CIARA LOOKED WORSE than she had after the attack. Eyes shut, she lay against the pillows in a hospital bed with the head elevated. A bag of clear liquid suspended from a silver pole fed into the crook of her arm. Another tube underlined her nose.
Landon tiptoed nearer and settled in the solitary grey vinyl chair near the window.
Ciara’s lashes fluttered. “Thanks for coming. I’m sure you have homework and stuff.”
“How do you feel?”
“Breathing is like a knife slicing my lung open, and my head’s still pounding with the concussion. Which means I can’t look at my phone much and I have to lie here like a blob.” She touched the line feeding oxygen into her nostrils. “At least I’ve graduated from the mask.”
“Anna and Bobby send their best. We thought too many people today wasn’t a good idea.”
Landon was about to bring up this morning’s brush with Ciara’s attacker when a nurse breezed in to change the IV bag. His cheery chatter seemed to help Ciara respond in kind, but she blew out a slow sigh as soon as he disappeared through the door. “They’re so kind to me, but I feel awful.”
“There you are.” Shaun stood in the doorway. “Hey, what happened? That cannula is new.”
Staring at Ciara, he must have caught Landon’s puzzled expression. “The oxygen tube. It’s called a cannula.”
The shoulders of his black leather jacket lifted in a shrug. “Spend too much time around hospitals, you pick up the jargon. But you…” He cocked a finger toward the bed. “First, I walk in on a stranger in your old room, and then I find you here all tangled up in tubes. What’d you do, pick a fight with the night nurse?”
Her pale lips twitched. “Please, laughing hurts. Ribs and pneumonia. I was sent home and had to come back.”
“That stinks.” He strolled closer, one hand in his jacket pocket. At the foot of her bed, he produced a treat-sized cloth lilac bag and flipped it onto her lap. “This might cheer you up.”
“Ooh, what is it?” Reaching for it brought a swift gasp. Ciara eased onto the pillows and held it to eye level, loosening the drawstring and dipping her fingers inside. She pulled out a thin gold chain, rotating it to peer at the diamond-shaped tag.
“My bracelet!” Rounding it into a circle, she stared through it at Shaun. “Where was it?”
“Halfway down the side of the cliff where you fell.” With a barbed look for Landon, he said, “Jeweller in Halifax did a rush repair job, and here it is.”
“This is—I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much.” Ciara traced her fingers around the length. “Did they say what a repair will do to resale value?”
His cocky grin slipped. “I figured it was sentimental. Didn’t ask. But, hey, if you’d rather have the insurance money, I can lose it again.”
“No!” She fussed with the clasp. Once the gold strand wrapped her wrist, she looked up. “It has sentimental value now.”
“Well, you’re welcome. Maybe I’ll see you around.” With a half wave, he strode into the hallway.
He’d done what he said—had it cleaned and repaired, which couldn’t have been cheap. Whoever this guy was, he couldn’t be the attacker. Unless fixing the bracelet was another part of fixing his mistake.
Landon shook her head at her own paranoia. “We saw him at the park, Bobby and I, when we went to look for clues. He said he wanted to surprise you.”
Ciara was still sliding her index finger around the fine gold links. “I’m nothing to him. Why would he rescue a stranger and then put the time and money into finding and restoring a bracelet he could have pawned?”
“To help you feel better?” They could try to figure Shaun out later. For now, Ciara needed to know about the attacker’s apology-slash-warning. If she wanted to let it drop, Landon would find another way to identify him. For her own sake. She leaned forward in her chair, elbows digging into the thinly padded armrests, and tried to keep her emotions out of the story.
Ciara listened in wide-eyed silence, her fingertips frozen on the bracelet. “It was a mistake? Like he meant to kill someone else?”
“I don’t know. I was too scared to think straight. But telling me to stop means he knows I’ve been asking questions. And everyone I approached is connected with you.”
“So it’s me.” The faint lift in Ciara’s cheeks had vanished. Pearl-white teeth worried her lower lip. “I feel terrible that you were accosted like that. For helping me.”
Landon spread her fingers on her jeans, pressing into the soft denim. “Now I want to find him for both our sakes. You haven’t thought of any possible local enemies, past or present? And you’re sure your ex is still in BC?”
“I looked online, and he’s in a bunch of high-profile meetings this week.”
“Could he have hired someone to kill you?”
Ciara’s lips twitched. “Honey, he surrounds himself with the best. If he outsourced, I’d be dead. There’d be no mistake.”
