A Father for Danny

by Janice Carter

  “We’ll do the best we can there. Danny will be a part of my family, now, too.”

  Emily’s head rolled slightly from side to side. “Not what I mean,” she whispered.

  Sam leaned closer to the bed to hear. “What do you mean?”

  “I may be dying, but my eyesight and intuition are in full working order.” Emily smiled weakly. “When Chase mentions your name, or you say his…I can hear it in your voices. See it in your faces.” Her chest pumped slowly from the labor of such a long speech.

  Sam felt her face heat up. She knew what Emily was hinting at but didn’t know how to respond. Yes, I think I’m in love with him. But it’s all happened so fast and I’m not positive he feels the same or if it’s all just physical lust. And heaven knows where any of this is going to go….

  “Uh…you’re right, Emily. I have changed my mind about Chase—drastically.” She smiled. “But I simply don’t know how it’s all going to end.”

  “Just…let it happen,” murmured Emily. “Don’t fight it. You two were made for each other.” She stopped and closed her eyes.

  Sam watched Emily drift off. When she realized she was sleeping this time, she stood up, leaned over to Emily and whispered, “Whatever happens, I will make some kind of family for Danny.” She kissed Emily on the forehead and quietly left the room.

  Outside in the hallway, she sagged against the wall and searched in her purse for a tissue. A nurse came by and stopped to ask if everything was all right.

  “I’m fine, thanks. I’ve just been in to see Emily Benson. She’s not doing well.”

  The nurse shook her head. “Are you family?”

  “Kind of.”

  “Well, I’m not permitted to talk about her condition unless you are, but we’re calling in family today.”

  Sam nodded mutely, understanding the subtext of that statement. The nurse patted her on the arm and walked on. Sam dug blindly into her purse for her phone and called Chase. He didn’t pick up, so she left a message to say she was at the hospital, but leaving for home. Could he call her when he arrived at the hospital? Last night they’d planned to meet there, but Sam didn’t think she had the emotional stamina to stay longer. Besides, the nurse had said family and right now, that meant Danny and Chase. She took the elevator down and headed for the transit stop to take the bus home. Skye still had her car. It was typical of Skye to assume Sam would manage in the meantime. Sam mentally scolded her twin while waiting for the bus. When it finally came, disgorging many hospital visitors, Sam decided to go to her mother’s, instead.

  The bus ride was interminable, with at least three route changes. By the time she got off at the stop two blocks from her mother’s, Sam was ready to have it out with her sister.

  “She’s not here,” Nina said, seconds after Sam walked in the door. “But she left a note for you, in case you called or came by.”

  “Why did she take my car? Couldn’t she have taken yours?”

  Nina gave her a sharp look. “I’ve no idea, dear. I thought you knew all about it.”

  Sam slumped onto the couch in the living room. “I expected her to drop it by last night or even this morning. I had to take the bus to the hospital.”

  “I hope that’s not a whine in your voice,” Nina teased.

  In spite of her frustration, Sam had to grin. “Sorry. I think it was. It’s just that Emily’s not doing well at all—a nurse told me the hospital has called her family. That sounds serious, doesn’t it?”

  Nina sat on the edge of the couch next to her. “I’m afraid it does, dear. If you want to go back to the hospital, you’re welcome to use my car.”

  “Thanks, Mom, but the nurse emphasized the family part. Besides, I think it’s better for Chase and Danny to have time alone with Emily.”

  Nina took Sam’s hand. “Emily and Danny are very lucky to have you for a friend, Samantha.” She paused a moment, then stood up. “I’ll get that note.”

  Sam headed for the kitchen and a glass of water. Standing at the sink, she glanced to her right, into the solarium across the patio. She saw herself sitting in the armchair there, facing the kitchen sink—and Skye. How insignificant that whole incident seemed now. And how many light-years away from Todd was the man she’d now come to love. She set the empty glass onto the counter and turned at her mother’s entrance.

  “Here you go, dear.”

  Sam took the note and sat at the table, while Nina continued emptying the dishwasher.

  Hi, Sam.

