With plenty of time before lunch, Steve walked into his condo and settled in his recliner. It wasn’t long before he heard the magnetic edges on the cat door give way to Max’s push. A short time later, Max let out a deep welcome home meow, leapt onto the couch, and made the quick trip from the arm to Steve’s lap. Purrs began with the first stroke across Max’s wide head. “I’m glad to be home, buddy. Things are getting interesting and I’m not sure how everything will turn out. I’ll either be a hero or a big zero.”
Max settled on his lap with his head in the perfect position to receive more strokes.
“Have I told you I appreciate the way you listen? It’s good to have another guy around.” More strokes. “I need some advice. Do you have any suggestions on how I can tell Kate she needs to go back to Florida?”
More purrs.
“What’s that? You don’t want her to leave?” He paused and thought. “You’re a smart cat and a good friend, but I don’t think you understand why she has to go. I’m not sure I understand. All I know is, I’m not ready for anything more than a long-distance friendship, and I don’t believe Kate is either. Besides, I don’t have time for anything else right now. This case is coming to a close and I need to save my partnership, and friendship, with Heather. She’s taken a lot off me in the past but I may have gone too far this time.”
Max yawned and settled on his stomach. “You must have already eaten; you’re ready for an afternoon nap. If you want to go to my bed, I’ll turn the ceiling fan on for you. Kate and Heather should be here soon for lunch.”
He pulled on the chair’s wooden handle. Max let out a meow of discontent.
“Don’t be such a grump. Go back to my bed and take a nap.” Faint sounds told Steve Max retraced his path to the couch and down to the living room floor.
If it were a normal day, Steve would turn on the television and listen to the noon news. Not today. With the case nearing its end, he had to go over every scrap of information he or Heather had gathered.
He rubbed his chin and considered how to find the right words to tell Kate to return to her life in Miami. All the speeches he tried came out sounding harsh or apologetic. He sighed, rose from his chair, and walked into the kitchen.
Steve released the handle of the refrigerator door when he heard a knock. “Come in,” he shouted.
He could tell by the footsteps that Kate came alone. “Heather’s not hungry?”
“She said something about setting a trap for an ophthalmologist, and she needed to call Jack.”
Steve chuckled. “That sounds like two traps.”
Kate’s hand found his arm. “Do you think she suspects anything?”
“Not yet, but we need to keep her off balance until I get the final few bits of information to close out the case.”
“How do you propose to do that?”
Steve scratched his left cheek. “You may not like the answer.”
She removed her hand. “Give it to me straight.”
“What if we staged a disagreement?”
Kate stayed silent for several seconds. “She might see through my horrible acting skills. What if I simply fly back to Florida?”
Steve took a step back. “Have you been talking to Max?”
Out came the laugh he’d miss. “You’re the one that carries on conversations with Max. Did you tell him it was time for me to leave?”
“Not in those words, but how did you know?”
“I’ve read, and written, so many romance novels, I knew how this chapter between us would end. Sometimes life really does imitate art.”
“No hard feelings?”
“Are you kidding? This has been the most enjoyable thing I’ve done in years. My notebook is awash with ideas for characters, plots, and settings. Joining in a real investigation has stimulated me so much that I can’t wait to get back to writing full time. What’s your plan?”
Steve took a seat at the table. “I’m not skilled at having pretend disagreements with girlfriends. I’ll defer to your expertise.”
Kate sat opposite him. “Your idea isn’t without merit. We could have a public disagreement and make a scene.”
Steve shook his head. “That seems out of character for both of us. The last time you got really mad at me, you shut down and didn’t accept my apology for several months. Pretend you’re writing a similar scene in a book. What else would you have your characters do?”
“A note could work.” A trill of excitement filled her words. “In a cryptic paragraph I’ll thank Heather for her hospitality, but won’t explain my sudden departure. She’ll assume we had a fight.”
“That’s much better. I wouldn’t have to deceive her more than I already have.” Steve did a drum roll on the top of the table. “I like it. When are you leaving?”
