Pippa
I’m still reeling from yesterday when we walk into the medical clinic.
These past two weeks have literally flown by, but my world hasn’t stopped spinning since before I discovered I was pregnant. Now I’m over halfway to having a daughter, am married to a man I didn’t think was interested in me, and I find myself the prime suspect in not only four murders, but the disappearance of a good friend.
Agent Powell told us Marcie hasn’t been seen since she tore out of my parking lot the week before. She didn’t show up at her office on Monday and when she didn’t show again on Tuesday—missing a few important appointments—her secretary went to check at her apartment. No one answered but her car was still parked in the parking lot, so the police were called in to do a welfare check. Apparently, her phone was charging in the kitchen, car keys left on the counter, but no sign of Marcie and her purse was gone. The thought something may have happened to her has me sick to my stomach.
Agent Wolff was kind enough to inform us they’d be checking in with other members of Fair Game as well. It made me feel a little better, knowing I wasn’t their only focus.
“Pippa? Follow me, please? I’m just going to do your weight and blood pressure.”
Wonderful.
I follow the doctor’s assistant into the small room where she has me get onto the scale.
Funny, before my pregnancy the scale would be the part I’d be most concerned about, but what worries me is the next part.
The effects from the fresh mountain air, the sound of babbling water, the sun on my face, my entire relaxing lunch by the river didn’t last long yesterday. Add to that the rather restless night I had, I’m pretty sure my blood pressure has reached new highs.
“One thirty over eighty-five. That’s a little on the high side.”
I was afraid of that, although it could be worse, I guess.
“Been a crazy week,” I comment with a shrug.
She hands me a small urine jar and smiles sympathetically at my wince.
“Sorry, I know it’s a drag, but especially with the elevated BP, we should make sure everything checks out.”
I know from my sister that because of my age I’m at higher risk for preeclampsia, among other things, which is why I guess they’re keeping a close eye on my blood pressure.
I do as asked and leave the jar in the designated basket on the shelf next to the sink. Then I wash my hands before returning to the waiting room and take a seat next to Sully, who insisted on coming.
“Everything okay?”
“BP little high, that’s all.”
I hate waiting as much as the next person, but it’s even worse when someone came with you who, you know, is hating it more than you do. It’s making me antsy and restless.
I shift in my seat for the twentieth time when Sully’s hand lands heavy on my knee.
“Relax. It’s only been ten minutes.”
“Pippa?”
This time it’s Dr. Tippen. We follow her into the examination room where she doesn’t waste any time doing a quick exploration of my stomach. When she’s satisfied, she pulls up a rolling stool and sits down, her face serious.
“You need to be cautious,” she starts. “Your BP doesn’t quite fall into the hypertension range yet, but it’s damn close. You measure on par with twenty-four weeks. Your weight gain is appropriate, and your urine looks clear, so it looks like everything is fine. So far,” she adds sharply. “Because that can change on a dime. I wasn’t joking when I said to avoid any stress.”
Sully makes a sound like a stifled snort and it triggers a bark of laughter from me.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Tippen, I know it’s not funny.”
“Please…Lindsey,” she reiterates.
“Lindsey,” I confirm. “Trust me, if I could avoid stress I would. It follows me.”
She looks at me dubiously, but Sully backs me up.
“She’s not kidding,” he says. “It’s been a little intense.”
“There’s a lot going on right now that I don’t have any control over,” I contribute.
Lindsey already knows of the FBI’s involvement with my visit to the hospital earlier in the week, so I decide to fill her in on the latest. I’m a little surprised how easily she dismisses any claims law enforcement thinks to have and immediately she aligns herself with me.
“I could admit you, have you put on straight bed rest, they wouldn’t be able to get near you without my say-so,” she offers.
I was already struggling with my lack of freedom in the past few days of staying at the ranch, so the thought of having my movements restricted further—in a hospital setting, no less—is far from appealing. I’d almost rather deal with the FBI.
Something on my face must’ve betrayed my thoughts, because Lindsey grins and shakes her head.
