Dead Men Tell No Tales

by Maggie Toussaint

  “You’re okay, Lindsey,” a man said. “Someone took a shot at you, and you’re in the hospital now. The doctor says you’ll make a full recovery. The bullet grazed your arm, which is why it’s in a sling. Bailey saved your life.”

  Bailey. That was my dog’s name. I was Lindsey and I’d been shot. “Dad?”

  “Shh. Don’t try to talk,” Dad said. “You hit your head when you fell and have a minor concussion. They said you might be dizzy for a few days, so take it easy, okay? Another fall and they’ll keep you in here longer.”

  I was in the hospital. My dad held my right hand, my left arm was bent and secured to my chest. I’d taken a call from a whispering woman who wanted to give me her story. I’d driven out to meet her, but she wasn’t there.

  I cracked my eyes a bit. The room was spinning, but I gritted it out. “Day?”

  “It’s Saturday, dear,” my dad said.

  Saturday. I’d lost an entire day. “Where’s Ike?”

  Dad leaned over my face, smoothed my hair back with his other hand. “He’s fine. Got a manhunt going for the shooter.”

  Why wasn’t he here? I turned away from my dad as disappointment washed through me. Ike was doing his job. He was responsible for keeping everyone safe. I was at the hospital, getting help. I wasn’t Ike’s sole responsibility.

  “I need water,” I managed to say.

  My dad brought a straw to my lips. The icy liquid felt amazing in my mouth. “Thanks.”

  “You’re going to be fine. The fact that you’re awake and speaking is a good sign.”

  “What about the newspaper?”

  “Trish and I are helping Ellen pull the next edition together. It’s like old times.”

  Old times. “Thanks, but don’t get too comfortable as editor.”

  “The editor job is yours for as long as you want it. Trish and I have another cruise booked in three weeks.

  A nurse entered, saw I was awake, and hurried away. Moments later, the room brimmed with people clad in colorful scrubs, and my father got the boot. I had to look at this little light and then that one. Questions came one after another, and I answered them all.

  When the medical team started leaving, I grabbed the nearest doctor with my good arm. “I want to go home.”

  “Not today. We’re keeping you under observation for another twenty-four hours.”

  “I’m throwing a party at my house tomorrow. I promised my cousin. I can’t reschedule.”

  “Put someone else in charge of your party because even if you’re home by tomorrow evening, you won’t be in any state of mind for a party. You’re in Intensive Care because of the shortage of hospital beds right now, so the visitation rules of one family member at a time are in effect. By the way, the sheriff is anxious to get your statement. He’s called every hour.”

  Delight made me feel all warm and fuzzy, and the giddy sensation had nothing to do with the slowly spinning room. “He has?”

  “Yes. He must think you have valuable information.”

  “Something like that,” I said gruffly. “He’s my boyfriend.”

  “Strange that your family omitted that information. Would you like him added to your approved list of visitors?”

  My good hand fisted in the sheets. “Yes, I want to see him.”

  After the doctor left, Cousin Janey breezed in. “You look good for a woman who cheated death again,” she said.

  “Why didn’t y’all let Ike in?” My voice came out sharp on purpose.

  Janey’s face twitched. “Aunt Fay said it was time to get his attention.”

  The throbbing in my head kicked up a notch. “About what?”

  “About you two playing house without a marriage license.”

  Something boiled in my gut and it wasn’t food. “That’s none of her business.”

  “Don’t shoot the messenger.” Janey poked my chest with a finger. “That was a direct quote from you know who.”

  I closed my eyes, relieved my actions hadn’t pushed Ike beyond the point of no return. “Poor Ike. Everyone’s ganging up on him.”

  “Poor Ike my foot. Ike can take care of himself. Say, is there anything you need?”

  “Clean clothes so I can go home.”

  “Not today.”

  “I’m still having your party tomorrow.”

  “Think again. We’re delaying the party a week. Everyone already agreed.”

  “That’s not fair to you.”

  “You weren’t shot when you offered. It’s okay.”

