Critical Diagnosis (Love Inspired Suspense)

by Alison Stone

  He forced a piece of paper into her hand. “I know who you are.”

  Lily struggled to catch a decent breath under his dirty hand, flattened against her lips.

  “I can get to you whenever I want.” He jammed her upper lip into her teeth. Then just as quickly as he had appeared, he ripped his hand away from her mouth and darted toward the back pool gate. The one closest to the carriage house. It banged shut behind him.

  Relief and dread twined up her spine as she gulped in fresh air. She unfolded the piece of paper in her hand. In the dim light she couldn’t mistake the image. The smiling face belonged to her.

  The photo from the newspaper article in today’s paper.

  She pushed to her feet on shaky legs—to find James—when a bloodcurdling scream rent the night air.

  THREE

  The smile on James’s face felt frozen. Schmoozing potential investors wasn’t in his nature, but if it was important to Medlink, it was important to him. His grandfather’s company had a trickle-down effect on the economy in little Orchard Gardens—including the clinic—and he didn’t have the luxury of allowing his discomfort to get in the way.

  When the man he was talking to paused, James saw his opening and clapped the gentleman’s shoulder. “Nice to see you again, Peter. I hope you’re having a good time.”

  Peter held up his champagne glass. “Absolutely. Wouldn’t miss your grandfather’s party for the world.”

  James stepped away and a piercing scream sounded from the backyard. A flush of dread washed over him.

  Lily.

  Weaving through the crowd, he burst through the open French doors onto the patio. His gaze darted around the empty space. He ran toward the pool and yanked open the gate, sending it crashing against the fence with a thunderous clatter.

  Lily emerged from behind the thick evergreens. He clutched her arms, perhaps a little too possessively. A mild tremble rippled through her. “Are you okay?”

  Lily looked at him with bright eyes. “I didn’t scream.” She lifted a shaky hand toward the carriage house. “It came from back there. Go check it out. I’ll be fine.”

  James gave her a cynical look. “Go,” she said, this time more adamant. “The scream came from near the carriage house.”

  “Go inside.” He nudged her toward the patio. “I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded and hobbled to the gate in one shoe. Confident she’d have company on the patio—guests had spilled outside at the sound of the scream—he jogged toward the back gate, wishing he was armed. He slowed, scanning his surroundings, not wanting to be taken by surprise. Serving in the army, he had grown to hate surprises.

  On the pathway leading from the pool to the carriage house, he found Edna, the housekeeper, scrambling to her feet. He offered her a hand, helping her up.

  “Oh, dear, I don’t know where he came from.” Edna brushed the back of her gray uniform with a few efficient strokes, seemingly equal parts afraid and annoyed.

  “What happened?” He squinted into the dark yard, not daring to let his guard down.

  “Someone raced out of the pool area and knocked me down.” The light mounted on the outside of the carriage house caught the perturbed expression on her features. “He was in a mighty hurry. You’d think his hair was on fire.”

  “Are you hurt?”

  “No, I’m fine.” She gave the back of her uniform another swift swat. “Sometimes there’s a perk to being pleasantly plump.”

  James laughed. Edna had always been a ray of sunshine. Tonight was no exception. He slipped his arm through the crook of her elbow and guided her through the pool area toward the house. He scooped up Lily’s one shoe from the lounge chair as they passed and handed it to her when they reached the patio.

  James pulled out a chair from a table, but Edna refused to sit. She glanced nervously toward the French doors. “Miss Elinor won’t like all this commotion during the party.” Many guests with drinks in hand had trickled outside to investigate as if the O’Reillys had thought to provide both dinner and a show. “I must get back to work. The cake needs to be cut.”

  “Please sit, Edna.” Lily tapped the back of the chair.

  The older woman gave Lily an uncertain smile.

