That old pattern of destiny slammed into Alec. Of course. The facts were there. Yet he had been too close to see them. Barbara wanted him for Andrea just as all those ancient people had wanted him for their daughters or sisters.
He shook his head. It seemed too much of a coincidence. He had known Barbara for years. Nothing in her demeanor ever suggested behavior this vile. She was a pillar of society, an icon others admired. Her only obsession was her looks and doing everything in her power to keep the illusion of youth.
Despite the evidence staring him in the face, Alec couldn't name her until he was certain she was the woman they were looking for. And there was only one way to find out. He had to look in her eyes or, rather her soul, as Ira would say.
Regan pushed away from the table. "It's a start. We'll have copies made and see if anyone from the hospital recognizes her."
Alec's stomach roiled. Everyone would recognize her. Any discretion, any hope of surprise would be gone.
"That won't be necessary."
All heads swiveled his way.
"Do you know this woman?" Chuck asked.
How could he answer? "She's obviously had extensive plastic surgery to hide her age." More than any of them would ever realize. "Let me check my files first. I'll take Dani home, and then go straight to my office. I'll call you from there."
The answer appeased everyone except himself. It was a stall for time. Why? Who was he protecting? Certainly not Dani. The hospital? Walt? Barbara? Where did his priorities lie? With Dani, if he had learned nothing else from living, it was that she must come first. There was only one course of action to take.
He saw Dani safely to the apartment. So far the reporters hadn't found her here. It was just a matter of time. A kiss parted them at the door.
* * *
Then Alec returned to the police station.
Regan greeted him with a puzzled frown from behind a desk cluttered with case files. His tie was loosened, his jacket draped over the back of his chair, the phone glued to his ear. He pointed to the chair beside the desk.
Alec shook his head. He couldn't sit if they paid him.
"I'll call you back." Regan tossed the phone down. "That was quick."
Quicker than you think. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Dani. I didn't want to alarm her. The woman is Barbara Rushmore."
He snapped up a pen. "You got an address?"
"I'll do better than that...I'll take you to her."
"That's not-"
"With you or without you, I'm going to the Rushmore house."
* * *
Dani zipped through Alec's apartment dusting objects and furniture that didn't need it. It was the only way she could keep from going stir crazy by the end of the day.
She was used to being active, working, having people around her. Ironic how days before she had cursed the lack of privacy, and now she had all the privacy in the world and couldn't stand it. It might be all right if she were in her own home, with her things. This was too strange...even if it was part of Alec. So she cleaned, stamped her imprint on the place. And she'd do it every day if that's what it took to keep herself from going nuts.
Dani tossed the dust rag into the basket of laundry sitting by the front door-her next project. That would kill a couple of hours.
She peeled the sheets from the bed, snapped the towels up from the bathroom, and as she ducked through the door, snagged Alec's lab coat from the hook behind it. The clatter of plastic made her hesitate. Still on the move, Dani hoisted her load to one arm, jammed her hand in the lab coat pocket, and pulled out three cassettes. She was halfway to setting them on the stereo cabinet where the rest of Alec's music lived when the writing caught her eye. A different name was on each tape, each neatly printed in black marker-Ira Roberts, Alec, and herself.
Dani tapped her fingernail against the plastic. She knew what this was-her session with Dr. Roberts. She had made her feelings quite clear to Dr. Roberts about keeping the contents confidential. Yet here it was in Alec's possession with two others.
She could confront Dr. Roberts, demand to know why her instructions were ignored, or she could go right to hospital administration with the complaint. That would begin another investigation-not exactly what she needed in her life.
"All right. Let's just see what was so damned important you couldn't keep to yourself."
She dropped the laundry to the floor, but when she started to insert her cassette into the stereo panic clutched her heart. Her session with Roberts was supposed to rid her of that nasty fear that paralyzed her. The result had been the opposite. Sheer willpower shoved it away. To listen to it now might bring it pouring back.
Dani jammed the tape in the slot. She'd dealt with the fear before. She could do so again. Her head braced against the entertainment center, Dani listened to a voice that was hers, yet was not, tell a story so bizarre that every logical fiber of her being refused to believe it. Another life, lives...impossible. Yet each brief tale explained facets of Dani's existence she had often questioned. Her father had always accused her of trying to cram three lifetimes into one. It looked like he might have been right.
After it finished, she punched in Alec's tape. The narration confirmed what she already suspected. They were soulmates still searching for happiness together. Or were they a tormented Romeo and Juliet trapped in a loop of destruction? There seemed only one way to find out.
Dani tucked the tapes in her purse. She hated to spend money on a cab, but under the circumstances a bus was too public.
* * *
The wait for Dr. Roberts was expected. Dani passed the time flipping through magazines, looking at words that were nothing more than jumbled letters. Two hours passed before the door to his office finally opened.
His eyebrows shot up when he saw her. He pushed his door open wider, inviting her into the inner sanctum of his office with nothing more than a glance, while he said good-bye to his patient.
Dani walked inside, spread the tapes on the table, and sat in the recliner before them. She didn't look up until she heard Roberts shut the door.