“I don’t know what to do with the idea of the attack being a mistake. Like he misunderstood instructions to scare you or to attack someone else? Or he thought you’d done something you hadn’t…”
Palms to temples, Ciara squeezed her eyes shut.
Landon was about to go find a nurse when Tait arrived. He closed the door behind him. “How’s the patient?”
Ciara’s eyelids sprang open. “Thanks for driving me last night.”
“Glad to help.” He mimed a casual salute and stepped nearer to the bed. He put a finger to his lips, then lowered the zipper on his brown cloth jacket. Moxie’s head popped into the opening. Tait’s fingers clamped his muzzle in time to stifle a yip.
Ciara stared, tears running down her cheeks, as the little dog vibrated with eagerness.
Tait nestled Moxie into Ciara’s non-IV arm, and the Chihuahua climbed to lick her chin. Once Tait repositioned him, he stayed in the crook of her arm, tongue lolling, tail a blur.
She accepted a bunch of tissues from Landon and dried her face. Sniffling, she beamed at Tait, sunshine after the rain. “Thank you so much. I feel so terrible, but these gifts have made this the best day.”
“Seeing double? There’s only one of him.”
That brought a watery giggle and a painful gasp. She raised her wrist, dangling the bracelet. “Shaun was here—the guy who rescued me. Look what he found and fixed for me.”
“That was decent.” Tait stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets, elbows out. His brows drew together. “Listen, he could be a fine person, but…”
“But what?”
He shifted his weight from foot to foot. “It’s just you don’t know him or anyone who can be a character reference for him. Like I said, probably an upstanding man. But he could be using all this to get close to you.”
“Why? I’m nothing.” Colour seeped into Ciara’s cheeks, and her breaths picked up a sharp wheeze.
“Access to your wealthy parents? Or to influence your stepfather’s extended family?” He shrugged. “Security is my business. Most of the time the potential trouble I see doesn’t happen, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring it up.”
Ciara ruffled Moxie’s fur, her fingertips gliding over the soft amber and white hair. “Believe me, I’ve seen ingratiating behaviour. Shaun’s not it.”
“Good.”
“Thanks for caring, though. And for bringing my little buddy. I don’t dare keep him long.”
“Could get awkward.”
Ciara’s free hand drew the oxygen feed farther away from the dog. “Tait, I wanted to ask you—is Orran still together with his girlfriend?”
“What girlfriend?”
“I guess that’s a no. Seeing him living alone now that he’s ill… I was thinking of the one he used to see when he travelled and hoping they still had a long-distance thing going. The one he picked up that fancy goblet for, for her theatre group.”
Tait hiked a shoulder. “He was single when I met him.”
Landon’s phone buzzed a text. She peeked while Ciara and Tait chatted. Instead of Anna or Bobby, it was Zander. He’d already stopped at the inn and was now waiting in the hospital parking lot “because I need to know you’re okay. But take your time. I have calls to make.”
Some of her tension drained away. Zander was her Orran. He’d help find Ciara’s attacker, especially now that the man had made it personal. A shiver slid down her arms. His reaction to this morning’s encounter wouldn’t be fun. She tapped a reply to his text, then slid the phone into her pocket.
Hallway noise penetrated the room. The door swung open.
Moxie chose that moment to bark.
As Tait was reaching for the dog, a nurse strode to Ciara’s bedside. “What do we have here?”
Tait’s movement continued without a hitch. “Therapy animal. See how much better she’s doing?”
The nurse’s scrubs stretched across her slim shoulders as she adjusted Ciara’s position in the bed. She checked the monitors. “Remove it now, and I’ll forget to report this.”
He scooped the dog into his jacket and closed the zipper. “Gotta go. Ciara, I’ll give Orran your love.”
The nurse turned to Landon. “It’s time for her breathing therapy. I need to ask you to leave too.”
Landon stood. “Thanks for taking care of her. See you tomorrow, Ciara.” She hurried into the hallway. “Tait, wait up.”
They ducked into a free elevator. “That meant so much, bringing Moxie today.” She grinned at him. “Smooth extrication under fire.”
“Not my first escape routine.”
“Do you have a minute outside? I want you to meet a friend who’s going to help find Ciara’s attacker.”
“For that, I’ll make time.”
A sturdy maple shaded Zander’s brown SUV. As Landon and Tait approached, the driver’s window slid down.
“Zander, this is Tait, one of Ciara’s friends. He’s in security systems. Tait, Zander has contacts in corrections.”
