Cradle Of Secrets (14 page)

But she wouldn't tell Dylan that. Just because she was uncomfortable, that didn't mean Dylan should stay and risk falling asleep at the wheel because he'd stayed up all night watching the house. And she had a feeling he would, if she voiced her concerns.

She followed him to the door.

“Are you really okay?”

She answered honestly. “I don't know. I mean, it's just a scraped knee, but…”

“But what?”

She closed her eyes, felt his fingertips on her chin, lifting it ever so slightly. When she opened her eyes again, he was staring directly into her eyes.

“Tell me.”

“After today, I'm not sure I'm strong enough to handle what I find out. That accident today—in part, it was my own fault.”

His brow furrowed.

“No, really,” she insisted. “I've been so preoccupied with finding out information about my parents. I kept thinking I had to talk to everyone, and I was so eager to talk to people that I wasn't paying attention. Maybe that man was right, and I just shouldn't have been there.”

He nodded, but didn't appear convinced. “Do you really think that accident wasn't staged?”

“You think it was?”

He shrugged. “Did you see the name on the truck? Aztec Corporation?”

“What about it?”

“I've seen that name before, and I can't remember where. It's just a hunch, but it's worth checking out.”

She lowered her head, feeling the weight of the day crashing around her. “No one knew we were going to be there,” she said.

“But they knew we were in town. Being at the auction grounds was a logical next step. Hey, are you sure you're okay?”

She gave Dylan a weak smile. “I don't know if I'm strong enough to handle all this.”

He looked at her, seemed to read the uncertainty she felt. Then he said, “You don't give yourself enough credit, lady. You're a lot stronger than you think.”

“How can you tell?”

“Because the woman who came all the way across the country and made her way into this house after I tried for a month to do the same is incredibly smart…and brave. You may be feeling alone right now, Tammie, but you have to know this—not only is God with you, but I'm here, too.”

Tears pressed against Tammie's eyes. Dylan had touched upon the exact sense of insecurity she'd been feeling. She'd struggled to stay strong, but everything she learned seemed to be pulling her farther away from her parents, instead of bringing her the closeness she sought.

“Thank you for that.”

His voice was low when he spoke again. “You're welcome.”

He bent his head and came closer to her. He was going to kiss her, she knew. Cupping her cheek, he pressed his lips tenderly to her mouth.

He wasn't in any hurry to break the connection, and neither was Tammie. She leaned into the kiss, reaching her arms up to his shoulders. Dylan's arm dropped to her waist. He linked his hands, enveloping her in his embrace in a way that made Tammie feel sheltered, not possessed.

She liked the feeling. She liked even better the way this man who was sometimes gruff, sometimes tender, was kissing her.

The kiss ended sooner than Tammie would have liked, leaving her dazed and unsteady on her feet.

Dylan's face registered shock, and he drew in a deep breath. “I'm s—”

“Don't. Don't say it,” she said softly, placing her fingers gently against his lips. “I'm not.”

His gaze lingered on her face as he placed his hand on her cheek again, rubbing it with the pad of his thumb. She leaned into the warmth of his touch, and her head began to swim. It felt good to be this close, to feel this connection to someone who understood. It had felt even better moments earlier, when she was in his arms.

Bending forward again, he kissed her head and said, “Good night, Tammie.”

“Good night.”

Tammie closed the door behind him, and Dylan stepped out onto the porch. The cool night air slapped him hard in the face as he stepped off the porch steps and onto the walkway.

Guilt crept into his mind. “The last thing she needed was a kiss from a guy she hardly knows, Dyl,” he said to himself.

But as he walked up the path, he thought of how nice Tammie had felt in his arms, the feeling that had enveloped him and still hung on.

“This isn't what I came here for, Lord,” he muttered, looking at the bright stars up in the sky as he walked the short distance to his Jeep with unsteady legs. “I didn't expect to feel this way about her.”

