by Judith Keim
“That would be wonderful. I think it’s important,” Lorraine said.
I clicked off the call, turned to Debra and Whit, and told them of Lorraine’s request.
Whit studied Debra and shrugged. “We’d be gone only a short time.” He looked at us. “You’ll stay right here, won’t you? Lindsay, are you okay with the idea of Deb and me leaving you for a few minutes?”
Lindsay laughed. “Go, you two! It’s part of planning for the wedding. Besides, I’m going to take a nap. I didn’t sleep well last night. Rhonda and Ann can leave if they want.” She looked at us.
“We’re staying right here,” said Rhonda.
“I agree. It’ll only be for a few minutes, but I’ll feel better if we stay,” I said.
“I don’t want to be rude ...” Lindsay said.
“Sweetie, go take your nap. It’ll give Ann and me a chance to sit in the sun,” said Rhonda smiling at her.
“Okay, then. Thanks.” Lindsay left the room.
Rhonda waved me out of the living room. “C’mon, I wasn’t kidding. Let’s use this time to relax. I stayed with Angela’s kids for a while last night, and I’m still exhausted.”
I followed her out to the patio and took a seat on the lounge next to Rhonda’s.
Stretched out, I closed my eyes, taking a moment to relax.
I felt something rather than heard it—a rustle in the landscaping. Furious to think that Brock, a reporter, or someone else was snooping, I rose and shook Rhonda gently.
“Wha ...
I covered her mouth with my hand. “Shhh. Come with me.”
As silently as we could, we tiptoed to the lanai screen door and opened it.
I studied the bushes at the edge of the lawn. No movement.
Rhonda frowned at me.
I motioned her forward with me.
As we got closer to the thick oleander hedge, the leaves in one area fluttered.
“Okay, whoever you are, come out of there,” I said.
“If it’s you, Brock Goodwin, I’m going to forget I’m a lady and rip your balls off,” said Rhonda.
A man dressed in black sprung out of the bushes toward us, knocking me against Rhonda.
We both went down in a heap.
“What are you doing here?” said Rhonda, sitting up and breathing heavily.
He pointed a gun at her and then at me. “Shut up! Both of you! I’m here to get my wife.”
I stared in shock at Thomas Thaxton. He’d looked terrible before. He looked worse now—thinner and wild-eyed. God knew what drugs he was on, but he was flying high, which meant we were in more than a little bit of trouble.
He grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. “Now, where is she? I know she’s staying in this house.”
“I don’t know who told you that, but he’s lying. She’s not here,” I said, praying Lindsay wouldn’t appear.
Rhonda stood. “Look. Just drop the gun, and we’ll get some help for you.”
He pointed the gun at her. “Shut up, or I’ll kill you.”
“You don’t want to do that,” Rhonda said, her voice shaking. “I’m a mother and a grandmother.”
While they exchanged words, I tried to gauge how hard and where I’d have to hit him. Quickly, before I chickened out, I jumped.
Two shots rang out!
I watched in horror as Rhonda fell to the ground.
“Rhonda!” I cried, throwing myself at her.
She lay still.
Sobbing, I checked her body.
Confused by the sounds behind me, I turned to see Whit kneeling beside Thomas. Blood was oozing from Thomas’s chest. Debra stood a few feet away, holding onto Lindsay, who’d raced outside and was doubled over, crying.
I turned back to Rhonda and shook her hard. “Rhonda! Rhonda! Talk to me!”
She sat up. “What happened? I remember seeing Thomas, and then everything turned black.”
Whit knelt by her. “You fainted. It happens sometimes.”
“Oh my God!” Rhonda said. “Don’t tell anyone!”
Whit put a hand on her forehead and checked her eyes. “You’re going to be just fine.” He turned. “Unfortunately, we have someone who isn’t. Deb is calling the police now. And we’ll need to get security over here to keep everyone away.”
“Okay. I’ll call them. What else do you want us to do?” I asked.
“Just rest here. The police will have questions,” Whit said.
