“So I should recover fully?” I pulled off my antique rings, dropping them into my bag.
“Absolutely. The human brain is a miraculous thing. I mean, look at what you two can do.” Easton paused and then tumbled on, “Now if you’ll give me a little more information, I’d like to set up another meeting. We can discuss those other tests I mentioned.”
“She’ll be in touch.” Cody pulled me to my feet. “But don’t get any ideas. She’s not a lab rat.”
Hands leaving his keyboard, Easton leapt to his feet, rounding the table like a spider pouncing on its prey. “It’s for science. For humanity. What we’re becoming.”
Cody snorted.
One of Easton’s hands had landed on my bag, but I pulled it out from under him. “How much do you pay?” I recovered enough to ask, though it was more to poke at Cody than for any real interest.
“Don’t answer that,” Cody growled, pushing me out the door with one hand, the other snatching up his cup of water. Together we hurried down the hall.
Easton came after us. “I have just a few more questions.”
“Another time,” Cody said over his shoulder. “We’re on a schedule.”
“You will at least let me know what happens, right?” Easton sounded so anxious I felt sorry for him. “When your ability returns.”
“So you can write a paper about it?” Cody sneered.
“Yeah, so what? It’ll help others.”
Cody yanked open the front door.
“I’ll call you,” I told Easton. “I promise.”
“Okay, good.”
“Thanks again for seeing me.”
“Make sure to use the gloves,” he called as I stumbled out into the bright daylight. “And some shoes!”
Cody paused behind me, and I turned to see him dumping the water from his paper cup over the wilted plant by the door. I kept my smile hidden until I was in the car. Just when he was at his most grouchy, he went and did something like that.
“What?” Cody said when he joined me.
“Nothing.”
He looked up at the building where Easton stood in the doorway. “You can tell what kind of a man he is by his plants. If a man doesn’t take care of his plants, you know he doesn’t give a hoot about anyone else.”
“No, it just means he’s forgetful, or has too much else on his mind.” I happened to like plants, and I tended the herbs by the window in my kitchen faithfully, but my sister had already killed three of the comfrey starts I’d given her, and I knew she’d sacrifice anything for me.
“Not with him, it doesn’t. You think this is the end, but it isn’t. It never is with him.” He paused before adding, “We should have changed license plates before coming. He’ll find you somehow. Look at him all smug in that stupid white coat—like he’s a real doctor or something.”
“I called his phone, so he has my number.”
“Yeah, but you can change yours.”
“And he really is a doctor. At least twice over. Maybe three times. One was in psychology. Didn’t you see the framed diplomas?”
He snorted. “Probably printed them off the Internet. We’d better make sure he doesn’t follow us.”
I shoved in the key and started the engine. “What happened between you two anyway?”
“Nothing. I made sure of that, but not before he stuck one too many needles into me. And he was always popping up when I least expected it. Still does. It creeps me out. He’s one of the main reasons I have a shotgun by my front door. That’s all I got to say.” He folded his arms over his chest and stared out the window. Apparently, the subject was closed.
“Put on your belt,” I reminded him. According to Shannon, I drove too fast and too erratically. He was wrong, of course, but I believed in seat belts for a lot of reasons.
Winter hadn’t been wearing his seat belt on the day of the bridge collapse when we’d ended up in the Willamette. I unbuckled mine and swam free; he was found in the river pinned under debris a week later. Identifying his body hadn’t been fun.
“So where to now? The store?” Cody asked.
I thought for a moment as I headed out of the parking lot. As I turned, I spied the black sedan pulling away from the curb by the road. A chill shot down my spine. I’d forgotten all about Russo’s men, but there they were waiting for us.
“To my store,” I said. “I have gloves and some moccasins there.” It would be better to go to my apartment so I could rest, but I kept my most comfortable shoes at the store for emergencies. “Then we’ll talk to Shannon and Paige and see what’s going on with the case. We have too many suspects. We need to narrow things down.”
My biggest concerns involved the two nanotech companies and Frank O’Donald, Russo’s enemy. I didn’t know enough about them to get a feel for who might be involved—and especially who might have tried to grab me. While I was pretty sure the folks at In Loving Memory were hiding something, I didn’t think they were behind my abduction. They hadn’t even known about me, so unless there was a connection between the murdered retirees and the nanotech companies or organized crime, they weren’t high on my list of kidnapping suspects.
It also worried me that I’d heard nothing about JoAnna Hamilton’s brother. Why hadn’t he contacted the police? Who was the man Cody had seen waiting in the hallway in the safe imprint at Hamilton’s? If that man hadn’t been caught by whoever demolished the lab, he should have important information for us.
“Uh, can you slow down?” Cody asked. “This isn’t a race.”
I looked over to see him gripping the armrest on the door.
He was wrong. It was a race. A race to prevent another early death of a retiree. Or to prevent another boating accident, van bombing, or lab break-in.
I was feeling disoriented again—and that’s when I began to suspect that I’d left an imprint on my own steering wheel, probably on the way over to see Easton Godfrey, and though my brain wasn’t letting it come through to my consciousness, I must be experiencing it on some level. I should be grateful it wasn’t a strong imprint, or I might have crashed the car. I’d have to replace the steering wheel cover—again.
