When they arrived at the parking lot, Laura groaned. “Peter, we left your keys at Nicki’s!”
“Don’t worry,” Crystal said, fishing her keys from her pocket. “We’ll take my car.”
“Let me drive,” Laura said, reaching for the keychain. “You probably have a concussion.”
Crystal gave her a doubtful look.
“Love,” Peter said with a laugh, “you’re the epitome of the pot calling the kettle black. You don’t look too perky yourself.”
Laura grabbed the keys. “My head is clear, and Cris’s wounds are more recent.” She turned to Crystal. “Which car is yours?”
Crystal motioned toward her tiny two-seater.
Peter groaned. “That’s a car? It looks like it could fit in the back of a pickup.”
“I know it’s small,” Crystal mumbled self-consciously. “But it runs great and parallel parking’s a breeze.”
“I’m sure it’s terrific.” He chuckled. “I’m just wondering where I’m going to tuck my legs. Do you think we could detach them and stow them in the trunk?”
“Stop clowning around and get inside,” Laura demanded. “We need to get to the hospital.”
“I’m trying,” Peter mumbled, struggling to sit down. “But I can’t seem to get all of me in.”
Crystal and Laura tried frantically to fold Peter into the tiny car. It was useless.
Looking over her shoulder, Crystal saw Zeke and a beautiful dark-haired woman pulling into the parking lot. She felt a rush of relief when Zeke slammed on his brakes.
“Peter! Laura!” Zeke cried, leaning out his window. “Are you all right?”
“No!” Laura shouted desperately. “Drake’s behind everything. He knows the Ablemans and Phoebe are at the hospital, and he means to kill them.” Her voice took on a note of hysteria. “We need to warn them, but Peter won’t fit in Crystal’s car.”
“Get in mine,” Zeke said. “I’ll get you there.”
The dark-haired woman placed a hand on his arm. “That won’t work. Our picnic things are in the backseat. I’ll get my car.”
Nodding, Zeke pulled into a parking space. Before his car had completely stopped, the woman jumped out and sprinted across the asphalt.
Peter quirked an eyebrow as Zeke joined them. “Who was that?”
“Nicole Cunning.” Zeke’s eyes twinkled. “Nicki all grown up. She’s a remarkable woman.”
Crystal gave a crow of delight. “You love her, don’t you? I can tell by your face!”
“What’s not to love?” Zeke grinned. “After all, she says she likes my gargantuan schnoz—if that’s not a green light for romance, I don’t know what is.”
Nicole pulled her sporty convertible next to their ragtag group. “Get in!”
Peter gave the expensive car a look of misgiving. “Miss Cunning, I’m extremely bloody.”
“Who cares about that?” Nicole said impatiently. “And call me Nicole, for goodness sake. After all, we’re old friends. You and Laura stayed at my house, remember? Now get in!”
Crystal helped Laura maneuver Peter into the backseat. Her stomach twisted as she studied his face—it was several shades whiter than pale. Glancing at Laura, Crystal could tell she was terrified about his health. Her heart squeezed in sympathy. She’d always believed that Peter and Laura would make a great couple, and the loving glances she saw passing between them confirmed it. She’d hate for their love story to end before it truly began.
Slipping into the backseat, she whispered in Nicole’s ear, “Please, get us there fast.”
Nicole nodded and tromped on the gas.
* * *
Alex breathed in his mother’s scent—powder mixed with perfume—and held her close.
“I needed a hug from my baby,” his mother murmured, kissing his cheek.
“Baby?” Alex chuckled. “I can tuck you under my chin and still have room to spare.”
His mother laughed and gave him another hug. “You’ll always be my baby—get used to it.”
His father cleared his throat. “I’m going to find a drinking fountain while you two talk.”
“Samuel Jefferson Ableman,” his mother sputtered, “you’ll do nothing of the sort. Hospital drinking fountains are swarming with germs.” She took money from her purse. “Get yourself a can of soda pop, and I’ll share it with you.”
“What about backwash?” his father teased. “Talk about squirmy germs!”
She laughed. “You’ve shared my germs for years, and they’ve never bothered you before. Stop being a cornball and find yourself a soda machine.”