When he got to the place where he'd parked his Jeep, he climbed in and gunned the engine. With the top off, it was going to be a cold ride back to the campground, but it would keep him awake and alert.

Tomorrow he'd go to the library and check to see if Sonny had e-mailed him the information he'd asked for. If she hadn't, it'd be time to call in favors from a few friends in Chicago. This small town's resources were limited. He needed a big-city computer and a few people who were good at sniffing out facts. Sonny was more than capable, but he needed someone with access she didn't have.

But all that could wait until tomorrow morning. He needed to shake off this feeling that had him reeling. For so many years, he'd been alone. Oh, he had a loving family with Sonny, Cash and their parents. He had more cousins than he knew the names of. He was rich with family.

Sonny hadn't had to push that hard to get him to leave the Marines, he realized. He'd been ready. All he'd really needed was a reason to go in another direction. He just wished he'd timed it better, come home before Cash had gotten into whatever trouble caused him to disappear.

Family had always been important to Dylan. But he'd never concentrated on having a family of his own. After that kiss with Tammie tonight, thoughts of what he'd been missing drifted in and out of his mind. But he needed her to help find Cash. He was sure of that. And he didn't need to have anything cloud his thinking.

And yet, as he pulled onto the road that led to the campground, he wondered if a little clouding might just do him good.

T
ammie looked at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her teeth in her private bathroom. She'd somehow managed to get showered, fully dressed, and put together, but she was still half asleep.

After Dylan left last night—or rather midmorning—sleep had been impossible, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the way Dylan had kissed her.

Serena had been quiet last night, but every once in a while, Tammie had heard sounds from the other side of the bedroom wall. Tammie had struggled to hear, but couldn't make out a word of what Serena was saying.

She'd go to her this morning and talk to her. She was determined to find out the truth about what was going on in this family. In this house.

“Will you be having breakfast this morning?” Susan asked as Tammie walked out the door into the hallway. Susan held a tray of food. She walked past Tammie and stopped at Serena's bedroom door.

Tammie wasn't hungry, but she decided it would get Susan out of Serena's room if she had to go back downstairs to fix breakfast for her.

“I'd love some scrambled eggs,” she said, seeing how Serena's plate was filled. “And that orange juice looks good, too.”

“Would you like some buttered toast?” Susan asked.

“No. Eggs will be enough. Thank you. I'll take this one in to Serena.”

“But I was just going to feed her.”

“I can take care of that while you get my eggs. Serena might like having someone eat with her, instead of just feeding her.”

“She needs her strength. Make sure she drinks all her juice.”

“I will. Thanks.”

She took the tray from Susan's hands and went into the room. Aurore was already there, propping Serena up with pillows.

Lord, am I ever going to get a moment's peace?

She chose her words carefully. “Did she have a good night?”

Aurore didn't look up, just held Serena by the chin and looked into her eyes.

“She's awake enough to eat. I need to get some nourishment into her. My poor girl seems to be wasting away on me.”

“I'll do it.” Aurore looked up then, saw the tray Tammie was holding in her hands. “Is there a problem with that?”

Aurore shook her head slightly. “She may not take anything from you.”

“If she doesn't, I'll call for help.”

Aurore paused a moment. “I can understand why you think it is so important to be here.”

“Do you? Do you really?” The tray was getting heavy in Tammie's hands and the muscles in her arms were beginning to protest. She wanted to put the tray down, but she held it firm.

“Yes. But I don't think you'll find what you're looking for. Your parents died, Tammie. I know you're upset, but you can't get them back by digging up the past.”

“Why did they take me from here?”

“I can't give you that answer.”

“You can't—or won't?”

“Does it matter?”

“To me it does. You knew my mother. I know you did.”

Aurore straightened. “Yes, your mother and I were very close friends.”

Tammie hadn't expected Aurore's words, or her own reaction to them. She couldn't wrap her mind around any of this. How could Aurore have been her mother's
close
friend all these years and she not know it?

