Not Quite Right (Indigo Love Spectrum)

by Tammy Williams

  “Foul play?” Suzette’s troubled gaze met the lawyer’s. “Randall, you think we should do this?”

  Mr. Clayton glanced at Steed and said, “I think you should follow your instincts.”

  “If you were me, would you allow this?”

  After several quiet moments, Mr. Clayton nodded. “Yes, I believe I would.”

  Suzette held her hand out to her husband, who took it in a comforting grip. Steed found the couple’s closeness in the wake of their personal tragedy awe-inspiring. He and Darci squabbled all the time, but he loved her with a passion as strong as their varying opinions, and he wanted a long and happy life with her. If Darci didn’t remember everything before he could prove or disprove her theory, he felt they could have that; but if she did remember…Thinking the worst wasn’t an option. “Mr. and Mrs. Warwick?” Steed prompted.

  “All right, you can do this,” Thomas said. “Can you tell me what you’re looking for, Detective?”

  “I can’t say that I’m looking for anything specific, I’m just checking out a few things.”

  “Darci trusts you,” said Mrs. Warwick. “She’s like another daughter to us, so we’re going to trust you, too. Does she know what you want to do?”

  “Not yet.” He intended to forever prove Kenny had killed himself and that those Hyde fingerprints were a crazy mix-up before telling Darci. Hopefully, this would occur long before she got her memory back. “It would be best if you didn’t mention this to anyone, either. Not until it’s over.”

  “Besides Darci, the only person we’d want to tell is Eva, and we haven’t seen her since Kenny’s will reading. She’ll call now and again, but…We won’t say anything, Detective. What happens next?” asked Thomas.

  “Well?” Steed turned to Mr. Clayton.

  Mr. Clayton pulled a document from his briefcase and handed Thomas the paper. “I’ll need your signature to give permission for the authorities to exhume Kenneth’s body. If you have any questions, just ask.”

  “I think it’s safe to say we have questions about all of this.” Thomas shook his head. Steed could feel the man’s doubt stirring all the more. “It just doesn’t seem right to exhume Kenny. Whatever went on with him, he’s at peace now. To disturb that…”

  Steed closed his eyes. Just when he thought he had them convinced, he got pulled back five steps. “I do understand your concerns, but if I didn’t feel this was absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t be here. We’ll be respectful, sir.”

  Suzette shrugged when her husband’s gaze met hers. “Whatever you think is right, I’ll stand by you.”

  The sound of scribbling filled the quiet room. Thomas handed Steed the signed document. “There you go,” he said. “I hope I haven’t made a mistake.”

  Steed said nothing as he nodded. Kenny didn’t die. Darci’s words were never far from his mind. He, too, hoped he hadn’t made a mistake.

  CHAPTER 19

  Darci opened her eyes to find Steed at her bedside. “Hey.” She pulled the bed up to a reclining position, stifling a yawn. “How long have you been here?”

  “About half an hour,” he answered.

  She gazed about the room. “Have I been relocated to a flower shop? Where did all these blooms come from?”

  “Your adoring fans, friends, family, and me. Lots of people love you, Darci. How do you feel?”

  “A little woozy. The pain medication,” she explained.

  “You need it. You got pretty banged up.”

  Steed closed his hands around hers. The warmth and strength of his touch was like a tonic for her whole body. It made her feel safe and so womanly. Darci smiled. How she’d missed simple things like holding his hand.

  “Why are you smiling?” Steed asked.

  “Because I love you. My parents do, too.”

  Steed grinned that cute, slightly coy, very sexy grin of his. Even with her body bruised and battered, it wasn’t so broken it couldn’t feel all the wanton emotions Steed stirred in her.

  “Your parents love me?” he said.

  “Well, they like you. At least they haven’t said anything mean about you. I think they need a little more time.” She laughed.

  “I see that sense of humor is about the same.”

  “I think it’s the drugs.”

