“I haven’t heard from Jamie in a couple of days,” her mother interjected, a worried note in her voice. “He’s usually so good about keeping in touch.”
“He’s just busy,” Charlotte offered, knowing her mother would worry no matter what.
“I can’t imagine how hard it would be to have my child in danger,” Annie said. “I’ve only been a mom for a couple of months, and I don’t think I could do it.”
“Well, Jamie isn’t a child anymore,” Monica said, turning to face them. “He’s a man now, and he’s doing an honorable job. That gets me through.”
“He has good friends, too,” Annie said. “He’s always talking about his lieutenant and his buddies, saying they all watch out for each other. He’s not alone.”
Monica exchanged a smile with Annie. “No, he’s not.”
Charlotte took another bite of her pancakes, wondering how Annie was so much better at making her mother feel good than she was.
“Sometimes I wonder what happened to my dad’s friends,” Annie continued. “Why no one came around to check on him, to help him, after he got injured. Someone had to know he wasn’t thinking straight. But as long as I can remember, it was just me and my mom and him. Even before he took us up in the mountains. He was always alone—except in his head. His mind was filled with thoughts of the enemy trying to kill him.” She paused. “I would never want that to happen to Jamie.”
“Jamie will be fine,” Monica said confidently. “His spirit is strong, and if anything were to happen, he would never be alone. I would be there.”
Charlotte drew in a quick breath, her mother’s words a little painful. At seventeen, she’d needed her mother desperately, and her mother hadn’t been there for her. But in her mother’s mind, that was different. Jamie’s problems would be honorable; hers had only been shameful.
“Diana and I are going to join a group that sends care packages overseas,” Annie added. “They need volunteers to keep up their efforts all year long, not just at the holidays.”
“That’s great,” Charlotte said. “I’m glad you’re getting more involved in the community.”
Annie gave a self-deprecating smile. “That’s my New Year’s resolution—to stop hiding out.”
She nodded in understanding. Annie had branded herself with a scarlet letter, even though most people in Angel’s Bay had forgiven her very youthful and naive mistake.
“What’s your resolution?” Annie asked curiously.
“Yes, what is your New Year’s resolution, Charlotte?” her mother echoed. “Or are you still in the anti-resolution camp? After all, if you don’t set goals, then no one is disappointed if you don’t meet them. Hasn’t that been your philosophy?”
On her mother’s sharp tongue, it didn’t sound like a good philosophy at all. Fortunately, Charlotte’s cell phone began to ring, so she got up to answer it.
Her answering service was on the line. One of her patients thought she might be going into early labor. After listening to the symptoms, she said, “Tell her to go to the hospital, and I will meet her there.” Knowing her patient’s penchant for panicking over every little twinge, Charlotte suspected that this was a false alarm, but with the pregnancy at thirty-six weeks, she didn’t want to take any chances.
“What about church?” her mother asked when she ended the call.
“If I get done in time, I’ll meet you there. Otherwise, I’ll see you later tonight. Kara is having a party this afternoon.” She picked up her plate and took another bite of pancake as she headed to the sink. “Annie, you’re welcome to come to Kara’s if you’d like.”
“No, thanks. Diana and I are going to take the babies to the park.”
“That sounds like fun.” She filled a traveling mug with coffee and grabbed her bag off the counter, then headed outside.
She had just stepped onto the porch when Andrew’s car pulled up in front of the house. Considering that he was leading a New Year’s Day service in less than an hour, she was surprised to see him. He was dressed in black slacks and a black button-down shirt.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” she asked, moving down the steps to meet him on the walk.
“I wanted to talk to you before church, but it looks like you’re on your way out.”
“I have a patient in possible labor. I’m on my way to the hospital.”
“So you won’t be at the service?”
“I’ll see how it goes. I don’t really have time to talk right now.”
“I understand. I just wanted to apologize for bailing on you last night. Mrs. Rimmer is having trouble with her teenage son, and she needed my help. He got into a minor car accident last night while he was intoxicated.”
“Is he all right?”
“Yes, and I actually think it was a good wakeup call. He’s been dealing with a lot of anger issues since his father remarried. He’s crying out for attention, and not in a good way.”
“I’m glad you were there for him and his mother. Mrs. Rimmer is a sweetheart. She always gives me extra cream cheese when I go into her bagel shop.”
“She’s a pushover—that’s part of the problem. Anyway, I really wanted to spend the evening with you, and I was disappointed.” His gaze searched hers. “Were you?”
“Of course.” Getting into a deeper answer would take more time than she had, and it wasn’t a lie. She liked Andrew. And being attracted to him had never been a problem. But she was conflicted about what kind of relationship she wanted to have with him, partly because of her feelings for Joe.
She opened her car door and put her coffee in the cupholder. “We’ll talk when we have more time, but one thing I did want to ask you . . . Last night, the mayor seemed to be under the impression that Theresa and I don’t like each other, because of what happened with you and Pamela and me.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he said, his eyes widening in surprise. “You don’t have a problem with Theresa, do you?”
“No, I don’t. I’m not sure where he got that from. Have you kept in touch with Pamela?”
