Double Jeopardy (Entangled Select)

by Linda Wisdom

  “Let’s not get too optimistic, okay?” Kevin twisted his neck from one side to the other. He slipped his sunglasses on to cover his bloodshot eyes. “Has anyone told you today you look like shit?”

  “Only Ginnie and about twenty others. Not that you look all that great yourself.”

  “Next time we brainstorm, let’s stick with Cokes. I’m too old for all-night beer marathons and still be able to function the next day. Besides, Sharon said if I pull that stunt again she’s going to make my life hell for the next year, and believe me, she can do it.”

  Josh looked up when a man wearing a white lab coat approached them.

  “This is Dr. O’Neill,” Kevin told Josh, before turning to the doctor to explain. “Assistant District Attorney Brandon has an interest in Dr. Hunter’s case.”

  The men shook hands.

  “I’m going to keep her overnight,” he told them. “I want to make sure there won’t be any signs of infection. Dr. Hunter told me the jar of cleansing cream wasn’t new and she honestly didn’t feel it was the act of a sick individual who purposely contaminated a bunch of jars of face cream. But I can’t imagine this to be an isolated incident.”

  “We’ll definitely be checking into this, Doc,” Kevin assured him.

  “What do you think the caustic agent was?” Josh asked.

  The doctor shrugged. “Hard to say. Luckily, it wasn’t anything strong enough to eat at the skin and cause irreparable harm.” He was so engrossed in his discourse he didn’t notice Josh’s wince.

  …

  Lauren was positive she was fighting her way through miles of cotton batting while a sharp smell stung her nostrils. When she tried to turn over, she discovered a sharp pain streaking the side of her head and reflexively groaned.

  “Hey, don’t try too fast,” a man’s voice murmured.

  “Water,” she croaked.

  He placed one hand under her head, carefully lifting her up as he held a straw to her lips. She sucked the ice water greedily until he took it away.

  “You have to be careful so you don’t get sick.”

  “Josh?”

  “Yeah, how do you feel?”

  She still hadn’t opened her eyes. “As if I just woke up with an incredible hangover.”

  He chuckled. “That’s something I can relate to.”

  Lauren’s mouth started to curve upward until tiny pinpoints of pain stopped her motion. “Why would she do such a disgusting thing?” She sounded as if she was going to cry.

  “Honey, you can’t cry. It will only hurt more.”

  It took her a moment to compose herself. She slowly opened her eyes. The room was dark, save for a strip of light from the partially opened door. “What time is it?”

  He leaned over the bed, resting an arm by her pillow. “About nine. You’ve caught up on any sleep you’ve missed in the past week.”

  “Believe me, I’d have picked a more interesting place to rest up at than here.” She mentally checked out the rest of her body. “Aren’t visiting hours over?”

  “Not if you’ve got connections. Besides, I told them I wasn’t leaving here until I knew you were all right.”

  He brushed her bangs from her forehead. “The doctor said if you’re hungry, you can have something light to eat.”

  “Are you kidding? Have you ever eaten hospital food?” She turned her head as she blindly groped for the bed controls. Josh found it first and raised the head portion a bit.

  “Better?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I hate sedatives.”

  “I know. They make you feel weird.”

  “They make me feel out of control. And I always wake up feeling horrible.”

  “Sounds as if you have experience with them.”

  Lauren stiffened. “Why would you say that?”

  He searched her face for clues, but by now she’d closed up against him again. “It probably has something to do with your saying you’ve had them before.”

  She carefully shifted her body and was grateful to find her brain could still function enough to interact with the rest of her. She lifted her hand and held her splayed fingers a fraction above her face. “It feels as if it’s been encased in cement.”

  “The nurse put more ointment on it earlier. You were so out of it you didn’t wake up. Although, considering how it might have felt, maybe you were better off,” he explained. He carefully sat on the side of the bed and took her hand in his. He picked up her water glass and held it out to her.