  “Me, too. It’s even worse than usual.” He kissed her hands and held them close to his chest. “I’m so glad to see you like this. Just earlier today, you were…”

  “Shhh. I’m awake now, and I don’t plan to do my imitation of Rip Van Winkle anymore.”

  “I’m very glad to hear it.” He smiled. “So, uh, what exactly did your parents say about me?”

  “That you were quiet. ‘The strong, silent type’ is what Mama said. They both noted how much you seemed to care about me.”

  “I appreciate their sentiment, but I care about the environment. I love you, Darci.” Steed drew a deep breath. His easy expression became more serious. “I’m not a perfect man. God knows I have my shortcomings. But, Darci, my love for you is the purest, most honest thing in my life. I have made some mistakes in this relationship, but this being in love thing is new for me. I’ll probably make more mistakes, but it’s never to intentionally hurt you. Watching you lie here so still for so many days…”

  Darci pressed her fingers to his lips. “Steed, I’m not used to you talking this much and in such a deeply emotional way. It’s making me a little uneasy.” She gave him a smile. “I’m okay now. You don’t have to do this.”

  “Yes, I do. While you were unconscious, all I could think about was how we always butted heads about Warwick. We lost time we’ll never get back, and until you get closure, it will be more of the same.”

  “You said you would help me prove my theory about Kenny. Is that why you’re talking like this?”

  “More or less.”

  “So, what’s the plan?” Steed walked to the window, gazing out into the dark fall night. Darci wondered what, if anything, held his attention so rapt. “Steed?” she said.

  He turned around. “Yes?”

  “I asked how you’re going to find out what happened with Kenny. Are you going to have the case reopened?”

  “I can’t really discuss any specifics.” Steed returned to the chair at her bedside. “I’m going to help you, Darci, but all I want is for you to get well. You have to take care of yourself.”

  “What is it?”

  “What?” he said.

  Darci watched Steed closely. “You’re distracted. What aren’t you telling me? Have you found something already?”

  Steed made a funny face. He did that often when he wanted to change the subject and make her laugh. Usually it worked, but not this time. “Don’t even try it, McGraw,” Darci said. “We’re going to talk about this.”

  He sighed. “Let’s talk about it later, Darci.”

  “Later is now.”

  “No, later is later. You need your rest.”

  The emphatic tone in his voice angered Darci all the more. She hated when he played cop twenty-four/seven. She didn’t need protecting, she needed answers. A frown tightened her face.

  Steed took her hand and grazed her cheek with a feather-soft kiss. Just like that, her anger vanished. She would never understand how one man could anger her, calm her, and make her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world all without breaking a sweat.

  “Darci, I promised I would help you with Warwick, and I will.”

  “You still think I’m nuts, don’t you?”

  “It doesn’t matter. You feel the way you feel, and I’m going to help you get peace of mind. When there’s something to tell, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “I want to believe that, Steed, but I already feel like I’m in the dark. I can’t remember hours of my life. That’s scary.”

  “I know. Has the doctor said anything?”

  “That I have to give it time, and when I need to remember something I will.”

  “Sounds like good advice. I know he also said you shou
ld get your rest, so I’m going to go.” Steed stood and leaned over the bed. “I came back to say good night.” That devilish grin returned to his lips. His eyes sparkled. “Think I can have a kiss? My mom used to always kiss my boo-boos and make them better. I have no problem kissing every inch of you, but I think your lips would be the more ideal place…at least for now.”

  Darci tried not to smile, but failed miserably. “Why do you make it so hard for me to stay angry with you?”

  “Is that what I do? When did I start doing that?” Steed snapped his finger. “Oh, I know, you’re still foggy from that head injury, right?” He laughed.

  “Are you going to stand there cracking on me or are you going to kiss me?”

  “I like option two.” After a tender kiss, he caressed her cheek and said good night.

  Darci settled into bed, but worry kept sleep elusive. Steed wasn’t leveling with her. He felt loving her meant keeping her in the dark, and right now she didn’t need that. Somehow, someway, she had to get her memory back. If he wouldn’t give her the answers she needed, she’d have to find them for herself.

