Sunny's Love

by Anna Kristell

  The detective left to get the warrant issued for the arrest of Mr. Thomlin and Lindy.

  Chase said to Sunny, “If you only knew how deeply I regret putting you through this. Will you ever be able to forgive me?”

  “Chase, there’s nothing to forgive.”

  Detective Carson called Chase later that day. “We’ve located the nurse. He’s being extradited back to Des Moines. Thomlin and his daughter are in police custody, and are being questioned, as we speak.”

  “Keep us informed.”

  “I will. I need to get into the interrogation room now, but wanted you to have an update.”

  “Thanks.”

  That night, as Sunny was about to fall asleep, she said, “Chase, I miss you lying next to me.”

  “You really want to be that close to me after all that’s happened?”

  “You’re going to have to stop beating yourself up about this. I’ll always want to be close to you.”

  He got up from the chair, gently easing himself onto the bed beside her. Taking her in his arms, he rocked her until she fell asleep. He softly kissed her forehead, whispering, “I’ll love you forever, my precious angel.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The next morning, Chase and Sunny received a visit from Detective Carson.

  “The nurse is in custody. Hopefully after he’s told about the reduced sentence offer, he’ll chirp like a bird.”

  “What about Lindy and her father?” Sunny asked.

  “So far, neither of them is talking. Their lawyer has been with them. Miss Thomlin says she knows nothing. Her father hasn’t said anything at all.”

  After the detective had gone back to the station, Marty came in the room. “I have a surprise for you, Sunny.”

  Laura walked in, holding Ali’s hand. She was carrying Brice, who ran to the bed as soon as she set him down.

  “Easy now, guys, Mama’s still recovering,” Chase told them gently.

  “Mama, can I sign your cast?” Ali asked as she looked at the fiberglass contraption on Sunny’s left arm.

  “Sure you can, princess. Let’s see if we can find a marker.”

  “Right here, the nurses left it for you.” Chase handed it to Ali who signed her name. He helped Brice print his name on it when Ali was finished.

  “Brice, you’re growing. Have Alma and Alice been feeding you superhero food or something?”

  “Oh, Mama, you’re silly.” He leaned across the bed and planted a kiss on Sunny’s cheek.

  “Daddy says you can come home today maybe,” Ali stated seriously.

  “Mama, please don’t fall in the woods again,” Brice said. The little boy looked into her eyes and smiled.

  “I don’t plan on it, Master Brice.” She laughed as she looked at Chase. She could see the pride in his green eyes as he watched her with the children.

  “I think you guys had better let your Mama rest now. Come on, let’s go home. Alice is baking a chocolate cake,” Marty reminded them.

  “Chocolate cake and I’m not there…go figure,” Sunny joked.

  “I’m sure she’ll save a piece for you, baby, don’t be jealous.” Chase leaned down to kiss her.

  Laura and Marty took the children home. Chase sat down next to Sunny’s bed again. Flashing one of his award-winning, sexy grins, he said, “Baby, I can’t wait to get you home. You’re going to be the most pampered wife in Iowa.”

  “I thought I already was.” She giggled as she reached up and gently caressed his face.

  “You aren’t going to lift a finger for a while.”

  “I can’t wait to get home to my own bed…and to get you into it.”

  “Now, I think you may be rushing things a little. You’ll need to rest when we get home.”

  “But at least you can hold me all night long.”

  “Oh yes…I can do that.” He kissed her passionately, the first they’d shared in weeks.

  “Uh…I don’t think you’d better do that again…for a while…”

  “I can tell you really are on the mend if that kiss affected you,” he teased.

  “Your kisses always affect me, Chase…always leave me wanting more…and more.”

  “I told you on our honeymoon, once I’d gotten a taste of you, it would never be enough…and I was right. I couldn’t want you more right now.”

  “Thank God, we still have that to look forward to…”

  “Yes, Sunny…we have a lot to thank God for.”

