by Marlie May
“I was. Walking. Into. Town. Car. Coming at me. I fell…into the ditch.”
The paramedic reeled back, eyes widening. “Are you saying a car hit you?”
“No. Almost. Yeah.”
The woman frowned. “Better let Sheriff Moyer know something’s up with this one,” she told the other paramedic. “He needs to meet us at the hospital.”
“No hospital.” I felt fine. Sort of. I struggled to sit, but the woman pressed me back to the ground.
“Lie still, please so we can help you. You could be injured badly and not know it.”
The other paramedic stepped over the guardrail and lowered himself to one knee beside me. He strapped a cuff around my uninjured arm and with a stethoscope in his ears, he took my blood pressure. “Low,” he said as he removed the cuff.
“I run low,” I said.
“Not seventy over thirty, though, right?”
“No, never that low.” My teeth rattled as shock settled in.
They log-rolled me onto my side, laid me back onto a hard, plastic surface, and strapped me in place. Taking one end each, the paramedics lifted me up over the guardrail and lowered me onto the stretcher.
“You want me to call anyone for you, honey?” the woman from the car said. She wrung her hands underneath my chin. “A husband. A friend?”
“No.” I’d call Eli when I got to the hospital, and he’d come get me and take me home. Then I could collapse on my bed and sleep for three days. That was all I needed. Sleep.
They loaded me into the back of the ambulance. While one paramedic got into the driver’s seat and started the vehicle, the other sat beside me. She fiddled with her braid while she wrote a few notes on a clipboard.
Lights flashing but without the siren, we sped into town. I’d wanted to go into town but not like this.
“You sure we can’t let someone know what’s up?” The woman scribbled some more.
Relenting, I let her call Eli.
“She’s okay, really,” the woman said into her phone to my brother.
Yells erupted from Eli.
“Tell him to meet me. At the hospital,” I said. “I want to go home.”
“All right, sir. She’ll see you two there.”
Two? Eli wasn’t calling Cooper, was he? He was busy at his dad’s place, and I didn’t want to bother him for something like this. It was just a silly fall.
The ambulance pulled into the hospital, and they bustled me into the ER where nurses pulled me onto a stretcher.
My two favorite men arrived soon, rushing into the bay where I lay waiting while the staff ‘worked me up’. Bumped to the head of the line, I’d already had x-rays, lab work, and they’d made me pee in a cup. Really, I was okay. Just unbelievably tired.
Thankfully, a nurse had bandaged my arm. I had no other injuries, although they said they were waiting for someone to read my x-rays before being sure.
Eli came around one side of the stretcher while Cooper took the other.
“Jeez, you okay?” Eli clutched my hand, his face lined with more concern than when I’d fallen off his skateboard when we were kids. Leave it to me to take on the steepest hill my first time out.
Cooper leaned over and kissed me. I savored his hands on my shoulders and his warm concern. He tasted sweet enough to cure whatever was wrong with me. If anything was wrong with me.
“I feel stupid for bothering you guys,” I said.
Cooper brushed aside my words with a sweep of his hand. “Eli’s call scared the shit out of me,” he said. As if kissing my lips wasn’t enough, he added another to my cheek. Being close to him made my heart sing. “Tell me what happened.”
“I was walking into town to leave my dead laptop at the computer store. I think it has a virus.” I scowled at Eli. “Don’t remind me. I should’ve bought a Mac.” With a sigh, I turned back to Cooper, who’d dragged a chair closer to sit. His thumb stroking the back of my hand was highly distracting. “I’ll have to drop my laptop off some other time.”
“Don’t think about that right now.” Anxiety lined his face.
“I can drop the laptop off for you later,” Eli said.
I’d started to explain further when the sheriff parted the curtains and slipped inside. He pulled a small notebook and pen from his pocket. While nibbling on the pen, he narrowed his eyes on me, perhaps trying to assess my injuries through the white sheet. “Well, Ms. Bradley. You’ve had a run of bad luck lately.”
