by Beth Ziarnik
“I’m already packed. I’ll get my bag.”
While Clay guided the truck down the driveway, Jill looked back at the grand old house with a twinge of sorrow. Coming here, she had held such high hopes. Today, as they departed, the house appeared as cold as the death of her dreams.
Clay turned onto the street. “Are you sorry you came?”
“Sorry? No.” She tore her attention away from the house. It should have been a place of new beginnings for her father, herself, and his family. Instead, he lay in the hospital, fighting for his life, his family wanting nothing to do with her. “I’m only sorry I didn’t realize earlier what Alice was planning to do.” She stared through the windshield at the frigid winter day with its blue skies and bright sunshine. At least the roads were clear. They would make good time getting to the hospital.
They drove in silence for a while before Clay spoke up. “Have you considered they might not let you see him?”
“I’m his daughter. They can’t keep me out.” She squared her shoulders and held her head high.
“Okay then. We’re here. Let’s do this.”
While Clay parked the car, Jill scanned the hospital’s sprawling structure. They hurried toward the main entrance. She shivered—and not because of the chill in the air. Gritting her teeth, she prayed Clay was wrong. She didn’t want to make a scene, but she wasn’t leaving before she saw her father.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Clay waited patiently while the woman at the reception desk looked up the number to John Taylor’s room. As he and Jill charged down the hall toward the elevators, Jill flashed him a triumphant look. “So far, so good.”
She pressed the elevator’s call button, and they entered the conveyance.
Clay had his reservations. “This may not be as easy as you hope.”
She rested her hands on his chest. “Even if Dora changes her mind about contacting the police, she hasn’t had time to get a court order, and I haven’t been charged with anything.”
He liked her optimism but couldn’t shake his doubts.
“We won’t stay long,” she said as the elevator let them off on the right floor. “We’ll be in and out of Dad’s room in no time.”
A quick check of room numbers and arrows and Jill steamed down the hall to the right.
“Wait.” He touched her shoulder and pointed. A sign was being posted outside a room down the hallway. “If the hospital restricts visitors, how will we prove you’re John’s daughter?”
Jill pulled out an envelope from her purse. “With this.” She waved her father’s Christmas invitation. “If necessary, I’ll call Brian to verify it.”
“That should work,” he conceded. “Unless Caldwell is working on a court order and Dora already called the hospital to block you.”
“Wouldn’t she have to sign something to put it into effect?”
“Maybe. But your father is an important lawyer in this community and his family respected. One well-placed phone call might get the job done without police involvement.”
“Are you trying to discourage me?”
“No. I just want you prepared if things don’t go the way you hope.”
Jill looked away and resumed her trek, picking up the pace. “We’ll soon find out. I’ll see my father before Alice does something … and he never wakes up.”
“You think she would kill him here and not expect to get caught?”
“I think she’s clever enough to find a way.”
Jill read the sign outside her father’s room restricting visitors. She bowed her head, asking God to make a way. A familiar hand came to rest between her shoulder blades. Clay, too, had bowed his head, his eyes closed. Knowing he was praying buoyed her spirits. Surely God would hear and help them.
When she looked up, Brian stepped from the room.
Jill blurted, “What are you doing here?”
“I came to help you before you get into trouble.” He looked directly into her eyes. “Dora suspected you might attempt to see John and asked me to intervene.”
Clay clenched his jaw. “She just wants to see him for a few moments.”
Brian studied Clay. “And I would be only too happy to make that possible.”
“You’re blocking me from seeing my own father?” Jill couldn’t believe it.
“Not me.” He laced his fingers together. “Dora asked that you be kept away until the family can be sure you won’t harm him.”
Jill’s heart sank. Alice had been very busy behind her back. “You don’t believe I would harm him, do you?”
“What I believe doesn’t matter. They think they’re acting in John’s best interests.”
“What do you think?” Clay asked.
“In their position, I would probably act the same way.” He paused and seemed to size Clay up before going on. “But knowing Jill, I doubt they’re right.”
“You’re not certain?”
“Jill, if I had to guess, I’d say you’re innocent. But I’ve seen cases where what I believed turned out completely opposite. I’m more cautious now. I hope you’ll understand.”
Yes, she understood. She and Clay couldn’t count on anyone but God to help them.
“Let’s not talk in the hall,” he said. “There’s a small waiting room around the corner. If no one is using it, I will answer your questions there.”
Jill looked to Clay, who nodded, and they followed Brian to the room. “Looks like we’re in luck.”
She and Clay took chairs across the table from Brian.
“What would you like to know?”
“Exactly how is my father?”
“The doctor said he’s stable. He will stop by again later to talk to the family. They should arrive any time.”
“Does he know what poison might have been used?”
“The results of the lab tests haven’t come back, but finding the right poison can be tricky.” Brian leaned forward. “I would welcome any suggestions you might care to offer.”
“If I knew, I’d tell you,” Jill said. “Clay and I checked into all the poisonous plants Lillie grows.”
“You’re not suggesting Lillie poisoned her father?” He seemed appalled at the idea.
