by Adrianne Lee
“I don’t mind.” Eden only wanted to get to Beth, but she softened her expression. “As soon as we hear something, I’ll let you know.”
Eden hurried into the transplant corridor. Striding toward her was Denise Smalley, her face as dark as a thundercloud. She glared at Eden. “I will pay you back for all the pain you’ve brought on me.”
“Denise?” Ariel, apparently hearing her friend’s raised voice, had wasted no time reaching the two women. “You don’t want to make the situation worse.”
She started to touch her friend’s arm. Denise snatched her arm out of reach. “She had me pulled off this case. The situation couldn’t get any worse than that...unless this witch accused me of tampering with the saline solution”
A guilty flush scurried into Eden’s face. She held her breath, hoping Ariel would have the good sense not to confirm this—at least until Denise was calmer.
But Denise read the guilt she couldn’t hide.
“You did, didn’t you?” Outraged, she poked a finger against Eden’s chest. “I don’t get mad, lady. I get even,” Denise warned between clenched teeth. Then she spun away.
Ariel shrugged apologetically at Eden, then hurried after her friend. Eden drew a steadying breath and turned toward Beth’s room again. She’d weathered worse storms than Hurricane Denise, but the woman’s threat followed her into Beth’s room, sweeping into the darkened space and swirling through the shadows.
Eden’s breath struggled against the isolation mask.
Her eyes were slow to adjust to the change in light, but finally she saw Beth clearly. Her body was still. Too still? Her eyes were closed, and her face had the peaceful expression of...a corpse. Eden’sheart stumbled, and she gasped out, “Beth?”
Beth’s eyelids fluttered open. “What? Eden, is that you?”
Relief flushed through Eden, but her voice jammed in her throat.
Beth let out a loud sigh. “Is there any word yet?”
“Nope.” Recovering control of her emotions, Eden moved to the bed, still not convinced that Beth had suffered no ill effects from the contents of the IV bag. “How are you feeling?”
Beth grimaced. “What do you think?”
The door swung inward, and a nurse entered, carrying a new intravenous bag. She said hello, then set to work exchanging the saline packets.
Beth frowned. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing to fret over.” The nurse’s eyes crinkled. “This one just isn’t dripping fast enough.”
Eden followed the nurse out of the room and found David and Dr. Ingalls waiting in the hallway. Dr. Ingalls said, “Take that directly down to the lab. Felix is expecting it.”
“What about Beth’s surgery?” Eden reached for David’s hand, glad for the warmth that flowed up her arm as his fingers laced with hers.
“If that IV bag hasn’t been tampered with—” Dr. Ingalls gave her one of his rare smiles “—we’ll be giving your sister a new kidney tonight.”
Eden wanted to shout with joy. She settled for hugging David. But the unsettling sensation of being watched made her pull away. At the end of the hall, she spotted Denise Smalley. Her eyes were narrowed, shooting daggers of hatred directly at Eden. Frissons of ice spiked down Eden’s spine.
“IT WAS SALINE SOLUTION,” Dr. Ingalls informed them an hour later.
In that place inside her where she held all the unfairness of being wrongly accused, Eden despised herself for accusing Denise Smalley just as unfairly. But the truth was, Beth’s life had to be considered above anyone’s hurt feelings. “Let’s tell Beth.”
The look of joy and relief on Beth’s face matched the happiness dancing inside Eden. The next minutes passed in a swirl of activity and doctors. As Beth was finally wheeled into surgery, David caught Eden’s arm.
She glanced up at him, suddenly weary to the bone. But she was too keyed up for sleep. David conjured a deck of cards, and they played Hearts, which he excelled at, and Crazy Eights, which she couldn’t lose. Between games, they walked the corridor, stretching their limbs, burning off pent-up nerves, drinking coffee, reagitating those same nerves and silently praying... for Beth’s well-being, for Dr. Ingalls’s expertise and for the grieving family of the kidney donor.
After what seemed an eternity, Eden asked, “How long has it been?”
