Someone shouted nearby. He turned. A tall man with sandy brown hair jogged up to the fence that separated his home from the inn. There were four children playing in his yard. They’d all frozen to watch what was happening. “What’s going on?”
“FBI! Get the kids inside and stay there!” Knight didn’t have time to deal with civilians. There was shouting coming from inside. Screeching. “Call the sheriff!”
“Will do! Stay safe!”
The man took off toward the playing children, scooping the smallest one up into his arms and herding them toward his three-story Victorian almost two city blocks away.
Knight shoved open the back door, using the training that had been drilled into him long ago.
He saw the blood first.
Then Miranda.
He barely missed taking a knock to the head when something swung out toward him. Only years of defending himself saved him the headache. And the fact that he was over a foot taller than his attacker. And heavier by a good eighty pounds.
Knight dove low and lunged straight toward the threat.
67
Miranda had never been more grateful to see someone than she was Allan Knight. She’d thought he’d rented a car and left hours ago.
Thank God he hadn’t.
Monica turned toward the bigger threat immediately.
“Don’t move!”
Knight was as cool as ever. And he had his service weapon pointed right at Monica. “I think that’s my line. Monica Beise, I assume?”
“Monica was there that day, you know?” Miranda was fighting the urge to pass out. She had to get to Dixie. Her cousin had shifted once. Just once. “Yeah, apparently we missed something. Monica was there, and she was the one to argue with her grandmother. She hit Helen hard enough to knock her out with her vampire stake there. Monica convinced her mother to bury Helen. Pauline asked Jim to do it. Monica’s mother got a bit squeamish at doing the dirty part, I guess. Monica went back inside to get her sisters packed while Pauline helped Jim wrap her mother up in that quilt. I made assumptions because people told Clint they’d seen Monica in town that day. No doubt they had. She left to go buy the trash bags they packed in at the market—while her mother was burying the body. We missed it. My fault; my bad.”
Monica had told her exactly what had happened that day. Had relished it, gloated. While standing directly over Dixie.
“No kidding. That happens a lot with PAVAD.” Clear sarcasm now. She had barely thought Knight was capable of it.
Monica was still waving the stake around. Miranda wished she could get to her feet and rip that from her hands and just show her what she deserved for daring to lay her hand on Miranda’s family. “My cousin…hurry…Monica broke my arm. Ribs. Probably my head, too. But Dixie…help her.”
The entry door from the lobby to the kitchen swung open, just as someone shouted FBI! Miranda wanted to close her eyes in relief. Reinforcements.
Jac stepped inside, weapon drawn, pointed right at Monica. Jac and Knight could take care of just about everything between them.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
Monica bellowed and turned, lunged for the newest threat.
Jac neatly sidestepped. Monica pivoted and somehow kept coming. Straight toward Miranda again.
Miranda reached out with her left leg and tripped her. Monica tumbled to the floor. She scrambled to her knees and came at Miranda again.
And then Monica was on her.
Miranda might be injured, but she still had her legs—and one good arm.
She slammed out her arm, her elbow going straight into Monica’s face.
Then Knight’s hands were there, wrapped around Monica’s ankle and dragging the woman back with a rough jerk and curses.
Monica slammed against the antique porcelain sink. She fell to the floor with a screech next to the industrial metal table, where countless meals had been prepped by Miranda’s family.
Miranda grabbed Monica by the shirt and yanked as hard as she could. Bringing the woman down. She held her there for just a moment.
Jac sat on her. Knight jerked the old, broken rake handle out of her hand and threw it against the far wall.
“Knight, you got anything to secure her with?” Jac asked.
Knight calmly pulled off his necktie.
Miranda pulled herself from under Monica’s legs. The woman was screaming and screeching, cursing Miranda and her entire family. And Monica’s own family. None of it made sense. None of it.
Miranda barely waited until Knight had Monica secured before she was making her way to Dixie’s side. Jac was already there.
Dixie’s eyes, the same blue as Miranda’s sister Marin’s, fluttered open. “My head hurts, Randi.”
“I know. It’ll be ok. We’re going to get you to the hospital.”
“What happened? I was letting the dog in, and that woman hit me. Who is she?”
“Monica Beise. We’ll talk later, ok?”
“You don’t look so good, either. Blood on your head.”
“Yeah. She got me, too.” Miranda wrapped her fingers around her cousin’s. Dixie was a nurse and not prone to panicking, but she was terrified. Miranda could see it on her face. Guilt flooded her. Dixie had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time—because of Miranda. Miranda should have kept looking for Monica. That she hadn’t, and had failed Dixie because of it would weigh on her for a long, long while. “But we’ll be ok. Just going to wait right here until the ambulance arrives, ok. We’ll be ok, I promise.”
68
Knight let Jac Jones take charge of the scene. He wasn’t about to leave Miranda’s side. She was hurt far worse than she was letting on. Only pure stubbornness kept her on her feet. He was completely convinced of that.
Joel Masterson arrived seconds before an ambulance.