“Guess that’s a no. But all kidding aside, regardless of circumstances, you need to find a way to relax. Is it possible for you to get away? Even for a few days? Somewhere you’re not poised for the next knock on the door?”
“Unfortunately, I still don’t have my motorhome back, otherwise I’d know exactly what would relax me,” I inform her.
Nothing like a couple of days camping in a remote place where the sounds of so-called civilization can’t reach me. Nothing but the lens on my camera between me and the great outdoors. Fresh air, no noise pollution, and the peace and solitude I’ve come to crave.
“Wouldn’t have been a bad idea,” Lindsey says. “As long as you didn’t go too far.”
“We’ll find a way,” Sully states.
Sounds like maybe my days of camping alone have come to an end. Scratch the solitude I guess, as long as I can have the rest of the perks, I’m good.
We leave the office shortly after, with an appointment in another two weeks.
“I’m going to take some leave.”
I turn to face Sully, who has both hands on the wheel and his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
“Leave?” I echo.
“Until this is sorted.”
“Look, I don’t know if that’s necessary.”
He darts a glance my way, takes one of his hands off the wheel, and reaches for mine. Palm to palm, he entwines his fingers with mine.
“I do,” he asserts. “First and foremost, I don’t want to let you out of my sight. Not,” he adds quickly when I start pulling my hand from his hold, “because I don’t trust you, but so I can look out for you. Run interference or offer support when Powell comes knocking again, which I’m sure he will. The bastard is relentless.”
He lifts my hand and brushes my knuckles with his lips. An achingly tender gesture which—in its simplicity—makes me feel treasured in a way I’ve never experienced before.
Sully
“But also,” I continue. “I need to track down my niece and have a word with her about her independent investigations.”
Sloane called last night, announcing she’d gone to stay with a friend. Apparently, the agents had shown up at the Pit Stop when she was out on a test drive with her Honda to see how it ran. Ira—who’s not a fan of the feds—told them he had no idea where they could find her. As soon as they left, he called Sloane and warned her.
Then my niece decided to buy herself a little time and drove straight to Kalispell where one of her college friends lives. The moment I started grilling her on what the hell she thought she was doing hacking people’s social media, she hung up. I tried calling, but she wasn’t answering.
I was furious, but Pippa pointed out I could’ve handled that better and convinced me to cool off before trying again in the morning.
Which is now.
“Try not to bark at her. The more you treat her like a child, the more she’ll behave like one. Try treating her like an adult and you might be surprised to find out she is one.”
I glance over again, noting the slight twitch of her lips.
“Very sage of you, Honey.”
Her lips spread into a smile I haven’t seen in a while.
“I have my moments.”
“Yes, you do,” I admit before getting us back on track with, “I also need some time to look into the vandalism at the garage. Sloane doesn’t have her affinity with computers from a stranger, and I want to dig into Cade Jackson a little deeper. I’m worried Ewing has bigger priorities and won’t give him a second look, but I’m convinced there is something off about the guy.”
“Are you sure that’s necessary?” Pippa questions. “Sure he had trouble hearing no, but he’s also not the most socially attuned person I know. He could’ve simply misread the signals.”
“I’m digging,” I insist. “I’ll do it in a way that if I turn out to be wrong, no one will be the wiser.”
“But us,” she adds.
“But us. Which brings me to my final reason for wanting to take some time.”
“Which is?”
“You and me. I want to spend some time with you while I can before our daughter arrives.” She opens her mouth to say something, but I hold up my hand. “Let me finish. I know we seem to be in the middle of a giant mess, but you and I both know there is always going to be some kind of crisis to deal with. That’s life. However, I want to make sure you and I are as solid as we can be to take those hits together.”
There is stuff I want to tell Pippa and things I want to know from her. It’s important for her to know my buttons and I’d like to understand hers. This isn’t about looking back to drag whatever baggage we bring with us; it’s about being properly equipped to move forward and leaving the crap behind.
