Читать книгу Vanished In The Night - Lynette Eason - Страница 15
ОглавлениеJoshua paced his mother’s den and raked a hand through his hair. “How can you do this? Don’t you know his reputation?” He’d had to wait on her for two hours before she’d come home only to zip in, change clothes, kiss his cheek and head back out. He’d given up and gone to bed at eleven thirty. She’d come home sometime after midnight.
This morning, he refused to let her out the door without confronting her. “Just tell me. Please.”
“I’m not blind or deaf. Of course I know his reputation. But it’s in his past. He’s not the same person he was two years ago.”
“So you keep saying.” He heard the sarcasm in his voice and couldn’t do anything about it.
She stood. “Yes. He’s changed. You don’t think people can change?”
“People like Garrett Martin? No. No, I don’t.”
“Then you need to spend some time in prayer. You can go to your room now.”
Joshua’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“You heard me. I’m a grown woman. I can make my own decisions about who I will and will not marry.”
“And I’m a grown man. You can’t send me to my room.”
“My house, my rules. Just like it’s always been.” She stared at him. He stared back.
And finally dropped his eyes. “Mom, I don’t want to fight with you.” And he wouldn’t disrespect her. “All right, tell me. What is it about him that you love so much?”
She sighed. “We’ve been friends for a long time. He and your father were friends as well, you know that. Garrett Martin is a good man. Deep down. He loved Stella so much. When she died, it nearly killed him. He pulled away from everyone, including poor Kaylee, and poured himself into his work.”
“And poured alcohol down his throat.”
“Not to the extent that everyone thinks. Yes, he got a DUI shortly after Stella’s funeral. And yes, four years ago, the pastor found him passed out in the back pew of the church. Garrett was mortified and it was his wake-up call. Pastor Hall got him into a six-month rehab program. Your father and I visited and supported him. Encouraged him. When he got out, he wrote a long letter about how much our friendship meant to him. And then your father died, and Garrett was there for me.”
“I remember him at the funeral.”
“Yes.”
“I’m just having a hard time wrapping my mind around this. Kaylee is, too. I guess I just don’t understand how it happened.”
She smiled. “It happens for older people the same way it does you young people. The late-night chats, after-work dinners and Sunday-morning worship services have all led to something more. Something special. He needed someone and I was there as a friend. When I needed a friend, he was there. And now...it’s just more.”
“He needed someone, huh?”
“Yes, he did.”
“And that someone had to be you?”
She tiled her head and studied him. “No, it didn’t. It could have been anyone, but I chose for it to be me.”
“Mom—”
“Drop it.”
“I’m not dropping it. Not by a long shot.” He paused. “What about Kaylee? Garrett pushed her away to the point she may never want anything to do with him again.”
Sadness flickered. A real grief that shot pangs through him. “I know. That’s Garrett’s one remaining relationship he wants to repair, but is so unsure how to go about it.”
“I don’t know how to help there. Kaylee only returned home because she was desperate and alone.”
“I know, but the fact that she was willing to move in with him gives him hope that this will provide them another chance to get to know one another and allow him to make up for his neglect as a father.”
“I really hope it works out. If not for him, then for Kaylee. I think she needs him.”
“Of course she does. He needs her, as well. Anytime there’s discord or conflict between a parent and their child, it causes that parent severe inner turmoil.” She raised a brow at him.
He met her gaze. “I’m sure it does the same to the child.” With a glance at his watch, he sighed. “I have to go. Clay texted and said he was going to go by and talk to Kaylee before she’s discharged from the hospital. He asked me to be there.”
“You?”
“Well, I did fight off the guy that attacked her.”
“I know.” She frowned. “You could have been shot.”
“But I wasn’t.” He grabbed his keys from the end table then kissed her cheek. “I love you. We’ll talk later.”
“Talk or argue?” she called after him.
“Probably both.” He climbed into the SUV, slammed the door and started the vehicle.
The hour’s drive to the hospital passed quickly for him and he soon found himself on Kaylee’s floor. Her door was open and he could hear Clay’s voice coming from inside the room.
“You didn’t think you needed to tell anyone that you had a stalker?”
“No. I mean, I thought it was all done. He’s in custody. How could it be him?” Kaylee said.
Joshua stepped into the room. “What’s this about a stalker?”
“Kaylee had one back in Nashville,” Clay said. “Looks like he’s returned to finish the job.”