Giving her a peck on the cheek, his father strolled down the hall.
Alex led his mother to a chair. “Dad’s filled you in?”
She nodded. “I’m glad you’re helping that poor girl, but I want you to be careful.”
“Dad’s already warned me to go slow.”
“He told you why?”
Alex shifted uncomfortably. “He said you had some anger issues after you were attacked. He thought Phoebe might too.”
“Anger issues!” She snorted. “That’s a polite way of putting it.”
Alex hesitated. “Can you tell me what set you off?”
His mother shuddered. “It was a simple touch. Your father and I were walking home after picking out my wedding dress, and he reached over and brushed some hair off my neck. For some reason, his touch made me flashback to Rick’s red cord around my throat. Your dad was totally oblivious. He leaned over and whispered some endearments in my ear.” Her expression tightened. “His hot breath wrapped around my cheek just like Rick’s had when he was talking about killing cats. Before I knew what I was doing, I pushed your father away and booted him.”
Alex felt stunned. “You kicked Dad in the…?”
“Just as hard as I could.” She shivered. “It was awful. He was down on the ground, staring up at me with such a shocked expression on his face. I felt horrible and that just made me angrier. Suddenly, my feelings for your father got all mixed up with my anger toward Rick. I couldn’t believe I was about to marry a man after another man had just tried to kill me. We ended up postponing the wedding.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“It’s not something we like to talk about.” His mother put her hand on his chest. “You’ll have to guard your heart around Phoebe. She’s been badly hurt, and she may end up taking it out on you. Of all my children, your heart is the most tender. It could easily be broken.”
Alex took a deep breath. “What got you back on track?”
“Your father’s steadfast love. He never walked away from me. I don’t think he ever considered it.” She brushed Alex’s hair away from his forehead. “1 Peter 4:8 says love covers many faults. Your father took that scripture to heart and kept loving me until my world made sense again.” Her voice lowered. “But, Alex, I don’t want you to go through that.”
“I know you worry about me, but I’m not a child anymore.”
“I know.” His mother sighed, rubbing her hand over his stubbly cheek. “You’re a man. A good man. It’s just that Danny had to confront the ugly side of humanity when Rick attacked him, and Angelina’s illness forced her to face harsh realities too. You’ve never had to do that—I was hoping you wouldn’t.”
“If my heart breaks, it’ll mend. I’m not going to walk away from Phoebe.”
“You’re just like your dad—honorable to a fault.” His mother stood to her feet. “I’m awfully proud of you, but if you stay with that girl, you’ll need to watch out for something other than a broken heart. The terrible man who attacked her may come back to finish the job.”
“Surely not,” Alex sputtered. “Why would he?”
“Rick tracked me down after I escaped him.” She squeezed his hand. “Some maniacs feel it’s a blow to their pride when their prey escapes. You’ll need to watch out.”
“I agree,” his father said, walking toward them with a can of pop. “Keep your eyes open, and if you see a man that make
s your skin crawl, listen to your instincts.”
His mother stood on her tiptoes and kissed Alex’s cheek. “I know that right now, you’re Phoebe’s security blanket, so we won’t keep you. But remember, we’re always here if you need to talk.”
Alex nodded, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. He walked his parents to the elevator and gave them a hug. As the elevator carried them away, Alex turned and collided with a doctor walking down the hall.
“Excuse me,” Alex mumbled politely, picking up the stethoscope the doctor had dropped.
The doctor nodded, pulling the collar of his white coat up around his neck.
Alex froze. There were fingernail scratches on the doctor’s hands, and his face looked like it had been hit with a brick. The hair on the back of Alex’s neck stood. His gut twisted. He didn’t know how, but he knew he was looking at Phoebe’s attacker.
The “doctor” turned and began walking toward the nurses’ station. Staying a few paces behind, Alex trailed him down the hall. Every cell in his body screamed in outrage when the man paused outside Phoebe’s door. Remembering the horrible words carved into Phoebe’s skin, Alex wanted to pound her tormentor into a pile of bloody meat. He wanted to rip him to pieces. He wanted to make him beg for mercy.