More than bad luck. Something horrible was going on, and I needed his help. “Yeah.”
“The paramedics said a car almost hit you while you were walking into town?”
I told him everything. My head had cleared somewhat, but my brain remained groggy and my words came out in stuttering gasps.
“So, let me repeat this.” The sheriff tapped his paper after I’d finished. “You were walking in the breakdown lane, going to the computer store. You bought a coffee at Mr. Joe’s, drank it, and had reached that sharp turn before Main Street when you—”
“I heard a car.” Thankfully, my tongue was working better. “It came right at me where I stood in the breakdown lane. It was going too fast.”
His brows drew together. “Did it hit you? Is that why you fell?”
“I jumped backward, but I fell over the guardrail and rolled down the hill. I landed at the bottom of the ditch.”
Cooper squeezed my hand. If only I could go home. Take him home with me, actually. Spend the rest of the day snuggling with him on the sofa.
“Ginny, you’re damn lucky you’re okay.” Eli rubbed my arm, his fingertips careful to avoid my bandage. “I can’t believe this. That—” His voice choked off.
I winced and squeezed his hand, horrified I was worrying him.
“Did you get the license plate number?” the sheriff asked.
“No. But the car was black. A sedan.”
“I see.” He wrote again. “How about the driver’s face? Could you see them through the windshield? Would you be able to describe them?”
“The windows were tinted.”
“The front windows, too?” He scowled. “Not quite legal, but people are known to do that.” His eyes narrowed on my face. “This sounds premeditated. Any reason to think someone’s out to harm you?”
I blinked. “I told you Tom threatened me.”
“We spoke with him. He denies coming near you after you told him to stay away. We didn’t just take his word for it, however,” the sheriff added. “I’ve had my deputy keep an eye on him, but he’s remained in his house the past few days. I don’t think Tom’s involved in this.”
Thinking Zen was involved would be a huge stretch. Sure, he’d been pissed off when we broke up, which surprised me since he’d never put much effort into making our relationship work. Besides, he was in Istanbul. Or somewhere else. We’d lost touch after it ended.
Before I could speak, a nurse parted the curtain and gave us a benign smile. She approached the sheriff and whispered something in his ear. His gaze darted my way, and his nostrils flared. “Excuse me, folks. I’ll be back in a minute.” He followed the nurse out into the corridor.
“You’re sure you feel all right?” Eli asked. “When the ambulance called, I didn’t know what to do. I thought about calling Mom, telling her to cut her trip short. For all I knew, you were dying. Jeez, Ginny.” He slumped into a chair and rested his chin on the stretcher rail. I stroked his head while he stared at me with red-rimmed eyes.
“The woman in the ambulance didn’t tell you I was okay?” I said.
“You know how they are. They don’t give out much information,” he said. “I broke every speed record getting here.” His eyes slid to Cooper. “Him, too.”
Tears welled in my eyes. If only I could find a way to convince them I was all right. “I’m sorry you were scared for me.”
“Hey, don’t fret.” Eli leaned forward and kissed my cheek. His chest lifted and fell. “I’m just glad you’re not hurt badly. Nothing else matters.”
Cooper leaned forward, his brows narrowing. “What do you mean your legs wouldn’t work right?”
“I had a hard time walking. And I kept giggling. I feel so stupid. I—”
The sheriff entered the bay and stalled at the foot of the bed, saying nothing. His intense gaze made me squirm, but I’d done nothing wrong. The twist of disgust on his lips didn’t reassure me. “Your drug tox screen shows benzos, Ms. Bradley.”
I gulped. “What?”
“Your pharmacy says you have a prescription for Xanax.”
“My doctor gave it to me to help me sleep.” Anxiety spiking through me, I turned to Eli. “Right after I came back to Maine. You remember what a wreck I was. I thought it would help.” I’d tried it once, but it made me incredibly loopy. Which was the point, but I hadn’t liked the feeling. And the thought of knocking myself out—knowing I’d have no idea what was going on around me—had scared me worse than the thought of being tired all the time. I drilled the sheriff with my gaze. “I haven’t taken any for months. The bottle is sitting in my bathroom closet.”
