Double Jeopardy (Entangled Select) (11 page)

“Sure, look up the name and call me anytime, Josh,” she invited with a fleeting, hopeful smile. “In fact, call if you just want to talk. You’ve certainly listened to me enough times that it’s only fair I return the favor.”

“Yeah, I’ll call you about the plant,” he muttered.

A strange look appeared in her eyes as she watched him. “The courthouse grapevine says you and the new coroner have a thing going. Are you sure that’s safe?”

Josh only hoped none of his unease showed. “Hell, Mitzi, nowadays, dating anyone is considered a crapshoot. No offense to your sex. And while I know everyone’s talking about me and Dr. Hunter, there’s really nothing going on.” He wondered if he sounded convincing. He must have since Mitzi’s expression didn’t show any doubt.

“I wasn’t trying to pry. Just be careful,” she advised, before walking away.

Josh stood there watching her until she was out of sight. He’d have to give Kevin a call as soon as he could get to a phone where he could guarantee he would not be overheard.

…

Lauren’s mood hadn’t improved by the time she got home that evening. She ate a sketchy dinner, then went into her office to go over an article she was writing for a medical journal. Except as she stared at the words, nothing made sense. She finally gave up and retired to a hot bubble bath and her Kindle protectively wrapped in a waterproof pouch. She grew so immersed in the plot of the book she was reading that she almost dropped the tablet in the water when the phone rang. Silently praying it wasn’t a call sending her out to a crime scene, she reached for her cell phone that sat on the commode.

“Dr. Hunter,” she said crisply.

“Remember your promise, Doctor, because you don’t want me angry at you,” the taunting voice whispered. “If you believe this is only an idle threat, there are ways to show you how I keep my word.”

Lauren hung up, and then placed the phone on the floor with great care. She climbed out of the tub and had just wrapped a towel around her body when the phone rang again. This time she let it ring three times before she picked it up.

“Yes?”

“No hello? Not even a professional doctor’s voice?’

She sat on the side of the tub before her legs collapsed under her. She’d never imagined that Josh’s voice would be so welcome. She blurted it out before she could think twice. “She just called.”

“What did she say?” His voice was sharp.

“Just the usual about staying away from you.”

“You’re lying, Lauren.”

“Damn it, Josh, you’re acting like a prosecutor bullying a defendant, and I don’t appreciate your heavy handed approach.” She shut the phone off, then cursed again when it immediately rang. “
What
?”

“Don’t you dare hang up on me.”

She punched the
off
button with so much force she was surprised the phone didn’t crack. It rang again. By then she was past caring if it was Josh again or someone else. “
Shit
! Stop calling! It’s bad enough I can’t even slam the damn phone down to make a point!” She pulled in another breath to make another heated point when a sound on the other end stopped her. He was laughing! “This is not funny, Josh! Stop it!”

“You don’t consider it funny that you’re pissed off because you can’t slam down your cell? Personally, I consider it the best thing I’ve heard all day. Please, Lauren, don’t hang up again. We need to talk.” He paused as if figuring she’d hang up again.

When she didn’t, he quickly continued. “Did Norman ever show up?”

“No.” She reached for her robe and pulled it on around her. “I questioned everyone, but no one saw him or remembered anyone going into my office when I wasn’t around. It’s either a conspiracy on everyone’s part, or they genuinely didn’t know anything.”

“Mitzi Harper told me she’s a big lover of plants. She also suggested I be careful. That came right after she mentioned your name,” Josh told her. “I’m at Kevin Peterson’s house right now. We’re doing some brainstorming while he does a more extensive background check on her.”

“She’s the one you helped get out of an abusive marriage?”

“Yeah.” Muffled sounds came though before he spoke in a lower voice. “Are you sure you’re all right? The call didn’t upset you too much?”

“I’m no more upset than I’d be if it was your run-of-the-mill obscene caller. I’m more ticked off than anything because I was in the tub feeling pretty relaxed before she called. And that mood is ruined!”

“Bath, huh? Did you use scented bubble bath? Want some company?”

“Don’t be a pervert, Josh.” She thought quickly. “If it will make you feel any better, we can meet for lunch tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me. Some nice out-of-the-way place?”

“Sounds even better.” She deliberately made her voice husky and inviting, the kind that kept men panting for more. “And Josh? Why don’t you bring Detective Peterson along? That way, if we’re under observation, she’ll think it’s nothing more than a business meeting.” She hung up before Josh could say anything more. She waited a few beats and when the phone remained silent, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Lauren had to admit Josh’s phone call had accomplished one thing. She wasn’t as jittery over the first call as she’d felt before.

…

“Now that you’re finished talking dirty to the coroner, are you ready to tell me what happened?”

Josh turned back to Kevin. “She got another call. I don’t remember saying anything dirty to her, either.”

“It wasn’t what you said, but what you implied, ole buddy. You want to get in the lady’s pants real bad, admit it.” The detective lit up a cigarette. “You’ve got one woman about ready to kill any woman you get near, and here you are, raring to get in trouble again. You’ve got a problem.”

