Sanctuary Buried WITSEC Town Series Book 2

by Lisa Phillips

  “I can keep her comfortable enough until I get the remedy.”

  “Who in town would have the knowledge to do this?”

  The doctor’s eyebrow lifted. “Aside from me?”

  “Do you know of anyone?”

  “One or two, maybe. I’ll speak with the sheriff after Frannie’s stable.”

  A nurse, an older woman, came out of the medical center pushing a stretcher. Matthias settled Frannie onto it. “Take care of her, please. I have to make a call.”

  One foot in front of the other through the medical center proved harder than Matthias had thought it would be. There wasn’t anything he could do for Frannie. Not medically. He’d only be in the way if he insisted on staying with her.

  Another nurse sat behind the reception desk. He didn’t know her name, but she did all the ultrasounds in town—she’d done his mom’s when her gall bladder had to be taken out.

  “Can I use your phone?”

  She waved one hand, not taking her attention from the computer screen. “Sure.”

  Matthias dialed the extension for the ranch house, praying Bolton was there.

  “Yeah.”

  “It’s me. Frannie collapsed. Whoever’s sending her the letters is trying to poison her. The doctor said it’s Einetine.”

  “That would only work this fast if—”

  “She’s allergic to codeine.”

  “That’ll do it,” Bolton said.

  How did he immediately know everything about this substance? Sure, he’d been a DEA agent, but what cop knew instantly about poisons? His boss was a curiosity Matthias didn’t have time to solve.

  “What do you need?”

  Matthias pinched the bridge of his nose. “Around the clock protection, and a full investigation into whoever is doing this. I need to know who in town could have made or got their hands on this stuff.”

  “John’s working on the case.”

  “More hands—and pairs of eyes—isn’t going to hurt any.”

  “True. I’ll see what I can dig up.”

  “Thanks.” Matthias took a breath. “I’ll take point on protection. I think he may have wanted her at the medical center. Maybe even so he can finish her off. Make her sick and then—”

  “Make her an offer she can’t refuse, one that ends her supposed suffering permanently.”

  “Is John there now?”

  Matthias looked out the medical center’s front windows but didn’t see John’s Jeep. “Not yet. I think he’s on something else.”

  “I’ll find him, and we’ll meet you there in half an hour.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Don’t thank me until the threat is over.”

  Matthias hung up. The front entrance door opened, and his mom rushed in. Matthias moved in for a hug. She gave him a squeeze, and said, “How is Frannie?”

  “I don’t know yet. She was unconscious when we brought her in.”

  “The girls are on their way. We’ll wait with you until we know Frannie is all right.”

  There was next to no point in arguing with her. Not when she’d rallied the family to stand vigil. It was a solidarity born of where they’d come from—a time when they only had each other to rely on in order to survive the tight-handed reign of Matthias’s father. Mama had relaxed some over the years, but she’d never lost the need to hold them all close as though they might slip away if she didn’t.

  It was part of the reason why Matthias had never left Sanctuary. He hadn’t exactly told Frannie the truth about Cyan. She had apologized, and she’d begged him to come with her when her mom signed her out of Sanctuary as a minor. Matthias’s threat meant he’d have been at risk then, the same as he’d be at risk now, if the men his father had double-crossed found out he was out in the open once again. But he’d thought about it.

  He’d never told anyone Cyan asked him to leave with her. Love was worth a lot—even the risk his enemy might find him. But Cyan’s betrayal had left its mark on him, even given her obvious remorse.

  He’d never imagined Cyan might do something like that to him, but she had. Frannie seemed so different. It was safe to assume she wouldn’t either, even if Diego had his eye on her. Then again, she very well might betray him exactly the same way Cyan had. Caring about her was easy, and protecting her was one thing. If he was going to get involved with Frannie, the risk of them killing the relationship was one he’d have to be willing to take.

  His mom squeezed his arm. “She’ll be okay.”

  “I hope so.” He looked down at the bagged letter, halfway crumpled in his hand.