  She gratefully downed more water for her dry throat. She breathed deeply once through. “Any word on what was in the cream?”

  “Not yet. Kevin put a rush on it at the lab. Hopefully, we’ll know by morning, but you never can tell. It could take a few days, maybe a week, depending how rare a substance was used.”

  “Gee, Counselor, I could have told you that.” She started to make a face, then quickly reconsidered as the pain set in. The stuffed cotton feeling from the sedative was finally clearing from her system. “It looks like I’m going to have to remember not to move my face too much for the next few days.” She fiddled with the lightweight blanket covering her as she groped for the call button. “Now, if you’d be good enough to leave the room, I’m going to call the nurse and sign myself out of this place.”

  “That wouldn’t be a good idea, Lauren.” He moved the call button out of her reach.

  “Why not?”

  “Because right now, you’re pumped full of pills and you couldn’t walk more than two steps without falling on your face. You can barely sit up in bed as it is.”

  “I’m a doctor and am very aware of my capabilities.” She started to reach for the cord only to have him pull it further from her reach. “Josh, if you do not give me that cord, I swear I will scream this place down.”

  He wasn’t the least bit intimidated. “Considering the shape your face is in, I doubt you could do it. As for your being a doctor, you’re a doctor who deals with people who couldn’t move if they wanted to. So I don’t think anyone would care to listen to your opinion of your condition. Besides, you look as if you’re going to fall back asleep any minute if you’d just give yourself half a chance.” He placed the cord on the bedside table, still out of her reach. “You’re going to stay here tonight, where you’ll be safe and have the chance to recover.” He wrapped his hands around hers. “Lauren, what happened to you is proof she’s losing control. You can’t afford to take any chances. I’d like you to stay here until Kevin and I can figure out some precautions.”

  “I’m not going to hide away like a frightened animal, Josh. If she wants to come after me, let her. Let her come out in the open, where we can see what we’re dealing with.”

  He shook his head.

  Lauren struggled to sit up. “Do you have a better idea how to catch her?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “Damn it, you know I don’t! That doesn’t mean you have to do anything stupid. What’s so wrong with you staying here, relaxing, and letting them pamper you for a while?”

  “Tell me, Counselor, when was the last time you were a patient in the hospital? Pampering is the last thing they do.”

  “I had my tonsils out when I was nine. It was great. All the ice cream I could eat.”

  “Adults aren’t that lucky. The food is usually worse than what you would be served on an airplane, they believe anything soft and runny is perfect for anyone, and they wake you up in the morning to take your temperature. I can do all that at home without some ghoul of a nurse smiling at me.”

  “Look who’s talking about ghouls.”

  Lauren wasn’t going to get by without a bit of grumbling. “It isn’t fair to tease me when I’m in a bad mood and can’t glare at you.”

  Josh took note of her weariness. “Go back to sleep. No one’s going to get to you here.”

  “Not that I’m worried, Counselor, but you can’t order round-the-clock protection.” Her eyes kept drifting shut. “Call Dana. Tell her what happened. She’ll have
some answers for you.”

  Seeing that she’d fallen back asleep, Josh eased off the bed and hooked his foot around the leg of the nearby visitor’s chair and pulled it toward him. He settled back in it with his legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles.

  He watched the sleeping woman, wishing he could figure out what was going on in his head. And cursed life for giving him Lauren, then almost snatching her away from him before he could fully figure out what was happening. But he had an idea he was going to make sure they were around together for a good long time.

  …

  “So she’s escalating her attacks.”

  Josh shifted the receiver from one ear to the other so he could hear better. He slipped out of Lauren’s room to use his cell so she wouldn’t wake up and overhear him.

  “In spades. What now?”

