Bella met her at the door of her apartment.She picked up the cat, went straight to the bedroom, and plopped on her bed, clothes and all. She curled into a ball and remembered she hadn’t checked her machine.
“Tough,” she said as she rolled over, gathered Bella close to her, and fell asleep.
Chapter Eight
The aroma of coffee brewing woke her the next morning. Sitting up bewildered, she shook her hair out of her eyes, got out of bed, and stumbled to the kitchen. Dave stood behind the counter, his mouth in a wide smile. “Morning, Starshine. Coffee’s about ready,” he said in a nonchalant way
“What? How?” Completely stymied as to how he got in, she was at a loss for words.
“It was easy,” he answered. “You forgot to lock the chain, and Horace was more than willing to let me in, once I showed him my badge again.”
She sipped the coffee, allowing the warmth and flavor to take over her being, slowly coming awake. She fingered her hair, and her face grew hot as she realized how she must look. Dave seemed unaware, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be there. She saw the desire in his eyes as he watched her.
“You’re not much of a morning person, are you?”
She shrugged, shook her head, and wiped the sleep from her eyes. “I’ll be right back.”
Good grief how could she let him see her this way?
Showered, dressed, hair fixed, and make up applied, she felt much more human and ready for a good cup of coffee.
“I like you better tousled,” Dave said, when she rejoined him in the kitchen.
She walked into his outstretched arms as if it were their morning routine. His arms came around her, and he pulled her close and kissed her. Once again, the ringing of the phone separated them.
“Damn,” he muttered at the intrusion. He turned his attention to the machine.
“Susan,” her mother’s voice sounded panicked. “Susan, honey, if you’re there, pick up. It’s an emergency.”
Susan flew to the phone and lifted the receiver with shaky hands.
“Mom, I’m here. Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Susan, it’s...its Dad. He-he’s been shot.”
“Shot? When? Where?” Susan couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She got the information from her mother and hung up, grabbed her purse and car keys off the counter. “I have to go.”
“Whoa, hold on. Calm down a minute. What’s going on? Who got shot?” Dave grabbed her arm. “I’m going with you. You can explain on the way, and I’ll drive.”
“My father. He’s in the hospital. Clare’s hysterical, and Kate is on her way, but she’s hours away.”
“Shoot,” Susan said on the way to the hospital. “I have to call Ernie. I was supposed to cover a story this afternoon.” She dug into her purse for her cell phone.
Dave handed her his. “Here, use mine.”
Susan punched in the numbers and waited. For some reason, Gary answered. “Where’s Ernie?
“Ernie just stepped out of the office for a minute.”
“Shoot. Okay, tell him I can’t do the story this afternoon. I’m on the way to the hospital. My dad… Just tell him I can’t do it, okay?”
“I’ll make sure he gets the message. You take care,” Gary said. “And, Susan, I hope your dad’s okay.”
“Thanks, Gary.”
A few minutes later, Dave dropped Susan at the emergency room entrance. “Go on in, I’ll find a place to park and meet you inside.”
She took a deep breath and hurried to the information window. “Excuse me — I’m here to see Mr. Weston.”
The receptionist typed the name on her computer. “Are you family?”
“I’m his daughter.”
“He’s in surgery. Go through those doors to the elevator. Second floor. The waiting room is around the corner to the right.”
Susan got off the elevator, ran down the hall, and around the corner. Dave caught up to her a few minutes later.
When they arrived in the waiting room, Dave immediately took control. He flashed his badge and obtained information they weren’t privy to. “Apparently the bullet went through clearly, no major organs were damaged.” Dave told her. “He’ll make a complete recovery.” Susan introduced Dave to her mother, sister, and her niece and nephew. Johnny and Katie clung to her when she hugged them. “Come on, it’s okay.” She reassured them. “Everything’s going to be okay.
* * *
A few minutes later, the doctor came out and confirmed what Dave had told them. “Why don’t you get something to eat,” Doctor Mueller said. “It’s going to be a while before you can see him.”
Dave wandered toward two policemen who were waiting to talk to Susan’s father. He motioned for Susan to join him.
She stood next to Dave and listened as the policemen told the story of what had happened.
“Weston came out of the bank. The witnesses said he turned as if he heard something or somebody, and the next thing they knew, he fell to the ground. One of them called nine-one-one and went to help him. They saw a man running toward the woods behind the bank. The man hasn’t been identified yet. We’re waiting to question Weston as soon as he can talk.”
Susan gasped. Dave put his arm around her, thanked the cops, and led her to a chair.
“Just sit for a minute.” If they weren’t in public, he’d take her in his arms and comfort her properly. Poor thing was white as a ghost. Between calming her sister down and comforting her niece and nephew she hadn’t had time to think how serious the situation was. Obviously, she took after her mother. They both seemed to have an inner strength.
Susan stood. “I’m okay now. I have to find my family.”
“Okay, I’m going down to the lobby. I’ll be there when you’re ready to leave.”
* * *
Susan decided to take a walk outside after she drank a cup of coffee. She needed the fresh air, Needed to think. She couldn’t believe everything that happened in such a short time. Between the murders, phone calls, roses, and now this, it was no wonder she fell apart.
