He opened the door, entering the examination room and stopped, seeing Leo on the examination table.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
The man put up his hands. “I’m here for my appointment. My paybacks. Remember? We had a deal.”
Dr. Havash sighed heavily before hanging his head. “Very well.” He said, stepping forward and examining him.
“I’ve got a date with her.” He said, as the doctor was checking his ears.
He stopped and looked at him. “So, you’re really going to do this? You can’t let it drop?”
“She is the reason my father is dead.” He growled.
Dr. Havash sighed again. “Fine. I guess I really can’t say anything.”
“No you can’t. You know what happens if you do,” he muttered. “Did you get my blood work back?”
“Not yet. The lab is backed up.”
Leo sighed in exasperation. “I have to know if those rumors were true. If he was HIV positive, I could be too.”
Dr. Havash only looked down somberly.
“And you will treat me for it if I am. I’d better live too.” He went on, giving Dr. Havash the evil eye. “After what I did for you; a deal is a deal. We are on the same page, right, Doc?”
After a hesitant moment, he nodded. Ten minutes later he left, Dr. Havash kneeling in his office, praying.
****
“Miss Barnes, you can look now.”
Tammy slowly opened her eyes and dared a look in the mirror before her. She almost jumped in shock at her reflection.
Her hair had been cut. It had been styled too. She gingerly put her hands to the shortened strands which now went a little past her ears.
“You were very lucky. The strip of hair that did get burned away was easily hidden, but we had to cut most of it and re-style. But it will grow back.” The hair stylist informed her.
Tammy sat there, totally in awe. “Wow. Thank you.” She managed …unable to wait to see what Leo thought of her hair the next night.
****
After a busy morning of taking Lyn to have her bandages removed and her hair done, then getting caught up with everything else, Jacob finally broke away around one for lunch.
But instead of eating, he drove over to The Springwood Medical Suites complex where Dr. Havash’s new office was located. He parked and went in, pausing to look over the directory.
He was on the second floor.
Jacob glanced over where a few people were waiting on what appeared to be a slow elevator. He took the set of stairs to the left, reaching the second set just as he heard the ding of the elevator downstairs. A floor sign met him the moment he reached the second floor, advertising Dr. Havash as accepting new patients.
Jacob hesitated before glancing down the hall then walked through it.
****
“Wow. That hair is going to take some getting used to.” Justin said, shaking his head.
Tammy smiled back at him, subconsciously taking her fingers through it again. “Yeah, you’re not kidding.”
Justin sighed sadly. “I don’t think Lyn will like it, though. Lyn’s always loved long hair.”
Tammy bit her lip, looking down.
“So, you haven’t told me what you think yet.”
She looked up. “Of the hair? Yes, I did. I love it. I’ve always wanted to cut it.”
“No, Tammy. Not about the hair,” he went on. “Robin is already looking into it for me. With me there and more accustomed to dealing with you, would you like to come back to Lyn’s place?”
****
Lyn kept pulling and pulling at the stubborn door. She had made some headway because the door had loosened and opened some. But it still stuck to the latch with the power of super glue. She hit the door with the palm of her hand, tears stinging her eyes along with the smoke.
She had to get out of there. Some way, some how. Before Tammy made an even bigger mess of things. She felt Tammy’s longing for her brother, and it appalled her. And this Leo guy gave her the creeps.
She’d felt and seen everything when she wasn’t too weak to. Like right now.
She slid down the side of the door, feeling everything fade once again…
****
Jacob awoke once during the night to use the bathroom. As he passed by his bedroom, he stopped, hearing something.
Lyn was talking in her sleep. He blinked, only half awake, but trying to listen closely. It was too hard to understand. He sighed, wondering if it was something he needed to be concerned about. It was nearly two in the morning.
Just as he decided to go on and return to the sofa, not hearing anything else, he was stopped by her voice again.
“No….Please stay away from Jacob…”
****
“Thank you for getting back with me so quickly.” Allen Harrison said on the other end of the line. “So, tell me what happened?”
“I requested a meeting with Dr. Havash. City Hall did get something in the mail from The McGregor Clinic that apparently got misplaced, so I’m using it as a reason. But Dr. Havash is booked until after the first of the year.”
“Is that so? Even for the mayor?”
Jacob stirred creamer into his coffee. “Apparently so. The receptionist said she’d leave a message for him to call me.”
“Son of a bitch.” Allen Harrison cursed.
“Allen, I think we need to let Robin’s investigator handle this. She knows what she’s doing.” Jacob suggested.
A frustrated sigh met his ears. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“I have to go, Allen. Have a happy new year.”
Jacob ended the call and finished sipping his coffee in silence.
He did not try to wake Lyn, even after hearing the words she spoke in her sleep the previous night. Something about it had chilled him. She had sounded different.
“Good morning.”
He sloshed coffee onto his lap as Lyn entered the room, greeting him and smiling…not in the same voice he’d heard last night.
