Merry Christmas, Cowboy

by Janet Dailey

  Jill nodded. “Sounds like you need to see a doctor. I’ll put in an order for preliminary blood work, which the nurse will do. The intake clerk got your insurance information, so that’s taken care of.” She got up.

  Edith grabbed the arm of the chair and hauled herself out of it. This time the nurse noticed her wobbling legs. “Can we get a wheelchair over here?” she called.

  An orderly came inside of a minute. “Please take Mrs. Clayborne to Area Five,” Jill said to him. “There should be a bed free in there somewhere.”

  The next hour passed in a daze. Edith’s coat and fancy shoes were tucked under the hospital bed and a warm blanket brought for her. She spoke to the nurse who drew her blood but only briefly.

  “Holidays are just nuts around here,” the nurse said, undoing the rubber strap around Edith’s arm after she capped the vial and removed the needle. “That’s such a pretty dress. Special occasion, huh?”

  “Yes,” Edith mumbled.

  “That’s nice. Hope you don’t have to wait too long. Doctor should be around soon.” The nurse bustled out and jerked the curtain closed.

  Edith closed her eyes. At least she was lying down.

  She had no idea what time it was when she woke up and saw a white-jacketed young doctor standing by her bed.

  “What happened?”

  “You may have passed out, Mrs. Clayborne. The nurse who looked in on you tried to rouse you and couldn’t.”

  “Oh.” The bed she was in looked different. The rails had been put up to keep her from falling. She was also in a real room, not a curtained space in the ER. She peered at him over the top bar. The name tag on his jacket was blurry. “When was that?”

  “About three hours ago.”

  She brought a hand to her chest and felt a hospital gown and wires. “Is that me beeping?” she asked.

  “It seemed best to monitor you. The lab got the blood work back to us relatively quickly. Your body’s fighting off some kind of secondary infection, probably viral in nature, since you told the nurse you were getting over the flu.”

  “Okay.”

  “It’s your heart that concerns us right now. We’d like you to stay overnight for observation. Do you have a primary care physician we can contact?”

  “No. He died.” Edith smiled weakly. “I’m not trying to be funny. He really did. And I’m generally pretty healthy.”

  “That’s good to know.” The doctor turned to the nurse who’d just come in. “If you could provide us with more information, we can get you upstairs into the cardiac care ward.”

  Edith raised her head, frightened despite the doctor’s calm tone of voice. “Did I have a heart attack?”

  “No. Your heartbeat is irregular, though. That and the faint and a high white cell count are the reasons for my recommendation that you stay. But it is up to you.”

  Edith nodded. “I will.”

  The doctor asked her a few more questions, then left. The nurse behind him pushed a wheeled cart with a computer monitor on it beside the bed.

  “We have most of your information, Mrs. Clayborne, but we need names and phone numbers for your emergency contacts.”

  “There’s my grandson. Same last name as me and he lives with me. First name is Brandon.” She spelled it and gave the nurse the number for his cell.

  “Thank you. I have that.”

  “He’s only fifteen.”

  The nurse looked around the monitor. “Does he know you’re here?”

  “No. Actually, he hasn’t been home for several days.” Edith took a deep breath. “I’d better give you an adult to contact. Paula Lewis.”

  The computer keys clicked. “And how is she related to you?”

  “She’s a friend. And she knows Brandon.”

  The insistent buzzing of her cell phone was only partly muffled by Paula’s bedroom carpet. It had vibrated itself right off the nightstand with repeated calls.

  She patted the carpet and found it before the caller hung up. Not a number she recognized. The time on the screen was 7:46. She answered anyway.

  “Hello?”

  “Rise and shine,” said a grumpy voice. “Pipe froze at the Christmas House. A patrolman spotted the ice around where it burst. The boiler is a goner.”

  Paula groaned. “Is Zach there?”

  “I went up to the attic to see. Doesn’t look like he spent the night.”