“Not long enough, love. But I can think of a wonderful way to make the next hour pass in sublime pleasure.” His eyes were the color of a mossy glade, and she knew she could get lost in them, fall willingly into his arms and let him take her to the paradise he offered.
“You have no idea how tempting that sounds.” She reached up to touch his face. He needed a shave, but it did nothing to mar her attraction to him. A tingling heat swished through her.
“Hey, Doc.” Lynzy’s voice startled Eden.
She jerked her hand away from David’s face, reining in the sweet feelings he roused in her.
Lynzy projected an energy force that was tangible, overpowering Eden’s waning strength and making her more aware than ever of how strung out she felt. Lynzy flipped her long brown hair, her eyes sparkling like boiling coffee. “I called the transplant wing. They told me the great news.”
David smiled at her, his eyes teasing. “Finished with Dr. Levy for the day?”
“No. But I was looking for you, Doc. Two things. First, the security guard you hired arrived, and I directed him to Transplant to wait for Beth’s arrival.”
“Great.” David nodded.
“Thank you,” Eden added.
“Second,” Lynzy said, “some woman keeps calling and hanging up when I ask her name. The last time, I told her to call back in half an hour and I’d make sure you were there. It’s almost that time now.”
Foreboding pricked Eden.
David’s smile faded. “You didn’t recognize the voice?”
“I didn’t think about it, but now that you mention it, maybe.” She waved her hand in frustration. “Oh, I don’t know. It sounded kind of muffled...like she had a cold or spoke with a nasal twang.”
David shook his head, then gazed at Eden. “You coming or staying?”
As much as she hated leaving the surgery waiting room, she was not about to stay there alone. “Coming.” They arrived in his office with minutes to spare. But the phone remained silent past the deadline. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. David’s patience snapped. “This is ridiculous. Let’s go back. If the woman calls again, Lynzy, transfer her directly to my message center.”
Eden and he headed for the door. The telephone rang, its peal as jarringly loud in the office as an alarm bell. David let it ring twice before snatching up the receiver on Colleen’s desk. “Dr. Coulter.”
Eden felt as if she were still trying to breathe through the isolation mask.
“Oh, Dr. Coulter, I was afraid I’d never reach you.” It was Rose Hatcher.
He mouthed the name to Eden. Her heart hitched.
A pulse beat in his throat, and David strove to keep his excitement and concern out of his voice. “What do you want?”
“I need to see you, Dr. Coulter. Please, say you’ll help me.”
“How can I, Rose? You say you didn’t kill Marianne, but I can’t prove it. Can you?”
There was a lengthy pause. “Then you won’t help me?”
“I don’t see how I can. I don’t know who killed Marianne.”
“But I do. Now.”
“What?” His pulse wobbled. “Who?”
“No. Not over the phone. How do I know she’s not there with you now?”
He glanced at Eden and Lynzy, frowning. “This is absurd. If you don’t tell me, I’ll hang up.”
“If you want to know, meet me at your house tonight. At midnight. I’ll be watching...so don’t bring the police.”
David opened his mouth to respond, then realized he was listening to a dead line. She’d hung up.
Chapter Fourteen
David replaced the receiver in its cradle with a jerky motion. His fa
ce felt hot, his body cold. Did Rose really know who the murderer was? Or was this just another ploy to make him think she wasn’t the murderer?
Eden touched his arm.
He flinched as if she’d stung him.
Frowning, Eden stepped back. “What did Rose say?”
“That was Rose Hatcher?” Lynzy looked stunned ... and a bit afraid.
David nodded but ignored Eden’s question. His mind was racing. Rose had suggested the murderer could be here with him. He couldn’t tell them that. Nor did he believe it. Eden was not a killer, and Lynzy... she was so candid, the thought was ludicrous.
Granted, people often presented deceptive facades to the world, guarding their true selves—the reasons they did so were as vast and complex as the human population. And, contrarily, those who had the most-obvious neuroses—like straitlaced Colleen—were usually much healthier than one imagined.
