Strands of Truth

by Colleen Coble

  Good. He was distracted and might not notice them creeping up on him. Ridge moved to the left of the building with as little noise as possible. The shadow that was Scott moved to the right, and the guard didn’t seem to notice until he froze and tipped his head as though listening.

  Ridge tensed. Was that a scream from inside the building? His heart kicked in his chest, and he crept to his side of the building even though he couldn’t see the guard any longer. The small window was high off the ground, and he had to stand on his toes to peer in the window. He spotted Harper right off. She was backed into a corner by two women, though she waved a scalpel. He didn’t recognize the younger woman, but he recognized the doctor as Elizabeth.

  He had to get inside. This window was too small, but maybe there was another way in. Scott could handle the guard. Ridge crept around to the back, but there was no door there or on the other side. They’d have to take out the guard and go through the front door. He sidled along the right side of the building until he nearly bumped into Scott.

  “We have to get in. Now,” he whispered. “I’ll create a diversion, and you take him down.”

  Scott nodded, and Ridge looked around for a large rock. There. He grabbed one out from under an oak tree, then heaved it into the woods with all his might. He quickly seized a large tree branch and held it ready like a bat.

  The guard’s steps thundered their way, and they quickened as he neared the tree line. “Who’s there? Show yourself or I’ll shoot.”

  Scott brought up his gun. “Police! Get your hands up!”

  Ridge coiled his muscles when the guard uttered an expletive and whirled with his gun in his hand. Ridge stepped past Scott and swung the branch with all his might. It connected with the guard’s wrist, and his gun went flying. The guard glanced from Ridge to Scott, then took off at a quick run and disappeared into the forest.

  “I’ll go after him,” Scott said. “You get Harper.”

  Ridge bounded for the door and threw it open. The women approaching Harper must have thought the guard had come to help them because they didn’t stop stalking toward Harper.

  “This is over! The police are here and more are coming.”

  The nurse’s scalpel clattered to the floor, and she turned to face him with a dismayed expression. “It was all her fault.” She pointed at Elizabeth.

  Elizabeth turned with the scalpel still in her hand. “No, no, you can’t stop this. It’s too important. Tom will die without her liver. I have to save him.”

  She whirled back toward Harper with the scalpel raised, and Ridge vaulted toward her. He hit her in the back, and they both flew two feet before they hit the wall. Elizabeth was twisted under him. He tried to get up and bring her with him, but her eyes narrowed and she struggled to jab him in the neck with the scalpel.

  The blade slid into his neck, and blood ran down his skin to his chest. She raised the scalpel to stab him again.

  “No!” Harper moved quickly to grab the older woman’s wrist. She twisted Elizabeth’s hand until the scalpel clattered onto the concrete floor.

  Elizabeth sagged and tears leaked from her eyes. “You’ve ruined everything—you’ve sentenced Tom to death.” She ripped off the surgical mask and huddled in a ball in the corner while she continued to wail.

  Ridge had never seen a better sight than Harper as she moved toward him. Her face was white and her hair was in disarray, but she’d never looked more beautiful.

  “We need to stop the bleeding.” She grabbed gauze from a stainless-steel tray and pressed it against his neck. “It’s not too bad.”

  “I’m not hurt much.” He took her in his arms, and she nestled against his chest as though she’d been made for that exact spot. And maybe she was. “I thought I’d lost you,” he murmured against her sweet-smelling hair. “Thank God you’re all right.”

  His embrace tightened around her, and she wrapped her arms around him as though she’d never let him go. And he hoped she never would.

  41

  Hospital personnel had whisked Harper off to be checked out the minute the ambulance brought her in. Ridge had been sent in another direction to get stitches, and as a nurse wheeled Harper to an exam room, she saw Mr. Kennedy brought in by stretcher from another ambulance. His color was nearly orange as they rushed past with him to another room.

