by V. M. Burns
Red sounded tired and out of breath. “Mrs. Huntington took a tumble down a flight of stairs.” I started to interrupt, but he continued on. “She’s being rushed to the hospital.” He paused and even though I couldn’t see him, I knew he was rubbing the back of his neck. “She hit her head and we’re not sure about the extent of her other injuries, but she’s alive…thanks to you.”
I released the breath I’d been holding ever since I picked up the phone. “Do you know what happened? How did she fall?”
“We’re working on it, but it appears she’d been drinking and slipped. It looks like it was an accident.”
“But that’s not possible. I mean, she said she hasn’t had a drink in over twenty years.”
Red was silent for several moments. “Lilly, I’m sorry, but her breath smelled of alcohol and we found a flask in her pocket.”
I was shocked. “She lied to me.”
“Looks that way.”
We spoke for a few additional moments, and then he promised to fill me in later.
Stephanie looked at me anxiously. “I need details. Joe just said she’s alive.” She refilled her glass from the bottle and topped off mine. “Men can be so frustrating.”
I smiled. “Well, I’m sure Joe was just trying to be mindful of your feelings. After all, you two aren’t really a couple at the moment.”
She sipped her wine and gave Lucky, who was sitting nearby with his head on her lap, a scratch. “You’re the exception, aren’t you boy?”
He wagged his tail and looked at her with his big brown eyes.
I filled her in on what Red had told me and sent Dixie a text message. She had just arrived home and said we’d make a trip to the hospital tomorrow to check on Mrs. Huntington.
Stephanie and I talked about Mrs. Huntington for several more minutes however, until I noticed she had a frown and seemed distracted.
“What’s wrong? Did you find what you were looking for at the law library?”
She nodded. “Pretty much. The will Archibald Lowry presented at probate is legal and supersedes all previous wills.” She shrugged. “I knew that, but I was trying to find information on the trust and that was harder to find.” She paused. “Mom, do you think Madison could find out the state of Archibald Lowry’s finances?”
I shrugged. “I’m sure she could. According to Red, she’s an excellent hacker and now that she works for the TBI, she can do it legally.” I looked at my daughter. “It is legal isn’t it?”
“That depends on who you talk to.” She laughed. “Red should definitely be able to access the bank statements, but I’m not sure about the trust. He’d probably have to access the trust administrator, which would be Eli.”
I looked carefully at Stephanie. “Do you think he would grant it?”
She frowned. “I’m not sure, but…” She smiled. “I’m sure Red can be very convincing when he wants to be.”
“He is, but…he’s also a softie deep down inside.” I tucked my legs under me, cupped my wineglass and smiled.
Stephanie stared at me with a large grin on her face. “You’re really happy aren’t you?”
I thought for a moment. “Yes, I am.” I glanced around. “This house isn’t much and I’m only renting for now, but—”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Stephanie hopped up from the sofa and hurried back into the guest room. After a few moments, she came back and handed me a large manila envelope.
I opened the envelope and read the papers inside.
“I got the person who’s been using Dad’s identity.” She leaned over and pointed to one of the sheets. “Actually, I couldn’t have done it without Madison’s help.”
I glanced at her. “Madison?”
“She was able to track the IP addresses or some other techie stuff…anyway, bottom line is she tracked down the person and I got the police to arrest them. They found all kinds of stuff including credit cards, social security information and tons of stuff on over thirty people he was stealing from. Joe helped me work with the police in Arizona to get him extradited.” She gazed down and spoke very softly. “Joe even volunteered to go and bring him to Lighthouse Dunes so we could charge him.”
“He’s a good man.”
She nodded. “I know.”
I smiled. “My friend from the dog club, B.J., thinks he’s hot too.”
She grinned. “Well, he isn’t as handsome as Eli, but…he’s definitely got his good qualities.” She sighed. “Eli is very handsome. He gets a lot of looks from women and some of them practically throw themselves at him.” She sat back on the sofa and stared down into her glass. “Tonight, while we were at dinner, some redheaded amazon cornered him on his way to the restroom. She was all over him and then later, some woman actually bought him a drink and sent the waitress over with her phone number.” She stared at me. “Can you believe it?”
“Wow, that’s bold.” I took a deep breath and tentatively asked, “Did he send back the drink?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Can you believe it? I told him he should, but he didn’t. He drank it.” She sighed. “He said I was making too much of a slight gesture and it would be rude to send the drink back.
“I tried to find a polite way to say it seemed rude not to send it back but couldn’t find the right words.” She petted Lucky. “It’s not like we’re a couple, but…it made me feel…oh, I don’t know. It made me feel like, if he couldn’t even see why accepting a drink from another woman while he’s out on a date with me was a problem then…we probably didn’t share the same views on what monogamy means.”
“Well, maybe he’s a lot more sensitive than he comes across and really didn’t want to hurt the woman’s feelings.”
I don’t think I fooled Stephanie based on the look she gave me. After a few moments, she shrugged. “It’s not like I want to marry him, but it would be nice if he acted like I was…oh, I don’t know…special, like J—”
“You are special, and I hope you find someone who makes you feel like you are.”
