Eye of the Storm

by Hannah Alexander

  Kirstie closed her eyes and nodded. “It’s possible,” she whispered. “Or it could be possible that while I was in an altered state of consciousness I remembered the wrong thing and may have told the wrong person, and now I’m in danger.”

  “Oh, Kirstie. But here in Jolly Mill?”

  The watery eyes opened again. Kirstie nodded.

  “You’re saying you think Mara could have been murdered?”

  “I’m just saying we’re not immune here any more than any other place on Earth.”

  “But you have nothing more concrete?”

  Kirstie shook her head. “All I can remember is that part of me is convinced it’s something real. I keep getting this vague impression of a circle, but that could just be my mind telling me I’m going around in circles,” she said dryly.

  “Mara was found near the arched section at the bottom of the mill where the mill wheel turns. It has a somewhat circular entryway, and the mill wheel, of course, is circular. Could that be what you’re remembering?”

  Kirstie spread her hands. “I wish I knew. I want to know the results of those tests as soon as you get them, but I don’t want anyone else to know you took them.”

  “Okay. I’ll do it.”

  Some of the color returned to Kirstie’s face. “Thank you. I know how much it’ll cost you. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me and I’m in denial about these blackouts,” Kirstie said, “but I can’t take the chance, not if there really is something wicked happening in Jolly Mill. If no one knows you’ve taken my case, then you’ll be safer. As for Gerard, he can’t be the bad guy because he isn’t even from here. I’ve suspected for years that my husband was befriending Lawson because of the money.”

  “You’re no dummy.”

  “Lynley told me what Mara said the night you two saw her.”

  Megan’s movements froze. “What did she tell you?”

  Kirstie looked at her. “Don’t you remember?”

  Megan nodded.

  “So what did Mara say?”

  Megan’s throat was suddenly dry when she swallowed. “I’d rather you tell me.”

  “She asked Lynley where Barry was because he’d dumped her like an orange peel.”

  “Oh, no,” Megan whispered. “Why would she tell you that?”

  “She simply told me the truth. It was a burden too heavy for her to bear alone.”

  “You remember the words so clearly,” Megan said.

  “It isn’t something a woman forgets.”

  “Mara was drunk. I told Lynley not to listen to her.”

  “Mara was dead the next morning, and you know how that affected Lynley. Of course, Barry had come in late the night before.”

  Megan packed the tubes of Kirstie’s blood and filled out the order forms for testing, then slid the whole packet into the wide side pocket of the scrub pants Kirstie wore. Would the blood have stories to tell? Had Barry suddenly gotten greedy?

  Megan looked at Kirstie, and the expression of betrayal in her eyes said she could be thinking the same thing.

  “If we divorced, he wouldn’t get any of the money. If I died, he’d get it all,” Kirstie whispered.

  SEVEN

  Feeling self-conscious about the package in her pocket, Kirstie followed closely behind Megan into the waiting room to a chattering committee of five. Gerard—all six feet three inches of him—sat between Lynley and Carmen, and the three of them faced Nora and Alec.

  Everyone stopped talking and looked up at Kirstie.

  It didn’t look as if Alec was overjoyed by Gerard’s presence, and Kirstie couldn’t blame him. Alec had grown into a handsome and intelligent young man, but he did still have a marriage license hanging over his head without the benefit of a wife, and no married man would ever have the opportunity to come between Gerard and Megan—not if Gerard had anything to say about it.

  Megan stiffened beside her, and Kirstie gave her a sideways glance. Ah. Yes. Megan confronted with the only two men she’d ever loved. Of course, she was only a kid when she was dating Alec, but puppy love could be a powerful emotion. She’d grieved for a full year over their breakup after she and Lynley went away to college.

  Carmen appeared to have taken Gerard under her maternal wing. A little too closely. Nora beamed at Gerard as if he’d just agreed to run for office on the Nora Thompson ticket.

