She Can Hide (She Can #4)(26)

“What?” Brooke’s upper body shot forward. “That’s impossible.”

“What’s GHB?” Abby asked.

Brooke turned to her, anger radiating from her eyes. “GHB is like Rohypnol.”

Shock swept over Abby. “Are you saying I was roofied? Like in The Hangover?” Who would do that to her? And why? She’d been at work, not a wild Vegas bachelor party.

Ethan grimaced. “Sort of. Rohypnol or roofies are a different drug. Street names for gamma-hydroxybutyrate or GHB are ‘grievous bodily harm’ and ‘salty water,’ among others. But the effects are similar.”

The chief nodded. “In small amounts, GHB is a steroid alternative used by bodybuilders to enlarge their muscles. In larger doses it’s a sedative. It’s usually a clear liquid, generally odorless but salty. Typically, it’s slipped into alcoholic drinks in bars or parties, but a sports drink already has a salty taste that would also easily mask the GHB. We used to see more Rohypnol, but GHB is gaining popularity. Probably because it can be cooked up at home with floor stripper and drain cleaner.”

Disbelief hollowed Abby’s chest, as if someone had squeezed her dry. “And someone put this in my sports drink.” Her voice sounded as flat and empty as her chest. So much for starting her life over.

“Yes. Immediate signs of GHB ingestion are lack of inhibitions, loss of muscle coordination, nausea, sedation, and amnesia. The next day, symptoms might mimic a hangover or flu. Nausea, vomiting, or increased sweating are common as your body recovers from GHB poisoning.”

Brooke leaped to her feet and paced the narrow space behind the chairs. “I should have thought of drugs. Damn it. You had textbook symptoms all weekend.”

The chief shook his head. “Brooke, you know that, out of context, those symptoms can be confused with a concussion or virus. None of us suspected this. If Abby had been out at a bar or party and woken up with the same symptoms, you would have pegged it right away.”

Brooke took two rapid steps and pivoted. “Who would do that to Abby and why?”

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” the chief said. “According to the report, it’s a good thing you only drank half the bottle. If you’d have finished it, you wouldn’t have woken up and gotten out of the car.”

Panic gripped Abby’s insides. She put a hand to her stomach. “I drank paint thinner and drain cleaner. Those are poisonous. Are there any permanent effects? Do I need to go back to the hospital?”

Brooke stopped her pacing and dropped to the edge of her chair, facing Abby. “No. People do die from GHB ingestion, but not this long afterward. You’re fine. The body processes the drug quickly. After twelve hours there’s no sign of it, though you might feel like crap for a couple of days, which you did. In fact, it’s way too late for a lab test to find any trace of it in your blood by now.”

“You should see your doctor, though.” The chief’s voice went tight. “You’re missing two hours. Do you think there’s a possibility that you were raped?”

Abby stared at the salt-streaked leather toes of her boots. Too many horrific thoughts raced through her mind. She couldn’t process all the sickening possibilities. Two hours was a long time. What else had the person responsible done to her? Had she been raped? She hadn’t had sex in so long, surely her body would have noticed. There would have been signs of sexual activity, right?

The muffled ring of a telephone sounded through the closed door, but her body was silent. She remembered her trip to the ER. Other than the bump on the head, she’d had a few bruises from her escape from the vehicle. Most of those had seemed to be in logical places, considering she’d somersaulted in the empty car and shimmied out a window.

Abby’s cheeks heated. She stared down at her clenched hands as she forced an answer through a constricted throat. “I don’t think so. I was wearing multiple layers of running clothes, and they all seemed undisturbed. But let’s be honest. It’s been four days. There’s no way to be a hundred percent sure, is there?” She lifted her chin, looking from Brooke’s furious expression to the controlled police chief and finally settling on Ethan. Anger, compassion, and frustration played over his face. “But we do know for sure that someone poisoned me, drove me out to the creek, put me in the driver’s seat, and rolled my car into the water.”

And that was more than enough to freak her out.

“That’s our working hypothesis.” Ethan didn’t blink. His jaw was clamped, the cords of his neck as tight as bridge cables.

His visible tension was nothing compared to the fear boiling inside Abby. “Someone tried to kill me.”

Again.





CHAPTER TEN

The accident file was officially relabeled ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE.

Ethan watched Abby process the news and arrive at the conclusion he and the chief had already drawn. Pity and anger churned in his gut.

Abby was silent. Disbelief and shock glazed her eyes. Her hands clenched into tight fists on her knees, and her gaze strayed to the door, as if she couldn’t wait to get out of the chief’s office. Which was the opposite reaction he’d expect from a normal person who’d just discovered she’d almost been a murder victim.

“What else are you doing?” Brooke’s eyes pinned him to the wall. “What about the school’s security cameras?”