by Kate Young
My phone rang, and Sam and I both glanced down to see Alex’s face. The guy who loved Eddie too. His sheriff took him under his wing and taught him everything he knew about law enforcement. He’d been more like a father to him, really. That was why it’d hurt so much to hear Alex turn on him the way he had.
“Don’t answer it. That pain in the ass is probably what triggered Dad’s heart attack.” Sam’s face was beet red.
I wouldn’t do anything to go against my brother right now, and a little part of me agreed with him about Alex being the straw that broke the camel’s back. I declined the call and slid the phone back into my cross-body bag. Sam settled when he saw we were on the same page.
“Let’s not talk about anything that will stress Eddie out when we see him. We’ll only talk about positive things and put on a happy face at all times.” I placed my cup back on the table.
“Agreed. He’s always tried to shelter us from the ugliness in the world. Now it’s our turn to do the same for him. He won’t like it at first, though.” Sam held his stomach, which rumbled audibly, and Sam gave out a little groan.
“Did you check the date on the sandwich? I told you prepackaged meat and cheese could be risky.”
Sam shook his head. “It tasted okay. A little wangy, but I was starving.” Beads of sweat appeared on his upper lip and his hair looked limp. “I gotta find a bathroom and now.” The chair slid back loudly, and Sam bolted from the room, leaving a lingering odor in his wake.
I held my nose. “Oh yikes, Sam.”
Maybe next time he’d listen to his little sister.
CHAPTER 22
Three hours later, Sam and I were allowed to visit for a short while with Eddie. We took turns because hospital policy required they limit visitors. Lindy assured us that once they got him into his permanent room, they’d afford us more freedom on that front. Sam went in first with Lindy. She’d offered to let me go in with Sam. I’d declined, needing to get myself together first, and I could tell she was eager to get to his side. She came out fifteen minutes later, and I hung back for a few to give my brother some alone time with his father. While I waited, Lindy and I discussed how we’d care for Eddie once discharged. She would take a short leave from her practice and care for him full-time. Now that she had a partner in her family practice, it would be doable. I would make his meals, per his new cardiac diet plan, and deliver them. We planned to freeze as many meals as possible so he would have options. He wouldn’t like it at first. In time he’d adjust. I even toyed with the idea of adding more heart-healthy options at the diner. I made a mental note to discuss the idea with Jena Lynn later.
When it was my turn, I nearly gasped at the sight of my father, so pale and weak. Tubes and wires were attached to him and he was hooked up to several bags of IV fluids. Machines beeped and whirled, and I suddenly felt ill. Eddie had always looked so strong and unbreakable.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he rasped when he saw me.
I went to his bedside, bent and kissed his cheek, berating myself for allowing such a reaction. I would remain positive even if it killed me. Eddie deserved nothing less.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and pulled the chair closer to his bed, smiling as I took his hand. “You look wonderful.”
“Overselling it a bit.” He managed a grin. “I’ll be all right.”
I nodded and blinked to hold the tears at bay. “Of course you will. You’re alive and awake and, to me, you’ve never looked better.” I sniffed. “And I don’t want you to worry about a thing. We’re going to all pitch in and make your life a bit easier while you recover.”
“I don’t want a fuss.” Eddie’s head rolled back and forth on the pillow. The best he could do at shaking his head, I guessed.
“Don’t be silly. We love you and want to make your road to recovery a bit easier.” I kissed his hand.
He smiled. “I appreciate it, pumpkin. I guess this stubborn old goat is going to have to let go of the reins for a bit on some things. Not all, mind you. I still want to be in the loop with things. It’d drive me crazy to be shut out.” He blinked his eyes a few times and when he focused on me again, they were more serious. “What’s going on with the case?”
I smiled as if everything was perfectly fine. “There’s nothing for you to worry about. Javier is on it. Don’t even think about it. Your job is to rest up and get well.”
Some beeping went off at the machines and Eddie’s face relaxed. The drugs they had him on were good.
