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U.S. Marshal Service at any moment, but until then your people are responsible for his safety.”
    “You got it, Mister,” the man said and took the weapon. He pulled out his cell phone.
    The orderlies pushed the stretcher inside. Lancaster reached out, grabbed Bethany’s arm and hurried after them.
    “Sir,” the nurse called, trying to catch up with him. “I need more information.”
    Lancaster held his hand out to Bethany expectantly. She smiled sweetly and handed the wallet back to him. He opened it, showing Shanahan’s badge and I.D. to the nurse, then gave the wallet to her. She clipped it onto her board and wrote quickly.
    Still gripping Bethany’s arm, Lancaster followed the gurney into the emergency room. He stood back and watched the nurses and doctors descend on Shanahan. The chaos was absolute, but also strangely organized. Bethany gazed at Shanahan’s pallid face. God, he looked awful.
    “Please let him be okay,” she whispered.
    The orderlies pushed Shanahan into a triage room and the nurse made Lancaster stop, closing the door. He leaned against the wall and peered into the small window in the door.
    The two orderlies left and moments later so did the nurse. Lancaster released Bethany’s arm and stepped quickly into the room. Just like that, she found herself alone in the hall. She wavered , uncertain what to do.
    Bethany glanced in the window. Lancaster gripped Shanahan’s shoulder and leaned over him, whispering something in his ear. The man’s strained features instantly relaxed and his eyelids fluttered.
    She felt an icy chill skitter down her spine, the hairs on the back of her neck stood upright and her skin prickled. The ER became as cold as a meat locker. Fear clamped its bony fingers around her heart. She looked down the busy corridor.
    Aaron’s ghost stood in the middle of the mayhem, slightly translucent. But no one else reacted to him. A doctor wearing scrubs put his surgical mask on and walked right through the spirit.
    Horror possessed her. Bethany’s feet started moving before she realized what she was doing. She sprinted for the door. An inattentive orderly pushed a surgical cart into her path. She dodged, grabbed the cart and tossed it to the floor. The loud crash didn’t block out Aaron’s cadaverous scream .
    ****
    The sound of metal hitting the floor sent fear through Ethan and straightened his spine. Shit! He had left Bethany at the door. He had expected her to follow him in, especially after admonishing her to stay close. It was a rookie mistake – one he shouldn’t have made. Cursing himself for his stupidity, he stood to the side of the door and peered through the window. He saw a couple of orderlies looking at each other in confusion. A startled nurse stared out the door of the ER. A doctor wearing scrubs and a surgical mask over his face ran past Ethan and towards the door, but there was something about his clothing that caught Ethan’s attention. The green scrubs bunched then tightened at the small of his back as he ran, and when they tightened, Ethan spotted the outline of a gun shoved into his waistband.
    Fuck! He drew his Colt and took off after the fake doctor.
    Ethan charged through the sliding doors and hesitated looking left then right. He saw no sign of Bethany , but he caught a glimpse of the fake doctor, now with gun in hand, running toward the parking garage. Ethan sprinted after him, but he had quite a head start.
    Ethan entered the garage and lost sight of the fake doctor for a moment. He suddenly understood why he was still on medical leave. He felt dizzy and short of breath. His lungs ached. A shot echoed through the garage. Ethan swore violently and sprinted off again. Because of the acoustics, it was impossible to tell where the shot came from. He ran past parked cars, the incline sapping the last of his endurance. Then Ethan spotted the fake doctor. He stood near a large Suburban, pointing his gun between cars.
    Hell, Bethany had probably tried to