  His wife was nowhere to be found since she’d been taken into custody as police cars poured onto the property. Harper tried to listen to determine what was going on, and her pulse stuttered when she heard one of the nurses say he wasn’t going to make it. His liver had failed.

  Once her blood had been drawn and she felt less wobbly, Harper slid off the exam table and opened her door. His exam room across the hall stood open, and she saw him on a table hooked to equipment. His eyelids fluttered, so at least she knew he was alive. This might be the only opportunity she had to talk to her father.

  Her father.

  It felt surreal to know his face and name after all these years. She cast a glance down both directions of the hall, then darted out of her room and into his. She pulled the door shut behind her and approached him.

  She touched his hand. “Mr. Kennedy.”

  His eyes opened, and he looked up at her. A smile lifted the corners of his lips, and a cough wracked his body. His breath wheezed through his chest, and his color was awful. She didn’t know how he could look so bad and still be living.

  “Hello, Mr. Kennedy. I-I’m your daughter. Harper.”

  His shaky hand reached up and touched a wisp of her hair. “Beautiful like your mother. So sorry, little girl. Should have left Liz a long time ago. Never meant for her to hurt you.”

  “Did you know she killed Judy and my mother?”

  He wheezed again, and a coughing spasm left him gasping. He blinked watery blue eyes. “Thought maybe. Didn’t want to know though.”

  The door opened, and a nurse stepped inside. “What are you doing in here? The doctor is looking for you.”

  “This is my father. I wanted to see him for a minute.”

  The nurse fixed her with a disapproving stare. “You can come back later. The doctor is in your room.”

  “I’ll be back.” She went across the hall to join the doctor.

  “There you are. I have your test results. You’re a very lucky lady. The drug administered to you would likely have killed you if you’d gotten even a little bit more of it. You say Dr. Kennedy planned to take your liver and give it to her husband?”

  “That’s right. He’s my father, and he needs a new liver from a relative because of certain parameters in his body according to her.”

  “She had to have realized he couldn’t survive the surgery. He’s much too weak.”

  “I could tell he’s in bad shape. How long is he expected to live?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. His son is on his way, and perhaps he will tell you what he knows. He and Dr. Kennedy are the only ones I’m authorized to share information with.”

  “Of course.” She hesitated. “As I mentioned when I was brought in, I’m pregnant. Would this drug harm my baby?”

  He winced. “It does increase the risk of miscarriage. Have you had any spotting or cramps?”

  She put her hand on her stomach. “No, I’ve been feeling fine.”

  “How far along are you?”

  “I had an embryo transfer over two weeks ago.”

  “So we’d call that a four-week gestation. That’s too early for an ultrasound to check for a heartbeat.” He touched her shoulder. “Try not to worry and check with your obstetrician in a couple of weeks. An ultrasound should set your mind at ease.”

  “I’ll do that, thanks. Can I see my father again?”

  He hesitated, then gave a slow nod. “It might be a good idea.”

  Her chest squeezed because she realized what he was saying. There wasn’t much time left. She followed him out of the room and across to her father’s room.

  Eric stood beside his father and had his hand on T
om’s shoulder. “Dad?”

  The alarms began to go off, and the doctor leaped into action. Harper backed out of the room and stood there as Eric was shooed out as well and two nurses and another doctor flew in to assist. The door shut, and Harper backed away to lean against the wall.

  Tears tracked down Eric’s face. “He’s not going to make it.”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  He looked at her then, really looked at her. “Is it true that Dad is your father?”

  She nodded. “Your mother wanted to steal my liver to give to your dad. He has another daughter as well.” She told him about Annabelle and what had happened to her.

  Eric clasped his hands together and paced the floor, shaking his head. “I can’t believe Mom would do this.”

  Harper hesitated. This was all going to come out. “It appears likely she killed my mother and Annabelle’s mother as well. She was determined not to lose your dad.” And this guy was her half brother. It was hard to wrap her head around.

