Henry was certain that he packed his sedatives when he hurriedly threw his suitcase together, and he knew exactly where he placed the plastic amber-colored bottle when he unpacked that very same suitcase just two days ago.

“On the sink, next to the toothpaste, behind the folded washcloths,” he thought to himself. If only he could reach them from where he was kneeling. Though he wasn’t sure that the pills would really do him any good, the thought of getting to them at least gave him something to shoot for.

A goal.

An objective beyond his primal objective of breathing.

He knew he couldn’t talk and ask whoever it was standing behind him holding the rope tightly across his windpipe for a quick time-out. He had tried screaming to get the attention of anyone who may be in the room next door or even out in the hallway, but his scream was locked deep in his lungs.

And as black speckles began to fully cloud his vision, he accepted that breathing would not be something he would be doing anytime soon. Certainly not in time to save himself.

As the black speckles began to flash at their outer edges, Henry gave up the goal of getting to his pills and turned his thoughts to his wife. Her name was Abigail, and she would soon be getting back to the hotel room. He wished that the last thing he said to her had been “I love you” instead of “Make sure that no one follows you back from the store, and please don’t forget to pick up some Fritos.”

“Damn,” he thought as the black speckles covered his entire vision. “Damn.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Derek and Ralph had just finished ordering breakfast when Derek’s cell phone began to vibrate. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw that his client, Thomas O’Connell was calling.

“It’s my client,” Derek said to Ralph. “Should I take the call outside?”

“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I sure would like to hear what that client of yours has to say.”

Derek knew that Ralph was sticking his neck out by allowing him to be part of the investigation, and though Derek believed that maintaining his client’s confidentiality was of high importance, he also didn’t want to make Ralph think he was keeping information from him.

“How about we step outside, and I’ll put the speaker phone on?”

“I like the way you think, Derek Cole.”

Derek answered the call and quickly told Thomas to “hold for one second” while he and Ralph made their way out of the small diner and into Derek’s rental car.

“Okay, Thomas. I’m back. Had to get somewhere quiet. Is everything okay with you?”

“Fine. What did you find out in Albany? Did that ass-backwards police chief get in your way?”

Derek glanced at Ralph, apologizing for his client’s remarks. Ralph blinked an eye and nodded his head towards Derek’s cell phone.

“No problem at all. Have you heard from your parents yet?”

“Yes, and that’s one of the reasons I am calling you. My father called me around 11:00 last night to tell me that he and my mom are safe and sound in the Bahamas. I assume you don’t want to know which island they are on nor which hotel they are staying at?”

“Correct. If I need to know, I’ll find out. Did you talk with both your parents?”

“Yes. Why do you ask that?”

“Just want to make sure they’re both safe.”

“I spoke with my mother last evening after they got to their resort and with my dad just a few minutes ago.”

“Perfect. You were saying something about your father?”

“Yes. He knows where I am staying and knows I’m safe, and since he and my mom are together and very safe, he wants you to call him and give him updates on your progress.”

“Fine. Text me over the number where I can reach him.” Derek glanced at Ralph who was still holding his gaze on Derek’s cell phone. “You probably didn’t hear yet, but Doctor Mark Rinaldo was killed late last night.”

“Oh, I did hear,” Thomas said. “I won’t tell you where I am, but just know that I can get Chicago news and Chicago police radio on my cell phone. What I heard was that his head was bashed in, unlike what happened to Zudak.”

“What happened to Zudak?” Derek asked. Ralph lifted his gaze and met Derek’s eyes.

The questioning look in his eyes let Derek know that Ralph had no idea what happened to Henry Zudak.

“Looks like my brother has crossed off more names. Zudak was found in a hotel outside of Chicago. I guess he was strangled to death. His wife found him dead in their hotel room.”

“If it’s your brother who killed these two, that means he is in Chicago and is probably actively looking for you. You need to assure me that you are in a very secure location and that you have an exit strategy in case your brother pays a visit.”

“If you saw where I was and knew who was around me, you wouldn’t worry at all.”

Ralph shot a strange look to Derek and mouthed “who was around me?” to Derek. Derek shrugged his shoulders and made a mental note to try to find out more about Thomas’s location if and when knowing became important.

“Listen Thomas, I’ll call your father as soon as I can, but I need to know if you let anyone know that I was headed to Albany?”

“No one. Why?”

“Did you call Hertz and have them leave a note for me, welcoming me to Albany?”

“Hell no,” Thomas said. “If you got a note, that means that someone else knows you are on the case. That really concerns me.”

“Me too,” Derek said.

“Any idea who it could have been who left that note?”

“I have a short list of possibilities,” Derek said.

“Well I’m sure my name is on that list, but I promise you that I had nothing to do with it. I hope you believe me.”

“I do,” Derek said honestly. “Wouldn’t make sense for you to hire me only to set me up.”

“Listen,” Thomas said after a short pause, “I need to get running. Please make sure you call my father and keep me informed about any developments. I assume that you will be headed back this way soon?”