In the Arms of the Enemy

by Carol Ericson

  A small smile settled on Linda’s lips and her eyes fluttered closed.

  Caroline squeezed her hands and whispered, “Sweet dreams.”

  She tiptoed from the room and thanked Stella in the hallway. Blowing out a breath, she pushed through the double doors to the waiting room. “You’re right. She would’ve been mortified, her words, if you’d gone back there and seen her bedridden.”

  “She’s doing okay?”

  “She’s fine, embarrassed and...”

  “And what?” Cole steered her toward his rental car and hit the key fob.

  Caroline leaned against the passenger door, crossing her arms. “She said her reaction to the wine was uncharacteristic for her.”

  “I’d hope so.”

  “Said she’d never felt that way before and thought it might even have been food poisoning.”

  “Really?” Cole tossed his keys in the air and caught them in his palm. “Did Dr. Speedy in there run any kind of tests on her?”

  “I—I don’t know. What kind of tests?” Caroline dug her fingers into her biceps.

  “Toxicology.”

  “Toxicology?” A chill had crept across her flesh, and she hunched her shoulders. Didn’t toxicology tests reveal poisons in the system? She didn’t want to have that discussion with Cole.

  “I don’t think so.” She yanked open the car door and practically dived inside. “It’s cold out here.”

  By the time Cole got around to the driver’s side and cranked on the engine and the heat, he seemed to have forgotten about toxicology tests.

  “Are you still heading out of town?”

  “I want to, but I can’t leave Linda to fend for herself right now. Maybe once she recovers, I’ll think about it.”

  “You should. If your assailant in the driveway was here on your husband’s behalf and wasn’t a random robber, then your hiding place has been compromised.” Cole held one hand out to the side. “And that’s all I’m going to say on that subject.”

  For a brief time she’d forgotten about the man demanding money. Her previous questions lingered. How did they know about the missing money? How did they know where to find her? How did they know who she was?

  Could the man have been someone who followed her and Linda from Sutter’s, thinking they were both drunk and easy targets?

  What about the man with the shaved head? Caroline braced her forehead against the cold glass of the window and went cross-eyed watching the dribbles of water on the pane.

  Cross-eyed—that’s how she felt right now. She didn’t know what direction was up.

  “You’ve had quite a day. Are you going to be okay?”

  “Do you care?” She sealed her lips. Why did she feel compelled to goad him? It bugged her that he thought poorly of her, but she couldn’t control that as long as she continued to lie to him about her situation. She had to pay that price, but it was getting to be an awfully high price to pay.

  He let her question hang in the air between them until he pulled into the driveway of the duplex next to Linda’s car.

  As she reached for the door handle, he said, “I want you to be okay, Caroline, despite everything...even though I might be a damned fool.” He leaned across the console, slipped his hand behind her head and kissed her hard on the mouth.

  When he released her, breathless, lips throbbing, he said, “Just call me a damned fool.”

  She scrambled from his car and hurried to her front door, one hand pressed against her hot cheek.

  If he was a damned fool for kissing her, what did that make her for liking it?

  * * *

  THE FOLLOWING MORNING, Caroline called the hospital to find out how Linda was doing and what time she’d be released. They wanted to hold her for the morning, so Caroline decided to pay a visit to Rebecca Geist, the Realtor the bald guy had talked to at the bar.

  She drove Linda’s car to Rebecca’s office with the memory of Cole’s kiss on her lips. They seemed drawn to each other even though they both sensed the danger that such an attraction presented. Caroline understood the danger from him and he only sensed it from her, but it didn’t seem to matter. If she could spar with and play cat and mouse with Cole all day, she’d be one happy cat...or mouse. She never knew who was who and which was which. They were both a little bit cat and a little bit mouse.

  And she was a little bit crazy to even go near the DEA agent investigating the murder of Johnny Diamond.

  She parked in front of the Realtor’s office and wandered inside as if she were actually interested in buying a place in Timberline.

  Rebecca was chattering away on the phone a mile a minute and waved as Caroline walked through the door.

  As the conversation continued, Caroline thumbed through some listings and got herself a cup of water from the dispenser.

  Rebecca finally ended the call and stood up, straightening her slim skirt. “Sorry about that. I’m Rebecca Geist.”

  Caroline crossed the room and shook the woman’s hand, fighting off a grimace at her firm grip. “Caroline Johnson.”

  Rebecca leveled a long, coral-tipped fingernail at her. “Linda Gunderson’s niece, right?”

  “Cousin, second cousin.”

  “That’s right. Are you looking to stay here in Timberline? Get your own place? That’s a sweet little piece of property the Gunderson sisters own, that duplex at the end of Main Street. It’s a great location. I know neither of those ladies has children. Is that going to be yours one day?”

  Caroline swallowed. So Cole wasn’t the only one who thought she’d come to town to wiggle her way into an inheritance. Did everyone else believe that? She rolled her shoulders. Would she rather they believe she’d come here straight from a motel room containing the dead body of a drug dealer?

  She shrugged. “Not that I know of. That’s why I’m here. I’d like to get an idea of available properties and the pricing.”

