“He what?” Reese said into her phone, raking her fingers through her hair.

“Landon’s been arrested,” Paul said back to Reese.

“For what?” At least Reese knew why her dad hadn’t come with her clothes. He was sitting in a police station, probably handcuffed. She hoped they wouldn’t find his antipsychotic medication on him or they would most likely keep him for evaluation, even for a minor offense.

“Attempted murder.”

So much for a minor offense. “Are you kidding me?”

“I wish I were. I’m on my way to the courthouse now. Hopefully they’ll set a reasonable bail at his arraignment so I can get him out.”

“Who did he try to kill?” Odd that she didn’t question whether he actually had tried or not. Besides, she knew the answer, didn't she?

“Gregory.”

Reese had to cover her mouth so her laugh was stifled. Expecting the answer apparently did little to quill her excitement.

"Somehow he got into his hospital room and tried smothering him with a pillow.” Paul's voice was steady. Perhaps he didn't notice Reese's reaction.

Her giddiness deflated as she recalled how she fantasized doing the exact same thing earlier. She had a frantic second of thinking that she had sent out a beacon to her dad and he was only following her instructions. But that was crazy thinking, wasn’t it?

“Paul, if you can bring me a change of clothes, I will go to the courthouse. You shouldn’t have to be bothered with this.”

“I’m already on the road, and Lucy is coming by with a change of clothes for you.”

“She is? That’s so sweet. She was at my office earlier taking care of my schedule.”

“I know. She told me. I think she doesn’t want to go home to Heather. She’s trying to find anything to keep herself busy. I hope you don’t mind, I let her into your townhouse. She needed to grab your stuff, and she wanted to finish cleaning up the broken glass.”

“How did you let her in?” Reese couldn’t recall giving a key to Paul.

There was a long few seconds of silence and then Paul said, “I found your hide-a-key.” After another pause, Paul said, “I am psychic, you know.”

Reese couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. Either way, she was thankful to both Lucy and Paul.

“I can meet you at the courthouse,” Reese said.

“I don’t think so. No way the hospital is discharging you already. Besides, by the time you would get there, we’ll probably be done with the arraignment.”

“Do you think they’ll let him post bail? I don’t want him sitting in jail.”

“Probably. I’m assuming it’s his first offense and considering the circumstances, he’s not likely to pose a threat to anybody on the street.”

“Okay. Thanks for taking care of this, Paul. Call me when you guys are all set.”

“Will do. How are you feeling?”

A commotion in the hospital hallway erupted distracting Reese from Paul’s words. She raced to the doorway and saw Dr. Dunham, several nurses, and a handsome young man with several days growth on his chin looking like they were botching a fire drill.

“Where is she?” Dr. Dunham bellowed as he circled around three hundred and sixty degrees.

“Paul, I have to go,” Reese said absentmindedly into her phone. She heard him same something as she disconnected the call.

She stepped into the hallway and snagged Nurse Nancy as she was rushing by Reese. “What’s going on?”

Nancy looked pale and trembled as she pulled away from Reese’s grasp. “Have you seen Demi?”

“Not since earlier today,” Reese answered. She wondered if Demi had decided to make her exit earlier than originally planned.

“You! Ms. Caldwell!”

Reese turned to see Dr. Dunham approaching her as Nurse Nancy scurried off in the direction of the nurse’s station. A booming voice sounded over the intercom system announcing a code. Like ants marching out of an anthill, hospital personnel appeared from behind closed doors and patient rooms.

Reese watched in amazement at the throng of people joining the scene and barely heard Dr. Dunham say, “Where’s Demi? I know you know where she is.”

Reese snapped her head in his direction. “I do not.” She was honest-to-God offended by his assumption.

He wrapped his fingers around her upper arm and pulled her into her patient room, closing the door behind her. Reese yanked away from his grip and faced him. She pinched her eyebrows and frowned at the neurologist. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

He pulled the right glove off his hand and curled his fingers over one of her hands. Reese tried to pull away but he squeezed his grip tighter and his eyes closed. She tugged her arm a couple of times but he tugged back. She didn’t want him to read her mind, assuming he could. She stopped fighting and slowed her brain. She focused on his height, trying to figure out how tall he was. It occupied her mind. He was shorter than her, but not by much. She concentrated on converting her five feet and seven inches into a total of sixty-seven inches. Then she decided he was no more than an inch shorter than she was, thus making him sixty-six inches. She kept her mind focused on the math. Boy he’s short, she thought.

He released his grip and slipped his hand back into the glove. “I’m not that short,” he said.

Reese played back the last few seconds in her mind to see if she remembered talking to herself. How did he know what she was thinking?

“Where’s Demi?” He said as he forced his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“You are kind of short,” she said.

“I don’t think you understand, Ms. Caldwell. This isn't a joke. Demi is in trouble.”

“Trouble?” Reese shrugged her shoulders. “Like she’s grounded kind of trouble?”

“No," he said, elongating the word. "Like her life is in jeopardy kind of trouble. I need to know where she is. Now.”

Reese took a step back. “What makes you think I know where she is? I just met her a few hours ago.”

Dr. Dunham stared at her. Reese didn’t have to be a mind reader to know he was genuinely nervous. His entire composure was alive with short, jerky flicks. His balance shifted from one leg to the other. His hands almost came out of the pockets before he shoved them back in. His eyebrows danced over the rim of his glasses.

“You think she’s in danger?” Reese said more than asked.

“I know she is, Ms. Caldwell,” Dr. Dunham answered, leaning forward as if he was about to beg Reese for help.