Tait stuck out a hand, the other one keeping gentle pressure on his jacket.
“What do you have there?” Typical Zander, observant and direct.
Unzipping, Tait gave Moxie space to breathe. “Unauthorized visitor for the patient.”
Zander rested a pale blue sleeve on the window rim. Cuff buttoned today, not even a pretense at being on vacation. “I’ve been to see the investigators. They have nothing yet.”
Tait unrolled a sparkly leash from his pocket and clipped it to Moxie’s collar before setting the dog down. “Manly task, minding this brute.”
With Moxie sniffing the pavement around his feet, Tait flapped the slack leash against his pant leg. “You two have clearly put thought into this. Any suspects?”
The possibilities were so far-fetched, naming them felt like slander. “Her former boss and his wife have been staying at the inn. Instead of leaving today, they moved to a housekeeping unit in Bridgewater. And what did you think about her parents last night? Do they want her out of town as badly as she thinks?”
“Her stepfather’s on edge, but I think it’s concern for his wife. Not sure what the issue is there. I’d add that Shaun guy too. Rescuing someone in the heat of the moment is one thing, but going back to find a piece of jewellery and then paying for repairs… all for a stranger? My gut says he wants something.”
Zander’s lips pinched. “Ideas?”
“Influence with her family? I don’t know, abduction for ransom?” Tait spread his palms. “You can tell I’m reaching. He could be a private investigator for all I know.”
Landon scuffed her canvas sneaker against the pavement. “That’s the problem. Nobody seems to have a motive. Do either of you have the connections to check into these people?”
The two men eyed one another. Zander said, “They’re on my list.”
“I can run standard internet checks, but I do security systems, not investigations.”
Tait’s words opened a new angle. “If you looked at video footage at The Ovens, might you see a clue the police missed?”
“Maybe. If they even have cameras there. There wouldn’t be any on the trails.”
“It’s worth a try.” Landon caught her hair in a one-handed ponytail. “Tait, you don’t know this, but Anna will have told Zander. Ciara’s attacker grabbed me this morning and claimed the fall was a mistake. He said if I’d stop asking questions she’d be fine.”
The familiar burn flared. Her arms clamped across her ribs. “That’s much less severe than what he did on Monday, but it’s still an assault. He has to be found. And stopped.”
Tait mirrored her stance, bouncing slightly on his heels as if absorbing her tension. “You okay?”
“I’m a trauma survivor. He triggered the memory so badly, I could barely process what he said.” Focusing on the broad maple leaves overhanging Zander’s SUV, she steadied her breathing. “I still wonder if it’s someone from Ciara’s past before she went away to university. Orran hasn’t mentioned anyone?”
Tait shook his head.
“Could you ask him?”
“Will do. If she chattered as much then, he’ll have heard all kinds of youthful drama.” He bent to collect the dog. “I’ll let you know what he says. Text me your number?”
Once she unlocked her phone, he recited the digits. Then, with a nod to Zander, he walked off across the lot.
Landon rounded the front of the vehicle and climbed into the passenger seat, bracing for Zander’s reaction. She couldn’t blame him for thinking she’d be safer in Toronto with her trusted support network, but she’d made her choice. No matter what he said, she was staying here. And helping to put this attacker away.
He gave her a long look. “How are you really?”
Breathing deep against her nerves, she held eye contact. “Angry. Zander, I was so scared he was a trafficker—come to take me back.” Speaking it aloud set her heart hammering.
He nodded, narrow jaw tensing. “I’ll stay as long as you need me. Your questions rattled him, or he wouldn’t have approached you.”
When she opened her mouth to say she wouldn’t quit, his raised index finger stopped her. “Let me do the asking. I’ll work with the police.”
“I can’t sit this out.” Not now.
“I understand. All I’m asking is that you work behind the scenes.”
~~~
Landon cut a piece of roast beef and swirled it in the mushroom sauce before popping it into her mouth. Enjoying a meal with friends while Ciara ate something bland and uninspiring alone in the hospital felt wrong.
Glass bowls of peas, carrots, and mashed potatoes surrounded the oval platter of sliced beef on Roy’s dark oak table. His chair anchored one end, with Landon and Anna on one side and Zander and Bobby on the other. Bobby’s skateboarding snowman shirt and Zander’s button-down made an unusual pair.
As Roy’s outlandish anecdotes flowed, Zander’s naturally stern expression relaxed to allow a small smile. He forked another slice of beef onto his plate. “This is delicious.”
