In the Shadow of the Shield (Secret Lives Series Book 2) Read Free Page B

exposed to some sort of toxin. His CO 2 levels were very high. I don’t understand.”
    Jason had his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. “I think I do. Shit. Pick up the phone, L.T.!”
    She became even more confused.
    “Hey. It’s Mills. That house over in Lynnhaven we were at tonight? Remember the stink I told you Massey smelled? Get it secure. I think there’s been a meth lab in there.”
    A meth lab ?
    He fell quiet for a minute before he spoke again, in much more subdued tones. “Yeah, I’m at the hospital now. Massey’s gone, L.T. They think he was poisoned, and he is the only one who went inside that house.”
    Diana watched Jason’s expression change from one of sadness to one of determination.
    “Get that place locked down. I’m heading over there to find the son of a bitch who owns it.”
    Jason disconnected the call and dropped the phone in his pocket. “I am so sorry, Di. If there is anything I can do, let me know. Right now, I’ve got to get out of here. Cyndi? Can you let the doctor know Donnie is a detective and he may have spent time in a building where they were making methamphetamine?”
    Cyndi nodded. “Yes. I’ll go find him right away.”
    “What’s the rush? My husband is already dead.” Diana lost it then. The tears fell unchecked, accompanied by heavy, body-wracking sobs. She heard Jason leave and felt Cyndi’s arm around her. Her friend smoothed her hair and whispered a prayer in her ear. All Diana could focus on was the last conversation she and her husband had. Her big, sweet, bear of a man had died thinking his wife was a cheating tramp. How would she ever live with herself?
    “Diana?” Cyndi spoke quietly, trying to get her attention. She opened one red, swollen, tear-filled eye and looked at her friend.
    “What?”
    “Does Jackson know?”
    Jackson! She had completely forgotten about her son.
    “Yes, he knows. He ran out of here very upset. I have to go find him!”
    She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t hold her weight, and she collapsed back into the chair.
    “You stay here, I’ll go find him.”
    “He drove his own car. He’s probably long gone.”
    “Do you know where he would go? I can have Jason go after him.”
    “He probably went to his girlfriend’s house. He spends all his time with her.” As if on cue, Diana’s phone chirped, indicating a new text message. “That’s probably him now.” She fished the phone from her purse and looked at the screen through watery eyes. “Yup, his girlfriend says he just got there. He will be okay there. She comes from good people. He won’t want to see me anyway. He probably thinks all of this is my fault.”
    “How could this be your fault?” Cyndi pushed her friend’s hair back from her eyes and offered her a tissue.
    “Donnie and I were having an argument right before he—when he collapsed.”
    “So?”
    “I know how my son thinks. In his mind, the argument gave him a heart attack, and if I hadn’t been arguing with him, he never would have died.”
    “He will understand when the doctor gets the blood work back. Your son loves you.”
    “Yeah, I know. He wanted to know what we were arguing about, but I told him it was none of his business. What if this is all my fault?” Her head dropped into her hands again.
    “Why would you even think that? Jason said he was in a meth lab today.”
    “A possible meth lab. And that doesn’t hold a candle to what we argued about.”
    “It couldn’t have been that bad, Di.”
    “He walked in on my last call.”
    “Your last—oh!” Cyndi’s eyes opened wide as understanding hit her. “Your last call !”
    “The final thought my husband had about me was that I was a cheating whore. How will I ever live with that?”
    “I don’t know, Di. I can’t even begin to imagine what you are going through right now, but I promise you this—you will get through it, and we will all be there to help.”
    Diana nodded, but the sound of her heart