  Sorry about the car. You’re probably ready to throttle me! I have an errand and will pop by your place later this afternoon. I spent most of yesterday searching listings of government contracts on the Internet and making phone calls. I managed to come up with an interesting piece of information. A numbered company that’s received two recent orders from Trade Winds (for contracts for supplies to the Defense Department) turns out to be owned by H. J. Weiner and Company. Sound familiar? Anyway, a buddy of mine has just let me know that Weiner and Company is registered under the name Terence Bryant Sullivan. No kidding. The old circle game. We got them, sis. Now to gather what we’ve got and persuade someone at the field office to check it out. Got my fingers crossed. See ya later.

  Sam felt excitement rising inside. All nasty thoughts of Skye vanished. Her sister had really come through. “Mom,” she said, raising her head, “I’m going home now. Skye said she’d drop the car around later today.”

  “Shall I give you a lift, dear?”

  Sam hesitated, tempted to say yes. But at the moment she didn’t feel like exposing herself to Nina’s inevitable questioning about Chase. Her feelings for the man were too new, something she wanted to hold tightly to her chest—for now. Her mother must have inferred the truth, because as Sam walked to the door, she said, “We’ll catch up later.”

  “Okay, Mom. And I may have some questions for you, too.” She grinned teasingly. “About Bill Carter.”

  Nina smiled. “I guess we both have some catching up to do.”

  “Yep,” Sam said, and gave her a quick goodbye hug. The hike to the bus stop was interrupted by her cell phone. Chase. A delicious warmth flowed through her at the sound of his voice.

  “Hi, there,” he said. “Got your message. Where are you now?”

  “Heading home on the bus. Skye still has my car.” She paused a beat, almost afraid to ask. “How’s Emily?”

  “They think she’s got pneumonia. Doing some tests.”

  Sam closed her eyes. Pneumonia. She doubted Emily would have the strength to battle this last assault on her poor body. When Sam could speak, her voice was husky. “Where’s Danny?”

  “Still at Minnie’s. I’m going to go pick him up right now.”

  She hesitated, wondering if this was the time. Still, he needed to know. “I have some news, too.”

  “What?”

  Sam gave him the gist of Skye’s note. He didn’t respond for a moment.

  “This is big, Sam,” he finally said. He told her about the visit to Bryant and the phone call that had precipitated it.

  “That’s awful,” Sam said. “What will you do?”

  “Well, given what you’ve just told me, I think I’ve got a huge bargaining chip.”

  “But you’re going to let the authorities handle it, right? I mean, we have to call in the FBI now.”

  Another pause. “I suppose. But it’ll mean the end of the company—my family’s business.”

  “Chase, it hasn’t been your family business for thirteen years.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Funny, I just never thought this whole thing would be resolved. I was resigned to carrying it with me the rest of my life.”

  Sam wished she was with him, to wrap her arms around him. “Some of it always will be with you,” she said, lowering her voice.

  “Right. Sam, I…”

  Static buzzed the signal and she couldn’t hear the rest of what he said. “Say again?”

  “I said I thought about you all night.”

/>   Sam shivered. She glanced quickly at the two other people waiting at the bus stop, then moved farther away. “Me, too,” she whispered.

  “Can’t hear you, Sam. You’re breaking up.”

  “Me, too!”

  “Ah. Good. Listen, I got a call coming in. I’ll get back to you.”

  Sam closed up her phone, thinking the day was going to be a long one. The bus arrived and she stepped on. But surprisingly, the trip home wasn’t too bad because she spent the forty-five minutes with thoughts of Chase’s promise to continue the kiss begun yesterday, alternating with worry about Emily and Danny.

  The first thing she spotted as she rounded the corner to her duplex was her car parked in the No Parking zone. She smiled, thinking Skye might at least have placed a sign in the windshield. Officer on duty or some such thing. Sam bent down to check inside as she drew near, noting that her sister had also not locked the car.