  That afternoon, there was a break in the case. Detective Carson had called to tell Chase he’d be stopping by later with news.

  “What do you suppose he’s going to tell us?” Sunny asked nervously.

  “I don’t know. Hopefully, they’ve gotten a confession, or the nurse talked.”

  “Call our mothers. I want them to be here.”

  “I was thinking that, too.” He dialed his mother’s number and asked her to bring Laura to the hospital.

  “Is anything wrong, Chase?” she asked worriedly.

  “I’m hoping everything is right. Detective Carson has news for us. We’d like for you and Laura to be here when he tells us what it’s.”

  “We’ll be right there. We were just having cake and coffee with Alma and Alice.”

  “You’re all going to miss Alice when she goes back to Florida.”

  “Yes, we are, very much.”

  The two women arrived at the hospital a short time before the detective did. All were seated around Sunny’s bed when he entered the room.

  “Detective, if you don’t mind, we’d like for Sunny’s mother and my mother to hear what you have to say.”

  “That’s perfectly all right. Ladies, good afternoon to you both.” He nodded to the women and shook Sunny’s hand and Chase’s hand before continuing.

  “I’ll get right to the point, as I know you’re all anxious to hear what I have to say.”

  “Yes, we are,” Chase replied, urging him to go on.

  “Our plan worked, the nurse told us everything we wanted to know. But I believe you’re going to be surprised at what he told us.”

  “Surprised…you mean Thomlin isn’t the culprit?” Chase asked in a shocked tone.

  “Not exactly, you see, it was Lindy Thomlin who hired the nurse. It seems she had indeed struck Mrs. Dupont on the head with a rock, causing her to fall and lose consciousness. When she learned Sunny had survived the attack, she hired Kyle, the nurse, to finish the job. When you walked in on him with the pillow in his hand he was about to smother Sunny with it. And when Connie walked in on him with the syringe he was about to inject a drug into Sunny’s IV that would have killed her. Young lady, you need to thank your lucky stars both times someone walked into the room.”

  “Oh my…Chase…” She reached for him. He took her hand, soothing her.

  “Go on, detective, is there more?” Chase asked.

  “When Kyle failed, she took it upon herself to finish the job. That’s when she brought the tainted chocolates.”

  “Has she admitted to any of this?”

  “She’s been charged with attempted murder. She hasn’t entered a plea yet. The arraignment is later this afternoon.”

  “What about her father?” Marty inquired.

  “He says he knew nothing. But we aren’t sure we believe him. We’re still working on getting him to talk.”

  “But there is enough evidence to convict Lindy.”

  “Yes, we have the confession of Kyle, as well as, the proof of the tainted chocolates.”

  “How are you going to get Thomlin to talk?”

  “We have a plan. We’ll tell him his daughter confessed. That may get him talking.”

  The detective’s phone rang. “Yes, excellent. I’ll be right there.”

  “Detective, was that about the case?” Laura, who had been silent until now, asked.

  “Yes, Thomlin is talking, with his lawyer present, of course. I need to get back down to the station, but I’ll come back when I know more.”

  “Th
ank you. I’ll walk you to the elevator.” Chase told the women he would be right back.

  Sunny looked at her mother and her mother-in-law. “I just can’t believe our company was so important to them, they would do something like this. Do you believe Lindy was behind it, or do you still think her dad put her up to it?”

  “I’m not sure, but if her dad put her up to it and is letting her take the fall, he’s a worse monster than any of could have imagined,” Marty answered as Laura nodded in agreement.

  Chase came back and walked over to the bed. He took Sunny in his arms. “It’s almost over, baby, almost over.”

  When he finally called it was several hours later.

  “Mr. Dupont, I’ll be over there in just a little while. I have some paperwork to complete first. When I get there, you’ll have all your answers.”

  Chase ended the call and told the others, “I believe it’s over. He’ll be here in a little while to fill us in.”

  By the time the detective arrived, they were tense and anxious.

