by Anne Canadeo
“I’ve heard a little about Rose’s condition. Does she take any prescription drugs?”
“A number of them,” Dana replied honestly. “You should contact her doctor, Timothy Riley, at the Riley-Curtis Wellness Center. He’ll give you the most up-to-date list, but I don’t think Zenotrop is on it right now.”
“Was it ever?” the detective asked curiously.
Dana took a moment to think about her answer. “I’m not sure. Is that important? A lot of people could have access to that drug. You just said so yourself.”
“I’m just gathering information, Dr. Haeger. We need to find out as much as we can about the Pipers. We don’t know what’s significant yet and what’s not. I have to piece together as much as I can about their daily routine, business connections, friends, and romantic relationships. Anyone who might have wished them harm, especially someone who may have ill will toward Holly. Can you help me with that?”
“Holly doesn’t have an enemy in the world. Not that I’m aware of. She has been very focused on the business and on taking care of Rose. I’d have to say her social life has been very limited. She hasn’t had much time for friendships, male or female.”
“She isn’t involved with anyone romantically? Or even in the past?”
“Not for years, that I know of.”
“And you would have known? Holly shares the more intimate details of her life with you?”
“Yes, I think she would have told me. Holly shares her feelings about most things with me. I can’t see how she’d be able to date someone and keep it a secret.”
Maggie recalled the conversation she’d overheard on Friday, while she’d sat outside Dr. Curtis’s office, and realized that she’d forgotten to tell Dana about it. There had been no chance right after they’d left the center with Rose in the car, and after that, it had slipped her mind entirely.
But she didn’t think that now was a good time to offer the information, either. She’d tell Dana about it privately and see if she wanted to put it forward to Detective Reyes.
“The only man Holly spent time with recently was a helper she hired last week. Carl Thornton,” Dana added. “I had a bad impression of him from the start, but Holly insisted he was qualified to work in the nursery. I was glad to hear that he didn’t last very long, but . . . now I wonder. He quit Tuesday morning, the same day as the fire. Strange coincidence, don’t you think?”
Detective Reyes was making notes on a small pad. She paused and looked up at Dana, her dark eyes bright with interest. “It could be. Tell me more about him. What do you know?”
With Maggie’s help, Dana told the detective how Thornton had appeared Thursday night during the storm, and told Holly he’d knocked down part of the fence.
“Holly insisted she’d sent him a message and told him not to come back. But he did, anyway, at the crack of dawn and then talked himself into a job,” Dana told her. “And worked only for a few days.”
Detective Reyes made another note. “We’ll follow up on Thornton right away. Maybe we can track him down with a phone number.”
“He put his number in Holly’s phone last Thursday night. You should find it there,” Dana replied. “And I think she said he was renting a room in Rowley. She must have put his address in her phone or saved it somewhere in her business records.”
“Maybe. But I’d say Piper Nursery is the type of business that mostly employs temporary help. An employer such as that . . . Well, records tend to be thin.”
“There must be a lot of ways these days to locate someone who doesn’t want to be found,” Dana said. “Electronic trails, security cameras and all that?”
Maggie could tell Dana felt frustrated at the possibility that Carl Thornton may have disappeared. Maggie felt the same. She knew it was not wise to jump to conclusions, but he did seem the likely suspect so far.
“We will do our best to track him down, believe me,” Detective Reyes promised.
“I remember something, Detective,” Maggie said suddenly. “Holly dropped by my shop Tuesday morning. She gave me some pansies. She said that she’d just gotten a large shipment of plants. She was starting to fill her inventory. She also mentioned she had some business to do at the bank. Something about wishing money would come in faster than it went out. I thought she meant she was making a large withdrawal to pay suppliers as she stocked up her business. Maybe she had a lot of cash on hand, and someone knew about that.”
“It’s possible, Mrs. Messina. Though we don’t see robbery as a motive right now. I was in the house this morning. It doesn’t appear that anything has been disturbed.”
“Holly had some good jewelry that had belonged to her mother. I’ll look next time I go to the house,” Dana offered.