She sighed. “We’re going to dinner again tomorrow too, so we’ll see.”
“Yes, we’ll see.”
We talked a bit longer and then went to bed. When I woke up, I had a text message from Linda Kay.
Stay home. Enjoy time with your daughter.
I responded with a thanks. Stephanie was going to the law library again today and then dinner later with Eli, but maybe we could go out for breakfast if I hurried.
I rolled out of bed and grabbed the poodles then headed down the hall to let them outside. As I passed the guest room, I tapped lightly on the door.
“Come in.”
I opened the door and stuck my head inside. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
Stephanie yawned. “No, I’m awake.”
“How about breakfast?”
“Pancakes?”
“Sounds good.”
Lucky stretched.
“Lucky, come.”
He turned to look at Stephanie, who gave him the okay, before he followed me. I opened the back door and waited to make sure that all three dogs took care of all of the calls of nature before letting them back inside.
Stephanie and I got dressed and went to a local restaurant I discovered which was well known for fresh food and great coffee. Afterward, we spent a little time shopping. The silent auction was in a few days and Stephanie hadn’t packed a fancy cocktail dress. She was tall and thin and looked great in everything she tried on, so finding the perfect outfit didn’t take long. In fact, she found two dresses. One was bright red, fitted with a deep plunging neckline. She looked stunning and very sexy. When the clerk entered the fitting room, Stephanie said, “I’ll take it.”
The sales clerk was an older woman who had pointed out several dresses which she thought not only complimented Stephanie’s height and size but looked great against
her skin. “That’s perfect. You’ll look wonderful.” She held up a navy-blue dress and I heard Stephanie gasp.
She smiled. “This just came in, and I thought I’d have you take a look.”
Stephanie extended a hand, went back into the dressing room and quickly came out to show me.
The dress fit as though it had been made especially for her. It was a tulle, knee-length A-line dress with a fitted bodice and a matching embroidered lace overlay. It had a high princess neck line and a simple band just above her waist.
I clasped my hands over my chest. “You look amazing,” I whispered.
She gave a turn in front of the three-way mirror. “Eli will like the Red one, but…blue is Joe’s favorite color.”
“Which one do you like best?”
She did a twirl. “I like the blue. It feels like it was made for me.”
I nodded.
She took one last look in the mirror, turned and headed to the dressing room. “I’ll take them both.”
I bought a simple black dress which I could wear to work, but planned to wear tonight to dinner with Red. I considered another dress which the sales clerk thought would look good on me too. It was a navy-blue sheath dress with what she called a ‘cold shoulder’ design, which basically meant the shoulders were cut out. It showcased more of my body than I normally felt comfortable with, but it looked great and I have to admit, I felt fantastic wearing it. However, one glance at the price tag had me carefully removing the dress and returning it to the clerk.
Shopping for shoes was easier. We went to a designer shoe warehouse, and Stephanie found a pair of silver peep-toe pumps on the clearance shelf which were an additional eighty percent off the clearance price. I bought two pair of work flats and a brightly colored pair of sandals which were, not eighty percent off, but were cute nonetheless.
After we finished shopping, Dixie met us for lunch and then the two of us headed to the hospital to check on Mrs. Huntington. Stephanie took our packages home and promised to let out the dogs before she headed back to the law library.
There were several hospitals in Chattanooga. I neglected to ask which hospital they took her to when I spoke to Red, but we made an educated guess and tried the one closest to Signal Mountain. When we asked at the information desk, we were rewarded with a room number and directions to get to the Intensive Care Unit. After several turns, an elevator ride and the help of two strangers, we made it to our destination. Normally Dixie and I were great with directions. The problem was our information giver neglected to specify we needed to go to the Trauma Intensive Care Unit rather than the normal intensive care.
When we walked into the room and looked at Mrs. Huntington, Dixie gasped. It was clear why she was brought here.
Her face was battered, bruised and swollen to the point that she was barely recognizable.
“She looks like someone from that movie, The Elephant Man,” Dixie whispered.
There were tubes and wires everywhere and machines which beeped, dinged and chimed periodically.
We pulled up a chair and sat quietly. There wasn’t much more we could do. While we waited, a man dressed in black with a clerical color stopped by.
“Hello, I’m Reverend Taylor. Are you members of the family?”
“No, we’re just…friends. My name is Lilly Echosby and this is my friend, Dixie Jefferson.”
He extended his hand and we shook.
Reverend Taylor was an older African American man with white hair, a white mustache and kind friendly face.
“Have you known Mrs. Huntington long?” He sat down in the remaining chair.
We shook our heads. “No, actually we just met her a few days ago.” I couldn’t believe so much had happened in such a short period of time.
“She’s been unconscious since she was brought in and we weren’t sure if she was a person of faith.” He smiled and leaned closer. “Although, I have to admit, I’ll pray for her regardless.”
I smiled. “I think she was Catholic. She used to wear a crucifix and a St. Martins of Tours medallion.”
