He shoved his fists into his pockets. Kept walking back and forth, back and forth, his mind whirling with questions. Who could have had access to both her and Fred’s food? And why poison Fred? How did he fit into the picture?
Brady stopped to look at Morgan, lying in the bed. Small. Vulnerable. Afraid.
His heart twisted with her pain and he wanted to hold her the way he had in her kitchen. Whisper into her ear that everything would be okay. But, honestly, they were dealing with a murderer now. The stakes had been raised, and Brady needed his full focus to catch the killer.
* * *
Poisoned. The word continued to echo through Morgan’s mind as the doctor left her room. She wanted to believe she was going to be okay, but she couldn’t think straight enough to make sense of any of this.
Brady crossed the room and sat on the edge of her bed. He was tentative and unsure as he reached for her hand. “You scared me. After Fred died I...” He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. “Then you were in so much pain. I thought...” His voice fell off in a tortured whisper.
The raw, unfettered anguish on his face, in his tone, brought tears to the surface that had threatened since she’d collapsed, and she could no longer control them.
“Don’t cry, honey,” he said, and patted her hands.
His kindness made it worse, and she started sobbing in earnest.
He muttered something under his breath and drew her into his arms. She forgot all about her medical problems and relaxed against him, clinging tightly. He stroked her back and whispered comforting words, helping her to gain control of her feelings.
She pushed back. Her tears had dampened the fabric of his shirt and she touched the spots. “I got you all wet.”
He smiled, but it was weak and forced. “No problem. I won’t melt.”
And he wouldn’t. He was strong. Tough. A protector.
She looked into his eyes. He was here for her. Holding her now and in her kitchen when she didn’t know if she would live through the pain. Watching over her. Protecting her. He was quite a man, and she’d somehow let him get through the thick armor she donned after her father had insisted she couldn’t make it on her own. Brady was a threat to her independence. A big one. He could break through all her defenses if she wasn’t careful. That she couldn’t afford. Not now. Not when she was establishing herself and had found a fulfilling life. A good life. And she wouldn’t do anything to lead him on. Maybe they shouldn’t even be spending any time together. She had to give him a chance to gracefully back away.
“I appreciate everything you’d done for me—being here for me—but maybe it’s best if we contact Rossi to take over now.” She smiled and gently removed her hand to eliminate the warm physical connection. “I’m sure you have better things to do anyway.”
A curtain fell over his eyes and he leaned back. She’d hurt him, and wanted to take his hand to erase the damage, but that wouldn’t help either of them in the long run. He ground his teeth together and watched her for long uncomfortable moments. She resisted squirming under the intensity.
He crossed his arms, a scowl on his face. “I’m not going anywhere until this is resolved.”
“I appreciate that, Brady, really I do, but I’ve imposed on you enough.”
“You’re not imposing,” he ground out. “This is what I do. My job. I’m committed to keeping you safe. Just because you’re in the hospital doesn’t mean your stalker can’t get to you.”
His comment sent a bolt of shock through her. “I didn’t think about that.”
“No need to. I’ve got it covered.” His expression turned even stonier.
“But I...”
“No buts, Morgan. I’m with you until we find the stalker. End of discussion.” He blew out a breath. “Now, do you want me to call anyone? Like your parents?”
Her parents? No. She shook her head.
“I’m sure they’d want to know.”
She frowned. “Yes, but my dad would be here in a flash. Questioning the doctors. Bossing them around. Pushing until people did as he commanded.”
“I’m sure he’d have your best interests at heart.”
“I’m not sure he even knows what my best interests are. It’s all about what he wants. The trial proved that.” Memories of her father’s demanding behavior came flooding back, to suddenly be replaced by the peace and comfort she’d found in God. Peace and comfort she’d let disappear from her life this week.
Forgive me, Father. Let me lean on You more and not on myself and Brady.
She looked at Brady. “I’ve really been a bad example, haven’t I?”
“In what way?”
“Every time something bad has happened, I’ve lost it and haven’t relied on God.” She shook her head again. “The thing is, the trial taught me where true peace is found and I know better.”
Brady didn’t speak but continued to look at her, his expression sour as if he’d discovered something unpleasant. Maybe he thought she was one of those Christians who professed faith but didn’t live it. Well, if he was thinking that, he was right.
She twisted her hands. “I guess unless you’ve gone through something like this you wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh, I understand all right. God got me through my tours in Afghanistan, but...” Brady paused and shrugged. “I have to admit, my life has been pretty calm since I joined the team, and I’ve kind of let my faith slide.”
Had she done the same thing? After her life had settled into a routine, she hadn’t asked God for direction as much and was often too busy to consult Him. Just like Brady.
“Who knows,” she muttered to herself. “Maybe God allowed this stalker in my life to get my attention.”
“You think He does that?”
She shrugged. “During the trial, one of the pastors at our church told me to thank God that I was in that crisis as God was trying to get my attention. He said that no matter how hard and how far I tried to run, God wasn’t going to let me get away until I caught on to what He was trying to tell me.”