His head rolled to the side, facing me, and he got a faraway, transfixed look. “You know,” he slurred, “I almost died, pumpkin. I saw myself leaving this body and everything. It was extraordinary. You know who came to me?”
I shook my head, hating this conversation, yet so grateful he lived. “You must’ve been dreaming while under.”
“No, it was real. Your mama came to me.” He smiled dreamily and tears began to flow. “She’s changed, somehow. I mean, she was still as beautiful as I remembered her to be, healthy before the cancer. Tonight, her countenance had a sweetness about it, kinder, I guess. She told me she loved me and apologized for her failings between us while living. She thanked me for being a great father to you and made me swear to continue to look after you since she isn’t able to do it properly. I told her I didn’t know how to be any other way. My kids are my life.”
I smiled at him through blurry vision.
“Then she told me I wouldn’t die if I agreed to her terms. She wanted me to take better care of myself, eat right and exercise. She made me agree.” He chuckled a little. “Stubborn, amazing woman. When I did, she physically pushed my spirit back into my body.” He sounded groggy as he smiled and squeezed my hand. “It was the most unusual feeling.” A little sigh left his lips. “Then she kissed me and promised, with her blessing, I’d heal faster and my recovery would be speedy. I didn’t want her to go . . .”
Mama appeared beside him and ran her fingers through his hair. “He won’t remember this when he wakes.”
“My Clara. I will remember.” His eyelids fluttered, and he fought to open them and focus on her face. “My Clara, we did good with our little Marygene.”
I sobbed openly. “Mama, thank you. I couldn’t bear to lose him too.”
“I know, my sweet girl. Edward and I are connected still.” She stroked his face lovingly, and his lids closed and he drifted into slumber. “I suppose you’re never free of your true love. I’m not sorry. Although, I will reap the repercussions of intervening where I wasn’t supposed to, yet again.” She sighed. “You’d think they’d see reason. My job is to do good and help those I love. How am I to do that with all these confounded rules to follow.”
For the first time since Mama returned, I could see what a struggle all of this was for her. And I saw what Eddie mentioned. She did have a sweeter countenance, a goodness. A knock at the door broke into our moment, and Mama began to fade. “Trust yourself and rest assured, your father is going to make a full recovery.”
The door creaked open. “Miss Brown, there’s a deputy here to speak with you. He says it’s urgent,” the young nurse in pink said.
Javier stood just outside the doorway, looking grim.
“Okay. I’ll be right out.”
The nurse nodded, her eyes shifting around as she glanced from Javier to me. She’d probably seen the news broadcast, like everyone else.
“I’m sorry to intrude. I need a word.”
I stood and kissed Eddie’s forehead.
“How’s he doing?” Javier whispered.
I smiled. “Better. He’s going to pull through. Thanks for being here for me.”
Closing the door softly behind me, I met his hazel gaze. Sam had certainly given me a different picture of how Javier thought of me. I wasn’t ready to explore the idea yet. Maybe I would be one day soon.
“I’m glad to hear he’s doing well.” His eyes shifted around, and I could clearly read regret on his face. “I’m sorry to add to your burden, but we ha
ve a problem. A big one.”
I deflated. “What now?” I closed my eyes and massaged my temples with both hands. “Honestly, Javy, I can’t take any more bad news. If someone is slandering me or calling the tip line with bogus theories, just deal with it. I’m so over this. I know it’s not a rational reaction under the circumstances, but there it is.”
“Paul has been abducted.”
I dropped my hands and stared at him. “Is this a joke?”
The hard set of his jaw spoke clearly.
“What do you mean, abducted? Like literally abducted?” I sounded like a broken record in my current state of brain fog.
“Literally abducted. And it gets worse.”
How can it get any worse?
Javier pulled his phone from his pocket and hit play on a video.
My eyes widened at the image on the screen. What in God’s name is going on here? I pulled the phone closer.