"Have you listened to them?"
She didn't bother to look up. "Not yours."
"Do you want to?"
Dani shook her head. "I've heard enough."
The chair beside her sighed with his weight. "And what do you think?"
"I don't know what to think. I'd be lying if I said the possibility of reincarnation never crossed my mind. But I never thought..." She shook her head. The last thing she wanted right now was to engage in a metaphysical discussion over the whole thing.
"Like I said, I don't know what to think. But I do know this. Someone is out to get me, and I want you to help me recognize that person before it's too late."
* * *
Regan jerked his head toward the Rushmore home as they neared the apex of the cul- de-sac. "Is that her?"
"Yes."
Dressed in light blue slacks and matching checked shirt, Barbara Rushmore tended her flowerbeds in the front yard. A straw hat protected her head from the sun and leather gloves guarded her hands. It was unnecessary work. They had a gardener. But his work was never good enough. Besides, being outside gave Barbara the chance to flaunt the figure her husband paid so dearly for her to have. Alec wouldn't doubt that the plastic surgeons got a healthy portion of their business thanks to another woman's green-eyed glance at Barbara's re-sculpturing.
"Try to be discreet. I don't want the neighbors gossiping."
Regan maneuvered the unmarked police sedan into position on the street and cut the engine. "Do you really think she deserves that kind of consideration?"
"She does if we want her cooperation." He shoved his shoulder into the door and stepped out.
Barbara spared them a look, and then flicked bits of grass from her knees as she stood. There was no other greeting. Away from the shade, she fished through her pocket and pulled out sunglasses. By the time Alec and Regan reached her, the answer Alec sought was hidden.
"We'd like to talk to you for a few minutes, Barbara."
Her gaze traveled to the other man. "And who is we?"
Regan slipped his badge from his pocket. "Detective Regan, LAPD."
She tilted her head to one side and tugged her gloves from her fingers. "And what is this regarding?"
Alec swept his arm toward the house. "It might be better if we spoke inside."
Fiddling with her gloves gave her time to consider his suggestion. "Very well." A final tug freed her hands. She slapped the gloves against her thigh and marched ahead of the men.
Her destination was clear-the kitchen in the rear of the house. It was up to them to keep up.
"Lemonade, gentlemen?" She tossed the question over her shoulder.
They muttered a negative response. Still, she pulled three glasses from the cabinet.
"If you don't mind, ma'am, I'd really like to get to the point." Regan pulled a notepad from his pocket.
"Very well. Let's do that." Barbara tossed her sunglasses onto the cabinet. "What can I do for you?"
She focused exclusively on Regan. But even on the edge of her gaze, Alec caught the essence of her soul. Ira was right. It wasn't something he could directly see. It was something felt. There, just beyond the physical surface, centuries of frustration and rage lived. Barbara was the embodiment of those lifetimes, determined to finally win. Cooperation was out of the question. Somehow they had to try.
"Are you familiar with a woman named Danielle Morgan?"
Smirking, she propped her forearms on the counter. "Anyone who watches the news would be. Another school teacher caught diddling with the students."
"Were you aware of her before the news broadcast?"
"How silly." She laughed lightly. "Of course I knew of her. My daughter and I have a very close relationship." Her gaze drifted to Alec. "She tells me everything."
"So she and your daughter are friends?"
Any humor Barbara may have entertained faded. Her eyes narrowed. "Hardly. Miss Morgan stole my daughter's-"
"Don't start, Barbara," Alec said. "A relationship with Andrea never existed."
One corner of her mouth twitched in an attempt at a smile. "According to you, yes. Andrea feels differently. She's heartbroken."
Regan cleared his throat pulling her attention his way. "How long have you known Ms. Morgan?"
"We've never crossed paths, and I can't say that I would want to."
Undaunted, he pressed on. "Mrs. Rushmore, Dani Morgan has implicated you as the nurse who gave her a potentially lethal injection of morphine and dirty water during her stay at the hospital."
Her eyebrows shifted. "Did she now? How cruel. She can't get to Andrea, so she's made me her target. How much more is my family supposed to endure because of this woman?"
For the first time since the questioning began, Regan looked up from his notepad. "If you've never crossed paths with Dani Morgan, how do you explain the fact that she identified you perfectly to a sketch artist? Right down to the age spots on your hands."
Red blotches spread up her neck. "I think you'd better leave."
"All we want is your cooperation, Mrs. Rushmore. If you'll testify that you were the one who-"
"I'll do nothing of the sort. If you have anything further to say to me, you may do so through my attorney."
Regan snapped his pad shut. "I'll do that, ma'am."
She followed them to the exit, and slammed the door behind them.
"Now what?" Alec asked when they reached the privacy of the car. "She did it. I know it." I feel it.
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "The syringe is still in evidence. If we can pull a print off it-"
"It probably has a half dozen prints on it."
Regan smiled. "Hospital staff. All I have to do is find her print on it. A match puts her where she shouldn't be. If she's innocent, she won't mind giving us a sample. If she's guilty," he shrugged, "we'll find out soon enough."
