“Bitch,” the girl screamed.

“Nice to meet you, too. What’s your name?”

“Fuck off.”

Taylor was getting sick and damn tired of being told nasty things by children. She was so much bigger, it took nothing at all to pin the girl to the wall.

“Listen to me, you little brat. You’ll show me some respect or I’ll haul your ass to jail. Get it?”

“You can’t arrest me. I’m a minor.”

Taylor laughed. “Watch me.”

She hauled the girl by the arm up the stairs and back into the hallway. She thumbed her radio as she strode down the hall, dragging the struggling girl behind her. “Dispatch, I need backup, my location. Vanderbilt surgical floor. I need to transport a prisoner.”

“You can’t do that. I didn’t do anything,” the girl screamed. “I want my parents.”

“Oh, we’ll get your parents, sugar. Though you’d be better off talking to me right now. For all I know, you’ve done nothing wrong except try to come see your boyfriend. I do assume Juri is your boyfriend, right?”

They were at the Family Room now, and Taylor opened the door, pushed the girl through. The Edvins weren’t in the room. Good. She sat the girl on the couch, arms stuck awkwardly behind her, and glared at her. The girl wasn’t stupid-she could see she was beaten. She’d have to go through Taylor to get away, and with the handcuffs… She sagged back into the couch and pursed her lips.

Taylor crossed her arms across her chest, leaned against the door.

“Is Juri your boyfriend?”

Silence.

“Answer me, damn it. I’m not in the mood for games.”

The girl was pretty in a sullen, troubled way, her lips overfull right at the top center, making them overtly lush, freckles sprinkled across her forehead and cheeks. She was fighting tears.

“His name is Thorn,” she said finally, somewhat mollified. “And yes, he is my mate.”

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Where were you two planning to go?”

The voice was stronger now. ‘Anywhere but here. Away. We need to go away. It’s not safe.”

“Safe from whom?”

The girl’s eyes flashed, but her lips stayed together. Okay. Taylor tried again.

“What did Juri have to do with the murders in Green Hills last night? And what’s your role in all of this? If you were involved, in any way, you’ll pay just as dearly as if you wielded the drugs or the knife yourself.”

“I had nothing to do with it. Nothing. Neither did Thorn. He was with me the entire night.”

“Really? He wasn’t with you when I chased him through the woods. Let’s try that again. Where were you last night?”

A gaze full of derision lasered into her. “Packing. Thorn went for supplies.”

“So we’ve established that Juri is Thorn, Good. You realize he’s broken a number of laws, and we’re holding him as a suspect in the murders of seven people?”

“He. Did. Nothing,” she hissed. Taylor felt a warmth begin in her chest, noticed the girl’s lips were moving. She stepped to the side, broke eye contact. The warmth ceased. Taylor thought about Ariadne for a brief minute, wondered what she’d make of that. Being around Ariadne made her feel good, even though the woman was certifiable. Now she felt angry, drained. She chalked it up to exhaustion, went back to the girl.

‘That’s not what the evidence says. And what about your parents? Wouldn’t they worry if you ran away?”

She tossed her head, then gasped a little when her shoulders pulled tight. She’d forgotten she was handcuffed. She licked her lips. ‘They don’t care about me.”

“I’m sure they do. What’s your name?”

She didn’t answer, so Taylor took a guess. “You’re Ember, right?”

She stiffened.

“Ember, what’s your real name?”

The girl drew herself up straight. ‘The only name I have is Ember. And I’m through talking to you. Get me a lawyer, or let me go.”

When did kids get so damn cognizant of the law? Taylor sighed, pulled her hair down and massaged her temples. A voice crackled on her radio-her backup was here. They came through the door a moment later, Paula Simari and Bob Parks.

Parks nodded at Taylor, said, “What have we here?”

“Hey. Girl claims her name is Ember, but that’s an alias. She just invoked. Mirandize her, take her downtown, find out her real name and call her parents. Do whatever it takes,” she said, eyebrow raised. Intimidating children just wasn’t her idea of fun, but she needed answers, and she needed them now.

Simari cracked her knuckles, and Ember jumped. Taylor wondered what made her so anxious. They got her on her feet. As they were walking out, the girl turned back to Taylor, a knowing grin playing on her lips, ‘Call Miles Rose. He’s my father’s lawyer.”

She looked Taylor straight in the eye, defiant to the end.

Taylor edged closer. “Miles Rose is a defense attorney, and a smarmy one at that. Why does your father need a defense attorney?”

“He hired him after my brother was killed. We know how justice works in this country. The innocent stand accused and the guilty walk free.”

“Your brother?” Taylor asked, confused.

Ember shook her head. “By the Gods, you are stupid, aren’t you? You’ve already talked to my parents. My brother’s name is Xander.”

“Xander Norwood ?” It finally dawned on her who Ember really was. “You’re Susan Norwood, aren’t you?” The girl’s face closed. “My name is Ember. That is all you need to know.”

Taylor went back to Juri. Maybe she could leverage this new information.

His parents were back in the room, trying to coax him into being the good little boy he should have grown into. He wasn’t falling for it, had turned the other cheek and was ignoring them.

Taylor tapped Mr. Edvin on the shoulder. “May I?” she asked.

His face was haggard, the lines between his forehead deeper, grooves cut in the flesh. “By all means, Lieutenant. I believe Helga and I are going to get dinner. Take all the time you need. I assume our boy will not be coming home right away?”

“Perhaps not, Mr. Edvin. He’s certainly not leaving the hospital for the next few days. The guard will stay on the door in the meantime. Thank you for working with me. I appreciate all your help. We’ll be by your house to talk more later. Here’s my card. Please, call me anytime, day or night, if you have any questions or concerns.”

Taylor opened the hospital room door for them, motioned for Rob to come in again. He slid in and leaned against the wall, out of the way.

The door closed softly behind the Edvins. Taylor took her time getting settled in the chair next to the bed again, weary. She propped her boots on the rail, legs crossed at the ankle.

“So, Juri, it’s just us. Would you prefer me to call you Thorn?”

A small sound of concurrence rose from the bed.

“Thorn, where do you get the drugs? Who’s your dealer?”

He turned to her then, his face so tight as he tried to control his emotions that his cheekbones strained hard and white, nearly cutting through his skin. She could see the tracks of tears as they slid down to his chin. “Is Ember okay? Can I see her?”

“She’s being taken down to the Criminal Justice Center. She’ll be questioned, and we’ll go from there. Where were the two of you trying to go?”

“Away.”

“Okay. I understand. You weren’t happy at home, wanted to run away. But I really need to know where you got the drugs.”

He was quiet for a moment, then said, “A friend.”

“The friend’s name, Thorn. Come on, man, let me help you.”

He shook his head. “He’ll kill me. He’ll hunt me down and kill me. I can’t tell.”

“Okay. Talk to me about Brittany Carson then. What were you doing at her house?” He started to say something but she held up a hand. “No, don’t even try. I’ve got your DNA being analyzed right now, and I’m betting it will match the semen stain we found outside the den window. Were you standing out there, masturbating, watching Brittany?”