Hidden Threat

by Connie Mann

  On her yellow legal pad she wrote: How did little Glory get sick?

  If Celia’s well tested in the normal range, the nitrates didn’t come from there. So where had they come from?

  An online search of the formula company did not show any recalls. She did a larger search for any kind of formula recall and came up empty there, too. She made a note to call the formula company in the morning, just to be sure.

  But if not through the well or the formula, what was left?

  People. Someone else who might have given little Glory water or formula that was contaminated with nitrates. Richard Blackwell’s name came to mind first, because he’d made no secret of wanting the Daughtry property to expand his own operation, but even if she could picture him being that horrible, she couldn’t see him offering a bottle to Glory and Celia being OK with that. It was too much of a stretch. Same with Buzz Casey—though she’d have to see if she could find out more about his late-night riding habit. She dismissed Hector, too, because she didn’t think he knew Celia and Glory very well. Though she did make a note to see if she could find out what he and Blackwell had been talking about. She wondered what he’d say if she asked him outright.

  Eve gnawed on her pencil. What about Celia’s mother, IdaMae, and her uncle, Leon Daughtry? What reason would either of them have for doing such a thing?

  She tapped the pencil on the pad. Nothing. They’d have no reason at all, since it seemed IdaMae wanted to sell the property and Leon didn’t. Making Glory sick wouldn’t help either of them, that she could see. And they both seemed to love little Glory. Eve couldn’t picture them deliberately causing her harm.

  She hopped up and started pacing, careful of the low-hanging beam. The floor creaked with every pass, and she flopped back down so she wouldn’t disturb anyone else in the house.

  There had to be something she was missing. Could the nitrates have gotten into little Glory’s system through bottled water? She’d ask Celia, though she didn’t think she bought water.

  Eve pulled the article off the dresser and reread what Avery had written in the Gazette.

  Maybe the library archives was a good place to get a sense of previous water issues and get a better feel for the local situation. Mrs. Robertson, the librarian, had always been a fount of information—as well as gossip. Eve was betting she still was.

  With a plan of sorts in place, Eve crawled into bed, her dreams filled with horses galloping toward her and Cole’s strong arms rescuing her at the last second.

  The next morning, Eve walked into the library and headed straight for the checkout counter and the birdlike older lady behind it. “Good morning, Mrs. Robertson. How are you?”

  Mrs. Robertson looked up and put on the half glasses that had been dangling from a rhinestone chain around her neck. “How may I help you?”

  “I’m Eve Jackson; I used to live in Safe Harbor.”

  No spark of recognition lit her eyes, which surprised her. Mrs. Robertson looked over her shoulder as though she was looking for someone, then leaned closer and patted Eve’s hand. “That’s nice, dear. Safe Harbor is a nice little town. Most of the time,” she added in a low voice, before she resumed scanning the room.

  When she said nothing more, just plucked at the buttons of her white cardigan, Eve’s concern grew. This was not the feisty lady she remembered. “Mrs. Robertson, is everything OK?”

  She seemed startled by the question. “Of course, dear. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “I was wondering if you happen to have back issues of the Gazette?”

  “Of course. This is a library. Follow me.” She hurried over to a small room in the back and indicated both a computer and a microfiche machine. “The more recent editions are now on the computer. One of our teenagers puts them on there for us; I have no idea how all that works. The older editions are on microfiche. Was there a particular year you were wondering about?”

  Out of curiosity, Eve asked for her senior year of high school. Mrs. Robertson expertly loaded the microfiche machine, but she didn’t chatter like she used to. As soon as it was loaded, she left without a word.

  Eve stared after her and then scrolled through the microfiche until she came to the articles dealing with Candy Blackwell’s death. There were quite a few photos of the popular cheerleader, and Eve enlarged them, reminiscing over many familiar faces. She saw Cole’s triumphant grin as he stood with his arm around Candy after a winning football game, surrounded by other players and locals. Sasha and Eve were in a few group shots. Even Leon Daughtry showed up in one of the photos, sitting in the stands with the football alumni. She pulled out her cell phone and took pictures of several of the photos.

