by Adrianne Lee
“He contacted the King County police, and starting tonight, they’ll watch my house”
“Are they going to protect us, too?” Beth’s appetite was also better than it had been this morning. She focused on David for an answer.
He shook his head. “And admit he was wrong about Eden?”
“Why is he so intractable? The police are supposed to protect innocent people.”
Eden sighed. “Tenacity is a good attribute in a cop—unless you’re the target of that tenacity. And Kollecki doesn’t think I’m innocent.”
A new fear slithered through Eden. What would happen to her baby if Kollecki somehow managed to put her back in jail? The urge to take off for parts unknown clutched her anew. But one glance at her sister and she knew she’d never try running away. Until Beth had her new kidney, she was as trapped as a rat in a laboratory maze. One wrong turn and Rose Hatcher would pounce.
David shoved his plate aside. “Let’s look on the bright side. With the police watching my house, if Rose shows up, she’ll be caught.”
Beth’s eyes rounded. “Do you really think she’ll be caught that easily?”
Eden smiled wryly. “I agree. Life is seldom that simple.” Besides, David wasn’t taking everything into account. “You said Rose recanted her confession.”
“Yes” He nodded, then told her that the reporter at the hospital had mentioned it to him even before he’d heard it for himself.
“Kollecki says it’s a ploy. According to him, every prisoner claims they were wrongly convicted.”
“I suppose.” Eden wondered. She was innocent and, above all else, she had to prove it. Could Rose Hatcher feel the same? As farfetched as it seemed, could Rose also be innocent? Eden dropped her napkin onto her plate, stood and began gathering the dirty dishes.
David scooted back in his chair and stretched. Something in his pants pocket poked his hipbone. He withdrew a long white envelope, frowning. “What the...?”
Then he recalled. This was the letter he’d been about to open at his house when he’d heard the message from Rose.
“What’s that?” Beth peered over his shoulder.
“Don’t know. Came in the mail. No return address, but it was mailed in Seattle.” He pried the flap up at one corner, then jerked his finger through the top of the envelope, ripping it jaggedly. It contained a single slip of pink stationery paper with a white rose embossed along the top edge.
Beth gasped. Eden turned from the sink, her alarm telescoping across the room. David smoothed the paper with tremulous fingers, his mouth as dry as the torn envelope.
The typewritten message was short and to the point.
David darling,
How can you cast my love aside as though it means nothing to you? I beg of you, please, come to your senses. Give up on Eden...before it’s too late!!!
The heat drained from his face. Every time he felt as if the woman would be caught and out of their lives forever, she reappeared like some evil apparition.
THE WOMAN STEERED her car swiftly past the streetlights on the Mercer Island road. Had David gotten her note yet? He was being stubborn. But she would give him a little more time. Not much, though. A couple of days. After that he would have no one to blame but himself. His life, his destiny, his future, were in his hands. If he made the wrong choice, sadly he would pay the price.
She passed his street and parked one block over. It was after ten, the night as warm and dark as her thoughts of David. She was dressed entirely in black leather, the clothing sticking to her skin with a layer of sweat, but she didn’t care. She felt as elusive as a shadow. Knowing she was nearly undetectable, she slipped silently into the dense shrubbery and tripped along the shortcut she’d discovered last year that emerged directly across from David’s house.
She left the path and checked the road for prying eyes. No one seemed to be nosing about. Her attention shifted to David’s house. A single night-light glowed in the kitchen window—a little beacon, inviting. She grinned, tempted...perhaps if David were home, she would use her key and go inside, join him in his bed, let him make glorious love to her.
The sound of a car passing nearby sent her ducking back into the trees. How could she let herself lose control? This was not a night for fantasies. The car and its occupants pulled into the garage of the house next to David’s. The moment peace again reigned over the neighborhood, she zipped across the street, ran to a corner of David’s house, pressed her body against the rough siding.
But she couldn’t chase the questions from her head. Where was David? With Eden, no doubt. An image of Eden filled her head, and fury seared her insides. What had that witch been doing looking at home pregnancy tests?
All afternoon she’d had to deal with the awful possibility that Eden was pregnant with David’s child. Again the horrid thought resounded through her head. The woman jammed her gloved palms against her ears to shut out the awful roaring.
She was going to have David’s children. No one else. She drew a ragged breath. Unless David made a wrong choice. Then no one would be having his children. Tears filled her eyes, and a sob filled her chest. No. That possibility was too sad to consider. He would come to his senses.
She would just have to get rid of Eden permanently. And she knew exactly how to draw her out of hiding. A sly grin tugged at the woman’s mouth but quickly fled as she thought how close she’d come to Eden today. Too bad that other interfering witch had looked right at her as she’d cruised the street.
Satisfaction brought the grin back. Such a small annoyance was no match for her. She had taken bigger risks, rid this world of bigger pests. The woman shoved the thought aside and crept closer to the porch, hugging the shadows near the house.
Across the street, a dog began to bark. She froze. Her chest squeezed with fear.
A man shouted, “Shut up!”
The dog’s yapping ceased.
Weak in the knees, she closed the gap to the porch. She pulled the delicate item from her purse, laid it on the welcome mat and hurried off the way she’d come.
