Hudson nodded. “After the news picked up the story of Jo’s involvement in the drug ring, Lora went to the police and told them where to find Benji. She said she was tired of looking the other way when it came to him.”
“If it hadn’t been for us and the car accident when we arrived, Jo and Benji would have spent that week looking for the drugs.”
“They could have hurt Ernie and Eunice Middleton.”
“They did hurt you,” I said. “How do you feel?”
“Alive,” he said.
We were both silent for a few moments. Dr. Hall had been no prince, but he’d tried to change, to undo the bad he’d done, and it had cost him his life.
“So what now?” I asked.
“I’m going to stick around a little longer and try to get Jimmy back on schedule. He and Emma are going to try counseling again, but it’s going to be an uphill battle.”
“What’s going to happen to Gina, Jo’s daughter?”
“She’s going to live with her grandparents,” he said.
“Just like you did when your parents died.”
He nodded. “Here’s hoping she has the same bond with hers I had with mine.”
“What’s going to happen to us?” I asked. He was quiet for a few seconds. He looked out the window over my head, and then down at the thin blanket covering me. His lack of eye contact worried me. “Hudson? We both kept secrets from each other this past week. Are we okay?”
“Yeah, we’re good. And a part of me wants to pack up and run away with you and try to forget any of this every happened.”
“But?”
“But I can’t leave my sister here with Jimmy. Not now. We both saw the anger in their relationship. Maybe they’ll work things out, maybe they won’t. I want to believe Emma is a grown woman who can take care of herself, but she’s not like you, Madison. She’s never been alone a day in her life. I’ll let her make her own decisions, but I don’t want her making them based on a need for security or a fear of change.”
I looked down at Rocky, who stared back at me with his big pleading brown eyes. His face rested on the blanket, his fur fluffed out underneath him. He looked like he was thinking the same thing I was.
“I can’t set up camp in Palm Springs indefinitely,” I said. “I know we said two weeks, but this trip took a lot more out of me than I expected. I don’t want to live my life afraid to fall asleep because of the nightmares, and the longer I stay away from home, the harder it’s going to be to face those memories and get past them. I don’t think I can solve this problem on my own.”
“I know.”
“I guess Emma doesn’t want to come with you to Texas?”
“That’s her running away, not dealing with her problems. Just like before. She has to face the music.”
I looked from Rocky to Hudson. This time he was looking back at me. “I don’t think our first getaway happened under the best of circumstances,” I said. “What we had in Dallas was great and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but this trip wasn’t exactly a positive endorsement for long-term commitment.”
“Not a lot of love lost among the people we spent our time with, was there?”
“Nope.” I moved my hand and grasped his fingers and squeezed. “I don’t want to be in a relationship like that. I never want to feel so trapped that I purposely hurt someone I love.”
“Me neither.” He reached down and brushed a few stray blonde hairs out of my face with his rough fingertips. “You know what Doris Day would say at a time like this, don’t you?”
I smiled. “The future’s not ours to see. Que sera, sera.”
EPILOGUE
Tex
Tex recognized the number on his phone before he answered it. Palm Springs Police Department. Thanks to his scanner and the various updates on social media, he already knew what had gone down. The call, he assumed, was a courtesy.
“Tex Allen,” he answered.
“Captain Allen, it’s Officer Buchanan. Thought you’d want to know how things worked out.” Buchanan gave him the rundown of events. “Your friends are going to be okay. Not sure how much longer they’re going to stay out here, but I think it’s pretty safe to say they’re going to lay low for the rest of their vacation.”
Friends? Were he and Hudson James ever going to be friends? Probably not. But now they were both official members of the “I got shot because of Madison Night” club. Guess that counted for something.
“Thanks, I appreciate the phone call. You guys did a good job out there. Biggest drug bust in Palm Springs history, I heard.”
“Yeah, Narco Task Force is pretty happy. So’s Detective Drayton. It’s a good day to be a cop.” Buchanan was silent for a beat. “Listen, Captain, I know you didn’t want me to say anything, but I owe you a big thank you for looking into the orchestra rehearsal the day little Heather was missing. I don’t think anybody would have questioned Ms. Conway’s story. That’s what got me out there the night everything went down. Your hunch probably saved both of your friends’ lives.”
Tex had had no justifiable reason to check it out. He’d explained it to Buchanan as a hunch, but he knew Peter would have a field day with it in their next therapy session.
Tex closed the door to his office. “Nobody needs to know about that, especially not Madison Night.”
“She knows everything else about the case. Considering the outcome, I don’t think she’d mind.”
“This time I think it’s best to keep her in the dark. Remember what we agreed. This whole conversation stays between you and me.”
About the Author
After two decades working for a top luxury retailer, Diane Vallere traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. She is a Lefty Best Humorous Mystery Nominee and, in addition to the Madison Night series, writes the Material Witness and Style & Error mysteries. Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since. Visit her at www.dianevallere.com.
The Madison Night Mystery Series
by Diane Vallere
Novels
PILLOW STALK (#1)
THAT TOUCH OF INK (#2)
WITH VICS YOU GET EGGROLL (#3)
THE DECORATOR WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (#4)
Novellas
MIDNIGHT ICE
(in OTHER PEOPLE’S BAGGAGE)
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The Decorator Who Knew Too Much Page 21