  Eric winced. “I was their only child, and I often felt like an intruder. Mom loved him beyond all reason. I went into politics and thought maybe she’d finally be proud of me. I shouldn’t have bothered.” His gaze bored into her. “I vandalized your pen shell beds. I’m sorry for that. Causes like the Native American burial grounds get me fired up. I’d like to make amends.”

  “It’s okay. I’m going to move them.”

  “I’d like to help.”

  “And I’ll accept your help. Thank you.”

  Elizabeth might never be convicted of the murders, but she’d go to jail for Harper’s attempted murder, and Eric’s life would never be the same. Elizabeth and her cohorts had been arrested, but Harper couldn’t help worrying about her kidnapper’s little boy. What would happen to him?

  Harper heard Ridge call her name and turned to see him walking toward her down the hall. A white bandage was on his throat, but he looked good—really good.

  She went to him, and he opened his arms. They had so much to talk about, but right now she just wanted his arms around her.

  * * *

  The two days since Harper had been rescued were hectic for Ridge with arrangements for his father’s funeral. He stood just inside the door half an hour before the mourners were due to arrive. He hadn’t wanted to see his father’s body, so it would be closed casket. His dad would have wanted it that way too.

  Flowers filled the large church, and the cloying scent made his head ache. Or maybe it was the pain in his heart when he thought about his dad.

  He scratched at the stitches on his neck, then tugged at the tie strangling him. His gaze followed Harper as she approached the closed casket and touched the spray of roses atop it.

  This would be a hard day for all of them. His sister would be here any moment, and he hoped Willow stayed as soft to Harper as she’d seemed to be the other night.

  They still hadn’t talked about the future. He couldn’t find the words yet while he was dealing with his dad’s murder. Elizabeth had arranged for Dad’s murder because of the investigation into Harper’s parentage. The private eye had called back and confirmed he’d told Dad the details. It was all going to come out, and Elizabeth had been desperate to prevent it.

  So many people dead because of one woman’s obsession. Even if she’d taken Harper’s liver, her husband would have died. Tom had never come out of liver failure the night of the rescue, and Eric was planning his father’s funeral as well. Elizabeth would likely never get out of prison.

  Harper walked back to join him by the door. She looked beautiful with her dark-red hair in an updo. She wore an aqua dress that deepened the color of her eyes and showed off her long legs. But those eyes were shadowed with pain, and he knew she missed Dad as much as he did. He’d been a rock for her, and she had to feel adrift.

  He took her hand. “You finally found your dad only to lose him. I’m sorry.”

  Her fingers tightened around his. “He wasn’t much of a father, not even to Eric, I think. And he suspected his wife had killed his mistresses, yet he’d never done anything about it. He didn’t even leave her. Oliver had more strength in his little finger than Tom did in his whole body.” She looked up at him with tears shimmering in her eyes. “We’re always going to miss Oliver. I keep wanting to call him and tell him something, and then I remember he’s gone.”

  “Me too.” He swallowed down the lump in his throat. “We haven’t talked, and we need to.”

  “But not today.” Her gaze went back to the casket. “Today is about Oliver. He left you an awesome legacy of courage. And me too. I wouldn’t be the same person if Oliver hadn’t rescued me.”

  Ridge still hadn’t let go of her hand, and he raised it to his lips. “I’m glad he did too. And I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate him more. I want to emulate the way he loved other people. He was always thinking of others. I get way too busy and don’t even notice. He wasn’t perfect, but who is?”

  Her gaze returned to him, and she nodded. “I hope we can continue his legacy.”

  “I have some ideas about that I want to talk to you about when this is over.”

  “Okay.” She glanced over his shoulder toward the door. “Your sister is here. Your mom too.”

  He turned and waved to them. Maybe the first place to change would be with his own family. He needed to turn the other cheek and learn to love past slights and disagreements.

