“Mel read about some promising treatments at a clinic in Mexico. She wants to go. I asked her to marry me right away so we can go together.”
“What’d she say?”
“She cried. Then she asked me to leave so she could talk to the doctor alone.”
Zach laid his hand on the man’s shoulder. “That’s not a no.”
The man hunched forward and gripped his head in his hands.
Zach squelched the urge to say more. Now was not the time to explain that his fiancée was grieving for all the things she might never have—like the fairytale wedding every girl dreams of. Compelled to reach out in some small way, Zach said, “May I meet Melanie?” The man scrubbed at his eyes and looked at him hopefully. Dr. McCrae stepped out of a room down the hall, and the young man jumped to his feet. “Yes, come on.”
Zach braced himself as he followed the man into the room.
A frail young woman with hollow cheeks and sparse blond hair sat in the bed, a computer on her lap. “Jeff!” She beckoned her fiancé closer. “Dr. McCrae told me about alternative-treatment clinics here in Canada. Come see.”
A zing of respect for the resident raised Zach’s opinion of him a notch. In his experience, M.D.’s rarely spoke favorably about alternative therapies.
Jeff took Melanie’s hand, his face mirroring her hopeful expression. “But I thought the treatment you wanted to try wasn’t available here.”
Wanting to give them privacy, Zach backed toward the door.
Melanie glanced up. “Who are you?”
“Oh, sorry.” Jeff waved Zach toward the bed. “This is...”
“Zach.” He extended his hand. “You must be Melanie—the gorgeous fiancée that I’ve heard so much about.”
Pink tinged her cheeks.
Jeff perched on the side of Melanie’s bed and cradled her arm to his chest. “She sure is.” The cell phone on his hip buzzed. He checked the screen. “My boss. Sorry, I have to take this. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Jeff left Zach standing at the foot of Melanie’s bed. “Your fiancé’s a great guy,” he said.
A sad smile dimmed the hope that had been in her eyes when he entered the room. “Yes.”
“He told me you were having second thoughts about getting married.”
She closed her computer. “He shouldn’t have. That’s between us.”
“He was upset. It was either talk to me or get escorted out of the building for beating up the wall.”
Melanie’s sheepish expression turned to a genuine smile.
“You know, we guys aren’t as tough as we like others to think. When it comes to the women we love, we’re soft as marshmallows.” She giggled and Zach pressed his advantage. “When someone we love is hurting, we need to make ourselves useful, or we go nuts. We want to be the hero, the protector. It’s what we do.” He shrugged with a go-figure expression. “I know you love Jeff or you wouldn’t try to shield him from your pain.” Zach let his tone grow more serious. “But believe me, the best way to love him is to let him be here for you, no matter what.”
Tears glistened in her eyes.
A moment later, Jeff returned.
Zach gave Melanie a wink. “Nice meeting you.”
He returned to the nurse’s station with a prayer for Melanie’s well-being on his heart. His mind immediately veered back to Tara. And for the thousandth time since hearing the gunshots shatter her car window, he prayed for her safety.
His cell phone vibrated, alerting him to an incoming message.
His pulse spiked at the sight of the bodyguard’s name and a terse message. Call me. Urgent.
Zach dialed the number and descended the back stairs two at a time. “What’s wrong?”
“Not sure anything is. Yet. A floral delivery truck just pulled into the driveway. The driver is heading to the door with an arrangement as we speak. Did you send it?”
“Me? No!” Tara was a witness. Nothing more. He didn’t want to consider why Kelly would think otherwise.
“Okay. Just checking.” The sound of a doorbell chimed in the background. “So what do you want me to do? Tara says no one ever sends her flowers.”
Zach raced to his truck, forcing a calm into his voice he didn’t feel. “Leave the delivery outside—as far away from the house as you can discreetly manage. I’ll be right there.”
