“My name is Janey?”
“Don’t be silly,” said the giant woman, turning away and heading into the house. “Now, listen. You’re going to be angry with me. Let me state this up front, it’s not my fault. Julia’s here. She slithered in on the arm of an invited guest. Who knew I would need a bouncer? I mean, I suppose I could have strong-armed her out the door myself, but—” Holding the lorgnette up to her eyes, she stopped and peered closely at Jane’s face. “What on earth happened to you? Are those bruises real?”
“Um … yeah. Listen, I wonder if I could sit down. And … could I get a glass of water?”
“Water? You look like you could use something stronger than that.”
“I need to take some pain medication.”
Narrowing her eyes, the woman moved in close. “What’s going on? Did one of the Adlers do that to you? You told me you had everything under control. I need details, Janey. Facts. You keep Cordelia Thorn out of your affairs at your own peril.”
“Cordelia?”
“Yes?”
“We’re friends, right?”
“What is wrong with you?”
She had no memory of ever seeing this woman before. “The water?”
Cordelia sniffed, considered the request, then said, “Follow me.”
So this sequined-covered Amazon’s name was Cordelia? And hers was Janey? She felt as if she’d emerged from a fog only to find herself lost in wonderland. Something was definitely wrong with her mind.
“Sit,” said the giant as they entered the kitchen. She found a glass in one of the cupboards, filled it from a filtered tap and handed it over, then stood behind the center island, raised her chin and appeared to be assessing the situation. “Jane?”
“Yes?”
“What’s going on?”
With a grimace, Jane eased down on a stool. An inner voice urged her to focus on the physical pain instead of the feeling of dread growing in her stomach. She needed the pain pills badly. That and a bed in a quiet room. The giant, however, seemed to want to talk.
“Someone did this to you. Was it Kevin? Doug? OMG, was it Father Mike?”
Instead of answering, Jane downed the pills.
“You don’t seem like you’re tracking very well.”
“If I could just lie down—”
“You need to tell me what happened. Why you’re like this.”
“I’m just a little confused, okay? It’ll pass.” She had no idea who any of those people were. None of this made any sense. She was in a free fall, with no way to anchor herself in time and space.
“Are you actually saying you don’t remember who hurt you?”
Jane glanced at the bottle of rum on the counter behind the giant. Even though she knew pain pills and alcohol didn’t mix, she wanted a drink. “My memory is kind of … fuzzy.”
“Define fuzzy.”
“I have a bad headache. And I’m dizzy. Can we have this conversation another time?”
“We need to get you to a hospital.”
“Can you just tell me where I could find a bed or a couch? If I could just lie down for a few minutes—”
Cordelia arched an eyebrow. “You know this house as well as I do.”
“Humor me.”
Tapping her long red talons on the granite countertop, the giant said, “How much don’t you remember?”
Jane massaged her temples.
“You remember me, right?”
“How could anyone forget you?”
“Then tell me about myself. How wonderful I am.”
“Well, yes. You’re … Cordelia. That says it all.”
“You haven’t got a clue, do you? I am your oldest friend. Your partner in crime. Your confidant. The shoulder you cry on. I am the world famous Cordelia M. Thorn, theater director extraordinaire. For heaven’s sake, Janey, we’ve been BFFs since we were sixteen!”
“Okay,” said Jane. “Great. Then can I stay here tonight?” At the sound of a child’s laugh, she turned to find a little girl, dressed in a black cat outfit, skipping into the room. “Hey, Hattie. Happy New Year.”
“You know my niece,” boomed Cordelia, backing up against the kitchen counter and waving air into her face. “But you don’t know moi?”
Jane smiled at the little girl, then grimaced because it made her face hurt. She did recognize Hattie. Maybe she had landed somewhere familiar and her memory was slowly coming back. “See, I’m getting better. So no doctors, at least not right now.”
“Can we open the sparkling grape juice?” asked Hattie, hip thrust coyly to one side.
“Not until midnight,” said Cordelia. “That’s a couple more hours.”
Hattie made a pleading face. “But I’m thirsty now.”
“Then go drink some punch.”
“I feel like drinking bubbles.”
“When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll get all the bubbles you want.”
She pulled on her cat whiskers. “If I have to wait.”
“Go play with Jason and Lisa. You’re their host tonight. You have to show them a good time.”
“We all want bubbles,” mumbled Hattie, dragging herself out of the room.
“A place to lie down?” repeated Jane. “Somewhere quiet.”
After climbing the stairs up to the second floor, Cordelia led her to a room near the end of a broad, oriental-carpeted hallway. She opened the door and nodded for Jane to precede her.
Seeing the double bed, Jane all but fell onto it.
“The least you could do is take off those wet boots.”
“Could you help me?”
Grumbling, Cordelia said, “I’ve always wanted to be your valet.”
“That’s nice.” Jane closed her eyes.
“Why are you holding your side like that?”
“Because it hurts.”
“Let me look.”
“I just need to sleep.”
“You are the most stubborn—” She paused. “Aren’t you going to take off your coat?”
“No.”
“I guess I’m glad Julia’s here after all. She can come up and examine you.”
“I’ll see a doctor tomorrow.”
“You’ll see a doctor tonight. Julia.”
As Cordelia covered her with a blanket, Jane opened her eyes. “Do I own a restaurant?”
“One of the best fine-dining experiences in the Twin Cities.”
“What’s the name?”
“The Lyme House.”
“Right,” she whispered. “It’s on a lake.”
“Lake Harriet. And before you ask,” said Cordelia, brushing the tangled hair away from Jane’s forehead, “no, there’s no Lake Ozzie.”
“That’s a good one.” She closed her eyes again.
The words “Adler brothers” continued to swirl around inside her mind as she began to drift toward a fitful, drugged sleep.