* * *
Enlightened...that's how Dani felt as she left Ira's office. For the first time in her life, she had the answers to questions only flirted with. The knowledge didn't buoy her nor did it depress her, but with it came a sage-like wisdom. Like she had suddenly matured in the last two hours. The past had opened up, giving her a wondrous gift that brought peace and calm to her soul and delivered an enemy.
Dani couldn't name the woman, but her identity was clear. One glance would be all it took. There was nothing the woman could do to hide, not with three from her past seeking her. It was just a matter of time.
She winced at the concept. Time. A never-ending cycle, always with the same result. Someone, something had to break the circuit, stop the repeating. Yes, finding this enemy was a matter of time...but whose?
"Miss Morgan, what a surprise."
Dani blinked, focusing on the man hovering over her. She was so deep in thought she hadn't seen him until he spoke. There was a familiarity about him. Considering her recent session, placing him confused her.
"Walt Rushmore, hospital chief of staff." He stuck out his hand and smiled.
Dani shook it slowly. "Of course. I remember now. I'm sorry I didn't recog-"
"No, problem." He waved her apology away. "Actually, I'm glad we've had the chance to run into each other. If I could have a moment of your time."
He led her to the chairs in the hospital foyer. Apparently, she was going to give him her time whether she wanted to or not.
"It's about Alec," he said as they sat.
"What about him?"
"I don't need to tell you what a wonderful doctor he is."
She shook her head and waited for him to continue. It seemed forever until he did so.
Rushmore laced his fingers on his lap. "He is highly thought of here and is being considered for chief of surgery. This hospital prides itself on its sterling reputation, ethically and morally. This recent incident of yours does not cast Alec in a favorable light. His name, his likeness are linked with yours."
"And, therefore, yours?"
He gave a nod. "Something like that. But I'm more concerned with Alec. A man infatuated with a pretty woman often doesn't think clearly. To be connected with you and this...scandal...well, it can't help but diminish his reputation."
He leaned forward so fast Dani drew back.
"Miss Morgan, if you care for the man, let him go. Alec has worked very hard to reach this point in his career. Don't let him give that up now. It would be a worse crime than...well, than what you've been accused of. Think of all the lives he's helped...all the lives he could help...but not if his reputation is soiled. Since his involvement with you, I have to say his patients have been neglected...all because of you. That hardly seems fair to those individuals who are depending on him."
Dani stared ahead and saw nothing. The words dug deep, hitting a nerve. By the time she recovered, she was alone. Half dazed, she somehow managed to call for a cab. When it arrived, it took every ounce of energy to crawl inside.
Rushmore was right. She was the ruin of Alec. She had been his ruin every time. If not for her, he would have lived full and prosperous lives. This was the cycle of destruction to be broken. No matter how much they might love each other, they were just not good together. Together meant death. She had the power and knowledge to control that fate. Now all she needed was the courage to leave. She had to return to her own home...alone. That meant braving reporters, facing those horrible accusations, the nastiness.
"This is ridiculous. I refuse to be bullied and I will not be a prisoner."
"You say something, ma'am?" the driver asked.
Dani shook her thoughts clear. "Yes, wait for me at the apartment. I won't be long."
It was the hardest thing she had ever done. All the justification in the world didn't make it easier. Dani shoved her belongings into the suitcases and refused to think beyond the act of packing. To do more would bring tears, regret. S
he didn't have the time for either.
Pausing at the door for one last look around, pain knifed her heart. That ancient fear overwhelmed her. Death. Not of the body, but of a love. There wasn't much difference. Without Alec, any living she did would be by rote.
"I do love you, you know," she whispered.
Before she slipped through the door, Dani pulled the diamond ring from her finger and placed it on the table by the door.
"I will always love you...forevermore."
* * *
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alec never realized how much he hated waiting until these last two days. One lousy fingerprint had to stand out against how many others? His, Betty's, the lab tech...if only he had been more careful.
He wrapped fingers around his neck and dug deep into aching muscles. A cigarette sure sounded good, and he didn't even smoke.
What was he thinking when he decided to wait at the police station? He could have gone just as nuts in his own office until word came and not endured funny looks from the other officers. Plus his presence inconvenienced Chuck who was forced to be present in order to protect his client.
Who cares? That's what I'm paying him for. Dani was his only concern.
"Bingo!" Regan slapped his palm on his desk.
Chuck jumped, sloshing coffee down his white shirt.
Alec spun around and braced his knuckles on the edge of the desk. "Did they-"
"We have a perfect print right on the top of the plunger all by itself."
Of course. Barbara would have used her thumb to inject Dani. No one else touched that part of the syringe at least not without rubber gloves. "How do you tie it to Barbara Rushmore?"
Regan grinned. "It's not too hard when you have a name to search for. There's definitely a match."
"Now what happens?"
Chuck blotted the coffee stain with his handkerchief. "We'll go to the DA with the information. See how he wants to proceed. See if we can't get her to cooperate once she discovers we have her cornered."
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