  Could something so innocuous really be responsible for making Frannie sick? She’d been under a lot of stress lately, busy and exhausted. Perhaps what was happening to Stella was taking its toll on her. His experience with Maria as his older sister could easily be clouding his judgment. He had to remember not everyone was able to convince themselves the world was a certain way, despite reality.

  The door opened again. “I need some help!” John strode in with Beth in his arms.

  The ultrasound tech jumped up. “Come this way.”

  “What happened?” Matthias asked as he passed.

  John shook his head. Mama followed John into an exam room while Matthias, dismissed, walked farther down the hall to the room where the doc had placed Frannie. The door was open, and he could hear the rhythmic beep of machines counting each breath.

  Had the killer hurt Beth, too? He’d have to tell Bolton she’d been brought in. It wouldn’t do the town any good if people started dropping like calves from some white chemical. His fists clenched by his sides.

  The doctor could run out of medicine to treat it, and then where would they be? More would have to be flown in. The town would be in a full-on state of emergency.

  The doctor stepped out. His gaze registered on Matthias’s face. “You need to calm down. Frannie needs peace and quiet, so if you can’t get a handle on this I will not hesitate to ask you to leave.”

  Matthias stared at him. The doctor had been through a great deal in the last few weeks, before and after his wife committed suicide—if that was even what had happened. The doctor could be facing the fact his wife’s killer had struck again.

  “Can I…” Did he want to ask this? “Could this have something to do with Harriet’s death?”

  The doctor’s face morphed quickly, but Matthias caught the look of displeasure. Not grief. “It’s possible, I suppose. I didn’t do the final examination but I can get a copy of the doctor’s notes and—”

  Someone yelled, “Doctor!” It was the ultrasound nurse.

  “Excuse me.”

  **

  The first thing Frannie registered was the plastic touching her face. The mask surrounded her mouth and nose, and what she was breathing in smelled cold. She reached up and pushed aside the oxygen mask.

  A gentle hand touched her wrist. “Leave it where it is.” His voice was the warmth she needed to open her eyes. Otherwise, what was the point? There wasn’t anything good to wake up to if Matthias wasn’t here.

  When she found his face, her heart pinched. He looked...concerned.

  “I’m okay.” Frannie’s throat felt like trying to swallow sandpaper. He didn’t agree with her. “I am okay, right?”

  Matthias dipped his head to look at her hand. “You will be. The doctor wants you to keep the mask on until he says you’re good.”

  That was when Frannie realized the beeping by her bed was a machine—her machine. Beyond it, Stella lay in bed. The only spark of life was in her eyes, bright and fixed on Frannie.

  “Stella.” She tried to remove the mask again, and Matthias stayed her hand. She looked at him. “Am I going to die? Is that why I’m in here?”

  He shook his head, and Stella started laughing, a wheezing sound that was a facsimile of what her joy used to sound like.

  “Stella!” How could she think this was funny? “I’m dying! You’re not supposed to be laughing.”

  Stella laughed harder. “You
sound like your mother.”

  The doctor rushed in the door and pulled up short. A tiny smile curled his lips, and he stepped out again. Frannie grabbed Matthias’s arm and sat up so she could glare at Stella. She swatted his hand away, and pulled the top of the mask down to speak over it. “Fine, so I’m not dying. But don’t tell me I sound like Mimi.”

  Strength bled from her muscles, and she lay back.

  Matthias glanced at Stella for a second, and then said, “She wanted you in here with her.”

  Frannie shut her eyes. “Tell her I said thank you.”

  Stella wheezed out a laugh. “You’re welcome.”

  “Did you call my mom?”

  Matthias squeezed her hand. “She wasn’t home, and neither was Izzy. Do you have any ideas where they might have gone?”

  Frannie shook her head and sighed. Were they even going to care she was sick in the medical center? Maybe her mom showing up and making a scene would actually be worse. Right then Frannie didn’t have enough energy to deal with her mom’s drama. She needed strength and a clear head to get back to work.

