Samantha shook her head, slowly sat upright. “No. I’m okay.”
But she wasn’t. Not really. Someone had killed Patty. Someone had poisoned her, stolen her life. Her death hadn’t been a random tragedy. It had been a deliberate act.
Thor stood, a hand resting reassuringly on her shoulder.
“W-who could have done this? Who would want to hurt Patty?”
Steve shook his head. “I don’t know. But Reyna wants you to investigate, Isaksen. She can’t make it here to do it herself, so she wants you to be her eyes and ears. She wants to deputize you and your men.”
Thor doubted Cobra would consent to that. “We’re not detectives.”
“You guys are the closest thing to law enforcement we have on station.”
But Samantha’s mind raced, her thoughts scattered. “Methanol poisoning? Methanol has two carbon atoms. Ethanol has one. If I’d gotten to her sooner… If we’d known what it was…”
She lowered her head to her knees again, breathed, her body trembling.
Thor’s hand moved up and down her spine. “Is there anything else Dr. Park should know? I’d like to get her back to her room so she can rest.”
“The NSF is asking that we put certain rules in place here on station, but that’s something for us to discuss. I don’t think Sam needs to be a part of it.”
Thor knelt beside her again. “When you’re up for it, Samantha, I’m going to walk you back to your room, okay?”
She nodded, sat up again, her hands gripping the arms of the chair. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing,” Thor said. “You haven’t done anything.”
She slowly got to her feet, cleared her throat. “Thanks, Steve. I’m sorry you had to be the bearer of bad news.”
Steve ran his hands through his hair, weariness lining his face. “I’ve never had to share news like that before. We’ll have a staff meeting tomorrow morning at nine. Isaksen, let’s talk after you get her settled.”
Samantha seemed to be trapped in a nightmare as they left Steve’s office and moved down the corridor to the main hallway and back toward her room. Thor stayed beside her, his hand resting in the middle of her back. People shot her curious glances, but she barely noticed.
They reached her door. She fumbled in the pocket of her jeans for her keys then struggled to get the key into the lock.
“Let me.” Thor took over, opened the door for her, and followed her inside, the fairy lights still on. “Why don’t you lie down?”
She kicked off her shoes, climbed into bed, and sank back onto her pillow. “You aren’t leaving, are you?”
“No.” He called to Malik and Lev on his radio. “Meet me at Samantha’s room. Segal, bring a surveillance kit. Jones, bring Kristi.”
Someone here—someone they all trusted—had killed Patty.
It was almost too much to absorb.
But the next thought sent ice through her blood.
What if they killed again?
10
Thor stayed with Samantha while Kristi took her vitals and asked her a few questions, Jones and Segal standing outside her door. His priority was getting Samantha settled for the night and making sure she was safe.
“I’m fine. Really, I am. I’m just upset about Patty. I packed her things.”
“Your blood pressure is still a bit low. Have you ever fainted before?”
“I didn’t faint. I just...”