CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Didi opened her eyes a slit and peered at the strange man sitting next to her. He appeared to be pleasant enough, but she’d never seen him before.

“Hello,” she mumbled weakly. “Who are you? Where’s Jake?”

The stranger answered, “I’m Brian Koffee, Didi, a friend of Jake’s. I’m still trying to track him down, but I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” He touched her limp fingers and smiled encouragingly.

As a half-conscious Didi struggled to shake his hand, a shaft of pain coursed through her. Wincing, she glanced down. Her right arm sported a cast, and her shoulder was immobilized. She was on some kind of gurney, and a white curtain stretched in front of her. Emergency room? Her left hand was tethered to an IV, and her head…her head throbbed.

Reaching up to her forehead, she wasn’t surprised to find a thick bandage wound around wet hair. That would explain the thumping headache. Wet? From water or blood? She shuddered. She fingered a large lump near her temple and flinched. A wave of dizziness told her to quit moving. Fuzzy, she lay still and waited for the room to stop spiraling.

It all came back in a rush. The stream, the chase, how Kevin had left her to die. And then she remembered the flood. She definitely remembered the flood. With frightening detail, images raced through her brain.

Tears dripped down her cheeks. “How’d I get here?” she murmured. Her eyes refused to stay open.

“Shhh,” Brian whispered in a voice as soft as goose down. “We’ll go over it all when you’re feeling better. Sleep now. Your mom’s on the way.” His solid presence comforted her. He knew her name, and he’d said he was Jake’s friend.

Brian mumbled something else, but Didi didn’t quite catch it. His words slurred as she slipped back into the fog.

* * *

“It’s Mom, honey.”

A soft hand touched Didi’s shoulder and lingered.

“Can you try to wake up for me, sweetheart?”

Didi wafted up through layers of gauzy clouds. Her eyelids flickered open. Her mother pulled up a chair on the left side of the bed. With gentle fingers, she rubbed her daughter’s arm.

“Mom?” Didi blinked and slowly turned toward her mother.

Her mom heaved a huge sigh of relief. “Hi, baby. How’s your head? You were muttering in your sleep. Something about a pink cow.” Her lips quirked up at the corners as she beamed. “Those drugs must be good stuff.”

Didi forced a smile, nodded, and then groaned. She really would have to keep still. Cows? She’d figure that one out later. She must have dreamed up her imaginary friend Brian, too. “Where am I? What time is it?”

“It’s Sunday morning. You’ve been in the hospital since late last night, and you’re in a room on the second floor. A nurse called me, and I’ve been here most of the night.”

“What happened to my head?” Didi was having a hard time focusing.

“You have a nasty concussion, and somehow you scraped some skin off one side of your scalp and walloped the other side. There are quite a few stitches, but the cuts are shallow. Your doctor said there’s no permanent damage, but it’s going to hurt for a while.” Didi’s mom appeared to take inventory. “You also have one heck of a black eye, and since you had some glass imbedded in your chin and cheeks, you have some stitches there, too.”

Stitches? Why did she need stitches? Didi’s lips quivered, and her mom backpedaled. “Nothing too bad, though. The hospital’s best plastic surgeon was on the floor, and Dr. Rojas promised you’ll heal up nicely.” Her mother smiled encouragingly. “No scarring.”

“Scars? Do I want to look?” Didi moaned. She was beginning to think that maybe she didn’t.

Her mom hesitated then plunged in. “It looks a lot worse than it is.” She reached over and tapped the cast on Didi’s arm. “Does your arm hurt?”

Surprised, Didi slanted her eyes toward the right. She had a cast? “Yeah, it aches but not too bad.”

“You have a clean break in your wrist that will take six weeks or so to mend. The doc says the worst injury is to your right shoulder.”

“No kidding. It hurts something terrible.” That was the understatement of the year. Waves of misery sliced through her body every time she even thought about moving.

“Oh, honey, I’m sure it’s painful.” A tender look of motherly love shone in her eyes. “You dislocated your shoulder and tore some ligaments. The surgeon had a bit of work patching you up, so that will take the longest to heal. Maybe the nurse can give you some more morphine. Do you want me to call her?”

“In a minute.” Didi peered down to take another look. From hand to elbow to shoulder, she was plastered, taped, and bandaged like an Egyptian mummy. “Am I all in one piece?”

Her mother scooted her chair closer. “All parts present and accounted for. You’ll be right as rain. It’s just going to take a little time. The doctor told us you’re badly bruised all over, but after what you’ve been through, it’s a miracle you’re still with us at all.” Her mom choked and looked away.

Didi could see she was trying to be strong. Her mother didn’t know how to be any other way. Didi smiled to comfort her and patted her hand. “I’m alive, Mom. I don’t understand how, but I’m alive.”

Her mom sniffed and plucked a tissue from the box next to Didi’s bed. “Do you remember what happened? No one’s told me much yet.” She dabbed at her nose with a dainty pat-pat.

“I know what happened,” said a voice from the door. “Or at least most of it.”