  Edna seemed to relax her shoulders. “Only for a minute. Until I catch my breath.” Apparently satisfied that she would sit only for a moment, Edna settled into the chair. She ran her palms along the skirt of her uniform. “I don’t know where he came from. I was bringing something to the carriage house.” She searched past James, a wary expression in her eyes. “He startled me so.” She hiked her chin, trying to muster a sense of decorum.

  “Don’t worry about them.” Lily pulled up a chair and sat next to her, tucking her bare foot under the chair. “Are you hurt in any way?” Lily reached out and took Edna’s hand.

  “Oh, I’m fine.” Edna stood up, dismissing all the attention.

  The murmuring on the patio grew louder. The crowd parted and Elinor appeared in her exquisite purple gown with a pinched expression on her face. A few steps behind, Stephanie guided her grandfather by the elbow. His grandfather not so gently cleared the path with a thwack of his mahogany cane on the concrete.

  No doubt Elinor’s cool gaze soaked in every last detail, from Lily’s missing shoe to her housekeeper, who seemed to be the center of attention. A look of disgust creased his grandmother’s forehead. “What’s going on?” She tipped her head back and squinted at Edna through her bifocals. With a neutral expression, his grandfather did the same.

  “It seems we’ve had a trespasser on the property,” James said. “He knocked Edna to the ground.” His focus drifted to Lily, who sat ramrod straight. He was eager to talk to her alone. He knew in his gut something had happened before the intruder reached Edna.

  “I ran to the carriage house real quick. I had to—” Edna wrung her clasped hands.

  His grandmother held up her hand to silence her housekeeper. “No one’s hurt?”

  “No, Miss Elinor, I’m fine. I’ll get to work on the cake.” As if everything had been settled, Edna ducked her head and scurried around to the side of the house to the kitchen entrance.

  “I’ll call the police.” James slipped his cell phone from the jacket of his dress uniform.

  His grandfather lifted a shaky hand. “No. No police. It was probably just some kid cutting through the yards. Let’s not ruin the evening. I don’t want our guests hassled by the police.”

  Lily caught James’s gaze, but didn’t say anything. His grandparents didn’t know about the incident at the clinic yet.

  “Did anyone else see him?” Stephanie spoke for the first time. His cousin showed little to no emotion as she scanned the faces and stopped on Lily’s. “Were all these people outside when Edna screamed?”

  “I don’t think so,” Lily said. “I was by the pool. I saw him. I’m sure I could identify him to the police.” She ran her fingers through the ends of her hair. “I was sitting by the hot tub when he...he came through the pool area.”

  The way she hesitated gave James pause. “Did he say something to you?”

  “Yes, but...” Lily flicked her glance toward his grandparents. “Maybe we should talk in private.”

  His grandfather stomped his cane. “What is going on here?”

  James gave her a subtle nod. Lily handed him the news clipping crumpled in her hand. As James glanced down at the photo of Lily, she said, “He told me he knew who I was.” The night air suddenly seemed heavy, stifling. James struggled to catch a decent breath as a realization took shape. “He said he could get to me whenever he wanted.” She rubbed her palms along her forearms and concern settled in her eyes. “It was him.”

  James pulled at his collar to loosen it. “The man who attacked you at the clinic?”

  His grandmother gasped.

&
nbsp; James reached out and wrapped his arm around his grandmother when what he really wanted was to pull Lily into an embrace, to reassure her he’d never let anything happen to her.

  James gave his family the short version of what had happened behind the clinic this afternoon and made sure he finished by reassuring them. “Everything’s fine. The clinic is secure. Everyone is fine.” James gave his grandmother’s shoulder a little squeeze. “My old friend Chief Farley came to the clinic. The police will keep an eye on the place.”

  His grandmother touched Lily’s arm. “Are you okay, dear? You must have been terrified.”

  “I’m fine, really.” Lily’s smile seemed forced.

  “You never told us,” his grandfather said, his voice both incensed and shaky.

  “We didn’t want to worry you.” James met his grandfather’s hardened gaze.