An hour later, a King County patrolman shone his flashlight across the front of David’s house, caught sight of something on the front stoop and walked closer. In the beam of his light was a single white rose.
Chapter Ten
“Warm night.” David approached Eden cautiously. After cleaning the kitchen and seeing that Beth made it to bed, she’d been preoccupied. She’d wandered out to the deck about half an hour ago. Deciding she needed to sort out whatever was bothering her, he’d left her alone. But the night was too inviting to stay indoors. “Hard to believe September is only a week away, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh,” she murmured, glancing up at the sky.
At half past midnight, the full moon hovered overhead like a huge spotlight surrounded by twinkling stars and cast a luminous glow across the water.
Boyhood memories of summers spent swimming in this lake late at night with James and Great-Uncle Harry stirred in David. He set his coffee cup on the picnic table and joined Eden on the wooden bench, sitting backward so he could look at the lake.
She glanced over at him and smiled. “It’s so quiet here—a person could almost get lost in the peacefulness of it.”
He leaned his elbows on the table, his back pressed to its edge, and listened to the night sounds, the distant croaking of frogs and the occasional muted splash of a fish or an otter. “When Great-Uncle Harry was alive, James and I used to spend a week or two every summer out here. Camping on the lawn. Skinny-dipping after midnight.”
“Lucky you. My family’s idea of a summer holiday was a week or two in some big city, touring every museum and historical monument we could pack into our schedule. The closest we came to nudity was a Gaugin.”
The regret in her voice tugged at his heart.
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “You mean to say you’ve never gone skinny-dipping?”
Eden looked amused. “’Fraid not.”
“Of course. That explains your
stunted psyche. Fortunately we can remedy the problem right now.” He caught her by the arm, lifting her to her feet. “Come on.”
“Where?”
“To the lake, of course.”
“David,” she protested, struggling to free herself from his grasp. “Get serious.”
“I am serious. Seriously crazy about you.” He stopped and pulled her against him.
Her head gently collided with his solid midriff. The warmth of his body was welcome, reassuring, loving. She circled her arms around his narrow waist. He lowered his head until his lips hovered a breath away from her ear. “Come swim with me, my love?”
Awash in the wonderful feel of him, Eden laughed and a titillating thrill whisked through her, brushing the dark worries from her mind. Somehow he always made her cares less weighty, always made her smile. “Won’t it be cold?”
“Cold? Naw, let’s say... refreshing.”
The thought of actually doing something so decadent, so impulsive, so freeing, kindled a fire in her, an urge to rebel against the conventions that heretofore she’d followed her whole life. And why not? Swimming wouldn’t hurt the baby, and she had nothing else to lose...except for some long-lamented inhibitions. “Last one in is a dirty duck.”
She shoved out of his arms and scurried down the six steps that led off the deck to the lawn. They ran to the dock like small children, their laughter echoing off the lake. But as David began disrobing, Eden had second thoughts. “Does James have any nosy neighbors?”
“None. You aren’t chickening out, are you?”
“Chicken? I might be modest, but I’m no chicken.” She was, however, amazed at the lack of self-consciousness she felt around David. She shed her skirt and blouse, then her bra and lastly her panties. David did a cannonball into the lake and came up spitting water, letting out a loud “Yahoo!”
Eden dipped her toe into the water. It was definitely cool in the warm night air, but not as bad as she’d thought it would be. She took a deep breath and eased off the dock, making a small splash and emitting a squeal of happiness.
David laughed delightedly, the sound bouncing off the water and into her heart. “Did I promise you refreshing?”
“It feels so weird, so wonderful.” Eden laughed and swam toward him, draping her arms around his neck when she reached him, reveling in the warmth of his body. Her tender, taut nipples encountered his solid chest, and a delicious tingle shot through her, igniting a fierce hunger deep in her core that sent shards of desire spiraling through her.
David responded in kind, his own desire sleek and hot and hard against her belly. She cupped his face in both of her hands. His eyes glistened with passion and tenderness as soft in the moonlight as iridescent candles. He bent his mouth to hers, murmuring her name, holding them afloat with his powerful legs.
His kiss melted her insides, heating her chilled body like a tube of boiling liquid glass that begged for him to mold her to his whims. His hands slicked over her wet skin, driving her passion higher, and when he reached one hand between her legs, finding the delicate center, his finger slid easily into her.
She released a small cry of pleasure against his ear. “Oh, David, I’ve missed being with you.”
“Me, too, love.” His voice grazed her senses with its huskiness.
He gathered her thighs and lifted her legs over his hips, lowering her onto his rigid shaft. She cried out in joy as their bodies became one and locked her legs behind his back, instantly caught in his wondrous water ballet, pirouetting, lifting and gliding, weightless and serene, a ballet whose choreography bespoke legends as old and mystical as mermaids and mermen.
Their heads dipped below the surface, then broke through the water into the glorious night. Eden laughed breathlessly. David laughed, too, then his mouth was on hers again, and the dance began in earnest.
The water splashed with every lift, with every downward thrust, special music written just for this moment, played only for their ears. The tide crashed and ebbed, harder and faster until at last it burst across the shores of their souls and spilled their joy into the night air, echoing sweetly across the lake.
