Best of Intentions

by Michelle Cary

  Jason nearly danced in place. “No, of course not. I…I’d be thrilled-no honored-to jam with you.”

  Devin motioned to the hallway. “Then let’s go into the den and you can show me what you know.”

  Once inside the den, Jason sat in the recliner and eyed the cherry red Les Paul resting on the stand.

  Devin smiled. “You’re welcome to play it.”

  Jason held up his hands and shook his head. “Oh no, I couldn’t.”

  Devin picked up the Gibson and handed it to Jason. “Please, I insist.”

  “But the electric would be easier for you to play.”

  Devin nodded. “You’re right, which is why I need to play the acoustic. I have to rebuild the strength in my hand and I can’t do that if I’m taking the easy route.”

  “Okay,” Jason replied as he reached down to plug in the amplifier cord. “So what do you want to play?”

  Devin rested his arms over the top of the acoustic and looked over at him. “What do you know?”

  “Only every song Ascension ever released.”

  Devin smiled. The kid was surely doing his best to get on Devin’s good side. Wouldn’t it be interesting though to hear his music played by someone other than his band mates? “Okay, then. Show me what you know.”

  “What do you want me to play?”

  “How about ‘A New Path’?”

  Devin counted off and together they began to play. By the end of the first chorus, Devin was sure he had a diamond in the rough sitting in front of him. When they came to the solo, Jason stopped.

  Devin frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t do your solo. That would be weird.”

  It would be weird for him, too, but he had a bigger problem than listening to somebody else playing his solos. “Well, with my hand the way it is, I can’t do my own solo either, so why don’t you give it a shot.”

  Jason hedged. “But I don’t know how to play it. I tried working it out once, but I’m not doing something right, and by the end of it I’m always on the wrong note and out of key.”

  “Where are you starting at?”

  “The A string on the seventeenth fret.” Jason moved his hand over the guitar neck and fingered the cord, "like this, right?”

  Devin shook his head. “Ah, there’s your problem. It does sound like I start on the A, but actually the correct fingering would be the G string on the 8th fret. By starting there, you give yourself the opportunity to walk your way down the strings instead of turning your fingers into a pretzel by trying to go back and forth all over the neck.”

  “Can you show me?”

  Devin grimaced. “Honestly, I don’t know.” He set the acoustic to the side and accepted the guitar from Jason. “I’ll give it a shot, but you have fair warning it won’t be like what’s on the album.” Knowing there was no way for him to play the song up to speed, Devin took his time, masking his disability under the guise of teaching a lesson. Before long, Jason slid through the solo with as much ease as if it were his own. Devin inwardly smiled through the end of the song. He wasn’t sure who he was more proud of, himself for having the patience and nerve to teach the kid, or Jason for having the drive to keep trying until he had it right.

  When they finished the song, Jason put down the guitar and looked at Devin, his face glowing with enthusiasm and joy. “I know you may not think so, but it was awesome.”

  Devin set his acoustic on the couch and snorted at Jason’s words. “I know you’re not tone deaf, otherwise you would have been singing off key. So you must be trying to prop up my ego, because my playing was horrible.”

  Jason shrugged. “You have a reason for it. Besides, I wasn’t talking about your playing. I was referring to you showing me what you knew. You’d make a great teacher.”

  Teacher? Now why hadn’t he considered the idea of teaching? Devin cocked his head to the side. “You really think so?”

  Jason nodded. “Oh yeah. The way you’re able to show what you’re talking about without racing through it makes all the difference. A lot of us self-learner types don’t know how to read music and chord charts so we can only go so far. You know tips and tricks which probably took years to learn.”

  Jason’s declaration was like a hammer to Devin’s head. Could it be his disability wasn’t the punishment he considered it to be, but instead a gift from which would allow him to teach others and share his knowledge? The idea of opening and running the music store was looking better and better.

  With his elbows resting on his knees, he leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “A teacher, huh? Well, maybe I’ll think about that. So tell me, Jason, do you have a band of your own?”