Paul, bruised and bloody, sat tied to a chair in a dark room with what appeared to be a bomb strapped to his chest. I watched as he held up a paper with today’s date on it. A gloved person took the paper and replaced it with a whiteboard that read, RELEASE THE BANK FUNDS OR HE, LIKE LUCY DIES. DON’T MESS WITH US, YOU’VE SEEN WHAT WE CAN DO. WE MAKE BODIES DISAPPEAR.
“My God,” I gasped.
Javy slid the phone back into his pocket. “It was posted to YouTube late last night, and about an hour ago, the media got wind of it and it made the early morning news.”
“So . . . the robbery and the murder are now officially linked.” I rubbed my neck. There was a multitude of knots.
“It would appear so. And since the airing, we’ve had a couple of calls about the fight you had with Paul at La Cocina Mexican restaurant.”
“Oh . . . yeah. I can see how bad that looks. Especially with that message.”
“Want to tell me about the fight?”
I met his gaze. I told him about the detective’s visit and confronting Paul. I even confessed to not really caring about his relationship with Lucy.
“He was angry with me and left in a huff.” I shrugged. “I care about him as much as I would anyone, but not enough to do something stupid like that. I mean, really?” I pushed through my muddled fears and shock-clouded brain to focus on the message. “Whoever is behind this is making people believe Betsy and I are to blame. It doesn’t take a decipherer to see they used Betsy’s words.” The statement about making bodies disappear was all Bets. Ugh. “Combine that with the fight I had with Paul, the body being found on my back deck, and you’ve got your case.” I leaned against the sterile wall and glanced at deputy Javier Reyes. I smiled as an overwhelming melancholy overtook me. “You aren’t here to just share this with me. You’re here to arrest me.”
He stared at his tactical boots for a few long seconds. “Not arrest, just to bring you in.”
I gave a bark of bitter laughter. “Right. As a person of interest that will be held upon arrival.”
Once the toxicology report came back with an overdose of fentanyl, and it would, of that I felt completely certain, case closed. Someone really wanted me gone. And this person or these persons understood police procedures, the media, and small-town politics. Taint the populous views and ruin my and Betsy’s reputations.
“Can I say goodbye to my family first?” I glanced back at the door where my father lay recovering.
Sam and Lindy would care for him, and it would give me comfort while I was away. I wasn’t giving up, never would I give up, but it gave me peace of mind to know he had others.
“I just thought . . .” I rubbed my index finger between my brows as I fought emotion. Consumed with the weight of a thousand tons of impending doom, I began to break down. “I really believed everything would work out. I feel so alone.”
Javy gripped my shoulders firmly and placed his forehead to mine. His face was fierce as his eyes flashed with a combination of anger and determination. His voice sounded thick. “I’m on your side. Always on your side. I’m not like your ex-husband, Alex, or that pathetic Paul. I’m not weak, nor do I shy away from a fight. I don’t give up on people I care about. You need to trust me. I’ll do whatever is necessary. Do you understand me?”
Unshed tears stung my eyes as I flung my arms around his neck. And as if he shared his strength with me, all the tears that threatened to pour in waves dried up. There are moments in life that alter you. Moments you know will change you forever. This moment, this critical moment in time, I knew this man before me would hold a permanent place in my life. And I swore to never give up on him either. I would get through this. One foot in front of the other.
I said goodbye to Eddie with a smile and stayed strong, assuring him all was well. He didn’t need any other concerns that would hinder his healing. When I hugged Sam and Lindy goodbye, they didn’t ask questions after I told them I had to go in and give a statement. Their minds were filled with concerns for Eddie. It was as it should be.
CHAPTER 23
Betsy and I sat shoulder to shoulder in the little holding cell in Peach Cove Sheriff’s Department. It wasn’t the first time I’d sat here. No, I’d been here before, under different circumstances. And oddly, life had prepared me for this. It struck me as funny how when you got battered around for a while, you toughened up enough to handle what life brought. Acceptance, though, now that was another matter altogether. The amiable person I’d once been had vanished, leaving a woman who didn’t face adversity trembling. Well, not trembling as much. After my statement, I had to wait a while, alone. When they brought Betsy in, I’d been relieved and upset. Javier had prepared me the best he could. Still, nothing could truly prepare you for such an ordeal. Seeing my best friend’s bottom lip quiver as the detective escorted her inside the cell caused my heart to break.