“Of course not,” Jill said. “But how could we overlook the plants as a possible poisoning agent? Anyone in the house had access to them. I even found a leaf in my father’s room.”
Brian nodded in agreement, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Jill looked to Clay then back to Brian. “We did discover that none of the plants were toxic enough to kill by themselves. Whoever is behind this is using a substance unknown to us.”
“You might want to look into poisons his nurse had access to,” Clay suggested.
Brian smirked. “You’re accusing Alice?”
“From what Jill says and from what we’ve observed, she might be engineering his failing health. Think about it. Who better than a professional would know what to use to achieve the desired effects?”
Brian’s face sobered. He turned to Jill. “How was John while you were with him last night?”
“Mostly weak and pale, but sometimes much better. Remember how encouraged we all were when he was well enough to come downstairs for Christmas—before his sudden setback?” She stared at Brian, trying to decide how he might take the next part of her revelation.
He seemed to pick up on her hesitancy. “What?”
Jill shifted in her chair. “Almost every time I was with Dad, he seemed better. Then when I left, he would take a turn for the worse. Simply talking with him wouldn’t cause that.”
“And when he weakened,” Clay added, “Alice would send us from the room. Then John would suddenly get better. We think she was making it look as if Jill was causing the setbacks. We suspect Alice intends to kill John and set up Jill to take the blame.”
Brian was quiet for a long moment. “That’s a pretty big leap. Do you have any proof?”
Jill studied Brian. Was he beginning to believe them? Did he at
least want to believe them? As a lawyer in her father’s firm, his first allegiance would be with the family, but she desperately needed him to believe her. Did she dare share the damning evidence against her that Alice had contrived? A sick feeling settled in the bottom of her stomach. She had to take the chance. He would find out anyway. Better for him to have her version. “Did Dora tell you about the drinking glass Alice claims is evidence against me?”
“She mentioned it.”
“It will show my fingerprints, but it’s not one from Dad’s room.” Jill combed her fingers through her hair, the tightness in her chest growing. “I don’t know why I didn’t realize she was setting me up.”
“This is a serious accusation, Jill, but let’s say you’re right. Why would Alice want to harm you or your father?”
“I admit none of this makes sense. She didn’t even know me until a few days ago, and Dad has been good to her for years. All Clay and I can figure is that it must have something to do with him helping Alice’s mother surrender to the police for dealing drugs. Do you know about that?”
“All I know is that John was once her guardian, and she is now caring for him until he recovers.”
After filling him in, Jill offered her conclusion. “It’s possible Alice blames Dad for her mother’s death in prison.”
Brian frowned and shook his head. “This is all conjecture—your word against the family’s.”
“Yes, but I’m telling you the truth, and I’m terribly afraid something will happen to my dad in this hospital. Alice works here and will have access to him around the clock. Please. I must see for myself that he’s okay.”
Brian seemed to consider the situation. “Well … there’s no court order to keep you away. If I let you see him this once, will that satisfy you?”
For the first time since they encountered Brian, a flicker of hope flamed in Jill’s heart. “You can do that?”
“As long as I accompany you, I don’t think the family will object.” He stood. “But remember, after you’ve seen him, you are to stay away from him and this hospital until the family is certain you’re no danger to John.”
Jill nodded, willing to agree to whatever made it possible to see her father. “Is there any way you can convince the family to keep Alice away from him too?”
“That might be a whole lot more difficult.”
Clay stood at the foot of John Taylor’s hospital bed while Jill followed Caldwell’s instructions and approached her father. “Don’t touch him or anything in the room,” he said from just inside the doorway to the private room. “That way, I can vouch for you.”
The man lay still and pale with his eyes closed, his arm hooked up to an IV bag. Jill’s eyes shimmered with moisture. She blinked and wiped it away. “If only someone could tell me you’ll be all right, Dad,” she whispered.
“Of course, he’ll be all right.”
At the sound of Alice’s confident voice, Jill’s head whipped up.
Clay turned to see the woman in her nurse’s scrubs, carrying medication on a tray, a barely visible smirk on her face. Jill was right. Her father was in danger from this woman.
“You two look surprised,” Alice said. “Of course, Dora would ask me to continue his care here. I’m not the one under suspicion.”
Jill’s face paled, and Clay moved to her side.
“Don’t worry.” Alice drew close to the bed, carefully positioning herself to block Brian from catching the glee in her eyes and the mocking smile on her face. “I will take good care of him … as I always have.”
Jill could barely breathe. Even in the hospital, Alice was still in charge of her father’s care, standing in her father’s room, a threat to his life, and she could do nothing about it.
“So, you still want to help? She smiled pleasantly at Jill. “I’m sorry, but the family has decided you are a danger to John. Frankly, I’m surprised to find you here at all.”
“I brought them here,” Brian said. “She promised not to bother him again if she saw him this once.”
“Well, she has seen him. Now take her away.”
Her father moved slightly in the bed and grimaced as if he were losing a struggle.
“See? She’s already agitated John. He’s very ill, and what little time he has left, he should spend in peace.”
