Twenty-Four

“Sadie may have saved Bibi’s life. They’re not sure, but they think she may have had a stroke. There are some mild neurological symptoms.” Megan sank into the couch in the family waiting room, next to Denver. He wrapped his arms around her, and she molded herself against him. “This was all too much for her. I should have known better.”

“Your grandmother is a force, Megs. Ye couldn’t have foreseen this.”

“She seemed so happy. Driven to help Dillon.” Megan buried her face in Denver’s chest. “I brought Camilla home, then I brought this tragedy home. Bibi’s eighty-five.”

Denver took hold of Megan’s shoulders and gently pushed her back so she was facing him. The room was empty except for an older man asleep on a chair across the room. Megan felt the tears coming again, and she choked them back, willing herself to be strong.

She gave voice to her biggest fear. “What if she doesn’t make it?”

“Megs?” Denver placed two fingers under Megan’s chin and tilted her head up so they were eye to eye. “There’s a saying in my country: Whit’s fur ye’ll no go past ye. Simply put, we can’t control the future. Your grandmother is a strong woman. She’s got more grit than a dozen people. If anyone can get through this, she can.”

Megan nodded. Clay and Porter had come into the waiting room, their faces as long as her own. Denver was right—Bibi had grit. And she’d expect her granddaughter to exhibit the same now.

“How is she?” Clay asked.

“It’s a waiting game,” Denver said.

Megan stood.

“Where are ye going, Megs?”

“To sit with Bibi. Once the doctors are done examining her, they said I could stay by her side.” She kissed Denver. He’d left his friends to run over to the hospital as soon as Megan called. “Will you handle the townspeople? I’ve already gotten a dozen calls.”

Denver agreed.

“And don’t worry about tomorrow,” Porter said. “I can handle the farmers market solo.”

“Oh, we’re not leaving,” Clay said. “Not until we know Bonnie’s okay.”

Megan looked from one to the other, her bruised heart full of gratitude. She may not have any siblings, but she had the best adopted family she could have asked for.

  

Megan felt her hand being squeezed. She sat up with a jolt, remembering where she was and what had happened in a burst of despair. The room was dimly lit with artificial light, and a series of beeps told her Bibi was still alive.

Another squeeze. Megan wiped the drool from her mouth and sat up. Her head was on the bed and one arm was draped across Bibi’s body, holding her grandmother’s hand. She felt it again and finally realized it was Bibi squeezing her fingers.

She stood, excited. Her grandmother’s eyes were closed. They fluttered open, she smiled.

“Bibi, I’m here. It’s going to be okay.”

Megan felt the squeeze again. She reached over and pressed the call button. The nurses were there immediately.

“She squeezed my hand and opened her eyes.”

The nurses ushered her out. Megan wandered back to the family room where she found a half dozen Winsome residents and Denver. Some were talking quietly, Denver was dozing. She crawled on the couch next to him and waited.

  

“You couldn’t pay me to eat that.” Clover eyed Denver’s chicken sandwich with disdain. “Hospital food is bad enough, but use enough breadcrumbs and deep fry something and you can hide anything.”

“When you’re hungry enough, you can eat anything. And I’m famished.” Denver took a large bite. “Mmmm.”

Clover clucked her disgust and turned her attention to Megan. “Bibi is doing well?”

“Still a little out of it, but she wants to come home.”

“Do they know what happened?”

“It wasn’t a stroke. She may have had a seizure.”

Both Clover and Denver looked at her. “A seizure?” Denver said.

Megan nodded. “They said she’s progressing well. She’ll be fine—eventually.”

Clover studied her. “You don’t seem great for someone who got great news. What are you not telling us? Do you know what caused the seizure?”

“Not yet.” Megan poked at the flaccid salad in front of her. She knew what the doctors were thinking, but she couldn’t speak about it. Not here.

She felt Denver’s hand on her knee. He gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Your Aunt Sarah and your mother were here while you were in with the doctors. They didn’t want to bother you. They’ll be back to visit Bibi.”

Megan gave a weak smile. A year ago, the sight of Megan’s mother would have set Bibi’s blood pressure soaring, but now that they’d reached a truce, her grandmother would probably enjoy a visit.

When Clover had finished her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Denver his chicken, Clover cleared the table. While she was gone, Megan asked Denver if they could talk. Alone.

“Of course, Megs. Is everything okay?”

“No, it’s not. I know what happened to Bibi, and I think we may need to speak with Eloise. The sooner the better.”

  

They drove along Canal Street in silence. It wasn’t until they’d reached Eloise’s street that Denver said, “I just can’t believe it.”

“I know. I don’t know what to think. I really don’t know what to do with this.” She peered at Denver across the truck’s center console. “Eloise may not take this well.”

“I know.”

“Maybe we should wait until Bobby arrives. It took everything I had to convince him to let us do this. Maybe he was right.”

Denver shook his head. “We should tell her. I owe her that, at least. The question is whether she can be objective.”

“We have to trust that she can.”

Denver agreed, but Megan could tell by the expression in his eyes that the trust wasn’t in him.

“Did Bibi say anything? Hint at anything out of the ordinary?”

