Hart, Catherine

by Impulsive

  "So you keep saying. Okay, say Johnson is our culprit. We still don't have any evidence to support that assumption. The mysterious duffel bag, if there ever was one, is nowhere to be found. Also missing is this supposedly tainted athlete's foot remedy and Rome's football shoes. Am I correct so far?"

  Jess gave a brisk nod. "Yes. Look, Detective Haggardy, I realize that all this sounds a bit far-fetched, but believe me, it makes a lot more sense than Corey trying to kill Gabe. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to see if I can get an update on Ty and phone Corey."

  Ty was admitted overnight for further observation. In addition to a moderate concussion, he had a smaller bump on his forehead and a few slight abrasions to his right cheek, these apparently sustained in his fall onto the concrete floor. When they had him transferred to a private room and settled for the night, Jess stayed until his medication took effect and he fell asleep. Then, sadly in need of a shower and a change of clothes, she drove herself home to her own apartment.

  No sooner had she stepped into the hall, than the phone rang. Sure it must be either Corey or the hospital calling, Jess ran to answer it. To her dismay, but not surprise, it was her godfather on the other end of the line, with the requisite lecture she had hoped to postpone.

  Without preamble, he commanded, "Jessie, I want you to resign your position as kicker and stay the hell away from the team until all this nonsense stops. It's too dangerous."

  "I can't do that, Tommy. I won't," she replied flatly.

  "Don't argue with me. If anything were to happen to you, your mom would skin me alive."

  "As everyone is so fond of reminding me, I'm a big girl. I can look after myself," she insisted.

  "Face it, Jessie, you have a nose for trouble. For your own well-being, it's time you tucked it back into your own business before you get it snipped off."

  "No can do, Tommy. As I said, it seems that someone, for whatever reason, is deliberately taking aim at team members, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it if it kills me."

  "Which it very well might!" he shouted.

  "Don't yell at me. I know you're concerned, but what kind of reporter would I be if I didn't investigate this? Besides, if it wasn't my business before, it most assuredly is now. Whoever is behind these vicious incidents made it in-my-face personal, first by attacking my friends and now by assaulting Ty tonight. I'm not about to ignore it, Tommy, and let him get away with murder."

  "Damn it, Jess! If you take this as some kind of challenge, you're bound to regret it. Knock off the hot-shot reporter act and use your common sense for once! Leave it to the police, and stay out of it! Consider that an order, young lady!"

  Jess's nerves, stretched to the breaking point along with her temper, snapped. "Stuff it, Tommy. You might mean well, but you're overstepping the godfather role. You have no right to censure me or issue mandates. You're not my father, after all."

  "Maybe not, but I should have been!" he shot back sharply. Before she could assimilate that statement, he abruptly hung up.

  For several seconds, Jess frowned dumbly at the buzzing receiver in her hand, as if some mechanical malfunction had been at fault. Finally, with a confused shake of her head, she slowly replaced it in the cradle. "Whew! What was that all about?"

  As she started to turn away, the blinking red light on her answering machine caught her attention. Deciding whatever was recorded couldn't possibly ruin her day any further, she punched the playback button. There was a short message from her mother, just to touch base. A reminder from her dentist's office that her semiannual checkup and cleaning was due. Corey, asking for the latest update. And a short, succinct threat in a muffled voice, which warned, "You were lucky tonight, and got off easy. Take heed, or you're next, lady."

  Jess stumbled backward, away from the machine, as if it had suddenly grown fangs. She stared at it, aghast, as the tape clicked off and a thick, ominous silence surrounded her. Her brain was reeling with the shock, her heart pounding, her knees turning to Jell-O. Having Tommy rant and rave at her, out of the kindness of his heart, was one thing; receiving a threatening message from an unknown source was another matter entirely. Actually, it scared her spitless!

  Especially when she realized that she was all alone in the apartment—or hoped she was! She'd flipped on one light in the living room as she'd dashed for the phone, but other than that, the place was dark. Moreover, she wasn't sure she'd taken the time to lock the front door behind her. Just then, the furnace kicked on, and the unfamiliar sound in the otherwise quiet apartment nearly made her jump out of her shoes.