Didi stared at the man in the doorway. “Oh, so you are real.” He was tall and slim, with an unruly shock of dark-brown hair. He swept a hand through those locks and smiled at her. “I thought maybe I’d imagined you.”

“No such luck.” Brian gave her a quick, reassuring smile. “Good to see you looking better. A few hours ago, you were a bloody mess.”

Didi’s mother stood and extended her hand. “I’m Didi’s mom, Ellen, and I’m guessing you’re Brian. The nurse told me my sweet daughter had been in a car accident and a guy named Brian would fill us in. Do we have you to thank for saving Didi’s life?” Her smile shone bright, but her eyes teared up again.

A scowl crossed Brian’s face. “I’m ashamed to say I didn’t do a very good job. If I was a better P.I., Didi wouldn’t be lying in a hospital.” His gaze fell to the floor, and he shuffled his feet.

“Private investigator?” Both ladies said in unison.

“Yeah. Jake hired me. He’s the one you should be thanking.”

Didi looked stunned. “Jake hired you? To do what?”

“Protect you. Or rather, to be more specific, he asked me to keep an eye on you and make sure ol’ Kevin behaved himself.” Brian’s face darkened. “Kevin got away, Didi. I’m sorry. That boy’s slipperier than snot on a glass doorknob. We’ll get him, though. I swear it.”

“You were there?”

“Uh-huh. I was right behind the two of you as you were driving through town. That is, I was right behind you, until you turned down that confounded Deer Hollow Road. I didn’t know that rocky mudslide existed, and I’ve lived around here most of my life.”

Brian stepped into the room and eyed the chair in the corner. “I can’t believe your little coupe made it down that hill, much less that fancy sports car of Kevin’s. I was trying my best to follow close, but my big sedan skittered off the road and got stuck in a ditch.” Brian pushed the chair over next to Didi. “Stupid rear-wheel drive—not to mention the tires were bald. They were no match for the mud and gravel.” Brian crossed his legs and propped an elbow on the armrest. “Now, if I’d been driving my Camry, I might have made it. It has front-wheel drive. Great surveillance car, too. Nobody notices a beige Camry. Unfortunately, it’s in the shop—that’s why I was driving the Crown Vic—”

Didi stopped him mid-sentence. “You saw my car fall into the creek?” The room was spinning again, but she wanted to hear this.

“From a distance. I got stuck a quarter-mile back, so toward the end there, I was on foot. That’s when I realized I was going to need some help and called 911. I know when to call for backup, and that’s a fact. It’s something I learned a few years back when I was a cop. When you need help, call the experts. Same with those firefighters. Now, there’s a group of highly trained professionals who know how to do their job. It was the folks from the fire department that fished you out of the creek…although I’d hardly call it a creek. It was more like a raging river last night, don’t you think?”

Didi rubbed her temples to try and ease the ache. “But how come I didn’t…how come I didn’t drown? The last thing I remember is that I was in the water, and a monster tree hit the car. I must have blacked out after that.”

“Seems like that white pine was a blessing in disguise.” Brian sat back and cradled his head in his hands. “That fool tree pinned your car to the riverbank like an olive speared with a toothpick. Craziest thing I ever did see. You should have been halfway to the Chesapeake by now.”

Mom was concentrating on every word, looking more horrified by the minute. “Okay, hold on. I’m hopelessly confused. Kevin was stalking Didi? How long has this been going on? Didi left the restaurant after my birthday party…”

Brian jumped in with gusto. “And wasn’t that the best food you’ve ever eaten? Never tasted Thai food before last night, but I figured why not take a risk? I’m an adventurous fellow, so I ordered a takeout dinner and ate it in my car. While you ladies were whooping it up inside, I had myself a delicious dinner of something called Pad Thai. Doesn’t sound very appetizing, but man, was it gooood.”

A nurse glided into the room and quirked a smile at Didi. “Well, aren’t we glad to see you’re awake and looking better? I’m Mary Kate, your R.N. for the day.” She wrote her name on a white board on the wall and turned toward Ellen and Brian. “I’m afraid you two are going to have to leave for a while. I need to ask Miss O’Brien a few questions and make sure she’s settled. After that, I think she’ll need some rest.”

Mom stood and smoothed the hair back from Didi’s forehead. “Sure. Brian and I are going to go get some breakfast.” She took Brian’s arm, and it was clear that she wasn’t about to let him go. “Our new friend is going to fill me in on every single detail.”

“Take your time. I’ll be fine.” Didi waved with a feeble hand. Her head was really thumping now, and her shoulder burned. “Brian?”

Brian paused at the door. “Yeah?”

“Thank you for everything.” Didi attempted her best grin. “When you get back, you can tell me where Jake is, right?”

* * *

After watching the firefighters fish Didi out of the drink the previous night, Kevin had followed the ambulance to the hospital. Last night had been a very special night for him and his little woman. She hadn’t been thinking straight, and she’d done a foolish thing by running away from him. Then the silly girl had wrecked her car and nearly gotten herself killed, but the Good Lord had shown her mercy. Now they could get married. He was going to make sure they tied the knot as soon he could get her out of that place.