He nodded. “Ah, now let me see if I remember my early training.” He looked up to the right as though he was trying to find something in the back of his mind. After a few seconds, he smiled. “St. Martin is…the patron saint of…alcoholics?”
I nodded. “Very good.”
He chuckled. “The sisters from Our Lady of Hungary Catholic School in South Bend, Indiana will be proud.”
I stared. “You’re from South Bend? I’m from Lighthouse Dunes.”
He smiled bigger. “Nice to meet a fellow Hoosier. What brings you down to Chattanooga?”
I sighed. “It’s a long story.”
He held up a hand. “I don’t mean to pry.”
“No, it isn’t that. It’s …well, let’s just say, I came looking for my ‘happy place.’”
He nodded. “I like that. I hope you found it.”
I nodded. “What brings you to Chattanooga?”
He stretched out his legs. “A combination of things. The weather, a desire to be closer to my grandchildren and…I guess, a call to be helpful.”
“I would think ministers are helpful wherever they are,” Dixie said.
He was silent for a moment. “You’re right, of course, but I used to be a chaplain in the military.” He gazed into space as though looking back in time. “When you’re involved in life and death situations on a daily basis, it gets…well, you feel useful.” He chuckled. “I guess, you could say I got bored ministering to a congregation. Christenings, baptisms, marriages and visiting the sick…well, it is important work, but…”
I smiled. “But a bit dull.”
He nodded. “Here, I pray with people who are fighting life and death situations each and every day. I feel…useful.”
We chatted a bit longer and then he stood up. “I’ve taken up enough of your time. There’s a Catholic priest, Father Lee, who ministers here too. I’ll let him know about Mrs. Huntington.” He shook our hands and whispered, “And, I’ll say a prayer for her too.”
He left.
As we were leaving, we saw Mary and Fergus Kilpatrick getting off the elevator. I was in no mood to argue with Fergus about Rex, so Dixie and I hightailed it in the opposite direction. At the end of the hall, we ran into Reverend Taylor coming out of a patient’s room.
He started to smile but froze when he saw me. “Is something the matter? Mrs. Huntington hasn’t taken a turn for the worse already?”
I shook my head. “No, but I wonder if I could trouble you to do a favor for me.”
“Of course.”
“This is going to sound terrible, and I’m sorry that I can’t explain it, but there are two people who are going to see Mrs. Huntington. I don’t trust them. Would you make sure that they aren’t left alone with her?”
Reverend Taylor gazed into my eyes for several seconds and then nodded. “I promise.”
“Thank you.”
He hurried down to Mrs. Huntington’s room and I picked up my cell and called Red.
Chapter 18
Convincing Red that Mrs. Huntington needed security was challenging. Although that wasn’t surprising considering I had no valid reason for my suspicions other than the fact that Mary and Fergus Kilpatrick creeped me out. Ultimately, he promised to ‘see what he could do.’
I hung up and stared at Dixie. “Do you think we should go back? We could take turns sitting with her.”
Dixie waved away my concerns with a flip of her hand as she backed out of the hospital parking lot. “No need. I’m sure Red will have someone down there shortly.”
I glanced at her, wishing I had her confidence. “What makes you so certain?”
She smiled. “We’re talking about the man who left his required TBI training in the wilderness in the middle of the night because you thought you saw a mur
der on a pet cam. Then he drove another two hours because, when no body was found, you got upset.”
I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that I was blushing. I could feel the heat moving up my neck. “He’s a good man with a kind heart.”
She laughed. “Yes, he is. Plus, he happens to be crazy about you.”
I grinned but quickly stopped. “You don’t think I’m taking advantage of his feelings for me, do you?”
“You’re not using him for your own selfish purposes. You’re trying to save a woman’s life.” She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. “Two men are already dead, and one person is badly injured.” She sighed. “Red isn’t stupid nor is he a wimp. He won’t do anything he doesn’t want or need to do. He’s also got to know that your instincts have been bang on in the past. If there’s the slightest chance someone pushed Mrs. Huntington down those stairs, then he has to do whatever it takes to make sure they don’t get an opportunity to finish the job.”
“I wish I had some proof other than a feeling.”
Dixie reached across and patted my leg. “Stop worrying about it. Give your little gray cells something else to think about and eventually the pieces will all fall into place.”
Thirty minutes later, I got a text from Red stating that a policeman was on watch outside of Catherine Huntington’s room. I breathed a sigh of relief. Red was a good man.
I turned to Dixie. “Do we have time to swing by the mall? There’s a dress I want to pick up.”
When I got home, I let the dogs outside to take care of their business. Stephanie had already left for dinner and a movie with Eli. So, I showered and dressed for dinner with Red.
When I opened the door, his reaction was more than I could have wished. He stared and was silent for several seconds.
“Wow. You look…wow!”
I smiled. “Glad you like it.”
“Like it? I love it…I mean…WOW. You look fantastic, but…are we going someplace special?” He glanced down at his dark washed jeans, white shirt and leather jacket. “Do I need to go home and put on a suit?”