"Pass the salt," Jamie nearly growled.
Without looking in Jamie's direction, Holly pushed the shaker away from her plate.
"Dinner is delicious...although I'm not exactly sure what it is," Eden offered with a chuckle.
Jamie glanced up at Eden. "We're running a little low on choices, so I just threw some things together in a pot."
"Let's name it 'low choice stew' then," Eden said, looking at Holly, waiting for one of her typical sarcastic responses. "Urn, Holly, do you have any suggestions?"
Holly looked directly at Jamie. "We could call it shit stew because that's exactly what it tastes like."
Eden laughed until she noticed Jamie and Holly glaring at each other across the table. "Okay, Jamie, it's your turn to come up with a name," Eden said meekly before taking another bite.
Jamie turned angry eyes to Eden. "It's just damn stew, let's call it that."
"Damn stew it is then," Eden said with a nervous laugh. "I'm much better now, so I think you both can share the bed upstairs. I'm sure you're tired of sleeping in that recliner."
"I'm more than happy with the recliner," Jamie said curtly.
Holly set her spoon down. "Fair is fair, the bed is yours tonight, Jamie. I'll take the recliner."
Silence once again fell upon them as they ate.
Chapter Eight
Susan looked at her fake passport for the tenth time, silently hoping that there would be no complications. Laura sat next to her, drumming her fingers on the armrest as they waited for their flight. Too nervous to speak, they sat quietly as they waited for the boarding call.
Things were not going according to plan for Laura—she never intended for Susan to leave the country with her. But Susan stuck to her like glue and made it impossible for her to skip out alone. She wondered how she would rid herself of the doctor before it was time to withdraw the money she'd stashed away.
Too much heat surrounded them for Laura to wait any longer. With each passing day, they were running out of answers for the police and her father. She was afraid Susan would crack under the pressure, so she decided to skip the country with her in tow. There would be time to deal with her once they were safely out of the U.S.
Jamie sipped her first cup of coffee as Eden began to stir. "Good morning," she said as Eden sat up and wiped her hair from her eyes. "I've got homemade biscuits baking; they shouldn't be long. Are you feeling strong enough to make it to the bathroom alone?"
"Yeah, I feel pretty good this morning," Eden said as she stretched.
"I'm going to go find Holly. She's probably out for her morning walk. Breakfast will be ready in about ten minutes," Jamie said as she headed for the door.
Eden emerged from the bathroom to an empty cabin. She walked slowly to the kitchen and took the biscuits out of the oven before they burned. She noticed the bacon sitting on a plate next to the stove and grabbed a piece. She nibbled the salty delight while looking out the window and noticed Jamie coming up the path alone.
Whatever they had fought about the day before must have been serious, she assumed, as she noted the grimace on Jamie's face.
"No luck?" Eden asked as Jamie came through the door.
"I couldn't find her on the trail..." Jamie paused in mid-sentence before rushing back out the door. Eden watched as she ran to the side of the cabin, then came walking back slowly.
"What's wrong?" Eden asked as Jamie walked back in and slammed the door.
"She left us! She took the damn van and left us here!" Jamie screamed as she paced back and forth. She glimpsed a piece of paper sitting on top of a neatly folded blanket left on the recliner. Jamie snatched the note and read aloud.
Dear Jamie,
I couldn't take it anymore. Please stay put and I'll find a way to get word to you when the coast is clear. I'm so sorry. Holly
Susan did her best to act casual as they stood in line to board the plane. She clutched her boarding pass and gritted her teeth against the nausea burning in her stomach. Her nerves always affected her this way. She glanced over at Laura, who looked calm and collected.
"Ladies, I'm going to have to ask you to step out of the line, please."
Susan's head snapped toward the voice. A man in a suit holding a badge flanked by two uniformed officers stood looking at her. With nowhere to run, Susan obeyed the order.
Susan glanced over at Laura as they were being read their rights and patted down. She had never wanted to kill someone so badly in her entire life until that moment. Her eyes fell upon the holstered weapon on the hip of the officer checking Laura. She had nothing to lose at this point in the game. She grimaced when her hands were pulled down and cuffed before she was able to act on her impulse.
Jamie sat on the porch with her head in her hands as Eden joined her. They both sat quietly for a while before either spoke.
"Why don't we just hike up to the main road and get someone to call the police? I'm lucid now and can testify that I wasn't kidnapped," Eden said softly.
"You're not strong enough to make that hike, Eden. Besides there are some things you don't know," Jamie said with a sigh.
"Fill me in."
Jamie debated for a moment. She had already been thinking about how she would explain their situation. "Remember when I told you that Holly dealt with Carmen when we took you from the center that day?"
Eden nodded and waited patiently for the rest.
"When we left, she was alive, but Paul informed us that she had been beaten to death. I don't believe for a second that Holly hit her hard enough to kill her. It's not just the police we've been hiding from out here."
Donald opened his door to a clean-cut man waving a badge. "May I help you?" he asked politely.
"Dr. Donald Briggs?" the man inquired.
"I am," he responded as he opened the door and allowed the man in his home.
"If you have a moment, I'd like to ask you a few questions. I'm Detective Mason."