Something flickered in his eyes, and he shifted his feet. Finally, he said, “Not in a long time. Six, seven years, at least.”
“So you saw her after her high school, then?”
“We both went to college in L.A.”
“And after college?”
“She was around. A bunch of kids from Angel’s Bay were down there.”
“Right. Do you think Pamela will come back to see Theresa?”
“Possibly.” His gaze turned serious. “I know you blame Pamela for our breakup, but I was the one who cheated on you. And as much as I’d like to make her responsible for that, I can’t. You say you’ve moved on, Charlotte, that you don’t think about it anymore, but is that true? Because something is holding you back from giving me another chance. And I’d like to know what it is.”
“I’m not sure,” she said honestly.
“You loved me once. You could love me again,” he said persuasively.
She’d been head over heels, crazy, starstruck in love with him. When he’d loved her back, she’d thought she was the luckiest girl in the world. But that was a long time ago.
“I can’t do this now, Andrew. I have to get to the hospital, and you have your service.”
“Just promise me one thing,” Andrew said.
“What’s that?”
He moved closer to her, crowding her between his body and the car. “When you’re thinking about us, about whether you want anything to happen again, think about this.”
His lips touched hers with compelling, urgent heat, as if he needed her to feel what she’d felt so many years ago. And it didn’t take much for the old spark to leap into life. In his arms, she was seventeen again. He was the hottest guy in school, and he wanted her, and that thought was as intoxicating as his kiss.
Andrew broke off the kiss and smiled. “You taste like maple syrup and your mom’s pancakes.”
“Mom still cooks a big breakfast every day, especiall
y weekends and holidays,” she said, reeling a bit. Andrew had been letting her call the shots for the last few months, but apparently, that was over.
“I always loved coming to your house for breakfast.”
Another reminder of a simpler time. She slipped into the car. “I’ll see you later.”
“You will,” he promised. “I want you to forgive me, for the way I hurt you before.”
She frowned. “Is that what this is about, Andrew? Some sort of absolution for past sins? Because that sounds like your area, not mine.”
“This is about letting go of the past so we can have a future together. Just give me a chance. That’s all I’m asking.”
THREE
Cynthia Lewis and her husband, Johnny, were in their mid-twenties and expecting their first baby. Cynthia had read every book on the subject of childbirth, and Johnny, a musician, had become obsessed with playing classical music to the baby in the womb. Charlotte loved their enthusiasm. She admired their state of readiness. But this was the third trip they’d made to the hospital in the last four weeks, and they still had a ways to go.
“Just Braxton Hicks contractions,” she said as she finished her exam.
“I thought they might be,” Cynthia agreed. “But Johnny didn’t want to take a chance since we’re only a few weeks away now.” She gave her husband a loving smile that he tenderly returned.
Johnny put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Cynthia and this baby are the most important people in the world to me. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to them.”
“Everything will be fine,” she reassured him. Cynthia had had an uneventful pregnancy so far, and there was no reason to suspect that her delivery would go any differently. “A few more weeks, and you’ll be welcoming your little boy. Have you picked a name yet?”
Cynthia gave her husband a quick look. “If it was a girl, we were going to name her Charlotte. Since it’s a boy—Charles.”
She was touched by the gesture. “That’s really sweet of you.”
“You’ve been so great,” Cynthia said. “My mom died when I was little, and I’ve had to go through a lot of things without her. But being pregnant with my own child has made me miss her even more. I have so many questions I wish I could ask her. Like how she felt when she was pregnant with me, how her labor was, how she got through it.” Cynthia drew in a deep breath. “Your patience with all of my questions made not having her here with me a little easier.”
A lump grew in Charlotte’s throat as a tear slipped from Cynthia’s eyes. “It was my pleasure. Bringing a healthy baby into the world isn’t just my job, it’s a privilege. I’m honored that I’m going to share such an important moment in your lives.” She smiled to lighten the mood. “And I’ll make sure I have the good drugs on hand.”
Cynthia laughed. “Great. I’m going to try to go as long as I can without anything, but I’ve never been big on pain.”
“We’ll make it as easy as we possibly can,” Charlotte said. “Now, go home and enjoy your New Year’s Day.”
After sending Cynthia and Johnny home, Charlotte dropped Cynthia’s chart off at the nurses’ station, which was still cheerfully decorated with holiday wreaths and garlands. A plate of gingerbread sat on the counter. “Did you make this?” Charlotte asked the nurse.
Peggy Ramsdell, one of their most experienced OB nurses, looked up from her computer. “My mother-in-law did. Try some. It’s fabulous.” Peggy quickly skimmed through the chart Charlotte had set down. “Another false alarm, I see. Third time this month.”
“She’s a little anxious.”
“I’ll say.” Peggy filed the chart. “So, you were at the mayor’s party last night, right?”
“I was,” Charlotte was dismayed at the eager light in Peggy’s eyes. Like most of the hospital staff, Peggy liked to gossip. The last thing she wanted to talk about was the night before.
“Is it true that someone stole thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry, including Mrs. Monroe’s wedding ring?”