“No. But I didn’t want to press her.” Megan looked at Denver and wiped the tears from her eyes. “The damage could have been permanent. What you said about her having grit? Yeah, that’s what saved her.”

Megan turned into Eloise’s property and parked the truck. It was Sunday afternoon and the cheerful weather had continued. Eighties and sunny. Weather that demanded light-hearted fun—not introspection and suspicion. Eloise was outside waiting for them, and she had jogged to the truck before Megan even killed the ignition.

“Dillon’s watching a movie. We have fifteen minutes before it’s over. How about the barn? We should have some privacy there.” Eloise looked like a shell of the woman they knew. Her jeans were stained, her shirt untucked, and dark circles shadowed her eyes. Denver had called to say they needed to discuss something with her, and looking at her now, Megan could tell she’d immediately figured the worse.

Denver climbed out of the truck. He gave his aunt a hug, whispered something in her ear, and started for the barn. Megan stood by the truck for a few seconds, staring at the house. She swore she saw a curtain on the ground floor move, but she wasn’t sure. Could have been a trick of the sun.

  

“Bibi was poisoned.” Megan spoke softly, controlling her voice to hide the panic she felt rising up in her gut.

“I don’t understand.” Eloise moved a rake and sat down on a hay bale. Her face was pale, her hands shaking. “Poisoned?”

“The EMTs thought at first she’d had a stroke, but the tests didn’t back that up. After a lot of educated guesswork, they realized she’d overdosed on lithium.” Megan closed her eyes. “They thought she’d done it herself accidentally.”

“Does your grandmother even take lithium?” Eloise asked.

“No. That’s just it, she doesn’t. My grandmother takes brandy in her tea and the occasional pain reliever. Other than that, she refuses all medication, even vitamins.”

Eloise was silent for a moment. “Lithium is dangerous stuff. Even people who have a prescription have to be carefully monitored. There’s a fine line between therapeutic dose and toxic amount, and it can cause thyroid and other complications.”

Megan nodded. “I know. I’ve had a crash course.”

Eloise said, “Acute lithium poisoning…will Bonnie…will Bonnie be okay?”

Denver said, “She should be fine. Megan talked to the doctors today. The tremors and slurred speech are gone. There was some concern that the neurological effects could be long-lasting or even permanent, but that won’t be the case.” Denver’s eyes were moist, and he turned his head away toward the rear of the barn. “In fact, her age may have contributed to her symptoms. Someone may not have meant to cause lasting harm or really hurt her, but because of her age, they could have killed her.”

“Playing with lithium is like pharmaceutical Russian roulette.” Eloise glanced from Megan to Denver. “I assume the fact you’re here means you think Dillon may be the culprit.”

Megan didn’t wait for Denver to speak. “Not necessarily. The police will be here soon, and they can tell you more. But we were worried about you, and Denver wanted to get here as quickly as possible. Just in case. To give you time to digest the news.”

Denver interrupted, “And to give you time to decide if you want Dillon moved.”

Eloise shook her head. “He couldn’t have gotten it here.”

“Is Dillon on lithium?”

“A very low dose. They put him on it after his mother was killed. He’d always had bipolar disorder, but they were worried about suicide and wanted to curb the manic episodes. I keep it locked in a cabinet with his other medications. I saw it just this morning, though. Nothing appeared to be missing.” Eloise put her hand to her mouth. “Unless…unless he’s palming the medication. I never thought to check his mouth.”

That’s what Megan had been wondering: if Dillon was spitting the pills out when Eloise wasn’t looking.

“Surely his blood is tested regularly,” Megan said. “Wouldn’t it show up in his levels?”

“Not if he just started doing it,” Denver said.

Eloise agreed. “He gets tested every three months, and his last test was almost two months ago. Even a week’s worth of palmed medication may have been enough to hurt Bonnie.” She shook her head. “Why would he hurt Bonnie of all people? She was kind to him. He seemed to adore her.”

“Maybe Dillon slipped and told her something incriminating,” Denver said. “Something he regretted later.”

Eloise rocked back and forth on the hay bale. “I don’t know. It just doesn’t sound like him.”

Denver took his aunt’s hand. “Look, Bobby King will be here soon. We wanted to tell you ahead of time, but Megan promised Bobby we wouldn’t say anything to Dillon until he got here. Can you think of anything that happened Friday that could have led to this? Is it possible Bonnie somehow took this medication by accident?”

Eloise stood. As she talked, she paced around the room. “I met Bonnie at the café at ten. She was already there, and I found her talking to a group of people, including Merry Chance.”

“Was the café crowded?” Denver asked.

Megan held up a hand. Her phone was beeping with a text from King. “Bobby will be here in five minutes.” She looked at Eloise. “Don’t say anything else until he arrives. It may be important and should be fresh.”

Eloise nodded. “Dillon’s movie is almost over.”

“Why don’t I go in and check on him,” Denver said. “I’ll watch a new movie with him. This way you two can talk to King without distraction.”

Eloise thanked him.

“Don’t say a word about Bibi,” Megan warned.

Denver kissed her forehead. “I want to get to the bottom of this mess as badly as you do, Megs. Mum is the word. I’ll go bond with him and wait to be called.”