  Frannie wasn’t going to let a letter-writing murderer get the better of her. Stella would never forgive her if she did give up. Not when her problems didn’t even come close to cancer. The time for meandering instead of just moving forward with her decision was over. Frannie needed to make a clean break from her mom and sister and claim her own life.

  Matthias touched his fingers to her forehead. Frannie took a breath and let it out slowly. It still hurt. Her head swam, and something was seriously wrong with her throat.

  “Mama’s going to be upset she wasn’t here when you woke up, but she’s next door. Beth was admitted. I’ll find out what’s going on and tell you more when you wake up again.”

  “Is it the baby?”

  “Beth has a baby?”

  Frannie nodded. “Pregnant.”

  “I’ll go tell the doctor.” She felt his lips press against her forehead. “You rest.”

  **

  Matthias rubbed the tight spot on his chest. Heart problems didn’t run in his family, thank the good Lord. But it didn’t help that he felt like he’d aged ten years since morning. Maybe Diego did have the right idea, and he was missing out on life. Doing whatever he wanted had to be better than the heartburn of anxiety over Frannie, and Beth.

  “I’d like to tell you the feeling will fade, but I’m not convinced it does.”

  He leaned against the door frame toward the frail woman with the wise eyes. “How do you live with it?”

  “Knowing you’ve lost what might be everything you ever wanted is much worse. Especially when you know there’s nothing you can do to ever get it back.” Stella’s eyes gleamed. “I don’t have much time, so I’ll lay it all out straight. If you mess with that girl, I will come back from the grave and haunt you for the remainder of eternity.”

  Matthias wanted to smile but this was hardly the time. “How can you be so calm about it?”

  “I assume you are referring to my retiring from this mortal coil and thereby emerging in eternal glory to spend forever before His throne in worship.”

  He walked over and sat on the edge of Stella’s bed. “I guess you could put it that way.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “You’ve never thought about it?”

  “I figured I’d go there when I died, because I go to church. But not beyond that. I mean, heaven is heaven. Right?”

  “I hope not. It would be disappointing if it was everything I’d hoped for when it could be so much more than I imagined.” She grinned. “I’ve had plenty of time to think about it.”

  Whereas Matthias barely gave the next life any headspace at all. And why was that? He was a Christian, and he was trying to do better with it. John seemed like he’d found something worth being excited about—but when had Matthias felt that way about his beliefs?

  He didn’t know what to say other than, “I won’t mess with Frannie. I’m not going to do anything to hurt her.”

  “As her mother is…not here, how about you tell me what your intentions are toward my girl. After all, that—” She motioned a bony finger toward the now sleeping Frannie. “—is the closest thing I have to a granddaughter this side of these mountains.”

  “I understand.” Frannie had told him about Stella’s son, who she and her husband were estranged from.

  “Now spill.”

  Matthias felt his lips curl into a smile. “I intend to marry her, if she’ll have me.”

  Her look turned stern. “It’s a bit soon for that, isn’t it?”

  Matthias felt his cheeks warm. “She nearly died today.”

  “And marriage will lessen the risk of her expiring at any given moment?”

  “No,” Matthias said. “But it means there’s no time like today to tell her how I feel, even if it scares the life out of her. She should know I’m serious.”

  “You love her?”

  “I have for a long time.”

  All humor had dissipated from Stella’s eyes. “Then get her away from those two shrews she calls family. If she stays there, if she continues to support them even though they never did one thing to deserve it, it’s going to destroy her. Mimi and Izzy will tear her apart, and Frannie won’t even see it coming.”

  Matthias held her gaze. What made him think he and Frannie could make a family of their own, let alone one that stayed together? He couldn’t even count on them remaining happy forever. Their histories were too fractured for them to even know when their relationship was breaking down. Wishing and intentions didn’t hold up against reality.