Within moments, the first responders were loading Miranda’s cousin—the nurse, he thought, not the vet tech, though they resembled each other and often both wore scrubs—onto a gurney. The tall man from the house next door came running, one of the four kids with him. He cursed when he saw the nurse and ran to her side. “Dixie Kay?”
The little girl broke away from him and walked straight up to Knight. “Where’s my mother?”
None of the Talleys had any children. On that point, Knight was absolutely certain. “I don’t know. What is your mother’s name?”
“Diane. I want my mother.” The little girl was small, maybe seven or eight. She favored Kayla Beise the most.
Knight knew immediately who she was. He went down on one knee as Dixie Talley was rolled down the cobble walkway near where they stood. ”Are you Danielle?”
She nodded. “Where’s Diane?”
“She’s done something bad, Danielle. She’s going to have to go with the police officers for a while.” Knight said, softly. He stood, then held out his hand for her. “I’m Agent Knight. Most people just call me Knight. Is there someone who can come stay with you? Your grandfather?”
She stared up at him and shook her head. “Mom doesn’t like Grandpa. He’s not allowed around me. She says he’s stupid now.”
“He’s not stupid at all. Sometimes he just forgets things. He’s a really good man. I’ve met him. How about we call one of your aunts to come stay with you?”
She tightened her hand around his and started crying. Joel Masterson had just led her mother out the front door of the inn. Monica was currently snarling and screaming and fighting.
When she saw her daughter with Knight, Monica started cursing even more loudly. Cursing him. Cursing the little girl, and the Talleys, and everyone nearby.
Knight blocked the little girl from her mother’s sight, protectively.
To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shirt. He scooped Danielle up and just held her. “It’ll be ok, Dannie. It’ll be ok. I promise. Everything will be ok.”
When he looked up again, his eyes met green.
Miranda was next, being rolle
d right out of her family home on a gurney. Knight followed her progress, trying to ascertain how badly she was injured from a distance.
As soon as he handed off the little girl to the appropriate people, he was going to check for himself.
And find out just what had happened here today.
69
Allan Knight was the biggest mystery she’d ever come across. But, then again, another part of him was pretty much an open book. Perci Masterson helped her get into the hospital gown, and it took every ounce of energy she had. “He’s cute, Randi.”
“Yeah, if you like extra-tall, glowering, overachieving, hulky guys who are constantly cranky.”
“Well…” Perci shot her a grin. “That’s exactly the kind of guy I like. My husband’s working the ER today and not very happy about it. We had four call-offs today. So what happened?”
“I’m not exactly certain. Case gone bad. Took a few hits with a rake handle—or a vampire stake. I’m not exactly sure what I think. But Dixie…Dixie came in right before me. My head, Perci…it…hurts. Probably should do something about that. Soon as I find out about Dixie.”
“Dr. Lowell rode in with her.”
“Shane?” The man had moved into the three-story next to the inn a few years ago. He and Dixie worked the same schedule and often carpooled. “I need to be there when she wakes up.”
Perci moved to block her path. She pushed Miranda lightly back onto the gurney. Far too easily for Miranda’s peace of mind. “Nope. Not going anywhere, Randi. Not until we check you out.”
“I could just move you and go around.”
“Now you wouldn’t go through a pregnant woman, would you?”
“Heard about that. Congrats. And I don’t think I could go through a cloud at the moment. My arm…I’m pretty certain it’s broken. I heard it snap. And my head is killing me.”
“Oh, boy. I know that feeling. Let’s get you changed, and we’ll go from there. Nate will be with you as soon as he can.”
But it wasn’t Nate Masterson who came to her. It was Shane Lowell, the doctor who lived next door to her family. Miranda had graduated high school with his younger sister after she’d transferred to Masterson their senior year—in the care of her older brother. Miranda had known Shane for ten years now.
“Well. Nothing is ever boring with you Talleys, is it? I just saw Marin yesterday. After her little fainting incident, your grandmother wanted me to check her out.”
“How’s Dixie? What’s going on with her?” Miranda wasn’t certain of it, but she was almost convinced she was seeing two of him. “See two of you, Shane.”
“Concussion. Moderate. She’ll be ok. We’re taking her back for a scan before you, though, since she lost consciousness. She woke up on the ride in, recognized me, spoke coherently. Has a pretty bad headache. Now…let’s check you out. Double vision? How many times she whack you upside the head?”
“Twice that I remember. You sure Dixie’s going to be ok?” Miranda bit back a whimper. She didn’t know how long she was going to be able to hold out, to stay awake. She hadn’t hurt like this in a long, long while. “I—Shane, I’m just going to take a little nap right now, ok?”
Miranda passed out before he could respond.
70
Knight turned the little girl over to a pretty woman name Jude, who claimed to be the supervisor for child services in the Masterson County area as soon as he could. Jude—he’d missed her last name—had promised to contact the aunts Danielle claimed not to know well.
In his opinion, the girl would be far better off with the family Monica wouldn’t let her around. Luther and his daughters would take care of her.
Danielle would matter to them.
Joel Masterson had questions. Knight knew that he could ask those questions at the hospital. Knight needed to see that Miranda was going to be ok.
He waved one hand toward the other man. “I’m going to the hospital.”