  I nodded, sagging deeper in the bed. “How’s Trent?”

  “He’s in the waiting room with Alice Ann. May I send him in? Oh, and he’s your nephew if anyone asks.”

  “I want to see him.”

  A few minutes later, Janey brought Trent to the door. He stood there, a look of terror on his pale face.

  “Trent? Come in,” I said, lifting my head like a turtle. For the first time, I wondered about my hair and face. Was there dried blood? “Sorry I don’t look more like myself.”

  Trent eased into the room. “You don’t look bad.”

  “Were you scared?” I asked, waving him close.

  He nodded.

  “Me too. I’m sorry you were upset. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

  “I know. Daddy told me. He said he’s gonna get the S.O.B. that shot you.”

  Ike wouldn’t appreciate his son swearing, but I gave him a pass. “He will. Come closer, I won’t break.”

  Trent stood beside me, his hands fisted, his teary eyes fierce. “I want Dad to shoot them back.”

  “Ike has to abide by the law, but he’s good at being a cop.”

  Unexpectedly, Trent flung himself at me, hugging me and sobbing. One of his arms inadvertently hit my hurt arm, and I tried not to flinch. What was physical pain when someone’s heart was breaking? I held him tight with my good arm and murmured words of comfort.

  “I thought you were dead, Mama L. I thought I wouldn’t have you anymore. I don’t want you to go anywhere. I love you. Dad and I need you. Bailey needs you. You have to come back to us.”

  “I love you too.” And in that moment, I knew I was walking out of this hospital tomorrow no matter what. My family needed me. I untangled our limbs so I could look him in the eye. “I’ll be home tomorrow, so make sure Bailey gets exercised in the morning.”

  He nodded, dark eyes gleaming. “Dad said Bailey saved you. That she pulled you away from the sniper’s bullet.”

  “He’s right. Bailey is a hero. We should do something special for her.”

  “I’ll do it. I’ll show Bailey how much she means to us.”

  “That’s fine.”

  I glanced at the doorway. Ike filled it with his broad shoulders. How long had he been standing there listening to us?

  “Dad! She’s all right! Mama L’s all right!” Trent darted across the room and hurled himself into Ike’s arms.

  “I see that,” Ike said. “May I have a turn with her now?”

  “Yes, but the doctor said don’t tire her out. And no yelling.”

  As Ike set Trent down and watched him walk away, I noticed how pale Ike looked. His eyes, normally so warm and inviting, looked haunted. Even his stride as he came to me seemed off.

  He bent to kiss me lightly on the lips, then he sat beside the bed, holding my good hand in his. “They kept me away from you, or else I wouldn’t have left your side.”

  “I missed you,” I said. “And I’m sorry for everything. Did you find Deena?”

  “She’s gone to ground. I ordered roadblocks and put out an APB on her fancy car. I’ll find her. You have my word on that.”

  “I never doubted it for a moment.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  I reprised the story of the empty restaurant and how I’d decided to wait for him in the car. “Bailey lunged to the right, yanking me off my feet. I don’t know what happened, I never saw Deena or anyone with a gun. I fell down and woke up here.”

  “That’
s what I figured happened. We found a hunting blind cattycorner to the restaurant. The location wasn’t a random pick. She set you up. The bullet we dug out of the door matched the one that killed the bartender. Sonny wasn’t our shooter. Not unless there are two sharpshooters in their family.”

  “Stranger things have happened,” I offered.

  Ike scowled. “Trent advised me to shoot her, and I wanted to take his advice.”

  I searched his tired face. “But you didn’t. Because you love your job.”

  “When I saw you lying on the ground unconscious and your shirt stained with blood, I wanted to kill her with my bare hands.”

  His eyes burned into mine. “But saving you was more important than hunting her down and wringing her neck. You’re everything to me, Linds. I rode in the ambulance with you. I stayed with you in the ER until they kicked me out. Once you got patched up, your family and my mom arrived. They told the hospital you weren’t married, and the hospital only allowed your dad and cousin to sit with you after that.”