  Jason shook his head. “Not really. I get together with a couple of friends and jam once in a while, but it’s nothing serious.”

  “Ever played in front of people before?”

  Jason’s spine straightened at the question and he smiled. “Once, at my high school talent show. We took first place in the group category.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me after what I heard. You have a real talent for the guitar, kid. With a little more practice and guidance you could be something.”

  Jason’s eyes grew wide and the smile he wore soon engulfed his entire face. “Thank you Mr. McFadden.”

  Devin held up a hand. “Call me Devin. Mr. McFadden makes me feel old.”

  “Okay.” Jason nodded. “Wow, you really think I could be something?”

  Devin considered his options. Didn’t he say to Andre yesterday he’d have the playing thing covered? At the time, he didn’t have a clue what he was going to do, but with the young talent sitting in front of him, an idea was quickly forming. “I do and to prove it to you, I have a proposition to make.”

  "What’s that?”

  “Well, you know the rest of my band is gone, and I have a contractual agreement left to fill. If you’re interested, I could use your help. How would you feel about playing on stage with me in front of thousands, possibly millions of people?”

  ****

  After a full day of virtually no conversation other than what pertained to work, Tess had pretty much given up any hope of salvaging their friendship. Every time she engaged Tori in a serious discussion, she’d excuse herself to check on a patient or flat out change the subject. She’d made her feelings clear, and Tess would simply have to accept them.

  Tess glanced at her watch. With only ten minutes left in her shift, she was looking forward to getting home to Devin. Home to Devin! Wow, how long had she wished for the day when Devin would again be part of her life? Now, it had finally happened. All along, she refused to completely give in to her feelings, choosing instead to keep a cautious guard on her heart. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe there was actually a happily ever after in their future. After all, he was a rock star with a career and life completely different than her own.

  She’d been prepared for him to leave once he had fully healed, but he’d done the one thing she hadn’t expected. He’d proven her wrong.

  “Earth to Tess,”

  Tori’s voice cut through her thoughts and she looked up at her friend. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

  “I was asking if you had change for a five. I want to grab a juice out of the machine before I leave, but I don’t have anything smaller than a five” She grabbed her purse from the bottom desk drawer and sat it on the chair.

  Tess nodded. “Yeah, I think I can make change for you.” Rooting through her own purse, she was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. She picked up the receiver. “Outpatient recovery.” She shouldered the phone and reached for a chart. “Just a moment while I check.”

  She flipped opened the chart and listened as a call buzzer sounded for one of the rooms.

  “I’ll get it” Tori rose from her chair and headed down the hallway.

  “Yes, the surgery went well and he should be ready for release in about an hour.”

  She replaced the chart in the rack. “No problem. T
hank you for calling.”

  She reached across the empty chair to put the receiver back on the hook, and bumped into it. Tori’s bag rolled to one side then tumbled off the chair on the floor. Thankfully, the contents didn’t spill out, but the bag did sit wide open. She glanced down, ready to pick it up and place it back on the chair when something caught her eye. Taking a closer look, she leaned over and read the names of the tiny glass vials inside Tori’s purse.

  Tess couldn’t believe her eyes. At least three different vials of meds suspected of being used in the various murders, sat inside. For a second she sat stock still as her brain scrambled to catch up with her eyes. Where, or better yet, how had Tori absconded medications such as these without anybody noticing?

  Tess picked the handbag off the floor, closed it up, and set it back on the counter, all the while her mind spun with plausible reasons for the meds. No way could Tori be the killer. There wasn’t an evil bone in the woman’s body. She was the type of person who took in stray animals, and donated to every charity under the sun. Hell, she’d been the one who told Tess about the nursing shortage in the country and convinced her to become one when they were dumb college students fumbling through their freshman year, looking for something to do with their lives. Still, Tori was wearing the same type of ring Tess had seen when she had her vision and her hair was brown. No. Tess shook her head. There had to be another reason, an explanation as to why she had the drugs in her purse.

