Read Tangerine Morning: Jezzica's Story (Serenity Cove Series) for Free Online Page B

into the drive next to the Serenity Cove General Hospital monument sign for the small, single-level hospital and parked in the spot reserved for the SCPD. Jezzica rushed toward the front doors, and he had to jog a few steps to catch up with her.
    Inside, Thelma manned her station at the front desk. “Make yourselves comfortable in the waiting area. Doc’s with Catylen now.” Her no-nonsense commander-in-chief tone of voice left little room for questions.
    Guilt gripped Jezzica as they took a seat. “This is all my fault.” She stared at the floor.
    “Your fault? You know who did this?” Zack grasped her hand.
    The situation forced her to tell him everything. She accepted the tissue he offered her and wiped her face. “I intended to call you tomorrow.”
    “So there’s a possibility the incident tonight has something to do with the killers.” Zack tightened his hand around hers.
    “It sure wasn’t an accident. That truck rammed us over and over intentionally. How did they know where to find me?”
    “They’ve probably had you under surveillance since Geoff’s murder.” He wanted to take the words back, yet she needed to know what she was facing with men like these.
    She and Zack both looked up as Doctor James Hollingsworth, commonly referred to as Doc, came into the waiting area and sat next to Jezzica. “Your sister is fine, but we’ll keep her overnight for observation.” Doc rubbed his fingers through his scruffy beard and stretched his lanky legs out in front of him. It seemed the long night had taken its toll on him. Jezzica noticed less of the burnished brown and more of the salty gray in his hair than when she’d first met him the previous year.
    “Can I see her?” Desperation clouded her eyes. What if something had happened to her—what if she’d lost her sister like she’d lost Geoff? Had the killers kept track of her—what would be their next move?
     
     

Chapter Nine

 
     
    Zack perused the report from the detective division of the Stone Valley Police Department. The file presented graphic, detailed description of the incident the night of Geoff’s murder. The killers hadn’t been content with killing him. They’d fired six bullets into his body as though nothing more than a target set up for practice. The photos revealed multiple bruises from being kicked, as he lay on the ground dying or maybe already dead.
    This fit the profile of criminals that had no conscience, and showed relentless hostility toward their victims. They often were the hardest to capture. The file held drawings based on the information and work Jezzica had done with the police sketch artist. According to the file notes, the sketches hadn’t resulted in any leads. The detectives on the case stated that, in their opinion, the crime had been the work of overzealous thugs within a large carjacking ring. The killers may have been thugs—but Zack believed psycho was a better fit.
    In light of the current situation with Jezzica’s car, the case warranted immediate attention. He donned his cap, left the station parking lot and drove to Main Street. As he pulled into a slot in front of the bookshop, the lights were on. Good, she’s here.
    He tapped on the door. Her shadow appeared through the frosted double glass doors. The doors swung open and her translucent brown eyes created a surge in his heartbeat, but drained his brain cells. He’d heard her say to come in, but it hadn’t registered with him that he should pick up his feet and move.
    “Zack?” Her knowing grin didn’t help.
    He recovered with a lame attempt to act natural—anything would be an improvement after acting like the victim of a recent lobotomy. He cringed and stepped across the threshold. “I dropped by to…to check on Catylen.”
    She squinted as though questioning his sanity. In the back of the shop, she sat at the table, motioning for him to sit across from her. “Caty is doing much better. She’s upstairs, going through a few things