Out of the Picture

by Tracy Gardner

  Aidan looked disappointed. “I don’t think it was the wine. Even if it was meant for Caroline but Eleanor drank it, why would someone from the grocery store want to poison Caroline?”

  “You’re going to think this sounds crazy.”

  Aidan looked at her. “All of this sounds crazy. So tell me. If someone is trying to hurt Caroline, we need to know.”

  Savanna took a deep breath and told Aidan about the conversation she’d overheard the other day at Happy Family, between the grocery delivery woman and the clerk at the store. “Amber was so angry. She made it sound as if Everett Carson cost her family everything. She really sounded as if she wanted to do something about it.”

  “Okay. And Amber is the one who brought the wine. I can see how you’re connecting the dots.” He nodded. “But then…the railing…” He finished his coffee, frowning. “That was just an accident, maybe?”

  Savanna shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe Amber has help? Or maybe it wasn’t Amber at all. Maybe she just brought the wine with the groceries, and something happened to it once it was there.”

  Aidan stood abruptly. “Come with me.”

  Back in the emergency room, Savanna leaned in the doorway of a little alcove filled with computers. Aidan’s back was to her as he worked. Caroline’s room was still empty; she must still be down in X-ray.

  “Eleanor’s reports are back,” Aidan said triumphantly, turning just as the printer to Savanna’s right started spitting out sheets of paper. Aidan waited until they finished, six in all, and then grabbed them, scanning through them until he found what he was looking for on page three. He met Savanna’s eyes. “I need to get these to the police,” he said quietly, looking rattled.

  “Whoa, what?” Savanna said, staring at him. What on earth had jumped out at him in that report?

  At that moment, Caroline rolled by on the gurney. She waggled her fingers at Aidan and Savanna. “There’s my wonderful doctor! The X-ray report is in, Dr. Gallager, good sir. You can check it and confirm that I’m right as rain!”

  “They gave Grandmother more pain medication,” Lauren said by way of explanation, rolling her eyes. “She’s feeling fine.”

  Caroline snickered, patting her son’s hand on the gurney railing as the tech continued pushing her toward her room. “Thomas, your daughter’s tone is quite snarky; I think she thinks the medicine has made me loopy. But she’s wrong!” Caroline rolled her head on the pillow back toward Lauren, grinning widely as they turned into her room.

  “Oh boy.” Savanna giggled. “She sure is feeling fine.”

  Aidan was back on the computer, scrolling through screens. “No break. She guessed right,” he told Savanna. “Let’s go give her the good news.”

  Aidan informed Caroline that she’d be getting a walking cast to wear for two weeks, as a precaution. He wanted her to stay overnight because her blood pressure was elevated, but he promised she could go home first thing in the morning.

  “I’m staying with her,” Lauren announced, waving a hand to shush Caroline when she protested.

  “They’ll be taking you up to your room soon, and then Ortho will be in to look at your ankle and fit the boot. Okay?”

  Savanna said her goodbyes to Caroline and stepped into the hall to call Sydney for a ride. Aidan was waiting for her.

  “I’ve got to get this report into the right hands. Would you like to be part of that conversation? If not, I can drop you off at your place…you said Sydney took the car?”

  “I’m absolutely coming with you! What do you think is going on? Is she actually in danger?”

  “She might be. This is just very strange.” He looked at the folded papers in his hand. “Not what I expected. And even if you don’t come with me, I’m sure whoever looks into it will be calling you with questions. You were there the night Eleanor died.”

  “Oh wow,” Savanna breathed. So someone had poisoned Eleanor. Aidan looked spooked.

  In his car, as they pulled into the parking spot at the Carson Police station, Aidan paused before getting out. “Savanna, you need to think about how this all affects you. We don’t know anything yet, but we have to keep our eyes open to protect Caroline. I think I should keep my eyes open to protect both of you. You’re there all the time. Just—be careful. Please.”

  She felt warm tingles rush through her, down to her fingertips and toes. Aidan was concerned about her safety. “I will, don’t worry,” she told him.

