Pushing Up Bluebonnets yrm-5

by Leann Sweeney

Meanwhile, the terrified girl kept repeating "Stop," her gaze traveling from Cooper to me and back to Cooper.

  Norman said, "This is not helping." She then brushed a few strands of hair off JoLynn's forehead with a tenderness I thought she was incapable of, then soothed her patient with a nearly inaudible "Hush."

  The cell in my pocket vibrated against my pelvic bone. Uh-oh. I tried to pretend I didn't hear the buzzing, but clearly everyone did, including JoLynn, who had closed her eyes and in her calmer, sedated slur said, "Is that my phone?"

  I almost smiled until the wrath of Nurse Norman was fully visited on me. "Turn that thing off," she whispered.

  Having been busted for illegal use of a cell phone in the hospital—not intentional, just a product of what I rationalized had to be memory loss again—I pulled the phone from my pocket. It had already gone over to voice mail and stopped quivering, but I dutifully powered it down.

  "Sorry," I said.

  "I think it's time you both left anyway," Norman said.

  JoLynn again reached for my hand and I put my fingers in hers, saying, "Do you want us to stay?"

  "Don't . . . don't go." But she was already drifting off, her hand going limp, her head lolling to the left.

  Cooper said, "She obviously needs her rest. We'll be back later."

  I didn't want to leave, since we'd gotten next to nothing, but he was right. JoLynn was only beginning to come around. She had smiled when I mentioned her grandfather, though, and seemed happy simply saying the word.

  When we emerged from the ICU, Elliott Richter was standing in the waiting area, while Simone was slumped in a chair fiddling with a small camera. A tense-looking Adele stood by her brother. Simone was dressed like she'd just come from a rock concert in her wide-legged cropped cargo pants and black T-shirt, whereas Adele had the Ann Taylor thing going.

  Richter greeted us, introduced Simone and Adele to Cooper, then said, "How is she?"

  "A lot better," Cooper said.

  Richter's face relaxed into a genuine smile. "Good. That's very good. Did she say anything?"

  "A few words. She seems a little frightened, but then, waking up in a hospital has to be scary." Cooper scanned the waiting area. "Security is more important than ever now that she's coming around, so where's your man? You send him on break?"

  Gosh. Joe Johnson had disappeared. Guess I'd been too distracted by Simone taking pictures of the waiting room, the double ICU doors and all of us, the repeated snicking and flashing of her camera finally irritating Adele enough that she'd mouthed "Stop it."

  Richter said, "A staff member told us you were with JoLynn. I assumed you sent the guard on a break."

  "I didn't send him anywhere," Cooper said. "Can you call his agency and have him paged to get back up here? Or I could stay until he shows up."

  "I appreciate the offer, Chief Boyd, but I'm paying him damn good money to be here. And he's not where he's supposed to be." Richter took out his cell phone. "Excuse me while I find somewhere to make a call." He strode off down the hall, anger evident in every step.

  "Guess we'll wait." Cooper smiled politely at Adele.

  Her expression didn't change. "My brother has been very stressed by this . . . incident. What time frame do you have for bringing the culprit to justice?"

  Yup, same snobbish Adele I'd met earlier this week. But I wondered if she was the one stressed-out. She looked a little haggard, despite the perfect makeup and expensive clothes.

  "Culprit, huh? Sounds way too nice for a wannabe murderer." Cooper wore a tight smile. He wasn't taking to Adele, but then who would, besides husband Leopold? He said, "The more information I get, Mrs. Hunt, the quicker I can find this culprit. You have anything to offer?" He walked over to where Joe Johnson had been sitting.

  Adele blinked and said, "Why would you think I—"

  "Do that again, Mom." Simone's camera was fixed on her mother's face.

  "What in hell are you doing, Simone?" Adele was way out of her comfort zone now, even though I recalled Leopold saying she could handle anything.

  Simone took her mother's picture, then said, "I thought I'd be the nervous one coming here. But you are definitely off your game, Mom. I love it. Makes me think you might be human."

  I could tell Adele wanted to offer a comeback in the worst way, but her mouth stayed half open, apparently no words readily available. Meanwhile, Simone turned her smile on Cooper.