  “So do you have the change for a five?” Tori asked, rejoining Tess at the desk. She paused, giving her purse a curious look. “I thought I left my bag on my chair.”

  “You did.” Tess nodded. “But it fell off onto the floor. I figured it would probably be best to pick it up before somebody tripped over it.”

  Tori smiled. “Oh, you’re right. How guilty would I feel if somebody were injured because of my clumsiness?”

  Tess let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, that would be bad,” she mumbled as she thought of what to do. Come on brain, think! Eric! She needed to call Eric and tell him what she’d discovered.

  Tori shook her head. “I swear, sometimes I’m such a klutz. Hey listen, I want to apologize for the way I’ve been acting today. I have my reservations about Devin, but I shouldn’t let them come between us, right? Since our shift is over, how about we swing by Java Lava and you let me buy you a mocha latte?”

  Tess inwardly cringed. “Um…I’m afraid I’ll have to take a rain check tonight, Tori. Devin wasn’t feeling good when we got up this morning.” Liar! “Actually, I hated even the idea of leaving him home alone, but what can I do, you know. I have to work, right?” Liar! Liar!

  Tori smiled. “Yep, we all have bills to pay. Well, maybe some other time then. You know, if you want, I’m sure I could talk to Reverend Fallsworth about marrying you guys. Our church is gorgeous on the inside and it could be a beautiful ceremony. I'm telling you, you’d absolutely love it.”

  “Well, we haven’t set a date yet, and I’m not sure what Devin had in mind, but I’ll talk to him about it.”

  Tori’s spine straightened and she appeared pleased with Tess’s answer. “Great. I’m telling you Tess, with a little work, this could be the wedding of your dreams.”

  Tess smiled. All she wanted was to be Devin’s wife and she didn’t need a big, fancy wedding to accomplish that goal. “I’m sure it could be. As soon as we make some decisions, I’ll get with you and we’ll set things up.”

  Tori nodded. “I’m looking forward to it. Despite Devin’s pagan ways, I think with a little guidance, you both could find your way back to God.”

  Tess bit down on her tongue and swore she’d taste blood any second. As much as she wanted to argue with Tori, she knew it was pointless. At some time, during the day, Tori had apparently decided to attempt to convert them instead of walking away. “Well, I have to get going. Here’s the change you wanted for your drink.” She handed Tori five ones, took the five-dollar bill, stuffed it in her purse and hurried toward the elevators. The sooner she was able to talk to Eric, the better.

  Heading out of the ward and downstairs to clock out, she removed her cell phone from her purse and switched it on. The hospital basement never provided a cell signal, but at least she’d have it ready when she reached her car. She stepped off the elevator and nearly ran into Roy Kendal, one of the other detectives working the case.

  “Hey, Tess, how's it going?”

  She fell in step next to him and glanced over her shoulder to see if anybody was behind them. Satisfied they were alone she nudged him into one of the storage rooms and closed the door. “I have something to tell you.”

  “What is it?”

  “I worked in the post surgical ward today with Victoria Daniels and discovered she has vials of meds in her purse.”

  His brow creased. “What kinds of meds?”

  “Morphine, Oxycodone, and Phenobarbital. I didn’t ask her about them, but I know she’s not supposed to be carrying them around in her bag.”

  Roy scratched his chin. “We don’t have any record of any drugs being stolen from here, so I wonder where she got them?”

  Tess started to shake her head then paused. “Eric said something about the East Side Free Clinic had a robbery a few months ago and their drug cabinet was broken into. They thought Mitch did it, but couldn’t prove it. I bet it was Tori.”

  Roy’s eyes widened. “I’d take that bet. Great, Tess, you may have broken this case wide open. I’ll get my people right on it.” He motioned to the door. “How about I walk you out?”

  Tess opened the door a crack and peered into the hallway. “That’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

  With it empty, she stepped out and headed down to the time clock with Detective Kendal in tow. She clocked out, whirled around and nearly ran into him. “Really, I’m fine, besides you have an investigation to complete.”

