When the Stars Fall (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 2)

by Willis, Becki

  She gave him the condensed version. Though she was hurting in more places than she cared to admit and there seemed to be a definite draft in the general area of her derriere, she was more worried about him than she was herself. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

  “Never said that.” His words were becoming more slurred. It occurred to Madison that he held her so tightly to keep his own body upright. He was leaning into her as much as he was supporting her.

  His blue eyes shuttered closed and he sagged against her, just as Officer Schimanski burst through the door. Together, Maddy and the other officer managed to get Brash’s bulky form into a nearby chair until the paramedics arrived.

  “Brash. Brash, wake up. You need to stay awake.” Madison rattled his arm as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

  “Hard to,” he mumbled.

  “You have to, Brash. Talk to me. Did you see Trench Coat? Did you get a look at his face?”

  “Yeah,” he said groggily. “Looked like hell. White face, all bones.”

  “That was a mask, Brash.”

  His eyes were closed again. “Not Halloween.”

  What on earth was taking the ambulance so long? “No, it’s not Halloween,” she agreed. She shook him by the arm to keep him awake. “Do you know what month it is? What day?”

  “Valentines,” he murmured. “You were wearing a red dress.”

  “Yes, that’s right. We danced together at the Valentine’s Mixer. Do you remember that, Brash?”

  “Course I do.” He reached out to clumsily pull her into his arms. “Dance with me, Maddy.”

  She chuckled as she patted his chest. “Easy there, Tiger. Neither one of us is in any shape for that right now.”

  “You okay?” He peeled open one blue eye to look at her.

  “I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about. That’s a nasty bump you have there.”

  He gave her a goofy grin. Even when only half-conscious, the man had the power to render her knees into Jell-O. “Kiss it and make it better.”

  The paramedics banged their way into the room at that moment. Waving them toward Brash, Madison stepped out of their way. Despite his weak protests, the crew wasted no time in loading the police chief onto the gurney.

  “Maddy.” His voice was weak but determined as he held out a hand and insisted the paramedics not take him yet.

  “I’m here, Brash,” she said, stepping up to his side and taking his hand.

  He was too weary to open his eyes. “Sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine, Brash. You’re the one who needs to go to the hospital. Now be good and let them take you there.”

  “… Owe me a kiss,” he murmured.

  Madison blushed and glanced around at their audience. One paramedic grinned, the other looked irritated. Officer Schimanski bit back a snicker and the two firemen on scene pretended a great sudden interest in the room’s decor.

  Bending over him to whisper in his ear, Madison brushed a kiss across his cheek. “Yes, Brash, I owe you a kiss.”

  “Soon, Maddy.” There was an edge of impatience in his voice. His eyes popped open for him to stare at her intently.

  Madison understood, for she felt that same yearning. The waiting just made it worse. Each time she thought a kiss might finally happen, something interfered, just like now. The tender moment was lost as the paramedics all but pushed her aside. Her hand trailed out of his as they carried him to the waiting ambulance.

  Biting her lip in worry, Madison tasted dried blood and was reminded of her own injuries. She was taking stock of all her ailments when two more medics arrived.

  “I can walk,” Madison insisted, but she crawled onto the gurney anyway. Now that the adrenaline was fading, she realized how exhausted she was. Had they not already turned to mush, her abused muscles would surely scream in protest. “I don’t need the hospital. The Tuesday/Thursday Clinic here in town will be fine.”

  “We normally transfer to the hospital, ma’am,” one of the paramedics said.

  “Please, I’m too tired to argue. Just take me to the clinic. And where’s my phone? I need to call my family.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  The Sisters Health Clinic was a multi-service facility that shared not only office space, but office days. On Mondays and Wednesdays, Chiropractor and Acupuncturist Trong Ngo served the citizens of their small community. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the space functioned as a family clinic. And on Wednesdays, old Doc Menger opened his scaled down dentistry practice.

