Ty and the mystery woman sat positioned at the back of the restaurant at a small table. The two faced each other, with Ty facing in my direction. The only view of her was the back of her head and her short blonde hair.
“This isn’t working,” I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt. “I need to get closer to get a better look.”
“Where are you going?” Star said as I stepped out of the car.
The binoculars had a strap, so I put it around my neck. I walked across the sidewalk and stood to the right of the restaurant window. This spot between businesses was out of view, so I leaned my head over to take another peek.
“You’re going to get caught,” Star said as she joined me. “We need to move my car, first.”
“There’s no time for that.”
“Can you identify her?”
“No. I still can’t get a good look at her,” I said before peeking my head back in front of the window. “Although, he’s laughing. They must be having a good time.”
“It could be a fake laugh,” Star replied. I think she felt my frustration and tried to ease my worries. “I pretend to laugh at stupid jokes all the time. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“I don’t know,” I said as I looked back. “They both look like they’re enjoying themselves.”
Curious to investigate for herself, Star leaned over and looked into the window. Ty and the mystery woman continued to talk and laugh. At one point she placed her hand on top of his, but only for a brief second.
“That’s not good,” Star said as she walked away from the window.
“What do you mean?”
“A light and playful touch. I’ve used that exact move before. It’s a way to flirt and initiate contact. It’s her way of saying, it’s your move, cowboy.”
“She’s leaving the table,” I said as I stared back into the window.
Ty’s date stood up and walked toward the front of the restaurant. As she moved closer to the front of the window, I saw her more clearly. Suddenly, I recognized her.
“Brianna?” I said under my breath. I pulled back from the window and leaned back against the concrete wall. A feeling of shock and disbelief overtook me.
“Who’s Brianna?”
“Brianna Coltrain,” I sighed.
“Coltrain?” Star replied. “Wait! Isn’t that the last name of…?”
“Yep. It’s my ex-boyfriend, Dustin’s, baby sister.”
“No wonder he kept a tight lid on this,” Star said as she watched Brianna walk. “By the looks of that body, she’s no baby anymore.”
“Not helping, Star.”
Brianna Coltrain was one year younger than Dustin. Growing up, she looked and acted like a tomboy. It shocked me to see how much she’d changed, since the last time I saw her. She grew up faster than a field full of kudzu.
As she walked back to her table, Star and I leaned in for one last glimpse. When she arrived at the table, Ty stood up to pull her chair out. As he stood up, our eyes met for a moment. Or, at least I thought they did.
“Whoops,” I said as I pulled back. “I think he saw me.”
“Are you positive?” Star asked.
“I think,” I said, not feeling completely sure. “Why don’t you go over there and look? Maybe you can tell if he’s looking this way or not.”
“Nope,” Star said as she looked over in the window again. “You’re in the clear. He’s gone.”
“Where did he go?” I said, feeling confused.
We both stared through the window looking for Ty. Brianna remained seated at the table, but Ty was nowhere to be found.
“Boo!” a loud voice called out from behind us.
The voice startled both Star and me as we almost jumped out of our skins. We turned around and saw Ty standing behind us with a grin.
“You two enjoying the view tonight?” Ty replied in a sarcastic tone. “Find what you were looking for?”
“I, uh, we, uh…” I replied, tripping over my words. “We were just taking a walk downtown. Fancy seeing you here?”
“What a coincidence, right?” Star replied, not trying in the least to hide her sarcasm.
“You two nosy Nellies were spying on me, weren’t you?”
“Spying? Seriously, Ty. Where’d you get a crazy idea like that?”
I played it cool as a cucumber, or so I thought. No such luck. He wasn’t convinced, leaving me stuck in a pickle of a situation.
“If you’re not spying, why are you wearing all black?” Ty asked. “Also, why do you have a pair of binoculars hung around your neck?”
“Forgot about those,” I said as I nervously laughed.
“Busted,” Star said as she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Fine, you caught me,” I said as I gave in. “I thought for sure we were being sneaky enough not to get caught.”
“Seeing Star’s Beetle parked outside the window gave you away. Once I noticed the car, I began looking around for you two.”
Star nudged me with her elbow. “I told you we should’ve moved the car.”
“Kara, you might be a great detective, but you stink at working undercover,” Ty replied. “If you ladies don’t mind, I think I’ll get back to my date.”
I felt embarrassed as Ty went back into the restaurant. Sneaking around and playing private-eye felt low. Maybe I should want Ty to be happy, even if it was with Dustin’s sister.
“Well, mission accomplished,” Star said as she motioned for us to go back to her car. “Time to eat.”
As I sat down in Star’s car, my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller and it was Sam. Although we weren’t blood related, I viewed Sam as family.
“Hey, Sam,” I said as I answered the phone. “What’s going on?”
“There’s been an incident this evening, at the fundraiser,” he answered somberly. “It has to do with Bonnie May. Can you meet me at St. John’s County Hospital?”
Chapter 5
St. John’s County Hospital was located twenty minutes north of Sunny Shores. Star kept the pedal to the metal as she drove quickly. On any other day, I’d nag Star for speeding. However today, the only thought occupying my mind was Bonnie May’s well-being. I tried to stay positive, but my mind kept going to dark places. I feared for the worst.
