Daisy tried to explain. “So you see,” she finished, “this is my own clumsy fault. If you’ll grab a garbage bag from under the sink, I’ll clean up while you look after Rebecca’s grandmother. There’s so much glass I’m afraid to move very far.”
While they were talking, a police car pulled into the driveway behind the limousine, and a uniformed officer climbed out.
“My replacement.” Corporal Phillips sounded relieved. “His timing could’ve been better. Darn. I was looking forward to those hot dogs. They’re done to perfection.” He kissed the tips of his fingers and made a smacking sound as he turned to kneel beside the older woman.
“Invite him, too.” Daisy mopped at the blood, which seemed to be oozing faster. “This isn’t my day,” she muttered as Rebecca chased Pipsqueak through the house, dog yapping, girl squealing.
“Stop!” Daisy and Corporal Phillips commanded simultaneously.
Rebecca and terrier froze in midstride. Flailing her arms, the child lost her balance and tripped over the woman who blocked the kitchen door. “Grandmother Wyatt?” Rebecca said, aghast. Then she noticed Daisy’s bloody foot. “Oh, no! Did the bad man come back? You promised the police would keep him, Daisy.”
“They did, honey. I dropped the salad.” She sighed. “Please, will someone see to Mrs. Wyatt?” she begged.
Apparently lured by the noise, the limo driver got out and tagged after Corporal Phillips’s replacement. “Does the lady in gray know my meter’s still running?” the driver demanded. No one answered.
Phillips’s replacement wove his way past both of them. His shiny black boots crunched through glass and salad. The instant he saw Officer Phillips kneeling over a body on the floor, his weapon drawn, he, too, whipped out his revolver.
Mrs. Wyatt woke up in the middle of that and promptly swooned again. There was no other word for it, Daisy thought; the woman even fainted elegantly.
“Cut!” Daisy ordered. “Everyone just hold it right there. Corporal Phillips, holster that gun and get me a garbage bag. You—” she pointed to the second man with the badge “—ditto with the firearm. Rebecca, sweetie, you hang on to Pipsqueak and sit down over there on the couch until I get this glass cleaned up. And you… Wesley—” she read the name embroidered on the limo driver’s uniform “—cool your heels until the lady who hired you comes to.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said meekly. “If you want, I could lend a hand. No extra charge,” he added hastily.
“That’d be nice,” she said politely as she reached around him and accepted the plastic bag from Phillips. Daisy wanted to laugh at the way everyone had obeyed her. She wished she’d known before how easy it was to take charge. This was more like it. Smooth and orderly.
Experience should have taught her, however, that the calm always comes before the storm. Her idyll ended when the back door crashed open and Sal Coletti bellowed her name, followed by “Hurray for Friday night, doll face. Storm’s a comin’. Time to party.”
Rolling her eyes, Daisy tossed the garbage bag down and threw up her hands. Not thinking, she stepped forward and landed squarely on a jagged piece of broken - glass. Pain shot up her leg. The room and everything in it suddenly blanked from her visual screen.
DAISY AWOKE staring at the spackled ceiling of the emergency room. She’d recognized it when she saw the water mark around the light fixture. It was the same room where Temple had been treated for his gunshot. Groaning at the pain in her foot, Daisy recalled Mrs. Wyatt and the glass.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” She struck her forehead with her palm. “How could I do something so dumb?” She struggled to a sitting position and blinked at the huge bandage covering her left foot. They even had it propped on a pillow.
“Hey, where is everyone?” No sooner had the question left her lips than a clean-cut man in a suit and tie strolled through the door.
As he came closer, Daisy saw that he wore a small ruby stud in one earlobe.
She almost fell off the bed in surprise. It was Daniel Coletti. Daniel with his hair cut flat on top and short over his ears. Clean-shaven as a banker.
“Who died?” she gasped. Then she caught her breath. The way things had gone lately, someone might well have. But not Temple—they’d taken him off restriction. Hadn’t they? He was on the mend. Wasn’t he? Her heart tripped up into her throat.
Laughing, Daniel held up his arms and did a slow circular waltz step until he reached her bed. “Whaddaya think, babe—er, Daisy?”