“As much as I like that idea, I’m worried we don’t have anything for the little one yet. No clothes, nowhere to sleep. Heck, we haven’t even talked about names yet.”
Pippa’s voice goes up as she talks, a clear indication this is part of what is causing her stress.
“Those things aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, how about for our first outing together we head to Kalispell this afternoon? There are a couple of baby stores we can check out.”
I’m getting the feeling she’s on board with that idea when she beams a smile at me.
“Sounds like a plan.” Then the smile turns into a smirk. “And I guess it’s a convenient happenstance Sloane is supposed to be in Kalispell?”
“Who says happenstance?” I ask, trying to distract from the fact she seems to know me so well already.
“I do.”
When we get back to the cabin, I go in search of Jonas to talk to him about taking some time. I find him in his office in the main house.
“How is she?” is his first question.
He’d stopped by yesterday after he saw the agents leave, so he’s already up-to-date on what was happening. I’d also told him about the doctor’s visit this morning and that I’d be in later.
“Baby seems okay, Pippa’s blood pressure is too high. She needs to take it easy, which is part of what I want to talk to you about.”
“Take whatever time you need,” he says without hesitation.
I haven’t had the chance to ask, but that’s what made him a good leader in the field and a great boss now. He has a good read on people.
“Only off the ranch schedule. If any searches come in, I’ll do my part. Don’t want to leave you shorthanded.”
“We’ll be fine. Fletch is back and I’ve been looking into hiring some extra hands anyway. We can use the help this summer.”
He makes a good point. When the new barns were built, we expanded the breeding program, which is taking off.
“Wouldn’t be a bad idea. I’m sure Dan and the guys would welcome a few more bodies.”
“It’s partly for the ranch, but I have plans for possible team expansions as well.”
“HMT?”
“Yup.” He studies me closely as I try to process what he’s saying. “This is something I want to discuss with you guys in detail at some point when shit stops hitting the fan, but I’ve given the team a lot of thought the past few months. We’re getting older. I don’t want to get to a point where we don’t have fresh blood ready to step in when one of us has to step out.”
Good point. It’s not that it never occurred to me we aren’t spring chickens, but the days one of us actually is no longer able to do the job still seemed light-years away. Still, if we wait too long there won’t be anyone to fill the empty spot we leave behind.
Christ. Nothing like listening to your unborn baby’s heartbeat and discussing your impending decline in the same day to have you contemplate your mortality.
“When I pick someone to hire for the ranch,” Jonas continues, “I want to do it with the team in mind as well. Someone young, smart, and physically capable. Someone like Dan. I’d like him to be the first one we train.”
I rub my face with my hands. “Yeah, I guess. Wow. I mean…great idea, it’s just…”
It’s been the five of us on the team for as long as I can remember. It’s hard to wrap my head around Dan—who’s always been more like a little brother—as one of us. Not that I doubt he’d be capable, but it doesn’t quite compute yet.
“Let’s revisit this later,” Jonas jumps in. “This was the wrong time to bring it up. Go, take as long as you need. Oh, and for your information, I paid Wayne Ewing a visit last night. Caught him and Agent Wolff at his office and I can tell you, neither of them seemed particularly enamored with Powell. I discovered a few things that should put your mind at ease: they found a single fingerprint on a round the rifle was loaded with. It does not appear to match Pippa’s prints. The round itself is the right caliber, but according to Wolff you couldn’t shoot a bear in a porta potty with the rifle. The barrel is warped.”
That is an interesting development, I wonder if they had this information before they showed up at the cabin yesterday and badgered Pippa.
“So it’s not the murder weapon?” I confirm.
“Doesn’t look like it, although they don’t have the ballistics report back yet.”
“Whose print was on the round?”
Jonas shrugs. “If they know, they weren’t telling me. Wolff did mention they intend to release the motorhome tomorrow.”
“It’s a start. They’re wasting their time on Pippa.”
“They’re figuring that out, my friend. Patience.”
Right. Except I don’t have any patience left.