Josh settled back in the couch. “The problem is my feelings toward Lauren are more than just sexual. I admit I’ve played around more than I should have, but that’s because I hadn’t found anyone who kept my attention the way she does.”

“She’s kept your attention because you haven’t met under normal circumstances. It’s like a cop having to guard a beautiful woman for a long time or a prisoner becoming involved with his jailer,” Kevin pointed out. “I’d wait and see how I felt once this whole mess is wrapped up.”

“Someone stole her skeleton today.”

“Ordinarily, I’d say something really asinine about that, but too many strange things have happened with the two of you.” Kevin drained the last of his beer and headed for the kitchen. “Want another beer?”

Josh shook his head. “And have you just for kicks call a black and white to pull me over?”

“Spend the night,” Kevin invited, coming back with two more beer cans. “The guest room bed is made up and you won’t have to worry about your lady friend calling you up in the middle of the night. If she called the doc, she’s probably going to call you, too.”

“Except she’ll think I’m at Lauren’s.”

He shook his head. “Knowing her, if she thought that, she’d head out for Lauren’s house and not find your car. She might even be staking out Lauren’s house right now.” He held up a silencing hand before Josh could speak. “I set up regular drive-bys, so don’t worry too much.” He handed him one of the beer cans. “Just drink and relax. You’re getting too uptight. I’ll add the missing skeleton to the lady’s list. At this rate, you could spend an entire morning in court just listening to the list of charges.”

Josh popped the tab and drank deeply. “That’s one morning I wouldn’t feel was wasted.”

…

She had a perfect view of Kevin Peterson’s family room. The patio door vertical blinds had been conveniently left open so she could sit back in the shadows and watch Josh.

She was glad to see he was spending time with Kevin. Kevin was a very nice man. She already knew he was trying to find out who she was, but she wasn’t worried. She had covered her tracks too well. She didn’t think that made Kevin a bad detective, not when he was dealing with someone as clever as she was. She only wished he’d made it easier for her to access the file he’d compiled on her. She still hadn’t been able to crack the password-protected file and she’d love to know what he thought about her. Oh well, maybe someday she’d let him know who she was. Maybe she’d announce it at his retirement dinner. Wouldn’t that make a lovely retirement gift? Much better than a gold watch!

She sat back in the lawn chair she’d pulled off into the woods where she could sit undisturbed and lovingly studied Josh’s every gesture as he talked to Kevin. She made note of the dark green polo shirt he wore with jeans that molded so nicely to his body. Watched the way his hands moved as he talked and imagined them on her. Her breathing deepened before she could pull herself back under control.

She wondered if Lauren had tracked him down to whine about the call she’d made to her earlier. Just as quickly, she dismissed the idea. After all, he was still here and not racing to Lauren’s house, giving the bitch the sympathy she didn’t deserve. Just as Celia always looked for sympathy anytime she tried one of her whorish stunts and failed. But she still lost in the end. Just as Lauren would lose. She just hoped her call had made her nervous. If it didn’t, well, that was all right, too, because she never liked to leave anything to chance. She’d also made sure to leave Lauren another warning that was a little more tangible than a phone call. Too bad she didn’t know how to rig up a hidden camera in Lauren’s house. She only wished she could see Lauren’s face tomorrow morning when she discovered the surprise she’d left her.

Chapter Ten

“It’s about time you showed up here. Where the hell have you been?”

“Whatever happened to ‘Good morning, Lord and Master Boss’?” Josh walked past his secretary and into his office. He dropped his briefcase on his desk before walking around and falling into his chair.

“The day I say something that ridiculous is the day you’ll have to put me away for strangling you for even suggesting I say it.” Ginnie stopped short as she surveyed his gray features and bloodshot eyes. “You look like hell.”

He thought of the untold amounts of beer he’d consumed at Kevin’s house last night, and then had a hazy recollection of falling into bed still clothed. He didn’t even want to think about when Sharon, Kevin’s wife, informed them she would not tolerate hangovers even as he tried to ease his way out of the house. With time running against him, he realized there was no chance of going home first and taking a quick shower. He opted to stop at his health club and use the shower there. Good thing he kept a change of clothing in the car.

“Yeah, well, you ought to look at the world from my end.” He rummaged through his desk, found a bottle of aspirin, and tossed four in his mouth. He made a face as he crunched down on the dry tablets.

“I called your cell, called your landline, and I left messages at the police station, sheriff’s station, and anywhere else I could think of,” Ginnie said, looming over him. “Silly me. I didn’t think about trying the bars.”

Josh closed his eyes in hopes that not looking at her would drown out her voice. It didn’t work. “Kevin and I spent the night brainstorming, all right? What can be so important that you played bloodhound?”

The charged silence brought one eye open. He looked up, noticing that Ginnie’s furious expression wasn’t her usual one. This wasn’t the expression that told him he was late and she was mad he hadn’t called in to tell her. No, he had a sense this was something much more serious. He quickly swallowed the pasty mass in his mouth, certain that granules were sticking all along the sides of his throat. A sinking feeling hit his still-sensitive stomach. “It’s about Lauren Hunter, isn’t it? What happened?”