“Give me those napkins in the glove compartment,” I told Cody. I always kept the extra napkins from takeout there in case I ever needed them to mop up strange spills, check the oil, or protect myself from imprints. I had quite a collection of napkins now, some dating back over a year.
Using the napkins on the wheel, I made it to the shop. As I got out, I saw Cody leaning over to put his hands on the steering wheel, and I gave him a hard look.
“Don’t even think about it.” I didn’t want him reading my imprint until I knew what it contained.
Maybe I should have asked Easton if he’d heard of a way to remove imprints. Like me, Cody had never managed to get rid of any. He typically threw things out and repurchased. You could do that when you owned several rental houses and had clientele that would pay big money for your amazing art sculptures.
It was almost two o’clock, and my store was still busy. Good for me. Jake’s little sister, Randa, sat at my counter ringing people up, while Tawnia packaged their purchases. Behind them in a playpen, Destiny tore apart a magazine someone had given her. Thera was helping someone else over by the dressers, and I saw that my new rolltop desk had already sold. I loved a fast turnover, but I felt a little disappointment; I’d looked forward to examining the beautiful desk more closely.
“Shannon called,” Tawnia said, looking up at me as I went around the counter. “He says you’re not answering your phone. He’s worried.”
Right. Someone had called me at Easton’s. I pulled out the phone to find a missed call and two texts—all from Shannon. The first said he and Paige had Hamilton’s major competitors coming to the precinct and asked if I’d like to watch the interviews. The next just said: “Are you okay?”
I texted Shannon back to let him know I was fine. I suspected he’d come looking for me soon, if I didn’t give him that much. I would if our si
tuations were reversed, especially if someone had wrapped him in a rug and tried to blow him up.
“Are you good to stay later?” I asked my sister. Tawnia had her long hair pulled up today, revealing her cheekbones. The waiting customers looked from her to me, and I knew they noticed our resemblance. That happened more and more these days, now that she’d lost the weight from her pregnancy. She still had ten pounds on me, and I figured she’d better keep it if she wanted to have enough milk for Destiny.
“Sure. As long as Emma’s happy.” She glanced over at Cody, who was standing uncertainly next to the customer at the counter. “I mean, I’d thought about driving down to see Cody’s sculpture later, but I’ll wait until he goes back home.”
Cody grunted as I texted Shannon again, letting him know I would meet him at the precinct.
Little Destiny had abandoned the magazine and was standing in the playpen, gripping the sides and bouncing her body up and down in excitement.
“Look who’s happy to see you,” Tawnia said.
I swooped up the baby, smothering her little face with kisses. She laughed and grabbed my dangling silver earrings that I’d forgotten I’d put on when I changed after my workout. My heart filled with her presence and my anxiety eased. I took her with me to the cupboards under the counter to search for my moccasins and gloves, letting her grab the edge of the drawer as I slipped the soft leather over my feet. Most shoes gave me a terrible backache, one of the reasons I didn’t wear them, but these didn’t do more than chafe the backs of my heels a little. The worn, washed-out color complemented my gray skirt, which was completely unplanned. Next went on the gloves, a thin pair made of tan cotton that fit me like a second skin. They looked ridiculous this time of year, as if I was about to go out into the garden with a trowel.
Tawnia was talking to Cody and wrapping the last customer’s purchases as I straightened. She frowned, her eyes wandering over my hands and down to my feet. “I’m not even going to ask, though I’ll expect a full report later.”
“Good. I need to get down to the police station. You shouldn’t have to stay here more than another hour or so. Things should be calm enough by then.”
Cody tried to say hello to the baby, but she buried her head in my shoulder.
“We’ll be able to handle it.” Randa turned from the cash register. Jake’s little sister wore her hair braided in tiny cornrows to the crown of her head, and from there her hair swung in frizzy waves to halfway past her back. I’d always envied that hair. “So did you know that Jake went out with Kolonda last night?” She looked at me as if expecting me to leap onto the counter and proclaim my rights to Jake.
I nodded. “How does he seem today?”
She frowned and her next words came more reluctantly. “Happy. But after the last time she dropped him—I don’t want him hurt again.”
Like I’d also hurt him, was the implication.
“A lot of time has passed since they were together,” I said. “And her father’s dead. He was the one who made her choose between her family and Jake when she was in college.”
I wanted to go into Jake’s shop to see for myself if he was happy. I’d know by looking into his eyes, but right now wasn’t a good time. I was too emotional with the loss of my gift, and the last thing I wanted was to hint that I needed him. If I’d known romance would have messed up our friendship this way, I would have never let him give me that first kiss.
Destiny reached up and yanked on my earring. “Sorry, sweetie, I have to go,” I told her, “but I promise to spend a lot of time with you really soon. Okay?”
In answer, she reached for my other earring. I laughed and looked at Tawnia. “Do you want her, or should I put her in the playpen?”
“Give her to me. I’ll have to settle her down first. Get her interested in some toys.” She reached for the baby, her voice lowering as another customer approached the counter. “But before you leave, I have something to show you. Sketches I did earlier during a break.”