Masterson scowled. “I kind of need you here.”
“Too bad.” He needed a ride.
He commandeered one with Rex Weatherby. Apparently, the man had been in town with his brothers looking at ranchland. He’d stopped by to lend a hand.
Well, he was lending one now.
“Drive.”
“No problem. What happened in there?”
“We missed one, apparently. She decided to take it up with Miranda.”
“Talley going to be ok?”
“I don’t know. Her cousin was attacked, too.”
They pulled into the hospital just behind a carload of women.
Familiar women.
Talleys, the lot of them.
They’d barely had time to get Miranda and her cousin to the hospital, let alone notify the family.
Marin practically ran to their side. “Knight, we…where are they?”
He wrapped one hand around Flo’s elbow. “They were brought in by ambulance. I’m not sure where they are now. How did you know to get here so quickly?”
If she said she’d seen it in her tea leaves, he was going to have her committed.
“It’s a small town, Agent Knight. Neighbors called five minutes after it happened, saying there was a disturbance at the inn,” Darcey, her oldest cousin, told him. “What happened?”
Knight hesitated, but they deserved to know. “There was an attack related to our case. It happened in your kitchen. Your sister Dixie was hurt, as was Miranda. I’m not sure of their conditions.”
After they settled down from the news, Marin took him by the hand. “We need to get inside. Miranda is going to need us soon. Thank you for saving them.” She kissed his cheek, then turned toward the man who’d driven him.
Weatherby had stuck around to get an update on the two women’s conditions. Marin scowled at him. “You! I should have known you’d be involved.”
“Just here doing my job. Unless the aliens are going to do it?”
Marin stormed into the hospital, her family following her heels much like the ducks followed that dog of theirs.
He’d forgotten the dog. Knight swore.
“What?”
“Their dog. I forgot Miranda’s dog.”
“I saw the dog. Had Masterson’s deputy deal with her. She’s fine. Now let’s get inside and check on those women so I can get away from the lunatic one.”
They stepped inside the hospital just in time to see Miranda being taken back through double doors labeled surgery.
Knight swore.
Nate Masterson came out of another exam room and went straight to Flo Talley.
Knight was going to be there. He had to know she was going to be ok.
“How are my granddaughters?” Flo asked.
“Dixie’s going to be fine. A moderate concussion, and she’ll be bruised for a few days, but she’ll be ok,” Dr. Masterson said, one hand going around her elbow and helping her to a chair.
“And Miranda?”
Knight tensed, then forced himself to relax his muscles. She hadn’t looked good.
“Miranda’s concussion—it’s a bit more serious. She was hit twice, at least. There’s not a lot of swelling, but there is some. We need that to go down—then we’ll discuss the break in her arm. She’s going to be our guest for a while—the break in her arm is actually more significant than the knocks to the head. We’ll know more in a few hours. We’ll do a second scan then.”
“Level with me, Nathanial. Is my granddaughter going to be ok?”
Nate Masterson hesitated just long enough to tell Knight all he needed to know. Then the other man spoke. “Miranda is young, in excellent shape, perfectly healthy. Provided the swelling from the concussion goes down—as it should—she’ll be just fine. Just not causing as much trouble as she usually does—at least not for a while.”
But she was going to be just fine.
Knight turned, and left the hospital.
He’d deal with what was left to do with Joel Masterson’s end of things, stick around the inn until Miranda was on
the mend with her family at her side, then he would head back to St. Louis.
She didn’t need him. He knew that.
But damned if he knew why he just couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her behind.
Not now. Not after this.
He had to see her for himself.
71
Knight stuck around. He had to. No one seemed to blink, seeing him around the hospital, either. Not after her aura-reading sister had made it very clear he was welcome there.
That was probably what disconcerted him the most.
Jac Jones finally arrived, but after nearly hyperventilating when she’d learned Miranda was being kept overnight—the woman had a serious fear of hospitals apparently—Miranda’s grandmother had sent her off with Nate and Joel Masterson’s mother.
Back to the inn. Where two of the sisters had returned to oversee the incoming guests—who probably wouldn’t be too happy to learn the inn’s kitchen had ended up being a crime scene—and handle the diner.
Within an hour of Miranda’s admittance, people started showing up to support the family. To pat Flo’s hands, to hug the sisters and cousins, to offer to make food—and to even take over the diner, if needed.
It was something he wasn’t used to, that was for certain.
Finally, after about four hours of Knight prowling the hospital like an idiot, Nate Masterson returned. He smiled at Flo quietly. “We just checked. Swelling is going down. Miranda is awake, but groggy. We’ll keep her on pain meds as much as we can tonight, and Dr. Paterson and Dr. Lowell will handle the surgery on her arm. In the morning. You all can head home, if you want. Dixie is sleeping. She’ll most likely be discharged in the morning, with a massive headache. So I’m going to say this nicely. Go home. You’re cluttering up my waiting room. One of you can stay, that’s it.”
Knight slipped out with the rest of them. Her sister was staying behind, just as he’d expected.
Buried Secrets: PAVAD: FBI Case File #0005 (PAVAD: FBI Case Files) Page 24