  Luckily for Madison, it was Thursday and the clinic was open for another thirty minutes. Other than a little girl being treated for a rash, she was the only patient that late in the day.

  “We’ll get you cleaned up and out of here in no time,” the nurse assured her with a smile.

  “Aren’t you the school nurse?” Madison asked in confusion. She even checked the nametag to make certain: Margaret Chatham.

  The pretty brunette looked up from her task of cleaning Madison’s knuckles. The solution she used stung like the devil, but at least her manner was gentle.

  With a nod of her dark head, the nurse smiled. “Yes, that’s right. But I pick up a few hours here and there. Anything to make ends meet.” With a slight shrug of her slim shoulders, she offered a weak explanation. “I’m a single mother.”

  Madison felt an immediate bond with the other woman. They were both around the same age, both with the responsibility of raising their children alone. That, however, was where the similarities ended. Margaret Chatham looked small and dainty next to Madison’s tall, lanky form. She wore her auburn-kissed brown hair long and curly, held out of the way with a simple silver clasp. Next to Madison’s peachy skin tones, the nurse’s skin had a healthy olive glow, the kind Maddy had always envied. With her coffee brown eyes and full lips, the woman was a true beauty. And no matter what Brash tried to tell me, I know she looks gorgeous in red, Madison thought. Still, she decided she liked this Margaret Chatham.

  “Ah, say no more,” Madison commiserated. “I’m a single mother, myself. Teenage twins.”

  “Yes, I know. Bethani and Blake. And you’ve done a wonderful job with them, by the way. They are both very polite and well mannered.”

  Liking the nurse even more, Madison gave her a sincere smile. “Why, thank you. That’s always nice to hear.”

  “I know, right? We try to raise them right, teach them their manners and to respect their elders, but we never know how they actually behave when we’re not around. It’s a bit like the tree that falls in the forest, don’t you think?” She offered a light laugh as she swiped Madison’s knuckles once more. Seeing her patient flinch, she said, “Sorry, I know this stings. Almost done.”

  “So how many children do you have?” It helped to keep her attention focused on something other than the antiseptic’s bitter bite.

  “Just one. Samantha. She’s fourteen and the light of my life.”

  “Does she go to school here?”

  “Oh yes. She’s president of the freshman class, A-honor roll, newspaper staff, UIL contestant, a Girl Scout Senior.” She stopped with a self-conscious laugh. “Sorry. Proud parent-itis. Sometimes I don’t know when to stop.”

  “Why ever would you apologize? She sounds like a very bright and lively girl.”

  “Definitely lively! I have a bit of trouble keeping up with her at times. We love to go camping and hiking, but there are days when she can run circles around me.”

  “We used to camp some,” Madison recalled with a touch of melancholy. “Back in the day.”

  “Why did you stop?” Margaret finished with the knuckles and turned her attentions to Madison’s tender cheek. “That’s going to be a beauty in the morning,” she predicted. “Hope you don’t have a hot date this weekend.” Her dark eyes twinkled, revealing little flecks of gold.

  Madison harrumphed. “Hardly!”

  “Have you been divorced for long?”

  “Not divorced. Widowed.”

  “Oh, I’m so
sorry!” She was truly contrite for the blunder.

  “I’m managing,” Madison assured her. She was a bit surprised to realize she spoke the truth. In spite of the difficulties she faced, she was managing. And rather well, if she did say so herself.

  “It’s always been just Samantha and me,” the other woman confessed. “I’m already dreading the day when she goes away to college.”

  “I know what you mean. The twins went on their first date Saturday night. I cried like a baby, seeing my babies all grown up like that. Think they’d mind if I went away to college with them?”

  Margaret Chatham laughed. “I say it’s worth a try!”

  The women chatted as the nurse attended Madison’s injuries. There was even mention of getting together for lunch one day. Madison was quite pleased with herself, making a new friend without the help of the vivacious Genesis. Genny had a natural way of drawing people to her. Without her friend at her side, Madison tended to be more of a loner. She suspected Margaret Chatham might have the same tendencies.