****
Justin eagerly sat down across from Robin in her office that morning. “Tell me what you found out.”
She smiled. “Well, in the original agreement Jacob made, which I have already altered…Lyn was supposed to stay with Jacob, not leaving his sight. But, as I stated, I altered that weeks ago. I spoke with the judge briefly and described the situation. He sees no problem with it.”
“Yes.” Justin cried in triumph, making a fist.
She held up her hand. “But ultimately the decision is up to Lyn. You can’t make her leave if she doesn’t want to.”
Justin chewed on his lower lip. Robin raised her eyebrows. “Have you discussed it with her?” she asked.
He glanced down before nodding. “Yeah, I have.” He continued. “She’s looking forward to moving back.”
****
“Thanks, and have a happy new year.” Dan told the young man he’d just sold a new ergonomic keyboard to. After he left, Dan glanced down the counter where Toby sat flipping through a computer software magazine. He seemed bored.
They had finished up a lot of repairs ahead of schedule. And the store hadn’t been very busy at all.
The phone rang making Toby look up, but Dan was closer and grabbed it. “Cyber-Fix, Danny speaking. Uh, yeah, we charge seventy dollars to install them. Yep, thank you.” Dan put the phone back down.
“Slow day. Guess everyone’s making New Year’s Eve plans.” Toby mumbled.
Danny looked at him. “Yeah, things tend to slow down after Christmas.” Dan went on. “You can head on out early if you want. I can close up.”
Toby sighed, closing the magazine. Dan gazed at him with concern. He seemed agitated. “Are you okay?”
Toby shook his head, refusing to meet Dan’s eye. “No. My mom’s getting worse. My uncle wants to stick her in a nursing home.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Dan replied.
Toby still kept his gaze averted. “I’m trying to take care of her, but
it’s hard with working here too.” He went on. “This is the first job I’ve had in a while that I really like. I don’t want to lose it.”
Dan put his hands in his pockets. “Well, let me talk to Jacob about hiring some more people. Maybe we can cut you some slack.”
Toby shook his head. “I don’t know, man.”
“Toby, believe me, we don’t want to lose you either. Let me talk to Jacob. ” Dan patted him on the back, retreating to go use the restroom.
As he came back out, an empty storeroom met him. Toby was gone. He went over to the counter where he had been sitting just five minutes before, finding a single Post-It note.
Sorry, Dan. I quit.
Chapter 30
“Table two ordered the potato wedges, not the onion rings. And there was no cheese on that Sharkey burger.” Becky corrected herself in the kitchen, where the cook on duty that night glowered at her.
“Becky, those are like your fifth and sixth screw ups tonight. You know this is our busiest night of the year; you’re normally better than this.”
She sighed, closing her eyes. “I know, Oliver. I’m sorry.”
He sighed, shaking his head, preparing to correct the orders. Becky glanced at the time. She’d only been at work for a little over two hours. She couldn’t take a break yet, as much as she felt like she needed one.
She turned around to peer out at the restaurant. It was only around 2:30, and the place was jumping. Oliver was right, New Year’s Eve was always busy, it seemed. She’d had two days off due to hours having to be cut. She’d spent those two days with a sore throat and headache. She had made an appointment with a therapist her sister had recommended, only to cancel because of it. She didn’t feel like being there, mentally or physically, but really needed the money.
“Becky, table 5 needs refills. Diet Coke and iced tea.”
Becky glanced at the source of the voice as another server breezed past her. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to relieve the pressure there, before heading out into the restaurant.
****
Jacob sat through the last meeting of the year, barely able to concentrate before adjourning. He couldn’t stop thinking about the difference in the voices, between hearing Lyn talk in her sleep and when she came out that morning. He hadn’t been able to bring it up because when he spilled the coffee, it had burned and distracted him. He had cursed as Lyn quickly rushed over with paper towels to help him, asking if he was all right.
Before he could answer, she was patting his lap with the towels, trying to soak it up. But he already knew he’d have to change. He had jumped up, thanking her. “These pants are ruined. I’ll have to change.”
He hadn’t even looked back at his sister as he left the room. Mainly because he knew that wasn’t his sister.
Tammy had just fondled him.
****
Leo stood at his mirror, giving himself a look over.
“Well, this is it, dad.” He said aloud, as he readjusted the collar of his gray shirt. “I swear I will not let you down. She’s going to get exactly what is coming to her.” He spritzed some cologne behind his ears and on his wrists.
He then turned to the bulletin board off to the side where several newspaper clippings and articles from the internet hung. Everything from Davis Cauley’s resignation from Channel 6 to the article of Lyn being found with his body was there. At the end of the board there was a single tack with no post.
If things went as planned tonight, he’d return tomorrow to post one last article.
****
Allen Harrison sat at his computer in his office reviewing the layout for the first newspaper of the year the next day. It was a huge review of their biggest stories, compiled by one of the staff writers—and the one about his granddaughter was right at the top.
He winced, having to look at the now popular photo of her being put into a police cruiser. He held his head, rubbing it.
