Suspicion of Guilt

by Tracey V. Bateman

  “She got fired on the spot. I assumed she’d tell you.”

  “So you protected her secret?” A short laugh spurted from Denni’s lips. “Since when are you two so chummy?”

  Reece’s eyebrows narrowed. “Would you rather we were fighting?”

  “You should have told me.”

  “I disagree. I gave her my word.”

  But you’re supposed to love me.

  “Are you two with Cate Sheridan?” A petite blond nurse looked between them, her expression clearly telling them to knock it off and go support the young woman in pain.

  Denni nodded. “Is she ready for us to come sit with her?”

  “Yes. She’s not too far dilated. It’ll be a few hours yet, most likely. First babies take their time.”

  The nurse waved them toward Cate’s room and they proceeded down the hall in tense silence. Reece cleared his throat. “Have you gotten in touch with anyone else?”

  Denni glared at him, wishing she had the right to give him the silent treatment, but knowing in her heart that he had done the right thing as far as Leigh was concerned. Also, she couldn’t help but respect him for it.

  “No. The girls still aren’t home. I left a message on the machine. I hope someone will listen to it and let everyone else know.”

  “I’ll keep trying,” he assured her. “I’ll be back later.”

  She opened the door to Cate’s sweet pink-yellow-and-blue-decorated birthing room—her home away from home for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.

  Denni didn’t want to think about the emptiness Cate was going to feel when she left the hospital without her baby.

  When she walked in the room, the girl was beaming—far from the pain-ravaged demeanor Denni had been expecting—but then, she’d never been around a woman in labor before.

  An IV line hung from a steel post next to the bed, and Cate had changed into a pink hospital gown. She was sitting up, and the TV was on, but muted. She patted her protruding belly. “They said I can keep her in the room with me after she’s born.”

  “Does the hospital know you’re giving her up?”

  Cate nodded. “The Michaelsons are still in Nicaragua on a missions trip. They won’t be home for two days and they told Mrs. Johnson they don’t mind if I spend time with the baby. As a matter of fact, they want to make sure I really want to give her up since they’ve been to this same place in the process three times and the birth mothers all decided to keep their babies.”

  “I’m happy for you, honey.” Denni held her hand. “Are you sure it won’t be harder for you to let her go if you spend that much time with her?”

  “I’m sure. Giving her up is the right choice. It’s not the easy choice. But it is the right one.” Her face contorted with pain, and she began to blow.

  Denni counted and waited until the contraction was over. “I’m proud of you, Cate. Really.”

  Tears pooled in Cate’s eyes. “I made such a mess of things. But knowing that God created my baby and has a great life planned for her gives me hope.”

  For the next couple of hours, they talked and dreamed aloud, until the contractions grew closer together and more severe. The medicine the nurse shot into the IV to ease some of the pain began to take effect and Cate’s eyes drooped, until finally her soft snoring signaled that she had fallen asleep.

  Denni watched the sitcom playing out on the silent TV, and read the closed-captioned subtitles.

  Movement at the long, thin window on the door caught her attention. The door opened, and the four girls peeped inside. Denni pressed her index finger to her lips and motioned them to stay in the hall.

  “How’s she doing?” Shelley asked.

  “She’s sleeping right now. The nurse said she’s a little over halfway there. Everything seems to be right on target. Did you all get the news at the same time?”

  Shelley shook her head. “Fran got the message you left on the machine at home, and she called Rissa at her singles’ meeting at church. She called me at work, and I called Leigh at work.”

  Denni’s gaze shifted to Leigh. “I tried to call your work too.”

  The girl’s eyes grew wide and her cheeks bloomed with color. “Denni…”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you quit the Barbecue Shack?”

  Shelley cleared her throat loudly and looked at the other two girls. “Cate’s sleeping anyway, so how about we head to the cafeteria?”

  “Good idea, sweetie,” Rissa said, a little too brightly. “I’m famished.”

  Fran glanced from Leigh to Denni. “Don’t say anything you’ll regret, okay? Take it from someone who can’t keep her foot out of her mouth. It’s not worth it later.”