  “There aren’t a whole lot of residential properties on the market right now.” Rebecca tapped her long fingernails against the blotter. “There’s that one cabin with the dead body.”

  The pen Caroline had been toying with flipped out of her fingers. “A dead body?”

  “Turns out one of the town hotshots murdered his mistress years ago and stuffed her body in the chimney of a cabin he owned.”

  “I wouldn’t be interested in that.” Caroline crouched down to pick up the pen and press her hand against her galloping heart for a second or two.

  “I think that’s the only cabin available right now. The Kennedy cabin is vacant and will be going on the market soon, but the owner left town for a while.”

  Rebecca pulled a binder from the bookshelf next to her desk and shuffled through a few plastic-coated pages. “There are some big houses for sale, close to Evergreen Software, but those are more for families and Evergreen employees. Would you be interested in looking at one of those? Three thousand square feet minimum with at least four bedrooms and two bathrooms.”

  “That’s huge. No, I was more interested in one of the cabins.” Caroline ran her fingertip along one of the flyers for the big Evergreen Development homes. Maybe the guy with the shaved head was looking at one of these. He did mention a daughter. Or was that a lie?

  She closed the binder. “Do you have many people looking at those right now?”

  “Not many. Evergreen’s still doing well, but they’re currently in a hiring freeze.”

  This trip had been a bust. She was no closer to learning the identity of the bald man than when she’d walked through the door. “Well, thanks for your time.”

  “My pleasure.” Rebecca held out her business card between two fingers. “Let me know if you have any more questions.”

  Caroline took the card and slipped it into her purse. She turned toward the door and took a few ste
ps before stopping and taking a deep breath. “I think I saw you at Sutter’s last night.”

  “That was me, picking up some food. My fiancé lives in New York, so I do that a lot. Work late, eat at my desk.”

  “You were talking to a man at the bar.” Caroline turned slightly to the side. “Shaved head, thirtyish. He looked familiar.”

  “Oh?” Rebecca’s eyebrows snapped together. “You didn’t grow up here, did you? Your cousins aren’t true locals.”

  Did Rebecca look annoyed? “No. This is actually my first visit to Timberline.”

  “He’s just an out-of-town client. Unless you’re from Connecticut, I doubt you know him.”

  “I guess not.” Caroline waved. “Thanks again.”

  When she got to Linda’s car, she sat in the driver’s seat, hands on the wheel, staring straight ahead. There had been something odd about Rebecca’s response. Caroline could understand wanting to protect the confidentiality of a client, but buying real estate wasn’t the same as getting cosmetic surgery.

  And why had Rebecca asked her about being a local? Had she been implying her client was a local? Couldn’t be a local from Connecticut.

  Leaning forward, Caroline bumped her forehead against the steering wheel. This man had just become a distraction from all her other problems.

  A man had pulled a knife on her last night, demanding money, and she didn’t know if the encounter was related to Diamond or not. Linda had fallen ill and needed her, even though she wanted to leave. And Cole had kissed her—after admitting he didn’t trust her any more than he’d trusted his cheating wife.

  She’d better watch her back while she stayed in Timberline caring for Linda, and she’d better watch her heart around Cole Pierson.

  Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it from the console, checking the display. “Hello, Dr. Shipman.”

  “Hi, Caroline. Have any more memories come to you since our previous session?”

  “I did sort of spontaneously say I liked the dry heat of the desert. I’m not sure if that was just the power of suggestion from the hypnosis or a true memory from my past.”

  “Interesting. Did it feel real?”

  “It did, yes.”

  “The reason I’m calling is because I need to go out of town the day after tomorrow, and I didn’t want to cancel our appointment without giving you a chance to reschedule earlier. Tomorrow is usually a day off for me, but I’m trying to schedule some make-up appointments. Can you make it tomorrow in the morning or later in the afternoon around five o’clock?”

  Linda’s friends had already told her they were swooping in tomorrow to bring Linda some dinner and play some cards. “Five o’clock would work.”

  “Great. I’ll see you then.”

  Caroline dropped the phone in the cup holder and started the engine. She couldn’t wait to dig into her past once again with Dr. Shipman, but first she needed to take care of some business in the present, and that meant collecting Linda from the hospital and putting her crazy investigation of the man with the shaved head on hold.

  By the time she arrived at the hospital, she’d convinced herself that the attack last night was a random act, the guy with the shaved head was really just here on business and that she’d have her life back after just one more session with Dr. Shipman.

  And that she’d allow Cole to kiss her once more before he left town.

  Linda didn’t seem to share her optimistic outlook this morning, as she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her head down and her hands clasped between her knees.

  “Ready to blow this joint? Had enough of Jell-O and daytime TV?”

  “Yes, get me out of here.”

  Caroline crouched in front of Linda. “Are you okay? You seem...down.”

  “I’m fine, Caroline. Let’s go.”

  “Do I need to talk to Dr. Nesbitt?”

  “He’s not even here. I’ve signed all their forms and turned over all my insurance information.” She held out a handful of papers to Caroline. “I’m supposed to stay hydrated and rest.”