“If no one died, you must be getting married. Tell me it’s not Lori Gilbert. You deserve better, Daniel.”
“I deserve you, sweet thing, but since you won’t have me, I’m going to work for Temple Wyatt at his resort in Lisbon. I leave in two weeks, so I’ve gotta clean up my act. What you see is the new me.”
Nothing could have shocked Daisy more. “Now tell me another one,” she teased, trying to sit up and swing her legs off the examining table. At once a pain shot from her heel to her knee. “Ow, ow, ow.” She bit back something unladylike and carefully moved her foot back to the pillow. Slumping, she closed her eyes. Maybe they’d given her pain medication, and this was all a hallucination.
“You okay, Daisy?” Daniel said solicitously. “The big man sent me to see. Said he heard a rumor over on the ward. There’s more gossip floating around this place than we get on the docks. Hot damn, babe, did you really throw a bowl of salad at old lady Wyatt?”
“I did nothing of the kind, Daniel Coletti,” Daisy gasped. “Just what ‘big man’ is spreading such a lie?”
“Wyatt. But he’s not spreading the rumor, doll. He heard it.”
“Well, you tell him…” She paused, her eyes narrowing. “Oh, for cripe’s sake. When did you start being his errand boy? I thought you two couldn’t stand each other.”
Daniel waved a hand breezily and pulled up a chair. “I been trying to tell you, babe. All that’s changed. It started when the police called and asked Sal to meet them this afternoon in Wyatt’s hospital room. To take a look at some mug shots. Sal’s wheels crapped out again, so bein’ a nice guy, I agreed to give him a lift. Well, when we get upstairs to Wyatt’s room, the man’s on the phone to his resort in Portugal. Somebody’d quit and left him in a bind. When he hangs up, he asks, sort of joking, if either of us wanna go work in Lisbon. Says he needs a boat captain to handle a two-masted sailboat—to take rich dames on shopping trips to towns along the coast. Only Wyatt didn’t call ‘em dames. I say to myself, Daniel, old boy, if this offer’s for real, it’s the chance of a lifetime.” He grinned and did his version of a soft shoe. “Here you see it, doll. Shave and a haircut, six bits.”
For a few seconds Daisy gaped. Finally it dawned on her that he was telling the truth, and she felt a lump clog her throat. Shrimping wouldn’t be the same without Daniel. And this was too many changes to take in all at once. “What about your boat?” she asked when she was able to get the words out around the lump.
“I sold it to Sal.” Daniel’s voice sounded thick, too. “Who knows? If this gig works out for me, maybe he’ll come visit and decide to stick around. According to Wyatt, a guy can make a good living teaching tourists how to bodysurf and stuff. Don’t you think Sal would be good with kids and old ladies?”
“Couldn’t you do the same thing here?” Daisy asked a little wistfully. “Wyatt’s building a resort on the Island, you know.”
“I got the fever to travel. Besides, everybody on the docks knows you’re in love with Wyatt. It’s gettin’ hard to keep from punchin’ ‘em out, if you know what I mean.”
Daisy started to object, but swallowed her words because she knew what Daniel said was true. She did love Temple Wyatt. Unfortunately he didn’t love her in return. Trying to conceal her emotions, she averted her gaze.
“No denial, huh?” he murmured, picking up her hand. After an uncomfortable silence, Daniel leaned over and dropped a light kiss on her forehead. “You make him treat you right, babe. Else, boss or no boss, I’ll take the dude apart fr
om stem to stern. That goes for the old broad, too.”
Daisy almost broke down and told him everything. But why spoil things for Daniel? Anyway, before she could sort out her voice from her tears, he straightened his tie, tossed her a careless wave and strolled out in that cocky way he had.
The doctor walked in almost immediately afterward and caught Daisy blotting away tears. “What’s this? Pain? That was an ugly sliver of glass embedded in your heel, but your pain medication should’ve kicked in by now.”
“I’m all r-right,” she sniffled. “I have so much to do is all, and accidents are just plain senseless.”
“That they are, Miss Sloan. But I still want you to stay off that foot for five days. Any streaks up the leg or any undue swelling, go see your family doctor at once.”
Daisy felt hysteria rise up “Believe me, I will.” She explained what she’d gone through with Temple’s arm. The doctor said her friend had been lucky.