  42

  Though Ridge had said he wanted to talk to Harper, there had been no time in the past two weeks. She had found a place to move her mollusk beds, far from the burial grounds. It felt like the right thing to do in case she was intruding on history. She was beginning to have some morning sickness, but as long as she made sure she had plenty of protein, she wasn’t miserable.

  The flutters in her stomach as she sat in the waiting room weren’t from morning sickness. Today she’d get a glimpse of her baby and make sure everything was all right after her ordeal. She’d been tense and worried about it since she’d been given the anesthetic, but there’d been no sign of any problems. That wasn’t foolproof though. Her baby could have died, and she just hadn’t miscarried yet. She’d heard stories that kept her from relaxing.

  Other women were waiting, too, some wearing tense expressions and others laughing and kidding with their husbands. She wasn’t the only woman here by herself, but she wished she wasn’t facing this alone. If Sara had been available, Harper would have asked her to come with, but her friend was getting the final fitting on her wedding dress today.

  She caught sight of a familiar shock of dark hair passing the plate-glass window. Ridge? She half rose as he walked into the office, then sank back down as he came toward her. She drank in the sight of him in a royal-blue shirt and jeans.

  “What are you doing here?” she whispered as he sat beside her.

  He clasped her hand in his. “I didn’t want you to do this alone.”

  “How’d you know where I was?”

  “Sara, of course. You should have told me.”

  “It’s been a busy time, and I didn’t want to bother you.” While he’d been sweet and kind to her, they hadn’t had a private conversation about what he was thinking. Did he see a future with her, or was he just being a friend?

  A nurse called her name, and Harper fumbled to her feet. Ridge followed her through the inner door and back to the ultrasound room.

  The tech greeted them with a smile and directed her to climb onto the table. She pointed out a chair to Ridge. “Feel free to pull that wherever you want it so you can see the screen, too, Daddy.”

  Harper gulped, but it didn’t seem the right time to contradict the tech as she directed Harper to disrobe from the waist down. She gulped again and looked at Ridge, who quickly backed out of the room with the tech. This might be a bit embarrassing.

  She yanked off her shorts and pulled the paper sheet over her. “I’m ready,” she called.

  Ridge came into the room first, and the tech followed him. He lean
ed down and whispered in her ear, “Don’t be embarrassed. I’ll watch the screen, and I won’t look your way.”

  Her face went hot, but she managed to mouth thank you before the tech moved into place. She lifted the sheet. “Let’s see what we’ve got here.” She began to move the ultrasound wand around.

  Harper squinted at the screen, which was just black-and-white blobs to her. She didn’t know what she was looking for.

  “There’s your baby.” The tech pointed out a black space that held a small circular C-shape. “And there’s the heartbeat! See that fast little flicker? Everything looks good.” She hit a button. “I’m printing it off for you.”

  Tears flooded Harper’s eyes, and she pulled the sheet back up. Her gaze never left that tiny baby nestled comfortably in her womb.

  She was going to be a mother. It seemed almost impossible to believe. Ridge’s warm brown eyes were smiling with his lips, and he was watching the screen as well.

  “Can you tell the gender yet?” he asked.

  “No, it’s much too soon,” the tech said. “She needs to be at least sixteen weeks before we can tell that. But everything seems fine. You appear to be about six weeks along.” She handed Harper a handful of paper towels. “You can clean off the gel with these and get dressed. Congratulations.”

  Ridge winked at Harper and followed the tech from the room. Still in a daze, Harper cleaned off the gel and pulled on her shorts and sandals. When she exited the room, she found Ridge standing in the hall by the door. He was staring at the printout of the baby.

  He looked up when the door opened and handed her the picture. “There’s your little one. It’s hard to believe we got a glimpse of life like that. I’m glad I was here.”

  “So am I.”

  He hadn’t said our little one, and a heaviness descended on her shoulders. If he loved her and wanted to be part of her life, wouldn’t he have said something by now?

  * * *