FIVE
At the sound of tires screeching to a stop in her driveway, Tara rushed to the window and nudged aside the curtain. Zach must have run every stop sign in town to get here this fast. Why hadn’t Kelly called him back once they’d learned the flowers were from Mom’s neighbor?
Tara looked at the note card the cautious detective had pulled from the floral arrangement, and stroked the ladybug pendant adorning the corner. Mom must’ve told Mr. Calloway how crazy Suzie was about ladybugs. The card said simply, Hope you’re feeling better.
But, judging by the grim look on Zach’s face as Kelly pointed him toward the backyard where she’d stashed the delivery, he wasn’t convinced the sender was sincere.
Tara dropped the note card on the dining table next to the photos she’d been sorting and spied out the kitchen window.
From the way Zach examined each flower, paying extra attention to the center of a black-eyed Susan, he wasn’t taking any chances. Next he scrutinized the pouch of plant food taped to the stems.
What was he thinking? Was there a substance that exploded on contact with water? Or that gave off a toxic gas?
Tara tensed. This threat might be a false alarm, but if Zach feared her assailant could take her out with a bouquet of flowers, how did he ever expect to keep her safe?
A few moments later, Zach followed Kelly back inside and presented Tara with the bouquet. “For you.”
His fingers grazed hers, and her heart squeezed with a sudden irrational disappointment that the flowers weren’t from him. Averting her gaze, she mumbled her thanks.
“Dak here!” Suzie squealed and scurried toward him, dragging her puppet.
Zach’s mouth stretched into a smile almost as wide as the puppet’s. “Hey, kiddo. What you got there?”
“Micah.” She shoved the orange-haired dummy into Zach’s hand. “Talk.”
“You’re supposed to be taking a nap,” Tara admonished.
Zach gave Tara a wink and slipped on the puppet.
His sweet way with Suzie triggered another unexpected pang in the vicinity of her heart. But no matter how nice he seemed, she couldn’t let Suzie get too attached. He was here to do a job. And when it was finished, he’d be gone.
Imitating a yawn, Zach patted the puppet’s hand to its mouth. “I’m tired,” he said in a squeaky voice, his lips unmoving. “I wanna finish my nap.”
Suzie laughed and hugged Micah to her chest. “Me, too. Let’s go, Micah.”
When Suzie dashed back to her bedroom without making a fuss, Tara blinked in astonishment. “How’d you do that?”
Zach shrugged. “Standard police tactic. Make them think they want to do the right thing.”
Tara laughed. “I’ll have to remember that.” She pulled a vase from the cupboard and arranged the flowers. “Will you stay for a coffee?”
“That’s okay. I’m sure you want to take advantage of Suzie’s nap time to get your own stuff done.”
“No, I want to hear what you’ve uncovered.”
Zach sank into a kitchen chair and rattled off what little he knew. “We’ll analyze the voiceprint on the 9-1-1 call, rule out thumbprints of hospital staff, cross-reference staff schedules to the time of the incidents.” He took a breath. “If your shooter and poisoner are the same person, he had to have been in before lunch, then clocked out early enough to follow you from the hospital.”
“What about the Parkers’ donation? Di
d you learn anything more about that?”
“I confirmed that it wasn’t a memorial gift in their honor. Rick’s working on getting a warrant to see their will.”
She sighed heavily. “So what am I supposed to do in the meantime?”
“You stay put. I’ll keep looking.” Zach picked up a photo from the table. “I didn’t know you run.”
“Yeah, a couple of marathons and some shorter races.”
“Any serious rivalry between competitors we should know about?” Kelly interjected.
“Hardly. I always finish in the bottom half.”
Zach gazed at her with an admiration that left her skin tingly. “Hey, I’m impressed by anyone who can finish such a grueling race.”
She rolled her eyes and returned to scooping ground coffee.
“I’m serious. I’ve tried running a couple of marathons, but never finished. Maybe we could run together sometime. You could give me some tips.”