“You were?” she asked incredulously.

“Don't act so surprised. We both grew up here in Eastmeadow. We went to school together from the time we were in elementary school. By now you know your parents lived here, worked here.”

At Tammie's shocked expression, Aurore added, “I assumed you knew. I thought…How did you end up here?”

Aurore walked across the length of the floor, grabbed the tray from Tammie's hand. “Let me take this before you drop it. Her eggs are getting cold.”

“Who's Dutch?”

Aurore kept her gaze on Serena, who started to stir in the bed. “How do you know that name?”

“I found a letter with my mother's things. It mentioned closing up their house and taking care of things. I didn't know my mother had lived here all her life. I just found the letter…”

Aurore offered up the first smile Tammie had seen from her. If you could really call it a smile. “And you were curious.”

“That doesn't mean I've found what I'm looking for.”

“And you won't. It doesn't exist. Not the way you want it to exist.”

“What about Cash Montgomery? He existed.”

The mention of Dylan's brother's name got a reaction from Aurore. “Don't bother trying to deny that Serena knows him. Dylan showed me the picture of the two of them. It's clear they had a relationship.”

“What makes you think that?”

Tammie sighed. “Please. Don't insult me by pretending they didn't know each other.”

“Oh, Serena knew Cash Montgomery. She met him when she was in college.”

Tammie stopped short. After so many secrets, for Aurore to suddenly give up information freely was a little unsettling. Just when she thought she knew how to handle the woman, Aurore tossed her a curveball.

“That must have been about ten years ago or so.”

“Actually, Serena didn't attend college until quite a few years after she'd been out of high school.”

“Because of her illness?”

Aurore shook her head. “There were a lot of reasons. She never finished. College, that is. She couldn't handle the course load, because it caused too much stress.”

“She looked fine in the picture I saw. She looked happy.”

“Pictures are deceiving.”

“Dylan never mentioned Cash being a college student just a few years ago,” Tammie said. She was fishing for information. She had no idea that Cash had even gone to college, let alone when he would have gone.

Aurore glanced at her and smirked. “He wasn't a student.”

“Oh.”

Then Aurore bent over and kissed Serena on the head. “If you insist on feeding her, make sure she drinks. She needs it. I don't want her to become dehydrated.” She moved the bedside cart with the food tray next to the bed. “She has a hard time feeding herself in this state, so you'll have to do all the work. And it could get messy.”

She sighed and looked at Tammie, and her mouth moved as if she were going to say something more. But then she just walked to the door.

“Why won't you say it?”

With her hand on the doorknob, Aurore asked, “What?”

“That I'm Eleanor Davco's daughter. Why won't you just admit it?”

Aurore's eyes glassed over. “Connie always told me you were like Eleanor. She would be pleased. To this day, I still miss her. I miss both of them.”

When she was gone, Tammie realized that was probably the closest Aurore would come to admitting she was Serena's sister.

Her eyes were blurry from unshed tears. Dylan had said she was strong, but she didn't know how much of the truth she could take. The truth about why her parents had taken her away and why they had never told her she had a sister.

Serena was staring at her. Her eyes were vacant, but every once in a while Tammie saw some sign of recognition. Almost as if Serena were trying to break free.

“Are you hungry, Serena?” she asked, not knowing what else to say.

“B-Babies. They steal b-b-abies.” Her voice was soft and weak.

Tammie lifted from the chair and put her face in front of Serena's. “You are in there, my sister. I know you are. I know you're trying to tell me something. I pray you'll be able to tell me everything soon.”

But Serena's eyes went blank again, and Tammie felt the weight of defeat on her shoulders.

The door opened, and Susan came in with another tray of scrambled eggs. Even though Tammie had specifically said she didn't want buttered toast, Susan had gone to the trouble of making it.

“Thank you. I'll take it from here,” Tammie said.

Susan left the room with a frosty glare.

