Molly stuck her head in the open door to Hanna's office. "Phillip Holloway is in the lobby. He needs a few minutes, he says."
Hanna gave her a troubled look. She was tempted to tell Phillip she was too busy now and to have him call her in the morning. But then she thought he might have something important on Skipper Frank's case.
"Send him back, thanks."
Phillip rushed into her office with his typical confident flourish, dressed in an elegant suit and bright tie, his shoes polished to a blinding glare. "Hanna, dear, thank you for seeing me. Sorry I didn't call."
Hanna stood and came around her desk, motioning for him to join her at the conference table. Before she realized what was happening, he hurried over and enveloped her in a big hug that lasted much too long. She heard him say, "How are you holding up, kid?"
She pushed back, her radar on high alert. This was the creepy, lecherous Phillip Holloway she knew all too well. "I've been better. Please, sit down. What did you need?"
They both sat across from each other. Phillip said, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay after your father's procedure and whatever is going on between you and the detective."
"My father is fine, and we don't need to talk about my private life."
"Hanna, you know I'm always available to help. I'm your biggest fan."
Hanna thought about what he was really after, probably dinner and whatever later tonight. Sure enough...
"Have you had dinner yet?" he asked.
She tried to remain calm. "I have a lot of work to catch up on after being out of town. I'll probably be here half the night."
"You need to eat," he insisted.
"I've got food in the frig here, but thanks," she said. "What have you heard on Mr. Frank's case?"
"Not good, I'm afraid," he said, loosening his perfectly knotted tie. "Divers found a knife in the water near Skipper Frank's boat. The Medical Examiner's office is checking for prints, blood evidence, you know. Doesn't look good at all."
Hanna was truly saddened the case against Alex's father was growing worse. "What else has Alex found? I know he took a leave of absence to help the investigation with the sheriff."
"Nothing else so far," Holloway said. He paused and smiled that smarmy smile that infuriated her. "Look, the club's only ten minutes from here. Won't take more than an hour to get some good food in you," he persisted.
Hanna had enough. "Phillip, I'm not going to dinner with you! I'm not ever going to dinner with you. I appreciate what you're doing for Alex and his father, but you and me is not going to happen. Understand?"
He seemed to take her rebuff in stride, his face impervious to her comments. "Just trying to be a friend, Hanna. Sorry to bother you when you're so busy." He stood to leave.
"Good night, Phillip. Thank you for the update on Mr. Frank. Again, let me know if I can help with anything behind the scenes."
She watched him turn and smile as he walked out the door.
It was near ten that night and Hanna was still at the office working through the last files on her desk, making a long list of follow-ups for the morning. She had resisted that glass of wine she considered earlier and had an open bag of potato chips to her side, half gone. She had thought about taking a break earlier to go visit William Hall at Greta's clinic, but she knew her friend already had her hands full trying to help the boy through the trauma of his mother's murder. She also thought about going down to the morgue to see Jenna's body... to what, pay her respects? She'd wait for the funeral. The whole situation was just sucking the life out of her.
The text chime on her cell rang and she looked at the screen.
"Hanna, call as soon as you can. Martha."
She pressed the number on the text and heard the phone ringing. Martha's voice came over the phone. "Hanna, oh my God!"
"What is it, Martha?"
"I'm down at the hospital..."
Hanna stood up in alarm. "What's happened?"
She could tell the woman had been crying and Martha paused, trying to gather herself. "They called me down a half hour ago. Your father had some sort of cardiac arrest."
"What!"
"They've stabilized him according to the doctor, dear, but it's pretty bad."
Hanna felt her spirits sink. She had hoped her father was out of danger until whenever a transplant could be scheduled. "How bad, Martha?"
"The doctor thought you should try to get back here as soon as possible."
Hanna looked at the clock on the wall. There would be no way to get a flight tonight. She'd have to drive even though it would take over five hours. She couldn't wait until morning. "I can be there by three or so. I'll leave right now. Please call if there's any news."
"I will, dear. Please hurry. I keep thinking the worst, Hanna."
"Is Dr. Mason there?" Hanna asked.
"No, he's with your father in surgery."
"Have him call my cell in the car as soon as he has an update," Hanna demanded.
"I will. Please hurry!"
Chapter Thirty-five
The crickets and tree frogs were in full symphonic mode as the day's light faded. Alex sat on the porch of his father's house. He was thinking about his mother, Katherine. Everyone called her Kat, he remembered. He was thinking about the night of the car accident when they got the call from the sheriff. He was a senior in high school. She'd been driving back from a friend's house in Beaufort late one night when a deer ran out. She swerved and hit a tree head-on. They told him she died instantly, but he could never imagine how you were suddenly just dead with no pain or suffering.
He'd tried to block out the grief over the years for the woman he loved more than anyone in his life. He still had tough moments thinking back on his best memories of his mother when he was a boy.
Tonight was one of those nights. He was thinking about the time he'd asked Adrienne to his first big high school dance. He was worried about wearing the old blue sport coat that was worn and shiny on the elbows. He didn't own a suit. At dinner one night with his mom and dad there, he'd asked about borrowing money to buy a new suit of clothes.