  She scrolled further and cringed as she skimmed the article about what the paper called “The Calf Caper.” Seeing Cole’s arm in a cast and the pictures of the dead calf brought all the guilt rushing back. She closed down the machine, went to the computer, and scanned the recent editions of the Gazette, even though she’d read them online in DC as soon as they were published. There was nothing that gave her any inkling of why someone would want to harm little Glory Daughtry or Celia. She did a search on Celia’s name, thinking maybe Glory’s father had something to do with it. Celia had never mentioned his name, and neither had anyone else in town. He was a long shot, but she’d have to ask Celia about him, too.

  By the time she left the library, she didn’t have any more info than when she’d arrived, except a worry that Mrs. Robertson’s mental state was becoming fragile.

  Later in the evening, Sasha barged into their former shared bedroom and surveyed the damage with her hands on her hips. Then she laughed at the piles of clothes on the bed. “It’s a boat ride, Eve, not a fancy ball. Just throw something on or we’ll miss the sunset.”

  Eve eyed the silky top she held and tossed it on the pile. It had been one frustrating day. She looked at the pile of discarded clothes. “I give up. What should I wear?”

  Sasha dug through the pile and tossed her a pair of linen shorts. Then she went to her old dresser and rooted around until she found a T-shirt and tossed that to Eve, too. “That’ll work. Let’s go.”

  Eve eyed the teal-colored Safe Harbor Marina T-shirt, then looked at Sasha, realizing she was equally casually dressed. “Right.” She pulled it over her head, slid into the shorts, and reached for a pair of heels.

  Sasha yanked them away from her hands. “No. This is not a yacht. It’s a boat. I have an extra pair of flip-flops on the porch. Wear those.”

  Eve hesitated, though she knew Sasha was right. But wearing flats made her feel at a disadvantage, and she didn’t want to feel vulnerable next to Cole’s impressive height. Sasha poked her head back in the door. “Come on, Eve. Blaze is getting impatient. I invited Nick, too.”

  As Eve stepped onto the dock, Cole turned from where he’d been talking with Jesse. His eyes swept from the top of her humidity-frizzed hair to the painted toenails in the borrowed flip-flops, and a slow grin spread over his face. That grin did funny things to her insides, and since she couldn’t harness even one coherent sentence, she simply stood there and smiled back like an idiot.

  Jesse looked from one to the other, winked at her, and said, “All aboard. Let’s do this.”

  In no time they were settled on the Clipper, a beautiful speedboat that was Jesse’s newest project, and headed out to watch the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. The warm breeze caressed her skin, and the Gulf shimmered like a mirror. The yellows and reds streaked the sky and tinted the clouds. Eve looked around and sighed. She’d forgotten the simple beauty of watching the sunset from a boat.

  “Did you guys pack any snacks? I’m starving,” Blaze said.

  “Of course you are, never mind that we just ate.” Eve rolled her eyes and grinned. “I put some cheese, crackers, and grapes in the cooler for everyone.”

  “Wow, fancy. Thanks.” Blaze rooted around, and before she stuck her hand in the plastic container with the cheese, Eve took it from her, whipped out the melamine plate she’d
brought along, and arranged everything prettily: grapes in the middle, cheese and crackers in a circle around them.

  Sasha raised an eyebrow. “Feeling like royalty now. Thanks, Eve.”

  Eve didn’t know how to respond, so she simply nodded and sat back down while everyone helped themselves.

  Cole fixed some for himself and settled down beside her. “You went to a lot of trouble. It tastes great.”

  Eve was still trying to stop bobbing her head like an idiot when Cole’s cell phone rang.

  “Hey, Hector. What’s up?”

  Eve watched his expression darken.

  “You’re sure it was deliberate? It couldn’t have broken?” He listened a moment, then said, “Thanks, Hector. I appreciate your letting me know.”

  Cole hung up and turned to her. “Hector says he figured out why you got sick.” His glance took in the group. “Like I told Eve, we use a combination irrigation-and-fertilization system, called fertigation. Someone tampered with the valve that controls the flow and flooded the field with nitrates.” He paused, took off his Stetson, and rammed a hand through his hair. “He says it had to be deliberate. There’s no way it would have happened by accident.”

  “So someone tried to poison Eve?” Indignation rippled through Blaze’s voice.