  The psychiatrist’s end was silent for a moment. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she lies low for a while. She probably figures she has Lauren scared out of her mind and she’ll want to relax and savor her triumph. After all, the stunt she pulled was directed at what she probably sees as Lauren’s vanity, her face. The thing is, Lauren’s one of the least narcissistic people I know. But this woman is too blind in her sickness to bother to care. I wouldn’t be surprised if she returns her focus to you.” A faint hum over the line seemed loud in Josh’s ear. “Will Lauren be released today? Silly question, she’ll sign herself out if they don’t let her go. She hates hospitals,” she murmured more to herself. “Tell her I’ll call her tonight. And watch your step, Josh.”

  “Would you be effective in advising Lauren she needs round-the-clock protection?”

  She laughed. “You might as well tell her to leave town. She’ll only tell you in very graphic terms what you can do with that suggestion. Lauren makes a mule look mild, compared to her own stubborn streak. But I will tell you something—if this woman strikes at Lauren again, she’s going to find herself with a very angry woman on her hands. Lauren’s temper is slow to burn, but when it ignites, watch out.”

  “That’s it? That’s your advice?” He pounded his fist against the wall then quickly backed off when a nurse passing him flashed him a reproving look.

  “Be grateful I’m not charging you for this, because believe me, I don’t come cheap. If Detective Peterson has any questions, tell him to give me a call. I have a patient coming in five minutes. I’d say your waiting period has shortened by a great deal.”

  Josh muttered several curses as he next called his secretary for messages.

  “If I were you, I’d call Her Highness first,” Ginnie advised. “She’s only called here six times and she’s downright furious with you.”

  “Since she got her check, I don’t know what she can bitch about, but I’ll find out.” With a resigned sigh, he punched in his ex-wife’s number next, only to learn that she was staying with friends in California. That was one coincidence he didn’t appreciate, and he quickly got the number.

  “It’s about time you called,” Stephanie’s cold voice assaulted his ears.

  He wasn’t about to waste any sensibilities on her. “Look, Stephanie, a colleague was badly injured, and time is something I don’t have. What do you want?”

  “I want you to call off your needless investigation.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You know very well what I’m talking about. I couldn’t believe you were investigating my movements. We’re divorced, thank God, and there is no reason for you to dig into any part of my life. I suggest you stop it immediately or pay the consequences.” She didn’t bother to wait for a reply as she disconnected.

  “Thanks, Kevin, you’re checking all bets,” he breathed, as he walked away from the phones.

  “No.”

  “Be reasonable, Doc,” Kevin pleaded from the narrow counter he perched on while Josh took the one visitor’s chair. “This broad wants you bad. You can’t stay in your house alone. You should be under constant observation for your own protection. Or maybe take a vacation.”

  “I just started working there, remember?”

  “Considering everything, I don’t think you’d have to worry about having your vacation request denied.”

  Lauren turned to Josh. “Did you call Dana, as I asked you to?”

  He nodded. “First thing this morning.”

  “What did she recommend I do?”

  Josh shifted uncomfortably. “She’s worried about the woman, yes, but she says she knows you well enough that you’re not going to go into hiding. And she’ll call you tonight.”

  Lauren nodded, as if expecting to hear exactly that. “I guess that settles that, doesn’t it?”

  “It seems the lab was able to figure out that powder pretty quick. One of the techs said they felt really stupid, since they thought it would be something pretty sophisticated and it turned out to be something you can get in the grocery store.” Kevin pulled his notebook out of his pocket and flipped the pages back. “It was your run-of-the-mill flea powder in the cream. They figure you had an allergic reaction to it, so I guess it’s a good thing you’re not a dog or you’d have real problems.” His attempt at humor fell flat.

  “I told Dr. O’Neill either he could discharge me or I’d sign myself out, so I can leave anytime,” Lauren said.

  “Fine, I give up. We’ll leave so you can get dressed, and then I’ll drive you home.” Josh shot her a look that was filled with as much stubbornness as her own. “Don’t fight me on this one.”

  “Don’t worry, I don’t intend to.” She swung her legs over to the side of the bed. “Now, out.”