“Here’s what I think happened,” the sheriff said shortly. He slid his thumb and fingers back and forth along his jawline, pinching at the tip. “You were nervous this morning, so you took some of your Xanax. Nothing wrong with that. It’s your prescription, right? You walked into town, but benzos can make you sleepy. They can mess with your reaction time, your mind. You thought you saw a car driving toward you and stepped backward, only to fall over the rail.”
“Wait a minute.” I sat up and the sheet dropped to my waist, exposing my stained t-shirt. Thankfully, my brain no longer spun. “I might have benzos in my bloodstream, but I sure as hell didn’t put them there. My coffee must’ve been drugged. You need to go out there and look for tire tracks—the vehicle squealed away after almost running me over. Find the vehicle and arrest the driver. And figure out who drugged me. This is all connected.”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am.” Color filling his face, the sheriff stared down to where he spun the brim of his hat. “My deputy went to the scene already. Sure, there are tire marks in the area, lots of them. If this vehicle laid rubber, they weren’t the first. But we can’t find a car based on tire marks. And as for drugging you, are you sure you didn’t take your Xanax?”
Irritation spiked through me. “I didn’t. Somebody tried to harm me.” The coffee. It had to be the coffee. And that man behind the counter who—
“I can’t do much without a plate number. You don’t even know if the driver was a man or a woman, let alone the make of the vehicle. Lots of black sedans around town.”
“My coffee was drugged.”
The sheriff blew air past his tight lips. “I plan to stop by Mr. Joe’s and ask them a few questions, but I doubt they added Xanax to your coffee. Think about it. Why would they do something like that?” He leaned forward and patted my arm like a patronizing grandfather. “You’ve got to be careful with benzos, Ma’am. They’re strong. They’ll knock you on your as— err, behind, if you’re not careful.” He stuffed the paper and pen back inside his pocket, and his gaze pinned me in place. “Tell me, Ms. Bradley. Did you take your Xanax the day you saw the snake in the campground bathroom?”
My muscles tensed. “Of course not. Besides, the game warden was going out there today, wasn’t she? What did she find?”
“She looked around.”
“And?” Eli asked. Fists clenched and leaning on his toes, he looked poised to take the sheriff down to the linoleum tiles. Like that would go over well. He’d be hauled away in handcuffs and charged with assault. I grabbed the back of his shirt before he acted on impulse.
Cooper, his brow pinched, flicked his gaze back and forth between me and the sheriff. I couldn’t fathom what he thought about all this.
“The warden found nothing.” The sheriff turned to leave the room but paused with his hand on the curtain. “There was no snake in the bathroom when she unnailed that door. Now, I have to wonder if you just imagined it.”
My throat closed up tight. He didn’t believe me. Maybe no one believed me. Cringing, I looked at Cooper. “You heard the snake, too.”
Cooper stood. “I distinctly heard a rattle when I opened the door.”
“It’s been locked up since I was out there,” Sheriff Moyer said. “The room’s rustic, but there are no holes in the floor. If there’d been a snake in there, we would’ve found it. One thing I did notice was some dead leaves caught in the screen. Whenever the wind blew, they rattled. I think that’s what you both heard.” He shook his head, and I could tell he was dismissing this already. Dismissing me. My belly clenched into a knot. “Count your Xanax and call me if you find some missing.” After smacking his hat back on his head, he strode from the room.
Why wouldn’t he believe me?
Eli slumped in his chair. His gaze skimmed my face but, he didn’t meet my eye.
My chest ached. “You believe me, don’t you?” If I lost his trust—no, his respect—it would crush me.
“I know you think you saw a snake. And a car coming at you today. And it’s damn clear you fell into a ditch.” Reaching out, he stroked my hair, smoothing it off my forehead. “But you’ve been under a lot of stress lately. Are you sure you didn’t take any—”
“I didn’t take any Xanax,” I ground out. Looking at Cooper was not an option, because I was scared of what I’d read on his face. Did he doubt me, too?