  "Get a grip, Jess," she told herself shakily. "You're losing it, girl. You've lived by yourself for years, and it never bothered you before." Still another part of her—the quivering chicken part—reminded her that she'd never received threats via her phone before, either, and was urging her to get out of the apartment. The sooner the better.

  Jess gave in with uncommon haste. She yanked the tape from the answering machine, stuffed it into her jacket pocket, and was fishing for her keys on her way out the door. When her fumbling fingers failed to find them in her pocket, or amid the hodgepodge in her purse, she all but panicked. She turned to retrace her steps through the apartment, soon spotting her keys, still dangling from the outside of the lock. Heaving a sigh of relief, she pulled the door shut and the keys free, and made a mad dash for the car. For the first time in years, she checked the backseat before getting in, launched herself inside, and promptly flipped the locks before fitting the key into the ignition switch.

  She was halfway down the block before the thought occurred to her that she had no idea where she was going. To Ty's place? She had the keys. Back to the hospital? Or to Corey's to spend the night? To Dayton, and her mother's house perhaps? It would only take an hour or so to get there.

  But her mother would take one look at her, her clothes caked with Ty's dried blood, and go into hysterics, so that was out. She had extra clothes at Ty's. She could go there and clean up, but she really didn't want to stay the night by herself, no matter how good security was at the complex. Not tonight. Not without Ty. Corey would put her up, she was sure; but Corey had enough to deal with, and Jess didn't want to add to her friend's burden, or possibly endanger her even more.

  Nervously, she checked in the rearview mirror yet again. Was that car following her, or just heading in the same direction by chance? At the next corner, she ran a yellow light, sped forward and changed lanes three times in the next two blocks, then quickly made a left turn, followed by a right at the corner, and another left. Satisfied at last that if anyone had been tailing her she'd lost them, she drove swiftly to Ty's condo.

  Safe within the security gates, she parked the Trans Am in the garage and scurried into the house before the garage light went out. Within three minutes, armed with Ty's old baseball bat, she'd turned on every light in the house, checked each door and window to make certain they were locked, pulled all the curtains and blinds, and looked under the bed and in the closets for possible intruders. Had she encountered one, she'd likely have been too busy wetting her pants to swing the bat at him.

  Fortunately, the house was empty, and Jess collapsed on the couch, a human heap of jangled nerves. "Okay, calm down, and stop acting like a fidgety female," she instructed herself as she hugged her knees to her chest. "You're perfectly safe." So, why did her stomach feel as if it had turned into a supercharged popcorn popper?

  "Because you're overreacting, you idiot," she deduced aloud. "You haven't had a decent meal all day—a day thoroughly shot to hell from beginning to end—which would make anyone a little raw around the edges. It's just a lousy phone message, for heaven's sake. No more than words, which can't hurt you. Now, pull yourself together and start behaving like an intelligent adult instead of some sniveling scaredy cat."

  Her monologue pep talk left something to be desired. She needed to talk to someone, or failing that, simply to be around other people, where she would feel more secure. That decided, she bounded into the
bedroom and began rifling through the closet and chest of drawers. Not only did she need a change of clothes, but so would Ty. Even if the doctor didn't release him in the morning as planned, he would still need his electric razor, his toothbrush, bathrobe and undies. A set of pajamas wouldn't have been amiss, but the man didn't have a pair to his name—unless she wanted to stop by the mall and buy some for him, which she didn't, since he'd probably refuse to wear them anyway.

  She crammed everything into one small suitcase, his things and hers, shut off most of the lights, and was on her way again, without bothering to shower or change her own attire. She would wash up in the bathroom off Ty's hospital room, and use his phone to call Corey.

  This time Jess drove her own car, preferring the familiarity of it. At least she could be fairly certain she wouldn't stall the darn thing if another unforeseen emergency arose.

  To her surprise, when she arrived at the hospital, there was a uniformed officer standing guard outside Ty's room. "Oh, no!" she declared, running down the hall toward the man. "What's happened?"

