41
Amy paused outside the elevator and took a deep breath. Then she dug the arrowhead from her bag and slipped it into her pocket. She’d chosen her outfit with special care for this afternoon’s visit. The dark blue of the textured dress deepened the clear blue of her eyes while the gold belt and matching cuff bracelet added glamor.
If things went well, it’d be a memory she and Gabe would always treasure, and she wanted him to remember her as looking beautiful. If things didn’t go well . . . She shook her head. She didn’t even want to think about that possibility.
She smoothed her skirt, applied a fresh coat of lip gloss, and strode confidently toward Gabe’s room. The blind on his window was open, and she peeked inside, then drew back. Steve Kendall and Ellen were in the room along with one of the specialists. The conversation appeared intense, and a wave of jealousy swept over Amy that Ellen was included.
Amy backed away from the window and slipped into a nearby alcove. It held a few chairs, a couple of tables with magazines, and a coffee station. She busied herself pouring a cup of coffee she didn’t want, adding sugar and cream, going through the motions while scarcely aware of what she was doing.
She took a sip of the coffee and made a face. Definitely not worth the calories, and that had nothing to do with eating issues. How did anyone stomach this stuff?
Voices sounded in the hall, and she peeked around the corner. The conversation was now taking place in the hall. She pulled a strand of hair through her fingers, took a deep breath, and walked confidently toward the small group.
“Colonel Kendall, Ellen,” she said cheerily, then extended her hand to the doctor. She held the practiced smile that revealed her single dimple. Brett wasn’t the only one blessed with charm. “Hello, I’m Amy Somers, Gabe’s friend. And you are?”
“Dr. Grant,” he replied. She let him hold her hand a second longer than necessary. “My pleasure.”
“And mine. How is Gabe?”
“Restless.” Steve smiled at Amy. “As soon as the paperwork is complete, he can leave.”
“Gabe’s being released?” Amy said. “Isn’t it too soon?”
“We’re arranging at-home care,” the doctor said. “His bandages need to be changed a couple of times a day, and we’ll be keeping an eye on his pain management. But he’s free to go.”
“The question is where,” Ellen said. “Steve and I believe he shouldn’t be alone, so I’ve offered my home.”
“I see,” Amy said warily. “What does Gabe want to do?”
“He wants to go to Tess’s,” Steve said.
“Of course he does. That’s where his friends are. Me, my brother, my cousin. We’ll take care of him.”
“Ellen is also his friend,” Steve said. “Please don’t take offense, but she’s known him longer than any of you.”
I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Amy fingered the arrowhead in her pocket, feeling its rough edges beneath her fingers. Arguing about who knew Gabe first and best was a waste of breath. She needed a more persuasive argument.
“We’re only thinking of Gabe,” Ellen said. “You must see that.”
“So am I.” Amy straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “But it really doesn’t matter what you or I think or what we want. All that matters is what Gabe wants. He loved Tess.” She looked pointedly at the colonel. “Please don’t take offense, sir, but she opened her home to him when no one else did.”
The colonel’s chest swelled, and Amy feared he was going to blow. But after a moment, he sighed. “A decision I will always regret.”
“Then don’t make another.”
He held Amy’s gaze for a long moment, then nodded. “Ellen and I will see to the paperwork. Why don’t you have a few words with Gabe? Let him know he’s going home.”
Overcome with joy, Amy whispered a quick thank-you, then entered Gabe’s room. His eyes lit up when he saw her.
“Hi,” he said.
“How are you?”
“Anxious to get out of here. Except . . .”
“I just talked to your dad. He agreed that it was your decision. Where you wanted to go, I mean.”
“Are you telling me that you talked my dad into changing his mind about something?”
“Guess I did.”
“You are a sweet talker, aren’t you?”
Warmed by his teasing, Amy smiled. The arrowhead weighed heavy in her pocket, but this wasn’t the time to give it to him. Not when Colonel Kendall or Ellen could walk in at any moment.
“Please come back to Whisper Lane. If the memories aren’t too painful.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he said.