  “Then let’s get you hydrated and resting.”

  The nurses insisted Linda leave in a wheelchair, so Caroline pushed her into the waiting room. When they got through the doors, Stella, the nurse from last night, called after them. “Caroline? I have a prescription for Linda at the desk.”

  “Okay.” She squeezed Linda’s shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

  When she got to the front desk, Stella hunched forward, sliding the prescription across the counter. “Just a heads-up. Linda’s feeling a little out of sorts. Maybe it’s just embarrassment.”

  “Thanks.” Caroline shoved the prescription in her back pocket and returned to Linda. “I parked close. Do you want to walk or wheelchair it all the way?”

  “I can walk.”

  She pushed the wheelchair outside and tried to help Linda to her feet, although the older woman brushed off her helping hand.

  Stella wasn’t kidding. Caroline had never seen Linda in a bad mood or even mildly upset before.

  She opened the car door for her, settled her and then hopped into the driver’s seat. When she’d shut her own door, she asked, “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

  “You’ll just think I’m crazy, like all the rest of them in there.”

  “I swear I won’t.”

  “I think I was poisoned last night.”

  Chapter Ten

  A rash of goose bumps raced across Caroline’s arms. “What?”

  “Last night. I don’t think I had that much wine. I was ill, sick. I was poisoned.”

  “You mean like food poisoning? Did you ask Dr. Nesbitt how long that would take to hit you?”

  “Dr. Nesbitt, that young fool.”

  “What does that even mean, Linda? Are you talking about food poisoning?”

  “I’m talking about poisoning poisoning. I think someone poisoned my food or wine last night.”

  Caroline hung on to the steering wheel as her mind spun out of control. Poison. More poison? Was someone out there trying to frame her? What were the odds that two people she’d been hanging out with had both ingested poison?

  Could she be some kind of whacked-out person who poisoned other people and then blacked out? Caroline pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. She hadn’t blacked out last night.

  Could someone have poisoned the wine, thinking she’d be the one drinking it? Had the poison been meant for her and not Linda?

  Wait. What poison? This was all speculation on Linda’s part.

  “Did the hospital run any tests for that? Any toxicology tests?” Cole had suggested that last night. If he found out about Linda’s suspicions, would he tie Caroline to Johnny Diamond again?

  “The hospital and that quack doctor didn’t believe me. I saw them snickering behind their hands. The old broad couldn’t handle her booze and is making excuses.”

  “I’m sure they weren’t thinking that.”

  “And I’m sure they were.” Linda adjusted her seat belt and closed her eyes. “Just take me home.”

  Wrinkling her nose and checking the rearview mirror, Caroline started the car and pulled out of the hospital parking lot. “Linda?”

  “Yes?”

  “Why would someone try to poison you?”

  “Why would someone break into your house?”

  The steering wheel slipped out of her hands. “I—I don’t think anyone did. I was overreacting that night. Do you think the poison was meant for me? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

  “Is he after you, Caroline? Is your husband stalking you?”

  She hunched over the steering wheel and squinted at the road. How should she respond to that? As far as she knew, she had no husband. But someone could very we
ll be stalking her, chasing after her for the money she stole from Johnny.

  Maybe the cops had put out the word that empty bags were found with Johnny’s body and they suspected that the bags had contained drugs and money. Maybe the cops, the DEA, wanted Johnny’s associates to come after her and do their work for them. Maybe Cole was here to sweep up the refuse.

  Caroline dragged in a shuddering breath and blew it out. “I don’t think so, Linda, but you’re right. My presence here is putting you in danger. Once I get you settled, I’ll be on my way.”

  Linda sniffled and dabbed her nose with a tissue. “I didn’t mean it like that, dear. I’m worried about you.”

  “And I’m worried about you. Do you want to take your suspicions to the sheriff’s department? I can’t believe the hospital just ignored you.”

  “Oh, you know doctors. They always think they know best, and I’m not setting myself up for the same type of ridicule from those fresh-faced sheriffs, either.”

  “Should I talk to the bartenders last night, or Chloe, to see if they noticed anyone suspicious hanging around?” Rebecca’s mysterious client had been at the bar last night. Did he have an opportunity to put something in the wine?

  Caroline’s head throbbed with all the possibilities and scenarios—none of them good. She wished her appointment with Dr. Shipman was this afternoon. She couldn’t stand to be in the dark one more night.

  “I’ve gone and worried you, haven’t I? I should’ve kept my mouth shut. I didn’t mean to say anything to you at all, but those doctors made me so mad.”

  “I’m sorry if you’ve been swept up in any of my craziness. You’ve been nothing but kind to me, but I really think I’ve worn out my welcome.” Caroline held up her hand as Linda started to interrupt. “I have an appointment with Dr. Shipman tomorrow. I’m going to ask her for a referral to a therapist in a big city somewhere, and I’m going to take myself and my problems out of your hair.”

  “Caroline, I never meant to drive you off with my silliness.”

  “Poisoning isn’t silliness.”

  “I’m not even sure that’s what happened. I’m probably just an old fool who drank too much wine.”