CHAPTER 22
Three hours later, Sam and I were allowed to visit for a short while with Eddie. We took turns because hospital policy required they limit visitors. Lindy assured us that once they got him into his permanent room, they’d afford us more freedom on that front. Sam went in first with Lindy. She’d offered to let me go in with Sam. I’d declined, needing to get myself together first, and I could tell she was eager to get to his side. She came out fifteen minutes later, and I hung back for a few to give my brother some alone time with his father. While I waited, Lindy and I discussed how we’d care for Eddie once discharged. She would take a short leave from her practice and care for him full-time. Now that she had a partner in her family practice, it would be doable. I would make his meals, per his new cardiac diet plan, and deliver them. We planned to freeze as many meals as possible so he would have options. He wouldn’t like it at first. In time he’d adjust. I even toyed with the idea of adding more heart-healthy options at the diner. I made a mental note to discuss the idea with Jena Lynn later.
When it was my turn, I nearly gasped at the sight of my father, so pale and weak. Tubes and wires were attached to him and he was hooked up to several bags of IV fluids. Machines beeped and whirled, and I suddenly felt ill. Eddie had always looked so strong and unbreakable.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he rasped when he saw me.
I went to his bedside, bent and kissed his cheek, berating myself for allowing such a reaction. I would remain positive even if it killed me. Eddie deserved nothing less.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and pulled the chair closer to his bed, smiling as I took his hand. “You look wonderful.”
“Overselling it a bit.” He managed a grin. “I’ll be all right.”
I nodded and blinked to hold the tears at bay. “Of course you will. You’re alive and awake and, to me, you’ve never looked better.” I sniffed. “And I don’t want you to worry about a thing. We’re going to all pitch in and make your life a bit easier while you recover.”
“I don’t want a fuss.” Eddie’s head rolled back and forth on the pillow. The best he could do at shaking his head, I guessed.
“Don’t be silly. We love you and want to make your road to recovery a bit easier.” I kissed his hand.
He smiled. “I appreciate it, pumpkin. I guess this stubborn old goat is going to have to let go of the reins for a bit on some things. Not all, mind you. I still want to be in the loop with things. It’d drive me crazy to be shut out.” He blinked his eyes a few times and when he focused on me again, they were more serious. “What’s going on with the case?”
I smiled as if everything was perfectly fine. “There’s nothing for you to worry about. Javier is on it. Don’t even think about it. Your job is to rest up and get well.”
Some beeping went off at the machines and Eddie’s face relaxed. The drugs they had him on were good.
His head rolled to the side, facing me, and he got a faraway, transfixed look. “You know,” he slurred, “I almost died, pumpkin. I saw myself leaving this body and everything. It was extraordinary. You know who came to me?”
I shook my head, hating this conversation, yet so grateful he lived. “You must’ve been dreaming while under.”
“No, it was real. Your mama came to me.” He smiled dreamily and tears began to flow. “She’s changed, somehow. I mean, she was still as beautiful as I remembered her to be, healthy before the cancer. Tonight, her countenance had a sweetness about it, kinder, I guess. She told me she loved me and apologized for her failings between us while living. She thanked me for being a great father to you and made me swear to continue to look after you since she isn’t able to do it properly. I told her I didn’t know how to be any other way. My kids are my life.”
I smiled at him through blurry vision.
“Then she told me I wouldn’t die if I agreed to her terms. She wanted me to take better care of myself, eat right and exercise. She made me agree.” He chuckled a little. “Stubborn, amazing woman. When I did, she physically pushed my spirit back into my body.” He sounded groggy as he smiled and squeezed my hand. “It was the most unusual feeling.” A little sigh left his lips. “Then she kissed me and promised, with her blessing, I’d heal faster and my recovery would be speedy. I didn’t want her to go . . .”
Mama appeared beside him and ran her fingers through his hair. “He won’t remember this when he wakes.”
“My Clara. I will remember.” His eyelids fluttered, and he fought to open them and focus on her face. “My Clara, we did good with our little Marygene.”
I sobbed openly. “Mama, thank you. I couldn’t bear to lose him too.”
“I know, my sweet girl. Edward and I are connected still.” She stroked his face lovingly, and his lids closed and he drifted into slumber. “I suppose you’re never free of your true love. I’m not sorry. Although, I will reap the repercussions of intervening where I wasn’t supposed to, yet again.” She sighed. “You’d think they’d see reason. My job is to do good and help those I love. How am I to do that with all these confounded rules to follow.”
For the first time since Mama returned, I could see what a struggle all of this was for her. And I saw what Eddie mentioned. She did have a sweeter countenance, a goodness. A knock at the door broke into our moment, and Mama began to fade. “Trust yourself and rest assured, your father is going to make a full recovery.”
The door creaked open. “Miss Brown, there’s a deputy here to speak with you. He says it’s urgent,” the young nurse in pink said.
Javier stood just outside the doorway, looking grim.
“Okay. I’ll be right out.”
