by Kathi Daley
“Is your dad still inside?” Doc asked.
I nodded and took a step back.
“I guess we’ll head in and offer support,” Grandpa said.
“Will you let him know that I’m going to head to the hospital? I’m hoping Kyle will be released this afternoon and I want to be there if he is.”
“I’ll tell him,” Grandpa answered in a deep voice that rumbled up from his chest. “Call us when you are able to confirm one way or the other if Kyle will be able to go home today.”
I turned my head and kissed Grandpa on his cheek. “I will. Call me if you hear anything. One way or another, we’re going to figure out who did this.”
I climbed into my car and headed toward the main highway that ran through town. As I drove to the hospital, I thought about the night of the explosion. It had been Halloween, and Kyle and I had taken my youngest sister, Gracie, and her best friend, Kari, trick or treating. We were halfway across town when Kyle got a text alerting him to an emergency town council meeting. There had been a lot of dishevel in the council ever since Mayor Harper had been killed this past summer, and secret meetings behind closed doors had almost become the norm. Kyle felt that secret meetings violated the implied contract that the council had with the town residents, but there had been a lot of delicate issues that needed to be dealt with since Harper’s death, so the secret meetings had continued. By the time we’d handed Gracie and Kari off to Jenna, we’d been late for the meeting, and the other council members had already arrived. Technically, I supposed my presence at the meeting was not allowed since I wasn’t a town council member, but Kyle and I had plans that evening, so we figured that if they wanted Kyle’s presence, they’d need to deal with my presence, as well. I planned to sit in the back and wait so I hadn’t continued on into the room as Kyle headed toward the front of the council chambers. When he was about halfway down the aisle, I heard a loud boom and the next thing I knew, I was playing chess with Zachary.
Harriet, who served as town clerk and the mayor’s secretary, sat the closest to the origin of the blast and died immediately as did Lloyd Benson, the council member and developer closest to where she sat. Restaurant owner, Hank Hammond, sat next to Lloyd and was currently clinging to life in the ICU. There was an empty chair next to Hank where Helen’s husband, R. L. Hellerman aka Bookman, usually sat, but he was filling in as interim mayor, so he sat in the center of the row which was one seat over from his usual seat. To Bookman’s right was the empty seat where Kyle usually sat, and to the right of Kyle’s empty seat sat the newest town council member, Jeff Warren, who took over Doug Conrad’s seat when he quit unexpectedly. There was one additional empty seat at the end of the row which was waiting to be filled. The group had decided to wait to fill the seat until a new mayor had been selected.
“Did you take care of everything you needed to?” Kyle asked after I walked into his hospital room with a forced smile on my face.
“We are all set. The funeral for Helen will be on Saturday.” I slipped off my shoes, and as carefully as I could so as not to hurt his ribs, two of which had been broken, slipped onto the bed beside him.
“I wish I could have been there to offer support,” Kyle said, as I laid my head on his shoulder. I placed a hand on his chest as he carefully wrapped his arms around me.
“I know,” I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I allowed Kyle’s embrace to comfort my wounded soul. “But my dad came to the mortuary with us. As I knew he would, he took charge and made all the decisions needing to be made. I’m afraid poor Helen is pretty broken, and Jenna is so exhausted from taking care of her mother that she looks like she is on the verge of collapse. I would have welcomed your support, but it is more important to me that you do whatever you need to do to get out of here.”
“I really don’t know why Hunter wanted me to stay until today. I feel fine.” Kyle let out a sharp breath as he adjusted his position. “Well maybe not fine but I certainly don’t need to be here.”
“Hunter is just being careful,” I said. “And I for one am glad he wants to make sure you’re ready to leave the hospital before you do.” My chest tightened. “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you too.”
Kyle turned his head and kissed my forehead. “I know you are concerned about me and I don’t want you to worry. I can’t even begin to imagine how I would feel if you hadn’t somehow managed to escape the explosion with no more than a bruise on your leg and a bump on your head. It really is a miracle that a beam landed on top of you, and you got out of it without even one broken bone.”
I shrugged. “I may be tiny, but I’m tough. Titanium tough, according to Hunter.”
“And I am grateful for that. I know this has been hard on you, so I want to assure you that I am being an exemplary patient and doing everything Hunter recommends no matter how tedious I may find it.”
I kissed Kyle gently on the lips. “Thank you. I appreciate that. Did you hear about the tests? Will I be able to spring you this afternoon?”
“I asked the nurse, but all she would tell me was that Hunter would be in to speak to me once he got out of surgery.”
I settled in next to Kyle’s warmth. I listened to his heartbeat beneath my head, which, in an odd way, seemed to calm my jagged nerves. “As happy as I am that Hunter is being overly cautious when it comes to your health, I will be happy to get you home where I can take care of you myself. Not that I’m a great nurse mind you, but I’ve missed you. I want to have you close at hand so I can keep an eye on you and assure myself that everything is going to be okay.”