  Denni squeezed her hand. “Thanks, Fran. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  After the trio headed down the hall, stopping at the nurse’s station for directions, Denni turned to Leigh. “Let’s go to the waiting area so we can sit down to discuss this.”

  The mauve vinyl chairs seemed even colder than usual as Denni sat on a loveseat and patted the cushion next to her.

  “Before you say anything, I just want you to know that I haven’t danced anywhere else since I got fired. I’ve been hostessing at the country club.”

  A breath whispered through Denni’s lips. Relief that she wouldn’t have to issue an ultimatum. Still, she had questions. “Why would you quit the Barbecue Shack and go to work for someplace so…dark?”

  “I have bills to pay and this was the quickest way to make the most money and still convince myself I could hold onto my dignity. I figured at least I wasn’t hooking.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and to Denni, she looked so very young. “I was kidding myself. Every night for the past six months I’ve felt as though a weight hung around my neck. Not only for lying to you, but just the whole atmosphere in there made me feel gross.”

  “Why did you need extra money, Leigh?”

  A look of dread sifted over Leigh’s features. “I don’t want to tell you this…”

  They were both crying by the time Leigh finished telling Denni why. “Oh, Leigh. You’ve had to bear the miscarriage all alone. That’s why you were using drugs last year? If only I’d known.” If only she’d had the kind of counseling she was about to implement for the girls.

  Leigh’s face bore a look of utter surprise. “You feel sorry for me?”

  Denni braced for a confrontation. “Not sorry, exactly. I just wish I could have been there for you. If I’d known the heartache you were living all this time, I would have been.” She drew a sharp breath at the tears streaming down Leigh’s cheeks. “Honey, don’t you know how much I love you?”

  Leigh leaned over and wrapped her arms around Denni, as a child would her mother. She rested her head on Denni’s shoulder and sobs racked her body. “I thought you’d hate me for getting pregnant.”

  “I could never hate you. Do I hate our little Catie?”

  “There have been so many times I wanted to come to you and talk. But I didn’t want to have to tell you about losing my scholarship.”

  Denni squeezed her. “All right. We’ll move on from here, okay? But we have to talk about reestablishing trust between us. Can we do that?”

  Leigh nodded. “So Corrigan didn’t tell you, huh?”

  Denni shook her head. “I found out tonight when I called Mike at the Shack. That’s when Reece admitted to knowing.” She smiled. “And he didn’t apologize for not telling me, either.”

  Leigh chuckled, swiping at the tears on her cheeks. “He didn’t want to promise. I could tell he felt like he was betraying you. The guy’s not so bad.”

  “Seriously? Because I plan to keep him around.”

  “So, it’s L-O-V-E is it?”

  Heat washed Denni’s cheeks. “Maybe.”

  A shrug lifted Leigh’s slender shoulders. “I guess he’s okay. But you know he doesn’t go to church. I thought that was a no-no.”

  So she had been listening…

  Denni grinned, and joy bub
bled inside her at the memory of Reece’s newfound commitment to Christ. “Well, guess what? That’s about to change.”

  A questioning frown creased Leigh’s brow. “You know something I don’t know. I can tell.”

  “I guess he wouldn’t mind if I told you. Reece became a Christian tonight.”

  Leigh’s jaw dropped open. “No!”

  “Yes, ma’am,” a male voice behind them startled both women. “I am a bona fide Bible-thumper now.”

  Leigh rolled her eyes. “As if you weren’t bad enough, before.”

  “You’re back. Did you check on Cate?”

  “The nurse said they’re going to examine her.”

  “I can’t believe she’s finally having the baby.”

  Reece chuckled and nudged Leigh’s shoulder. “You survived the Denni-nator, I see. You almost got me in big trouble with that whole secret.”

  Denni stood and stretched. “She’s fine. And so are you. Leigh told me everything.”

  Approval shone in Reece’s eyes. “Where’s Sean tonight?”

  Leigh’s cheeks turned red. “I haven’t seen him much since Denni’s party. He’s pretty mad at me.”

