Who's Dying Now?: Return to the Aspens Series, #2

By Elizabeth Sherry

Mack Sterling is an emergency room doctor at the Estes park, Colorado hospital.  His girlfriend, Rachel West is a nurse on the pediatric ward at the same hospital.  Mack's cousin, who he hadn't seen in a year was murdered a few miles from the hospital and the next day, Rachel is kidnapped.  Can Mack and Rachel and their new close friends figure out the clues before anyone else dies?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scarecrow Books
• Release date: Jan 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507087633

Book preview

Chapter 1

On his way out of Denver, Colorado, he scolded himself for waiting too long.  He never should have gotten so greedy and now he was in serious trouble.  He knew if he could make it the sixty miles to Estes Park, he could enlist some help.  Only trouble was, he wasn’t so sure he could make it even that short of a distance.

Pulling out his phone from his shirt pocket, he dialed but the call went to voicemail.  He needed to stop for gas and told himself he would try calling after he filled up his car in Boulder.  As he drove, he constantly, nervously checked his rear-view mirror, assuring himself that he wasn’t being followed.  He had to be careful.  He had to be smart.

Pulling up to the gas pump, he looked all around and didn’t notice anyone suspicious, so he got out and pumped his gas.  He had just finished hanging up the pump when he was approached by a tall, rugged looking man asking for directions.  The stranger kept stepping closer and closer and before he knew what happened, the stranger stuck something sharp into his side before walking briskly away.

Now he was terrified.  He closed his gas cap and jumped into his vehicle and peeled out of the parking lot, almost colliding with another vehicle.

Reaching down to his side, he felt the wetness but the thought of being stabbed took a few more seconds to register.  Again, he pulled his phone out and dialed, and again the call went to voicemail.  This time he left a message, hoping his cousin would get it in time.

Thirty more minutes and he would arrive at his destination.  He believed he could hold out for thirty more minutes.  To take his mind off of the wetness at his side, which spread larger every minute, he relived the past few months.

This was going to be his last get rich quick scheme.  He only wanted enough to get him through the rest of the year, as he applied for work.  No one was supposed to get hurt.  He didn’t see the harm in taking money from the scum of Denver, since they probably stole it from honest, good people anyway.  That’s how he justified his actions.  But, although he had a nagging feeling to close shop and run last month, he ignored it and stayed too long.

He found it hard to drive and keep pressure on his side, but he had no choice.  He was close to where he wanted to be, and knew he’d get help shortly.

He only had five minutes left on his journey, but as he swerved towards the guardrail, he knew he wasn’t going to make it.  As he lost consciousness, he had lots of regrets.

Chapter 2

Mack sat at the table far from the Hospital café’s entrance and watched for Rachel to arrive.  He had about three more hours till his shift for the day would be over and he knew Rachel had a little less time before her shift ended for the day.  It rarely worked out that they completed their individual shifts at the hospital at the same time, especially with Mack being an Emergency room doctor, and Rachel being a Pediatric Nurse. 

More times than he could count, just before his shift ended, there would be a crucial emergency, which kept him hours past his scheduled quitting time.  Rachel, on the other hand, worked basically a regular eight hour shift in Pediatrics and was able to clock out usually on time.

He noticed her as soon as she stepped into the café, and he watched as she got her steaming cup of black coffee before joining him at his table.  Mach stood, pulled out her chair and gave her a quick kiss before they both sat down.

I’m glad it’s a calm day on the ward today,  she said.

Mack smiled and took a sip of his own coffee before he said, I feel the same.  The ER hasn’t been bombarded with any true emergencies, and that always makes for a good day.

So, that means we will both be on time tonight.  We haven’t had a nice evening together for almost two weeks.  Rachel said.

I know.  Between our schedule differences and Brad and Hannah’s baby being abducted, things didn’t work in our favor.  Now that little Annie is back home, safe with her parents, we should be able to find more time for each other, which I am looking forward to doing.

Rachel smiled as she stood.  I’ve got to get back.  I’ll see you shortly.

Mack sat for a few moments longer with thoughts on tonight.  He never thought he would find someone as special as Rachel and it wasn’t hard for him to fall in love.  He knew she felt the same and they both looked forward to what the future held.

Before leaving the café, Mack checked his phone and when he did, he saw that he missed two calls from the same phone number.  Only problem was, he didn’t recognize the number.  Noticing he also had a voicemail from the same number, he decided it could wait.  It couldn’t be too important if he didn’t even know the person calling.

Mack had only a couple more small emergencies to deal with before he was close to clocking out.  A woman brought her child in with a piece of crayon stuck inside one nostril and another woman brought her daughter in with a sprained ankle.  Mack felt good that those were the only forms of emergencies he had today.  In his five years in the ER, he had witness some horrific damages done to the human body, and any day that no one suffered those types of injuries, was a great day.

Mack walked through the door of the staff locker room, smiling.  He would strip off his scrubs and take a quick shower and change into street clothes before meeting Rachel out front.  He recalled their conversation earlier in the café, and the light of humor that sparkled in Rachel’s eyes shortly before she left the table to return to her ward.  Knowing practically every emotion she felt, when she felt them, was a plus in Mack’s opinion.  Her face was an open book.  She never tried to hide her feelings from him, and after what he went through with other women he thought would be a good fit for him, only to find out about all the games and lies, Rachel’s honesty came as welcoming as a cleansing rain.

Looking back at his reflection in the mirror, he was not surprised one bit