“I won’t let you lose it. Not after all you’ve been through.”
“Then you might have to use those sweet-talking skills on Abbott.”
“Has he been here?”
“He thinks I set the fire. That I would do something like that.”
“I think it was Dylan Tapley.”
“You know Tapley?”
“I’ve worked with him before. He knew Tess didn’t want to sell so he’s been trying to ruin her. Think about it. The break-in. The poisoning. Then arson.” Her eyes grew round. “He’s framing you.”
Gabe’s jaw worked, and his eyes narrowed. “I’m calling Abbott. He left his card here.”
“I’m going to see Dylan. I should have confronted him days ago. Then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.” Amy stood, breathing deeply to calm her angry nerves. Dylan had the upper hand during their last argument. This time it was her turn.
“Amy,” Gabe called after her. But she didn’t stop. “Oh, great,” he muttered. The only thing he could do was go after her. Now.
He pressed the call button and pulled out his IV. “Find my dad. And hurry. It’s an emergency—it’s important.”
His dad had bought him new clothes, a light cotton shirt that wouldn’t irritate the burns on the back of his neck and khakis. By the time his dad arrived, Gabe was slipping his bare feet into boat shoes.
“What’s going on?” Steve asked.
“It’s Amy. She’s convinced Tapley set the fire and went to confront him.”
“Who’s Tapley?”
“I’ll explain on the way. We need to get there pronto.”
“You still have papers to sign.”
“For once in your life, Dad, will you forget the rules? I’m going after Amy. Are you going to help me or stand there and cite regulations?”
A slow easy smile crossed his dad’s face. “I’m going with you.”
His dad drove while Gabe used the car’s GPS to navigate to Tapley’s office. They illegally parked in front of the building, then Steve helped Gabe into the spacious lobby. Amy stood in front of the bank of elevators, obviously impatient as she waited for the doors to open.
“Amy,” Gabe called.
She turned and hurried toward him. “Why are you here?”
“You didn’t think I’d let you have all the fun, did you?”
“Just don’t pass out on me.”
The elevator door opened, and they ascended to Tapley’s floor. As they approached his office suite, Amy hesitated. “We’ll have to walk past the admins as if we know what we’re doing. Remember, appear confident. In charge.”
Gabe and his dad exchanged amused glances, and Amy gave an exaggerated sigh.
“Right. You’re military. You don’t need my coaching.”
As she led them toward the office doors, Steve whispered to Gabe, “She’s a keeper, son.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Logan stood at Tapley’s table in disbelief. The map and overlays he’d seen a few days before had been replaced by another one, a more detailed version of the Whisper Lane property. It showed a few of the current structures, including the horse barn that had burned, plus proposed new ones.
“What is this?” Logan said.
“My plans for Whisper Lane,” Dylan replied. “Just like I told Mrs. Marshall before she died.”
“That was a ruse, Dylan. We both know it.”
“Perhaps at first. But I’d enjoy raising horses.”
“What happened to turning Sullivan’s land into a shopping mall? To making Amy pay for ruining your previous deal? Your uncle isn’t going to like it if you fail again.”
Dylan stuck his hands in his pockets and ambled to a nearby window. He stared at the street, three stories below him, then flashed a humorless smile. “My uncle has bigger problems. Apparently, he’s to be arrested for tax fraud any day now. Lucky for me, I was his least favorite nephew. Or I might be headed to prison too.”
Logan’s mind whirled. After everything he had done, all the planning and scheming, it couldn’t all fall apart. Not now.
Dylan returned to his desk but didn’t sit down. “We’re about to have company,” he said as he pulled an envelope from a drawer.
Logan faced the door as it opened.
Amy, his beautiful Amy, strode in, followed closely by Kendall and an older version of the ex-con. With false bravado, Logan glared at the men. With his bandaged fingers and slumped posture, Gabe didn’t seem much of a threat. But the other man, despite his age, looked formidable in his pressed Air Force uniform.
“Logan?” Amy said. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Before he could respond, Dylan gestured toward the chairs. “I saw you arrive from the window,” he said. “Please sit down.”