  “No one knew I was coming that day. Even I didn’t know.”

  Blaze looked at Cole. “Did you eat berries, too?”

  Cole sent Eve a rueful grin before he answered. “I did. But not quite as many as Eve.”

  Eve bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn’t argue that. She’d eaten far too many.

  Jesse looked at Cole. “They were trying to destroy your crops.”

  Cole heaved out a tired sigh. “Looks like it.”

  “Besides people who want to buy the ranch, who else has a grudge against you, Cole?” Nick asked. “And why?”

  “I don’t know who. As for why?” he shrugged. “Like you said, several people want to buy the ranch, and I’m not selling.”

  “Be careful, Eve.” Jesse pierced her with a look. “You have enough on your plate with the whole blue baby situation.”

  “How is baby Glory?” Sasha asked. “Is she getting better?”

  “Definitely, though they found nitrates in her system. Interestingly, Celia’s well tested in the normal range for nitrates.” Eve scanned her family. She didn’t want them to worry, but she could use their opinions. “So, I’m thinking that maybe Glory’s nitrates and the sabotage at Cole’s are related.”

  Nick met her eyes, nodded once, as though he’d been thinking the same thing.

  “Makes sense,” Jesse said. He turned to Nick. “You thinking Blackwell?”

  “He seems the most likely suspect, but . . . ,” Eve interjected with a shrug. “I don’t know what to think right now.”

  “Let me look into it,” Nick said firmly, and changed the subject. “I thought you’d want to know we’re still trying to get information out of Captain Demetri about the drug smuggling that was going on here at the marina, but he won’t say much.”

  Eve watched Jesse wrap his arms around Sasha’s shoulders and felt a shiver slide over her own skin, too. It would be a long time before any of them recovered from the knowledge that Captain Roy, someone they’d known forever, had tried to kill Sasha.

  A while later, as they were heading back in, a small jon boat came racing toward them on the diagonal and cut into the channel right in front of them. Jesse muttered as he expertly maneuvered the Clipper to keep from running over the much smaller craft.

  “That’s Hector and Leon,” Cole said, frowning. “You’d think Leon knew how to handle a boat better than that.”

  They followed the other boat back in, and Jesse slid the Clipper neatly into her slip just as the sun slid below the horizon. While Sasha and Jesse secured the boat, Cole hopped onto the dock and marched over to the other men, Nick right behind him.

  “What were you doing, Leon? Jesse almost ran into you.”

  Leon straightened and propped his fists on his hips. “Then he should quit speeding in the channel.” He turned back to the boat. “I have things to do.” He grabbed a cooler and fishing rod and headed toward his truck. Behind him, Hector turned to Cole and shrugged. Nick followed Leon to his truck, and it looked like he delivered a stern lecture, based on his intensity and Leon’s defensiveness.

  Cole shook his head, and then he and Eve watched the last rays of sunshine dance on the water as the others drifted away. “It’s beautiful out here.” He looked over at her and smiled. “Everything is.”

  Eve felt a flush creep up her cheeks, but she managed to say, “I’m glad you came.”

  Blaze came bounding down the dock. “Eve. Eve. You gotta see this.”

  “What is it? What’s going on?”

  “Hurry up.”

  Eve exchanged a glanced with Cole and followed Blaze back toward the house. Blaze stopped in front of Eve’s car and waved a hand to indicate the windshield.

  Eve stared, and a shiver slid down her spine.

  This time, someone had left her a dark-skinned Barbie doll with a noose around its neck and a note that read, You’re still not listening.

  Chapter 14

  By the time Nick had packed up the evidence and issued stern warnings to be careful and let him handle it, it was late. Eve tossed and turned, trying to get the image of that noose out of her head, but nothing seemed to work. So she was surprised when she rolled over and realized it was morning and she had just enough time to make breakfast for Blaze before she left.

  “Guess you didn’t sleep much, huh?” Blaze asked. “You look terrible.”

  Eve grimaced. “Thanks so much.”

  Blaze shrugged. “Somebody is really ticked off at you. Don’t be stupid.” She scooped up her backpack. “Thanks for breakfast.”