  As she tried to push past him, the guard threw out his arm and blocked her entry. "Sorry, ma'am. No visitors allowed."

  "But I just left a little while ago. What's going on? Is Ty all right?"

  "He's fine."

  "I want to see for myself."

  "Are you a family member?"

  "No, I'm his... uh... his..."

  "She's mine, all right," Ty barked from inside the room. "Let her in, or she'll stand out there arguing all night."

  The officer pushed the door open a crack and peered in at Ty. "You sure? I've got orders not to let anyone in there."

  "I'm sure. I sleep with the woman. If she was going to kill me, she's missed dozens of opportunities already."

  Jess squeezed in under the guard's arm. "Kill you? And miss hearing you whistle in the shower? No way. What's with the guard?"

  Ty put a hand to his head. "Lower the volume, babe. My head's already exploding." As she came into the circle of light near the bed, Ty's eyes widened. He stared at her blood-soaked clothes in alarm. "Sweet Lord, Jess! You've been hurt! Officer, get a doctor in here right away!"

  "No, no! I'm fine!" Jess assured him immediately. "It's your blood, not mine. I had your head on my lap, remember?"

  Ty heaved a heartfelt sigh as he relaxed back onto the pillow. "Good grief! You scared the liver out of me!"

  "Yeah? Well, you're both doing wonders for my blood pressure," the guard grumbled. "So, is she staying or what?"

  "I'm staying."

  "She's staying."

  "I'm leaving," the man said. "I'll be right outside the door if either of you needs anything."

  Jess jerked her thumb toward the departing officer. "What's he doing here?"

  "It's a long story," Ty hedged.

  "Give me the condensed version."

  Ty patted the mattress at his side and waited until Jess had seated herself gingerly on the edge. "Haggardy sicced him on me after someone tried to sneak in here and pump my veins full of air."

  Jess's brow wrinkled. "Come again?"

  "I was almost asleep when I heard someone tiptoe into the room. I thought it was probably a nurse, coming to check on me. You know how they keep pestering you when you have a concussion, waking you up periodically and checking your pupils and whatnot?"

  Jess nodded. "Go on."

  "When I felt this hand on my arm, I assumed she was going to take my pulse. Instead, I felt a prick on the inside of my arm, and when I opened my eyes this guy in green scrubs and a surgical mask was standing over me, trying to give me some kind of injection. Don't ask me why, but I knew something wasn't right. I jerked my arm away, but he grabbed it again— roughly, without a word of explanation. So here I am, yelling and trying to fend him off, when a nurse pops in to see what all the fuss is about. She starts firing questions, and the guy runs out of here like his tail is on fire, knocking her to the floor on his way out.

  "Next thing, the whole nursing staff is in an uproar, and Haggardy shows up. Turns out I wasn't supposed to have a shot, and the guy trying to give me one probably wasn't hospital personnel. Furthermore, the syringe he dropped was empty."

  "Empty?" she echoed. "That doesn't make sense."

  "Sure it does." He went on to explain, his expression grim. "An air bubble in your bloodstream can be just as lethal as any drug. Hits your brain or heart, and poof! You're a goner."

  "Oh, my God! He tried to murder you!"

  "That's about the size of it." Ty drew a weary breath. "Hence, the guard at the door."

  "I should never have left," Jess babbled, instantly filled with remorse. She picked up his hand and brought it to her lips, peppering it with kisses. "I should have sat right here and watched over you. Oh, Ty! I'm so sorry!"

  "Hey, I didn't expect you to baby-sit me all night." Ty cradled her cheek in his open palm. "Besides, you're here now, and both of us are alive, if not fit. That's all that counts."

  "Did they catch him?"

  "No. He got away. But at least Haggardy is leaning more toward our theory now."

  Another startling thought occurred to her suddenly. "What about Gabe? Could the killer have gone after him again tonight, too?"

  "Not to worry. We've already covered that base, and Gabe is safe. Our would-be assassin had an easier time getting to me than he would have trying to get into that special unit where Gabe is staying."