“Let’s shoot for the day after tomorrow. I’ll check flights for the best prices, and I don’t mean for first-class tickets. It was very kind of you, but you wasted a lot of money on airfare and that rental. I’m a cheap-seat kind of woman and have more frequent flier miles than I can count.”
“That’s being thrifty, not cheap.”
Kate rose from her chair. “What kind of sandwich do you want today?”
“I think I’ll practice thrift and have a rerun of the pot roast I brought home the other night.”
“Good choice. I’ll have a salad. Clean up will be a snap.”
Kate busied herself and spoke as she worked. “Since I’m leaving before you close the case, are you going to tell me who’s responsible for Cleo Stanley’s death and the capsaicin in the eye drops?”
“You know a mystery writer can’t reveal who done it before completing the investigation.”
Kate’s laugh filled the kitchen. “If you don’t call me after the arrest, I’ll come back and we’ll have a proper fight.”
Heather placed her phone on the table beside the couch. She eased back into the cushion and thought about how easy it was to get a rumor started. All it took was a few phone calls to people who knew the right people in Dr. Raymond Lee’s small empire. Word would quickly spread that a new player proposed to purchase Dr. Christopher Craddock’s practice and adjoining retail store.
She considered calling Jack but looked at the clock and realized he had office appointments scheduled and wouldn’t be free for another hour. A pang of hunger made her consider rummaging through Steve's refrigerator for lunch, but she decided against it. Steve and Kate were hitting it off, and she didn’t want to interfere with a blossoming relationship.
A search of her refrigerator and pantry revealed her choices for lunch were a bowl of whole grain cereal with almond milk or celery stalks. She also found a container of garden vegetable cream cheese spread. Stuffed celery would do.
While taking a third bite, her phone vibrated. Jack’s name, number, and smiling face appeared on the screen. “How did you know I was thinking of you?”
His reply brought her upbeat mood to a quick end. “The ambulance is on the way to pick up Mom again.”
“Is it her heart?”
“I think so.”
“Did you give her a nitro tablet?”
A woman’s moan sounded.
Jack answered Heather’s question. “The tablet went under her tongue when I saw her grip her chest.”
Heather pushed open her bedroom door. “The same hospital?”
“If it isn’t, I’ll let you know.”
Heather activated the phone’s speaker and placed it on the bed. While taking a pair of jeans from the closet, she hollered over her shoulder. “I’m on my way.”
The phone went dead. She snatched a long sleeve blouse and changed clothes. Remembering the frigid temperature of the waiting room the last time Cora had a spell, she grabbed a summer-weight sweater. Her mind raced through a list of things she needed for another multi-hour stay. She dashed into the bathroom to get a toothbrush and a travel-size tube of toothpaste. “I need two toothbrushes. Money? Yes.” She continued talking to herself as she made it to the dining room. “I have plenty of cash left over from the trip to Boston. Phone charger. I really should keep an extra in my SUV.”
She stuffed the items in her purse and hollered at the cat door. “I’m coming over.” In mere seconds, she threw open Steve’s front door without knocking and took two steps inside. Both he and Kate sat at the dining room table.
“It’s Cora’s heart again. First responders should be there by now.”
“Go,” said Steve.
Heather’s thoughts pinballed as she drove north on I-45 to Conroe. How serious was Cora’s condition this time? When was her stress test? Wednesday or Thursday?
She couldn’t recall. Perhaps her mother’s sudden death clouded her memory. She then spoke out loud, as if hearing the words would bring clarity. “It’s no wonder I can’t think straight, the way Father treated Jack.”
She heaved a deep sigh. “Poor Jack. I’ve put him through too much.” She made another inner vow that as soon as this emergency passed and the case ended, big changes would take place. A sharp nod sealed the deal she made with herself.
The voices in her head kept playing until she pulled into the hospital’s parking lot. Cool air swooped down from overhead blowers as glass doors whooshed open. Jack stood in front of the admission clerk’s glass window, his back to her. She sidled beside him and put her hand on his back. Worry lines creased the corners of his mouth as he kept answering questions from the woman on the other side of the transparent barrier. Then, he pulled her tight against him and she breathed a sigh of partial relief. This was her new home… next to Jack.