  “Give him a chance. I think he’s kind of crazy about you.”

  “We’ll see if he hangs around once he finds out for sure I’m not the guilty party in all the House stuff.”

  Reece’s brow rose. “You figured that out, huh?”

  “Do I look stupid?” Leigh said, a snort leaving her pierced nose. “Believe me. I knew what Sean was up to the first time he asked me out.” She grinned. “Of course, he couldn’t resist me, so it became real whether he likes it or not. But we have a lot to talk about.”

  “I just wanted to let you know, it’s time.” The little blond nurse who had been with them since they’d checked Cate in nodded to Denni and handed her a medical cap and gown. “Cate wants you in there with her. You’ll need to put these on.”

  Denni felt the excitement and sadness associated with the end of one thing and the beginning of something else. For Cate. The end of this pregnancy meant the first day of the rest of her life. For the baby it meant going to parents who had waited for her for who knew how long?

  For Denni. Well, tonight, everything had changed. The possibilities were endless.

  She slipped on the gown and turned to Reece. He stared back with such tenderness it took her breath from her lungs.

  He winked and gave her an encouraging nod.

  All they needed now was to find out who wanted her dead.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Denni opened her eyes, not sure what had awakened her. Sunlight danced on her bedroom ceiling, and she smiled at the various shapes reflected by the items in her room.

  Lazily, she stretched beneath the cozy covers and remembered why she was lying in bed when the sun was out with such force. Cate’s baby girl had been born at 4:13 a.m. Weighing in at seven pounds, two ounces, she was a darling baby. One of the prettiest Denni had ever seen.

  The memory of Cate snuggling her daughter brought a tear to Denni’s eye. She had watched the new mother closely, looking for signs that she wouldn’t be able to give the infant up when the time came. But so far, there didn’t seem to be any weakening of her resolve. Only sadness and a lot of awe that she had given birth to the tiny life.

  The downstairs phone rang, and the padding of feet on the carpeted steps followed. A moment later, Denni heard a light tap. The hinges creaked as someone opened the door.

  “I’m awake,” Denni said. “You can come in.”

  Rissa’s grinning face peeked in. “Hey, glad I didn’t wake you.”

  “Nope. I’ve been lying here watching the sun-shapes on my ceiling. Who was on the phone?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Rissa rolled her eyes. “I nearly forgot. That was Cate.”

  Denni frowned, pushing back the covers as she sat up. “Is everything okay?”

  “Oh, the baby’s fine and so is Cate. She just wants that baby blanket she got from her mama when she was little. She said she washed it and tucked it on the top shelf of her closet.”

  Alarm seized Denni. “What does she want with the blanket? Did she say?”

  Rissa shrugged her plump shoulders. “I think she wants to give it to the adoptive parents—so that the little darling knows her real mama loved her.” She frowned and peered closer at Denni. “You don’t think she wants to keep the baby for herself do you?”

  “I don’t know. It’s possible, I suppose.”

  “Anyway, I’m running so-o-o late for work. Can you please get the blanket out of the closet and take it when you go see Cate later?”

  “Of course.” Denni was already headed for the chest of drawers to grab her clothes for the day. “Can I take my time, drink a cup of coffee, maybe fix a little breakfast, or is Cate alone and needing company?”

  Rissa waved her hands. “Oh, Cate said Shelley was down at the cafeteria getting some food, and when she gets back, she’ll look after the baby so Cate can take a shower.”

  “Okay good. I need a nice long shower, myself.” She grinned at Rissa, who, despite being “late for work” was still standing in the doorway chatting.

  Rissa sniffed and started to turn away. Then she swung back around with a teasing grin. “You two seemed pretty chummy last night. Anything I should know about?”

  “I thought you were late. When I have news I feel you should be in on, I promise, I’ll tell you.”

  Drawing herself up in mock offense, Rissa spun on her heel. “All right, fine. I can take a hint,” she tossed over her shoulder.

  Denni shook her head, smiling at the girl’s antics. Gathering up her clothes, she headed to the bathroom. She felt infinitely better after the steaming water loosened up her stiff muscles.

