“I wish you could,” Cassie said seriously. “I really need to talk to Rick, but I guess I’ll have to tell you instead. Last night after he left, I found out that the third doctor is a friend of Kevin’s dad. That’s why he was there.”
“Do you think Kevin’s father is involved?” Lori asked, alarmed.
Cassie shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think maybe that other doctor might be the key to what’s going on. We’ve been here a week and nothing odd has happened. Then last night sometime, the two couples disappeared. I don’t know how, either, with Rick outside watching, but this morning Dr. Winthrop told us they left during the night.”
“You think they left willingly? Steve didn’t say anything about cars leaving after he got there last night.”
“I don’t know, and that’s why you need to tell Rick. He wanted me out last night and I talked him out of it.” Cassie hesitated, knowing that once Rick didn’t think it was safe being there even as a couple, he’d pull her out of the job immediately. “I don’t want to leave yet. You have to convince him that I’ll be fine a few more days, okay? Will you do that for me?”
Now Lori did look up. “I honestly don’t know if I want to, Cassie. Rick’s letting you do this on the strength that couples are safe. He won’t like this new development and I don’t like arguing with him about you.” Her brow creased slightly. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll mention it to Steve first and see what he thinks. But in the meantime, turn your radar up and be careful.”
“Don’t worry,” Cassie assured. “And speaking of careful, here come Kevin and Dr. Winthrop.”
Kevin walked to Cassie and kissed her cheek. “I was just explaining to Dr. Winthrop how I had to bust out the screen last night to let the bat out of our room.” He eyed her closely to be sure she had caught on. She did, and Kevin turned to the doctor. “I told her not to panic, but she’s afraid of bats.”
Dr. Winthrop smiled. “That’s the problem with old houses, they’re filled with lots of crawly things. I’ve had a mouse in my office for weeks. I just can’t seem to catch it.” His gaze drifted to Lori’s sketch pad. “You’re very talented. You should open a studio here.”
“Oh, well, thank you.” Lori acted embarrassed. “But I like to move around too much for that. I’ll be heading out in a few days anyway.”
“Good luck,” Dr. Winthrop said then turned to Cassie and Kevin. “I’ll see you two later, I’m going to the city to pick up some medical equipment. Natalie’s baby needs special care, it seems.”
Cassie watched the doctor walk down the street before his image disappeared into a blur from her eyes filling with tears. Lori noticed and immediately went to her side.
“Hon, it’s all right, your baby will be fine.” Lori felt Cassie’s body shaking while she tried to comfort her. “Maybe Rick’s right, you should leave. Go back home and…”
“I can’t leave those helpless girls,” Cassie protested. “Some babies need special care. It doesn’t mean mine will. I’m strong and so is Rick. This little Jarrett will be too.” She grabbed Lori’s arms tight. “Don’t tell Rick what the doctor just said.”
Pulling her arms free, Lori shook her head. “Not a chance.” Returning to her own chair, she picked up the sketch pad. “I’m done with your picture now. I’ll give it to Rick, is that all right, Kev?”
Kevin didn’t answer. Instead he took Cassie’s hand and led her across the street.
Lori saw them enter the house just before a tear fell from her eye. It landed on Cassie’s picture. Gathering her things, Lori proceeded to the pier to casually bump into Steve. He saw her coming and resisted a grin as she moved close enough for him to hear her.
“Get in the van and follow the red Mercedes,” she said under her breath. “The doctor that Cassie says is so nice just told us he’s going to pick up medical equipment for the baby born last night.”
His voice calm and quiet Steve shook his head. “I’m not leaving you here alone, Lor.”
“Steve, those two couples disappeared last night right under your noses. And now this guy is going to pick up medical supplies. You’ve got to follow him and see who he meets up with. I’ll stay here and sketch Elena again. We’ll be fine, I’ve got a gun in my backpack.” She gave him her best pleading look. “Go, please, and don’t stop to get Rick either or he’ll just get all worried about the kids who disappeared and want to get Cassie out of there now.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Steve asked. “Not taking Rick along when he’s the one who started this ball rolling would be a mistake. Babe, if those kids are gone that blows Rick’s theory about Cassie being safe with Kevin. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Fine, give me the damn keys and I’ll go,” Lori snapped. “The doctor’s getting away and I have a bad feeling about him. It’s better this way too, then you can stay with Elena.”