Hopefully, the doctor was right and her father would make a complete recovery. He had always been there for her, for all of them. What would she do without him? What would any of them do? She shivered at the thought that her father could have died. If the bullet had hit a vital organ…
God, she didn’t even want to think about that. She’d seen too much death already. Losing her friends was bad enough. She couldn’t handle it if something happened to her family. She sat down on a bench. Life was suddenly becoming too difficult. Maybe she should change careers, find something less violent.
But, she loved her work, loved to write. She couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Even writing the fluff pieces excited her. She couldn’t imagine not writing. Maybe she ought to check into writing for a magazine or something.
Susan shook her head. Like that was going to happen, she couldn’t even imagine doing anything else. Ever since she could remember, her dream was to be a journalist with a big newspaper. This was her chance, her dream come true, but at what price? Was it worth it? She leaned back and closed her eyes. If only she could make it all go away.
Finally, she stood. She had to get back. Her mother was going to start worrying, and the poor woman had enough to worry about.
When she came back inside, only Johnny and Katie sat in the waiting room.
“Grandma and Mom are in the recovery room with Grandpa. Through those doors and down the hall, the nurse told Grandma,” Johnny said.
Susan snuck into the room and stuck her head around the door. “Can I come in?”
Her mother put her fingers to her lips and nodded.
Her father looked so pale. Wires connected to a machine stretched from his body and monitored his vital signs. Fear tore at Susan. She couldn’t understand what all the numbers meant.
Clare stood in the corner, shaking and sobbing. Susan leaned down and kissed her father’s cheek. It felt waxy and cold. Goose-bumps
rose on her arms. He had to be okay. Parents lived forever, didn’t they? She looked at her mother.
“He’ll be fine, Susan. He’ll have limited use of his left hand for a while, but you heard the doctor — the surgery went well.” Mrs. Weston nodded toward Clare. “Do something with your sister.”
Susan nodded. Typical Clare. Always fell apart in a crisis. Sometimes Susan wondered how her sister managed to raise two kids. Thank God for Steve. Although with him traveling a lot lately, Susan wondered how Clare got along. She walked toward her sister.
“I’m going to the cafeteria for a pop. Do you want anything?”
Clare shook her head.
“Come with me, anyway. Let’s let Mom have some private time with Dad.” She took Clare’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “It’ll be okay, you’ll see,” Susan smoothed Clare’s hair while she spoke.
* * *
When Kate arrived, Susan took Clare to the waiting room to give Kate a chance to visit privately. Thank God, their father was finally in his own room, sitting up in bed and even talked a little.
A few minutes later, Kate joined them in the waiting room. “Dad wanted to talk to Mom about something privately.”
“So tell us about your boyfriend.” Kate sat down next to Susan and nudged her.
Susan smiled. Thank goodness Kate changed the subject.
“Yeah, fill us in,” Clare said between hiccups.
Kate’s look told Susan to go with it.
Susan stood and walked to the window. “What’s to tell?
Kate gave her a look and Susan cringed. Did her sister know more than she let on? But how could she? She didn’t even live in town.
“Okay, so I like him, but we’re just friends.” Was she reading more into Dave’s feelings than what was there? Maybe she shouldn’t say any more, but she couldn’t help herself. Dave did that to her.
A nurse came in, smiled, checked the coffeepot, and left without saying a word.
“Come on, Susan. How did you meet him?” Kate hit Susan in the arm. “Don’t keep us in the dark.”
“Well, you’re not going to believe me. I was a suspect in the first murder.”
Clare gasped. “What do you mean a suspect?”
“Yeah,” Kate joined in. “What the heck are you talking about?”
Susan sat down and told them the whole gory story about finding the body, and Dave’s suspicion of her.
“Of course, after he saw me, and we talked for a while, he realized there’s no way I could strangle someone as big as the victim. Anyway, later he gave me the bracelet back, and we’ve been together several times when other phone calls came.”
“Oh, my God.” Kate couldn’t seem to hold in her thoughts. “Are you in danger?”
Clare looked at her with horror in her eyes. “Please tell me they caught this guy.”
“I’m afraid not. And he’s committed several murders since then. He calls me every time.” Susan closed her eyes and tried to block out the vision of Jack and Jill.
She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and looked at her sisters. Both of them looked at a loss for words. She swallowed hard.
“It’s scary, but with Dave around, I feel pretty safe, and the police are watching my apartment. They have a surveillance team set up nearby.” Susan hesitated, looked again, took another breath, let it out, and went on.
“You really need to go stay with Mom,” Clare said.
“Nope, not gonna happen.” Susan remained stubborn. “And don’t give me that baloney about I’ll be safer. I don’t want to hear it. This guy isn’t after me. I’m his contact.” At least, she hoped he wasn’t after her.
Susan looked at her watch and stood. “Sorry, I have to leave. I’ll come back later.” With Kate and Clare here, their mother had plenty of company. Sure, she could send Dave home, but she hated hospitals, and spending six hours in one was more than enough to handle. Now that her father was out of danger and Clare had calmed down, Susan needed some space.