I called security and then lowered myself next to Rhonda and hugged her. “You scared me! What would I ever do without you?” Adrenaline left me in a rush, making me feel as weak as a baby. Then the tears came.
We clung to each other, crying.
When we finally pulled apart, Rhonda said, “Annie, I had a near-death experience.”
I looked at her with surprise. “How can you have a near-death experience when you weren’t even hurt?”
“All I know is I’m going to try to be better, act more like a lady, no swearing, and all that stuff,” she said. “Maybe lose some weight.”
I gave her a steady look. “I don’t know what happened to you, but I and everyone else I know loves you just the way you are, Rhonda. You’re beautiful inside and out. You’re outspoken but honest, kind, and loving.”
She wrapped her arms around me. “Oh, Annie, it was such a lucky day for me when you first came to Florida with Liz.”
“Even if I looked very beige,” I said, teasing her.
“Yeah, even then. But we got you brightened up,” she said, half-laughing, half-crying.
“And much, much more than that,” I said, giving her another hug as the yard filled with police officers and security guards.
Debra came over to us. “Why don’t the two of you come inside with me? You don’t need to see the crime scene.”
“Nothing bad is going to happen to Whit, is it?” I asked, getting to my feet.
“He was just doing his job. He’ll have to fill out a lot of paperwork and follow other procedures, but he should be fine. It’s a good thing Thomas was a lousy shot, and Whit didn’t get hurt.”
“How’s Lindsay?” I asked, getting to my feet.
“As upset as we all are by the close call,” said Debra. “I’ve put in a phone call to Amelia. And we’ll try to keep the press away until we get things sorted out. Lindsay will go stay at Jean-Luc’s house for the time being.”
“Oh, my God! Does he know what’s happened?” Rhonda said.
“He’s on his way,” Debra answered as she led us inside.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Inside the house, Lindsay was stretched out on her bed weeping. I went in and sat down beside her. “I hope you don’t mind my being here with you,” I said softly. “I just want to make sure you’re all right.”
She rolled over and gazed up at me. “No, Ann, I’m glad you’re here. I want to thank you. You and Rhonda saved my life.”
“Whit is the one who saved not only you but us,” I said honestly.
“But you were already on the lawn to protect me,” Lindsay protested. “All four of you should get the credit. Debra came right into the house and stood guard, not leaving my side.”
Jean-Luc rushed into the room. “Chérie?”
“Jean-Luc!” Lindsay cried, scrambling to her feet. She allowed herself to be swept into his arms.
I left the room to give them privacy and went over to the couch to sit next to Rhonda.
“Are you all right?” I asked her.
“Still shook up, but I’ll be fine,” she said. “I called Bernie. He’s keeping everyone calm at the hotel. Most people didn’t hear the shots, but they’re confused by all the police cars.”
I stood and looked outside. The body had yet to be removed. I turned back and faced Debra. “What is the president going to say about all this?”
“He’s not going to be happy, that’s for sure,” said Debra. “But if Thomas had killed Lindsay, the situation would be much worse. No matter, he’ll put a spin on it, so his ima
ge isn’t tarnished.”
“The bastard. He’ll go for a cover-up,” said Rhonda.
“I’m afraid so,” said Debra. “That’s how a lot of these things go down.”
“It’s so unfair,” I said, thinking of the weeks of stress keeping Lindsay safe, to say nothing of what it had cost Amelia both in worry and expense.
“The press will be arriving soon,” said Debra. “We need to get Lindsay and Jean-Luc away from here. I’ll walk them along the back path to the hotel and help Jean-Luc get Lindsay into his car and then go with them until they’re safely beyond the hotel. Then I’ll come back and talk to Bernie about security from the press.” She turned to me. “Please let Whit know what I’m doing.”
“Sure. I’ll do it now.”
I left the house and stood outside behind the yellow tape the police had placed around the area where the body lay.
Whit saw me and came over. “What’s up?”
I told him what Debra was doing and watched as security kept people from coming down the driveway to the house.
