The Girl and the Unlucky 13 (Emma Griffin™ FBI Mystery) A.J. Rivers (historical books to read TXT) 📖

contributed to this. It was their decision not to call for an ambulance or the police. It was their decision to leave Ashley in the emergency room without anyone to watch over her. And it was their decision not to come clean when they realized everything wasn’t fine.

What she went through after the last moment Allison laid eyes on her in the emergency room is still hazy. But no matter what it was, it sits partly on the shoulders of her friends.

They can’t be blamed fully. Someone else is involved. The mystery of the last five years has another player. But it started with them.

My phone rings again, and again I ignore it. The questioning is getting intense, but there’s a balance that has to be kept. Every detail needs to come out. Allison needs to tell us everything she remembers from the very beginning. But if the interrogator pushes too hard, she might shut down. It could compromise the investigation to come. Which is going to have to include Vivian and Sean, when we track him down.

Allison is sobbing over Charlie, begging for the return of his remains when the investigation is over, when my phone rings for a third time. Seconds after I ignore the call, it rings again. I ignore it, and it rings again.

“Give me a second,” I say, standing up from the table. I rest a hand on Allison’s shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

I look over at the attorney who has been sitting silently next to Allison and he nods, a silent acknowledgment that I’m passing over to him the responsibility of both protecting her and making sure the truth comes out.

My phone is already to my ear when I step out into the hallway.

“I’m at the police station,” I tell Misty as she answers. “There’s been a development.”

“Emma, they’re trying to take her,” she says.

“What?” I ask. “Who? What’s going on?”

Misty sounds frantic, right on the edge of losing control.

“Someone put in a request to have her transferred to another hospital, to a secured ward,” she says.

“I’ll be right there. Do not let them take her,” I say.

“I’m trying.”

“Just hang on. I’ll be there.” I hang up and rush back into the room with Allison and the investigator. “I need to leave. Is Allison free to go?”

The detective looks at me in shock, but I need to get out of here, and I’m not leaving without knowing the direction this is moving forward.

“I don’t think we’re finished here,” he says.

“Unless you plan to put her under arrest, you are,” the attorney adds.

The detective knows he’s stuck. He only has a couple of options at this point. He could technically hold Allison for twenty-four hours before bringing any charges on her. He could also put her under arrest right now. Neither of those options is ideal in his situation. They could greatly compromise the future of the case and create a number of issues. Which leaves him with the final option. Letting her go.

He glares for a few more seconds, then stands. “Don’t leave the area.”

Allison looks at me and I nod. “You can go. Just make sure you stay accessible.”

She nods and I head out of the station to my car. I don’t know for sure the direction things will go with Allison and the others. There are definitely charges that could be brought against all of them. Whether there actually will be, and if said charges will be brought to trial, is yet to be seen.

I get to the hospital and flash my identification as I run past the security guard. Misty is standing in the hallway in front of Ashley’s room, wringing her hands. A doctor is standing in front of her and a police officer is at his side.

“It will be easier for everyone if we get her moved and settled into the other unit, then we can figure out where to go from there,” the doctor says.

“How is that easier?” Misty demands. “After everything she’s gone through, you want to disrupt her again, transport her to another hospital, and make her get used to another set of people? Without even knowing why they want to move her?”

“They want to move her into a secure unit that will be easier to monitor,” the officer says. “She’ll get better care and the family won’t be as exposed to the media.”

I stalk up to them.

“What’s going on here?”

Misty looks relieved to see me. She gestures at the men in front of her.

“They want to take Ashley to the hospital across town,” Misty says.

“You said the secure ward. Are you referring to the psychiatric floor?” I ask.

The doctor looks slightly uncomfortable but holds his ground. “Yes. The request states the patient would be more comfortable and better served in that environment.”

“Her name is Ashley,” Misty says angrily. “Not the patient.”

“Ma’am, I need to ask you to calm down,” the officer says. “It isn’t going to do anyone any good for you to react like this.”

I hold up a hand. “That’s enough. There’s no reason for you to talk to her like that. This is her daughter. She isn’t some nameless, faceless case file. She’s been missing for five years and has just come back to her family. Both of you need to show some more respect.”

“I’m sorry,” the doctor says. “That was insensitive of me. But I have to admit, I’m surprised by your reaction, Miss Griffin.”

“It’s Agent Griffin,” I snap to the doctor I haven’t met yet. “And you are?”

“Dr. Floriani. I’m one of the team handling Ashley’s case.”

“Alright, Dr. Floriani. Why would you be surprised by my reaction? You might be working on her medical needs right now, but I’m handling the case of what happened to her five years ago. It’s my job to protect her and her family, and to ensure her best interests are upheld,” I say.

“Which is precisely why I’m surprised,” he says. “Considering you are the one who put in the request for the transfer.”

Thirty-Eight

Misty gasps