Steve studied Lori’s face and realized it would do him no good to argue. Rick wasn’t the only one with a sassy wife. “I love you,” he whispered handing her the keys.
Lori returned the statement then quickly walked away.
“And because I love you…” Steve’s voice trailed off. “Elena, honey, I’ll be right back. Stay here and don’t talk to strangers.” Then he hurried away.
Not wanting to be pulled over for speeding, Lori drove down the two-lane road without exceeding the speed limit. As she drove she saw the figure of someone walking. She knew who it was long before she reached him.
“Damn it,” she hissed. “Can’t anyone give me credit for following a suspicious red Mercedes?”
Knowing Steve had called Rick anyway, Lori was fuming. As the van approached, Rick turned around, sticking his thumb up as if he were hitchhiking. Lori purposely waited a bit too long before stepping on the brake, forcing Rick to jump back a little. When he opened the door, he was met with an innocent smile.
“That was very cute, sweetie,” Rick growled as he climbed in. “Now drive.”
“Whatever you say,” Lori replied then added, “sweetie.”
For several minutes they drove without speaking. Rick’s jaw twitched though and Lori knew something would be shooting from his mouth soon enough. She knew him well.
“You taking sides with my wife now?” Rick asked flatly.
“Rick, I’m following this doctor. I wanted Steve to do it, but he refused to leave his post. No one is trying to do things behind your back. I just couldn’t see waking you for what might turn out to be a wild goose chase.”
“If that were the case, Steve never would have called me and you know it!” Rick shouted. “The fact that he didn’t want to leave should also tell you something. What the hell happened? Did you see Cassie today, is she all right?”
“Cassie’s fine!” Lori yelled back. “At least she’s trying to keep her blood pressure down to a low boil. If you really want more gray hairs, I’ll tell you. The other doctor is a friend of Kevin’s father, and the two couples from the house are gone.”
“Gone or taken?” Rick demanded. His gut was turning. “Turn around, Mrs. Travis, and don’t give me any flak.”
Lori kept driving. Rick shouted again, but she kept moving. She had spotted the red Mercedes just ahead.
“Rick, that car might lead us to some answers, I’m not turning around. You’re just going to have to trust Steve and Kevin to watch out for Cassie. My God, I would think by now you’d know that we all care about what happens to your wife too!” Lori looked at him, his jaw was still twitching rapidly. Her tone softened. “She’s trained to be a cop, Rick. Remember, that’s why you knew she could do this. Nothing’s going to happen to Cassie. Don’t wor—” she stopped when she recognized a look on his face that meant she should be quiet now.
At a safe distance from the red Mercedes, Lori followed it into the city limits. Rick hadn’t spoken to her for the rest of the ride, but she felt he’d calmed sufficiently.
When Dr. Winthrop’s car left the highway and drove toward a building complex, Lori pulled to the side of the
road and parked. They couldn’t risk being noticed.
Since they had knowledge of Kevin’s father being acquainted with one of the Greyson House doctors, it came as no surprise when Dr. Winthrop’s red Mercedes pulled into the parking lot of Williams Pharmaceuticals. And it came as no surprise that Lori and Rick would once again be playing a waiting game to see what would happen next.
It did, however, come as a big surprise when twenty minutes later a familiar-looking blonde left the building. The same venom-spewing blonde Rick referred to as a genuine devil’s advocate—Luther Carstairs’ attorney, Shelly Bancroft.
The only reason the evening news did not lead with the story of the death of Shelly Bancroft was because Lori saw the woman before Rick did. This gave her the head start she needed to literally throw herself onto Rick’s lap and wrap her arms around his neck a mere second before he saw Shelly.
Adrenaline pumping, Lori had enough strength to hold onto Rick as he struggled violently to be free. A moment later, Shelly’s car slowly passed by, driving out of sight without its occupant ever being aware of the van’s existence.