“Good thing Deb has taken Lindsay away. Now we can honestly say she’s not at the house.” He frowned. “I wonder if Brock Goodwin was somehow involved.”
“He knew something was going on. I wouldn’t put it past him to give Thomas a call as he’d promised. He had nothing to lose by doing so and everything to gain,” I said.
“I’m sure he’ll deny it,” said Whit shaking his head. “I suspect we’ll never know for sure.”
“As obnoxious as Brock is, I don’t believe he’d ever want to be part of a murder.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Guys like that are so self-centered and so eager for power and money they don’t think beyond it.” Whit indicated the press of people standing at the gate. “If I’m not mistaken, there he is now.”
I looked at the crowd standing behind the gate. Sure enough, there was Brock with none other than Terri Thomas. A shiver crawled down my back. I knew Brock had something to do with it. I studied his face, but he looked as stunned as the other onlookers.
I returned to the house dispirited.
Inside, Rhonda was talking to Will in a quiet but urgent voice. I knew how rattled she was and walked into the kitchen.
My cell rang. Liz.
“Mom? Are you all right? I heard there’s been a shooting at the hotel.” Her voice was high with worry.
“Rhonda and I are both fine,” I said, beginning to shake as the words came out. “We were accosted by Thomas Thaxton. Whit shot him and saved our lives.”
“Oh, my God! You could’ve been killed? Oh, Mom! That’s so awful! Is Lindsay safe?”
“Yes, she was inside the house while Rhonda and I were in the backyard. I’d heard someone in the bushes, and we thought it might be Brock Goodwin. Turns out it was Thomas.”
“I thought he was with his family,” said Liz, her voice shaky.
“I guess he didn’t give up on the idea that Lindsay was staying here at the hotel. It’s going to be pretty busy here for a while, so I’d better go,” I said.
“Does Vaughn know what happened?” Liz said.
“No, but I’ll call him now. Thanks, sweetheart.”
“I love you, Mom!” said Liz, sounding as if she’d begun to weep.
“I love you too, Liz,” I said, clicking off the call and phoning Vaughn.
When Vaughn’s voicemail message came on, I left a message that Rhonda and I were all right, but he should call me when he could.
Rhonda came into the kitchen, her eyes red from crying. “I just got off the call with Will. He’s going to talk to Angela. I think we should meet with Bernie to discuss holding a press conference, letting everyone know the hotel is fine and unaffected by the shooting.”
“You’re right. I wonder if we should call Amelia to see how she wants to handle things,” I said as my cell rang. Amelia. I put her on speakerphone so Rhonda could hear.
“Ann, I just got off the phone with Debra, so I know pretty much what happened. It’s important that we all handle this carefully with the press. I’m flying down there tonight. In the meantime, why don’t we just say that there’s been a terrible accident, and we’ll release details tomorrow. Will you agree to that?”
“You’re on speaker so that Rhonda could hear.” I turned to Rhonda for her approval. “Yes, we both will agree to that. We were about to confer with Bernie on how to handle it, so we’ll tell him this is how you want it. We’re trying to keep the press at bay, but they’re already here. However, our security is keeping them away from the scene.”
“Excellent. I’ll be in touch with the president, of course, before I come down. Will you have room for me at the guesthouse?”
“Yes, we’ll have the maids prepare Lindsay’s bedroom for you. She’s staying with Jean-Luc as you no doubt know.”
“I do know that.” Her voice softened. “How is my sister doing?”
“She, like the rest of us, is pretty shaken by how close Thomas was to harming her. But being with Jean-Luc has always been good for her, and it’s good for her now. And best to be away from the crime scene,” I said.
Amelia let out a sad puff of air. “What had started as something sweet and wonderful changed so quickly. Neither Lindsay nor I knew that having his brother as president would produce such long-hidden jealousy, such a dive into drugs and alcohol and violence.”
“Well, it’s over,” I said. “Now, we all can begin to heal.”