  But worry a little, she thought, loving the unsolicited attention from Dr. Aidan Gallager.

  Chapter Nine

  Savanna slept in Sunday morning later than she had in months. Yesterday was exhausting. The visit to the Carson Village police department had left a lot to be desired, and it had left Savanna with the unsettled feeling that Aidan’s pathology report might just sit on the detective’s desk, untouched, for who knew how long.

  Savanna padded to Sydney’s front door, Fonzie close at her heels. Who would be ringing the doorbell on a Sunday at ten a.m.?

  Skylar handed Savanna a heavy casserole dish with a handful of Hershey’s kisses scattered in the bottom, moving past her into Sydney’s kitchen. “Does she have coffee? She never did before, only that organic decaf stuff that tastes like dirt, but I figure maybe you’ve converted her?” Skylar was pulling open cupboards and drawers and had discovered the coffee before Savanna could even jump in to help.

  “Why are you here so early?” Savanna set the dish down and grabbed a banana from the bowl on the counter. “What’s with the kisses?”

  Skylar set up the coffee maker on the counter, taking out two cups and spooning sugar into one of them for Savanna. “Syd needed the pan for her dinner tonight,” Skylar said over her shoulder, her perfectly straight, shiny blond hair just brushing the collar of the tailored white blouse she wore with fitted jeans. Her sister was always dressed impeccably, ready for anything—a meeting with a judge, a playdate with Nolan, coffee with Savanna. “And you know Mom says it’s bad form to return an empty dish. The kisses are from Nolan.”

  Savanna rubbed her eyes and gathered her long hair into a high ponytail, yawning. “I hope you made it strong.” She nodded at the coffeemaker.

  Skylar joined Savanna on a stool at the counter. “Obviously.”

  “Where is Syd? I don’t think she’s here.” Savanna glanced back toward the hallway to the bedrooms. Her little sister never slept in. She wouldn’t still be in bed.

  “She texted me from yoga.”

  “Oh my God, who does yoga this early on a Sunday?”

  Skylar smiled at Savanna. “Our sister. And apparently a bunch of other people too. She said her classes have been overfull lately so she added a couple. I think she gets a lot of crossover from Fancy Tails.”

  “Our entrepreneur sister. Bringing Zen and wellness to all, one dog lover at a time.” Savanna laughed. She unwrapped a chocolate kiss and popped it in her mouth.

  “Breakfast?” Skylar raised an eyebrow at Savanna.

  “Breakfast?” Savanna looked at Skylar’s black coffee.

  Skylar shrugged. “Maybe not. I was just dropping off the casserole dish. Travis was making breakfast when I left.”

  “Um. Okay, invitation accepted, let’s go.” Savanna finished her coffee and hopped off the stool, heading to her bedroom. “Let me change. Hey, maybe we can take my adorable nephew to the park later, and I’ll tell you about my run-in with the police?”

  “The police? What the heck?”

  By noon, Skylar and Savanna were seated comfortably in the sun on a red-and-blue painted bench, full of pancakes, watching Nolan scoop sand into a bucket with a cute little girl in pigtails. The town park was a huge, grassy rectangle of land at the west end of town, one block past the four corners where Main Street met Parkway Drive. September in Michigan was unpredictable. Fifty degrees and rainy could quickly give way to seventy and sunny; perfect park wea
ther. Savanna peeled off her denim jacket, turning her face up toward the sun.

  “Okay, so I don’t think I’m getting it,” Skylar said. “Tell me again what happened with Aidan and the police station.”

  Savanna had started at the beginning over the delicious breakfast Travis made, but by the time she’d made it to when she and Aidan meeting with the police detective, Nolan was screeching about wanting his kite for the park, the dishwasher was running, and Travis was on the phone.

  “Not much happened, actually. Aidan had the pathology report from Eleanor’s autopsy and he said we needed to turn it in to the police. It showed a toxic level of Attendall in her system.”

  “What?” Skylar turned and started at Savanna on the bench. “Attendall? The ADD medication for kids?”

  “Yes! It doesn’t make sense, right?”

  Skylar was shaking her head. “And Aidan told you this?”