  “Well, I think that should about do it,” the pretty nurse concluded. “You need to watch for infection in all your scrapes and cuts.”

  Madison held up a recently scarred palm and nodded. “I just got over a recent injury. I know all about keeping the wounds clean and dry.” She had worn a bandage on her hand for a week after the ordeal at the Gleason Poultry Farm, and still it had become infected.

  “So be a good patient and keep an eye on these.” When she lightly patted the gauze circling Madison’s knuckles, the clasp of her bracelet snagged in the fibers. “Oops, sorry about that.”

  “No problem. And that’s a lovely bracelet, by the way.”

  “Thanks. My friend Brash gave it to me for Christmas.”

  “Br-Brash?”

  “Yes, you know him? Oh, of course you do,” she chided herself. She did not notice the sudden pallor of Madison’s skin. “He’s chief of police, former football star, and the most eligible bachelor in all of The Sisters. Or for our generation, anyway; Cutter Montgomery claims the spotlight for the younger ladies.” She flashed a smile as she collected wrappings from the gauze and threw away the trash.

  “This Christmas?” Madison clarified on a squeak.

  “Yes, that’s right.” Margaret smiled and paused at the door. “The doctor will be in to give you your walking papers. Sit back and relax for now. I’ll check in with you in a few minutes.”

  Madison stared after her newly made friend: Brash’s girlfriend, so it seemed! How dare he flirt with her… hold her so close… promise to kiss her… talk about Margaret so casually, as if she were part of his distant past… when he was still buying her Christmas presents!

  Seething with fury, Madison did not bother checking the caller ID when her phone rang. She jerked the phone to her ear, her mind still on the two-timing police chief. If he thought he had a headache now, just wait until she was through with him!

  “Hello,” she snapped.

  “I want to know what the meaning of this is!” The bellowed words on the other end matched her own mood. It took a moment for Madison to recognize Darla Mullin’s voice.

  She struggled to shift gears. “What-What do you mean?”

  “This office is a disaster! What on earth happened in here?”

  Given the fact that Caress had been Darla’s best friend and there was still an on-going investigation into her murder, Madison was reluctant to mention Trench Coat. Instead, she went with general details. “There was an intruder at the office today. I was trapped in my office without lights or phone. I had to escape out the windows.”

  “An intruder? Why, I’ve never had an intruder in all my years of business!”

  Madison noted the lack of concern for her own well-being. She made no comment, but it did not stop Darla from further rantings.

  “I don’t know what kind of people you are associated with, young woman, but they are not welcome in my establishment! And I expect you to come down here immediately, and clean this mess up.”

  “I’m sorry, but at the moment I’m a little pre-occupied. I’m in the ER.”

  She could hear Darla’s chest puffing out with indignation. “If you think, for one minute, that I am going to pay your ER bill, you are sadly mistaken!”

  “Please, don’t worry about me.” Madison’s voice dripped with sarcasm at her employer’s blatant lack of concern. “I’m fine, really.”

  Darla Mullins sniffed. “I trust, then, that you’re well enough to be here early in the morning. You can clean this mess up before we leave for the field.”

  Madison sighed. “I may be sporting a pair of crutches in the morning. I have a sprained ankle.”

  “Then I hope you can juggle, because your job is to carry the equipment.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Madison groaned as daylight filtered through the blinds and pierced her eyelids. She snuggled deeper into the covers, idly wondering why every muscle in her body ached. Despite the crazy dreams she kept having all night, she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. The dreams themselves had been exhausting—climbing around on cabinets, scaling brick walls, running through shadows and hiding in dark, tiny places—but with any luck at all she could fall back into a dreamless slumber. It was definitely worth a try.

  Her cheek was tender as she buried it against the pillow. When she gingerly probed it with a questioning touch, she found her fingers were stiff and swollen. Reluctantly prying one eye open, she saw the gauze wrapped around her knuckles.