“Don’t fall to pieces, Bets. We’re going to get out of here. This isn’t the end.”
“Fall to pieces, me?” Betsy huffed. “I’m not going to give that jerk the satisfaction of seeing me cry. And the person responsible for framing us will pay.”
I gave her a nod. “When we get out of here, we’re going to tear this island apart. The killer is still here. And I think Sam might have had a decent theory after all. Lucy must have been an integral part of the plan to rob the bank. She might have gotten in over her head and someone offed her. And now they have Paul. The video was awful.”
Betsy shivered. “I’m not sayin’ I don’t feel bad for Paul, I do. We owe him our life. But man, I’m glad it isn’t one of us in his place.”
“What kind of psycho could do that to another person?”
“I think you answered your own question with the psycho bit,” Betsy said.
“Yeah, you’re right. I hope they have some solid leads. I don’t want Paul to end up like Lucy.”
“Me either.”
“It’s weird how no one saw the biker other than those at the wedding. Maybe we’re completely off about him. He could have seen whatever he wanted to and drove right onto Cove Ferry. And this David might be a different man altogether. He might not even be on the island. He could’ve been clear across the country when he and Lucy spoke.” I ran my fingers through my messy hair. “Perhaps we and the police have been wrong about everything and that’s why we’re not getting anywhere.”
“Well, it sure ain’t us!” Betsy humphed. “And I’m still having a hard time feeling sorry for Lucy. If she had gotten in over her head and she’d been the least bit decent to us, we’d have helped her.” Betsy smoothed her wild hair behind her ears.
“Decent or not, I have every intention of helping her now.”
“Why? She’s the reason we’re sitting here.”
I scrunched up my face.
“Oh, the crazy mama juju thing. That’s so annoyin’. I get helping folks out that deserve it. The dead being dead and all. Still, Lucy doesn’t deserve our help.”
“I’m beginning to believe we didn’t know Lucy as well as we thought. The detective alluded to her past troubles.”
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“What sort of troubles?” Betsy curled her lip.
“I don’t know, and it doesn’t really matter. I just have to help her rest in peace.”
“Fine. Only after we help ourselves, of course. And poor pitiful Paul, if we can, then Lucy.”
Betsy and I locked gazes. “Yes. After that.”
“Where is she? Where is my niece? I won’t ask you again!” Aunt Vi’s voice rang through the building.
Betsy smiled, despite her worry. Good ole Aunt Vi always brought some much-needed levity.
“Myers. Your lawyer and aunt are here.” Detective Thornton came around the corner and unlocked the door.
“It’s about time!” Betsy rose. “Come on, Marygene.” She pulled at my shirt sleeve when I didn’t rise.
“Only you, Miss Myers.” The detective fumbled with the keys in the lock.
It stuck sometimes. Eddie kept a can of WD-40 in his desk drawer. I debated telling him about it and decided against it.
“It’s fine.” I squeezed my friend’s hand. “You go on. I’m sure I’ll be right behind you.”
“When is her lawyer gettin’ here?” Betsy fired at the detective. “My aunt ain’t going to shut her trap if you don’t let Marygene out too. Hell, I won’t shut mine either.”
“Miss Brown isn’t who you should be concerned with. And I’m sure your aunt doesn’t ever shut her trap, so that isn’t much of a threat.” Couldn’t argue with his logic. “Would you like to speak with your attorney or not?”
Betsy hesitated.
I released my grip on her. “She does want to speak with him.”
“I should wait on you.” Betsy chewed on her fingernail. “We’re a package deal. I’m your ride-or-die BFF.”
“I haven’t got all day, Miss Myers.” The detective’s impatience grew.