  “Okay. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”

  She didn’t want to think about where else he might have gone. Paula glanced toward the closet and saw the iced velvet dress neatly hung up. The evening that had started out with such high expectations had ended on a flat note. Zach had walked her to her door last night without coming in. Courteous. In control. Expecting nothing. She still wasn’t sure how that had happened. She shouldn’t have agreed to whatever it was he had said about her not being ready.

  What she really wasn’t ready for was to see him leave Denver so soon.

  Paula scrambled out of bed, got dressed, and ran out. She didn’t stop for coffee. By the time she was going up the stairs of the mansion, she had a pounding headache.

  Norville opened the door for her. Paula went in, keeping on her hat and gloves. “Were you able to reach the boiler guy?”

  “Got a different one. Maybe he knows what he’s doing.”

  “We’ll find out.”

  They heard the sound of a vehicle pulling up and went to the window together. A white van was at the curb. An older repairman got out and went around to the back to open the double doors.

  Norville let him in. “Thanks for comin’ out on short notice.”

  “No problem. Name’s Al.” He tramped into the front entryway and looked around.

  “Basement stairs are behind that door. I’ll go down with you.”

  The three of them went together, Paula last. The dim light made her head feel a little better.

  Al set down his tool bag and took a look at the boiler. “What a monster. This thing’s older than I am.”

  “We keep gettin’ it fixed.”

  “Could be more than one thing wrong with it,” the repairman said. “Burned out sensor, cracked gauge, who knows.” He shivered.

  “You don’t have to tell us,” Norville said. “We can feel the cold.”

  The repairman looked around. “You got a window open down here?”

  Paula followed his gaze. A small, clouded window set high into the basement’s concrete wall was edged with light, as if it was slightly ajar. She went over to check it out. The old thumb-type latch was dangling by a single screw.

  “The wind didn’t do this,” she said.

  The two men looked at her.

  “Gotta fix that,” the repairman said. “What happens with cold air blasting in is that the boiler starts to fire too high and too often. An old one like this will shut itself down. I think that’s the problem this time.”

  Paula nodded. “Let me get a better look at the window from the outside before you do anything.”

  She went up the basement stairs and around the foundation. There were overlapping footprints in the thin crust of snow around the window. The exterior frame was cracked. It had been forced.

  Someone must have known that Zach wasn’t there.

  Norville came upstairs when she called to him. “Was the door locked when you came in this morning?”

  “I think so. But the key did take a couple of extra turns. Why?”

  “The basement window was forced open.”

  “We were robbed?”

  Paula didn’t say yes or no. “Did it look like anything was missing when you came in? Any sign of a burglary?”

  “I don’t honestly know. Let’s check the cashbox.”

  “You put the money in the safe after it was counted, right?”

  “Yep. Me and Chuck did it together last night, same as always.”

  Paula lifted the tablecloth and looked underneath. There was sawdust on the floor. Someone had hacked at the bottom side of the double
box and cracked the drawer.

  “They looked there first.”

  Norville bent down stiffly to see for himself. “Goddamn it. You’re right. How’d they even know there was a bottom part?”

  She took out her phone and called the station to report a burglary, then hung up. “Car on the way. Where’s the safe?”

  Norville rubbed his back. “Can’t get into that with a saw. It’s in the second closet and we padlock the door to it.”

  He led Paula to it and swore again when he saw the gouges on the closet door.

  “Crowbar. Took the lock off clean. Don’t touch it, please.”

  “Okay, officer.”

  She pulled out a rubber glove and slipped it on to open the door, shoving aside a bunch of coats on hangers. The floor was bare.

  “It’s gone,” Norville said with disbelief. “How’d they take it? That thing is too heavy to carry.”

  Paula stepped back. “Folding hand truck, maybe. You could get one through the basement window.”

  “There was close to six thousand dollars in that safe.”

  “They would have to be pros to get it open without knowing the combination.”

  “You think they weren’t?”