  His grandmother’s expression softened and her lips tilted into the smile reserved for her one true love. She patted her husband’s hand. “It’s okay, dear. I’m sure he would have told us soon.” She sighed. “Thank goodness you’ll be coming to Medlink to work. I hear so many stories on the news of people trying to steal pharmaceuticals from clinics or drugstores. It’s a scary world out there.” She covered her lips with her fingertips, then pulled them away. “I’m so glad you’re home, James. Where you’re meant to be. At Medlink.”

  James choked back any words of disagreement. Now was not the time.

  His grandmother frowned and flicked her wrist. The twinkling lights on the fence caught the diamond on her finger. “Enough of this drama already. You call your friend at the police station and let him know what happened here tonight.” She waved her finger. “But we don’t want any of our guests hassled.”

  “I’ll alert Medlink’s security. There won’t be any more problems here,” his grandfather said, as if saying so would make it true.

  His grandfather tapped his cane on the stamped concrete. “Come on, Elinor. I have a birthday to celebrate.” His wife took his arm and they rejoined their guests. From James’s vantage point, he saw his grandparents chatting good-naturedly with their guests, no doubt reassuring them the incident was nothing more than a nuisance.

  Stephanie planted her fist on her hip. “Thank goodness you’re both okay.” She tipped her head to study Lily’s face. “Why do you think he came after you here? It seems rather strange.” A faraway look descended into her eyes. “I thought the incident at the clinic was random, gang-related activity. Why risk coming here?”

  Lily caught James’s eye. He detected a wariness in her gaze. “To scare me into keeping my mouth shut. To stop me from identifying him.” A question laced her tone.

  James ran his knuckles across the back of her arm, reassuring her.

  “I will identify him. He needs to be stopped before he hurts someone else.” A whisper of a smile graced her lips. “I should have stayed safely tucked away in the lab. Nothing bad ever happens in the lab.” Her quiet laugh held no humor.

  * * *

  Lily drove home to her cottage a few miles out in the country. James’s headlights in her rearview mirror reminded her of the headlights tailing her on the drive to the party. She hadn’t considered it anything more sinister than an annoyance, until now. Had someone been following her to O’Reilly Manor to threaten her? She rubbed a hand across her forehead, a headache pounding behind her eyes.

  Lily relaxed her shoulders when she reached her driveway. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding them stiffly until a pain shot down her spine. The gravel crunched under her tires as she made her way up the long driveway. Her bungalow-style home was set back among the trees. She’d loved this place the minute she’d seen it, her refuge away from the lab.

  She parked her car alongside the house and climbed out. Keys in hand, she approached James’s SUV, ready to thank him for escorting her home. When he pushed open his door and got out, she waved him off. “I’m fine.”

  “Please, Lily. I want to make sure everything’s secure.”

  Lily tucked her chin in. “Since when did you become a safety expert?” Her rattled nerves made her snippy.

  He waved a hand down his dress uniform. “U.S. Army Captain O’Reilly at your service.” He took a step closer, hovering over her. She resisted the urge to reach up and place her palm on his chest—to keep him away or to bring him closer, she wasn’t sure. “I was a physician in the army, but I was also a soldier. I know how to protect myself. And how to protect you.”

  She closed her eyes briefly, the memory of James training a gun on the thug at the clinic replaying on the backs of her eyelids. She drew in a deep breath. “I hate to admit it, but I’m still rattled.”

  “All the more reason for me to see you safely inside.” Placing his hand on the small of her back, James led her to the front porch. Their footfalls sounded on the wooden steps, echoing in the stillness of the gorgeous summer night. Her feet ached with each step. He held out his hand for the key. She handed it to him and their fingers brushed in the exchange. James hesitated for a minute and her heart beat wildly as she wondered what he might say—what he might do. She bowed her head and studied the welcome mat.

  “You should have left lights on.” James’s scolding popped the imaginary bubble of magic.