  An anguished cry tore from her as she struggled to sit up in bed. Her legs felt like she had run an uphill marathon. Her arms and shoulders felt like she had bench-pressed an elephant. All points in between ached and burned. Her tongue felt three times its normal size and she was pretty sure she was dizzy, but the pain was making her nauseous and unable to concentrate. She fell back into bed with another whimper.

  “Ah, so you finally woke up.”

  She saw Granny Bert’s wrinkled face floating above hers when she opened her eyes again.

  “I-I’ve got to go to work,” Madison mumbled. In her mind, she threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. In reality, her fingers picked at the covers and found them too heavy to lift.

  “Already took care of that,” Granny Bert informed her. “You’ve got the day off.”

  “Wh-What? I can’t…”

  “You can’t go to work, that’s for sure. You can’t even lift your head. What I want to know is, what in tarnation gave you the idea that you were Spiderman?”

  “I had to get away from Trench Coat.” With her tongue swollen from having bitten it the night before, her words came out thick and fuzzy.

  Her grandmother scowled. “They must have given you some powerful pain pills at that clinic. That’s the same thing you kept saying last night. Between the thick tongue and the drugs, I can’t make head nor tails of what you’re saying. Something about trench coats and George Gail and bracelets and kissing Brash deCordova.”

  Madison attempted to scrunch down into the covers and bury her face. The effort was too painful. “Argh!” she moaned instead. “Just cover me up and smother me.”

  Instead, her grandmother laughed merrily. “The part about kissing Brash I understood perfectly, but what’s this about coats and George Gail? You weren’t making a lick of sense.”

  “Whoever killed Caress thinks I can identify them. They wear a trench coat and are stalking me.”

  “Time to get yourself a gun. I carry a sweet little .25 that fits in the palm of my hand.”

  The thought of her feisty little grandmother armed with a gun almost made Madison feel sorry for anyone foolish enough to be on the other end of that barrel. “Don’t like guns,” she muttered through her swollen tongue.

  “Well, you’re in luck then, because this Trench Coat fella prefers to kill people with knives.”

  Point taken. She made the acknowledgment silently, knowing how much Granny Bert loved to gloat.


  “So what does any of this have to do with George Gail?” her grandmother persisted.

  Madison explained how George Gail had motive and no clear recollection of events for the night of Caress’s murder. Even before she finished talking, she felt herself withering under Granny Bert’s searing glare.

  “I’m going to assume that’s your thick tongue talking, and not your thick head. Otherwise, I might just bite it off myself!” Granny Bert propped her hands onto her hips and gave Madison a look mean enough to wither a bulldog. “I know I didn’t just hear you accuse George Gail Burton of murder!”

  “She can’t remember, Granny. She woke up with keys in her hand and blood on the sheets. She told me herself that she’d like to give ‘that back-stabbing hussy’ a taste of her own medicine.”

  “Don’t mean she went and stabbed a woman to death,” Granny Bert insisted. “And I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Curtis Burton was not doing the nasty with Caress Ellingsworth!”

  She had to agree, but that still did not clear George Gail; at the time, the woman thought her husband was cheating on her. Rather than arguing the point, Madison changed the subject. “What did Dragon Lady have to say about me not coming in to work today?”

  “Between alternating threats of firing you and suing you for breach of contract? Not a lot.”

  “Great,” Madison moped. “Now she’ll go all around town bad-mouthing me. Between her and her sister, my poor little business doesn’t stand a chance.”

  “Of course it does. I reminded her that it might very well be you pressing charges.”

  “Me?”

  “Sure. How can you perform your duties in an unsafe atmosphere? Her lack of a security system and back-up electrical power put your life at risk. Even without some goon on the other side of the door, you could have tripped in the dark and broken your neck. And you seriously have to unfold a chair into a ladder to reach the top filing cabinet? I see all kinds of potential dangers with that. By the time I finished with Darla Mullins, she was not only ready to send you a get-well bouquet, but she agreed to pay your doctor bills, to boot.”