“Finish what job?”
Clay read from a piece of paper in his gloved hand. “‘You thought I was gone, but I’m not. I would never abandon you. I’ve had a lot of time to plan it all out. I know we can be very happy. I know you think you don’t want to be with me, but I’ll show you how much you can love me—and how much I love you. I hope you like the black roses. Red roses are so cliché, so I decided to be different. Different just like our life together will be. We have so much to look forward to. See you soon, my darling.’”
Kaylee held the baby against her shoulder. She’d read the words and had debated what to do. If Patrick Talbot wasn’t sitting in jail, she would have no doubt who could have sent the “gift.” She supposed he could have had someone, like his brother, do it for him, but as far as she knew, Patrick’s family didn’t have a lot to do with him. At least, that had been her understanding. She’d spoken to his brother and sister and they’d been severely grieved at his actions. Stalking with letters, then escalating to breaking into her home and trying to take her. If not for the quick actions of her neighbor, Kaylee wasn’t sure how that would have ended. Although, she had a pretty good idea. She shuddered.
After opening the box, she’d left three messages with the detective who’d handled the case and he still hadn’t returned her calls. Then she’d tried Patrick’s lawyer and he hadn’t answered, either. Her last call had been at three o’clock this morning when she’d finally contacted Clay Starke and explained the situation. The sheriff had arranged protection on her room for the remainder of the night and promised to be at the hospital first thing this morning. She’d been waiting for him when he’d walked in.
“What’s the story behind this?” Joshua asked. “Catch me up.”
Clay nodded and Kaylee sighed. “I had a stalker,” she said. “Three months ago, he broke into my home and tried to kidnap me. He is currently in custody and awaiting trial. He was a former ER patient—one of those in-and-out kind of things. I didn’t remember him until the detectives put it together during the investigation. I don’t know why he focused on me. Before he was caught, I thought the gifts and notes and were from a different patient but—”
“Wait a minute,” Joshua said. “You keep talking about patients? What’s your occupation?”
“I’m a trauma nurse.” She gave a half-hearted laugh. “You’d never know it by the way I freaked out giving birth, but I’m actually a good nurse. I now work at the Wrangler’s Corner clinic in town with Dr. Anderson.”
Joshua smiled. “You didn’t freak out, you were just in a new situation and needed a little help.”
“You’re kind.”
Clay shot Joshua a look that said, “Be quiet.” He turned back to Kaylee. “Go on. Why would you think it was this other patient?”
“He’d been involved in a hit-and-run by a drunk driver. His wife and unborn child were killed and he was hurt pretty badly. But he lived and was soon transferred out of ICU to a floor. I visited him occasionally just to check on him. He was there for two months while he recovered and I seemed to be the only one he responded positively to. He was grieving his wife, the loss of his baby...” She shrugged. “I would talk to him. Encourage him. Hold his hand while he wept. I told him about my own failed marriage and how my husband had deserted me and the baby. It made him angry on my behalf.”
Kaylee rubbed her eyes. “I cared about him. I wanted to help him. And he says I did. That my visits kept him sane.” She shook her head. “In the end, the police investigated him and it wasn’t him. A neighbor saw Patrick Talbot break into my house and called the cops. They arrived as he was trying to drag me out of my house to his car.” She swallowed. “He ran, but they caught him. I was stunned. Like I said, he’d been a patient in the ER.” She held her hands up in a helpless gesture. “So many patients come through that ER, I can’t remember them all.”
“Of course not,” Clay said.
“Did he say why he targeted you?” Joshua asked.
“No.” She frowned. “Not really.”
“So, the guy that tried to grab you in the street yesterday,” Joshua said. “No idea who that was?”
“No. I’ve never seen him before.”
Joshua frowned.
“What about the baby’s father?” Clay asked. “Would he come after the baby?”
“He’s dead,” Kaylee said. “He was killed about a month after I told him I was pregnant. And he kicked me out when I told him. Trust me, even if he was alive, he would be the last one to come after me.”
Clay frowned, compassion in his eyes. He nodded. “All right. I’ll look into this stalker of yours. Patrick Talbot, right?”
“Yes. I tried calling the detective who handled the case, but he’s not answering or calling me back. And I tried calling Patrick’s lawyer, but again, no answer or call back.”
