Forgetting Jane Read Free Page A

turned around.
    “You look like shit,” Tom said with all seriousness.
    Eli shook his head. “Just as shitty as you do.”
    “When was the last time you had a good night sleep?”
    Three years ago . “Yesterday.” Eli lied. It had been three years since he stepped back into this town and sobered his ass up. He had never thought he would have stayed this long.             
    “A few hours of rest aren’t going to kill you.” Tom opened his trunk and placed the evidence inside.
    “What, now you’re my mother?” Eli glared at the man. He trudged his way around to his truck. “I’m heading to the hospital. Call me when CLS arrives.”
    “One last thing.” Tom hesitated. “I got a call from Adams County yesterday. I didn’t want to tell you but now with what happened, you need to know.”
    “What?” Elias growled out. Sometimes, Tom grated him the wrong way. This was one of the moments.
    “One of their officers found a guy squatting in one of the abandoned farmhouses in Amery. He said the guy looked like your father.” Tom closed the trunk and leaned against the vehicle.
    “And you tell me this now?” Eli stepped toward the officer.
    “I figured James wouldn’t dare come around here after what he did last time,” Tom said.
    “It’s not your decision to make,” Eli countered. He squared his shoulders and asked, “What did they do?”
    “They just ran him off.” Tom shrugged his shoulders. “James is too stupid to come back. But with this woman, we have to check every possible lead.”
    “Yes, we do. Put the word out for him.”
    “What if—”
    “Let’s just hope for everyone’s sake that he has nothing to do with this and stays away from here.” Elias took one more look around before he got into his truck. He put his father out of his thoughts and focused on getting to the hospital.
    He shifted the truck in reverse and looked into the rear view mirror. Halfway out of the path, a flash of black rushed by, and then vanished out of sight. He jammed on the brakes and twisted to look out the back window. Nothing stood in the distance, except trees.
    Fucking losing it.
    Damn, he needed a cigarette too. He licked the dry corner of his mouth. “Fuck it,” he uttered under his breath. Bad time to quit smoking. His jaw hurt from chewing on his gum too long. He spat out the gum into discarded wrapper and tossed it into the ashtray.
    He threw the gear in reverse, turned the truck around, and drove straight to the hospital.

Chapter Two
     
     
    E lias stepped out of the elevator into a hallway and noticed Officer Tyson Ryan leaning against the wall outside the door of the victim’s room.
    Tyson shifted his slender frame away from the wall as Elias approached. “Hey, Chief,” the officer quickly said.
    It was still odd to have a fellow officer call him chief. Elias wasn’t worthy of the title. “Tyson. I’m not Chief Henley, you can call me Elias or Eli.”
    The officer’s brow furrowed and nodded. “Okay… Eli.” Tyson’s face scrunched up as though he had sucked on a lemon.
    Elias stayed straight-faced. “Call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”
    “All right, Chief.” The officer relaxed his shoulders.
    “How is she?” Elias thumbed toward the doorway.
    “Jane is stabilized now, but she’s in bad shape. She actually died, but Dr. Rollins brought her back.” Tyson fidgeted with his belt buckle and looked at the wall clock by the nurses’ station. He looked nervous, and Elias wasn’t sure why.
    “Why are you calling her Jane?” Elias asked in a rigid tone.
    “The hospital is listing her as a Jane Doe, since she had no identification.” He wrung his hands.
    “What’s wrong, Tyson?” Eli stepped closer, his voice lowered.
    Tyson cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Beth texted me ten minutes ago. She’s ovulating,” he whispered.
    Elias shook his head. “TMI, officer. TMI…” He rubbed at his face and cleared his throat, Elias continued.