Alex forced himself to take a deep breath. He was on thin ice with the hospital staff. If they saw him fighting, they’d eject him from the building, and Phoebe would be all alone. Knowing he had no other recourse, Alex did the only thing he could—he stepped forward and shook the hand of Phoebe’s attacker.
“Howdy!” Alex said, trying to sound like he’d just fallen off a turnip truck. “Are you here to see my granny?”
The man ripped his hand away. “Pardon me?”
“You’re the lung specialist from Tacoma, aren’t you?” Alex pinned an innocent smile on his lips. “Gran’s been waiting for you.”
“I’m not here to see anyone’s granny.”
Alex scratched his head. “Are you here to see Granny’s roommate? That scared, pale girl with the horrible burns?”
“Yes,” the man purred. “Please step aside.”
“Sorry, Doc,” Alex said, looping his thumbs through his belt. “She’s not here anymore, and boy, am I glad. She kept screaming about tarantulas. Like to have kept Granny up all night.”
The man’s eyes flickered. “Phoebe’s not here? Where is she?”
Tilting his head, Alex tried to look like a congenial moron. “Some fancy mental ward. Her daddy said she needed psychiatric care.”
“Her daddy?” the man’s voice lowered.
“Yep, at least that’s who I ’spect he was. That skittish girl called him Poppa. He said he wanted her transferred to Shady Acres in Maryland.” Alex wiggled his finger in his ear. “Don’t really care where she went. Just glad she’s not keeping my granny awake anymore.”
The man turned on his heel.
Alex grabbed his arm. “You wanna do me a favor and give my granny a look-see? I don’t know when that doctor’s getting here from Tacoma, and—”
“I don’t have time,” the man said, pulling free.
Keeping the half-moronic look on his face, Alex leaned against the wall and watched as Phoebe’s attacker hurried toward the elevators.
When the elevator doors closed behind him, Alex ran into Phoebe’s room and barked, “Katie, get Phoebe packed! Now!”
“Alex, what’s wrong?” Phoebe asked, her eyes widening in fear.
“He’s found you. We’ve got to go.” Alex saw Phoebe’s face turning white. Tears began streaming down her face. He knew she was terrified. He also knew he had no time to console her. They needed to move. Fast.
Katie sprinted to the bathroom, tossing items into a plastic bag.
Alex frantically jammed things into the suitcase. “Got everything?” he asked Katie.
She nodded.
Alex grabbed the nurse’s arm. “Listen carefully. Tell security there’s a criminal posing as a doctor. He’s in a white coat, and his face is banged up. Hopefully, they’ll catch him, but we can’t count on it. You need to get out of here. Leave a message for Dr. Ember telling him the same thing. I said Phoebe had been taken to Maryland, but when her attacker discovers I lied, he’ll come back here looking for answers. He’ll think you and Dr. Ember have them. Do you understand? He’ll be coming after you. Get out of town, and stay out of town.”
Katie nodded. “What about you? Where are you going?”
“It’s safer if you don’t know. Now go! Hurry!”
Katie rushed from the room.
Alex grabbed the Wave Trapper from the suitcase. He should have known better than to assume Poppa had “forgotten” to take it with him. Putting the Wave Trapper in the doorway of the bathroom, he turned it on. A burst of light swirled up and cleared. Behind the blue wave, Alex could see the living room of his Colorado cabin. There were gelatin boxes pyramided on a chair, dresses hanging in his spare bedroom doorway, and a stack of sterile bandages on the couch—obvious gifts from Poppa. Alex spotted Shep snoozing by the fireplace. The dog yowled and tried to hide as he tossed the suitcase through the wave.
Alex looked over at Phoebe. She was scrunched into a scared, little ball on the bed.
“He found me,” she whispered as Alex picked her up. Her voice was full of horror.
“Yes, he did,” Alex murmured, kissing her forehead. “But you’re not alone anymore. I’ll keep you safe.”
“Where are we going?” Phoebe asked as he carried her through the portal.
Smiling, Alex said softly, “To your home on the meadow just like I promised.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY
Dan curled up next to his wife as she cuddled their son. Stroking his baby’s hair with his thumb, he watched as Gil smiled. Feeling a surge of love, he kissed her.
“Dan,” she whispered seductively, “will you do something for me?”