Clay made a note of the names and their numbers. “I’ll get these flowers to the lab in Nashville and have them see if they can pull any prints.” He walked into the bathroom, came back with one of the bath towels and wrapped the box in it. “Did you touch the box?”
“I lifted the top with my fingernail.” She shivered. “Once I realized what was in there, I didn’t touch anything else. The note was sitting on top, so it was easy to read.” A wave of nausea hit her. When would the drama stop? She was tired of everything, the constant emotional roller coaster, the daily battle life had become.
“Where did you live after your husband kicked you out of your home?” Joshua asked. “That’s a big gap of time between then and now.”
“I stayed with my sister-in-law, Marla, and her husband for about two weeks, but it was just too awkward. In spite of being told I was welcome to stay, I moved in with a friend and fellow coworker from the hospital. Since the justice system moves so slow, and there’s no telling when Patrick’s trial will be, I decided to come back to Wrangler’s Corner. Even though I had some good friends and support there, I just couldn’t handle being in Nashville anymore.”
“I understand.” Clay tapped his notebook against his chin then nodded. “All right, I’m going to look into all of this and see what I can find out. In the meantime, be careful and take care of your little one.”
She nodded. Clay picked up the towel-wrapped box and left, his phone already pressed to his ear.
Joshua took Duncan from Kaylee and cuddled him against his chest. “He’s a cute little thing.”
“Yes, he’s a sweetheart.”
“You need a ride home?”
She bit her lip and glanced at her cell phone on the table. She’d left a message for her father, but he’d not returned her call. He was probably at the office and not paying attention to his phone. “I guess so.” She gasped. “I left the car seat in my car.”
“I know. I saw it yesterday and grabbed it a little while ago on my way over here. It’s in the back of my SUV—and I had your car towed to your father’s house.”
She stared. “Really? That was incredibly thoughtful. Thank you.”
He shrugged. “You’re welcome.”
Kaylee couldn’t believe how this man kept coming to her rescue. “Have you talked to your mother about her decision to marry my father?”
“I have. A little.”
“And?”
“Let’s just say, we’re running out of time.”
* * *
Running out of time. Yes, that was an apt description. He had slightly less than three weeks to talk his mother out of her crazy plan to marry Kaylee’s father—and to keep Kaylee and little Duncan safe from the stalker before he had to return to Nashville. He hadn’t saved them both just to let them fall prey to a crazy man.
With Kaylee at his side, Joshua carried the baby in the car seat, the handle fitting comfortably in his grip. Kaylee had dressed in a pair of loose, linen pants and a long, light blue T-shirt that brought out her eyes. Eyes he felt he would enjoy seeing on a daily basis.
The thought made him pause.
“What’s wrong?” Kaylee was looking at him with those blue eyes.
He cleared his throat. “Ah, nothing. The elevator’s at the end of this hall.”
She nodded and walked ahead of him and yet, he still pictured her face. Her beautiful eyes, slightly turned up nose and that dimple in her left cheek.
He didn’t need to notice any of that. He was there to watch over her and Duncan. Period.
Kaylee pressed the Down button then leaned over Duncan to make sure his little blue blanket was tucked around his chin. He yawned and settled back into sleep.
“When did you start working at the clinic in town?” Joshua asked.
“The second day I was here.” She smiled at him. “When I got here, I had a horrible sinus infection. I walked in and Doc Anderson was there. I couldn’t believe he was still working. When I asked him about retiring, he said he hadn’t found the person he could entrust his practice to yet.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I asked him if he needed a nurse and he hired me on the spot even though I was practically ready to give birth.”
“He’s a good man.”
“And a fabulous doctor. He might be old, but he stays up-to-date on all the latest in the medical field.”
The elevator arrived and she stepped inside. Joshua followed her and set the baby carrier on the floor. The doors closed and the car moved, taking them down.
Joshua rubbed a hand through his hair. “Mom said something about a doctor shortage in Wrangler’s Corner.”
“A human doctor shortage. There’s no lack of veterinarians, that’s for sure.”
“That’s because there are more animals than people in town.”
“True.”
“What made you try to make it to the hospital instead of letting Doc Anderson deliver Duncan?”
She grimaced. “He was about an hour away helping one of the Amish men in Ethridge. He’d fallen from the roof of his barn. Trust me, that man needed the doc more than I did—at least I thought so.” She shot him a warm glance. “Fortunately, you came along when you did.”