“I’d rather not,” Amy answered.
“You think I’m responsible for that fire.” Dylan focused on Amy, his voice quiet but firm. “It’s true I wanted Mrs. Marshall’s land, your cousin’s land. And I’m not above a little bribery when it’s worth my while. But I’d never resort to arson.” He faced Logan, and his eyes filled with loathing.
A cold chill ran up Logan’s spine, and his feet seemed frozen to the floor. He hadn’t confided this part of the plan to Dylan, so he could have no proof. Unless . . . he stared at the envelope on Dylan’s desk.
Amy pressed her hand against her stomach as she stared at Logan, trying to see beyond her handsome plus-one to the fiend who had caused such misery. “You?”
But guilt filled his eyes with panic.
She took a step toward him, though she didn’t know why. Gabe’s bandaged fingers reached for her hand, giving her strength as hot tears stung her eyes.
“We should call the fire investigator,” he said.
Dylan spread his hand on the envelope. “The evidence he needs is in here. If I’d known what Logan was up to sooner, I’d have stopped him.”
“Stop me?” Logan huffed. “We’re partners. If I go down for this, so will you.”
“I wanted property. You’re the one who wanted Gabe back in prison.”
Amy startled, then her mind clicked the puzzle pieces into place as Logan’s intentions became clear. Hatred flared then inexplicably disappeared. The stories Gabe had told her—about Job surviving his miseries and the open arms of the prodigal son’s father—filled her heart instead. She refused to be consumed by anger. Not when Gabe’s strength could be hers.
“How could you, Logan?” She bit her lip and struggled to control her shaking voice. “How could you be so heartless? So cruel?”
“I’m cruel?” The hurt in his eyes pinched his features into a sad caricature. “It was our time, Amy. Yours and mine.” He glared at Gabe. “He was ruining everything. Don’t you see? I had to get rid of him.”
“So you set the fire,” Gabe said quietly. “Tried to make it look like I did it.”
“Yeah,” Logan retorted, his hurt replaced by hatred. “I did.”
Immediately, a man and woman entered from an anteroom and flashed their badges. After introducing themselves as homicide detectives, the man cuffed Logan and charged him with Tess’s murder and the arson. Dylan removed the wire he was wearing and handed it to the woman.
After they left, taking Logan with them, Amy turned to Dylan.
“What just happened?”
“It’s simple,” he said. “I helped the police solve a crime.”
“But why?”
“My lawyer advised me to. Otherwise I might have been charged as an accessory.”
“Did you know—”
“I didn’t. I promise you I didn’t.” Dylan eased his large frame into his desk chair. “But I knew other things. My testimony will keep Logan behind bars for a very long time.”
“What kind of things?”
“Logan broke into Mrs. Marshall’s home. Printed copies of her financial information. He also made anonymous calls to animal welfare.”
“What’s in the envelope?” Gabe’s voice shook with controlled anger.
“Oh, that.” The hint of a smile flashed across Dylan’s features. He upended the envelope, and several photos spilled out. “A rundown strip mall and a derelict apartment complex in Tucson.”
“But Logan thought . . .” Amy suppressed a sudden urge to giggle.
“‘The wicked flee,’” Steve quoted, “‘when no one pursues.’” He rested his hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “‘But the righteous are as bold as a lion.’ Proverbs 28:1.”
“Thanks, Dad. But that isn’t me.” Gabe’s voice sounded ragged, and his shoulders slumped as if losing the fight to stay upright.
“We’ll talk about it later, son. Are you ready to go?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Amy turned to Dylan. “Thank you,” she said. “But you still can’t have Whisper Lane. Or any part of Misty Willow.”
“Didn’t expect I could.”
“There’s one more thing.”
“You want to know whose strings I’m pulling on the county commission.”
“I want his resignation.”
“You’ll make sure people know—Logan’s the murderer. Not me.”
“I’ll do what I can.” Amy flashed him a dimpled smile. “Unless you try to cheat me or my family or anyone else I care about ever again.”
Dylan gave a tight smile. “I wouldn’t dare.”