  “No,” Savanna quickly replied, “he couldn’t. But when they finally let us talk to the detective on duty, George Taylor, he read it aloud off the report. He sounded surprised that Attendall showed up, but he acted like maybe Eleanor was just taking it on her own or something.”

  “Oh, right.” Skylar rolled her eyes. “Like Eleanor would take something like that just for fun. Couldn’t Aidan confirm what medications she was on? He was her doctor.”

  “He did,” she said. “He gave the detective a complete list. She was only on a few things, and Attendall wasn’t one of them.”

  “Taylor is a little green,” Skylar said. “He might be out of his depth. He only made detective last year. Maybe I can try to put a word in.”

  “How?” Savanna couldn’t see how Skylar could help.

  “I deal with that division a lot in civil cases. I know all three of Carson’s detectives—it’s not a big precinct. I might be able to mention Eleanor’s report to Jordan. He’s the most reliable. I can say I’m checking on it as part of settling Eleanor’s estate and life insurance. They should technically be contacting me if they suspect any kind of suspicious death, but I’ll beat them to it.”

  Savanna hugged Skylar. “That would be so great. I went with Aidan because we both thought it might help, since I was there when Eleanor died. We thought the detective might have questions for me. But Taylor basically took the report, agreed that the Attendall was odd, and then kind of gave Aidan a funny look—like an ‘okay, sure buddy’ kind of look—when he suggested it could have been slipped to her and made her heart stop. He didn’t ask me anything about that night. I tried to tell him about the claret, but I think he thought we were nuts.”

  Skylar patted Savanna’s knee. “Jordan will call you, I’m positive. He’s going to want to know exactly what happened—how the wine got there, who served it, everything. I wonder if she still has the bottle. This whole thing is scary. Where is Caroline now?”

  “She’s probably home now. Aidan made her stay overnight because her blood pressure was up, but no wonder!”

  “You need to be careful, Savanna,” Skylar said. “If Eleanor died because someone is after Caroline, and then Caroline just narrowly missed a bad fall all the way down that staircase, you could be hurt, too.”

  “I know…I’ll be careful. Aidan mentioned that, too.”

  Skylar’s mouth went up on one side in a crooked smile. “Really, now.”

  “Well, yes! We both feel something questionable is going on over there.”

  “How nice that he’s worried about you,” Skylar said.

  “Yes.” Savanna glanced at her and then back at Nolan. “Just like he’s worried about Caroline, I’m sure.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “I think Nolan needs help.” Savanna got up abruptly and went over to the sandbox. Nolan most definitely did not need help; he was filling his shirt with sand one scoop at a time, little face screwing up with frustration every time he saw it spill out the bottom. As Savanna approached, he finally figured out how to tuck his shirt into his waistband so he wouldn’t lose the sand. Smart boy. Dirty and dusty, but smart. Savanna smiled to herself.

  “Nolan, want me to push you on the swing?”

  Sydney must’ve been talking to Skylar; Savanna could tell by the knowing look on her older sister’s face. There was nothing to know. Aidan was just a nice guy. It made total sense that he’d be concerned about her…and anyone else who might be in a potentially dangerous situation. Besides, he was very obviously devoted to his daughter and his work, and Savanna had come home to heal, to rediscover what was important to her, not to find a new man.

  Skylar joined her at the swing set on the opposite side. They pushed Nolan back and forth, taking turns overreacting every time Nolan swung toward them through the air, acting as if he might knock them down, and her nephew’s delighted high-pitched giggles were music to Savanna’s ears. She’d trade the whole decade in Chicago for time spent like this with family.

  As they were packing up to leave the park, a young boy and his mother approached them.

  Savanna looked up from tying Nolan’s shoe. She recognized the boy from one of her art classes…a second or third grader. She couldn’t recall his name.

  The child’s mother spoke. “Ms. Shepherd?”

  “Yes?”

  “Parker wanted to say hello.” The woman looked down at her son, who had a death grip on his mom’s hand.