Her look seared him, made him want to wrap her and Duncan in Bubble Wrap and keep them locked safely behind closed doors.
He gave a silent snort. Now he sounded like a crazy stalker. Only, his intentions were good.
When the elevator opened, they stepped into the lobby. A large welcome area dominated the space with a desk and security guard leaned against it talking to two women.
“Wait here inside and I’ll bring the truck around.”
She nodded and he set the baby next to her. He hated to leave her alone, but the security guard was right there. She should be fine for the few minutes it would take him to pull the SUV around to the circle—and it was better than having her walk out in the open to the parking garage.
He jogged to the garage and took the elevator to the third floor. When he stepped off, he caught sight of the back of a man who came from the stairs. A woman to his right was pulling a child from the back seat of her minivan. Other than that, the place was quiet. Empty.
Chills skittered up his arms, raising the hair there. You’ll regret interfering. I’ll be back. Kalyee’s attacker’s words rang in his ears. Was that man her stalker? No, not possible. Patrick Talbot was in jail.
So, who was the guy who’d tried to snatch her in the middle of the road? Joshua shook his head and picked up the pace. He’d said he’d be back. Would he be watching the hospital? Surely, he knew this was where they would be. If he wanted to find her, it wouldn’t be hard—as the box of black roses testified.
Joshua’s SUV was parked on the end in the second row. He glanced around and noted the security cameras. Nah. No one would try anything that could be caught on video, right?
Then again, some people didn’t care. The attacker who’d tried to nab a pregnant woman in broad daylight hadn’t worried about being seen or stopped. And he’d been ready to kill if it suited him. Joshua wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling the guy hadn’t pulled the trigger because of the man who’d stopped to ask if they’d needed help. Whatever had made him decide to run instead of shoot, Joshua didn’t know and didn’t really care. He was just glad it had ended the way it had. Then again, he had a feeling it wasn’t over, either. And the guy had said he’d be back.
Joshua climbed into the SUV and cranked the engine. The low purr never failed to bring him satisfaction. His phone buzzed and he pulled it from the clip on his belt. Clay. “Yeah?”
“Patrick Talbot is out.”
“Out? How?”
“He had a fancy lawyer who managed to find a loophole in the arrest. He was released a week ago.”
“And no one called to tell Kaylee?”
“The detective said he tried, but apparently she changed her number and never gave him the new one. He said he’d just gotten her messages and was getting ready to call her when I rang.”
“Great. That’s just great,” Joshua muttered.
“I know.”
“All right. I’m getting ready to take her and the baby to her father’s house. Want to meet us there?”
“I’d feel better if you had an escort. Stay there and let me see if I can get someone to follow you to Wrangler’s Corner.”
“I’ll let her know.”
He disconnected and drove around to the front entrance to the hospital. Pulling up to the door, he could see Kaylee standing at the glass window waiting for him. His heart did that funny little dance it seemed to want to do whenever he was in her presence.
Telling himself to get over it—that she was as off-limits to him as his mother was to her father—he parked and climbed out of the SUV. He had to ignore the little voice reminding him that his mother was engaged to that off-limits man. He grunted. Being attracted to Kaylee was one thing, acting on it was another. Right now she needed a protector, not a Romeo.
Kaylee opened the hospital door, her bag slung over her shoulder and the baby carrier gripped in her other hand. She walked toward the SUV.
Joshua hurried to her. “I’ve got him.” He took the carrier from her. For a little bitty thing, lugging him around in his seat required some muscles. Joshua rounded the front of the vehicle and opened the back door where he’d placed the base of the baby’s safety seat.
Sunlight glinted off something in the parking garage across the street. A sharp flicker of light that made him squint. He took a closer look and saw the protruding piece of metal. The sight produced a distinctly bad feeling in his gut.
I’ll be back.
“Kaylee, go back inside.”
“What? Why?”
A crack sounded and the concrete spit shards up around the bottom of his calves.
Joshua simply moved, keeping Duncan’s carrier in front of him and out of sight of the shooter. He rounded the front of the vehicle and had almost reached Kaylee when the glass door behind her shattered.
Silence reigned for a split second before screams echoed around him. With a tight grip on the handle of the carrier, Joshua grabbed Kaylee and shoved her through the door that no longer existed.
They made it inside just as the second bullet took out the glass of the other door.
