, calling theshots. She was a solo flyer. They were going to have conflicts, butright now wasn’t the time to drag out their differences and start afight. This relationship wasn’t going to last forever, right? Afterthey found Zimmerman—and she got the answers she wanted—Adriancould take him in. She wouldn’t have anything to do with aconviction.
All she wanted was peace.
“Megan?”
She realized she’d beenzoning. “That’s fine. If the mom wants to talk, I’ll do it.”One woman would be less intimidating to a distraught mother than apair of federal agents. “You check and see if anyone came in or outof that room around the time the kid went into the coma. I want toknow if he was hurt. Because if he was, that person should bebrought before a judge and convicted.”
Adrian reached out like he was going to touch her. Helooked as though he wanted to say something. Before he could, thenurse said, “She’s ready for you in the waiting area.” The womanslipped back behind her desk. “And I’ll call security, if one ofyou wants to talk to them.”
“Thanks,” Adrian said. He glanced once at her, andthen he walked away.
Megan found the mother. A tiny Hispanic woman faryounger than she’d imagined. The woman couldn’t be more than latetwenties at most. Puffy-eyed, she clutched a balled-up tissue whileshe sat in the waiting area the nurse had directed Megan to. “Can Iget you some tea, Mrs…?”
“It’s Sofia.” She gaveMegan a small, sad smile. “Sofía Gonzalez.” Sofia sighed.“The nurse said you’re with the FBI?”
Megan nodded. “How about that tea?”
Sofía shook her head. “I can’t eat anything.” Shetouched her stomach and made a face that might have been amusing atany other time. “But thank you.” She had a slight accent, her longhair was disheveled, and she wore what were probably yesterday’sclothes.
Megan figured she looked pretty put together givenwhat she was going through. She sat across from the woman. “A manvisited your son, is that right?”
She nodded. “I was downstairs getting some breakfast.When I came back up, José said a man hadvisited him. A white man, an FBI agent. That’s what he said.” Shealmost looked apologetic.
Megan shrugged, pulling out her phone. She pulled upa picture of Zimmerman and showed it to Sofía. “Have you seen thisman around the hospital at all?”
Sofía frowned. “No. Is that him?”
“We can’t be certain, but we think so.”
“Why would a bad man visit my son?”
“I don’t know,” Megan answered, honestly. The ideaZimmerman had simply been there to deliver a message meant forMegan was bizarre, to say the least. “Did José say anything about what the man said to him?”
“Not much.” Sofía shifted and pulled out somethingfrom the purse beside her hip. “But he said the man gave himthis.”
She opened her hand. Sitting in her palm was a thumbdrive.
“May I have that?”
Sofía nodded.
Megan slipped the thumb drive in her pocket. Answers.This was all about answers. Could this be it? She’d beeninvestigating El Cuervo forso long, trying to figure out his identity, trying to work out whohad sold her and Will out. Was it Zimmerman?
The idea he would suddenly just hand her answersdidn’t make sense.
There had to be more going on here than she knew.
**
Adrian sat in the swivel chair and watchedsurveillance footage from the hallway outside the child’s room.Hospital staff. Parents. They scanned through the recorded image,three hours of footage, before he saw the man they were lookingfor.
“Pause it, please.”
The security guard clicked the mouse.
“That’s him,” Adrian said.