We left Randa and Cody with the customer and headed to my back room. On the worktable lay one of my sister’s numerous sketch books.
“I was trying to work up a new ad for a customer who sells a line of rugged outdoor clothing, you know, hiking stuff and the like, but instead this came out.” Tawnia flipped the page and pushed the book over to me.
Immediately I recognized Easton Godfrey at the table in his room, typing on his laptop. Tawnia had the room perfect, down to the sink in the corner and the shelves along the back.
“It’s not detailed because I knew right away it wasn’t something I could use for my work, but I also knew I’d have to get it out before I could draw something of value.” She laughed. “I mean something of value for work. Does it help you at all?”
“I don’t know about help, but we did talk to this man today.” By the look of the drawing and the way the boxes were still on the shelf, it had taken place before Cody and I had arrived.
“A suspect?”
I hesitated. Easton might not be a suspect, but I didn’t want Tawnia or Destiny anywhere near him. Though Cody tended to bluster, there was real dislike in his manner toward Easton, and I wasn’t about to trust the man. At the same time, she was my sister, and I’d eventually tell her everything. Or most of it. “Not exactly. He’s just someone I thought might know something, but it’s too early to tell if his information is good.” If the glove and shoe thing worked, I might be even more interested in learning what else Easton knew about my ability.
“Well, okay.” She turned the page as Destiny tried to pull her hair from her clips. “Then I drew this.”
I pulled the sketchbook closer when I saw the two men in the drawing, the older one with a friendly hand on the shoulder of the other, as though introducing him to someone we couldn’t see. The older man was a stranger, but I knew the younger one: Winston Drewmore. He looked happy and relaxed. The older man stood slightly above average height, shorter than Winston by a few inches, lean with no bulk. Hair more gray than anything else. Could be any boardroom executive with a penchant for healthy food or a love of running. Nothing impressive or memorable about him except he didn’t seem to have the weight challenges people sometimes did as they aged. “About what time did you do this?”
“Let’s see, I’d just given Emma a little lunch and was nursing her to sleep. Twelve thirty? One? I don’t know exactly. But right after I did the first one.”
That would put it near the time I arrived at Easton’s office.
I studied the drawing, especially the older man, wishing it were a little more detailed. “Can I take this with me? The younger man here is part of our case, and I’d like to know who the other guy is.” It could be one of the company’s scientists, but the bold confidence in the man’s face indicated that he was someone accustomed to giving orders.
“Sure, take the whole book. I hope it helps.”
“Thanks, and I owe you one for today.”
Tawnia shrugged. “After all the times you watch the baby when I have to go into work? I’m the one who owes you.”
“I don’t so much as watch her,” I said, “as we hang out and play together.” I gave Destiny another kiss and a tickle before going to find Cody.
In my shop, Cody was off browsing my antiques, but Jake was waiting for me by the counter. My heart skipped a little, glad to see his friendly face.
“Hey, Jake,” I said, moving away from the counter where Randa was helping a customer, her eyes darting to me in encouragement. “How’d it go last night? I heard you had a date with Kolonda.” Head-on was the best way to confront the situation. I needed to let him know I was excited for him.
He grinned, his face all at once becoming more vibrant. I loved his smile—I always had. “Not exactly a date,” he said, “at least not in the beginning. She has a mold problem. But after I checked out her rental, we caught a play at the college. It was fun.”
“I’m glad.” Our initial impetus had taken us halfway across the shop where we now stoo
d near the double doors between our stores. I swallowed and forced myself to continue. “I think she likes you.”
His dark eyes were warm and inviting. “I like her, too. She’s a wonderful woman.”
That was good, exactly what I wanted. “So maybe you’ll get back together?”
For a moment he said nothing, shifting his weight in an unconscious way that made his muscles move attractively beneath his white polo. Then he shook his head slowly. “No. I don’t think so.”
Why not? I didn’t ask the question, but it was there in my eyes, and after all these years, Jake knew me well enough to see it. “It’s just not going to work out.”
How do you respond to that? Part of me wondered if he was offering me a chance to change my mind, a chance to think about him differently at some distant point in the future, a chance for me to understand that I still had a choice—but another part of me was abruptly so tired at holding our friendship together. I wanted Jake to be happy. I wanted him to try harder.
“Jake, I—I’m sorry. I’d hoped that—I—”
“It’s okay,” he interrupted. “Look, I’ve been meaning to tell you. There’s this woman who moved into my apartment building. I really like her.”
I blinked. He what?
“I would have told you sooner, but I wasn’t sure. It was only after being with Kolonda last night that I realized I feel differently about this other woman. Different as in really good. Her name’s Courtney, and I’m pretty sure she likes me the same way.” He grinned. “Don’t look so shocked. I’m not totally inept, you know.”
Oh, I knew. “That’s great,” I recovered enough to say. “I’m really glad.”
“I want you to meet her. Not right away, but soon.”
I knew what he meant. He wanted their relationship to be more solid before he introduced the ex-and-still-good friend to his new love interest.
Blinded Page 19
