“That’s excellent,” Sarah told him. “I was actually thinking of moving back here when things settle down. I miss the quiet of a small town.”
“Oh,” Cole seemed shocked again. “I guess…” His voice trailed off as if he didn’t know what to say.
“It’s okay, Cole,” Sarah assured him and put her hand on his for emphasis. She was getting pretty good at acting. Maybe she should move to L.A. instead. “I know what you’re thinking. I didn’t kill Chad. My lawyer has assured me they will get it all cleared up soon so Lindsey and I can get on with our lives.”
“It said in the paper that you and Brett Williams…”
“Yeah,” she interrupted. “It’s a nightmare having my name and reputation all tied up with that, that transient.” She feigned disgust. “Can you believe the police think I was having an affair with him?”
“You guys dated in high school didn’t you?”
“For about two minutes,” Sarah said. She was fully improvising now. She hadn’t planned to throw Brett under the proverbial bus, but she felt like if she didn’t distance herself from him, no one would get past the rumored affair and certainly Cole wouldn’t open up to her. “I was young and stupid. I realized right away that it was a mistake, you know?”
“We’ve all been there,” Cole admitted, clearly more at ease with the direction of the conversation. “I sure made my fair share of mistakes with women.”
“Did you guys decide what you’re having?” Jessica asked as she made her way back over to them.
“I’d like the turkey club and iced tea,” Sarah smile and handed Jessica her menu.
“Same for me,” Cole requested.
“That’s easy enough,” Jessica laughed and grabbed up their menus. “I’ll be right back with the tea.”
“So,” Sarah began after Jessica had walked away. “Besides selling houses, what have you been up to lately? Done anything exciting?”
“Not really. You know there’s nothing exciting to do around here.”
“True,” she agreed and her mind raced. She couldn’t come up with a way to get him talking about the things she wanted to know.
“How’s Amber been doing?” Cole asked, ending Sarah’s dilemma.
“Pretty good, I guess. She’s been working a lot and comes to town often to check on her dad.”
“I heard about his stroke. How is he doing?
“He’s getting better. Speech is still very difficult for him, but they expect him to make a full recovery.”
“Amber’s been helping to take care of him?” Cole asked. “I didn’t think they got along.”
“They run hot and cold,” Sarah explained. “Whatever happened with you guys anyway?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Amber mentioned that you two had dated for a while, but she never said why you stopped.”
“Nothing much to tell,” he answered. “We went on a few dates right after she graduated. Then she started working a lot and didn’t have much time. At least that’s what she told me.”
“You didn’t believe her?”
“I know that as a first year associate you have to work long hours but, I don’t know. I just had the feeling something else was going on, you know? Something or someone.”
“You think she was seeing someone else? She never mentioned it to me.”
When Cole looked at her, Sarah couldn’t interpret his expression, but she felt him clam up. “I’m sure it was just the distance. We lived more than an hour apart.” It felt like a cop-out.
“Yeah, I bet that’s hard,” Sarah commiserated and made another mental note to ask Amber about Cole again. He was still the person with the most access to Brett’s garage. “I haven’t ever had that problem.”
“Well, when you marry a guy from high school distance isn’t usually a problem.” His face turned solemn. “I still can’t believe he’s dead.”
“Me either.”
“I’m sorry I missed the funeral,” he revealed. “I was out of town.”
“I understand, but now that you mention it, you and Chad used to be pretty close but then you stopped coming around. How come?”
“There wasn’t any bad blood between Chad and me if that’s what you’re asking,” he snapped.
“I, I didn’t mean it that way,” Sarah replied. “I was just wondering why I never saw you is all.”
“Oh, sorry,” Cole shifted in his chair as if he were suddenly uncomfortable. “I guess we all just grew apart. Most everyone from our class did what you and Chad did and moved to the city.”
“I guess you’re one of the few left in town, huh?”
“Yep, not too many of us around anymore,” he answered through a forced smile. “I guess not everyone remembers where they came from.”
Sarah resisted the urge to defend their decision to move to St. Louis and, instead, reverted back to their earlier conversation. She had to keep him talking and the only way to do that was to have him relate to her.
“I know what you mean. Chad wouldn’t hear of moving back to Farmington after law school. I guess that’s why I’m considering it now. I miss it here. I wish he would have agreed to move back before…” She let her voice trail off and sipped her tea.
“I’ll be happy to send you some listings if you want. What’s your email address?”
Sarah wrote it down on a napkin and gave it to him. He started telling her about the few properties for sale in town but Sarah couldn’t figure out a way to ask him about Brett’s house. There was also no way to get him talking about Chad again, but she wondered about the moment earlier that he grew defensive at her question about losing contact. She finished her sandwich and tossed some money on the counter.
“I need to get going,’ she explained. “I’m supposed to meet Kristen at the library.”
“You’re going to see Kristen?” Jessica asked as she walked up to collect the money. “Tell her hello from me.”
“I’ll do that,” Sarah agreed and Jessica walked away. She grabbed her purse from the counter and Cole reached out to squeeze her hand.