“Detective Peterson called about a half hour ago and he sounded the way you look. He was at the emergency room, taking Dr. Hunter’s report. All he would say was that she’d had an accident and he thought you should know.” Ginnie stepped back before Josh could mow her down as he bolted out of the room. As he passed her, she grabbed his arm. “Calm down, Josh, or you won’t do her or yourself any good.”

“Not until I know what happened to her.”

She glanced around and lowered her voice. “We both know her troubles are tied up with yours. You’re going to have to be very careful. This isn’t the case of some jokester showing up in a hearse at a company party.”

Josh looked down at the woman he believed was an extension of himself. “Thanks for your concern, Ginnie. You know what to say if anyone calls in for me.”

“I’ve already said something unavoidable came up. Just be grateful you didn’t have to go to court today. I doubt you could have gotten out of that.”

“Don’t bet on it.” He was gone before she could say another word.

Josh had no recollection of driving to the hospital. He parked the car haphazardly, cutting off another driver for a space close to the emergency room entrance, and ran inside.

“I’m Assistant District Attorney Brandon,” he told a clerk at the desk. “Detective Peterson is here with a Dr. Hunter.”

“Wait over there and I’ll have someone with you in a minute.”

Josh leaned across the counter and displayed his ID. “Look, miss, we’re talking about a crime, and I need to be present. So I suggest you tell me where they are. Now. “

She shot him a look filled with dislike before checking a clipboard. “Go on through, they’re near the back.”

Josh hit the door with his palm, walking swiftly through, glancing through cracks in the curtains surrounding each gurney. As he reached the rear of the large room, he heard Kevin’s low voice and Lauren’s, huskier than usual. He whipped the curtain aside and stepped into the closed-off area.

“My God.” He stepped forward with his hand outstretched to touch her face, then quickly pulled back as he saw her problem. He settled for putting his hands on her shoulders. He whipped around to Kevin. “What the hell happened?” He turned his gaze back to Lauren, taking in skin that looked raw to the touch, some of it bleeding in parts. Ointment shone on her skin.

Kevin grimaced. “The doc, here, was scrubbing her face with a facial cream this morning and soon found out her skin was stinging like crazy. She said she looked in the mirror and saw that there were spots of blood all over the skin and it was bright. She kinda blanked out after that. A neighbor heard her screaming and came running. She called 911 the minute she saw her. You got to admit she’s got a good pair of lungs if the neighbor could hear her, considering the distance between those houses.”

“It hurts so much,” Lauren whispered, as Josh gently pulled her toward him. He was careful not to touch her tortured face with even his shirtfront. He dreaded even the soft cotton abrading her skin.

“There was ground glass in her face cream, along with some kind of caustic agent that must have burned like hell when it touched her skin. We won’t know what it is until we get the report back from the lab. The crime scene crew is going over her house right now,” the detective explained. “The doctor who treated her said she basically got an industrial chemical peel. He said there shouldn’t be any scarring, but her skin is going to feel real sensitive for a while.”

“He also said I better not plan on tanning this summer. I reminded him I’m a doctor, and aware of the hazards of too much sun. He just laughed and said he might be a doctor, but that hasn’t stopped him from smoking three packs a day. Personally, I didn’t find it very funny.” Lauren swayed slightly. “They gave me something for the pain,” she mumbled. “I hate sedatives. They always make me feel weird.” She pressed her hand against his chest. “Not too close, please. My face feels as if I’ve had a massive sunburn and I don’t want anything touching it.” Her eyes kept closing. “She said she was going to give me something to remember, so I wouldn’t forget my promise. You know, there is one word I really hate used in conjunction with women, but it fits her. She’s a very sick bitch.” She swayed backward this time. Josh carefully eased her down until she lay back on the pillow.

He gestured for Kevin to step outside the cubicle. “Sick isn’t the word. What kind of person does something this disgusting?” He glanced past the curtain, reassured to see her eyes still closed as she gave in to the sedative.

“Someone who hoped her little trick would make the doc so ugly you wouldn’t want her anymore, that’s what kind.” Kevin flipped his notebook shut and pushed it into the back pocket of his jeans. “When I went out back this morning, I discovered one of our lawn chairs was missing. I did a little snooping and finally found it just past the trees. Whoever sat there had a good view of the family room last night.” He waited a beat. “How much you wanna bet she was out there watching us?”

Josh shook his head. The anger he felt inside had completely obliterated his hangover. “That’s not a bet I’d take.” He glanced between the curtains to make sure Lauren was asleep. “Lauren talked about a promise she was supposed to keep and the woman said something about it to me. I have an idea it has to do with something when Lauren worked in LA. Maybe even her marriage. Anyone up there you could ask without making any waves?”

“Yeah, I’ll see what I can find, but she’s not going to like us messing in her business.”

His eyes darkened with his fury. “Tough. I’m not going to allow this crazy bitch to rule either of our lives. Besides, maybe it might give us a clue.”

“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.”