Maria’s mind flashed on the photos from Laws’s crime scene and her lungs suddenly constricted even more, making breathing almost impossible. She told herself again that it was simply a panic attack, but as she tried and failed to draw a breath, she knew that she was mistaken. This wasn’t a panic attack. It wasn’t like this the last time. All at once, she felt a searing pain in her chest that traveled down her left arm.
Oh my God, she thought. I’m having a heart attack…
Colin hit the brakes and the momentum flung Maria hard into the shoulder harness. She was flung again moments later as he made another turn, her head banging the window. Maria barely registered the pain; all she could think about was the pressure in her chest and the fact that she couldn’t breathe. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. In that instant, she was only vaguely aware that her phone had suddenly dinged and vibrated with an incoming text, the thought immediately vanishing as the world began going black at the edges.
“Maria? What’s wrong?” Colin called out. “Are you okay?”
I’m having a heart attack! Maria tried to say as her eyes began to close. I’m dying! But the words still wouldn’t come. She couldn’t breathe, her heart was giving out, and though she heard Colin calling out her name, it sounded both underwater and far away, and she couldn’t understand why Colin wasn’t doing anything, why he wasn’t helping her. He needed to call an ambulance and rush her to the hospital…
Her thoughts were disrupted as she was suddenly shoved upright in her seat and felt pressure on her shoulder; a moment later, her body was being shaken.
“Take control of this, Maria!” Colin commanded. “You’re having a panic attack!”
It’s not a panic attack! her mind screamed as she fought for every breath, frantically wondering why he wasn’t helping her. It’s real this time, can’t you see that?
“Maria! Listen to me! Maria!” Colin shouted. “I need to know where Serena went! Manning is with her right now! I need your help! Serena needs your help!”
Serena…
Maria instinctively opened her eyes at the mention of her sister’s name and latched on to the sound, focusing on it, but it was too late…
“Maria!”
This time, it was the sound of her own name that jolted her. She thought; Colin is talking to me. She thought; Serena. She thought; Dr. Manning. Somehow, she was able to hold her eyes open, though she still couldn’t breathe and she was dizzy. But… Serena… oh, God, Serena needed…
Help.
Every cell in her body continued to hammer its death omen at Maria, drowning out the reality of the situation. She fought to regain clarity; she forced herself to think about Serena and knew they were going to the waterfront to save her sister, and that her phone had vibrated with a text.
It was all she could do to turn the screen faceup and focus, but she was somehow able to make out the words…
Sorry. Ringer off. Walking to interview now. Wish me luck!
Serena. Her sister was still alive, and they were racing to save her. Maria forced herself to draw a long, steady breath, and then another. A panic attack, that’s all, she thought. I can get through this…
But her body was still rebelling, even if her mind had begun to clear. Her hands shook and her fingers weren’t working right. She was able to hit the redial button, but the call went to voice mail. Meanwhile, Colin continued to shout at her from the driver’s seat, even as he skidded through another turn…
“Maria! Are you okay? Tell me you’re going to be okay!”
Though it took her a moment, she realized they’d reached South Front Street and were headed in the right direction.
“I’m okay,” she mumbled, still catching her breath, amazed she could speak at all, realizing that breathing was no longer impossible. “Just need a minute.”
Colin quickly glanced over at her before facing forward again, pressing down on the accelerator. “How much farther?” he asked. “I need to know where she is.”
“I don’t know,” Maria answered, her voice still weak, her body struggling to recover. “A few more blocks,” she huffed, feeling dizzy.
“You sure?”
Was she? She looked up the street, wanting to make sure. “Yes.”
“On the left or right?”
“Left,” Maria answered. Straining, she forced herself to sit higher in the seat. Her body continued to tremble.
Colin sped through the next intersection. Staring out the window, Maria vaguely noticed a half-dozen shacks and boathouses closer to the river, looking dark and shadowed. Streetlights barely cut through the darkness. The car’s momentum began to decrease as Colin lifted his foot from the accelerator, and they coasted the next block and through another intersection. Here, the architecture immediately shifted; the flat-roofed buildings were now sandwiched together like row houses, some of the buildings in better condition than others. There were office lights blazing on some floors but most were blackened, and the cars on the street were separated by wider gaps. There was no traffic in either direction. As they drove through another block, the area suddenly began to feel familiar and Maria knew they were close, even as she struggled with a sudden rush of anger and guilt she felt for having a panic attack at the worst possible moment, when Serena needed her most.
She reminded herself that she’d been here before, and despite her body’s continued rebellion, she forced herself to take long breaths as she scanned the buildings. It was hard to tell for sure which was the one they wanted, since she hadn’t been paying that much attention the first time she’d come here. She vaguely recalled that Serena had been standing at an intersection and there’d been some construction workers staring from the opposite side of the street… She squinted, spotted scaffolding on a building at the corner, and then, on the opposite side of the street, Serena’s car…