Well, he might have been lucky, but she wasn’t. Temple was leaving Galveston as soon as he could travel. Daisy’s mind refused to dwell on it. “Say, Doctor, will I be able to take a cab home? By the way, how did I get here? I’m sure I didn’t drive “
“By police car. I have a note on the chart that says a Corporal Phillips will be back to get you before he goes off duty at eight. Ah, looks as if he’s here now.” Motioning to the officer whose long shadow filled the doorway, the doctor scribbled a prescription for antibiotics. “I’ll send a nurse to see you out,” he said.
“We’ll stop and get that filled on the way to your place.” Phillips said. “How do you feel? You certainly look better than when I brought you in.”
“Thanks. It’s kind of you to put yourself out for me,” Daisy said listlessly, “but there’s no need. I’m sure you have better things to do. I’ll call a neighbor.”
“Weather bureau says we’ve got a major storm kicking up offshore. Thought I’d batten down the hatches at your house, since the chief pulled your night stake. Hurricane Ella shifted and is heading inland. They expect her to hit Galveston between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m.”
“I haven’t seen a newscast in days. I owe you, Corporal. The doctor told me to stay off my foot, so I will need help with the shutters. Frankly I doubt Mrs. Wyatt’s the type to do second-story ladders.” Her brows puckered.
“Uh—” he toyed with his hat “—the gray lady packed Rebecca’s suitcase and scooted. You should’ve heard the to-do she made over the kid bein’ a little dirty. Come to think of it, probably better you missed it.”
“Do you know where they’re staying? I didn’t get to tell Rebecca goodbye.” Fresh tears spilled down Daisy’s cheeks. “I may not get to now, either, with the storm and all. And I—”
The corporal didn’t let her finish her lament. “Speaking of which, shall we go? Here comes the nurse with a wheelchair and your checkout papers. I’ll let you settle up while I bring my car to the curb.”
Daisy nodded and tried to dredge up a smile, even though she felt as if her whole world had caved in. She’d tried to prepare herself for the Wyatts’ going back to San Francisco, but if the emptiness that gripped her now was any indication, she hadn’t succeeded.
During the drive, Daisy said very little. If Corporal Phillips thought her lack of spirit was caused by more than her injuries, he didn’t let on. She roused herself enough to thank him again when he remembered to stop at the corner drugstore to fill her prescription. She’d slipped further into despair.
“Are you sure you feel well enough to stay by yourself tonight?” Phillips asked as they pulled into her driveway. From the way the treetops bent, it was obvious the wind had risen considerably in the past hour.
Daisy gave his question serious thought. Although her hesitation had nothing to do with the state of her health, but much to do with the state of her emotions. “I’ll be fine,” she said at last. “The ladder that’ll reach the upper shutters is in the boathouse. If you’d throw everything in there that isn’t nailed down, I’d be grateful. By the way, Corporal, has anyone on the force mentioned you’re worth ten Chap Dentons? He doesn’t deserve those sergeant’s stripes. You do.”
The corporal helped her hobble up the porch steps. “Sergeant Denton told me to say he’s sorry for misjudging you.”
“Well, it’s about time.”
“Say, what’s this?” Bending, Phillips picked up a vase of pink rosebuds that had been wedged behind the screen. “Two dozen,” he said. “Crystal vase, too. A lot of ‘I’m sorry’s here,” he joked. “Tell me where you’re going to settle for the night and I’ll put them nearby. Anybody who spends this kind of dough on a lady deserves front row center.”
“They’re beautiful. But it’s not my birthday or anything.” Daisy ran a finger lightly over one pastel bud.
“You did just have a medical emergency,” the corporal reminded her dryly. He might have said more, but a big gust of wind ripped the screen door out of his hands and whapped it against the siding. “Good old Ella’s putting in her two cents’ worth. I suggest you bunk downstairs near the door. Keep the phone and a flashlight close by. Looks like we’re in for a humdinger of a storm.”
Daisy hobbled inside. “I hope Sal lashed down the Lazy Daisy. Come to think of it—” she frowned “—didn’t he walk in just as I did my swan song?” She snapped her fingers. “A party, he said. He didn’t happen to say where it was, did he?”