  Eve’s stomach seemed to have settled down, and her hands had stopped shaking from last night, so after breakfast she checked in with Sasha and headed for the hospital.

  She found Mama sitting up in bed, fumbling with a scarf. Mama’s bald head made her want to cry, so she pulled up her best smile as she walked into the room. “Good morning, Mama.” She leaned over to kiss her forehead, then said, “Let me help with that.”

  She wrapped the scarf securely and helped Mama ease back afterward.

  “I heard you were sick from eating too many blueberries.”

  Eve grimaced, unsure how much to say. “It appears so. But they were so good.”

  “Have you figured out yet what made little Glory so sick?”

  “Not yet. But I’m working on it.”

  “I heard you’re spending time with that handsome Sutton boy, too. It’s good he’s finally come home. You could use a good man in your life.”

  “I’m only here for a short while, Mama. And besides, I’m not looking for a man in my life.”

  “Well, you should be. I’m not getting any younger. I want to live to see my grandchildren.”

  “You will, since Sasha seems to have that covered.” She stood, kissed her cheek. “I need to go.” The door swung open and Pop walked in, carrying a sandwich. She gave him an awkward hug on the way out.

  Pop whispered, “Be careful,” in her ear.

  She found Celia down the hall, looking much better. She had obviously stopped home for a shower and clean clothes.

  Eve leaned over the crib and watched as Glory slept, her little arms and hands twitching every so often as though she was dreaming. “She looks good. I’m so relieved.”

  “The doctors say I might be able to take her home soon.” Her voice hardened. “As long as DCF doesn’t decide I’ve been poisoning my baby.”

  “They have no reason to think that. I’ll talk to them, see if I can help.” She paused, thought about how to phrase the question she’d been running through her mind. “Celia, do you know of anyone who might try to sabotage your water in order to get the property?”

  “That wouldn’t make sense. You want good water if you’re
buying or selling. What are you saying?”

  “What if someone was trying to devalue the land, so it was worth less?”

  “And they could buy it cheaper,” Celia finished. “I hadn’t thought of that. But I have no idea. Mama and Uncle Leon are divided on it, but I can’t see either of them doing something like this.”

  “I can’t, either. Let me know if anyone else comes to mind, OK?”

  “Sure, but . . .”

  Eve stopped, turned back into the room. “What is it?”

  Celia stood, wrung her hands. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

  “No, I won’t. Just spit it out.”

  “I think someone is following me.”

  Eve saw the worry in Celia’s eyes and kept her voice level. “What makes you say that?”

  “Every time I go down the hall to the bathroom, or go get a soda, or go to the cafeteria, I get that weird feeling between my shoulder blades, like someone is staring at me. You know what I mean?”

  “I do. Have you ever seen anyone behind you when you looked back?”

  “No, but a couple of times it seemed like someone ducked around a corner just as I looked.”

  Eve’s nagging sense of unease grew. “Be careful, Celia, OK? And if you do see anyone, let me know. Don’t go anywhere alone.”

  Celia sent her a sad smile. “I live alone, and my mama is too busy at Mr. Blackwell’s to do more than stop by once in a while, though I do appreciate it.” She sighed. “I will try to be careful.”

  Eve left the hospital, thinking. Did the fact that IdaMae and Miss Althea both worked for Blackwell Farms matter to the investigation? She wasn’t sure, but she carefully scanned the hallways on her way to the parking lot. She didn’t spot anyone watching little Glory’s room, but she understood exactly what Celia had been saying. She was sure someone was watching her, too.

  An hour later, Eve pulled up at Celia’s cottage and grabbed the groceries she’d purchased in town. She staggered under the weight of the cardboard box she’d filled with food, but managed to get everything inside in one trip. She swallowed hard when she opened the almost-empty pantry. She knew about poverty, had grown up in it in Chicago. She and her mother had lived in the notorious Cabrini-Green housing project, where her mother turned tricks to put food on the table, and Eve had learned to panhandle by the time she was ten. She understood going to bed hungry, but that wouldn’t happen to Celia, not if Eve could help it. She knew Celia waited tables at the Blue Dolphin, but she also knew they wouldn’t, couldn’t hold her job for long. While Celia spent her days at the hospital, she had no money coming in.