Her heart gave a silly little skip, but she wasn’t willing to admit how much the idea appealed to her. Aside from races, she’d never run with anyone other than Suzie in the racing buggy. And if she didn’t want Suzie getting hurt, she’d better keep it that way.
* * *
By Monday afternoon, Tara wished she’d taken Zach up on his offer to go running.
She rotated three hundred and sixty degrees, glancing from one draped window to the next. This was ridiculous. She shoved aside the front curtains. Then strode to the kitchen window and snapped open the blinds.
The sun was shining. The trees were ablaze with color and the mercury had topped sixty-five. Perfect running weather. And after being cooped up inside for the past three and a half days, she had energy to burn.
She refused to be a prisoner in her own house a second longer.
Detective Gray wouldn’t have pulled Kelly off guard duty if he’d still been worried about Tara’s safety outside the hospital.
She scooped her hair into a ponytail and pulled on her sneakers. “Hey, Suzie, let’s go for a run.”
Suzie sprang to her feet, toppling the toy animals from her lap. Her little hands fisted, and she jogged on the spot. “Run.”
“That’s right, but you get to ride.” Tara pulled a lightweight hoodie over the child’s head and kissed her nose. “Okay?”
“Okay,” Suzie squealed, and ran to the garage where they kept the racing stroller.
By the time Tara locked the side door, Suzie had climbed into the buggy and was smushing the two buckle ends together in a hopeless attempt to snap herself in.
Smiling indulgently at her daughter, Tara snapped the ends together, pushed the timer on her watch and headed left out of the driveway.
“Wrong way,” Suzie shouted over the wind whooshing past the stroller.
“We’re taking a different route today.” Just in case.
Two miles out, she realized her mistake. Anyone who knew her routine wouldn’t expect to find her jogging down Vine Street, but everything on the street was unfamiliar. She had no sense whether someone was lurking where he shouldn’t be. She glanced over her shoulder. Maybe she should’ve asked Zach to join her. One look at his big, muscular arms and no one would try to mess with her. For a few strides, she let herself imagine what it would be like to be held in those arms—safe from shadowy threats.
She squashed the thought. Even if she were interested in dating again—which she wasn’t—he’d only be in town for a few weeks, tops. Then he’d be gone.
Five miles out, her heart raced faster than normal. Sweat prickled her skin. She glanced from side to side, and then behind her, once again. Instead of feeling relaxed, she felt jumpier than before she’d started. When a kid swooped past her on a bicycle, she actually yelped.
At Elm, she turned west. The canopy of trees cast long shadows over the yards where anyone might be lurking. Waiting.
Fallen leaves crackled beneath the wheels of the buggy, making it difficult to hear anything else. She caught sight of another jogger out of her peripheral—a guy, Whittaker’s height, ball cap pulled low over his eyes.
He rounded the corner, closed the gap between them.
Suddenly the crackling leaves became deafening. Or maybe it was the blood roaring past her ears.
She stepped up her pace.
So did he.
* * *
Why wasn’t Tara answering her door?
Zach fisted his hand and pounded louder. Nothing. He jiggled the knob without success. Whipping out his phone, he scanned the windows for signs of movement. The sound of Tara’s telephone penetrated the walls, but inside no one moved toward the phone. He tried Kelly’s.
“Detective Teal.”
“Where are you?” he barked.
“Didn’t Gray tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“He pulled me off guard duty a couple of hours ago. You know how it goes. The budget—”
“He what?” Zach tried to stay calm. “I don’t believe this. Where is she now?”
“At home. At least she was when I left two hours ago.”
“Did she mention her plans? Errands she had to run, maybe?”
“No.”
Tamping down his fear, Zach snapped shut his phone. Tara’s car—the window repaired—sat in the driveway. Shutting down visions of her and Suzie being abducted, he checked the garage. Sure enough, Suzie’s stroller was missing. It was such a nice day. Tara had likely walked her daughter to the park.