His father had immediately put him down. "You don't need to spend good money on fancy clothes for some damn dance. Hell, me or Bobby got somethin' in the closet you can wear."
His brother had smiled at him and shook his head.
The next day, his mother asked him to take a ride with her. She drove him down to Charleston and a men's store at the mall. She had them fit him for a new suit, a shirt and tie and a new pair of black dress shoes. She paid for it with her teacher's money. His father never said a word.
Alex looked up when a car stopped in front of the house and turned out the headlights. From the street lamp down the road he could see it was a big white SUV. He watched as Beau Richards came up the walk to the porch. He called out, "Alex, that you?"
"What's up, Beau?"
"Got a minute?
"Sure, come on up. Get you a beer or something?" Alex asked.
"Love a cold beer."
"Grab a seat, be right back." Alex went into the kitchen and opened two bottles of beer and went back to the porch. He sat down next to the man and handed him a beer. "What're you doing out so late, Beau?"
"Just wanted to stop by, see how you're doing," the man said. "Worried about you after the other night out at the house. You seemed pretty down about all this with your dad."
"Well, thank you," Alex said, a bit skeptical.
"Anything new?" Richards asked.
Alex thought for a moment and didn't see any reason to share news of the latest evidence they'd found. "No, it just looks pretty bad."
"I know, son." Alex watched as Beau Richards lifted his beer bottle in a toast. "Here's to the Skipper."
Alex tapped his beer with his and lifted it in a toast. "Thank you."
Beau took a few sips from his beer and the two men sat for a while looking out over the river and listening to the sounds of the night.
Alex heard him say, "Heard you stopped by to see Lily today, out at the project."
"Yes, I did," Alex replied, suddenly on alert.
"She was kind of upset, Alex."
"How's that?"
"You're asking a lot of questions around town and making people nervous, son. Just thought you should know."
Alex bristled and said, "I'm trying to keep my father off Death Row, Beau. You got a problem with that?"
"No, no, I understand. I'd be doing the same if it was my old man, God rest his soul."
"So why the late-night social call, Beau?"
"Look, we been friends a long time. Just thought you should know people are wondering about all you're digging in to."
"What people?" Alex asked.
Richards didn't respond.
Alex said, "Beau, I got every right to look into who in hell else had reason to want Horton Bayes dead."
"Of course, you do, and you let me know if I can help with anything."
Beau Richards had left after the beers were gone and again, offered all his help in the investigation. Alex had walked down to the Maggie Mae and was sitting in the captain's chair in the cabin of the shrimp boat, another beer in his hand. He remembered so many times out on the water with his dad yelling orders to the crew from this chair. Tonight, the only sounds were the bugs and the frogs. The two big booms holding the nets loomed above him on both sides of the boat. The smell of old fish and shrimp was heavy in the air. He took another sip from his beer, thinking about Beau Richards and the strange visit.
His thoughts turned to Hanna and where she might be tonight, probably back in Charleston after her father's surgery. If he knew her, she was probably still down at her office working for free on her client's cases. He'd given up on trying to sort out how he was going to deal with Adrienne and Hanna. He'd just have to let things develop day-by-day and see where it all leads. He wished Hanna was still working with Holloway on his father's case. He wished she was with him here tonight.
Chapter Thirty-six
Hanna was still two hours out from Atlanta and on her third cup of bad convenience store coffee when she knew she couldn't stay awake much longer. Twice, she had nodded off and hit the rumble strips on the freeway, preventing her from heading off into the trees. An exit sign ahead had symbols for gas, food and lodging. She just needed to rest for a while and then get back on the road.
Dr. Mason had called an hour earlier. There was an infection in her father's heart that caused some sort of cardiac event she couldn't remember the name of. His prognosis was guarded at best. He encouraged her to get there as soon as she could.
She pulled off at the exit for some small Georgia town she never remembered seeing. Turning off the ramp, she saw lights down the road for another convenience store, Come Get It, or some such nonsense. The signs at the ramp said the nearest hotel was two miles down the road in the town. She wasn't in the mood for driving any further, or the thought of some small-town motel. She just needed a few minutes rest and then get back on the road.
She pulled in to the convenience store and found a dark parking space to the side of the building. There was only one other car in the lot. She looked at the clock on her dash and it was 1:15am. She made sure the doors were locked and was asleep moments after she turned the car off, her head back against the seat.
There was pounding, then loud voices. She came back from a deep sleep and tried to regain some sense of where she was. She was suddenly jolted by the sight of two men pounding on her window. They were dressed in black leather vests over their bare chests. She saw tattoos everywhere. Both had long greasy hair and beards. They were leering at her and yelling, and she couldn't understand what they were saying. She sat up, fully awake and reached for the keys in the ignition. She put the car in reverse and the men stayed next to the car, still pounding, now on the top of the car.