An ache started at his temples. Was Lynzy hiding her true self from the world, or was she what she appeared to be? She was on their suspect list, and without some solid proof, he couldn’t just rule her out. But, so help him, he couldn’t believe it of her.
“David, what’s wrong?” Eden intruded on his troubled musing. “What did she say?”
Watching Lynzy for a telltale reaction, he said, “Rose claims to know who the murderer is.”
Lynzy’s big brown eyes rounded. “I don’t understand. Isn’t she the murderer?”
The innocence of the question was just what he’d wanted to hear from Lynzy. The knot in his stomach loosened.
Eden’s stomach clenched. She drew in a shallow breath. “Did Rose tell you who she thinks is guilty?”
“No.” He decided against mentioning Rose’s wanting to meet him later that night. Eden would have a fit, and Lynzy would wonder why he didn’t immediately call the police. But somehow his doubts about Rose were causing him to resist that natural next step. “When I asked if she had proof, she hung up. She was probably lying.”
Sensing some kind of distraction vibrating from David, Eden deduced that he was the one ducking the truth. A rush of anticipation spurted through her. What had Rose told him that he wasn’t sharing? She had to know. Now. “It’s getting late. Beth will be out of surgery soon.”
“Yeah, we’d better get back.” David followed her to the door, then stopped as though something had just occurred to him. “It’s almost six, Lynzy. What are you still doing here anyway?”
She pointed to the two neat piles on her desk. “I’m not making as much headway as I’d like. I think I’ll work another hour or so.”
“See you tomorrow, then.” David ushered Eden from his offices.
As soon as they were ten feet down the hallway, Eden pulled up short. “You’re holding out on me. What else did Rose have to say?”
David grinned wryly. “Think you know me pretty well, don’t you?”
“I guess I am starting to pick up a few signals.”
His face grew serious. “Rose said she knows who the killer is. But I had no luck getting a name out of her”
“And... ?”
His expression went from serious to grim. “She’ll tell me the murderer’s name only if I meet her at my house at midnight tonight.”
“No.” Fear clutched Eden’s chest. “You can’t do that.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to meet her. Not as long as I’m not positive that she’s innocent.”
Eden breathed a sigh of relief. “She’s probably just trying to separate us.”
David ushered her onto the elevator. “Who knows what she’s thinking?”
Eden tried not to show how much she wished she knew that very thing. She stepped to the back of the elevator and watched him push the button. “Shouldn’t we call the police and tell them that Rose will be at your house around midnight?”
“I’ll put a call in to them as soon as we know how Beth is.”
“Okay.” Her stomach was uneasy. Were they doing the right thing... turning Rose over to the police? What if she was innocent? Her neck muscles felt pinched. All this stress couldn’t be good for her. Or for the baby.
With an iron-willed effort, she relegated Rose Hatcher and the stalker to the furthest recesses of her mind. If she had to be stressed about something, it ought be her sister. “I pray the surgery is going right.”
IT WAS eight O’CLOCK before Dr. Ingalls appeared in the surgery waiting room. He looked as tired as Eden felt. But his weary features shone with the pleasure of a job well done. “Beth came through like a trooper. The rest is in God’s hands. She’ll be asleep for hours. Why don’t you go home and get some shut-eye yourselves? Come back tomorrow.” He started to turn away, then hesitated as if he’d recalled Valerie’s murder and the fact that Eden probably wasn’t presently staying at home. “Just leave a number where you can be reached ... in case...”
In case Beth’s body rejects the kidney. The unspoken words scuttled through Eden’s head like a black cloud. She shook herself and willed the tension in her stomach to ease. Dr. Ingalls had stated the fact. Whether or not Beth’s body accepted this kidney was in God’s hands; she could do nothing...except pray for a positive outcome.
“Dr. Ingalls is a wise man,” David said. “Let’s take a taxi to the Four Seasons and order room service.”