After we arrived and parked, I sprinted through the parking lot until I reached the emergency room entrance. Star followed behind as she tried to keep up.
I scanned the waiting room until I noticed Sam Martin seated to my left. His face showed a look of concern as he nervously tapped his foot on the ground. When he noticed me, he stood up and walked over to greet Star and me.
“What’s wrong? Is Bonnie May okay? What happened?” My mouth continued to spout questions as fast as words could fly.
“Take a deep breath,” Sam said as he put his arms around me. “Bonnie May had an unfortunate accident.”
“What kind of accident?” I asked.
“Before the event began, all of the invited guests mingled in the main dining hall. The SSHA provided an open bar and appetizers and such. Everything seemed to be going good, until I heard a loud crash towards the back of the room.”
“Oh my,” I said as I stepped back.
“I rushed through the sea of people until I reached a group crowded around in a circle. They were circled around Bonnie May as she laid unconscious on the floor,” he replied. “So, I dropped to the floor and noticed she stopped breathing. Lucky for her, someone with paramedic training was in attendance.”
“She’s not dead, is she?” Star asked. I wondered the same but was afraid to ask.
“As far as I know, she’s still alive,” Sam replied.
“Thank goodness,” I said, relieved. Star and I both let out a deep breath. It felt like a heavy load had been lifted off us.
“She began breathing again but remained unconscious. At least until the ambulance arrived.”
“Chief Martin,” a voice called out. A doctor emerged from the double doors to our left and walke
d our way.
“I’m Dr. Everette,” he replied. “I’m the physician assigned to Ms. Calloway. Are you the closest of kin?”
As far as I knew, Bonnie May didn’t have any family in the area. Her parents passed on years ago, and she was an only child. She never married or produced kids of her own. It was probably the reason she listed Sam and myself as her emergency contacts.
I spoke up. “I guess you can say we’re the closet to kin you’re gonna get.”
“How is she?” Sam replied, as his face still showed a deep concern.
“While we haven’t run all the necessary tests, I feel confident in my theory that she experienced an allergic reaction of some type. The allergic reaction caused her body to experience anaphylactic shock,” Dr. Everette said as he flipped through the chart in his hand. “I’m fairly certain.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Allergic reactions were not something I personally experienced. As far as I knew, my body wasn’t allergic to anything…except maybe men. So I felt confused as to what happened to Bonnie May.
“Certain allergies can trigger the immune system to flood the body with chemicals. This can cause the body to go into shock. The airways can also become blocked.”
“That explains why she stopped breathing,” I replied. “Is she going to be okay?”
“She’s still unconscious now. We placed her in an induced coma,” Dr. Everette said.
“Why the heck would you do that?” Star said, raising her voice.
“It’s standard procedure in this situation, ma’am,” the doctor explained. “Since she’s had heart problems in the past. We want to avoid taking any unnecessary risks, given her age and health history. Once the allergens are completely out of her system, we should be able to wake her up.”
“Can we see her?” I asked. Even though she remained in a coma, I figured being surrounded by loved ones couldn’t hurt.
“You’re welcome to visit her anytime,” he replied. “Nurse Cortez, can you escort these three back to Ms. Calloway’s room. She’s in room 113.”
Before following the nurse back to Bonnie May’s room, Sam excused himself. He wanted to return to the country club and tie up any loose ends.
Nurse Cortez led us to Bonnie May’s room. My heart sank as we walked through the door. The sight of Bonnie May lying unconscious in the hospital was almost too much to bear. She looked pitiful as she lay there hooked to various machines with numerous tubes going in and out of her.
I walked over and placed my hand on top of hers. She felt ice cold, which didn’t make me feel any better about her prognosis. I turned to Star as I looked for reassurance.
“You think she’ll be ok? I asked. “Your parents have bad allergies, right? Have either one of them gone through something like this?”
“A couple of years ago, my mother went into anaphylactic shock when she accidently ate a brownie with nuts. We rushed her to the hospital, but she recovered the next day. Although, she’s relatively healthy…and younger,” Star said before she noticed the growing look of concern in my eyes. “But I’m sure she’ll be fine. You know that old coot’s a fighter. I don’t know anyone as tough as her, myself included.”
“Thanks, Star. I hope you’re right.”
“I’ll say this,” Star quipped. “This is the quietest I’ve ever seen her. I don’t think she’s gone a second without talking since I knew her.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I appreciated Star’s effort in trying to lighten the mood.
Nurse Cortez walked back in carrying a clear plastic bag. The bag contained all the items in Bonnie May’s possession that evening. This included her cell phone, purse, wallet, and keys. Nurse Cortez gave the bag to me, to hold on to it.
We stayed with Bonnie May for as long as we could but visiting hours ended. As we walked back through the waiting room toward the exit, a much-needed surprise awaited me.
“Kara…Star,” a warm and familiar voice called out across the waiting room. I looked over to find Ty walking over to greet me. I sent him a text on the way to the hospital, but I never expected him to show up.