She found Dave in the lobby and followed him out to the car. One red rose dangled from the driver-side door handle. Someone was following her. How else would he know she was at the hospital? She couldn’t handle this right now. Between her father, Clare, and now this, it was just too much. She hated this helpless feeling. Was she turning into a wimp?
Fortunately, Dave drove home. Susan sat next to him, trying not to think. Not an easy thing to do. She couldn’t help thinking about her father, and the way Clare fell apart.
Even though she was the youngest, she had always been the calm one in a crisis, the one to pull things together, to find a solution — mostly to handle Clare’s hysterics. Even over something as simple as arranging a surprise party, Clare fell apart. Of course, up to now, the crises had all been minor things like planning a party for their parents’ 40th anniversary party two years ago, not a serious illness.
How would they all handle things if their father died? Or their mother, for that matter. Their parents had always been there for them. They took it for granted. But her parents weren’t getting any younger and one day, they’d receive that fatal call, hopefully not for a long, long time.
Dave walked to her door, unlocked it, and after checking for messages, kissed her goodbye. “Try to get some rest.”
Emotionally charged and exhausted all at the same time, she locked the door, picked up Bella and curled up on the bed, her mind going in a thousand different directions. Between Jack and Jill, and now her father, she wasn’t sure which way to turn.
Relieved her father was going to be okay; she focused on her relationship with Dave. Something told her he’d accept her career. Maybe their relationship could develop into something more. Half of her hoped so, as she closed her eyes and let sleep overcome her.
* * *
In the morning, Susan visited her father again, although she couldn’t stay long. He looked much better and was even sitting up in a chair. Unfortunately, other commitments required her attention, Dave being one of them. When he left last night, they agreed to finish off the pot roast. Of course, if her father wasn’t better, she’d never consider leaving. Maybe it was selfish, but with everything going on, she needed some time to herself. Well, with Dave, that is. She still had to figure out their relationship and how far she wanted to take it. For now, she was content just to be with him.
At home, Susan cleaned her small apartment, ran some errands, and couldn’t wait to see Dave. He called to let her know he was on his way so she could heat up the roast, and came in a half hour later.
After dinner, her thoughts turned to the phone calls.
For some reason, the calls had stopped. There had been nothing for a couple days. Maybe Ernie assumed correctly that if someone else’s byline appeared on the story, he’d leave her alone. She wondered if the killer contacted Hill. She sighed.
“What?” Dave asked.
“Hmm? Oh nothing, I just wondered about the killer. I’m enjoying the reprieve, but that monster is still out there.”
Susan had grown accustomed to the companionship of Detective David Morgan, and thoughts of it continuing, after this case ended, played in her mind. He came in and out at odd hours, and since she didn’t adhere to a normal schedule, anyway, he fit right in. Plus, he respected her career and didn’t belittle her chances of making a full-fledged reporter.
She snuggled deeper against him and closed her eyes. For now, she’d take what she could get. The future would take care of itself. She fell asleep in his arms.
* * *
Dave let her sleep, enjoying the warmth of her body. It felt right. He was getting in over his head, but he didn’t have any control over it. Every time he decided to quit seeing her, something happened. Between the killer’s phone calls and her father, she showed a vulnerability she had managed to hide from the outside world.
He reminded himself again that she was a witness. He shouldn’t be here, but he couldn’t bring himself to stay away. As long as they maintained a friendly relationship,
and it didn’t go any farther. He smoothed her hair and looked down at her.
She looked so sweet and innocent.
Hell, who was he trying to kid, no way could this relationship remain friendly, let alone innocent. He wanted her like he hadn’t wanted a woman in... damn, he couldn’t remember how long.
Sure, he dated. He wasn’t a saint- even slept with his fair share. But they didn’t mean anything to him. He never had a relationship. He always made it clear to his dates that he wasn’t looking for marriage - didn’t believe in it. Nope, he and marriage weren’t compatible.
So what the hell was he doing here? Why was he thinking of a relationship with Susan? He eased her off his shoulder, laid her down, and covered her with an afghan. He needed to put some distance between them. He was becoming too involved, and nothing good could come of it. He kissed her cheek and left.
* * *
The ringing phone jarred Susan out of a sound sleep. She held her breath, waiting for someone to speak. “Susan, it’s me, Dan. Do you have a minute? I need to interview you.”
Susan grabbed the phone. “What do you want?” She didn’t care that she sounded angry. Damn it, she was angry. Why hold it in? Dan stole her story, and now he wanted an interview.
“I need some info on those phone calls.”
Susan shook her head. Dan seemed oblivious to her anger. She tapped her fingers on the counter. “Those phone calls are personal,” she finally said.
“Those phone calls are news.” Dan raised his voice.
“Yeah, and they’re my news.”
“Do I have to remind you Ernie assigned me this story?”
“Assigned it or you begged for it? Couldn’t have a woman upstage you, could you?” Susan couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
“What difference does it make? It’s my story now.”
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