“That’s the second-best suggestion you’ve made all day.” She gave him a sensuous grin that started his heart zipping merrily against his ribs.
“We’ll call from my office.”
His office was dark when they entered. The piles on Lynzy’s desk looked the same to Eden as when they’d left two hours earlier. “Looks like Lynzy took your advice and went home after all.”
“Yeah. I’m kind of surprised she didn’t get more done. She’s usually a whiz.”
David telephoned for a cab, then they returned to the main building of the medical center. Visiting hours had recently ended. They joined the flow of people streaming through the main corridor toward the exits, then held back at the front doors to wait for the cab.
“Hey, it’s raining.” David spoke softly, but his face shone with surprise as he pointed at the rain lashing the concrete walkway outside.
“When did this storm blow in?” Eden eyed the dark night uneasily, belatedly realizing the drumming noise she heard was coming from the rain hitting the Plexiglas windows of the solarium and the covered walk.
David shrugged. “Probably started while we were at lunch.”
Eden felt an ominous gloom hovering nearby. Was it the storm? Or simply being here, near the solarium? The last time she’d been here, someone had left a rose in her purse. The last time she’d been here someone had been watching her.
Without warning, the prickly sensation of eyes drilling her back struck her again. No. She would not look around. Would not give whoever was doing this to her the satisfaction of knowing they’d frightened her.
Instead, she inched closer to David, needing his warmth, his strength.
“It’s coming down pretty hard.” David draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side.
Headlights swept through the downpour, and a yellow cab appeared on the tarmac. They dashed through the torrent and hurried to it, arriving wet but safe. Eden wiped the water from her face with her sleeve and snuggled against David, truly comfortable now that they were out of sight of prying eyes.
But once they were in their suite with dinner ordered, she wondered if she should have mentioned her feeling of being watched to David. What if the stalker had followed them here? But David bolted the hotel door, reviving her sense of security.
The invitation was back in his mossy green eyes. “How does a long hot shower sound?”
“Delicious.” He hadn’t touched her, and she was already breathless, already anticipating his hands on her, already parting her lips to meet his descending mouth.
His hands curled around her upper arms, and he pulled her close, clasping her sensitive breasts against his firm chest. Her nipples sprang taut
, achingly responsive to the very brush of his body to hers. His tongue delved into her mouth, rough against smooth, tasting, pleasuring, sending sweet, shattering shards of desire spiking through her, the heat melting her stress, dissolving her tension, liquefying her insides to something thick and hot like bubbling sugar.
What was this need to feel his naked flesh against her own? Had she always had this abandon untapped inside her? Her mind was glazed with want, her ability to reason such issues reduced to so much spun candy.
Why question joy? Eden tugged his shirt hem free from his pants and shoved her hands beneath the soft cotton fabric until she connected with his warm, muscled body. She groaned his name on a breathy sigh.
Then they were tearing at each other’s clothes. Her sweater dropped to the floor, then her jeans, his sweatshirt, his jeans, her bra, her panties, his shorts, his socks.
She stood back in awe, her gaze skimming every inch of him from his head to his toes. “You are the most gorgeous man....”
“Gorgeous?” He snagged her wrists, then swept her to him, his grin adding to his heart-stopping looks. “You are the beauty, my love.”
“If there’s any truth in that—” his need pressed hard and hot against her stomach, and her inner pulse throbbed to have him inside her “—it’s that you make me feel beautiful.”
“Let me reaffirm that for you now.” Kissing her, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bathroom.
Eden had the vague impression of tile and glass and brass fixtures as golden as the paradise that David wrapped her in.
The shower was large enough for four. Water sprayed from a brass faucet head, spilling down on them like some lush spring on a tropical island. He lathered his hands, then began soaping Eden’s body, gently massaging her neck, her shoulders, her breasts.
She threw back her head, her eyes closed to the water spilling across her face, and sighed his name. Her nipples strained against his touch, and she arched into his hands, delighting in the friction of their tender massage.