“Tell a cop a thing like that? No way. Coletti was with a friend, and they followed us to the hospital. I think he felt responsible for you stepping on the glass. But for a big guy, he doesn’t like blood. Left as soon as the doc said you were okay. Hey, I gotta close those shutters. I’ll come back through when I’m done—make sure you’re locked up tight.”
“Thanks,” she muttered, but already her thoughts had slipped back to the roses. Maybe they were from Sal, although they seemed pretty costly for him. No. She recognized the bold scrawl on the envelope. Temple had sent them. Daisy sank into an overstuffed chair that had been in her family for years and rested her aching foot on the matching ottoman. Even then she didn’t open the card right away. She smelled the flowers and admired how they looked against the room’s dark heavy furniture.
She opened the envelope slowly. So many rosebuds suggested at least an “I love you” on the card. As she tugged it out, she held her breath—but she needn’t have. The card wasn’t a declaration of love. It was the standard florist’s get-well wish. Temple had scribbled his name and Rebecca’s at the bottom. He might have been sending it to a stranger.
Daisy tossed the message aside. After all, what had she expected? He’d obviously called down from his hospital room and ordered the flowers from the same shop Rebecca had bought his daisies. She doubted roses meant anything to him. Except as a sophisticated way to give a lady the brush-off.
Or maybe he felt guilty because he suspected he’d stolen her heart. He certainly knew he’d spirited away her best friend. Lisbon was a long way from Galveston on anyone’s map.
At least she still had her pets, she thought as Pipsqueak and Troublemaker hopped up on the chair and snuggled down one on either side of her. These two were good storm barometers. Even if they always hid under the couch during the worst of it. Oh, well, she’d waited out storms alone before.
Corporal Phillips came in through the back, locked up and asked it he could get her anything else before he left.
“Since you asked, I wouldn’t mind having the TV turned on to a news station.”
He did that. “Anything else?”
“No. You take off. I’ve been through hurricanes before.”
“But not as an invalid.”
“Invalid? I take back the nice things I said about you, Corporal.”
He laughed. “Okay, I’m leaving. Don’t open the door to strangers.”
“Yes, Mother.” Daisy rolled her eyes and they both laughed. But what she noticed after he’d left was that the house seemed inordinately quiet Like a tomb, except for the voices of
newscasters who predicted disaster from her TV. Daisy didn’t know why the local station thought they needed to bring on every self-proclaimed expert who’d ever lived through a hurricane. And, of course, every single report was full of references to “the big one.” Anyone who wasn’t scared before, would be after.
She was about to hop across the room and change channels when the phone rang. Daisy grabbed it on the first ring. “Hello,” she said, her voice breathless.
“Daisy?” Temple sounded surprised to hear her voice, or maybe his surprise was at the speed with which she’d answered.
“Temple.” For a moment her voice failed. Then she murmured coolly, “Hey, thanks for the flowers. They’re pretty.” She decided she’d show him she could be as sophisticated as his other rejects. Only the quaver in her voice gave her away.
“Are you all right, Daisy?”
“Couldn’t be better,” she snapped. “Three rooms upstairs still look like a war zone, and the doctor ordered me to stay off my foot for five days.”
“They’re releasing me tomorrow. I’ll come and help. Maybe we can salvage something.” On a soft chuckle he added, “Me with one arm and you with one leg. Should be quite a team, huh?”
Daisy couldn’t help laughing. “Depends on who gets to give the orders.” She felt better already; he had that effect on her.
“Now that sounds more like the Daisy I know. By the way, I heard my mother blew into town. How are you two getting along?” He spoke it casually, but there was an underlying edge to his question.
Her good mood vanished. “As if you didn’t know, she took Rebecca. They left while I was in emergency. I wanted to tell Rebecca goodbye, but maybe this is best. I wouldn’t want to cry and make her feel bad, too “
“What do you mean, took Rebecca? Took her where?”
“To a hotel. Don’t you know?”
“No, dammit. Mother insisted on coming. I told her you had a bedroom we might be able to rent for a few days. I didn’t say anything about a hotel.”
“You mean you didn’t ask her to take Rebecca home?”
The Water Baby Page 23