  She squinted up at the dark overhang. “Oh...the bulb’s burned out. I’ve never gotten around to changing it.” She smoothed a hand down her cocktail dress. “Climbing ladders isn’t exactly my thing.”

  “You live out here alone?”

  “Yes, I live alone. Work doesn’t give me time to meet anyone.” She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to explain. She didn’t have many friends. And she wasn’t interested in dating. Her work was her life.

  “You need to be careful.” The concern in his voice settled on her shoulders like a cozy shawl. It had been a long time since someone had looked after her.

  “Until tonight, I never felt threatened living in Orchard Gardens.” She smiled at him, but couldn’t read his heavily shadowed features. “Strangely enough, I do have a security system. The previous owners had it installed.” She shrugged. “I never use it, though.”

  “You will tonight.” James inserted the key into the door and seemed to have a problem with the lock. “Otherwise I don’t want you staying here.”

  “You don’t?” She snorted, in a show of bravado she didn’t feel. “Last I checked, I made my own decisions.” Before he had a chance to respond, she slipped in next to him. “Here, you have to hold the door handle and jiggle the key.” She wrapped her hand around his and felt how solid it was. “It’s a fussy lock.”

  He stepped aside a fraction. “Maybe I better let the master handle this.”

  Lily opened the door and reached in and flipped the foyer lights on, casting the family room off the entryway in a cozy glow, which immediately put her at ease. “Looks like everything’s fine.” Relaxing her body posture, she made her way inside and sat on the arm of the couch. A hot bath and her soft bed called her name.

  “Mind if I walk around? Check things out?” James’s intense gaze unnerved her. Did he think the guy would pursue her here?

  Please, God, keep me safe. Let tonight be the end of things with that creepy thug.

  “Be my guest.” Lily flopped onto the oversize stuffed couch. Feigning nonchalance, she flipped through the pages of a celebrity magazine, although she couldn’t name any of the so-called celebrities. Her sister must have left the magazine here. Cabinet and closet doors clicked and slammed open and shut. Lily tossed the magazine onto the table and slumped into the couch, closing her eyes.

  A few minutes later a shadow crossed her face. James stood over her, an unreadable expression on his face. She shifted to the edge of the couch and faced him. “Everything okay?”

  “Everything’s secure.”

  Lily stood and adjusted the skirt of
her dress. “Good. My address is unlisted, so I don’t expect anyone will find me here.”

  She tried to ignore the cold chill running down her spine. “Well, thank you for escorting me home,” she said, but James didn’t budge. A hint of a shadow darkened his jaw. It would feel rough under her fingertips if she just reached out...

  James crossed his arms over his solid chest. His sudden movement snapped her out of her daydream, saving her from making a fool of herself.

  “I don’t like you out here alone. Couldn’t your friend Kara come out and stay with you?”

  “I’m sure she has her hands full helping Elinor wind down the party.” Kara was an administrative assistant at Medlink and she doubled as James’s grandmother’s assistant. “Besides, I’ve been living here for five years without incident. I love this house.” She forced a cheery smile. “I promise I’ll set the alarm. I’ll be fine.” Maybe if she repeated it enough times, she’d convince herself.

  James nodded, his gaze shifting to the large window overlooking the front of the house. She saw her thin reflection in the window and self-consciously smoothed a hand over her hair.

  “Lock the door behind me.”

  “Of course.” A small part of her was disappointed he didn’t insist on staying longer.

  “Night.” James opened the door. Air from the humid night pushed in, mixing with the air-conditioning. “Make sure you lock this.” He tapped the door with the palm of his hand for emphasis.

  “Good night.” Lily pushed the door closed and snapped the dead bolt into place. She rested her forehead against the cool wood of the door. “What are the chances I’ll get any sleep tonight?” she muttered into the quiet room. She levered off the door and set the alarm for the first time. At least she remembered the simple code the previous owners had used.

  She strolled to the large window overlooking the yard and watched James’s taillights disappear down the street. Her front yard was cast in heavy shadows. She squinted, trying to make out the shapes.