Say Goodbye (Romantic Suspense #25) by Karen Rose

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

            TUESDAY, MAY 30, 9:30 A.M.

            “She’s good with the kid,” the surveillance tech said with a sad smile.

            “She is,” Tom agreed.

            It was hotter than hell in the van, but he didn’t want to be anywhere else. Watching Liza make a seriously sick kid smile was a beautiful thing. She’d read several chapters from the first Harry Potter book, doing “all the voices,” and little Brooklyn had been delighted.

            Then they’d taken a break to take the child’s vitals and change her bedding. Now they were looking at photos of the stars and planets on the child’s tablet.

            Tom and the surveillance techs hadn’t seen much of the inside of Sunnyside Oaks yet. They’d taken the tour along with Liza and Nurse Innes, who, according to what Irina had told Liza, was someone to watch.

            After the tour, Liza had stayed in the child’s room except for the few minutes she’d taken to deliver the soiled bedding to the facility’s laundry. She’d walked slowly on the way back, making sure the cameras in her glasses and the pendant caught every nook and cranny.

            He’d hacked the facility’s cameras that were connected to Wi-Fi, and that had made him feel a bit better about her being alone inside. He’d thought they might see armed guards everywhere, but they hadn’t. The only armed person seemed to be Saltrick, the security chief.

            One was enough, though. Unfortunately, if there were cameras in the patient rooms, they were hardwired, because he hadn’t been able to hack those, so they hadn’t seen Pastor.

            “Any luck on your phishing e-mails?” the tech asked.

            “No. I’m worrying now that they’re going to compare notes and realize someone is trying to break in.” Because the Wi-Fi feed had shown the employees working on their computers, so it was likely that they’d seen his e-mails.

            “We’ll keep watch, but if any of the recipients go to the security office, we won’t be able to see them.”

            Either the chief of security’s office didn’t have a camera or it was hardwired. Tom figured it was the former.

            The tech chuckled. “The head nurse just told Brooklyn that she’ll have her BeDazzling stuff in an hour.”

            Tom returned his attention to the monitor linked to the feed from Liza’s pendant.

            “Can we go to the sunny room to do our work?” Brooklyn asked.

            “What’s the sunny room?” Liza asked.

            “The solarium,” the nurse explained. “It’s a common area and there are tables there where patients do puzzles and paint. BeDazzling would be a great use of the solarium, Brooklyn. We’ll get a wheelchair for you.”

            Because the child was too weak to walk on her own.

            “But first, you need to take a short nap,” Liza told Brooklyn. “Those BeDazzler machines need some muscle, so you should rest.”

            Tom wondered who Brooklyn’s mother was. Innes had only said that she traveled for business. She could be one of the legit clients. Tom hoped so.

            He’d check the patient database, but he’d have to do so from his home system. The warrants only covered information specific to Pastor, so looking at Brooklyn’s records on FBI time would make the Bureau in violation, and he wasn’t going to do that.

            The ringing of his work phone jerked his attention away from Brooklyn. It was Raeburn. He couldn’t know about Rafe, but Tom still feared he’d sound guilty when he answered his boss.

            “Special Agent Hunter.”

            “It’s Raeburn. We need you back at the field office, ASAP.”

            Tom frowned. “Why? I thought I was assigned to surveillance today.”

            “We picked up Daniel Park, Pastor’s banker. I want you and Croft in Interview with him. Now, Agent Hunter.”

            Tom wanted to argue, because panic was spiraling in his gut. But Rafe was in the employee lot, ready to assist should Liza need it. So he drew a breath and said, “Yes, sir. On my way.”