She felt the fear surge through her veins like the worst adrenaline rush. Panicked now, she looked around the parking lot for anyone to help. No one was in sight. She got back far enough to put the car in drive and didn't care if she ran over the men when she spun the tires to get away. The two of them were behind her now as she passed two big motorcycles and sped away.
Looking in her rear-view mirror, Hanna was sure they would follow her. She was quickly back on the interstate and still watching her mirrors. The clock on her dash now read 1:50am. After a few miles there still were no lights behind her and she started to breathe a little easier. She didn't have to worry about drowsiness now, she was wide awake.
Hanna got to the hospital at nearly four in the morning. She pulled into a parking space and lay her head back, taking a deep breath. There had been no more calls from Dr. Mason, so she had no idea what to expect. She willed herself out of the car, stiff and sore from the long drive. She hurried to the red Emergency door sign.
Dr. Mason's partner met her in the Cardiac Unit waiting room. She was a younger doctor. Her name was Gilbert.
"Your father is in Intensive Care," the woman said. "The emergency procedure stabilized the situation, but more tests are underway to know what's next."
Hanna was in no mood for pleasantries. "Is my father going to die tonight?"
The doctor was taken aback and seemed upset. "We will know when all the tests are completed. You'll need to wait."
"Is my father's wife here, Martha Moss?" Hanna asked.
"No, we sent her home a couple of hours ago. There was nothing she could do here."
"She didn't stay?" Hanna was flabbergasted.
Hanna felt someone pushing her shoulder. She'd fallen asleep in a chair in the waiting room. She opened her eyes to see the young Dr. Gilbert sitting beside her and then squinted and covered her eyes at the morning light coming through the windows.
"Good morning, Hanna," the doctor said. "I wanted to let you sleep as long as possible. I now you've come a long way."
"How is he?" Hanna asked, sitting up and brushing hair away from her face.
"He's stable. That's all we can say at this point."
"What is stable?" Hanna asked.
The woman hesitated. "Your father's heart is very challenged at the moment. We believe we've controlled the situation but, the next few hours will be critical."
"Can I see him?" Hanna asked.
"I'll take you back to the ICU, but he isn't conscious."
"I want to see him."
Hanna was stunned when she saw her father. She couldn't imagine he would look worse than the previous day but, she thought she was looking at a corpse. His face had a faint yellow pallor and his mouth was open, like a death mask she had seen in others when they'd passed. She pulled a chair up next to his bed and reached for his hand. "I'm here Allen... Daddy."
She jolted awake when a nurse bumped her, checking on the readings on the many monitors around her father's bed. There seemed no change in his condition. Hanna looked to the nurse.
"He's a strong man. He's fighting," the nurse said.
Hanna turned and saw Martha coming into the room.
"Oh, Hanna, I'm so glad you made it safely," she said. "I've been worried about you all night."
"Yes, thanks for waiting," Hanna said, not trying to hide her irritation.
"I had to take a break, Hanna. I'd been here for hours. The doctors said I should go home and get some sleep."
Hanna's mood softened a bit. "Have you seen Dr. Mason?" she asked.
"No, not yet."
They both looked at the lifeless form of Allen Moss lying weak and possibly dying on the bed beside them.
Martha said, "I love your father, Hanna. I don't know what I'll do if we lose him."
Hanna looked up at her stepmother, surprised at her honest feelings. She reached for her hand. "I love him, too."
Chapter Thirty-seven
Alex felt himself coming from a deep sleep. What was the noise he was hearing? His head continued to clear, the fragments of a dream now lost forever. It was someon
e knocking at the front door. He touched the screen on his phone and it lit up the room... 2:35am. What the hell?
He got out of bed, dressed only in his boxer shorts, and went to the front of the house. He'd left just the screen closed and had turned off the porch light. Even in the dark, he could see it was his ex-wife. Through the screen, he said, "Adrienne, what's going on?"
He turned on the porch light and could see she'd been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen, the tears still tracing down her cheeks, her make-up smeared. She wore torn cut-off jeans and a white sleeveless t-shirt. Her feet were bare.
Adrienne said, "Alex, my mother and I got into another huge fight. She threw me out."
"And why are you here?"
"Alex, you know I have nowhere else to go."
"Where's the boy?"
Adrienne tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. "He's still sleeping."
He opened the door to let her in. He could smell the liquor on her breath as she passed. "You want some coffee? I'll put some on."
"Yes, please."
Pointing to the couch, he said, "Have a seat. I'll be back."
He sat across from her, a cup of steaming coffee in his hands. Hers was on the coffee table. She sat with her elbows on her knees, hands crossed, looking down. "I really am sorry, Alex."
"What happened?"
"It's always a ticking time bomb with the two of us," she said. "Ma came home late from Gilly's after a few too many and she just lit into me about getting my life straightened out. I must have fallen asleep and knocked a glass of wine over on her couch."
"She has a point," he said.
Adrienne looked up and bristled, then shook her head. "She literally threw me out of the house."
"She'll sober up by morning," Alex said.
"It's more than that."
Against his better judgment, he said. "You can take Bobby's room. I'll get you some bedding."
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