Kyle squeezed the hand he held. “I’ve missed you too, and I may literally go insane if I can’t get home to my computer and start trying to figure out who did this terrible thing. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and there just doesn’t seem to be any obvious suspects.”
“Have you talked to Roy?” I referred to Deputy Roy Fisher.
Kyle nodded. “More than once, and all he can really say is that he is stumped. I know he has spoken to everyone who might have been in a position to see something, but so far, no one claims to have witnessed anything suspicious. At this point, he doesn’t have a clue as to who might have blown up the building or why.”
“I’m sure Roy is doing everything he knows to do, and I know we should just let him do his job, but there is no way I am letting Lloyd and Harriet’s killer get away with this.”
“I agree. As soon as I can get out of here, I’ll start digging for the answers we need.”
I gently moved my hand over Kyle’s chest, giving thanks for the fact that he hadn’t been more seriously hurt. If we hadn’t been late to the meeting… Well, I didn’t want to think about that. “Grandpa and Doc want to come by once we get home. I think they need to be part of things. They both seem so lost. It is going to be even worse if Bookman doesn’t make it. I feel so bad for them, but really don’t know how to help them through this.”
“They lost a friend and an acquaintance and may still lose others. From what I understand, Bookman and Hank are both in critical condition. I overheard a nurse say that at this point, their recovery is far from guaranteed.”
“I heard that, as well. I just feel so bad for everyone. I feel like I should be doing more, but honestly, I have no idea what to do.”
Kyle used a forefinger to tuck a lock of my long curly hair that had fallen across my face behind my ear. “There really isn’t anything you can do except let them know you are there for them, and of course, we will make sure they know they are part of the team.”
I let out a breath as I tried to find a way to let go of some of the tension I’d been carrying. I knew that finding answers that would help me to make sense of this horrible event was the only thing that was going to keep me sane. “Kate is going to have a coronary once she finds out we are nosing around.”
Kyle shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t care what Deputy Kate
Baldwin thinks about our involvement. I know she is Roy’s partner, I know she does not believe that civilians should be involved in police investigations regardless of their success in solving past crimes, and I know she can make things difficult for Roy, so I have tried to tread lightly in the past, but this is personal.”
I smiled and cuddled in a bit closer, which caused Kyle to flinch. “Sorry.”
Kyle tightened his arm around me as I tried to move away just a bit. “So, how is Helen holding up?” Kyle asked. “She has been on my mind all day.”
“She is somehow getting through it. If I had to guess, she is just taking things one moment at a time. If Bookman wakes up, that will make it easier, although she will still have to deal with the loss of a lifelong friend.”
“Helen and Harriet have been close friends for a very long time.”
“Since before I was born. I’m not sure exactly when she moved to Paradise Lake, but I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t here. The fact that she is no longer going to be found sitting at the secretary’s desk just outside the mayor’s office on any given weekday is going to be very odd indeed.”
“Of course, there is no longer a secretary’s desk or a mayor’s office,” Kyle pointed out.
“I suppose that is true.” I looked up when I heard Hunter come into the room. His smile turned to a frown, I suspect as a reaction to seeing me cuddled up with Kyle. I knew that our being together was weird for him, so I slowly slipped off the bed. Hunter didn’t say anything, and I didn’t either, but the tension in the room couldn’t be denied.
“So, am I getting out of here?” Kyle asked in a voice that seemed just a tad bit too cheery given the situation.
Hunter glanced at the report in his hand. “You are. Everything looks good. I guess I don’t need to tell you to take it easy for a while. No lifting or strenuous activity of any sort. I am going to want to see you in a week so we can take another look at those ribs, but it appears you are good to go. I’ll tell the nurse to start your paperwork.” Then Hunter turned his attention toward me. “And how are you feeling? Any dizziness or nausea?”
I smiled and shook my head. “My leg is a little tender, but otherwise I am feeling perfectly fine thanks to you.”
“To be honest, you were lucky. It would have been so much worse if that beam had fallen just an inch or two one way or another.” Hunter looked back toward Kyle. “I’m going to have the nurse go over the discharge instructions which I expect to be followed to a tee.”
“I’ll do whatever you ask. And thank you. For everything.”
Hunter shrugged. “Just doing my job.” He nodded at me and then turned to leave.
“Do you think he is ever going to get used to seeing us together?” I asked Kyle after Hunter exited the room.
“The two of you were together for a long time, and we have only been together for a few months. Give him time. Eventually, I’m sure things won’t be so awkward.”
“Yeah. I guess. I brought you a change of clothes. I’m going to run out to the car and get them while the nurse gets your paperwork ready. I won’t be long.” I ran toward the elevator just as the door began to close. I slipped in to find Hunter already inside.
“Going down?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’m sorry about the bed thing. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay,” Hunter said as the elevator started down toward the lobby. “I know the past couple of days have been stressful, and I know you’ve been worried about Kyle. How did Helen do today?”
“Okay,” I answered. “Dad was there, and he took care of everything.”