The nurse nodded, her eyes shifting around as she glanced from Javier to me. She’d probably seen the news broadcast, like everyone else.
“I’m sorry to intrude. I need a word.”
I stood and kissed Eddie’s forehead.
“How’s he doing?” Javier whispered.
I smiled. “Better. He’s going to pull through. Thanks for being here for me.”
Closing the door softly behind me, I met his hazel gaze. Sam had certainly given me a different picture of how Javier thought of me. I wasn’t ready to explore the idea yet. Maybe I would be one day soon.
“I’m glad to hear he’s doing well.” His eyes shifted around, and I could clearly read regret on his face. “I’m sorry to add to your burden, but we have a problem. A big one.”
I deflated. “What now?” I closed my eyes and massaged my temples with both hands. “Honestly, Javy, I can’t take any more bad news. If someone is slandering me or calling the tip line with bogus theories, just deal with it. I’m so over this. I know it’s not a rational reaction under the circumstances, but there it is.”
“Paul has been abducted.”
I dropped my hands and stared at him. “Is this a joke?”
The hard set of his jaw spoke clearly.
“What do you mean, abducted? Like literally abducted?” I sounded like a broken record in my current state of brain fog.
“Literally abducted. And it gets worse.”
How can it get any worse?
Javier pulled his phone from his pocket and hit play on a video.
My eyes widened at the image on the screen. What in God’s name is going on here? I pulled the phone closer.
Paul, bruised and bloody, sat tied to a chair in a dark room with what appeared to be a bomb strapped to his chest. I watched as he held up a paper with today’s date on it. A gloved person took the paper and replaced it with a whiteboard that read, RELEASE THE BANK FUNDS OR HE, LIKE LUCY DIES. DON’T MESS WITH US, YOU’VE SEEN WHAT WE CAN DO. WE MAKE BODIES DISAPPEAR.
“My God,” I gasped.
Javy slid the phone back into his pocket. “It was posted to YouTube late last night, and about an hour ago, the media got wind of it and it made the early morning news.”
“So . . . the robbery and the murder are now officially linked.” I rubbed my neck. There was a multitude of knots.
“It would appear so. And since the airing, we’ve had a couple of calls about the fight you had with Paul at La Cocina Mexican restaurant.”
“Oh . . . yeah. I can see how bad that looks. Especially with that message.”
“Want to tell me about the fight?”
I met his gaze. I told him about the detective’s visit and confronting Paul. I even confessed to not really caring about his relationship with Lucy.
“He was angry with me and left in a huff.” I shrugged. “I care about him as much as I would anyone, but not enough to do something stupid like that. I mean, really?” I pushed through my muddled fears and shock-clouded brain to focus on the message. “Whoever is behind this is making people believe Betsy and I are to blame. It doesn’t take a decipherer to see they used Betsy’s words.” The statement about making bodies disappear was all Bets. Ugh. “Combine that with the fight I had with Paul, the body being found on my back deck, and you’ve got your case.” I leaned against the sterile wall and glanced at deputy Javier Reyes. I smiled as an overwhelming melancholy overtook me. “You aren’t here to just share this with me. You’re here to arrest me.”
He stared at his tactical boots for a few long seconds. “Not arrest, just to bring you in.”
I gave a bark of bitter laughter. “Right. As a person of interest that will be held upon arrival.”
Once the toxicology report came back with an overdose of fentanyl, and it would, of that I felt completely certain, case closed. Someone really wanted me gone. And this person or these persons understood police procedures, the media, and small-town politics. Taint the populous views and ruin my and Betsy’s reputations.
“Can I say goodbye to my family first?” I glanced back at the door where my father lay recovering.
Sam and Lindy would care for him, and it would give me comfort while I was away. I wasn’t giving up, never would I give up, but it gave me peace of mind to know he had others.
“I just thought . . .” I rubbed my index finger between my brows as I fought emotion. Consumed with the weight of a thousand tons of impending doom, I began to break down. “I really believed everything would work out. I feel so alone.”
Javy gripped my shoulders firmly and placed his forehead to mine. His face was fierce as his eyes flashed with a combination of anger and determination. His voice sounded thick. “I’m on your side. Always on your side. I’m not like your ex-husband, Alex, or that pathetic Paul. I’m not weak, nor do I shy away from a fight. I don’t give up on people I care about. You need to trust me. I’ll do whatever is necessary. Do you understand me?”
Unshed tears stung my eyes as I flung my arms around his neck. And as if he shared his strength with me, all the tears that threatened to pour in waves dried up. There are moments in life that alter you. Moments you know will change you forever. This moment, this critical moment in time, I knew this man before me would hold a permanent place in my life. And I swore to never give up on him either. I would get through this. One foot in front of the other.
I said goodbye to Eddie with a smile and stayed strong, assuring him all was well. He didn’t need any other concerns that would hinder his healing. When I hugged Sam and Lindy goodbye, they didn’t ask questions after I told them I had to go in and give a statement. Their minds were filled with concerns for Eddie. It was as it should be.