Hank was inside the building first, but Ali wasn't far behind. Despite the late hour, people were gathered in the lobby, and he had to push his way through to get to his sister. Liz was talking to two women by the reception desk, but stopped mid conversation when he came into view.

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?" she scolded while going in for a hug.

He deflected the question with one of his own "What's going on?"

"Thank god!" Liz said, ignoring him as she finally noticed Ali, as well. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

Ali frowned. "Didn't you know I went off-site? I signed out."

Liz picked up the nearby clipboard. "No, you didn't," she said, scanning the last two pages before handing it over.

"Yes, I did," she reaffirmed before looking for her name on the top of each sheet, but it was useless. Going back one more page, she saw it ended with a time ten minutes before she left. "I started a new page. I know I did, but it's not here." She continued to flip through the log.

"Are you sure?" Liz touched her arm. "Maybe that was another day."

Ali shook her head. "No. I remember it distinctly because I ran into Sheridan in the hallway . . ." She trailed off before gritting her teeth. Looking around the room, she quickly found the brunette. Standing against a wall, Sheridan had her arms crossed and mouth twisted into a sly grin.

Son of a bitch.

"Ali?" Liz urged her to continue, but Hank was getting impatient.

Grabbing his sister by the arm, he pulled her away from the strangers and gestured toward a uniformed officer across the room. "Is that why the cop's here? Because we didn't answer the phone?"

Liz shook off his hold and sighed. "I wish." Rubbing her forehead, she addressed Ali. "You and Mrs. Chen—Harriet—were acquainted, right?"

Ali's stomach formed into a knot, and she nervously tapped her thighs with her fingers. "Yes," she uttered, remembering the ambulance driving away minutes earlier and dreading the answer to her next question. "Is Harriet all right?"

"She collapsed." Liz paused, looking first at Ali and then at Hank, letting the words sink in. "We're not sure how long she was unconscious, but the paramedics were able to stabilize her."

Ali covered her mouth with her hand and whispered through her fingers, "Oh, no."

She felt herself wobble, but Hank's hands were on her shoulders, supporting her from behind. She hadn't even noticed when he stepped closer but was now grateful for his presence. "What hospital is she in? Can we see her?" Ali blurted out as her mind cleared from the initial shock.

Liz pulled her lips into a thin line and shook her head. "We called her emergency contact. Her children are on the way. It'll be up to them who they allow to visit."

"We'll figure out a way to see her," Hank whispered into Ali's ear, and squeezed her shoulders.

She looked up at him and forced a weak smile. "Thanks."

"Pete may appreciate a bit of your time," Liz interrupted. "He found her."

Ali's jaw dropped open in surprise. "Oh, the poor thing!"

"Yeah," Liz agreed. "I think he took her dog for a walk, but she didn't answer the door when he returned. We had to use a master key to get in her room."

"Where is he now?" Ali asked, looking back at the crowd even though she knew he wasn't there. Pete was conspicuous enough without towering over everyone, and if he'd been there, she would have already seen him.

"I convinced him to stay in the great room until you got back. He's already had a talk with Dr. Stevens, but I thought it would be better if we kept an eye on him." Liz sighed. "I think he was probably the closest to Mrs. Chen out of everyone here."

Ali nodded. "Thanks. I'll go find him—"

She started to leave, but Liz blocked her way. "There's actually someone else you need to speak with first."

Following her line of sight, Ali turned her head and locked eyes with the policeman heading their way.

"You just said he wasn't here because of us," Hank hissed at his sister, his protective grip tightening on Ali's shoulder.

"No, I said we didn't call him because of her." A vein throbbed at Liz's temple, the only sign that she might be losing her cool. "But you know we have to do a head count any time there's a reportable incident, and we couldn't account for her whereabouts. I'm sorry, Ali, but you'll need to answer a few questions before he can leave."

She sighed and balled her fists. "It's fine," she whispered before Hank and Liz retreated.

"Ms. Barros?" The middle-aged officer with a bushy gray mustache stopped and put one hand on his hip as he read off her name from his notebook.

Ali nodded.

"Excellent," he replied without a hint of enthusiasm. "Your absence was causing quite a stir."

She crossed her arms. "So I've heard."

"Right. Now, if you can just tell me where you were for the last ten hours, I can close out my report and we can all get on with our lives." He placed the tip of his pen on the paper and waited.

"I was perfectly safe, and now I'm back. Isn't that enough?" she snapped.

"I'm afraid not. We law enforcement types like to have facts. We're funny that way." His morose scowl contrasted with his flippant words.

She considered her options. When nothing else came to mind, Ali relented. "I was with him." She tilted her head to the side, nodding toward Hank, who was standing across the room.

"That's . . . Henry Mathis?" The policeman looked down at his notes. "Brother of Elizabeth McGhee, Pebble Creek Lodge's owner?"

She wrinkled her forehead. "Hank Mathis," she corrected.

"No. I have Henry here." The officer tapped his notebook.

Ali was about to object again when it occurred to her that Hank was a common nickname for Henry.

"Sorry. You're right," she sheepishly admitted. After the intimacy of their day together, she should have known—or at least figured out—his full name. "Can I go now?" She flexed her fingers as much as her cast would allow as a dull pain radiated from her wrist. She must have strained it earlier.

"Yes, ma'am," the cop said with a tip of his hat. "Have a good night."

Ali headed straight for her room. While she was anxious to see Pete, she needed a moment to herself first. Harriet's sudden illness had come as a shock, and the possibility of losing her was putting things into perspective. But it wasn't a subject that she was ready to face.

Hank must have tried to follow her, because as she left the lobby, Ali could hear the policeman call him back. He probably wanted to confirm her story, which was fine by her. Back in her suite, she tossed her purse on the bed before stopping in the bathroom to splash water on her face. A soft towel wiped away the wetness, but not the weary expression staring back at her.

As she steadied herself against the counter, another jolt of pain ran through her arm, and Ali winced. She'd gone without off-schedule painkillers for over a week, but this wasn't the time to play martyr. Rummaging through the drawers, she found the yellow bottle and took two pills before hurrying out again.

When she opened the door to the hallway, she almost ran into Hank waiting on the other side. He had his fist up in the air preparing to knock, but now raked his fingers through his hair, instead. "I'm sorry for the way things turned out," he said.

Ali pulled the door closed behind her, forcing him to step aside. "It's not your fault," she said as she tried to walk past him, but Hank held her back.

"Can you just give me five more seconds?" He took her hands and pulled Ali to him before wrapping his arms around her.

She didn't realize how much she had needed his closeness again until her face was resting against his chest. As Hank's heart beat under her ear, she embraced him, squeezed her eyes shut, and cleared her mind. It was bliss.

He nuzzled her head with his cheek before softly kissing her hair. "There's an event for my dad on Saturday. He's retiring and—"

Ali drew away. "Really?" She scowled at him. Of all the things to say right now, a party invitation was definitely not one of them. "Come on, Hank. This isn't the best time. Can we talk tomorrow?"

He pulled her back again for a quick hug. "Sorry. Of course. Go find Pete," he whispered before letting go and heading in the opposite direction.