Deadline (Sandra Brown)

buildings are also vacant, so there was no one to question about vehicles seen in the area.”
    “Security cameras?”
    “None operable, because the businesses are kaput.”
    “What about traffic cameras?” Amelia asked.
    “Being checked all over the city, but most only capture the license plate, not the driver.”
    “Cameras on the bridges?”
    “Are being checked. But lots of cars, lots of drivers. It’ll take time.”
    Tucker broke a thoughtful silence by asking Amelia if she had duplicates of Jeremy’s credit cards.
    “Not for years. I’ve had my own accounts since we separated.”
    “We were hoping maybe he’d use an ATM or make a purchase.”
    “You don’t think Carl would avoid leaving such an obvious trail?”
    “Hey,” Tucker said, taking offense at Dawson’s snide tone. “We’re doing our best here.”
    “That’s what worries me,” Dawson fired back. “If you had listened to Headly sooner—”
    “Well, excuse me for not placing much confidence in a lawman who’s been chasing the same guy for forty years.”
    Dawson was off the sofa in a blink, intent on ripping out Tucker’s flabby throat. He might have, had it not been for Amelia grabbing a handful of his shirttail to hold him back.
    Which coincided with Eva’s sudden appearance in the open doorway.
    Dawson worked himself free of Amelia’s grip and shouldered past the deputies in order to reach her. His arms went around her, and he bent down low to murmur into her hair, “Eva, Eva, we can’t lose him. We just can’t.”
    He held her tightly while she cried into his shirtfront. But she was made of stern stuff and eventually set him away from her and wiped the tears off her face. “I was told by the policeman who met me at the airport that he’s still in surgery.”
    “They took him back”—Dawson glanced at the wall clock—“over three hours ago. No word since then.”
    “Did you see him before he went in?”
    He shook his head. “By the time Amelia and I were allowed to leave the scene, he was being prepped in the OR. They wouldn’t let us go back.” He reached behind him for Amelia’s hand, pulled her forward, and made the introductions.
    Amelia bit her lower lip to keep it from quivering. “Mrs. Headly, I’m so sorry.”
    Eva took her other hand. “It’s not your fault.”
    “He was trying to catch the men intent on hurting me.”
    “He was trying to catch Carl Wingert long before you were born.”
    Amelia gave her a watery smile and motioned her toward the sofa. Eva went to it and sat down. Amelia asked if she could get her anything. Eva declined, but patted the seat next to her. “Please.” Amelia joined her and they began talking together in low tones.
    Dawson turned back to Wills, who said, “We’ll keep you apprised.”
    “I’ll appreciate that.”
    “We’re sorry about Agent Headly.”
    “Thanks.” He said it brusquely, but the remorse in their expressions was genuine, even in Tucker’s. He thanked them again with more sincerity.
    The two left. Dawson, seeing that the women were involved in their conversation, stepped into the hallway. Disobeying the signs prohibiting the use of cell phones, he accessed his and punched in a familiar number. “Hey, Glenda. No, no word yet. He’s still in surgery. Got anything?”
    Five minutes later, as he was disconnecting, a wiry, compact man in green surgical scrubs came through a pair of double doors. “Mr. Headly’s family?”
    Dawson’s throat seized up, but he managed to nod toward the waiting area. He followed the surgeon into the room and stepped around him so that he was at Eva’s side with a supporting arm around her shoulders when the surgeon introduced himself.
    “I’m sorry it took so long, but the surgery to remove the bullet was painstaking because we didn’t want to further damage surrounding tissue or nearby nerves. He’s in recovery. Not completely out of the woods, but for someone who took a hollow-point between his scapula and spine, he’s doing remarkably well.”
    *  *  *
     
    The surgeon provided them a much more detailed description of the wound and the repair it had required, but they absorbed little of what he said. What they heard was that, after the swelling went down, the paralysis Headly was currently experiencing in his shoulders and arms would be reversed and he should enjoy a full recovery.
    Amelia knew that her relief couldn’t match that of Eva and Dawson, but it was profound nevertheless. Although Eva