  "Do you think they'd mind if I photographed the staff working inside the ICU—that is, if they let me in? This place is so different than anywhere I've been and I'm working on facial expressions, trying to improve my work, move beyond your average sunrise. Everyone moves so fast here, looks so serious, seems so full of purpose. That would be an awesome capture."

  "I don't know, Simone." He carefully folded the newspaper Joe Johnson had left behind. "Ask the staff. They might not mind. I think the patients would be offlimits, though."

  "I'm cool with that." Simone held up the camera for a second. "I wouldn't bother JoLynn with this thing, that's for sure."

  "Then why are you bothering me?" Adele said.

  "Because it's fun, Mom." Simone left us and approached the only other visitor, a lone man sitting in a far-off corner, who was staring at his clenched hands hanging between his knees.

  "Can we please sit down?" Adele said in a clipped tone.

  "Sure. Maybe you should take a few deep breaths, relax a little." Despite Adele's attitude, Cooper sounded plain nice. He saw what I saw—a woman obviously very uncomfortable. Simone was right—Adele was off her game.

  Adele and Cooper sat next to each other on the black vinyl chairs, but I remained standing. I'd discovered those seats were like a block of ice.

  Cooper said, "Your daughter's serious about her picture taking, huh?"

  I glanced over and saw that Simone was sitting near the visitor, talking to him.

  Adele sighed. "I suppose. Elliott encourages her, buys her cameras and lenses practically every other week, sends her to amateur-photographer camps and workshops. It all makes me very . . . wait a minute. Why the hell are we talking about this?"

  "Because you seem uneasy and I wondered if the issue was your daughter," Cooper said.

  "What if I am uneasy?" Adele snapped. "Simone could fail. I mean, what kind of career is photography anyway? She'd work for newspapers or magazines? Travel all over creation. I don't like the idea one bit."

  "This is about your daughter, then, and not about visiting JoLynn?" Cooper said softly.

  I almost smiled. Cooper was smooth. He could get beneath a person's top layer as quickly as a car salesman.

  Adele closed her eyes briefly, then looked Cooper in the eye. "If my coming here can make things easier for my brother, then so be it. I haven't seen him this devastated since he lost Katarina."

  I said, "You're here for your brother, then? Not Simone and not JoLynn?"

  Cooper shot me a reproachful glance that asked the question I was asking myself. Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut?

  But apparently I didn't do as much damage to his gentle probing as I thought, because Adele didn't seem upset by the question. In fact, Cooper had obviously settled her down nicely, because her tone was even when she said, "I'm trying to understand Elliott's . . . attachment to this young woman, Ms. Rose. I truly am."

  "It's Abby." I offered a small smile.

  Cooper was about to ask her something else, but Richter was back, his neck reddened by anger. And he had that look of fear in his eyes again, the one I'd seen at his ranch when he began to understand that JoLynn might have many more secrets than he'd ever expected.

  Richter said, "Someone called up the agency pretending to be me and canceled my twenty-four-hour security."

  "That explains why the guy left," I said. "Someone called and sent him home."

  "Not exactly," Richter said through clenched teeth. "Apparently the people I hired have been off this job for two days."

  "Th-then who was that guy we talked to not a half hour
ago?" I said.

  Cooper's expression hardened. "Damn good question."

  22

  Though Richter was mad enough to chew nails and spit rivets about the fake security guard, he was more concerned about JoLynn and was anxious to see her. He'd given that message to a staff member heading inside the ICU.

  So Adele stepped up and said she would make sure real security would be on the job as soon as possible. After calling to Simone—who was still talking to the morose visitor—that she'd be back as soon as she could, Adele left to make phone calls.

  "I could head over to this agency you used, talk to them about how this happened," Cooper told Richter.

  "Waste of time," Richter said. "The cancellation was done over the phone, so they don't know a damn thing. I've used these people before, but they specialize in protecting my ship-channel sites here in Houston and my offices in south Texas. They've never done an assignment like this and the impostor was smart enough to call in the termination of services during the evening, when people who know my voice weren't around."