Little time? Jill’s breath caught in her throat at the clear implication. She closed her fists and stared at the heartless woman who had just taunted her father. A woman who was in a position to make sure he had no chance of recovery.
Jill suddenly stepped forward and popped the tray from Alice’s hands. It clattered to the floor, scattering the meds.
A wide-eyed Alice glared at her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“At least you won’t get a chance to feed poison to my father.” She whirled to face Brian. “And you, if you cared at all about him, you’d throw this woman out. You’d bar her from him. For heaven’s sake, Brian, she’s at least as much a suspect as I am. Talk to Dora. Convince her.”
Footsteps pounded down the hall as Jill was speaking. A nurse and a security guard rushed into the room. “What’s going on here?” the guard asked, one hand poised near his Taser.
“Get this woman out of here,” a red-faced Alice demanded. “She is disturbing my patient.”
“I want another nurse caring for my dad,” Jill insisted.
“And you are?” the guard inquired.
Jill pointed to the bed. “That man’s youngest daughter. And this woman,” Jill pointed to Alice, “is a danger to him. I want her removed.”
Brian stepped forward. “Jill, these people don’t have that power.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to leave now,” the guard said, a no-nonsense firmness to his jaw.
“We’d better go,” Brian said to Jill and Clay.
Reluctantly, Jill left the room, but not before she shot Alice a look to tell her this was not over. While the three of them rode the elevator to the first floor, Jill turned to Brian. “Didn’t you hear her say Dad won’t live long?”
Brian stared ahead at the elevator door, exuding calm and focus. “That doesn’t mean she’ll be the one to make it happen.”
“You didn’t see her smile at the prospect. Brian, I’m serious. You have to convince Dora to remove Alice from being his nurse.”
“On what evidence? She trusts Alice. It’s you she doesn’t trust.”
Jill thrust her hands into her coat pockets. That was the problem. The only person they would find evidence against was her. In the meantime, both she and her father were in an impossible bind.
“By the way,” Brian said as they stepped from the elevator, “Dora mentioned you two were no longer staying at her house.”
“She ordered us to leave,” Clay said. “But we plan to check into a nearby hotel. Jill refuses to leave town until she’s sure John will recover.
“And as long as Alice is in the picture, we don’t hold out much hope. Isn’t there something you can do to help us?” Jill begged.
Brian shrugged one shoulder. “I’m not sure I agree with you, but here’s my cell phone number. Let me know where you’re staying, and call if you need me. In the meantime, I’ll talk to Dora, but you remember your promise.” He handed Jill his card and walked away.
Jill turned the card over in her hand and then looked up at Clay. “I don’t think he’ll be much help. We’re Dad’s only chance of survival.”
Once settled in a decent hotel, Clay left Jill to rest until lunchtime before he knocked on the door between their rooms. When she opened it, she was on her phone. “We’re at the Ramada Inn City Center.” She nodded as if the person she was talking to could see her. “And thanks again for letting me see Dad.”
“Brian?” he mouthed.
She nodded before returning to her conversation. “I’m definitely not sorry for requesting another nurse, but I do feel my behavior embarrassed you. Please forgive me for that.” Jill paced and paused as she hugged the phone to her ear.
>
Clay eased down on the room’s couch. Jill’s rest had been good for her. She appeared more relaxed.
“Have you seen Dora?” she asked, her attention completely riveted on her exchange with Brian. “Not until this evening? Please, Brian, do your best to convince her, and let me know what happens.”
She nodded in response to something he said and thanked him again before she ended the call. Then she deposited her phone in her open purse on the dresser.
Clay stood and pulled her into his arms from behind. Nuzzling his chin in her soft hair, he breathed in its fresh fragrance and whispered, “Are you ready for lunch?”
Jill turned to face him. “I can’t believe they’re letting Alice care for Dad. Are they blind? Are they deaf?”
He gently crooked a forefinger under her chin to direct her face toward his. “Less than twenty-four hours ago, you wouldn’t hear anything negative about her either.”
“But now we know she plans to kill him.” The pain swimming in her eyes pulled at his heart. Her delicate features drew together in a fierce visage. “We have to stop her!”
He loved the way she could suddenly decide to grapple with a problem. “I’m with you. Do you have anything in mind?”
“I’m thinking.”
No doubt she would come up with something, though that didn’t lessen his concerns. “You’re not about to cook up some scheme that will plunge you into more trouble than we already face, are you?” The threat of jail loomed prominently in his mind. “You did promise not to go back to the hospital,” he reminded her.
“That was before we knew the situation. I hate breaking a promise, but if no one stops Alice, she’ll kill Dad. And we seem to be the only ones aware of the problem.”
He couldn’t argue with that. But short of snatching the man from the hospital—dangerous for him with no long-term solution—he couldn’t see a way to remove her father from the threat. “How do you propose we pull this off?”
“He’s not in ICU, and unless this morning’s ruckus changed things, he doesn’t have a guard posted outside his room.” Jill abruptly stopped pacing. “The way I see it, I’m the one to stop Alice.”