  Kirstie Marshal, shame on you!

  What had they all been discussing before the grand entrance?

  Gerard stood up. “Kirstie? Everything okay?”

  “Good as new.” Kirstie’s voice held not a hint of a tremble, and she prayed everyone would be too distracted by the hideous mudpack in her hair to take note of the square package partially hidden by the hem of her scrub top.

  She glanced again at Megan and suppressed a grin. The poor girl couldn’t get her mind around the room. The whole room. It not only contained two men she probably hadn’t wanted to ever see together, but it also held her close friends, who she certainly did not want to deceive. Kirstie would have to do some more convincing, it was obvious. Or ask Gerard to do it for her.

  “I trust introductions have been made?” Kirstie said, taking over the conversation. “If not, Gerard—”

  “We’ve met and had a lively discussion.” Nora’s husky voice filled the room with her presence as she stepped to Kirstie’s side and reached for her hair. To her credit, she didn’t react to the fishy smell. “Kirs, I simply must introduce you to my hair stylist. He’s the best, and could he ever do something with this mop.”

  Kirstie chuckled and swatted her friend’s hand away. “Even my cats could improve this mop, and I’m not driving farther than Monett for my haircuts. Jenni’s an artist with my hair. Now, let’s see who’s going to have the honor of taking me home so I can become human again.”

  Nora leaned forward to lay an arm around Kirstie. “My car’s outside at your service.”

  For a moment, Kirstie hesitated. How comforting it would be to just let go and allow Nora to take care of everything the way she usually did. But even Nora needed to be protected from this.

  “Goodness, no.” Kirstie grinned at her oldest friend. “I’m sure you have gourmet treats to deliver, and I need a big, strong man who can run me down if I get out of line, and Nora, even you can’t run in those heels.”

  “Nonsense.” Nora eyed the bandages and booties on Kirstie’s feet. “I didn’t just rip my feet into hamburger like you apparently did. If need be I’ll put a leash on you.”

  Gerard smiled and stepped to the women with a wink at Megan. “I’ll do the honors, ladies, if you don’t mind.”

  Kirstie studied the man. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he owned the town. He had the confidence and grace of a man much older. Self-assurance was something Megan had struggled with as a teenager and probably still did from time to time. With Gerard, it seemed he was in his element wherever he went, not just in the state of Texas.

  When Kirstie glanced at her daughter and saw that even Lynley didn’t protest his offer, she had no further doubts about Megan’s man.

  “I need to get to work,” Lynley said. “Thanks, Mr. Vance.”

  Kirstie hobbled from beneath Nora’s half-embrace, trying not to wince with the pain. “Thanks, Gerard, I accept. I want to hear how that rescue mission of yours is doing without you today. Our Megan can be so close-mouthed about herself, but I know she must be truly missed.”

  “You can’t imagine how much.” Without missing a beat, Gerard held his arm for Kirstie to grasp, nodded to the others, glanced at Megan. “Come and fill me in, Doc. Tell me about any damage I need to watch for.”

  Kirstie turned to glance at Megan, who followed the two of them out the door, her pretty brown eyes pensive. She didn’t appear surpris
ed by the tender care with which Gerard treated Kirstie. He’d likely helped Megan in the mission clinic plenty of times.

  “Don’t worry, Lynley,” he called over his shoulder as the door swung shut behind them. “I’ll take good care of her.”

  “She found no evidence of a concussion,” Kirstie informed Gerard. “And as I told Megan, I didn’t inhale anything from the creek. All I need is a nice hot shower to scrub the dirt and smell away.”

  “That’ll be interesting if you plan to keep those bandages clean,” Megan said.

  “You think I can’t rebandage my own feet?”

  “Take your time.” Gerard walked with her to the passenger side of his car and helped her in. “Obviously you were wounded. I saw evidence of the blood.”

  “That wasn’t from the fall—it was from running barefoot over rocky ground for who knows how long.”