  “I don’t know. Probably best if you don’t walk around, Norville. Let me do a preliminary search.”

  He took a chair as Paula began to look more carefully. She pointed toward a little flashlight in a corner. “That yours?”

  “No.”

  “Could have prints.” Paula picked it up with the gloved hand and found a plastic bag to put it in.

  “I didn’t even see it,” Norville complained.

  “Could be nothing. Some kid could have dropped it.” She had one in mind. A big, mean kid with a straggly mustache.

  Two officers went over the mansion room by room. They came down the stairs, weighed down with gear and guns and making a racket in their heavy shoes.

  “Lot to look at, Paula,” one said. “There weren’t any other forced windows, though. We’ll file an initial report and get some detectives out here.”

  “Everybody sleeping late but me?”

  Zach pushed open the front door. “Hey, Paula. Is that your cruiser out front?”

  She jerked a thumb at the two cops. “Theirs.”

  “What the hell happened?”

  “The safe got stolen.” She put her hands in her pockets and walked away from him.

  Zach followed her. “What?”

  “Easy enough with no alarm system in place. The laptops were turned off. They’re not set up for twenty-four-hour recording.” She stood by the window and looked out. “And there was no one in the house last night,” she said pointedly.

  “Wait a minute. . . .” Zach looked over at the policemen and lowered his voice. “I was here but not for long. I came back to change out of the suit into jeans. Me and Jake went out for beers. I ended up at his place.”

  “What happened to the girlfriend who didn’t like you?”

  “She’s visiting her mother. Jake and I talked for a while and I fell asleep in front of the TV.”

  She blew out a breath and turned around. This was no place to air her suspicion that he hadn’t been with Jake at all. “Whatever. Someone’s been watching the house. They knew you were gone.”

  “Think it was those kids I saw on the street that night we looked for Brandon?”

  “One’s in jail,” she reminded him. “But the other one with the mustache could still be around. Who knows what his name is. I hear his pal with the weird hair got lawyered up and shut up.”

  “Maybe we should ask Brandon.”

  Paula shrugged. “If we can find him.”

  “He texted me last night.”

  Paula just looked at him. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  “The party was over. I was already at Jake’s. All he said was hello, how are you, where are you, can we talk.”

  “Interesting,” she said slowly. “And you said?”

  “I didn’t answer,” Zach replied. “If you really want to know, I was bombed. We weren’t just drinking beer.”

  “Too bad. It would be useful if we knew where he was last night.”

  “What are you getting at?” Zach stared at her. “He didn’t steal that safe.”

  “I’m not saying he did. I’m thinking maybe he knows someone who did.” Her cell phone rang, and she took it out of her pocket. “It’s Edith.” She answered. “Hello. Did you get home okay?”

  Zach studied Paula’s face as her expression turned to one of alarm. “You’re in the hospital? You didn’t get mugged, did you?”

  He could hear Edith answer faintly. “No, nothing like that. I got to feeling sicker and sicker last night. It just seemed like the best thing to do.”

  “Did the person who picked you up drive you to the hospital?”

  “Ah . . . yes.”

  “How long have you been there?”

  “Overnight. The doctor wanted me to stay. Visiting hours just started,” she added, a hopeful note in her voice that even Zach could hear.

  “Is Brandon with you?”

  Zach frowned as the older woman replied.

  “No. He hasn’t been home at all for a while. I’m so worried about him. Oh, here’s the nurse. More tests.”

  Paula looked at Zach and shook her head as Edith murmured something not meant for her to hear. She came back on. “Paula?”

  “Still here. Um, I don’t think I can visit until late afternoon, Edith. Are you being discharged then? I can give you a ride home.”

  “Thanks, honey, but it looks like I’m going to be here for a few days until they figure out what’s wrong with me.”

  Paula nibbled on a nail. “I’ll talk to Sergeant Meltzer, see if I can swap a shift with someone else.”

  “My cell phone is right by my bed. Just call and come on up.”