He’d left the hospital parking lot and stashed his sorry-looking vehicle in the woods behind Tiffany’s garage—no one would ever think to look for his car there. She was away on some kind of girly weekend, so he didn’t expect her home until tomorrow. As predictable as a rooster’s crow at dawn, that airhead Tiffany had conveniently “hidden” the key to the garage under a fake rock by the side door. It wasn’t the Ritz, but it was a great place to hide out.

Tiff had also been kind enough to leave the keys to her car in the ignition. No one had ever accused her of being a Mensa candidate. Kevin slammed the VW Beetle convertible into reverse and backed out of the garage. He was hungry, but since he wasn’t presentable, a fast-food drive-through would have to suffice.

He wished he could go home, but he was certain the police would be staking out his condo. They were idiots. Hadn’t he proven that time and time again in the courtroom? Half the time, the morons couldn’t remember where they’d put evidence they needed for a trial. He barked out a laugh. Sometimes important items disappeared, and he knew how to make that happen. He had connections. Money talked.

As he wolfed down his hotcake platter—with plenty of butter and syrup—he planned his next step. He’d have to wait until the cover of darkness, but then he’d find his bride and take her away.

* * *

Jake awoke with a shaft of sunlight streaming into his eyes. Across the room, a wall of glass doors sparkled in the early morning light. He stretched, yawning wide, and sat up with a groan. Looking around, he marveled at the workmanship that had gone into the wood-beamed ceiling, stone fireplace, and gleaming golden oak floors of the large room. Again, the understated beauty of the house, not to mention the value, struck him. He hadn’t explored all of the rooms yet. He rose to his feet and stretched. It was time to take a look-see. After all, he owned the place.

He toured the split-level house, noting it was built in a mid-century modern style—plenty of wide-open spaces. The main floor was separated into the huge great room, a spacious dining room, and an ultramodern kitchen decorated in soothing shades of dark greens and soft, creamy yellows. Jake climbed a short flight of stairs and followed the parquet-patterned hardwood down a wide hallway to the far end of the house. Impressed, he found a guest bath, three large bedrooms, and an enormous master suite featuring a king-sized bed. He sprawled sideways on the huge bed and gawked at the richness of the space.

Making his way up yet another short staircase to the top floor, Jake discovered three more bedrooms, two baths, and an office. Overlooking the lake, another large deck ran along the back of the house, accessible from two of the bedrooms. His favorite room was the corner “blue room.” On the walls hung a trio of what looked like original oil paintings. The works of art depicted three sturdy ships from the Revolutionary War. Under each painting, a small brass plaque gave the name of the ship—USS Constitution, USS Bonhomme Richard, and USS Constellation. The pictures were painted so realistically he could almost feel the salt spray from the blue, blue ocean. He spent some time admiring the delicate brushstrokes, appreciating the talent required to paint each one. Still bushed from the day before, he came close to taking a catnap on the bed, but the rest of the house beckoned.

From the main floor, stairs led down to a game room, a media room, and another small kitchen and living area. French doors opened to a stone patio adjacent to the in-ground pool. The plush carpeted rooms would make a perfect in-law suite—if he’d had any in-laws and needed a comfortable place to house them. Or the place could sleep a couple of dozen vacationers easily.

And still the house went on. The stairs to the bottom floor opened into a workroom full of expensive woodworking tools. Next, he stumbled upon a mammoth laundry room with a state of the art, large-capacity washer and dryer. A door from the laundry room led to a garage big enough for five cars. On the far end of the huge, open space sat four kayaks, two Jet Skis, several pairs of water skis, a canoe, and various paraphernalia for the swimming pool.

What a place. Everything in the fully furnished house was his. He was still having trouble absorbing the implications. He was rich—at least by his standards—but what in the world was he going to do with it?

The hour was early, but Jake longed to talk to his girlfriend. Maybe she was up. This was too good to keep to himself, and he couldn’t wait to talk to her. He reached in his pocket for his phone to find nothing there. Oh, yeah. He’d left it in his SUV.

Jake opened one of the garage doors. His vehicle was parked on the other side, his cell phone still in the car charger. Picking it up, he walked back upstairs to the main level and meandered out to what was becoming his favorite deck chair. A cup of coffee and one of Didi’s brownies would taste good right about now.

He flipped his phone open and five messages glared. Nobody had ever needed him that badly. All five messages were from Brian. Brian had been trying to reach him all night.

His hands started to shake. Something was very, very wrong. Was Didi hurt? With a sinking heart, he listened to the messages, hardly believing what he heard. The love of his life was in the hospital, her body bruised and broken. Didi had needed him, and he hadn’t been there for her.

He glared at the blasted lake. He shouldn’t be here. He should be there.

Jake trembled so hard that the phone fell from his fingers and landed with a thud on the deck. Face flushed and heart racing, he fought to breathe, the crushing weight of panic engulfing him. He broke into a cold sweat as he struggled back into the house.

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t lose Didi. He would rather die than lose the woman he loved…again.