I’d been drugged. I knew that for sure. And I hadn’t drugged myself.
Not that I remembered, anyway. I collapsed onto the stretcher, my body shaking. I hadn’t taken any, had I?
Shit. Questioning my actions suggested I was out of control. Could I have taken a pill or two and forgotten? The sheriff said they screwed with the mind.
No. I was certain I hadn’t taken any other than that one time. I’d look in the bottle when I got home.
“My memory is kind of shaky,” I said, unsure why I was considering this could just be an accident. “The driver could’ve been distracted, riding in the breakdown lane without realizing it. Maybe texting on their cell phone. They might not have seen me.”
“Is that what you think?” Cooper asked.
I shrugged because I hated pushing this, begging everyone to chase down possibly nonexistent leads. I had been drugged, but had the car been involved? That was unclear. If only my mind would work right, then—
A nurse parted the curtain, a sheath of papers in her hand. “Everything checks out okay, so we’re releasing you.”
Eli rose and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed on his chest.
The nurse explained I needed to go home, go to bed, take it easy for a few days, and then added, “You’ve got to be careful with benzos. If your body isn’t used to them, they’ll knock you for a loop.”
Something had knocked me for a loop. I just needed to find out what and who’d given it to me. The car might be explained away as nothing, but I was not relenting about someone drugging me.
“I’ll take you home,” Eli said as the nurse left the room. “I can drop your laptop at the shop for repairs on my way back into town.”
Cooper looked to me for confirmation, and I nodded. Part of me wanted to beg him to bring me home instead, but how could I ride with him right now? Eli obviously doubted me. If Cooper shared the same opinion, my brain was too scrambled to defend myself.
“Okay, then,” Cooper said, rising. “I’ll get back to my dad’s place. Plenty of work waiting for me there.” He leaned forward for a kiss.
“You’ll still come for dinner tonight?” What if h
e said no? What if he suggested we end things now? I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to be involved with a person the sheriff had essentially branded a drug abuser.
He whispered by my ear. “I can’t wait to see you again. But let’s make it tomorrow night instead. You need to go home, go to bed, get some rest. I wouldn’t miss seeing you tomorrow for the world.”
That reassured me.
Somewhat.
22
Cooper
The sheriff might think Ginny was taking benzos whenever the urge hit her, but I was far from convinced. I knew her. If she said she hadn’t taken the medication prescribed for her, then she hadn’t taken it.
Seeing her lying pale and defenseless on the stretcher had shredded me. The lost look she’d given me when I arrived…I’d wanted to scoop her up in my arms and take her someplace safe where no one could harm her. To think some creep had tried to hit her while she was walking into town. What the hell was going on?
I was determined to discover what happened. The thought of deploying overseas before this was settled was killing me.
She’d mentioned feeling dizzy after drinking the coffee from Mr. Joe’s, so that was the first place I drove to the next morning. I pulled into the parking lot and strode inside.
A man with a gray goatee greeted me from behind the counter. “Morning. What can I get you today?”
“I don’t want to buy anything, but do you have time for a few questions?” I glanced around, pinning each of the baristas with an intent gaze. A man with his back facing the counter slipped into the room behind this one, maybe going for supplies.
“I’m Joe, the owner.” He placed his palms on the counter. “What can I help you with?”
I narrowed my gaze on him. “I have a friend who bought coffee here yesterday. She was injured after she left and ended up in the hospital.”
“My word. I hope she’s okay.”
“She is, but that’s not why I’m here. She said that after she drank the coffee she bought here, she was dizzy. Had a hard time moving her legs.” Joe’s face held nothing but neutrality, but I’d learned people were good at hiding. If Joe was involved in whatever happened to Ginny yesterday, I would see him prosecuted to the full extent of the law. “I think she was drugged.”