“What about your date?” Star asked as she tried to press my buttons. “I thought you were getting lucky tonight?”
“Seriously, Star?” I shot back as I squinted my eyes at her. I turned and looked at Ty. “Honestly, you didn’t have to end your date early to come here.”
“I know,” he said as he flashed that half smile of his. “I didn’t have to. I wanted to.”
“It’s a shame to hear what happened to Bonnie May,” Ty replied. “Such an unlucky series of events. It’s a truly horrific accident.”
“Hmm,” I muttered beneath my breath.
“Oh no,” Star said as she stared at me. “You’re getting that look in your eyes again. The same one that continuously leads us down the path to trouble.”
“What are you thinking, Kara?” Ty asked as he began to share the exact concern as Star.
“I’m thinking there’s more to this than meets the eye,” I replied. “This was no accident.”
Chapter 6
Ty drove me home from the hospital that evening. Like a true southern gentleman, he walked me to my door. He offered to stay over a bit if I needed someone to talk to. I politely declined since it’d been a long day. My bed called out my name.
I entered the house only to find my mother standing in the kitchen washing dishes. Even in my twenties, my mom still waited up for me. I couldn’t decide if it was sweet or pathetic.
Probably a mix of both.
“Sam called me earlier and told me you visited the hospital tonight,” she said as she put the last dish away. “How’s Bonnie May doing?”
“She’s in a medically induced coma,” I said as I sat at the kitchen table. “But she’s in stable condition. Hopefully, she can pull through.”
Sensing how upset I was, my mother walked over and put her arms around me.
“I hope so,” my mother replied. “I didn’t see her pass out at the party. I didn’t notice anything until people started rushing over to help her.”
“It’d be a shame if something happened to her. If something were to happen to her, Sunny Shores would lose one of its best.”
“Oh, Kara,” my mother said after she sighed. “Always focusing on the good. The eternal optimist, my daughter.”
“What do you mean?” I replied. My mother’s tone said it all. She failed to contain her skepticism.
“I know you think highly of Bonnie May, so I’ll say this as gently as I can,” she said as she sat down beside me. “You’ve heard of the term ‘the other woman’, haven’t you?”
“Yes, mom. I’m not twelve. I understand the meaning,” I replied. I hoped this wasn’t turning into another awkward birds and bees talk. The first one proved tragic enough in middle school. Ask my therapist.
“As you’re fully aware, Bonnie May never married anyone. She had many relationships, some even long-term. However, she only involved herself with married men,” she said. “As the ladies in the book club would say, she got around like a vinyl record.”
“Wow, Mom,” I said, shocked by her brash comments. “Don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh? Especially to someone in a coma.”
“Kara, I’m just trying to reel you back into reality. Bonnie May broke up many homes and families in her day. There’s no doubt she created many enemies for herself. I don’t want you to have this picture in your head of Bonnie May being an angel.”
“She’s admitted her past wrong doings to me, but she’s changed. I didn’t know her during that time of her life, so who am I to judge?”
“Maybe so, but no matter how hard someone tries, you can’t outrun the past,” she replied as she stood up. “If you truly believe someone’s behind her accident, I’d look in her closet. I’m sure you’ll find a skeleton or two.”
“So, besides the incident with Bonnie May, did you have a good time?” I asked as I tried to change the subject. My mother was j
ust as stubborn as me. I truly got it, honestly. No use in arguing with her about Bonnie May’s past or present.
“Like I said before, Kara, it was work. Although I enjoyed seeing a few old faces again. I’ve been traveling so much recently, I’ve lost touch with more than a few people,” she replied.
“Oh shoot,” my mom called out as she frantically felt her left ear. “My diamond earring. I must’ve lost it at the party tonight.”
The look on her face told the story plain as day. She was upset. The pair of diamond earrings she wore that night was one of the last gifts my dad gave her. So understandably, they meant a lot to her.
“Don’t worry, Mom,” I said as I tried to comfort her. “I’m sure it’ll show up. I wouldn’t worry about it tonight. Just get some rest. It’s been a long day for both of us.”
“I hope so,” she said while taking her other earring out. She placed the lone earring on the kitchen bar and walked back towards her bedroom.
As my mother walked away, my thoughts shifted to Bonnie May. My mother’s words cut deep, like a dagger through the soul. No matter my opinion of Bonnie May, the fact remained that she hurt a lot of people. Could Bonnie May wrong someone that serious? Serious enough to motivate them to kill?
Chapter 7
The next day proved difficult in getting through. Star and I both dragged ourselves around the truck, trying to survive the day. The events from the night before drained us both of energy and willpower.
We approached the front gate entrance of the Sunny Shores Country Club. Unfortunately for us, the front gate was closed. Star stopped the car a few feet back from the gate, not knowing how to proceed.
“What’s the plan now,” Star said as motioned toward the gate. “It’s not like they’re going to let just anyone in. Especially not to snoop around.”
While Star talked, a security guard emerged from the small building by the gate. He pointed to us and put his hand up for us to stop. He walked over and motioned for Star to roll down her window.
Blueberry Pie White Lie - a Cozy Mystery: Sunny Shores Mysteries Book 3 Page 3