"I've already given a formal statement, but I'll answer whatever questions you may have," Donald said as he poured himself and the officer a cup of coffee.
"I need to know if you've heard from Miss Spencer since she left the clinic."
"No, I haven't heard a word from her. Do you have any news, detective?" Donald asked as he set the coffee down in front of Mason.
"No, sir, we don't have anything yet. We have a few leads, but I was hoping you had heard from her."
"I can assure you, Detective Mason, that Jamie is a good woman, and I'm certain that she'll be able to prove her innocence. This is totally out of character for her."
"How long have you known Miss Spencer, Dr. Briggs?"
"I've known her for a few years. She was a nurse at the hospital where we both worked. She was a very compassionate woman and an excellent nurse—someone you could call upon in a pinch."
"How would you describe your relationship with Miss Spencer?" the detective asked as he sipped his coffee.
"I consider her a very dear friend."
"Was your relationship strictly platonic?"
Donald set his cup down with a thud, and coffee splashed onto the table. "That is very inappropriate. If you have anything more you would like to ask, you'll have to bring me in for questioning," Donald said as he stood. "For now, I'll show you to the door."
Donald strode from the room without looking back. Mason hopped up and followed closely on his heels. Donald never saw him pick up the vase from the hallway table. The blow knocked him to the floor, and the last thing he saw before he left this life was the smiling picture of his wife. He smiled in relief knowing that he would be seeing her soon.
"So now we sit and wait for what?" Eden asked, reeling from the information that Jamie had given her.
"We wait for Dr. Briggs and his brother Paul to give us the all clear," Jamie responded sullenly. "Can you think of anything that would help us at all?"
Eden stood and walked to the edge of the porch and looked out over the lake. She closed her eyes, replaying the bits and
nieces of her memory that had returned to her. "What was the name of the place where I was being held?"
"McManus Mental Health Center," Jamie replied.
"To be honest, I remembered you telling me that when we first got here." Eden's shoulders slumped as she sighed. "My ex-girlfriend's father owns several mental health clinics. Her name is Laura McManus. When you first told me it was a McManus clinic I was being held in, I just didn't want to believe that Laura could've done this to me, and I was too ashamed to admit it to you. She had to have had a hand in this."
"Well, I suppose that explains how you ended up there, but why?"
"I have no clue. I'm not crazy, and I didn't have a drug problem before I got there, so I have no idea why I was put in such a place." She turned suddenly and looked at Jamie. "You do believe that I'm not insane, don't you?"
"I know you're not insane, Eden," Jamie said softly.
Eden nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer.
Jamie stood and walked over to Eden where she gently took her arm. "You feel up to taking a walk?"
Eden walked along the leaf-laden path, enjoying the way they sounded as they crunched under her feet. The sun felt good on her skin, as the autumn breeze caused the serene water on the lake to ripple.
"I wasn't in love with her, and I was honest with her about it," she said out of the blue. "I should've ended it a long time ago, but.. .she met certain needs."
"So you stayed with her just for sex?" Jamie asked bluntly.
"It wasn't just the sex, it was companionship. I knew I could never be in anything long term with her, but spending time with her chased away some of the loneliness." Eden paused for a moment and looked Jamie in the eye.
"When you're wealthy, it's hard to make true friends, and it's even harder to find someone who isn't interested solely in your assets. We had that in common, but Laura was very social and loved to be in the spotlight. That was something we didn't share. I hated all the fake smiles and pretentious attitudes."
"So money was the only thing you two had in common?" Jamie asked as Eden resumed the walk.
"The more time I spent with her, the lonelier I became. I felt trapped in a relationship that I knew was going nowhere. Regardless of how much I pulled away from her, she only clutched on tighter, until I had to be brutally honest. I don't think she realized how miserable I'd become."
Uncomfortable with the conversation, Eden changed the subject.
"So how long have you and Holly been together?"
Jamie stopped dead in her tracks. "Holly and I were never together. She's a friend and a co-worker, and that's as far as it goes. And what makes you think I'm gay?" Jamie asked defensively.
Eden smirked. "I could feel your hands trembling when you helped me take a shower."
"And from that you think I'm gay?"
"You're a nurse, and you must've bathed a thousand people by now, but you were nervous when you touched me. When you talk about dating, you speak in ambiguous terms. Those are signals our kind knows well."
Embarrassed and feeling exposed, Jamie's temper flared. "You are one big presumptuous ass, Eden Carlton," she hissed before turning on her heel and heading back to the cabin.
Eden watched as Jamie stormed away. She chuckled, then spied a nice sunny spot on the pier and made her way there.
Jamie plopped down on the couch, grinding her teeth in anger. Eden had hit the nail on the head. Her embarrassment was acute, which spurned her anger, coupled with the fact that Holly bailed out. The emotions within her collided, and she did the only thing that would bring her relief—she cried.
Detective Salamoni walked into the clinic with the picture of Eden Carlton still in its protective frame clutched tightly in her hand. The captain was riding her, and mistakes and oversights would not be tolerated. She chose to avoid the administrator's office and sought out the floor staff.