When the car disappeared from view, Rick suddenly stopped struggling and seemed to relax. Lori kept her hold on him, but she loosened it slightly. She knew he was thinking about the horse ear incident. Though it couldn’t be proved who, someone had sent the package for Luther and, from the stale flowery scent the outer package emitted, it was Rick’s belief that the someone was Shelly. She’d reeked of it during the preliminary hearing.
For a moment they sat together not moving, then a low moaning sound rose up from Rick. It quickly became a roaring scream that rang in Lori’s ears for several minutes.
She had tears in her eyes, but Lori wouldn’t let go of Rick. Finally she pulled her head back far enough to look at his face. He was pale, his eyes were glassy and his breaths were short and quick. Not speaking, she gently put her hands on his shoulders and squeezed. She received no response. She brought her hands up in front of his face, but he looked right through them.
Rick then closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headrest. He made no further attempt to move. Lori eased back into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Whatever Dr. Winthrop was up to inside the building would remain a mystery for the time being. Lori’s only concern now was returning Rick to the beach house where he would be safe from killing not only Shelly but himself as well.
* * * * *
By late afternoon, Lori pulled the van up in front of the steps leading to the beach house. Rick opened the door slowly and without looking in her direction, walked down the stairs and into the house. She followed him only as far as the bedroom door, which he’d already closed behind him. The only sound she heard was that of the shower running. With a sigh, she headed back to the van.
At a quarter to six the doorbell at Greyson House rang. Dr. Stanton, the other doctor on site, answered to find a pretty young woman with dark hair.
“Hello. I would like to speak with Erica Smith, please,” she said.
Dr. Stanton smiled. “Won’t you come in? I’ll get her. Whom shall I say is calling?”
“Tell her it’s the artist from across the street.” Lori tried to sound upbeat and wondered if she was pulling it off.
She must have because a few minutes later, Dr. Stanton, Cassie and Kevin were walking down the stairs to the entry hall. Cassie’s eyes met Lori’s and she knew something was wrong.
Lori swallowed hard and again tried to sound casual. “Hi Erica. Listen, I’m sorry to bust in on you like this, but I have a small problem and I wanted to talk to you.”
“Problem?” Cassie asked in a calm tone. “What can I do for you?”
“Well,” Lori continued, “I’ve just been commissioned to do an involved portrait for someone and it will take me out of town. I got to thinking that since I was almost done with your picture, if you had the time tonight to sit for me, I could finish it up before I left.” She made herself laugh. “I thought we’d get some dinner and then I could finish the picture afterwards. It wouldn’t take very long and you’d be home around ten o’clock.”
“I don’t know,” Cassie said with exaggerated calm. “Dr. Stanton, would it be all right? It isn’t my turn to run the kitchen tonight.”
“I think that would be fine, Erica,” Dr. Stanton said. “We don’t prevent our residents from having a social life, but we do appreciate you letting us know where you are so we won’t worry unnecessarily.” He looked at Lori. “And I think it is commendable of you, young lady, offering to do this.”
“I just like to finish what I start, sir.” Lori smiled. “Shall we go now, Erica? You’re welcome to come along too, Joe.” Lori could only hope that Kevin had enough sense to understand her look and refuse to join them.
Kevin did. “No thanks, I think I’ll stay here. Since we lost our two other workers, I’ll help Dr. Stanton put up those shelves in the backroom.” He looked at Cassie. “Unless you really want me to come along, honey.”
“Thanks, but you stay here and help out Dr. Stanton. I’ll see you soon.” On her tiptoes, she gave Kevin a quick kiss for the benefit of the doctor then turned to Lori. “I’ll get my jacket.”
As Cassie and Lori walked to the van, they passed Steve and Elena heading into a restaurant.
“Don’t ask. I’ll be back soon,” Lori said, not stopping.
In the van, Cassie buckled her seat belt and like Rick had done earlier, leaned back against the headrest. When they were out of town, she asked her one question. “What happened?”
“Rick will have to tell you that,” Lori answered.