David released her and sank below the surface again, then came slowly out of the water and grinned at her. “My God, you’re incredible.”
“No, my darling, you are the incredible one.” She swam closer and dragged her fingers slowly from his temple to his jaw. The wonder in his eyes humbled her and filled her with the knowledge that this man loved her as she loved him. Emotion overwhelmed her, sapping her strength. “I think we ought to get out of the water. My stamina is depleted.”
He lifted her onto the dock, then pulled himself up beside her. They sat on his slacks, both a bit breathless.
David traced a finger along the edge of her kneecap. “Well, what do you think about skinny-dipping?”
Eden covered his hand with hers and grinned up at him. “If it’s always this wonderful, I’m sorry I took so long to try it.”
“Just don’t try it like this with anyone else.” He caught her against him, kissed her lightly on the mouth, then held her a moment longer. But the air was now cooler than the water and goose bumps rose on her delicate arms. “We should probably go inside.”
As they started for the house, Eden’s mind returned to the baby. She should tell David now, while things were so wonderful between them. But how would he react when she told him she wasn’t certain whether or not he was the father? She couldn’t bear the thought of hurting him. Disappointing him. Besides, she wanted this special evening to remain intact, wanted to hold it in her heart a while longer. But tomorrow she would have to tell him.
THE MORNING DAWNED to cloudy skies and the threat of rain. Eden lifted her head off the pillow, and her stomach heaved. She hurried to the bathroom, realize ing she wouldn’t have to tell David anything if he heard her being sick every morning. If she kept refusing breakfast of any kind.
She dressed in blue jeans and a cornflower blue fisherman’s sweater that hung to her hips. She fussed with her hair and covered her pallor with a light layer of makeup and rouge, then relinquished the bathroom to Beth.
David was at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and munching toast. He wore black Levi’s and a forest green sweatshirt that accented the green of his eyes. His chocolate hair lay neat against his head, a lock stealing over his high brow. He glanced up at her, a smile lighting his handsome face.
Her heart quickened, and memories of last night swirled through her mind. But she reined them in. She had to tell him about the baby. Now. While Beth was showering. Her palms felt damp. “Hi, there.”
“Hi, there, yourself.” He started to stand. “Want some coffee?”
“No, thanks.” She motioned him back into his seat and took the one opposite. She had to see his face as she told him. She drew a steadying breath and folded her hands on the table in front of her. “David, I—”
The ringing of his cellular phone cut her off. She sank back in the chair as he answered.
“Dr. Coulter.” There was a pause. David heard breathing and for a tense second wondered if Rose Hatcher had somehow gotten his cell phone number.
But he was wrong. “Coulter. This is Detective Kollecki.”
The man hadn’t needed him to identify himself. The “Coulter” had been enough. David was getting to know and dread that voice.
“What’s up, Detective?” David glanced at Eden, seeing the slight tensing of her body. He reached across the table and placed his hand over hers.
Kollecki said, “I was wondering if you and Mrs. Prescott could come to the station this morning.”
“Why?” He sat straighter. Was this good news? “Did the King County cops find Rose at my house?”
“I don’t know that they found anything at your house.” Kollecki sounded as if he didn’t know what David was talking about. “This is another matter altogether.”
David frowned and pulled his hand from Eden’s. What game was Kollecki playing now? “Why don’t you just tell me
what it is now and save us the hassle?”
“Not over the telephone, sir.” Kollecki paused. “Could you make it by eleven?”
An hour from now. David let out an exasperated breath. “Fine. We’ll be there.”
He disconnected. A bad feeling churned through his gut and crept along his nerves.
“What?” Eden’s mouth stretched thin, her eyes rounding with dread.
Was she responding to his expression? He shook off his worried scowl, shifted in his chair and caught her hands again. “I don’t know. He wouldn’t say. He wants us in Issaquah by eleven.”
But he realized Eden was neither calmed nor fooled by his “bedside manner.” She knew him too well. As if her sweater was suddenly inefficient at abating the chill in the air, she hugged herself. “Maybe I should call my attorney.”
“Whoa. Let’s see what this is about first.” He raised his hands, palms toward her, in a slow-down gesture. Her suggestion might inflame the situation unnecessarily. “You can always call from the station, if need be. But I don’t think we should jump to conclusions. Especially awful ones. For all we know, it’s nothing more than something about the tape from my answering machine.
“Unless—” his face brightened “—unless Rose has been captured, and Kollecki wants to apologize to you in person!”
“I don’t think I’ll hold my breath.” But she had to admit it would be a sweet ending to the hell Kollecki had put her through the past seven weeks.
The sound of the shower shutting off upstairs brought home another concern.
“What about Beth? I don’t want her at the police station, and I don’t like leaving her alone when we aren’t sure how long we’ll be.”
“My darling mother hen, your chick is twenty-three. We’ll leave her the other cell phone. She can call if she needs us. Or if the hospital contacts her about a donor.”
Eden nodded, chagrined. She couldn’t help mothering Beth; she’d raised her since she was fourteen. Would she ever let Beth grow up all the way?