  When she reached the bedroom Cate shared with Shelley, she remembered the baby blanket. She opened the door, scowling at the clutter. Stepping over a stack of magazines, she made a mental note to have another talk with Shelley about picking up after herself. The girl had a lot of great qualities…neatness wasn’t one of them. Poor Cate. Neatness just happened to be one of the great qualities she did possess. Shelley’s tendency to laziness drove her crazy.

  Denni’s lip twitched as she crossed to the closet. “Oh, brother, more clutter.” Looking up to the shelf, she spied the baby blanket at the bottom of a stack of shoeboxes, winter sweaters, and several college textbooks that Shelley, the packrat, felt she couldn’t live without after the semester.

  Gathering a deep breath, Denni reached up and snagged the blanket, pushing on the stack of items with the other hand. The pile shifted balance with Denni’s next tug on the blanket. She screeched and covered her head with her arms as the entire contents of the shelf tumbled down. When the onslaught ended, she was none the worse for wear, but she was highly irritated that the shelf had been so poorly organized as to have toppled in the first place.

  With jerky movements and a ticked-off huff, she bent over and started the chore of cleaning up her mess—although she felt, in this instance, she would be well within her rights to forego that particular house rule.

  She was just about to give in to the impulse and let the girls reorganize properly, when her gaze fell on a familiar document. A shoebox, tilted on its side, had spilled its entire contents onto the gray carpet. Denni’s lips trembled as she bent down and retrieved the application for the grant. Every page was scribbled on with a variety of colors. She glanced closer and deciphered the scrawls on the page. It wasn’t mere scribbling. But one word repeated over and over. NO! NO! NO!

  Why would Shelley or Cate want to keep her from getting the funding to keep the house open and buy a couple more? They had nothing to gain, but they had their home to lose by sabotaging her efforts.

  A gasp flew from her lips. The room began to spin crazily. The image of fires and a flooded basement invaded her mind. She sank to her knees, her palm pressed to her racing heart.

  Sabotage? Oh, Lord. Please no. Not one of my girls.

>   Cate or Shelley. Tears of horror raced down her cheeks. One of her girls wanted her dead.

  Reece!

  Grabbing the application, Denni flew down the stairs to the kitchen. She snatched up the receiver and called the police station. A squeaky-voiced officer answered.

  “I need to speak to Reece!” she commanded, hearing the hysteria in her voice.

  “Who, ma’am?”

  “Detective Reece Corrigan. Get him! This is Denni Mahoney and he will want to speak with me.”

  The dispatcher stepped away from the phone. Three minutes later, he returned. “I’m sorry, ma’am, the detective is out. Give me your name and number and I’ll give him the message as soon as he’s back at the station.”

  “Does he have his cell phone?”

  “Sorry, ma’am. I can’t give out that information.”

  “Never mind,” she snapped. “I’ll find him myself.”

  Reece drew a sharp breath and asked her one more time. “Why doesn’t anyone remember seeing you out back at the fence?”

  Elizabeth glared. “Because, Detective, I left when everyone was headed outside to admire your handiwork.”

  “Without saying goodbye to the birthday girl?”

  “As a matter of fact I did say goodnight to her. She had just told her father’s fiancée that they were out of soda.”

  Truth registered through Reece. “You didn’t mention that before.”

  “I just remembered.” Elizabeth moved away from her desk and lowered herself into a chair next to Reece. “Listen, Detective. I am fully aware that you know about my months in rehab. It’s true that Denni was the one who was forced to turn me down for a child. But I know she was only doing her job. I am not suffering from some kind of vendetta against her. Denni walked me to the door the night of her party. She closed the door behind me. I am not guilty.”

  Reece stood. If his instincts panned out, then this woman was innocent. And that led his investigation straight back to the girls.

  She made herself small against the side of the building as Denni’s car pulled into the parking garage. The baby nuzzled against her, smelling fresh and sweet. Oh, Mother would be so completely happy. They would be a family. And Denni Mahoney would never take this little girl from her mommy.