CHAPTER 51

When Nat and Piper pulled into the driveway, Birdie was waiting on the porch. “Thank you for coming,” she said tearfully. “I’m sorry to be so needy lately.”

“Don’t be silly, Birdie,” Piper said. “What in the world happened?!”

“We were having a pizza and he suddenly started to have chest pains and I asked him if he wanted to go to the hospital, but before we could even get outside, he had collapsed.”

“I didn’t know David had heart problems,” Nat said.

“I didn’t, either. His blood pressure is always spot-on—unlike mine—and he’s never had high cholesterol.”

“Has he been feeling okay?”

“As far as I know. He was really upset when Bailey was missing, but we both were . . .”

“Does he take any medicine?”

“You sound like the EMTs,” Birdie said, shaking her head and looking out the window, her tears blurring her vision. She’d mentioned the Cialis to John, but he’d said he thought it was unlikely to have caused any harm . . . but, somehow, she still believed it had to be related. David was in perfect health, and it was the only thing that was different.

“I tried to call Sailor, but she didn’t answer her phone,” Birdie said, changing the subject.

“I’ll text her,” Piper said, reaching for her phone.

“I called John, too.”

“In Vermont?!”

“I forgot they were in Vermont.”

“What did he say?”

“They said they’d leave right away.”

Piper shook her head—it was a shame all this was happening the one time Remy had gotten up the courage to get away.

“I probably shouldn’t have called him, but I did honestly forget,” Birdie said regretfully.

“No, no,” Piper assured her. “You absolutely did the right thing.”

“I hope so. I just thought John would want to know and be here—he’s been David’s doctor . . . and friend forever.”