“Come back in November. Maybe we’ll have venison.”
“You hunt?”
“I clear some of the neighbours’ driveways when it snows—you’ve noticed they’re not short city things—and somehow food mysteriously shows up at my door.” Roy waved in the inn’s direction. “Elva lives down past Anna. Crack shot. Always provides me with a roast or two.”
A chill spread from Landon’s spine across her shoulders. “Elva?”
“That woman always gets her deer. Often the first day of the season.”
Landon set her fork on the edge of the stoneware plate, stomach queasy. Elva had more motive than most to want Gord dead. He’d tried to murder her, and he knew things from her past she didn’t want shared.
“Do the police know? How well she can shoot?”
Roy’s sea-blue eyes sharpened. “I wonder.”
“She wouldn’t!” But Anna’s knife clattered against her plate.
Landon sipped her water, her gaze finding Zander’s over the rim. “Zander, the shooting before you first arrived. Gord, who tried to kill Anna, Bobby, and me? He also tried to kill Elva.”
“Ah.” He patted his lips with a plaid paper napkin.
“Dylan hunts. He may already know.” Landon felt her hips settle heavier onto the wooden seat. “I’ll text him later.”
Anna shook her head. “Didn’t you say his vacation started today? We can phone the detachment in the morning.”
Frowning at the remaining peas on her plate, Landon said, “He cancelled his leave when Zerkowsky told him what happened at the inn this morning. He said they needed a full staff rotation with Gord’s killer and Ciara’s attacker.”
“Proper thing.” Roy’s water glass rapped against the table. “And I feel better knowing Zander will be next door to keep watch on our Landon.”
Landon kept focused on her plate. Her friends loved her. They cared. But if they didn’t stop jostling to protect her, she was going to explode. Even Bobby was bristly tonight. Did they think they could out-testosterone this attacker?
Zander cleared his throat. “Thank you, Roy. I’ll do my best. Landon and I did a bit of brainstorming today with another of Ciara’s friends.”
“Tait. Hansen, I think,” Landon supplied.
Anna sniffed. “For Landon’s safety, she needs to stay out of this. Zander, I can’t believe you’re encouraging her.”
“It’s not my first choice.” He offered a rueful smile. “I’ll make myself the visible target asking questions. If I become a threat, the attacker should refocus his attention.”
“All I did was introduce Zander to Tait, and the conversation went from there. We came out of the hospital together.” Landon grinned. “He smuggled Moxie in to see Ciara.”
Mischief sparked in Roy’s sea-blue eyes. “Wish I’d seen that.”
Later, as they lingered over coffee, tea, and an apple-caramel bread pudding, Zander told how he’d first met Landon and how they’d bonded over the years. His cheeks hollowed. “My daughter died in tragic circumstances. Seeing Landon find wholeness, new life, has helped me as much as I hope I’ve helped her. You’ll understand why I’m committed to keeping her safe.”
He glanced around the table. “I believe you feel the same. God has given her good friends here.”
Roy rapped his spoon against the rim of his dessert dish. “Robert, why don’t you and Landon clear up and let your elders relax? A meal like this doesn’t happen without a body slaving in the kitchen all afternoon.” When Landon glanced at the elderly man, he winked.
With the others in the living room and Bobby running water into the sink, she butted a hip against the counter. “You cooked, didn’t you?”
“Yup.”
“Then what’s up, Robert? Are you in trouble?”
“Not that I know of.” He rinsed a few more plates from the stack and loaded them into the dishwasher. “Gramp wants to get a better feel for Zander. It’s hard to know how to take him.”
She tucked a length of blond hair behind her ear. “He’s very protective. That’s why he came to visit when I decided to stay—to be sure I was okay and in a safe place.”
“Hey, I’m not questioning his integrity or motives. He’s just so intense.”
“What would Travers think about Zander?”
“I wish I knew. It feels like there’s a darkness there, but what he said about his daughter would cause that.” When they finished loading the dishwasher, Bobby started scrubbing pots. “Zander wanted to check things out here. Since he’s involved in this mystery, your local friends have the same questions about him.”
He shot her a stern look, then grinned. “What? You didn’t think we staged this meal because we were worried about you after this morning?”
Landon grabbed a tea towel and flipped it at him.
He sidestepped. “Seriously, you’re okay?”
“Yes, and more determined than ever.”
A slow exhale. “I figured you would be. Let me help.”