“Interesting.” Brady furrowed his brow and sat back, his expression saying he was a million miles away.
They fell silent for a long time when suddenly a look of resolve passed over his face. “We need to get back on point and figure out how you and Fred both ingested the poison.”
Her stomach plummeted at his change in subject.
“Did you ever share any food?”
She thought back. No. Oh, no. It was her fault. “Fred always teased me about my energy drinks. Sort of the way you reacted to them. So I told him he could help himself to one anytime he wanted. When I went to clean up today, I found an empty bottle on the counter. I just figured I’d forgotten to take one home.”
“We can test the bottles for the antifreeze.”
She shook her head. “I washed them as soon as I got home so I could make more.”
“Do you have other drinks from the same batch?”
“No.” She let the implications of their discussion settle in. “Since this happened at work, does this mean it’s Nantz, after all?”
“Could be, I suppose.” Brady lifted his face in thought. “When did you make this batch?”
She thought back. “Saturday afternoon. I dropped off the bottles for the week at the office on Sunday when I went to the office to get ready for the job fair.”
“Was Nantz there?”
“Yes,” she answered. “In fact, he locked up after we all left.”
“Okay, good. He’s top on the list. What about Saturday, after you made the drinks? Were you home the entire time until you took them to the office?”
“No. My parents had an anniversary party that night.”
“So someone could have broken into your apartment and added antifreeze to the bottles th
en. Means it could also be Eckert.” Brady shook his head and added, “Or not. We just don’t have enough evidence yet to point the finger at anyone.”
And that’s what scared her most. She had a stalker, one who they now knew wanted to kill her, and they had no more proof of his identity than the day she found the first rose and picture.
* * *
Brady stepped into the hallway to wait for Darcie, Archer and Jake to arrive. Brady had phoned them to discuss the poisoning, but instead of a lengthy phone conversation, they agreed to meet in the hallway outside Morgan’s room. Brady would like to have added Cash to the mix, too, but he was on duty.
Brady leaned against the wall and caught a whiff of Morgan’s perfume lingering on his shirt. He could still feel the warmth of her body pressing against him. The urge to kiss her that had lingered until she’d told him to go away.
Ha! Like that was going to happen. She may not want him around, but he was going to keep this monster away from her. This man who’d systematically poisoned her for months.
Brady pushed off the wall and paced down to the nurses’ station that was decorated with a small tree and blinking lights. He flicked a quick look at the tree and instead of thinking about the upcoming holiday and embracing it for what it truly was about, all he could think of was whether Morgan would be alive at Christmas. How was that for putting his trust in God, as Morgan was saying?
Failure, buddy. Big failure.
Angry with himself for letting his emotions take over his faith, he stormed back down the hall. When he turned, his teammates rounded the corner. Snow peppered the shoulders of their black FRS jackets. Jake was empty-handed, but Archer held a tray with coffee and Darcie carried her knitting bag in one hand while the other held a stuffed bear with a Band-Aid on its paw. She’d offered to keep Morgan company so Brady could talk to the team.
Darcie stopped in front of Brady, her gaze immediately appraising him. “How’s Morgan doing?”
“Still nauseous, but the doctor said that should disappear soon.”
“And you? How are you holding up?”
“Fine, why?
“This isn’t just another case for you,” she said eyeing him as if challenging him to deny it. “You care about Morgan. That makes it more stressful.”
“That it is.”
Archer handed a cup of coffee to Brady. “I figured it was going to be a long night and we can use help staying awake.”
“I’ll go sit with Morgan,” Darcie said. “Maybe you guys should head down to the lounge.”
“No,” Brady said adamantly.
Jake eyed him. “If the stalker tries anything, which is unlikely at the hospital, Darcie’s carrying and we’ve all made sure she knows how to use her gun.”
Darcie patted her purse. “A break will do you good.”
“Not like I’m much for sitting around.”
“Fine,” Darcie said. “Then take out your whittling and keep busy that way. Just take a break from always being on guard.”
“I doubt I can do that until after we catch the stalker.”
“Then you’re at risk for burning out.” She squeezed his arm. “Let us help, Brady. We want to.”
“Fine,” he finally said. “I’ll go to the lounge and try it for a few minutes, but call me if anything happens.”
Darcie rolled her eyes and pushed through Morgan’s door.
Jake led the way to the nearest lounge and Brady lingered in the doorway where he could keep an eye on Morgan’s door. Archer handed a cup to Jake and took the last one for himself.
“So where are we?” Jake dropped into a chair.
Brady shrugged. “I’m just not sure where to go from here. As I see it, even if we had enough evidence to get a warrant to search for antifreeze at Eckert or Nantz’s place—”
“Which we don’t,” Jake interrupted.
“Right, which we don’t, most car owners have antifreeze in their garage.”
Jake nodded. “And most antifreeze is made from the same active ingredients so we couldn’t link a specific brand to anything we might find at Morgan’s place.”
“Anyone search her house yet?” Archer asked.
“I called Rossi. His team is on it.”