  “You’re having doubts. I can see it on your face. If you’re not in this one hundred percent, then you might as well not bother. Don’t give her false hope, that’s worse than no hope at all. Maybe it’s too late to hold off on giving her hope. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. But that girl has had to withstand a whole lot in her life, and I’d hate to see her break now because of you.”

  “That won’t happen.”

  “Says you.”

  Matthias lifted his chin. “I’m not allowed to be scared I’m going to mess it up?”

  “Honey, you’ll mess up every day. And every day she’ll forgive you for it. That’s how marriages work. It’s easy to say you’ll never get divorced but harder to actually do it. There aren’t any guarantees, even if you take your ‘I do’s’ seriously. What you have to do is show up, every day. That’s how you make it work.”

  “It sounds exhausting.”

  Stella’s lips twitched. “Probably will be, with your family the way it is, and her family trying to get in the middle of everything. There will be things that have to give. But so long as you keep your priorities straight with God, then Frannie comes first in the marriage. And for Frannie, it’s you who comes first. So are you going to stick it out, or will you fold?”

  “Isn’t true love supposed to be easy?”

  Stella laughed. “People just say that because they’re all high on endorphins. When the feeling wears off, that’s when the real work begins. You take the sparks and the quiet moments, and you turn them into support and sacrifice. Until the day one of you has to stand back and let the other move on into the next life. You know you’ll be parted for a time, but there’s hope in the promise God has made.”

  “I don’t even know where to get that much peace.”

  “Prayer. Helps when you can’t even get up to tinkle without calling for someone to help. I’ve had plenty of time to come to terms with it, even if I wished Director Mason would be able to find my son. My husband, Harold, is determined Grant will get Steven here in time, but I know that’s not going to happen. Not now.”

  “What can I do?”

  Stella reached out her hand. Matthias came over and took it, careful to hold her fragile bones loosely. She glanced once at Frannie and then smiled up at him. “Honey, you’re already doing it.”

  Chapter 15

  Frannie looked down at the cards in h
er hand. The symbols and numbers all blurred together, and she couldn’t even remember what game they were supposed to be playing. She tossed the handful on the wheeled table over her legs.

  “I win.” Michael grinned and tossed his cards on the pile.

  “Yeah, right.” Stella’s husband did the same, giving him a look.

  Louis sat observing, like always.

  Sonny’s attention was on Frannie. “Should we leave?”

  “Leave?” Michael gasped. “We’re not leaving. We barely got here.” He was looking at Sonny, trying to communicate something.

  “If Frannie wants us to leave, then we go.” Sonny’s word was always final.

  Michael made a face that got Frannie laughing. “You guys don’t have to leave. Maybe we should have our meeting. I doubt I’ll be out of here by tomorrow night.”

  She rested her head back on the pillow. Their presence wasn’t necessarily soothing, but it did serve to distract her from the fact her letter-writer was now out-right trying to kill her.

  Sonny glanced once at Stella’s husband, and then lifted one eyebrow to her.

  “Okay, so we can’t have the whole meeting. But still…” She saw on his face the moment he gave in to her request. It wasn’t manipulation, per se. He loved her, but she didn’t make a habit of banking on that fact to get what she wanted.

  Sonny sat back in his chair, folding his arms over his tailored Italian silk shirt. As a condition of his WITSEC agreement he wasn’t allowed to run a business in any area related to finance, so instead he acted as a consultant to all the businesses in town. For a small fee.

  Sonny said, “Our requests for contract bids from residents to renovate the Main Street store fronts have gone largely ignored. I’ve spoken with the mayor several times, and he assures me it’s in the works, whatever that means. He doesn’t need permission from the marshals for us to use Sanctuary money, materials and workers to spruce up Main. And yet, for some reason he’s stalling.”

  Louis’s displeasure was plain. He looked like an old mobster contemplating how difficult it would be to take out the mayor and get away with it—which was likely exactly what he was thinking. He looked extremely out of place as the patron of the laundromat, but it made his wife happy to provide a service. Louis’s devotion to his equally-wrinkly wife was the only thing that made him seem remotely human.