  Without saying a word, he continued behind her until she reached the door for the employee parking lot. Having him follow her all the way to her truck simply wouldn’t do. More than a little annoyed, she pivoted on her heel to face him. “Listen, if you don’t mind, I’d really rather you not escort me to my vehicle. If anybody sees us, they might get the wrong idea. Or worse yet, get suspicious.”

  He shot her a ‘yeah right’ look then smiled. “Don’t ever try to bullshit a bullshitter, Tess. If you don’t want me walking you to the car, just say so.”

  “Okay, I don’t want you to walk me to the car.”

  “You know, Eric told me you were damn independent. Fine, I’ll stand here in the doorway and watch you. Would that be okay?”

  She smiled. “That’s fine and Eric’s a little overprotective sometimes. I have to be independent or he’d never let me do anything.” She pushed open the door and a cold blast of wind whooshed through the opening, causing her to shiver. She gathered her coat a little tighter around her and headed down the shoveled path. “See you later,” she called over her shoulder to him. She didn’t have anything against Detective Kendal, after all, he was only doing his job, but deep down, she knew Eric had probably issued special orders when it came to her. He wasn’t above going out of his way to be overprotective.

  Shivering, Tess hit the unlock button on the remote and the truck lights flickered as the alarm disarmed. It was a shame she didn’t have a remote start for it. The damn thing would take a few minutes to warm up inside and how awesome would it be to climb into an already toasty vehicle?

  With one hand on the door handle, a sound caused her to stop and look around. She was beginning to think her own paranoia was getting the better of her when Tori appeared from behind the truck and pointed a gun directly at her. Tess’s heart nearly stopped as she stared at her friend. “Tori? What are you doing?”

  “I think we need to have that coffee, Tess.”

  Tess’s heart beat like a base drum inside her head, nearly drowning out Tori’s voice. “Okay, why don’t you get in and I’ll drive?”

  “Do you really think I’m that stu
pid? You're coming with me, and I know your cop friend over there is watching us, so act normal.”

  Tess drew in a deep breath, the cold air stung her lungs as she forced herself to remain calm. She nodded then turned and walked around the front of her truck toward Tori’s car. If she timed it right, maybe she could catch Tori off guard and wrestle the gun away from her.

  Tori gave her a shove from behind, and Tess nearly slipped on a patch of black ice covering the parking lot. “Get in.”

  Maybe a wrestling match wasn’t such a good idea. Tess opened the passenger door of Tori’s red Toyota and sank into the seat. She watched the woman who she’d considered a friend skirt the back of the vehicle and toyed with the idea of making a run for it. She’d never seen Tori with a weapon before and wasn’t too sure how accurate of a shot she was. Of course, even if she wasn’t a good shot, she ran the risk of an errant bullet piercing through a window in the building and hurting somebody else. She couldn’t take that chance.

  Tori slid into the driver’s seat, closed the door and looked at her. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”

  Tess nodded. “Okay. You’re in charge here. I’m going to put my seatbelt on.”

  Tori watched her as she locked the belt in place. “What’s this all about, Tori?”

  “As if you didn’t know?” she spat as she drove out of the parking lot. “Do you really think I’m so stupid, I wouldn’t find out about the undercover investigation?”

  “So the police are doing an investigation. That’s nothing to get all upset about.”

  “It is when my best friend is feeding them information. I could tell by the way you were acting you’d seen the vials in my bag. Honestly, Tess, I really wish you would have stayed out of this.”

  “Why, Tori? Why did you kill those people?”

  “You really don’t understand, do you?” She glanced from the road to Tess and back. “It’s God’s will, Tess. I’m fulfilling my promise to the Lord by doing his bidding. All those people were either going to die anyway or would be forced by man to suffer through long unproductive lives. I freed their souls by sending them to heaven to live with their creator, the one who loves us most.”