  "At least we know what the guy looks like," I said. "We can alert the staff in case he shows up again. But why did he leave? We didn't know you were coming, so how could he? And why wouldn't he believe you'd accept his presence here just like we did?"

  "I don't know . . . unless . . ." Richter's eyes traveled across the waiting room to where his niece was now on one knee, photographing the visitor. "Simone took the stairs while Adele and I rode the elevator. She got here first and as you can see, she's never known a stranger."

  "You think she told the guy who she was, that you were on the way, and that's why he decided to split?" I said.

  "Maybe," Cooper said. "Let's ask." He caught Simone's eye and gestured for her to come over.

  She stood and put a comforting hand on the man's shoulder and he looked up at her gratefully before she left him.

  Richter spoke before Cooper could open his mouth and asked Simone about the guard. "Yeah, he was here. I talked to him. He didn't do much talking back, though. Just got up and left."

  "Did you never mention your uncle or give him names?" Cooper said.

  "No." Simone's tone indicated this was, like, the stupidest question ever. "I asked if I could take his picture, that's all. He said 'Not today' or something like that, picked up his stuff and headed for the stairs. I did get one shot off, though, because he turned around to see if I was following him. Then you and Mom came and I forgot all about him."

  "Didn't you think that was odd? Did I not tell you I hired security for JoLynn?" Richter's anger was now focused on his niece.

  She stepped closer and lifted her chin, stared him in the eye. "You didn't tell me a damn thing, Uncle Elliott. But I guess I'm to blame for whatever's got you pissed off now."

  Richter closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose with thumb and index finger. Quietly he said, "I'm sorry. None of this is your fault." He then explained about the fake-security-guard snafu.

  "Oh crap. So . . . you're okay, then?" Simone asked.

  Richter offered her a puzzled look. "Yes . . . but I don't understand—"

  "You said you were sorry. You and Mom never say you're sorry about anything," Simone said.

  Richter stared down at Simone like he was seeing her for the first time. "I truly am sorry."

  Cooper cleared his throat, then asked Simone to show the picture to her uncle to see if Richter might know the man. Simone held the display out and clicked back about twenty times before she found Joe Johnson's photo.

  Richter shook his head no, but before he could say anything, Chuckles the Private-Duty Nurse came through the double doors.

  "Mr. Richter? Maxine Norman, your day-shift nurse." She extended her hand to him, ignoring the rest of us.

  Brightly I said, "Ms. Norman is new, too."

  Simone said, "Oh boy" under her breath.

  But Richter said, "I recognize you from your re´sume´ photo, Ms. Norman." He looked at Cooper. "The nursing agency faxed me several applications to consider. I chose Ms. Norman myself, as she has outstanding recommendations, has dealt with head-injury patients often, but she couldn't start until yesterday."

  "I appreciate your confidence, Mr. Richter," Norman said. "Your granddaughter is sleeping, but responding nicely to the reduction in sedation. Movement in all extremities, pupils reactive though unequal. Vital signs good."

  Relieved Norman hadn't mentioned JoLynn's agitation during our earlier visit, I said, "She smiled when I mentioned you, Mr. Richter."

  "Really?" he said.

  "Let's go in, but only for a few minutes. She needs her rest more than anything." Norman turned and started walking.

  "Can my niece come, too?" he asked.

  "Certainly," Norman said over her shoulder.

  Simone followed and I heard her say, "May I take your picture?"

  Richter hung back for a second and said, "If you can get a lead on that man, I'd appreciate it. He made the cancellation call to Brace Security about ten p.m. Wednesday night. Meanwhile I'll have Simone show his photo to the staff."

  Richter started after his niece and the nurse.

  Cooper called after him. "Have her e-mail me that picture—and send it to Abby, too. You still have our addresses?"

  He nodded and disappeared behind the double doors.

  Cooper sat down again, looking puzzled and worried. "Guess we wait until protection arrives."

  "You think that guy planned another attempt on JoLynn's life right here? Doesn't that only happen on television?"

  "He was probably here to gather as much information as possible, maybe get a handle on her condition, follow Richter when they took JoLynn out of here," Cooper said. "Killing her in this place would be way too tough. But how did he find her?"

