Unseen (Will Trent / Atlanta Series)

van. Horns blared. Faith lifted her hat and brushed her hair back up underneath it.
    He asked, “Is she okay?”
    Faith shook her head. “I haven’t heard a word come out of her mouth. It’s like talking to a brick wall. She won’t respond to anything. Won’t look at me. I was thinking about holding a mirror under her nose to make sure she’s still alive.”
    Will waited for Faith to realize that wasn’t the question.
    She said, “Sara’s all right. Tired. She didn’t say, but I can tell it’s hard for her to be here.”
    Will nodded.
    She finally looked up at him. “You need to tell her, Will. This is getting too close to the bone.”
    He rubbed his jaw. He felt a knot coming up where Vickery had punched him. “Lena didn’t say anything?”
    Faith stared at him for a second longer, then shook her head again. “I tried to go in there like she was just another witness. Then I tried to talk to her like a cop. But the whole time, I’ve got sweat dripping down my back because all I can think is am I going to be the next cop she gets killed.” Faith shrugged her shoulders when she added, “Or you.”
    Will wasn’t sure what to say. He shrugged his shoulders, too.
    They both turned when they heard a cackling laugh. A group of doctors had made their way up to the roof. Will walked gingerly around the shed. He kept his back to the metal wall. The pea gravel crunched as the group walked toward the edge of the building.
    He checked that the coast was clear, then slipped through the door.
    Will looked over the railing before heading down the stairs. His toolbox was still outside the ICU. He grabbed the handle and pushed open the door. And then his heart stopped because he hadn’t checked the window first. Luckily, no one was there but the cop and the nurse.
    The man’s hand went to his gun.
    Will held up his ID. “Maintenance. I got a report that a pipe’s leaking?”
    The cop gave Will a hard look. His hand stayed on his gun.
    “Officer Raleigh, it’s okay.” The nurse stood up from her desk. “Lordy, Bud, it took you long enough.” She apologized quickly. “I’m sorry, that’s probably not your fault.”
    “I’m sorry anyway,” Will told her. “Got hung up on the last job.”
    “It’s Ruth.” She smiled, motioning for him to follow her.
    Will hefted the toolbox into his other hand as he walked down the hall. He had been in the ICU once before to check a hissing air conditioner. The basic layout was a horseshoe that squared off around the nurses’ station. The rooms were small. The only windows looked into the hallway. Will guessed patients in the ICU didn’t really care about sunlight, but the whole floor made him feel claustrophobic.
    Officer Raleigh blocked the doorway to Jared’s room. He grabbed the ID hanging around Will’s neck. He scrutinized Bill Black’s photo. Will was close enough to see the fine down on the young officer’s cheek.
    “What’s the deal here?” Ruth seemed perplexed. “This is Buddy. He’s been up here before.”
    Will studied the woman. She was older with dark hair that showed a little gray at the part. He wasn’t sure why she kept covering for him. Will was pretty good at remembering faces and he was certain he’d never met this particular nurse before.
    “All right.” Raleigh finally moved out of Will’s way.
    Will tried to keep his expression neutral as he walked into the room, but Lena, who was folded into a chair in the corner, wasn’t as careful. Her mouth opened in surprise.
    Ruth misunderstood her reaction. She told Lena, “I’m sorry, sweetheart. We need to get this leak checked out. Only take a minute.”
    Will couldn’t help it. He looked everywhere in the room but at Jared.
    “It’s there.” Ruth pointed at a brown spot in the ceiling.
    Will was tall enough to reach up and touch it. The tile was wet and smelled like apples. He looked at the food tray beside Jared’s bed. The apple juice container was empty.
    Will lowered his hand. Ruth was watching him in a way that made him uncomfortable.
    She winked at him, then said in a breathy whisper, “I’m a friend of Cayla’s.”
    Will was trying to summon up one of Bill Black’s grunts when Faith finally appeared.
    “What the hell’s going on?” She directed her anger at the cop. “I know Chief Gray taught you better than this. Did you check this guy out?”
    Raleigh hesitated. He clearly had a healthy fear of his chief. “The guy’s got an ID.”
    “You can get those at