She was stopped by a large security guard who blocked her path until she showed her ID. "How long have you worked here?" she asked the burly man as she noted the name displayed on his nametag.
"I was hired on when a patient was taken from the facility," he replied curtly.
Detective Salamoni looked over his shoulder and noted that there were no security cameras. "Do you know if they had any sort of security staff before the abduction?"
The guard sucked his teeth and looked at her for a moment. "You'll need to talk to administration for those answers. Like I told you, I just started here."
"Then step out of my way," she responded politely, but her expression made it clear that she would not be bullied by his intimidation tactics.
The guard held his position directly in front of her and smirked. Detective Salamoni squeezed the badge she still held in her hand. She smiled back up at the guard and smacked him in the forehead hard enough to leave the impression of her badge number on his forehead.
"Damn it, Melanie! Why do you always have to hit so hard?" the security guard groaned as he rubbed his head.
"Why do you always make me hit you, Trent?" she replied in her best girly tone.
Trent grinned. "Because you always have to rub that detective badge in my face."
"You'd have one, too, if you hadn't have shot that lady's poodle. When are you getting off probation?"
"I've got another six months," Trent sighed.
Detective Salamoni patted her former partner on the shoulder. "Hang in there, kiddo, and soon you won't have to work crummy details like this one."
"Watch your step back there. An old man grabbed some nurse's tits, then pissed on the floor," Trent called over his shoulder.
Detective Salamoni walked along the hallways slowly, making mental notes of the layout of the clinic. She paused for a moment at the sealed room that had been occupied by the patient in question, when she was finally approached by a member of the staff.
"I'm Detective Salamoni, and I have a few questions if you don't mind," the detective said as she studied the young woman in front of her. "First, were you employed here when Ellen Edmonds was a patient?"
"I've worked here for three years now, and I was on duty the morning Miss Edmonds was taken."
Detective Salamoni held up the picture, refusing to allow it from her grasp. "Does this woman look familiar to you?"
"That's her! That's Ellen Edmonds," the aide exclaimed excitedly. "Have you found her yet?"
"No, ma'am, we haven't, but this is a big help. I need to have a few more members of the staff identify her, as well. Please don't tip them off before I have a chance to speak with them."
Detective Salamoni's pulse quickened with the confirmation that her suspicions had been correct. She left the clinic with a spring in her step. Five different employees positively identified Eden as Ellen Edmonds. Life for the two women in custody was going to get far more difficult, she thought with a smile, and she would be there to watch them squirm.
Jamie wiped her face as she heard Eden walking up the wooden steps. She leaned her head back on the couch and pretended to be napping, hoping that Eden would simply leave her alone.
Eden walked into the cabin and made her way to the recliner where she sat and studied Jamie for a moment. "I'm really sorry if I offended you."
"How did you know I wasn't asleep?" Jamie asked as she lifted her head.
"If I had been as angry as you were when you came in here, it would be a very long time before I would be calm enough to fall asleep," Eden answered with a slight smile.
"You make a lot of assumptions based on how you would react," Jamie said gruffly.
"Doesn't everyone?"
"No, and not everyone is the same."
"So you're still going to sit there and deny the fact that you're gay?" Eden asked with a grin.
"Okay, damn it! I'm gay! Is that what you wanted to hear?" Jamie bellowed.
Eden sat back in the chair and crossed her legs. "Yes."
Jamie shook her head in exasperation. "I think I liked you better when you slept all the time."
"I n
eed to feel like I can talk to you openly, and for me to be comfortable in doing that, I need you to be open with me, so no secrets. Besides, the more I talk, the more I remember."
Jamie sat up straight. "So what do you want me to tell you?”
"Simple stuff, like is there someone waiting for you to come home, besides your family? What are your hobbies? What kind of music do you listen to?" Eden said as she stood and made her way to the coffeepot.
"Eden, do you smoke?" Jamie asked from her perch on the couch.
Chapter Nine
Mason sat in his car parked on a tree-lined street of beautiful homes that spoke of wealth and prestige. He thumbed through Donald's address book as he waited to see if anyone would emerge from Paul Briggs's home. He gazed down at the electricity bill lying next to him on the seat. If Paul had nothing to offer, he would make the drive into the country and survey Donald's vacation home.
Though he was unable to contact Susan and unaware of her arrest, he was still determined to complete his job. The money was too good to pass up, even though she hadn't yet paid him a dime. The real bonus was getting his hands on the woman in the picture that sat in his lap. There were perks to this job, and spending some time alone with the brunette would make all the :ravel worthwhile.
"So there's a chance that Eden is alive!" Al Pittman exclaimed excitedly as he listened to the report that Detective Salamoni relayed to him as they strolled the grounds surrounding his home.
"Now we know exactly who we're looking for," the detective answered with a smile. "I'd like to use this picture to post on the wires. Maybe someone has seen her and can give us some leads."
"Of course, use it for whatever you need. I wanted to ask you something the other day, detective, but it slipped my mind. What’s your first name?"
"Melanie, but everyone just calls me Salamoni," she answered with a smile.
"May I ask if you have children?"
"I have two—a boy and a girl."
The Taking of Eden Page 10
