Part 20 (1/2)
He was halfway up to the second floor when he turned back and called down, ”Where's Daria?”
”She was in there.” Louise pointed toward the room into which Daria had disappeared.
”Would you ask her to wait with you here until I come down? I'm not getting a good feeling.”
Louise dialed the number for campus security. On the third ring, it was picked up.
”This is President Burnette. Was a guard a.s.signed to the library tonight? Did he check in? Has he been in touch since? I'm over at the library and there's no one here...yes, I'm positive. There's no one at the guard's post, and the building appears to be empty. Yes, please, page him. I'll hold.”
She looked up to see Connor running down the steps.
”I found your Mrs. Weathers. At least, I'm a.s.suming that's who she is.” He grabbed the other phone from the desk and dialed 911. ”I'm afraid we're going to need the police here after all.”
”You don't mean Gloria...” Louise went pale. ”Is she...?”
”Someone is.” He looked around. ”Louise, where's Daria?”
”She was in there. I was going to check after I called security-”
He shoved the phone into her hands. ”Tell the police we need them now. Probable homicide.”
He hurried to the doorway where Louise had last seen Daria.
”Oh, sweet Jesus...”
Seconds later he was bending over Daria, checking for a pulse, his own heart all but stopping at the sight of the blood that puddled under her head.
”Please be alive...please, please be alive.”
He located a pulse and began to breath again. ”Come on, baby, hang in there. Hang in there...”
”The Howeville police are on their way...” Louise stopped three steps into the room. ”Oh my G.o.d, is that-?”
”Call 911 back. Tell them to send an ambulance immediately,” he said without looking up.
All of Connor's instincts told him to seek, to find, to break the attacker. But he continued to kneel at Daria's side, wanting to touch her, afraid to touch her, until he heard the sirens stop in front of the building. When the EMTs appeared in the doorway, he waved them over and stepped back, and watched while her vital signs were checked and she was gently lifted onto a stretcher.
Then he left the room without a sound and disappeared into the night. For Connor, the game had just become personal. The killer had no idea just how dangerous a move that had been.
”How are you feeling?”
The unfamiliar voice was soft and melodious, with a slight accent Daria could not readily identify. She opened her eyes but could not get them to focus.
”Daria?” the voice asked. ”Are you coming back to us now?”
A face floated in front of her. Daria tried to raise her head, but the pain was like a bolt through her brain.
”Easy, Daria.” The mouth on the face moved. ”Don't try to sit up.”
”Who are you?” Daria whispered through very dry lips.
”I've been sitting here with you for so long, I'd almost forgotten we hadn't been introduced.” The face moved closer. ”I'm Sabina Bokhari.”
”Sabina.” Daria's voice was weak. ”I've heard so much about you. I've wanted to meet you...”
”And I've wanted to meet you, too. I'm a great admirer of your work.”
Daria tried to wet her lips.
”You need water, don't you?” The woman rose and walked away, then returned seconds later with a gla.s.s of water and a straw. ”Here. Let's see if you can take a sip.”
Daria sucked on the straw, grateful.
”Thank you,” she said.
”More?”
”Please.”
”Not too fast, though, all right?”
Daria nodded slightly and took a few more sips.
”Thank you,” she said again. ”How...why...?”
”I was on my way to the library-my office is in the bas.e.m.e.nt-when the ambulance pulled up. I saw Louise on the steps, so I went to find out what happened. I thought perhaps Mrs. Weathers had another heart attack.” She swallowed hard. ”Anyway, Louise told me what happened. She didn't want you to be in the hospital alone, and since the police needed to question her, she couldn't leave the university grounds. I offered to accompany you and wait with you until you woke up.”
”Connor...” Daria frowned.
”Connor?”
”Connor s.h.i.+elds. He was with us, in the library.”
”The man from the FBI?”
”Yes.”
”I didn't see him, but I heard Louise tell the police he was in the building. Perhaps he was looking for whoever did this to you.”
”Did they find the librarian?”
”Mrs. Weathers, yes. Yes, they did.” Sabina's dark eyes clouded.
”What?” Daria asked.
”She was found on the second floor. She was...”