  “Why would you do that?” he asked.

  “Same old blackouts, only this time I wasn’t wearing shoes, and the crazy part of my brain wasn’t thinking, ‘Hey, let’s put shoes on to protect our feet before running through the woods like Bigfoot.’” Kirstie paused and turned to look up at Megan. “I’ll explain it all to him, honey. You just keep Lynley calm today, okay?”

  “Will do.”

  Gerard made sure Kirstie was comfortable, then closed the door and turned to Megan. To Kirstie’s guilty joy, his passenger- and driver’s-side windows were open. Obviously, the man didn’t worry much about having his car burglarized. But of course, she’d explained to him how peaceful Jolly Mill was, with hardly any crime. A mad poisoner, perhaps, but other than that, not much.

  “Meet with me after you get off work?” Gerard’s voice, though softened, reached through the open windows. “We have a lot to talk about.”

  “I wondered what you were up to out in the waiting room while I was back there battling blood and gore.” Megan’s voice held a hint of a drawl. Humor.

  Kirstie grinned. A good sign. Megan had nothing to be cheerful about unless she was secretly glad she was being forced to spend time with Gerard.

  “May have a place for the rehab center,” Gerard said. “I’ve told you often enough that when God has a plan, it’s going to happen.”

  Kirstie felt another load moving from her shoulders. The man was an active believer. His influence would be doubly good on Megan. Kirstie would see to it that Jolly Mill had something to offer by way of a rehab center and land for a manufacturing plant.

  “I’ll be out of the clinic by five,” Megan said, “probably earlier because our schedule isn’t full. I’ll be hungry.”

  There was a slight hesitation, then, “You’re not teasing me, are you?” Gerard asked. “Because earlier this morning—in fact, less than an hour ago—I was pretty sure you wanted me to go back to Texas.”

  “We have more to talk about than you think. Kirstie will fill you in. We’re going to have to see this through.”

  “Will do.” Another pause. “Your boss stop by the clinic often during the day?”

  Kirstie pulled her seat belt down and buckled it as she grinned. Eavesdropping. A wonderful occupation.

  “Didn’t you come to the clinic all the time at the mission?” Megan asked. “What’s the difference?”

  “There are more employees here. You have plenty of help without a nonmedical person.”

  “If I owned a business, I’d want to keep watch over it and make sure things went smoothly.” The humor was still present in Megan’s voice. Perhaps she picked up on the jealousy too.

  Oh, yes, there was a romance going on here to beat all romances, and Gerard Vance had a strength of character Kirstie had not seen in quite some time. Certainly not in Barry. Gerard didn’t strike her as the kind of man who would leave the woman he was committed to for any reason. He would stick with her to the death. He wouldn’t find another woman to leave her for either, like Lynley’s so-called man had done to her.

  Megan and Gerard may have some hurdles to overcome right now—though Kirstie had not yet been successful in wheedling those out of Megan. Maybe she would have better luck with Gerard. She doubted it, but she could try.

  Megan pressed her lips together, but she knew Gerard could read the expression in her eyes. She shouldn’t be pleased, or even amused, that Gerard was so obviously jealous of Alec, especially because she didn’t want him believing he had the right to feel that way or that there was anything to be jealous of. Still, something about his interest spread her insides with warmth.

  “He may be my biggest challenge as I attempt the rehab center,” Gerard said. “He’s not on board with it, though his mother seems to be.”

  “Then you’ve no worries,” Megan said. “Nora’s the one who has the heart of the citizens. What she says usually goes.”

  “You sure about that? You’ve been back what, three weeks? After being gone for fourteen years? Things change.”

  “And you’ve been in my town what, an hour? And you think you know my lifelong friends better than I do?”

  A light of challenge glowed from his blue eyes. “Plain old common sense tells me that folks from this town will honor a man who is a hero in their eyes. He fought for them in the war, he had a tragic loss and he was born and raised here. That has all the makings of a town leader.”