  “Hi, Ms. Shepherd.” His voice was so quiet Savanna had to strain to hear. Now she remembered him. Second grade, left front table in her class. He was obsessed with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

  Savanna smiled at the boy and his mom. “Hi, Parker! I’m so excited for you to finish your caterpillar this week. I can’t wait to see what other foods he’ll eat.” She looked up at the woman. “He’s using magazines to make a collage; the assignment was to come up with a piece based on a favorite book. Parker is so creative!”

  His mother’s face lit up. “He loves your class. I have to say, this is the first year he’s ever been excited to go to school. Whatever you’re doing, Ms. Shepherd, please keep it up. We’re lucky to have you!”

  The random, unexpected compliment warmed Savanna’s heart and stayed with her all day.

  She made a detour on her way back home and stopped at Caroline’s house; she was right in thinking she’d catch Lauren there. Not wanting to talk in front of Caroline, she motioned Lauren out onto the porch.

  “How is she?” Savanna asked.

  “She’s doing well,” Lauren said. “She actually feels pretty good. She won’t take any of the pain pills they gave her, but I’m giving her Tylenol and keeping ice on her ankle. Her blood pressure came back down this morning.”

  “I’m so glad she’s feeling okay. She’s impressive. Not much slows her down.”

  “I can’t thank you enough for taking care of her yesterday. If you and Sydney hadn’t been here…” Lauren shook her head. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

  “Listen,” Savanna said, lowering her voice and looking past Lauren through the screened front door. She was sure Caroline wouldn’t hear. “I was going to call you, but this is easier to explain in person. I’m a little worried… Dr. Gallager and I are a little worried about her, and her safety. It’s just…” Savanna stopped, at a loss for words. How could she warn Lauren to keep Caroline safe without scaring her?

  “What’s the matter?” Lauren asked, worry lines appearing between her eyebrows.

  “Well, yesterday’s accident, and only a week or two after the awful incident with Eleanor…it just seems like a lot of bad luck. I’m glad you’re with her. I’m worried…we’re worried…about the possibility that someone may be trying to hurt your grandmother.”

  Lauren’s eyes widened. “Really? I never thought of that. I mean, it’s been a little crazier than usual around here, but do you really think she’s in danger?”

  Savanna wasn’t sure how much to say. “Dr.
Gallager is looking into Eleanor’s death. He isn’t sure it was due to natural causes. And I know the railing coming loose was an accident, but all the same, it’s probably a good idea to keep a close eye on her.”

  Lauren sighed. “I’ll try. But Grandmother is the biggest obstacle to me being here even more to help her. She’s so stubborn. At least now, with that bulky walking cast on, we have an excuse to keep close tabs on her until she’s able to take it off. Thank you, Savanna. I appreciate you worrying.”

  “One last thing. You don’t still have that fancy bottle of red wine from the night Eleanor died, do you? Do you remember what it looked like?”

  “You know, it’s the strangest thing. Grandmother mentioned the other day that she never got to try hers. It was such a pretty bottle, short and round with gold vines wrapped around the neck. I don’t remember the brand—I couldn’t have pronounced it. I went to pour us a glass, but the bottle is gone. All I can think is that someone must have thrown it out.” She paused. “Wait, why?”

  “Eleanor was the only one who drank that wine. We’re wondering if maybe someone tampered with the bottle.”

  “Oh my goodness.” Lauren gasped. “That’s awful. That’s—” She took a step back, leaning on the porch railing as understanding dawned on her. “I served that wine. Oh my, I served Grandmother, you, and Eleanor that wine. And Eleanor—”

  Savanna grabbed Lauren’s hand, squeezing it. “No. Lauren, this is all guesswork. I have no idea what really happened to Eleanor. Dr. Gallager doesn’t either. We’re just trying to piece things together. Maybe the wine was fine. And even if it wasn’t, you couldn’t have known. Nothing is your fault.”

  Lauren’s eyes were filled with tears.

  Savanna hugged her. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Please don’t worry. We might be wrong—I hope we’re wrong! Okay?” She let go, looking at Lauren.

  “Okay.” Lauren nodded. “Well, either way, I’m not letting her out of my sight.”