“Your dad is a good man. I’ve always liked and admired him. I miss our talks.”
“And he misses chatting with you as well. The girls miss you too,” I referred to my sisters, Ashley and Gracie. “It would be okay if you wanted to come around sometimes.”
Hunter hesitated.
“We did it before. Dated and then settled into a friendship. We can do it again. I know that this time is different with Kyle and all, but I’m not ready to not have you in my life.”
Hunter’s expression grew serious. “I know. I will admit that seeing you with Kyle is tough, although I do actually like the guy and consider him a friend, which makes it both harder and easier to know that he now has what I once had.”
I felt my heart squeeze just a bit. Hunter had been in my life for a long time. I couldn’t bear it if he didn’t continue to be in my life in some capacity. “I’m sorry that my being with Kyle is hard for you. I can understand why it might be. But we did talk about our relationship and decided that what we had was wrong for both of us long before Kyle and I got together.”
Hunter let out a breath. “I know. And I remember that I am the one who actually started dating first, and I remember that it was hard for you as well. We’ve been friends for a long time. It is important to me that we are able to remain friends in the future. I’ll text you sometime. Maybe I can take the girls to a movie or your dad for a drink.”
“They’d like that.”
We exited the elevator at the lobby. I continued on toward the front door, and Hunter continued down the hall. Love and friendship. The best life had to offer, but more often than not, the most complicated as well.
Chapter 3
I called Grandpa once Kyle and I made it back to his house. He informed me that he and Doc would be right over. I knew in my mind that Kyle should probably rest for a few days before tackling the latest deaths in Serenity but it had been two days since the explosion, and I knew that most everyone in the community was on edge waiting for the bomber to be caught. Kyle and I had always worked well with Roy, although things had become tricky since his new partner had come to town. Still, given the importance of the investigation, we’d decided to invite him to meet with us as well.
“Any updates to the situation?” I asked Roy once we’d all assembled.
“Not really. The crime scene unit has determined a bomb and not something like a gas leak caused the explosion. The blast originated from the south side of the building near where Harriet and Lloyd were sitting. We don’t know how the bomb came to be in the building or why no one seemed to have noticed it prior to the explosion. Kate and I have canvassed the area surrounding the town offices and have spoken to every individual who might have seen something. So far, we haven’t found a single person who noticed anyone loitering with a backpack. We’ve checked with the USPS as well as FedEx, DHL, and UPS, and none claim to have delivered a package to the town offices in over a week. At this point, we are operating under the assumption that the bomb was brought to the building by an individual who either dropped off a package or broke into the town offices and planted the bomb which was set to go off either remotely or on a timer.”
“The crime scene guys don’t know which?” I asked.
“Not yet. They are working on it, but there was so much damage to the building that they haven’t been able to access much of the rubble. We’ll know more once they are able to stabilize or tear down the remaining walls and the team can get in and do a thorough search. I know you both had just arrived when the bomb went off and wouldn’t have had time to see anything. I spoke to Jeff who didn’t remember seeing a box or backpack, but I am hoping that either Bookman or Hank might remember seeing something if they wake up.”
“When they wake up,” Grandpa corrected.
Roy nodded. “Yes, when they wake up.”
“So what have you come up with in terms of motive?” I asked. “Are you thinking that the council as a whole was the target or that one of the individuals on the council was the target and the others were just collateral damage?”
“I wish I knew. At this point, I don’t even know where to start in terms of a suspect list.” Roy looked at Kyle. “Tuesday wasn’t a regular council night. Why were you all there, anyway?”
“Tj and I were out tric
k or treating with the kids when I received a text from Harriet that an emergency meeting had been called. The text sounded urgent, so we handed the kids off to Jenna and headed over.”
Roy frowned. “Was it normally Harriet who called these extra meetings?”
Kyle nodded. “If any of the council members wanted to schedule a closed-door meeting and it wasn’t urgent, they would tell Harriet, and she would set a date and time and notify everyone well in advance, usually via email. If a council member had an urgent request and a meeting was needed right away, then Harriet would usually call or text everyone.”
“And are these secret meetings part of the town’s bylaws?” Roy asked.
“Yes, and no,” Kyle answered. “There is a provision in the bylaws for the council to meet behind closed doors. This provision, I believe, was included to provide a way for the council to deal with situations that were sensitive and confidential, and therefore not appropriate for a public forum. Prior to Mayor Harper’s death, I only remember attending two closed-door meetings in the two years I have been on the council. Since Harper’s death, it seems to me that these closed-door meetings have become the norm. Personally, I have a problem with the fact that so much of the town council’s business is being conducted behind closed doors. I have spoken to the other town council members about it on several occasions. Bookman tended to side with me, but both Hank and Lloyd felt that our discussions relating to several sensitive issues currently being looked at by the council were too controversial to be debated in an open forum.”
“And Jeff?” Roy asked.
“He is new to the council, having taken one of the two empty seats. I don’t think he felt comfortable choosing sides until he knew more about it.”