  I gave his hand a squeeze. “I’m sorry. A few minutes ago, a doctor told me what they’d done. I immediately added you to my visitor list. No one can keep you out of my hospital room anymore.”

  “Good. Because I’m not leaving until we go home. How do you feel, Mama L?”

  He’d heard Trent’s new name for me and approved. “I have a killer headache and a sore arm, but my heart is feeling remarkably better.”

  Ike rose. “We’ll rest quietly together. I haven’t had a lick of sleep since Thursday night. Move over.”

  “You’re too big.”

  He tried to lift the covers. “I’m just right, and I can’t sleep without you.”

  I clung to the covers. “I haven’t brushed my teeth, combed my hair, or bathed in a day.”

  “You look and smell great to me.”

  With that, he lifted me gently in his arms, sliding underneath me fully clothed, shoes and all. I nestled against him, content. The steady thumping of his heart and the comfort of his embrace allowed me to ignore my pain and drowse in his arms.

  The floor nurse made him move the next time she checked my blood pressure, but he raised such a fuss, they wheeled in another hospital bed and set it up beside mine. Ike slept deeply, undisturbed by the beeps and noises of this place, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Deena Mowrey.

  She’d targeted me. She had drawn a bead on me and pulled the trigger. If not for Bailey, I’d be in the morgue. Deena’s animosity toward me made no sense. I’d agreed to meet with her and listen to her story. For that, she’d decided to kill me?

  Chapter 13

  Seemed like I’d barely closed my eyes when a phone rang. Ike’s low-pitched voice rumbled nearby. He sounded serious so I roused and took note of the washed-out walls. Where was I?

  I pushed up a little higher on my pillow and a jolt of pain blasted from my left arm, taking my breath away. Oh, yeah. I was in the hospital because Deena Mowrey tried to kill me. I was lucky to be alive, though I wished she’d missed altogether.

  It was light outside, so I took it to be Sunday morning. I wanted to go home. To sleep in my own bed. To wear clothes that didn’t leave my backside exposed.

  “That’s interesting,” Ike said, his voice strong and true. “He’s definitely going nowhere anytime soon.”

  Something was happening with the case. To heck with the pain, I pushed to a sitting position, gritting my teeth as the world slowly spun to a standstill. The only way to get out of this bed was to get moving. Now that Ike had taken residence in my hospital room, I wanted privacy to go to the bathroom.

  Whatever it took, I was walking to that bathroom. I traced the IV tube from my arm to the wheeled pole. Yeah, I could do this. Slide off the bed. Grab the pole on wheels. Trudge to the bathroom and do my business.

  “I gotta go,” Ike said. “Keep me posted.”

  He clicked off the call and padded around to face me. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Home. But first I have to make a pit stop in the bathroom.”

  “How can I help?”

  Smart man. He knew the drill about getting out of here. “I need to do this by myself, but if disaster looms, I’d appreciate it if you kept me from doing a face plant. Once I show I can do this, I can make noises about going home today.”

  “Gotcha.”

  It wasn’t easy, and I wanted to quit four times, but I made it there and back with my dignity intact. Ike tucked me in with a chaste kiss. His eyes brimmed with excitement.

  “Tell me,” I said.

  “Had a break in the case. You were right about Sonny Mowrey being an alias. Deena is his ex-wife. His real name is Lowell Gray. Sonny and Deena Mowrey are really Lowell and Peggy Lou Gray.”

  “Imagine that.”

  Ike’s grin nearly split his face. My heart leapt to see him so happy. I reached for his hand and interlaced our fingers. Warm and comfort pulsed from his touch.

  His eyes twinkled. “There’s more.”

  Of course there was more. He was a master at drawing out the suspense. “How much more?”

  “Enough.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  “You won’t believe this.”

  I groaned. “So help me God, Ike, if you don’t tell me, I’ll clobber you.”

  “That’s my girl.” He studied me with laughing eyes. “Seems we have a dead man in our jail.”

  Sonny was dead? “You think that’s funny? What kind of man are you?”