“I'm going to take care of you, Serena. I promise you that. But you need to keep up your strength. You need to drink something.”

She lifted the cup of orange juice to Serena's lips, but then she paused and pulled the cup away. Serena had changed since she'd come to the mansion. On the day Tammie arrived, Serena had been much more lucid. What had changed to make her this way?

What if it wasn't really mental illness that was keeping Serena bedridden? She certainly looked fine in the photo Dylan had given her. What if Aurore and Susan really didn't want Serena to talk to her and Dylan?

Tammie shook her head at her own thoughts. What possible reason would they have for doing that to Serena? Despite everyone in the house being a little off, it did appear that they had genuine concern for her well-being.

“Oh, Tammie, girl,” she muttered to herself. “You're starting to get a little too paranoid.”

Serena shook her head slowly and blinked her eyes, as if she was forcing herself to do it. The movements were slight, but Tammie caught them and looked directly at her sister.

“If you can understand me, Serena, do that again.”

Serena blinked and shook her head.

Smiling, Tammie looked at the food on Serena's tray, then at hers. Would they poison her, as well?

“I've got to be out of my mind,” Tammie whispered, with what sounded to her like a slightly hysterical laugh. “Do you want to eat this, Serena?”

Serena shook her head weakly.

“Then don't,” she said, dropping the fork on the plate and pushing the eggs away. “I'll come back with food for you. I'll make it myself.”

If the food was laced with drugs, what would they put it in? The eggs? Probably not. The heat would probably weaken the effect of any drugs. The juice? Possibly. She wasn't going to take any chances on any of it.

She looked at the food Susan had brought in for her. The staff knew that Dylan was keeping a close watch over her while she was here. If anything happened to her, they had to know they wouldn't get away with it. But who was looking out for Serena?

“I won't let anything happen to you,” she said, looking into her sister's vacant eyes.

“Serena? Do you hear me?” It was as if Serena were looking right through her, not seeing her at all. Then her eyes shifted and her mouth moved, but Tammie couldn't make out what she was trying to say.

“Babies?” Tammie asked. “They're stealing babies? Whose babies?”

But then Serena was gone again, lost to whatever had a hold on her.

“You are in there. I know you are. And I'm going to help you, so you can finally tell me what you've been trying to say since I arrived.”

Taking the drink and the plate of eggs to the private bathroom, she poured half of the eggs down the toilet and two thirds of the glass of juice. There was no use letting anyone think Serena had drunk the whole glass, if she didn't normally do so. Better to let them think she'd consumed some of it.

When she got back to the room, Serena's eyes were brighter and she was sitting rigid against the pillow, as if it were taking every ounce of energy she had.

“What is it, Serena?” Tammie touched her sister's cheek, felt the sweat that was bubbling on her skin.

“They're…stealing…babies…. They'll…take you away…too.”

 

“She's worse,” Tammie said, climbing into Dylan's Jeep. They'd gotten a late start, because Dylan had slept so late. He was kicking himself for not setting the alarm on his cell phone so that he could have gotten here earlier.

Tammie's face was drawn and marred with worry. He let the engine idle.

“How much worse can she get?” he asked.

“Aurore mentioned giving Serena sedatives. I think it's the drugs that are making her like this. I think they're giving her too much.”

He was silent for a moment, thinking about the possibility. He could tell she was waiting for a response.

When he offered none, she said, “Okay, I know. You think I'm being paranoid. Yeah, I've already gone there myself. I'm way past you're-on-to-something to the point where I'm beginning to think I might just join Serena in that other world she's in.”

“It's a pretty strong accusation. But given Serena's mental state so far, I wouldn't put it past Aurore or Susan to overmedicate her to keep her quiet.”

Tammie nodded and stared at the trees by the old barn at the back of the mansion. He was anxious to get to the library to use the computer, but he wasn't going to rush Tammie.

“Serena repeated what she'd said the other night.”

“About stealing babies?”