  “I’m sorry to keep you waiting. We have our answers, as I told you on the phone. Thomlin did talk. His story is, he’d given up on your company, after the last refusal to sell. But he says his daughter wouldn’t give up the idea. He was aware she was working on a plan to get Chase to change his mind. He knew she was up to something. He knew she’d hired Kyle, but he thought it was to scare Sunny, not to actually murder her. He admitted he did nothing to stop her. If whatever she had in mind worked, he thought he might stand a chance to obtain your company, after all. He also told us Lindy has a history of unstable behavior.”

  “It was Lindy all along…were you able to get a confession out of her?” Chase asked as he squeezed Sunny’s hand.

  “When she was told, her father and Kyle had both told us what they knew, she broke down. It’s obvious her father was truthful, when he said she was unstable. She admitted to hurting Sunny. She told us she hired Kyle to help her. She also admitted to injecting the chocolates.”

  “What about Brittney’s death?” Marty asked.

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but, yes, she admitted to murdering your first wife, Mr. Dupont.”

  “Oh my God…” Sunny began to cry. Laura rushed to her side to comfort her.

  Chase dropped his head and sobbed. “My poor little babies…it’s my fault they lost their mother…if I’d only sold the company…”

  Marty went to him and putting her arms around him, she said, “Son, you couldn’t have known. What happened was meant to be…you and the children have Sunny now, you need to go forward, you can’t dwell on the past. It’s a terrible thing what happened to Brittney, but she can rest in peace now.”

  Detective Carson said to Marty, “I’ll leave you all alone to digest this news. Call me if you have any questions and I’ll be by tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Detective.”

  Chase whispered to Sunny, “My precious, precious baby…can you ever forgive me?”

  Sunny looked deeply into his eyes and replied softly, “I’ve told you before, my darling, none of this is your fault. You couldn’t have known. You had no idea how dangerous, or how sick, Lindy really was. And from what her father said, she needs help. We have to try and put this horrible mess behind us and look to the future. We do still have a future together, don’t we?”

  Marty and Laura quietly left the room, leaving their children to talk.

  “How can you ask me that? I couldn’t go on without you. You are my life.” He sat next to her on the bed and took her in his arms. Together they cried.

  “Only you…Sunny…” he whispered as he held her.

  “I feel the same way about you,” she replied.

  “I need to see Lindy. Would you be angry if I went to the jail to speak to her?”

  “You need to do whatever you have to do, to have closure with this, Chase. Go…I’ll be waiting.”

  He kissed her again and left to find Marty and Laura. They were in the lounge having coffee and talking to Dr. Jessup.

  “Chase, Dr. Jessup has some good news for us.”

  The doctor shook Chase’s hand. “Sit down, Mr. Dupont. I understand it’s been a rather heart-wrenching afternoon.”

  “They filled you in?”

  “Yes, and I’m sorry for the pain I know you must be feeling right now. But I’m sure you’re glad it’s finally over. Maybe my news will help soften the blow for you and your wife.”

  “What’s that, Dr. Jessup?”

  “I believe we can send Sunny home in a few hours, after she’s had one more CT scan. She’ll need to rest for a few weeks, of course, but she’ll fully recover from this ordeal. It’s time for your family to move forward. I’ll need to see her in my office in a few weeks. Hopefully, she can be released from my care at that time.”

  “That’s wonderful news. I can’t thank you enough. You and the staff here at the hospital have done so much for us.” He shook the doctor’s hand.

  Chapter Thirty

  Chase drove to the police station, went directly into Detective Carson’s office, and asked if it was possible for him to see Lindy.

  “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  “I need to know why, what she could have been thinking, and to tell her I understand she needs help. I need this for closure.”

  “Of course, wait here, I’ll arrange it.”

  The detective returned and told him, “I’ve arranged for you to speak with her. You’ll be taken to a room where a guard will be present at all times. You won’t have complete privacy, but you’ll be able to speak with her. I can’t let you be alone with her.”