Reese took a couple of steps away and twirled back to him. “First, my name is Reese. Stop calling me Ms. Caldwell. I’m not that much older than you.” It was hard to take herself seriously in her hospital Johnny. She hoped she sounded more in control than she looked. “Second, who is she in danger from?”

Dr. Dunham pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his left pointer finger. Reese made a mental note. Earlier he had taken his right glove off to hold her hand, but now was using his left to adjust his glasses. It was likely he was ambidextrous. Not a significant point to make, but in her line of work, she couldn’t help but notice the details. They often proved useful at some point.

He looked down and away from Reese. He shuffled over to her bed and sat on the edge of it, barely enough mattress under his behind to support him. With his hands on his knees, he looked down toward the floor and sighed heavily.

“You have to take my word for it. She’s in danger. Serious danger.”

Reese strolled over to the young neurologist. She was tempted to place a crooked finger under his chin and lift his face up, but she was afraid the skin contact would result in him reading her mind. “And you have to believe me. I don’t know where she is. She’s probably walking around the halls. She’s a teenager, likely bored.”

Dr. Dunham flipped his head up and faced her. His cheeks were flushed and his hair was disheveled as if he had been jumping on a trampoline or having a great round of sex. Reese couldn’t help but smile. He looked too innocent to engage in frivolous sex.

He opened his mouth to speak when the door flew open and Jonah barged in, towing the tall young man with the facial hair behind him. Dr. Dunham stood and Jonah abruptly stopped and then stood on his tiptoes.

“Toe walking. Toe walking,” Jonah said as he fixated on Dr. Dunham.

Gaylord Dunham air-patted his hand in Jonah’s direction. “It’s okay, Jonah. It’s just me. You don’t have to toe-walk.”

“What does that mean? Toe walking?” Reese asked curiously.

“Seeing a doctor’s coat triggers his behavior to tiptoe. Walking on his toes. It’s part of a neurological examine to check his motor skills,” Dr. Dunham answered.

“I see.” Reese walked toward Jonah who had lowered himself to the flat of his feet at Dr. Dunham's command. She zeroed in on the little boy, oblivious to the young man at his side. She went down on both knees and looked Jonah in the face.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the man said. “He doesn’t care for strangers in his personal space. He broke a counselor’s nose once because she got too close.”

Reese heard the words but strangely felt safe in front of Jonah. The way he stared at her, she thought he had something he wanted to tell her, if only he knew how.

“What is it Jonah?” Reese said, ignoring the verbal warning. Logic told her that the man was Will, Demi’s other brother. She waited and noticed Will tug at Jonah ever so slightly, perhaps to get him out of punching range. She watched the boy's face. He had a fair complexion like his sister, but his features were not nearly as dark as hers. His eyes were blue and his hair was sandy. He had small freckles across his nose, similar to Frankie she realized.

“We’re sorry to bother you,” Will said. “I think he thought Demi was in here.”

Reese smiled at Jonah. She wished she could read his mind. Whatever was going on in that little brain of his, the connection wasn’t making it to his mouth.

“Dr. Dunham,” Will said, “how did you lose my sister?”

Reese heard the edge of fear in the man’s voice.

“We need to find her,” Will said in a rush of words, apparently not waiting for a response from Dr. Dunham.

“That we do,” Dr. Dunham answered. Again he sighed and walked toward Will and Jonah.

Reese stood. She held a hand out to Will, but before he reciprocated the handshake, Jonah slipped his little hand into hers. He turned toward the door, pulling her to follow him.

“Jonah, what are you doing?” Will said as he stepped so closely behind Reese, he kicked her heel. Jonah dragged her out into the hallway and down two doors. He stopped and focused his attention in the room. She looked into what she assumed was Demi’s hospital room. There were three women facing the single bed. A private room, just like Reese’s. It was only then that she realized she didn’t have a roommate.

Nurse Nancy was the first to turn toward Reese. “Oh Reese, please tell me you remembered something. You know where Demi has gone, right?”

The second woman to turn was a middle aged woman, slightly plump with a frown and slightly red eyes. She had been crying. Reese figured she was Demi’s mother. She had a worn denim messenger bag over one shoulder and was dressed as if she had never escaped the seventies with her bell bottom jeans, floral print blouse with a long collar, and crunchy granola style sandals.

“Who are you?” The woman asked, darting her eyes from Reese’s face to Reese’s hand which was still in Jonah’s grasp.

“Reese Caldwell,” Reese said in a low voice.

The third woman turned to Reese. Her face was a thinner version of the plump woman’s. She was dressed in dark skinny jeans, two-toned riding boots that were too big at the calves since there was little meat to hug, and a navy blue cashmere sweater. Her hair was cropped in a professional do and her makeup was so impeccable that it was barely noticeable. Despite their fashion differences, the two women were related. Reese figured they were sisters.

The thin woman approached Reese with her hand held out. Reese pulled her own hand away from Jonah and as they shook, Reese noticed a large round pin attached to the woman’s sweater. It was obviously a custom button with a photo of a bald boy smiling. Although the picture was in black and white, the image was clear enough to make out the little boy’s freckles sprinkled across his nose. He was squeezing a teddy bear in a tight hug to his chest. Lettered in a semi-circle border at the top of the button were the words, TOGETHER WE CAN BEAT CANCER.  In another semi-circle below the picture were the words, RIP, FRANKIE.

Reese stared at the button for a few seconds and then looked down to Jonah. He stretched his neck and blankly looked back at Reese. In a whisper, he said, “Frankenstein.”