Feeling his heart thump in his chest, he murmured, “Anything. Just name it.”
“Check our voicemail.”
Blinking rapidly, he sat up. “What?”
“Check our voicemail!” Gil huffed. “You haven’t done it yet, and it’s time you did. I’m sick of sitting in Siberia because everyone thinks I’m too delicate to know what’s happening. If you love me, get off your wretched duff and take command of TEMCO!”
Dan tweaked her nose. “Siberia? That’s where we are?”
“Just about.” She scowled, tossing him the phone. “Start dialing or prepare to sleep on the couch when we get home!”
Giving her a wink, he dialed.
“You have eighty-two messages,” an electronic recording intoned.
Dan groaned. “Couldn’t we do this tomorrow?” Seeing Gil’s glare, he sighed. “You’re a brutal taskmaster, you know it? Whatever happened to that obedient pupil who hung on my every word?”
“She graduated,” Gil said shortly. “Get busy, mister!”
Dan began listening to messages. After the twenty-seventh one, he felt his eyes starting to glaze. Yawning, he listened to message twenty-eight.
“This is Wade Kingston,” a voice groaned. “Dan, we’ve got trouble at TEMCO. I caught Drake trying to break into your office, and he attacked me. I must’ve passed out. I don’t know where he is. You’ve gotta drop everything and come…” Wade’s voice trailed off. “What am I thinking?” he mumbled. “You’re still out in the field! I need to call Peter.”
The line went dead.
“Delete or save?” the recording intoned.
“What did you hear?” Gil demanded. “You’ve gone white as a sheet.”
Before he could answer, his parents walked into the room followed by Thomas and Nicki.
Standing to his feet, Dan barked, “What the dickens is going on at TEMCO?”
His father cleared his throat. “We would’ve told you, but—”
“Never mind all that,” Dan interrupted. “Just fill me in.”
Laura’s voice exploded from the door, “There’s no time!�
��
Dan jumped and swung around. A ragtag group of people flooded the room. They looked desperate and most of them were bleeding. Dan’s eyes fell on Peter. He was being pushed in a wheelchair by beautiful woman who resembled Nicki.
“Peter, what’s going on?” Dan demanded. “I thought you were in Alaska.”
“I lied.”
Shock rolled over Dan in a shivering wave. “You lied to me? I’m the boss. You had no—”
His father grabbed his shoulder. “Danny, he had to lie. We all agreed that—”
“There’s no excuse for lying!” Dan spat. “Crying out loud, Dad! You taught me that!”
Laura bounded forward. “Look, there’s no time for this! Drake’s gone crazy, and he’s coming here! We need to move!”
Crystal ran to the bed with another wheelchair and helped Gil into it. The back of Crystal’s head was a mass of mottled blood. Beside her, Zeke began tossing things into a suitcase. Dan heard Laura whispering to Peter, “Now can I take you to the ER?”
“Not yet,” Peter mumbled. “Get everyone to safety first.”
Dan felt his world spin. “I’m not going anywhere unless I’m told what’s going on!”
Laura swung around—her eyes were desperate. “I don’t care if you are the boss! You’re going to shut up and do what I say, or so help me, I’m going to wallop you!”
His father handed him Jay. “Listen to her, son. There’s more going on than you realize.”
Seeing the tension in his father’s face, Dan nodded. “Where do you want us to go?”
Laura looked blank.
Crystal piped up, “The main thing is to get out of this room. There are empty conference rooms on the tenth floor. Let’s go there and regroup.”
“Good idea,” Thomas said, opening the door.
Everyone streamed into the hallway. Dan peered at the back of Crystal’s head as she went past. He jolted. There were staples embedded in her scalp.
Laura sprinted ahead and pressed the elevator button. Jay began crying in Dan’s arms as everyone squeezed inside. The doors started to close.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed the elevator doors and forced them open. Drake stood in front of them with a gun. His lips pulled back into a snarl. Nicki screamed. Bolting forward, Laura kicked Drake in the stomach. He stumbled back as Zeke pressed the button to close the door. Drake lunged forward, his face a contorted mask of rage. The doors slid shut blocking him from view. An instrumental version of Moon River began pumping through the elevator.
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