  "Thank God you're both okay." Jess was silent a moment, then asked thoughtfully, "How do you know it was a man and not a woman? You said he wore scrubs and a mask."

  "His arms," Ty told her. "They, along with the rest of him, were too big, too muscular, and too hairy to belong to a woman. So were his hands, even inside those rubber gloves."

  "In that case, I take it he didn't leave any fingerprints behind."

  "Astute deduction, my dear Watson. And we're right back to square one again."

  "Maybe. Maybe not." Jess debated telling Ty about the phone message; but his eyelids were drooping, and she figured it would keep until morning. Hopefully, by then they would both be more rested and alert and ready to deal with all their problems. Meanwhile, with a policeman guarding the door, they were both safe and sound for the night. She could even take a shower without having scenes from Psycho flashing through her head.

  She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Go to sleep, sweetheart. I'm going to take a quick shower in your bathroom. Then I'm going to curl up in that big chair in the corner and spend the whole night with you."

  "You could always climb in with me," he countered sleepily. "There's not much room, but we could make do."

  "Not tonight, darling," she told him in a droll voice. "You have a headache."

  CHAPTER 23

  Ty was released from the hospital the next morning, and Jess drove him home to his condo. There, she hovered over him like a mother hen with one lone chick. "Are you hungry? I could fix a sandwich? Or a nice hot bowl of noodle soup?"

  "What I really want is a frothy cup of cappuccino."

  "Ty, you know the doctor said to slow down on the caffeine for a few days. How about some orange juice, instead."

  "Sure. Why not?"

  "Shouldn't you be lying down?"

  "Shouldn't you be heading off to practice?" Ty countered. "Coach Danvers is liable to have a fit if both of us skip out."

  Jess brushed his comment aside. "What will it matter if I kick twenty goals today or thirty tomorrow? If I don't know how to do it by now, I might as well hang up my cleats."

  All morning Jess had delayed telling Ty about the message on her answering machine, but with Detective Haggardy due at any moment to question Ty further about the attempt at the hospital, she figured she might as well spill the beans now.

  "Uh, Tyler?"

  The minute she called him Tyler instead of Ty, he knew something was up. "Yes?"

  "Last night, I went home to change my clothes, and I found an odd message on my answering machine. Sort of a threat, actually," she
admitted. "At least it sounded like one to me."

  He eyed her sternly. "And you're just now getting around to informing me of this? Who was it? What did they say?"

  "The voice was so muffled, I couldn't begin to guess who it was. I can't even be sure if the caller was male or female, but I suspect it's a man. He said, and I quote, 'You were lucky tonight, and got off easy. Take heed, or you're next, lady.' I have the tape, if you want to hear it for yourself."

  "Under the circumstances, I'd classify that as a threat," Ty concurred. "And I ought to beat your butt for not telling me sooner. Is there anything else you want to confess while you're at it? Anything more you've been keeping under your hat?"

  "No, and the only reason I didn't tell you last night is because we already had so much happening, and I figured this could keep until today, when we were both thinking more clearly."

  "By 'tonight,' I suppose the caller was referring to last night, at the stadium?" Ty presumed.

  "I assume so," Jess agreed, "especially since it was the last message on the tape, recorded after one from Corey wanting an update on your condition—and you were fine before then. Besides, I'd just checked my machine the day before and erased all the previous messages."

  "Play it for me. Maybe I'll recognize the voice."

  Ty didn't recognize the voice, but he insisted that Jess let Detective Haggardy listen to it when he came. Haggardy surprised both of them by taking the threat seriously, rather than simply dismissing it out of hand.

  "I hate to admit it, but I think you two just might be onto something. I'd like to take the tape and have one of our lab men analyze it, if you don't mind. If nothing else, he may be able to tell us for sure if it's a man who made that call, and maybe pick up some other clues like background noises that aren't clear to us now. We're also attempting to locate Dr. Johnson, since last night's attack on Tyler would appear to have been made by someone with some medical knowledge, and thus tie in with your suspicions about him."

  "His address should be on file at the Knights' office, if nowhere else," Ty offered helpfully.