  Impulsively she withdrew her cell phone from her purse. She’d get her to come outside and move the car herself. That is, if she was up in the apartment. Sam leaned against the passenger door and looked up at her apartment window. The phone rang and instantly, another chime joined in. Sam frowned. She jumped away from the car and looked around. The muted but distinct peal of Skye’s cell phone was coming from inside the car. Sam opened the passenger door.

  Skye’s black leather handbag was lying on the floor.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHASE SWITCHED off his phone and leaned against the wall of the hospital waiting room. Minnie’s call was disturbing, to say the least. Danny had left her apartment while she’d been at church. Chase told her to have Danny call if he came back. He checked the time on his phone again. It was almost three o’clock. Where the heck was he?

  He debated calling Sam again but guessed she was still making her way home. Besides, it was his problem, not hers. He began to pace, trying to figure out where the boy might be. Anger surged in him. Danny’s timing couldn’t be worse. Minnie had insisted he’d been fine when he went to bed last night, so whatever prompted this disappearance occurred in the night or early morning. And he couldn’t call any of Danny’s friends because, except for a single reference to someone named Jeff, he had no idea who they were. A sense of inadequacy about how he was handling the job of parenthood rolled over him.

  He wished he could ask Emily if she had some idea of where he’d be, but she was sleeping. Besides, she couldn’t afford to expend any energy in worry over Danny. Deciding to wait a bit longer before driving out to Minnie’s he headed down to the cafeteria for another coffee. As he stepped off the elevator, he bumped into a tall, white-haired man in a lab coat. Emily’s doctor.

  “Ah, Mr…. uh…”

  “Sullivan.”

  “Yes, I was hoping you’d arrived. I want to have a word with you about your wife.”

  Chase didn’t bother correcting the mistake. He followed the doctor to one of the few vacant tables in the cafeteria. When they were settled, Chase had to lean forward to hear the man over the hubbub of people’s voices, clinking dishes and cutlery.

  “Emily’s prognosis isn’t good and that’s why we called you. I need to inform you that we have a DNR on her file.”

  “A what?”

  “A ‘do not resuscitate’ instruction. Emily signed it when she was admitted to the palliative ward. It basically means that we don’t take any heroic measures. If she goes into cardiac arrest, say, we don’t try to revive her.”

  Chase turned away for a second, gazing blankly at a weary-looking couple at the table next to theirs. “I see,” he finally said.

  “The thing is, I’m worried about your son. He was in a highly agitated state the last time he saw his mother. I don’t want him to be alone with her.”

  Chase nodded. He couldn’t speak over the lump in his throat.

  The doctor stood up and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. “We’ll make sure Emily doesn’t suffer.”

  He didn’t see the doctor leave. The room swam in a watery haze. Chase blinked, wiped his eyes and forced himself to his feet. He needed a quiet corner to think.

  SAM RAN UP the stairs, taking them two at a time. Hopefully Skye was there, totally ignorant of the fact that she’d left her purse in an unlocked car in a No Parking zone. But the apartment door was locked. She fumbled for her keys, then let herself in.

  “Skye? Skye?” Sam wandered from room to room, but the silent apartment offered up no clues. Tossing Skye’s purse onto the couch, Sam immediately called her mother. The line was busy. She left a terse message asking Nina to call her right back. Impulsively, she tried Chase, but the line was busy.

  Frustrated, she pocketed her phone and began pacing. Knowing her sister, she’d probably decided to dash to the corner convenience for a soda or something. Sam ran to the purse and rummaged in it. Skye’s wallet was still there. Okay. No impromptu shopping. The car keys were also in the purse, suggesting Skye had been on her way out of the car when something—or someone—stopped her. Perhaps she’d been accosted by one of the other tenants and was chatting merrily away while her twin sister was freaking out.

  Sam picked up her phone and called the tenant in the ground-floor unit. No answer. Skye obviously wasn’t in the building. So where was she? When she tried Chase’s number again, she got his voice mail.

  “Can you call me as soon as possible? Skye seems to have disappeared.”

  Sam rang off and headed for the kitchen and a glass of cold water. She needed to calm down and consider where Skye might have gone. Without her purse and phone.

  Wherever Skye was, Sam was dead certain she hadn’t gone willingly.