  “Well, Texan, I think you’ve got some fans here yourself,” Megan told him with a grin. “Carmen seemed taken with you, and of course Kirstie.” She leaned close to his shoulder. “You’re about to find out just how taken she is with you. I hope you’re packing heat.”

  “Weapon? Sure.”

  She smiled. “Not that you’ll need it at doctors’ offices, but she’ll be impressed. Even Lynley didn’t bite your head off, and she hates men right now.”

  “Well then, I guess if it’s up to the women, you may soon be looking at the new director of the Jolly Mill Homeless Rehab Center, and the new plant manager for Vance Industries, employing those rehabbed folks.”

  Megan’s mouth went slack. “You mean you’ve already decided? I thought this was just a hunting expedition.”

  He held out his hands. “I said you may be looking at him. You may not. We’ll see.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. There was a tiny expression of discomfort around his mouth. Not everyone in the room had fallen at his feet in adoration. This was not the time to tease him, as she would have teased him at the mission. She would never gloat at a man’s misfortune, but he was always so self-assured that sometimes she felt just a twinge of satisfaction when she was reminded of his humanity. He was not indomitable.

  “I don’t suppose you could feel him out a little…” Gerard spread his hands. He looked almost humble.

  “Sorry, I can only do one spy job at a time.”

  Gerard’s brows went up. “You’re spying now?”

  “Talk to Kirstie, and keep in mind that I’m a doctor. I never signed up for undercover spy work.”

  “Believe me when I say I don’t want you doing this under covers of any kind.”

  Megan laughed up at him, and as if he couldn’t stop himself, Gerard gazed down at her, eyes lit with his own brand of humor and a generous helping of tenderness. He touched her cheek with his hand. “I think you can get through to him.”

  “About what?”

  “About how much a manufacturing plant and a resort refurbished into a homeless rehab center would help the town with tax income.”

  “His mother can tell him that. And I think that would sell a lot of people at a town hall meeting.”

  “Think we can get one called?”

  “We? Nora has most of the committee members in her back pocket, and as you’ve said, she’s obviously sold on you. No problem there.”

  “Okay, then anyone else you speak with in town. I’m sure you
have a lot of friends.”

  “I do.” At last, Megan felt a tug of regret for her recent lack of support. This was a step she knew Gerard had wanted to take for so long and for all the right reasons. How could she not admire a man who stood strong for his convictions and fought hard to see them through? Even if she didn’t want him here, in this town, constantly reminding her of her own fears and her own loss.

  He raised a thick blond brow at her. “We will, of course, need a doctor nearby for the center.”

  “Everyone needs a doctor.”

  “And you know if our people traveled up here from the mission, they would be immensely relieved to find you here, someone they know they can trust, who cares for them. They’ll be apprehensive about their futures.”

  “They have you,” Megan said. “They’ll feel safe.”

  “Do you feel safe with me?”

  “I never feel safe.”

  “Then you know why another familiar face will help.”

  “No. Familiar faces aren’t helping me.” Megan glanced toward the car and knew without a doubt that Kirstie had just heard what she’d said. Blast Kirstie’s good hearing. Megan cast a glance back toward the clinic. Patients would start pulling into the lot any time. She didn’t want to have this conversation.

  “You know how much we miss you, Megan,” Gerard said. “I’d love to have your help.”

  “Why don’t we deal with today’s problems before we dive into something months or years down the road? I know I’ll eventually have to complete my contract to pay back the government loan by serving in an underserved community. Could we keep it on the back burner for now?”

  “He doesn’t have a clue you’re here on medical leave, does he?”

  “Who?”

  “Your boss.”

  “He needs a doctor, and he has one.”

  “I’ve found it’s best to be honest as possible with your employers.” The gentleness in Gerard’s voice once more warmed her.

  “Nora and Alec already know that part of my reason for being here is for Kirstie.”