“Of course. If you notice anything missing, even if it doesn’t seem of value, let me know immediately.”
“Are there any more questions, Detective?” Dana asked. “We should get back to Rose’s room. She might be awake by now.”
“Of course. I won’t keep you. I heard she had a difficult night. A nurse said Rose was hysterical. She threw things and struck one the aides. Does she often have outbursts like that?”
Maggie saw Dana’s cheeks flush. “Rose was in shock. She was frightened and confused. She never behaves like that at home. Well . . . very rarely. Not for a very long time,” Dana insisted. “You can ask Dr. Riley, if you don’t believe me.”
“Aside from her anxiety, she’s seems healthy. Maybe they’ll discharge her today.”
“I hope so. I’m going to work on that,” Dana replied.
“We need to speak to Rose as soon as possible. I understand that her mental capacity is impaired, and there are considerations,” the detective added. “I’d like you to be present for her interview.”
“Absolutely . . . Maybe Dr. Riley should be with us, too. She trusts him. They have a great bond. But even if I take her home today, I doubt she’ll be ready for a police interview right away.”
“I understand. But the sooner she can tell us what she remembers, the faster we’ll find out who attacked her sister and set the fire.”
“Rose adores Holly. She’ll do everything she can to help you. The problem is, Rose may not remember. It’s part of her condition. Extreme stress and fear, like her experience last night, can trigger a fugue state. She’s not really aware of her surroundings or even of time passing. Sometimes, she’ll black out completely. Either way, she has no memory afterward of what’s happened to her.”
Detective Reyes sat back and closed her pad, then held it in her lap. Her lips were drawn in a tight line. She had not expected this wrinkle, that was for sure.
“I didn’t know about that aspect of her condition. We still need to speak with her. Even a fragment of a memory could prove very valuable to the investigation right now.”
It was not what Detective Reyes said that seemed most important. It was what she didn’t say, Maggie thought. With the crime scene unknowingly trampled last night by the fire department and police officers, and with the only eyewitnesses unable to remember the event or unable even to speak, the investigation was grasping for clues.
Dana seemed to understand that, too, and looked distressed.
“I’m sure Rose will try her best to answer your questions. I just doubt she can remember anything that will be helpful.”
“We’ll be the judge of that. I’ll be in touch about the interview. We’d like to do it as soon as she’s able.” Detective Reyes offered her card, and Dana thanked her. “I know this is a very hard time for you, Dr. Haeger. I appreciate your help. I do hope Holly makes a full and speedy recovery.”
Once the police officer was gone, Dana turned to Maggie. “It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours. I’m sure there’s a lot more to uncover. There’s no obvious track to investigate, and she’s feeling stumped right now.”
“I agree. Maybe it was Carl Thornton, after all. I bet they catch up with him by the end of the day.” Maggie wasn’t quite as sure he would be found as
she sounded, but she wanted to offer Dana some hope that an answer would be found quickly to these dark questions
They had walked down the hall and got into an empty elevator. Dana pressed the number for Rose’s floor.
“We forgot to tell Detective Reyes about the branch that fell and nearly hit Holly,” Maggie said. “It’s probably not important. But she said anything might be helpful.”
“I didn’t forget,” Dana admitted quietly. “I was about to tell her, then realized it showed Thornton in a positive light. Frankly, I didn’t want to give Detective Reyes any reason to take him off the top of her suspect list.”
“I see your point,” Maggie replied. “A very short list right now, too,” she added. She was quiet a moment as the elevator glided down another floor. Then she said, “But I’m just thinking now, What if what we saw that day was totally the opposite of what it seemed to be?”
Dana turned with a puzzled look. “Opposite? What do you mean?”
“What if Thornton had purposely weakened that branch while he was up on the ladder, and had wanted it to fall on Holly? But once you and I appeared unexpectedly, he didn’t go through with the plan. And instead made it look as if he was eager to protect her.”
Dana looked shocked by the idea and took a sharp breath.