“I can’t thank the two of you enough for all you’ve done to keep my sister safe,” Amelia said, her voice cracking. “I have a feeling the president will want to thank you too. We’ll set up a meeting for tomorrow. I’ll talk to Bernie later with some plans for a brief news conference.”
“That sounds good,” I said, relieved that Amelia would handle a lot of that responsibility.
A knock sounded at the door.
Rhonda answered it and stepped back as a policeman entered the house. “Okay, if I talk to you about what happened?” He held up a tape recorder. “It’s a very straightforward investigation, but we want all the facts lined up as quickly as possible.”
Rhonda and I sat on the couch facing the policeman as he asked us about what we saw and heard.
When one of us made a statement, he looked to the other for confirmation or denial. What had seemed a lifetime was merely a matter of minutes, so there wasn’t much to describe.
Satisfied, he rose. “I think we have everything we need. If you can think of anything else that was said or you saw, please let us know.
After he left, Rhonda and I hugged each other, rattled after experiencing those moments all over again.
“Thank God, Whit appeared when he did,” I said, remembering how sick I’d felt hearing gunshots and seeing Rhonda fall to the ground.
“Of all the things that have happened to us here at the hotel, this was the scariest,” said Rhonda.
“You don’t actually want to make all those changes that you talked about, do you?” I asked.
“You mean to become more like you, no swearing and all?” Rhonda shrugged. “Will says just be myself. That’s who he married; that’s who he loves.”
“See? I told you,” I laughed as she gave me a big, bosomy hug.
###
I’d just come out of Bernie’s office where Rhonda and I had met with him to discuss how to handle the press when Vaughn called.
“Ann? What’s this I hear about a shooting at the hotel? It’s all over the news. What happened? You said you weren’t hurt but were you involved?”
“Yes. Hold on! Let me get to my office.”
I hurried away from Bernie and Rhonda to hide my tears. Just hearing Vaughn’s voice had brought home how different things would be if Whit hadn’t arrived to save us.
After I finished telling Vaughn the story, he let out a long, slow breath. “Ann, you and Rhonda are very kind, but I don’t want you to do something like this again. Taking in someone who needs to hide isn’t a good decision for the hot
el.”
“It was something we wouldn’t ordinarily do, but even if the vice president of the United States wasn’t involved, how could we turn away a woman who needed our help? And speaking of helping someone, how is it going with Darla and Simon?”
“Funny you should ask. Simon is nowhere to be found, and suddenly Darla’s scenes are just fine.”
“I’m proud of how you stepped up to help her. How is it being the old man figure now?”
“That’s another story. I’m not quite ready to take on that role in the show.”
“How are your fans reacting to the story of Darla and Meredith being part of our family?”
“The producers tell me it was a class act, and everyone loves it.”
“Good. I’m glad to have that behind us. You’ll be able to come home for the wedding as scheduled, won’t you? Next Thursday it will go forward as planned.”
“I’ll be there. The more the merrier, huh?”
“There’ll always be room in our family for more. I have a feeling Lindsay and Jean-Luc will be next, but who knows?”
Vaughn’s voice softened. “It was such a lucky day when I met you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
After the harrowing experience with Thomas and the scrambling we had to do to keep a lid on the facts boiling beneath the surface, I was more than happy to accept Amelia’s invitation for Rhonda and me to join her for margaritas on the Tuesday afternoon before the wedding.
As we walked into the bar, I saw Amelia sitting alone in the corner, her Secret Service agent nearby, and decided this would be a good time for her to visit our special hiding place. I placed an order for the margaritas and turned to Rhonda.
“I think we should ask Amelia to join us in our secret spot.”
“Good idea,” said Rhonda. “After all the publicity of the past few days, I like the idea of quiet time. You get the drinks; I’ll get Amelia.”
The bartender fixed me a tray with the drinks and a bowl of nuts and said, “I’ll carry it up for you.”
I smiled my thanks and led the way to the storage room, unlocked the door, and waved him through to the balcony, where he set down the tray. “Enjoy.”