  "There was a small article in the Houston Chronicle the day after the accident," I said.

  "That explains it. If he tried to kill her, he'd be looking for proof she was dead. What bothers me is how easily he planted himself here. He must have scoped out the original guards, caught the logo on the uniform and knew who to call. He was careful and he was smart."

  "Could Kent Dugan have sent him? The switcheroo occurred after he knew where JoLynn was."

  "Very possible, but what's his motive to kill her?" he said.

  "You got me. Maybe she ran from him because he threatened her, he found her and . . . hell, I don't know. But like Jeff said, the guy gives off bad vibes."

  Before he could respond, Adele came clickety-clacking back into the waiting room. "Mission accomplished, and this time, I have a picture on my BlackBerry of the man who should be arriving shortly. Where's my brother?"

  "In there." I nodded at the ICU.

  "Would you like to visit, too?" Cooper asked.

  She glanced at the doors, hesitated. "Oh, no. I have to wait for the new security person."

  Her whole facade had fallen away, leaving her looking vulnerable and afraid. Too much emotion had been spilled since JoLynn's accident. No one in the Richter family seemed equipped to deal with it all.

  "If you're staying here," Cooper said, "then Abby and I can get busy finding out who this Joe Johnson really is. If you'd e-mail us both pictures of any employees— nurses, aides, security—anyone you and your brother have authorized to be here, I'd appreciate it. Mr. Richter knows how to get in touch."

  "I will do that," Adele said with a distracted nod. She held her BlackBerry with two hands, her gaze far-off.

  We said good-bye and left the waiting area. I had my arms clutched around me to protect against what was becoming the very familiar chill. After we exited the elevator into the lobby, Cooper, who'd seemed lost in thought for the last minute or two, finally spoke.

  "The security guard thing is important, but let's step back a minute. Help me process our visit to JoLynn. She seemed pretty mellow until I told her the car was rigged, so she understood what I meant. That piece of information would sure as hell upset me, too."

  We paused near the hos
pital exit and I said, "You think she knows who fiddled with her car?"

  "Maybe. Can we pick up lunch and go back to your place? I need to think things through."

  "I don't have much appetite, but we can stop at Becks if you want. Black bean burger okay?"

  He smiled. "Sounds great."

  "Kate loves them, but then, she's a fan of tofu, organic grains and anything else you can take away from the Whole Paycheck Market."

  He laughed. "Will I get to meet the shrink this weekend? We could sure use her expertise when we visit JoLynn tomorrow," he said.

  "She'd be more than willing. I could leave her a message, since she's probably with a client."

  "Do it," he said.

  "Hope you're up for Shrek and Happy Feet tonight, by the way. Jeff's sister has Down syndrome and we watch whatever she picks on Friday pizza night."

  "This is a guy who misses Saturday cartoons, so you don't have to sell me on animated anything—but please let me buy the pizza," he said.

  "You've got a deal." Then I turned on my cell to phone Kate and saw MISSED CALL on the screen. Jeff's caller ID. "Jeff phoned. Maybe he got the security tapes from the garage."

  "I'd like a lead on that bastard who knocked you out, myself."

  "Better call Jeff first." Then I said, "Hey there" when he answered.

  "Listen, we got a problem," he said.

  "You need help with Doris before you come over tonight? We've already made the hospital visit to JoLynn, but guess what happened?"

  "You need—"

  "Cooper and I have a lot to tell you," I went on. "He's staying at my place over the weekend and—"

  "Abby, listen to me. They just pulled Kent Dugan's body out of Brays Bayou."

  23

  I was too stunned to speak for a second and must have looked it because Cooper put a supportive hand on my elbow and mouthed, "Are you okay?"

  My stomach felt like I'd eaten a batch of Texas kumquats right off the tree, but I gave him a thumbs-up to let him know I was fine. Then I said to Jeff, "Dugan was murdered?" so Cooper would understand what we were discussing.

  Cooper reacted with raised eyebrows to my words while Jeff went on, saying, "When's the last time you remember anyone swimming in that bayou? Yes, he was murdered."