  * * *

  “Knock, knock!” Darci smiled as Jackie stuck her head inside the door. “Is somebody ready to go home?”

  “Somebody has been ready for a long time,” Darci answered, placing the remainder of the clothes and toiletries her parents had brought into her overnight bag, a feat that was a lot harder while dependent on crutches. “I can’t believe I’ve been here for thirteen days.”

  “Since you were only awake for six, I can believe it.” Jackie joined Darci at the small dresser. “You hobble over to the bed and let me finish this for you.”

  Grateful for the assistance, she did as Jackie instructed.

  “I thought Steed would be here,” Jackie said.

  “Me, too, but I got a call from him earlier saying he got caught up in a case.” She suspected it was Kenny’s case, but Steed would never tell her that. “I’ll see him later.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come home with me? Carl and I would love to have you, and I don’t feel comfortable with you being alone with your sprained ankle. Plus, you have bruised ribs, and bruised everything else. My God, you were hit by a car and were in a coma. You shouldn’t be alone.”

  “You sound like Mama and Daddy, and I practically had to beg them to go back to Florida.”

  “But you want Uncle Chuck and Aunt Darlene in Sterling.”

  “I do, but not to hover. I’m home now. I guess I kinda want my parents home, too, just not as nursemaids. Besides, I won’t really be alone, you’re just down the street, and Steed will be around a lot of the time.”

  “Things are going well for you two?”

  Darci nodded. “For the most part, yes.”

  Jackie zipped the bag and sat in the empty chair next to the bed. “I don’t think I like the way that sounds.”

  “Steed is being very protective of me, and I appreciate that, but he does it too much. It’s like he’s trying to think for me, and I don’t like that.”

  “Why do I get the feeling this is about Kenny?”

  “Steed told me he’d help me.”

  “Help you?”

  “I’ve had a problem with the way Kenny died for a long time, and right before I regained consciousness, I heard Steed say he’d help me find out what happened with Kenny.”

  Jackie groaned. “Darci, that man was so beside himself when you were comatose, he would have said anything to get you to wake up. I know you’re not going to hold him to that.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “He did his job. What more do you expect him to do?”

  “I don’t know, but I can tell you this, something is going on. Jackie, I can’t remember anything from several hours before that car hit me, but I have a feeling something big happened. Steed knows what it is, and he won’t tell me. My intuition tells me it’s about Kenny. Otherwise, Steed would have never offered to help me with this.”

  “Not necessarily. He knows how obsessed you are about this, and maybe he thought telling you something shocking and hopeful would rouse you.” Jackie made a sweeping motion with her hand. “It worked.”

  “It’s more than that. During our hospital version of Thanksgiving dinner, he put up a good front of being engaging, talking sports with Daddy and complimenting Mama, but he was distracted.” Darci closed her eyes, hoping to shake loose the memory resting right at the edge of her brain like a ripe apple on a tree. “I know it’s something.”

  “It’s just my opinion, but I think you should stop trying to make yourself remember. It will only keep the memory further away.”

  “You sound like Steed.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Jackie handed Darci the crutches. “Have you been discharged?”

  “I have the copies inside my bag.”

  Jackie looked about the room. “You’re not planning to take up horticulture, are you?” she said of the many flowers and green plants.

  “Relax.” Darci laughed. “I’m only taking the arrangements from my folks and Steed, and donating the rest to other patients.”

  “That’s a relief. I’ll get a nurse and your chariot and we’ll be on our way.”

  Darci drew herself back into remembering after Jackie left. She knew Steed’s case was about Kenny. So, if he promised to help her, why wasn’t he telling her anything? She closed her eyes, squeezing them tighter and tighter. She had to remember. She had to know what was going on.

  * * *

  “What are you saying?”

  The doctor placed his glasses in the pocket of his light blue scrubs. “How can I be clearer, Detective? This is not Kenneth Warwick.”