No more questions passed Cassie’s lips. Whatever happened, she would wait for Rick to tell her, but from the way Lori was acting, Cassie doubted that he would tell her much of anything.
The van drove slowly away as Cassie descended the steps to the little house by the sea. It was light enough outside for her to make her way downstairs but once she entered the house, it was dark. Leaving the lights off, she locked the door and walked into the bedroom. She could see Rick lying on the bed, but he hadn’t noticed her. That alone told her something was wrong. Carefully sitting next to him, she whispered his name.
When Rick opened his eyes he saw the light reflecting off Cassie’s hair and sat up quickly. He grabbed her. They quietly held each other until he relaxed enough to lean back against the pillow, taking Cassie with him.
The feeling of a soft touch on her forehead woke Cassie. She kept her eyes closed as Rick’s kisses moved from her temple down along her cheekbone. When she felt his breath close to her mouth, she opened her eyes and turned her head slightly. “Mmmm, seeing you two nights in a row is something I could get used to.”
It was dark in the room, but she knew Rick smiled just before he kissed her. Still without words, he again leaned back and held her gently, yet securely against him.
* * * * *
The time was half past seven when Lori met Steve and Elena in the restaurant. The moment she walked in the door, Steve was first relieved and then angry. He’d been on pins and needles since she’d left to follow the red Mercedes. He jumped to his feet, but Lori cut him off before he could ask his first question.
“I’ll explain later, right now I have to get out of sight.” Not giving Steve or Elena the chance to finish their dinner, Lori turned around and expected them to follow her out the door. They did.
Driving away from town and in the opposite direction of the beach house, Lori briefly explained what had happened. Steve’s brow constantly held a crease that didn’t fully disappear until Lori ended her story with taking Cassie to Rick.
“Is he going stay there?” Steve asked.
“Steven, I just told you I took Cassie to him. Yes, he’s is going to stay there. You don’t think she’d let him leave even if he wanted to, do you?”
Steve laughed at his own remark. It gave Lori and Elena the opportunity to ease their stress with laughter as well.
Once they relocated in a small c
afé Lori informed her companions she needed to call Kevin and tell him that since she had engine trouble, Cassie would be spending the night with Lori the artist.
“Will that be safe for Kevin?” Elena asked. “If Cassie isn’t there, won’t they become suspicious? If there’s trouble, who will help Kevin?”
Lori smiled at Elena and then looked at Steve. He nodded his head understanding what Lori’s look had meant. “Don’t worry, Elena honey. I think I’m on guard duty tonight instead of Rick. Right, sweetheart?” he asked, looking back at Lori’s confirming nod. “Besides, if anything goes down tonight, I’m still calling Rick for backup, Cassie or no Cassie.”
“Such a perfect man,” Lori said putting her arms around Steve’s neck. “Isn’t he, Elena honey?”
“And he’s a perfect uncle too,” Elena laughed.
They laughed a little more then Steve added, “Don’t worry about Kevin anyway. He’s actually safer in the house without Cassie. If he needed to, he could jump off the porch roof and get away, but Cassie can’t do that without risking harm to the baby. Plus, if they suspected either of them at this point, I don’t think the doctor would have let Cassie leave that easily. Now,” he looked to Lori, “where are you two planning on sleeping tonight? I gather you’re giving Rick and Cassie privacy, and there’s no way in hell you’re hiding in the bushes with me.”
“No way in hell we’d want to,” Lori said sweetly. “We’ll sleep in the van when it’s parked in the garage at the cliff house. It’s warm enough and I brought sleeping bags. I even brought you one.”
“Ah, good woman,” Steve said. “Rick can freeze his butt off if he wants, but give me a sleeping bag over an army blanket any day.” Setting money on the table, Steve stood. “Let’s get back to town, my guard duty hours are about to start.”
For the second time that evening, Cassie was awakened by a soft touch from a member of the Jarrett family. Only this time it wasn’t her husband’s touch she felt, it was her baby’s. The thought of seeing Rick’s face when he first felt his baby kick always brought a smile to Cassie.
My ShadowMy Love Page 17