  Ike’s expression sobered. “Death is never funny. As usual, you’re thinking circles around me. Sonny’s very alive. But his prints belong to a dead man.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Absolutely.”

  This wasn’t laying down kind of news. I propped up on one arm. “Dead? Like a zombie?”

  “He’ll wish he was a zombie by the time I’m finished with him,” Ike said. “Dead like he faked his death. He has another wife in Mobile, Alabama.”

  “How?”

  “The incident report says he drove his car into the Gulf of Mexico one night two years ago, and his body was never recovered.”

  “Why?”

  “Not a hundred percent on that yet, but Deena cashed in an insurance policy, skipped town, and vanished. My guess is she joined Sonny, and they established their Sonny and Deena identities in Florida.”

  “It seems extreme. Why didn’t Sonny divorce wife number two?”

  “The insurance policy paid out five hundred grand. Defrauding an insurance company will land them in jail, even if they hadn’t used humans for target practice.”

  I relaxed into my bed, tired by the exchange. “You’re gonna arrest Deena.”

  “Damn straight I am.” He reached for my covers again.

  I swatted his hand, but he kept coming. “Ike, they’ll make you move.”

  “They can try. You and I need to get something straight. Both of us are awake and alert, and I’m not going anywhere until I have my say.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “You make me crazy.” His laser-sharp gaze made my heart flutter. “When you got hurt, it took the starch right out of me. Promise me you won’t do this again.”

  As much as his sideways declaration of caring meant, I couldn’t give him what he wanted. “Promise I won’t do my job? Interviewing people is what I do, same as you keep the peace and catch people who break the law. I didn’t operate in a vacuum. I notified you, and I was waiting for you at the restaurant.”

  Ike squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m screwing this up.” He look a long breath. “If I’m working a homicide, promise me I can accompany you on interviews related to the case.”

  “You want to be a reporter?”

  He tensed. Was he taking my flip remark as criticism? I snuggled closer. “Ike, you can accompany me anytime you like. I was teasing you.”

  He took a breath. Then another. He carefully moved me until our gazes locked. I was surprised by the magnetic intensity in his.


  “Good. Because I need you,” Ike said. “I want to spend every day of my life with you.”

  My pulse raced, deafening me. Hopes and dreams tottered on the highest cliff imaginable. “Ike Harper, are you saying you love me?”

  “Love doesn’t encompass the depth of what I feel for you, Lindsey. I’m in life with you.”

  Stunned, I could only stare at him. His expression was so earnest, so breathtakingly poignant, that I couldn’t move. This was a moment, a memory in the making. Energy flowed between us, vibrant and electrifying.

  “I have one question for you,” Ike said. “Are you in life with me?”

  Time slowed to microseconds. Every nuance of his body was so intent on an answer that neither of us could function. Words failed me. I drew him in for a kiss. “Yes,” I whispered. “I am in life with you.”

  He cradled me, mindful of my injury, his body trembling. I trembled too. For so long, I’d wanted him to admit he loved me, but this was more, something bone marrow deep.

  I savored the intense feeling of belonging and reveled in living in the moment.

  Chapter 14

  It took forever to check out of the hospital. Between the forms, the doctor sign-off, and the wheelchair attendant availability, I was good and stuck until late afternoon. Ike lit out after our morning nap, sending my father and Trish to the hospital to keep me company and drive me home while he tried to round up Deena.

  After being discharged, I expected to visit the police station, but I had to settle for being queen of my sofa. Thanks to the neighbors, I had enough food for a week. Ike’s sister brought Trent home at dinner time. To my delight, Trent called me Mama L several more times. We were on our way to becoming a family.

  The pain in my arm worsened after dinner. I debated forgoing the pain medication, but Trish told me I could cut back tomorrow. Her logic made sense, so I took two tablets.

  When Ike arrived at bedtime, I could barely keep my eyes open, much less talk about the case with Ike. Between getting Trent tucked in bed, walking the dog, and herding me upstairs to our bed, Ike was too busy for a drawn out chat. Still, I gave it a try upstairs.