  “No wonder they say docs are the worst patients,” Kevin told Josh as they left the room. “I’ll send a patrol car out to her house and have it wait there until you show up.”

  “Good.”

  …

  Lauren was grateful she didn’t feel the burning sensation on her as much today, thanks to the ointment, but it still felt ultrasensitive. She flinched when the lightweight fabric of her sweater brushed against her face as she slipped her sweater on over her head and quickly pulled on her jeans.

  Once the paperwork was dispensed with, Josh walked alongside the wheelchair in which she was glumly seated.

  “You won’t fight me on this,” the nurse told her.

  “And you wonder why I don’t like hospitals,” Lauren told Josh.

  “You might want to have the security people back out to look at your system,” Josh said, as he drove to her house.

  She opened her window and breathed in the crisp, late morning air to clear out the disinfectant smell she always associated with, and hated about, hospitals.

  “I’ll do it first thing.”

  “Would you be willing to settle for a driver to and from the morgue?”

  She kept filling her lungs with air even as she felt a bit lightheaded. “Even though she hasn’t tried anything with a car?”

  “There’s always a first time.”

  “I’ll concede on that point, as long as it isn’t Pete or Sophie behind the wheel.”

  “Damn gracious of you to give in on something.”

  She would have smiled if she’d dared. “I can be damn gracious when I want to.”

  When Josh passed the patrol car parked conspicuously in front of Lauren’s car, the driver looked at Josh and nodded that everything was all right.

  It wasn’t until Josh unlocked the front door and pushed it open that Lauren started to feel uneasy. She hesitated for a moment, before she quickly walked inside, moving through each room, grateful Josh was right behind her. She was glad to see someone had thought to turn off her coffee maker and dumped the contents in the sink.

  “Mrs. Turner is going to have a fit when she sees the mess.” She nodded toward the black fingerprint powder covering every surface. “And I suppose nothing was found.”

  “Not a thing, but we can always hope.”

  It wasn’t until she moved closer to her bedroom that she felt the heaviness in her c
hest, constricting her breathing, suffocating her. Her stride slowed with each step she took. She thought of her unmade bed with her nightgown still thrown across the surface. Her makeup was scattered across the bathroom counter. She vowed to pick up a different facial cleanser as soon as possible. She’d never be able to use that brand again. And the glass canister she kept cotton balls in was probably still in pieces on the bathroom floor from when she’d spun around as her skin started burning. She swallowed the nausea searing the back of her throat. She jumped when a pair of hands landed on her shoulders.

  “Are you all right?” Josh’s rumbling voice was comforting in her ear.

  “Yes. No. I’m not sure. All of the above. It’s just that I hadn’t had a chance to put anything away yesterday, so this room will look worse.” She finally reached her bedroom. And froze the moment she stepped in the doorway.

  The bed was made up and the furniture shone with polish that left a faint lemon scent in the air. She hurried into the bathroom and moaned a soft, keening sound.

  The broken canister had been swept up and the pieces deposited in the wastebasket. The counter was cleared of her cosmetics and the surface wiped clean of fingerprint powder. Even the mirror was wiped clean of the spots of blood. She knew her jar of cleanser would have been taken for evidence, but to find another jar sitting on the counter was too much.

  The final insult was the small white card propped against the new glass canister holding cotton balls.

  Welcome home, Lauren. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to do more for you. By the way, did you realize you need to have your birth control pills refilled? You really should be more careful with important things like that.

  Lauren shattered. She retreated to a hazy world where she didn’t hear Josh’s loud curses as he guided her out of the room and back to the living room. She was so lost in her own world she didn’t hear him open the front door and yell for the officers. By then, she didn’t care what happened.

  Chapter Eleven

  “The card stock is nothing special and the font comes from an HP laser printer. There’s no guarantee we can find out where she bought the card, but we’ll give it a shot. Too bad she didn’t have the courtesy to sign her name. A good, strong hint would have been nice about now,” Kevin told Josh in a low voice as they stood in one corner of the room.