“Maggie . . . that’s a terrifying thought. But truly insightful.”
Maggie took her words as a compliment. “Just a possibility. Things are not always what they seem.”
“A good possibility that makes sense to me. The way he was the first to hear the branch fall and acted so quickly was uncanny,” Dana pointed out. “I couldn’t reconcile the man who put himself in danger to save Holly with someone who would drug her and leave her to die in a fire. Now it makes sense. He wasn’t saving her from the branch, only revising his plan and sparing her a little while.”
“Why he would want to hurt Holly is another question altogether,” Maggie replied. “But you should tell Detective Reyes. When she finds Thornton, she can ask him herself.”
The elevator door slid open, and a bell rang, punctuating their conversation. Like a sign from the universe that they were on the right track, Maggie thought.
When they reached Rose’s room, they heard voices within. Maggie expected to find a nurse or a doctor, but when they stepped inside, they found Dr. Riley standing by Rose’s bed.
Rose was awake, sitting up against the pillows. She looked pale, with dark rings below her eye and a bleak, frightened expression. Maggie’s heart went out to her.
“Aunt Dana . . . the nurse said you were here, but you left. I was worried you went home.”
“Of course not, sweetheart.” Dana was instantly at Rose’s side. She leaned over and hugged her. “I’m glad to see you awake again. How do you feel?”
“Not so bad. I have a smoky smell in my nose and my throat. It’s awful . . . What happened to me? Dr. Riley said there was a fire last night in our greenhouse?”
“That’s all I’ve told her so far.” His deep voice was calm but somber. He met Dana’s glance, his expression deeply concerned.
“What about my dogs? Are the dogs all right?” Rose turned back to Dana, looking very anxious. Dana put her arm around Rose’s shoulder to soothe her.
“The dogs are fine. Lucy just went to visit them.”
Rose looked a little calmer. Her eyes darted back to Dana. “I want to go home. I feel fine. They should let me out of here. You know how I hate hospitals.” Maggie could only imagine why that might be. Dana had never mentioned it, but perhaps Rose had been hospitalized for her condition. Of course, just being in this environment would upset her.
Dr. Riley reached over and squeezed her hand. “You’ve been through a frightening experience, Rose. It’s all right to feel scared and unsettled. Anybody would be. We know you can’t remember what happened, but once you feel better we can work on recovering those memories. If you want to,” he added.
Rose nodded, her chin trembling. Maggie thought she might start to cry. “Where’s Holly? Isn’t she coming to see me?”
Maggie was stunned at the question. Then not so stunned. It was likely that none of the medical staff Rose had seen so far were permitted to give her information on her sister.
Dana sat on the edge of Rose’s bed and took her hand. “I know you don’t remember what happened last night, honey. You and Holly were both hurt in the fire. She’s in the hospital, too, on a different floor. She needs more help than you. But she’s going to be all right,” Dana promised.
Rose sat up and stared at Dr. Riley, then back at Dana. “Holly’s hurt? I need to see her.”
She threw back the sheet and began to climb out of the bed. She must have been attached to an alarm or something, Maggie realized when a beeping sound started. Dana took hold of her arm to slow her down, and Dr. Riley rushed around to help, too.
“Calm down, Rose. We’re going to help you,” he said. “Try to sit still for a moment and take a few deep breaths.”
Rose stared up at him with a defiant look. If anything, she wanted to move even faster. But corralled by Dana and Dr. Riley, she had little choice but to follow his instructions.
“We’ll take you to Holly. I promise,” Dana said. “But I want to explain first. She needs a machine to help her breathe, and the doctors have put her to sleep so she can rest and heal. She’s attached to a lot of tubes and wires. She won’t know you’re there or be able to talk to you.”
Rose nodded, her eyes glassy with tears. She seemed to be making an effort to stay calm but looked even more determined to see her sister.
“I understand. If you won’t take me there, I’ll figure it out myself.” She turned to Dr. Riley. “And I don’t want any more pills that put me to sleep.”