“Hang in there,” he said. “I know things are tough right now, but they’ll get better.”
“I hope so,” she answered and headed for the door. Her cell phone rang as she was walking out of the diner.
“Kristen, I was just on my way to see you,” she said in greeting when she recognized the caller ID.
“Oh, I’m glad I caught you then,” Kristen responded. “Mrs. Hill asked me if I could switch days with her this week and I totally forgot to tell you. I’m not working today.”
“No worries,” Sarah said as she pulled open her car door. “Do you and Shane want to come over for dinner tonight instead? I can have Brett over too and then you tell him directly what you found out about Maggie.”
“That sounds great. What time?”
“7:00?”
“We’ll be there,” Kristen agreed and Sarah disconnected. She reached into her bag to get her keys when she heard them jingling behind her.
“You left them on the counter,” Cole announced as he handed them over. His expression was unreadable and Sarah wondered just how much he’d overheard.
-22-
Sarah stirred the gravy and glanced at the clock on the microwave. 6:55 pm. Shane and Kristen would be pulling up any minute. She looked out the window and wondered what was keeping Brett. He better not back out. It had taken her nearly an hour to convince Brett to have dinner with Kristen and Shane, but even when he left to go home and shower she knew he was still hesitant. The oven timer distracted her and she pulled the roast out of the oven.
Diana would be proud, she thought with a smile. Diana had offer to cook dinner, but Sarah needed something to occupy her time. She couldn’t stop thinking about her conversation with Jeff or her suspicions about Lauren. It was strange that Lauren would hide from her and that is exactly what Sarah believed the woman was doing.
She heard Brett coming through the door as she set out the silver
ware on the table.
“I hope I’m not late,” he commented as he entered the dining room.
“Right on time,” she smiled and looked him over. Thankfully, he seemed much more relaxed than when he’d left.
“What can I do?” He asked, looking around the kitchen. The kitchen was a mess, with dishes piled everywhere. Sarah was not a neat cook.
“You can go pick a bottle of wine out if you don’t mind,” she answered.
“Okay,” he agreed.
A few seconds later he appeared with a bottle of Pinot Noir.
“I thought you didn’t drink wine,” she observed.
“I don’t,” he admitted.
“I would have pegged you for picking a white.”
“I may not drink the stuff,” he explained, “but I know you have red with beef. It smells great by the way.”
Brett poured the wine while Sarah finished putting all of the food in serving dishes on the table. She glanced at the clock again, wondering when they’d arrive. Now, they were six minutes late. While running late was typical for Shane, Kristen was a stickler about being on time.
The relief she felt when she heard a car engine in the driveway caught her off guard. She hadn’t recognized the feelings of anxiety until they had started to dissipate. The sound of the front door bell took her by surprise.
“What are they doing ringing the bell?” She asked Brett, not expecting an answer. She walked out of the kitchen with Brett right behind her.
Sarah pulled open the front door and felt herself sway. The anxiety turned into sheer panic as she looked at the face of Deputy Joey Newman.
“Joey?” Brett stepped in front of Sarah. “What are you doing here?”
Brett’s presence took Joey by surprise. Awkwardly, he greeted his former colleague. “Hey, Brett,” he said before he turned to Sarah. “Mrs. Taylor.”
“What’s going on?” Brett demanded. Sarah was still staring at the deputy, alarm bells ricocheting around her head.
“Can I come in?” Deputy Newman asked. Brett pulled the door further open and stepped aside to allow Joey to enter. Sarah didn’t move. She could tell by the look on the deputy’s face that it was not good news.
“Your brother’s been in an accident,” he said and Sarah felt her legs go. Brett moved over and caught Sarah around the waist.
“Is he…?” She couldn’t complete the sentence.
“They were both airlifted to St. Anthony’s in St. Louis,” Joey explained.
****
The drive was excruciating. Sarah sat in silence, staring out the window at the blackened trees going by. Brett drove well over the speed limit but it seemed to Sarah that they were crawling down the interstate. Finally, they pulled into the parking lot and Sarah bolted from the truck before Brett even put the transmission in park.
Even as she rushed through the doors to the Emergency Department, she felt as if she were moving in slow motion. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited in line to get through the metal detectors and into the waiting room. She emptied her pockets into a tray as if in a dream. The fear must’ve been clear in her expression because the security officer gave her a sympathetic smile and waved her through. She didn’t wait to retrieve her things from the basket on the other side.
“I’m Sarah Taylor,” she told the first employee she came to. “They just brought my brother in. His name is Shane McGuire.”
The older woman pecked on her keyboard, barely looking at Sarah. She was tempted to run past her and find someone who at least knew how to type. The woman’s deep green eyes finally looked away from the screen and up at Sarah. Without any emotion, she scribbled onto temporary name tags and handed one to both Sarah and Brett, pointed toward some double doors at the far end of the waiting room and told them someone would be with them shortly.
Sarah peeled the backing off the sticker and slapped it onto her chest as she rushed past the crowd of people waiting for triage and headed for the doors. She pushed through and found herself in another waiting room.