  They exchanged good-byes and Paula put the phone back in her pocket. “I’m going to the hospital. I want to see her now.”

  Zach glanced over at the officers conferring with each other. “I guess I’ll stay here with them. We can’t have cops and detectives around when kids show up.”

  “That’s hours away. I’ll stop by the station after I leave the hospital.” She took the bagged flashlight out of her pocket. “This is about the only thing that might give us a few clues so far. It’s not Norville’s and he doesn’t remember anyone dropping it. So we dust it, lift prints, run them. Could give us our first lead.”

  “Sounds like a real cop show,” Zach said.

  “Excuse me? Are you taking this seriously or not?”

  “Yeah,” he said reluctantly. “I’m just sure Brandon didn’t do it. So don’t add him to the list of suspects.”

  “There is no list. When the detectives get through, you can board up that basement window.”

  “Those are my orders, huh?”

  “It would be helpful,” Paula said. “Don’t hit your thumb.”

  “I never do. Not even with a hangover.” He caught her by the arm. “You’re not going to tell Edith about this.”

  “She’ll hear soon enough.”

  “About the safe, yeah. Leave Brandon out of it.”

  “I will.” Paula pulled free of his hold. “But I’m seriously pissed off at him. If he didn’t do anything, then why the disappearing act?”

  “Maybe he’s scared.”

  “Of what?”

  Zach had no answer for that. Paula brushed past him and left.

  Paula picked up a bright bouquet at the hospital gift shop and added a vase to hold it to her purchase. She rode upstairs in an elevator to the cardiac care floor. The ward was state-of-the-art and relatively peaceful.

  She looked for the room number the lobby staffer had given her when she’d signed in. Two more to go. Paula reached the right door and knocked softly, the gift shop bag in her other hand.

  “Come in.” Edith’s voice sounded only half there. The bed was raised to a comfortable sitting position. She used th
e remote to switch off the TV.

  “Taking a vacation, I see.” Paula went to the sink and filled the vase with water. She put in the bouquet.

  “Thank you. What beautiful flowers. And no, this isn’t a vacation. I miss the Christmas House. What’s going on?”

  Paula sat in the armchair by the bed and told Edith some amusing stories about Norville playing Santa. But they were both thinking of Brandon; she knew that.

  After a while the nurse popped in to tell Edith that the doctor would be stopping by in fifteen minutes for another examination.

  Edith rolled her eyes. “Help me escape,” she said after the young woman checked her vitals and left.

  “Nothing doing. You stay right here,” Paula said firmly.

  “Well, then, would you do me a huge favor and stop by the apartment to water the plants and make sure that everything’s okay?” She reached into the nightstand for her purse and took out her keys, handing them to Paula.

  “Of course. Glad to.”

  “I have to warn you that it’s a mess. When I was sick, I just didn’t have the energy to tidy up.”

  “Then I will,” Paula said.

  “I know it’s no use telling you not to. So go ahead.”

  They hugged awkwardly. Paula straightened away from the bed. “Rest up. You’ll be home soon.”

  “You bet.” Edith settled back into the cushions and waved her out.

  Paula returned down the corridor. She wouldn’t mind having a look around Edith’s place—and Brandon’s room—while she cleaned up. You never knew.

  Chapter 19

  Paula opened the door of Edith’s apartment as quietly as she could, on the off chance that Brandon was there. She called his name before she stepped over the threshold. There was no answer.

  She entered and looked around. The central room was large and sunny, with two bedrooms down a narrow hall and a small kitchen that overlooked the street. The rental was part of an enormous old house that had been carved up into several apartments with odd layouts.

  Paula set her tote bag down on a cluttered table and slung her jacket over the back of a chair. “Brandon?” she called again.

  Her voice echoed.

  There was still no answer. If for some reason he had come back, it was possible that he was here but asleep. The door to his bedroom was closed. She walked to it and listened. Not a sound from inside. She wasn’t going to march in there. Yet.