Jake took a long drink of his coffee, then stared over the cup. “Eckert owns a garage. That would make him more familiar with antifreeze than Nantz.”
“Still, Nantz would have ready access to antifreeze.”
Archer leaned forward. “If we want to hone in on the best suspect, we should look at motive. The slow poisoning likely means we’re looking for someone who wanted to see her suffer. Obviously this isn’t the normal behavior of a stalker who professes his love as the messages she’s received would indicate.”
“Are you saying we’re dealing with two people here, then?” Brady snapped, sounding as frustrated as he felt.
“It could be one guy,” Archer said. “He’d just be an even sicker individual who could justify poisoning her as a way to weaken her so he could prove that she needs him, or as a way to gain a sense of control over her.”
Brady shook his head. “I don’t get that mentally ill vibe from Nantz or Eckert.”
“Remember, sociopaths can hide their behavior quite well so maybe you’re not seeing it.”
“Maybe.” Brady leaned against the wall and let his mind wander over other people in Morgan’s life that they may have missed.
“What if we tried to set a trap for the stalker?” Jake asked.
Brady perked up. “Like what?”
“No one other than the killer knows that Morgan and Fred were poisoned. When she gets out of here, she can mix up a new batch of drinks. Then she can make a container accessible at work, tell her coworkers it’s a different batch and we can watch with a hidden camera. We could place one in her home, too, and maybe one at the gym. If someone bites, we’ll have our suspect.”
Warming to the idea, Brady smiled. “We can make that happen.”
“Since Morgan has to remain in the hospital it’ll give us plenty of time to get our plan together.” Archer crossed his leg. “I’m guessing you’ll want to stay here with Morgan, so why don’t Jake and I arrange for the equipment needed to set this up.”
“Thanks, man,” Brady said. “Now all we need to do is finalize a plan and get Morgan on board.”
They spent the next hour hashing out details and assignments, and when they’d finished Brady went back to Morgan’s room to relieve Darcie.
Morgan huddled in her bed, tubes running from her neck to the machine cleaning her blood and returning it to her body. She looked so beaten down that if Darcie hadn’t been in the room, he’d already have had Morgan in his arms.
Darcie stepped up to him. “Can I talk to you in the hallway?”
Brady was certain Darcie was going to give him more bad news about Morgan and his gut ached as he stepped back outside.
“I’m worried about Morgan.” Darcie’s eyes narrowed with concern. “The reality of being poisoned has set in and she’s barely holding it together.”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “Any suggestions on how to help her?”
“Just be there for her and whatever you do, don’t be your usual fidgety self, pacing around the room. That’ll only make it worse.” She gave him an encouraging smile and quick hug. “I’ve always liked Morgan, so don’t hurt her, okay?”
“Hurt her? I’m protecting her.”
“I don’t mean physically. We both know you’re attracted to her, likely more, but you’ve got a thing about making money before getting seriously involved with a woman. Not to mention the chip on your shoulder when it comes to wealthy people. Don’t lead Morgan on and then spring that little surprise on her.”
“I don’t plan on doing any such thing.”
; “I get that you’re not planning it up here.” She thumped his forehead. “But I saw how you looked at her just now. You’re not thinking with your brain.”
Darcie departed, and he stepped back into Morgan’s room. She was sitting up in bed with only a small corner light on. Shadows shrouded her face, but he could hear the sounds of crying, and her shoulders were shaking.
He crossed the room and gingerly sat on the edge of her bed. “What is it, honey?”
She sniffled and shook her head.
He took her hand, held it between both of his. “You can tell me.”
“It’s Fred. I keep thinking if I hadn’t let him have one of my drinks, he—”
“Hey, hey,” he interrupted. “You can’t think that way. This is all on the person who put the poison in your drinks. We’ll find him and he will pay.”
“I know, but—” A deep sob tore away her words.
He ignored Darcie’s warning, ignored his own resolve, and carefully drew Morgan into his arms. She clung to him with her free arm and sobbed into his chest. He was aware of everything about her. Her scent. The softness of her hair. The warmth of her body. The stilling of her crying and the soft contented breathing that followed.
She didn’t move. He didn’t, either. Neither of them willing to part, perhaps. At least, he wasn’t willing. Did she feel the same way?
He pulled back. Searched her eyes. Saw the interest burning in the depths.
“Morgan, I...” He didn’t know what to say so let his words fall off.
She reached up. Caressed his cheek. Her touch was tender and electrifying at the same time.
How could she cause these reactions in him? No one else ever had and he didn’t know what do to. How to act. He did know he wanted to kiss her. But as Darcie just warned, it wouldn’t be fair to Morgan.
She circled a delicate hand around the back of his neck. Drew his head down.
She wanted him to kiss her. He wouldn’t, couldn’t, deny either of them.
He lowered his head. His lips met hers. Emotions shot through his blood. She returned the kiss measure for measure. He was lost in the kiss, and if he admitted the truth, a bomb could go off in the room and he wouldn’t hear it.
High-Caliber Holiday Page 13