  SHE TRIED not to give in to the panic, so focused on anger instead. Anger that she’d so foolishly ignored the man getting out of the car parked behind her. Not that she’d had any reason to be suspicious of him. Even her realization that he was moving swiftly toward her hadn’t sounded any alarms because she knew she’d parked Sam’s car in a No Parking zone. She’d gotten out of the car and had been bent over, reaching for her purse on the passenger seat when he suddenly came at her from behind.

  The hard pressure of a gun’s barrel against her lower back was a sensation she’d experienced only once before and had hoped never to experience again. He’d grabbed her by the collar of her jacket, pulling her against him and the gun. She’d turned her head, looking for someone on the street to help her. But, impossibly on a Sunday afternoon, there hadn’t been a single person around.

  When he’d marched her toward his car and she’d seen that the trunk was already popped open, her stomach heaved. By then she’d recognized him. Everything fast-forwarded. The push into the trunk, so swift she had no chance to fight back. He was big and strong. Silent, too.

  Does he know about Sam?

  Skye guessed they drove about fifteen minutes. He drove fast around curves and she had to cling to the spare-tire unit to keep from being tossed around. The car braked sharply and she was thrown hard against the metal plate holding the tire in place. The blow to her head brought tears, but she welcomed the pain. It sharpened her senses and her anger. As soon as she heard the trunk latch unlock, she braced herself to leap out at him.

  But he was quicker than he looked and perhaps smarter, too. The trunk flew up and just as Skye was about to uncoil and spring up, a fist punched her right in the solar plexus. She fell back into the trunk, gasping to catch her breath. When he swiped a piece of duct tape across her mouth, panic overwhelmed her. Whatever his plan for her had been, Skye knew she was in serious trouble. He rolled her roughly onto her side, jerking her arms out from under her and to her back, squeezed both wrists together with one of his hands and then wound a long swath of duct tape round and round them. She lay helplessly in the hollow of the trunk, staring up at him as she tried to control her breathing. The smile on his face was chilling.

  “I just want you to know that I personally have had it with you people,” he said. “Pop’s in intensive care right now because my jerk of a cousin
started butting his nose into things. And I can’t really tell you how long you’re gonna be around here—Terry and I have to make some plans. So before I drag you outa there, I want to warn you that if you do anything to attract attention, your stay will most definitely be cut very short. Understand what I’m saying?”

  She nodded.

  “Okay, so I’m gonna pull you out and we’re going to walk into the house as quickly as we can.” He took one last look around him before reaching down to grab her under one arm and pulled.

  Skye winced as her legs scraped over the edge of the trunk. Her knees gave slightly as she put her full weight onto them, but he wrapped one arm around her waist and half-dragged, half-walked her to a closed door. She knew where they were. The Trade Winds building that had once been the family mansion. She certainly hadn’t imagined a few days ago that she’d be back so soon, and under such circumstances. The thought might have made her laugh, had the duct tape not been so tight over her lips.

  He unlocked the door, holding her against him with his other arm. When it swung open to reveal a dark staircase leading into a basement, she braced her heels against the landing step, refusing to move. He shouted at her and a door leading from the landing to the ground floor suddenly opened. A man stood in the frame, his jaw gaping. Must be Terry.

  “Howard, what the hell…”

  “Help me get her down into the wine cellar.”

  “Are you crazy? Do you know what you’ve done? Do you think this is going to help Pop?”

  “It’s going to make me feel better,” Howard said, his face reddening.

  Terence backed up. “You’re on your own, then. I’m not getting involved.”

  “Yeah? We’ll see about that.” Howard jerked her away from the landing and took two steps at a time down into the basement, pulling her behind him.

  She had no choice but to comply, knowing that if she resisted, he’d simply throw her down. And breaking a bone would mean the end of any chance to get away. She couldn’t see over his wide back and shoulders, but heard him breathing heavily as he worked at some door mechanism. Then he turned abruptly and pushed her forward into a small, unlit room. Or closet, more like it, she thought, just before she landed with a thud on the concrete floor.