  “That’s fine.”

  Detective Carson led him to a small room. There was a table in the room and chairs on either side of the table. When Lindy was led into the room by a guard, he could tell by looking at her she’d been through hell. She looked tired, drained, and well…pathetic.

  She sat down and looked across the table at him. “Chase, how you must hate me. I can only tell you how sorry I am for the things I’ve done to you and your family.”

  “Lindy, I only have one question for you…why? Was my company that important to you and your father that you would resort to murder to obtain it? If I’d known, I would have sold it to you in a heartbeat. Nothing is more important to me than Sunny’s life and her love.”

  “Chase…the company was important to my father, but he would have given up after your last refusal. It was never about the company with me. I didn’t care two hoots about your business. All I ever wanted was you. When you were married to Brittney, I thought I had a chance. It was no secret that you and she were rocky, at best. She would have given you up without a fight. She’d have taken you for a lot of money, but she would have given you up. But you and your damn morality…you wouldn’t cheat on her, and you wouldn’t leave her…maybe because of your children, I don’t know. When I hurt her in the elevator, I acted without thinking…something just came over me and it was over before I fully realized what I’d done. When no foul play was suspected and I was sure I was in the clear, I thought I could win you over. But then you met Sunny. I knew I had a fierce competitor in that one. I could tell from the way you looked at her, that day at your home, how much you loved her. I could tell from the way you said her name, from the way you spoke about her. And I also knew that she wouldn’t give you up…ever.”

  “Oh, Lindy…no.”

  “I was obsessed. When my father accepted your final refusal, and decided to give up on acquiring your company, I couldn’t let it go. I flew to Des Moines the day of Sunny’s fall to talk to you. I saw Sunny pull into the driveway and walk to the woods. I parked down the street, and then I followed her, and waited. When she started to walk back home, I crept up behind her and hit her over the head with a rock. Then I ran to my car and drove to your house. I waited until you came home, to talk to you, and no one knew I’d been there earlier.”

  “You thought you’d killed her. You thought you’d have a chanc
e with me.”

  “Exactly, and when I learned she survived, I became desperate, like an animal, I had to have my prey.”

  “You hired Kyle and when he failed, you knew you had to do the job yourself, so you brought the poison candy to the hospital.”

  “Chase, I can only say again that I’m sorry. I’ll pay for my crimes. You can enjoy the justice in that. And for what it’s worth, I hope you and Sunny can move on and have a happy life together. She’s the one you love…I only want you to be happy.”

  “Lindy, I should be angry as hell with you, but I know you need help. Sunny knows it too. I’ll make a petition to the court, on your behalf, to see that you get the psychiatric help you need.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “It’s the right thing to do, Lindy.”

  “You’re a good man, Chase. I’ve always known that. I never stood a chance with you…you’re too good for me.”

  “Goodbye, Lindy. I trust we’ll never see, or hear, from you, again.”

  “You won’t. Thank you, Chase.”

  He got up and walked out of the room. Detective Carson was waiting for him.

  “Can we go to your office?”

  “Come on.”

  When they were seated in the office, Chase said, “I want her to get the help she needs. Can that be arranged?”

  “I’ll see what I can do. We may be able to get her into a women’s psychiatric prison, given the circumstances and your recommendation.”

  “Thank you. What about her father and Kyle?”

  “Kyle was offered a lenient sentence for coming forward with the information. He’ll serve five years in the state penitentiary.”

  “Thomlin…what will happen to him?”

  “The District Attorney’s office is working on a plea bargain. If he’ll admit he knew what his daughter was up to, and did nothing to stop her, knowing her mental condition, he may get a lesser sentence, as well.”

  “How soon will all this take place?”

  “Hopefully in the next few days, I’ll be in touch, as soon as I know anything.”

  “Thank you. By the way, Sunny is being released from the hospital tonight.”