“We understand,” he said calmly. There was a bathrobe at the bottom of the bed, hospital issue, and he held it out to her. Dana had found a pair of hospital slipper socks.
“I’ll tell a nurse where you’re going, and I’ll get Rose’s discharge rolling,” Dr. Riley said. “I don’t see any reason why she needs to stay here. I’ll meet you in a few minutes at Holly’s room.”
Rose’s doctor obviously had the clout to get things moving in the right direction. Maggie and Dana walked Rose down the hall, and after a silent elevator ride, they led Rose to Holly’s room.
Dana stood close to Rose, gently holding her arm. Rose looked frightened but did not hesitate.
The room was dimly lit and very quiet, except for the hum and occasional beep of medical equipment. On a glowing screen, electronic patterns of Holly’s heart rate and breathing appeared and disappeared, as if written by some unseen hand.
A woman stood on the far side of Holly’s bed, shrouded in the shadows. Maggie thought it was Holly’s nurse, then realized it was Dr. Curtis. She stood with her back toward the door as she examined a bag of fluid hanging from an IV pole and connected to Holly’s arm through a plastic line.
Dr. Curtis turned. She looked surprised to see them.
“Poor girls.” Her gaze full of sympathy, she walked toward Rose, who stood frozen near the doorway. “How are you feeling, Rose? The fire must have been terrifying.”
“She doesn’t remember what happened,” Dana said.
“Oh . . . I see. Not a thing?” Dr. Curtis asked.
“Not yet. But when she feels well enough, she’ll work on it with Tim,” Dana said. “He sounded optimistic about recovering some memories.”
Maggie had wondered if there were methods for regaining lost memories of traumatic events. If there were, these doctors would be experts, though it seemed there had not been much success so far in that direction. Hadn’t Dana said that Rose could not remember any details of the car accident that had left her with the injury? But maybe there would be more success uncovering a recent event.
Dana spoke quietly as she led Rose toward the bed. “I know Holly doesn’t look well. But she’s going to be all right. She needs to sleep until she gets her strength back.”
; Rose nodded but didn’t answer. She stepped closer to the bed and rested her hand on Holly’s. “Can I sit with her awhile?”
“Of course you can,” Dana said.
“How long will she be like this?” Rose’s voice trembled, but she was holding herself together. So far anyway.
“The doctors aren’t sure. At least a few days, I think.” Dana touched Rose’s shoulder. “We should know more when I speak to Dr. Gupta today. He’s the specialist who’s helping Holly.”
Dr. Riley appeared. He took a few steps into the room and stopped. “Emily . . . when did you get back?”
“Early this morning. I heard about the fire on the news and came right over.”
Maggie remembered that she had been on a fund-raising trip to Boston and was due to return tonight.
“That was kind of you. Thanks,” Dana said.
Dr. Riley didn’t say anything, Maggie noticed. He met Emily’s gaze and looked over at Holly again.
A nurse came into the room. She checked the medical machinery and made notes on a pad. Then she turned to Dana and spoke in a soft voice. “I’m sorry, we don’t allow this many visitors at once in this ICU. You can come back to see her later, for ten minutes or so each time. Close family only.”
Dr. Curtis picked up her handbag from a chair. “We’d better get back to the center, anyway, right, Tim?”
“You go ahead. I’ll catch up in a little while.”
A flash of annoyance crossed the doctor’s pretty face but just as quickly vanished. She turned to Rose with a kind smile and touched her cheek. “Don’t worry. Holly will be all right, and we’re all here to take care of you while she gets better.”
Dr. Curtis left, and Maggie glanced at Dana. Would Rose raise a fuss when she had to leave her sister?
Dana rested her hand on Rose’s shoulder to catch her attention. “We need to go now, honey. Holly needs to rest. That’s the main thing that will help her get better.”
Rose didn’t answer, her gaze fixed on Holly. When she finally spoke, her tone was bleak. “All right.” She got up slowly and kissed Holly on the forehead. Then she shuffled toward the door, her gaze fixed on the floor.