The questions ended, and they looked around the waiting room for two seats together. Once they settled as far away from a television as possible, Jack said, “I think she’ll be all right, but you may have a homicide to investigate after this is over.”
“Why?”
“My mother, in her infinite wisdom, canceled her stress test and bought a treadmill instead.”
Heather sensed her eyes had bugged out. “What was she thinking?”
“That exercise and diet would cure her. She stuck the contraption in the break room at the office and put herself on a daily routine of walking at a fast pace for ten minutes every two hours. This morning, she missed her first three exercise breaks and caught up by doing all three at lunch. I didn’t realize what she’d done until she hollered for me.”
“Doesn’t she realize she isn’t getting any younger?”
Jack held up his hands in surrender. “She won’t listen to me.”
“Do they think it’s a heart attack?”
Jack let out a huff through his nose, lifted his shoulders, and let them fall.
“Did she lose consciousness?”
“Never did, but she was hurting, panting, and sweating. She said it was like a thick belt tightened around her chest.”
Jack took in a deep breath and let it out with a long, slow blow. He looked at her. “Thanks for coming, my love.”
She pulled his arm against her. “This is where I belong.”
Jack smiled and then cast his gaze around the room. “Same room, different faces.”
Heather looked out at the gathering. “All ages, sizes, and colors. Hospitals and emergency rooms may be the best examples of democracy in the world. Most everyone gets sick or injured at some time.”
“And loved ones get to wait.”
For the next hour, that’s what they did, until a nurse called out Jack’s name. He rose and turned to Heather. “Come with me.”
“They may not let me in,” whispered Heather.
He looked at a ring she wore on her right hand. “Put that on your left ring finger and turn it around so only the band shows.”
She did as instructed, looked down, and gave a nod of approval.
The nurse looked as if she had six things to do and not enough time to complete three of them. “Follow me. Dr. Sanchez will speak to you.”
“Is Dr. Sanchez the emergency room doctor?” asked Heather.
“She is, and she’s swamped. I hope you have your questions ready.” The nurse stopped at a closed door and pushed it open. “Go on in, dear. Your mother-in-law is resting comfortably.”
Once inside, they found Cora awake and with something to say. “This is just like the last time. There’s nothing wrong with me. I just overdid it today.”
Jack shook his head. “Your license to practice medicine is hereby revoked. This time you’re going to follow the doctor’s instructions.”
Heather took the hand that didn’t have an IV tube snaking away from it. Before she could say anything to Cora, the door flew open.
“I’m Dr. Sanchez. Sorry to keep you waiting. Normally I’d leave your mother here until I had all the test results before I admitted her, but with the ER at capacity today that’s not possible. I spoke with the EMTs and her cardiologist. They both told me she was supposed to have a stress test but canceled it. Now she’s had an exercise-induced heart attack because she pretended to be twenty-five again.”
The doctor barely took a breath. “Her cardiologist and I agree we have two options. I can admit her to the cardiac wing upstairs, where she’ll stay until we complete all tests and procedures. That will probably take several days. Of course, if she needs surgery her stay would be longer.”
She paused for effect.
“She can also refuse treatment. If she does, I’ll release her and you can find another hospital or take her home and hope for the best.”
Heather and Jack spoke over each other. She said, “I think it’s best she goes to the cardiac wing.” Jack said, “She stays here.”
The doctor looked at Cora, her eyebrows raised in question. “Do you concur Mrs. Blackstock?”
Cora sighed. “I’ll stay.”
The doctor gave a firm nod and turned back to Jack. “She’s stable and I expect no more surprises unless she runs up and down the stairs.”
“We’ll tie her to the bed if we have to.”
They returned to the lobby and found Steve and Kate sitting in the chairs she and Jack abandoned. Heather wondered how she’d be able to keep working on the case and be with Jack and Cora at the same time. It was only a passing thought, but one she’d need to talk to Steve about.