She looked around the room and froze. It was small, only about 12’ x 12’. There were two televisions mounted on opposite walls, the sound muted. She suddenly flashed back to being called to the hospital after Chad had been shot, remembered the time spent in a similar room waiting for word of his condition.
Brett grabbed her elbow and led her to a chair, her feet robotically taking one step and then another. He mumbled something about coffee, but Sarah couldn’t really make out the words. She shook her head and stared at the doors, waiting for a doctor to walk through.
After what seemed a decade to Sarah, a woman pushed open the door. She was fairly tall and slim with red hair and a sprinkling of freckles on her face. She wasn’t wearing the grim expression that Sarah had expected; rather her eyes were soft and sympathetic.
“Ms. McGuire?” Sarah nodded, not even registering that she’d used Sarah’s maiden name. “My name is Hillary. I’m one of the nurses working with your brother. The doctors are with him now and I don’t have a lot of news for you. He is unconscious and they’re going to need to run a few tests before we know the extent of his injuries, but he is alive and he is breathing on his own.” Sarah let out a huge sigh of relief. “I’ll come back and update you when I know more.”
“Can I see him?”
“Right now, I think you’d just be in the doctors’ way. I’ll come get you as soon as you can, I promise.”
“What about Kristen?” Sarah asked, suddenly remembering that Shane wasn’t alone in the car.
“I’m afraid Kristen’s injuries were more serious than Shane’s, but I don’t know the extent of it yet. They got her here and into surgery quickly and that’s a good thing, but we really don’t know yet how bad it is. I’m sorry.”
Brett found Sarah’s hand and squeezed it. Sarah pulled her other hand to her face to wipe the tears that were blurring her vision.
“I’ll come back and let you know just as soon as I hear anything about either of them. I promise.”
Sarah only nodded and looked down at the floor.
“Thank you,” Brett whispered and Nurse Hillary smiled before she headed back toward the double doors from whence she’d come.
“I need to call my parents,” Sarah muttered into her hands.
“Do you want me to?” Brett offered.
“Yes,” she admitted, “but I need to do it myself.”
Brett helped her to her feet and led her outside where cell phones were allowed.
****
Walking back from the cafeteria, Sarah pushed through the doors that led to the ICU and was assaulted by the antiseptic smell that lingered in the halls of most hospitals. The quiet murmuring of hushed voices brought back her anxiety while the whizzing and beeping of various machines seemed to mimic the erratic rhythm of her own heart.
At 6:00 a.m., Nurse Hillary had come into Shane’s room in emergency to tell them a bed was ready in ICU. At Brett’s insistence, Sarah let him lead her to the cafeteria and force her to eat part of a donut and drink some coffee. She wasn’t hungry at all, but simply didn’t have the strength to fight him.
Sarah had called her parents. They immediately booked the first flight back. They were due to arrive that afternoon. Brett had jumped into action and starting taking care of the details. He left at noon to pick them up and had arranged for Diana to watch the kids. Sarah was grateful that he was there to think about things she couldn’t.
She had sat with Shane in his room until half an hour ago when they came to take him for a CT scan. Rather than sitting alone waiting for him to get back, she had walked down to the cafeteria to get more coffee. She was running only on caffeine and stress and needed a boost before her parents arrived any minute.
She took a sip of the coffee and glanced into a waiting area as she passed. Not seeing anyone familiar, she continued around the corner. Down the hall, she spotted her father slumped down in a metal chair, head in his hands. He seemed to have aged since she’d last seen
him and she noticed the deepened wrinkles across his strained forehead as he looked up to see her coming toward him. The anguish was clear on his face as he rose from his chair and enveloped his daughter in his arms.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered in his ear.
“Me, too,” he whispered back. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, daddy,” she answered. “I’m not the one you need to be worried about.”
“What are the doctors saying?” He asked her. “The orderly that brought him back a few minutes ago couldn’t tell us anything.”
“It’s still touch and go,” she said softly as he released her. “He hit his head pretty hard but they won’t know the extent of it until they get results from the CT scan. He still hasn’t regained consciousness, which isn’t good. Where’s mom?”
“She’s in with him now. She’s pretty shaken up. What about Kristen?”
“She didn’t make it, daddy.” Sarah wiped the tears slipping from her eyes. “They got her into surgery pretty quickly, but the doctor said she had just lost too much blood.”
“Oh my God,” Jim sighed as he cradled his head in his hands.
“What did you tell the kids?”
“Nothing about the accident,” he answered as he looked back up at Sarah. “We weren’t sure what to tell them, they’re both so young. All we said was that there was a problem at home so we had to come back early. They didn’t really question it. Brett said he was taking them to your house and Diana was supposed to meet them there. What are we going to tell Matty? He’s so little.”
“I know, daddy.” Sarah pulled her father into a hug and they both cried for several moments before pulling away.
“How’s mom holding up?” Sarah turned toward the door to Shane’s room.
“As you’d expect, I imagine,” he answered as he pushed open the door.
Killer Desires Page 18