He was glad the year was coming to a close at last. He just hoped they could wrap up this mess soon and put some closure on it.
****
Tammy smiled as she surveyed herself in the bathroom mirror. She wore a pair of skinny jeans she had bought several months before along with a tight black top. It was very low cut, but she wore a white shirt of Lyn’s underneath it. She didn’t look like a super model by any means, but it was the best she could do.
She turned to look at her backside. Lyn had put on some weight because the pants fit a little more snug. You could make out the outline of her butt well, including the bikini underwear she wore.
She had shaved Lyn’s bikini line and everything. She was prepared for anything.
She closed her eyes, remembering feeling what she had felt earlier as she tried to wipe Jacob’s lap. It had awakened something in her. She knew now, Jacob no doubt was aware of who she was. That Lyn was gone. She had no idea what that meant and truly didn’t care anymore.
She smiled into the mirror. “Leo, you be a good boy tonight, and you just may get yourself a treat.”
****
Jacob got things cleared away at his office before taking off early for the day. He drove around, not really knowing where to go but not wanting to go home. He was afraid of walking into the scene that he did a few weeks ago—Tammy in her underwear--or one possibly worse.
He found himself near the hospital, and that’s when he thought about Ami. His other sister. His normal sister. He sighed, closing his eyes. Guilt draped over him for even thinking such a thing. No matter how true it seemed to be.
When the red light changed, he turned to go into the hospital parking lot.
****
After borrowing some Aleve Cold and Sinus from another server, Becky did start feeling a little better. She only managed to mess up one other person’s order.
She finally got a break and eagerly sat in the back on her cell phone, logging onto the internet. She updated her status on facebook, wishing all her friends a happy and safe new year, and then glanced through some new photos her sister posted. After liking and commenting on a few, she quickly got back to work, having new tables to wait on.
She had just taken the order at the corner booth when she walked past a table where a guy sat. He was with a young woman.
Becky gasped, locking eyes with Tammy before dropping her order pad and pen.
****
Danny locked up the shop that evening after flipping the open sign over to closed. The air was chilly, and there was dampness to it. Fog was starting to form under the street lights. Dan walked to his car and got in, doing a quick look over of his hair in the rearview mirror.
He’d gotten lucky and hadn’t needed to call Sarah. She ended up calling not long after Toby left. She was having a problem with the computer set up, which he talked her through, and before he realized what he was doing, he found himself asking her if she had plans that night. He was shocked, but happy, that she didn’t.
The two of them were going to get dinner and go to a movie. Dan smiled as he eased out of the parking lot; the dilemma with Toby forgotten.
****
Leslie stopped dead in her tracks in the doorway of Ami’s room, still drinking the Diet Pepsi she’d had with a salad and hamburger in the hospital cafeteria. She stood, staring in at Jacob who sat at Ami’s side in silence.
“Jacob?”
He quickly turned to look at her. “Hi, Leslie. How is she?” he asked, as she moved in to the room, drawing up another chair beside him.
“They ran some tests on her earlier. I haven’t heard anything yet,” she said, biting her lip. “The paramedic thought she had a seizure. Hit her head on your parent’s headstone.”
Jacob frowned, but said nothing.
“She really wanted to take flowers to your father’s grave before we left.” Leslie added, as Jacob turned his gaze back on Ami. Heavy silence filled the air as Leslie finally spoke. “She’s such a good kid. I don’t want to lose her, Jacob.”
His gaze went back to her sharply. “Y
ou’re not going to lose her, Leslie,” he said, as she wiped her eyes.
That’s when his phone rang. He rolled his eyes, annoyed at the caller’s timing, reaching for it as he stepped out of the room.
****
“Jacob, where are you?” Justin asked, as he paced outside his brother’s place once Jacob picked up.
“At the hospital.”
Justin stopped. “Why? Is it Lyn?”
“No, I’m here visiting…an old friend. Why?”
Justin took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. “I was supposed to meet Lyn here at your house this evening. She’s not here—“
“Shit. It’s Tammy.”
Justin felt his heart plummet into his stomach. “What?”
“Tammy…She made an appearance this morning.”
Justin closed his eyes, holding his head back.
“Have you tried her cell?”
Justin wanted to throw his phone down. “Yes, I just keep getting voicemail.”
Justin heard a female voice ask “Everything okay?” in the background.
“Yeah. It’s my brother. I have to go.”
“Who was that?” Justin asked.
Jacob didn’t answer him right away. He heard a slight ding in the background; the familiar sound of the hospital elevators. A moment later, his brother spoke. “Leslie Marlen, the mother of our other sister,” he continued. “I’ll explain more to you when I get there. Don’t leave.”
Chapter 31
Leo sat there watching Lyn, and then followed her gaze to the waitress who was picking up something from the floor. “You know her or something?” he asked her when she still didn’t say anything or even look at him.
Burned by Deception (The Dark Side of Springwood Book 2) Page 19