  The words hadn’t come as a surprise to Steed, considering the prints from the first autopsy said the same, but that didn’t make them any easier to hear. Darci was right. She’d always been right. Steed eyed Dr. Josiah Horne, one of the leading forensic pathologists in the state. The answer to Steed’s next question was all but a given, but he had to ask it nonetheless. “Who is the victim?”

  “According to fingerprint analysis and DNA samples, this is Jason Hyde.” The man brushed his hand through his balding gray hair and scratched his potbelly. “A petty criminal, did a short stint in Crider County Jail. Everything is consistent with the findings from the first autopsy, minus the identity.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I saw the pictures from the first autopsy. Hyde and Warwick could have been twins.” Dr. Horne handed Steed the file. “Have I answered your questions?”

  After several moments, Steed nodded. “Yes, Doctor, thank you.” Clasping the autopsy report, Steed returned to his truck. He stared at the closed file, trying to decide whether to call Darci or Chief Rogers. Before he could choose, his cell phone rang. His gaze stayed on the file as he answered. “McGraw.”

  “Hi, it’s me.”

  Steed blinked, his concentration broken by Darci’s voice. “Hey.” He cleared his throat. “Where are you?”

  “I just got home,” she said. “When are you coming over?”

  “Soon. I have a couple of things to take care of first, but you’ll definitely see me soon.”

  “Good. Steed, we have to talk.”

  He nodded as his eyes focused once again on the file. “Yes, we definitely do.”

  * * *

  Veins throbbed to near bursting at Rogers’s temples as he paced around his office. “How the hell could something like this happen?” he bellowed. “Where is Warwick?”

  “If I knew the answer to that, we wouldn’t have anything to talk about,” Steed answered.

  Malena closed the file and set it on Rogers’s desk. “This is unbelievable,” she said.

  “It is that.” Steed massaged his temples. “From day one Darci had doubts. She said Warwick would never kill himself.” He sighed. “She said he didn’t die, and she was right.”

  Rogers stopped pacing long enough to fix outraged eyes on Steed. “What? Is that why you wanted the exh
umation? Because of something Darci said?”

  “Yes—no.”

  “Which is it, Steed?” Malena asked.

  “Kinda both, I guess. Darci doesn’t remember any of this, but we had a big blowup because Benjamin told her the case got reopened and I didn’t. Right before her accident, she called and told me we were all wrong, that Warwick didn’t die. She didn’t get to tell me how she knew, but she mentioned the le…” Steed grunted. That letter from Warwick’s. He raced to the door. “I gotta check a lead.”

  “McGraw!” Rogers thundered.

  “I’ll fill you both in later, but I…I have to go.”

  Steed phoned Carl on the way to Darci’s and got the okay to ask questions, but was warned not to force memories. Steed had a feeling he wouldn’t have to do much forcing. Darci was close to remembering. Every minute he spent with her said as much.

  He tried not to think of her reaction as he maneuvered through the late afternoon traffic. Darci would be so angry with him, but perhaps her happiness at learning her friend was still alive would keep her from exploding. Steed reached the house, drew a breath, and stepped out of the car.

  CHAPTER 20

  Darci ignored the dull throbbing in her foot as she leaned into Steed’s strong arms and lost herself in his tantalizing kiss. He had the most amazing lips, soft, supple, and so full of expression. From the way he smiled, to the way he kissed her, to the way she’d wanted to button them with every word he uttered when they’d first met. How fast things had changed.

  “That’s what I call a great hello,” she said, brushing remnants of lipstick from Steed’s lips.

  “It was that and a welcome home.” Steed helped her back to the couch. “Are you settling in okay?”

  “Yeah. I’ve spent most of my time right here in front of the TV. I’ve gotten caught up in that crazy soap you watch.”

  He chuckled. “It keeps your mind occupied and it’s a release. Makes you forget about your problems for an hour.”

  “For just an hour.” Several quiet moments passed. “You know what I want to ask you.”

  Nodding, Steed sat. “Do you remember anything?”