Zach jumped into his truck and trolled the neighborhood. After a few blocks, he widened the net and wound his way through the surrounding subdivisions. He turned onto Chestnut Lane. Majestic trees shaded the street, and prestigious-looking turn-of-the-century homes with manicured lawns graced either side. Must be where the doctors and lawyers lived.
But there was no sign of Tara and Suzie.
Zach took the first left. A playground occupied the next corner. Bingo.
Sunbeams blinded him as he rounded the bend. Then a woman pushing a racing buggy burst from the shadows. Tara.
She tossed a glance over her shoulder, and her look of sheer panic kicked him in the gut.
An instant later, a man in a ball cap appeared. The man’s strides lengthened, chewing the distance between them.
Heart pounding, Zach punched the gas. But before he could intercept, the runner overtook Tara, shooting her an odd look as he passed.
Tara stopped dead in her tracks.
Zach swerved to the curb and jumped out of his truck. “Are you okay?”
In the buggy, Suzie slept peacefully. Tara spun toward him, wild-eyed.
His heart rate kicked up another notch.
Relief washed over her face, and for an instant, she looked like she might fling herself into his arms. Instead, she hunched forward, pinched her sides, and gulped in air.
He took a step back, swallowing his disappointment and giving his own pulse a moment to slow. He squinted at the runner disappearing in the distance. “What happened? Who was that guy?”
“I thought, I thought—” She sucked in breaths one on top of the other. Perspiration trickled down her cheek. “I thought he was chasing me.” She swiped at her face with the back of her hand and glanced over her shoulder.
“Did you recognize him?”
She shook her head. She paced, and her breathing began to slow. “I couldn’t see his face.”
Zach let out a pent-up breath. Part of him wanted to take off after the guy. But the guy had looked like he was just trying to run past her, and had probably felt challenged when she’d picked up her pace.
Tara’s gaze skittered across the horizon, and her flushed cheeks deepened a shade. She stopped pacing and wrapped her arms around her middle. “I guess I got kind of spooked.”
He
slipped his arm across her shoulder and gave her a sideways hug. “Hey, if you think a bad guy’s chasing you, I’d rather see you run than give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Her chuckle resonated through his chest. He dropped his arm, unnerved by how right she felt there. “Why don’t we sit in the park for a few minutes? I can fill you in on what I learned today.” He steered the buggy toward a bench. “Sweet rig. You can really move.”
“Thanks.” Her lips curved into a self-deprecating smile. “I think.”
Relieved to see her playful sense of humor reemerging, he parked the buggy in front of the bench and invited Tara to take a seat.
“I need to shake out a bit first, or I’ll pay for it later.”
Zach averted his gaze from the shapely muscles sculpting her legs and focused on her sleeping daughter. “Does Suzie usually fall asleep when you run?”
“Yes, it’s a mixed blessing. Nap times at home are when I try to catch up on paperwork.” She made a face that said paperwork ranked right up there with cleaning toilets on her list of favorite things to do.
Zach laughed.
Suzie startled at the sound. Her mouth opened as if she might cry, but when her gaze met his, she let out a squeal instead. “Dak!”
His heart swelled. “Hi, there, Suzie.” He unzipped the windbreak covering the buggy, unhooked the buckle and lifted her out. “How’s my favorite girl?”
She beamed at Tara as if she thought her mom should answer. The notion made Zach’s heart skip a beat. When had he stopped wanting to solve this case and get out of town ASAP? Now it seemed he wanted to stay here, or more precisely, he wanted an excuse to keep seeing Tara and Suzie, as he’d done daily for the past four days.
Tara tapped Suzie’s nose. “Suzie’s been a good girl today.”
“Good girl.” Suzie squirmed for release.
Zach looked to Tara for permission, and at her nod, let Suzie race for the playground.
Tara pulled the elastic from her hair and turned her head from side to side. The breeze swished the stray strands from her shoulder, rousing a faint lavender scent that teased Zach’s senses.
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