“I don’t know the details.”
“They’ve posted a guard outside intensive care,” Peggy added.
“I’m sure that’s just a precaution.” It made her uneasy to think that Theresa might still be in danger. The thief had to be long gone.
“I hope so,” Peggy said. “Is there anything else you need?”
“No. Have a good day.” Charlotte headed down the hall to the bank of elevators. After a momentary debate, she pushed the up button. She wanted an update on Theresa’s condition.
The hospital security guard standing outside the fourth-floor ICU was Bart Hodgkins, an older man whose wife was one of her patients. He gave her a smile and waved her inside.
The unit housed a large nurses’ station with a panel of glass that fronted three smaller rooms where patients in acute distress were watched twenty-four hours a day. An elderly man was in one of the rooms. Theresa was in another.
“Hello, Dr. Adams,” the nurse on duty said.
“How is Mrs. Monroe?” she asked.
“She hasn’t regained consciousness.”
“Her husband’s not here?”
“The mayor went to get some coffee. He’s been by her side all night. The poor man is just distraught.”
She was relieved to learn that the mayor was gone for the moment. As the nurse went in to check on the other patient, Charlotte took a quick look at Theresa’s chart. The tests showed brain swelling but no bleeds. That was a good sign.
“What are you doing here?” a man asked sharply, his voice cold.
She turned in surprise. The mayor stared back at her with dark, angry eyes. A big man with a square face and a strong jaw, he was a little soft around the middle, and his hairline had receded, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. “I was just checking on your wife.”
“I don’t want you anywhere near Theresa. That’s why there’s a guard outside the door. How did you get past him?”
She was taken aback by the intensity of his animosity. She’d thought his reaction the night before had been in the heat of the moment, that he would have calmed down by now.
“I didn’t have anything to do with your wife’s attack,” she said. “I don’t have any grudge against Theresa. And my problems with Pamela were a long time ago, when we were kids. I would never try to hurt either one of them.”
“Save your explanations for the police. I want you to leave now, and I don’t want to see you here again. Is that understood?”
“Yes.”
“Good, then get out.”
She walked out of the room, mentally kicking herself for coming into the ICU in the first place.
As she reached the end of the hall, the elevator doors opened, and Joe stepped out. He had on gray slacks and a black sweater. His dark eyes and sexy mouth made her heart beat a little faster. Her breath caught as their eyes met. They’d taken a step past friendship last night, but where they were now, she had no real idea. It was impossible to go back, but the way forward was complicated.
“You’re working today?” he asked.
“One of my patients had a false alarm.”
“Obstetrics isn’t on this floor, is it?”
“I wanted to see how Theresa was doing,” she admitted.
His jaw tightened. “That wasn’t a good idea, Charlotte.”
“That’s what the mayor just told me.”
Joe looked even less happy to hear that. “Want to fill me in on what else he said?”
“Not much. He just wanted me to leave. Do you have any leads?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Really?” she asked in disappointment. “No fingerprints? No shoe prints in the mud? No tire tracks?”
“You’ve been watching crime shows, haven’t you?”
“I got hooked while I was taking care of Annie’s baby a few months ago. There was nothing else on in the middle of the night. You really didn’t find any clues? No other eyewitness reports besides the housekeeper?”
“Not yet, but Jason is in the early stages of the investigation.”
“Jason is a good officer, but he’s a new detective, and you have a lot of more experience. Why aren’t you leading the investigation?”
“I was at the party. We’ll have a better, cleaner case if I stay out of it. I have complete faith in Jason, but I am watching from a distance.”
“I hope you don’t watch me get arrested from a distance,” she said dryly.
A smile played around his lips. “I wouldn’t stand by and let that happen. I’m hoping Theresa will wake up and be able to give us a lead.”
“If you’re staying out of it, then why are you here?”
“The mayor asked me to give him a personal report.”
“I saw the guard. You don’t think Theresa is in any danger, do you?”
“I hope not. It’s possible that her injury came from a shove and a slip on the marble floor. If that were the scenario, it’s unlikely the thief would show up here at the hospital, but then again, it depends on whether she can identify them and how badly they want to cover their tracks.” He paused, his expression all business. “Don’t go back to the ICU, Charlotte. The fact that you could get past the guard and into Theresa’s room will not work in your favor.”
“I’m a doctor here. I can go anywhere I want in this hospital.”
“Exactly. And that ability will make you more of a suspect if something else happens to Theresa.”
“I understand. But I want to help find out who did this to her.”
“I appreciate that, but you’re going to have to sit this one out.”
“I’ll try,” she said.
“Do better than try,” he said forcefully. “You were the only person spotted near the crime scene. You have an alleged grudge against the victim. That gives you motive and opportunity, not a bad start to any case.”
A shiver ran down her spine at his very serious words.
He put his hands on her shoulders and gazed into her eyes. “I’ll do everything I can to keep you out of the line of fire.”
The strength of his touch and his vow reassured her. Joe would protect her. That’s the kind of man he was. He stood up for what was right.
Garden of Secrets Page 4