Hidden in the Shadows (25 page)

Stella’s face was sad. “You’ve talked to Ethan.” She pulled the extra chair over and sat. “Oh, honey, it’s such a mess.”

Over Stella’s shoulder, Maria saw Wyatt come back into the room. She gave a quick shake of her head, and he nodded. Pulling the door closed to give them privacy, he quietly left. Stella, who had missed the exchange as she wiped her eyes, sighed.

Reaching out, Maria grasped the older woman’s hands. “I know you. You’re a good person, a good mother, nothing like my own. You love Ethan, and Beth for that matter. What the hell happened?” she asked quietly.

Stella shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I saw how tense they’ve been lately, and then when those pictures surfaced… you do know about that, right?” Maria nodded. “Well, Lina’s been saying all along that it wouldn’t last, and I guess the pictures just reinforced what she was saying. That, and Beth not getting pregnant. I know Ethan thinks they’ve been trying.”

Something was off about Stella’s reactions. Picking up on that, Maria bit back the sarcastic reply she wanted to deliver. “Beth had some major abdominal trauma when she was shot. She lost an ovary, Stella. I don’t know if you’re aware of that or not. Don’t you think that might have something to do with the fact that she’s had trouble getting pregnant?” Maria wasn’t about to spill the beans everyone had learned on Sunday. “Besides all that, you’ve always loved Beth. You told me when they got married that you’d wanted her for Ethan for years. Why is she suddenly the enemy?”

“Lina says—”

Maria interrupted, “Lina has always hated Beth, ever since high school. She’ll do anything she can to discredit her. What else is going on?”

Stella looked down at her hands. “I’ve been having some trouble with things. With hormones.”

Realization dawned. “You mean menopause?”

She nodded. “Yes. And my thyroid.”

“Are you seeing a doctor for it?”

“James made me go on Monday. He’s furious about all this, has even forbidden Lina from coming to the house until she
grows up
. His own daughter.” She seemed astonished that he would do such a thing. Lina and Allison, Ethan’s other sister, were from James’s first marriage. After his wife had died, Stella had raised the girls as her own.

“Do they have you on meds?” Maria asked.

With a weary sigh, Stella nodded again. “Yes. And the doctor said my thyroid was about as bad as she’d ever seen it. I don’t know how to fix things. Jackie called me; she wants to meet. I’m almost afraid to go.”

Squeezing the other woman’s hands, Maria waited until Stella looked at her. “I’m going to be very blunt. You screwed up, and you really hurt Ethan
and
Beth. But you know that already.”

“I know I hurt Ethan, yes.”

Maria could hardly believe her ears, and she gave her friend’s hands a little shake. “And Beth. You’ve let Lina’s hatred poison the way you look at that girl, Stella. Beth loves Ethan so much, she’d walk through Hell and back for him. As a matter of fact, she’s come about as close as she can to actually doing that and still be alive. Beth is not your enemy.”

When Stella pulled back, Maria could tell she wasn’t ready to hear the truth just yet. She stood and moved the chair back to where it had been. “I’d better let you rest. Is your sister looking out for you?”

Maria blushed. “Yes, and so is Wyatt Dixon.”

The answer seemed to surprise Stella for a minute, but then she winked. “Do tell. You’re certainly in good hands, then.” She bent down and gave her another hug. “Thank you for listening to an old woman, sweetie. I hope you feel better very soon.”

“You’re not old, and I already feel better. Thanks for stopping by, and for the flowers. Will you consider what we talked about?”

With a noncommittal smile, Stella headed for the door. “We’ll see.”

When Stella opened the door, Maria could see Wyatt standing outside the room talking to Richard Hudson.

“Oh. Hello, Sheriff, Richard. If you gentlemen will excuse me?” They stood back to let Stella pass.

“Come on in,” Maria called to the men, then she sat back with a tired groan, stretching her legs out in front of her. “That was interesting.”

“What did she say?” Wyatt asked. “Any idea what’s going on?”

The aide returned with a tray of food, and Maria waited until she left before responding. “Stella has some serious hormonal issues that are probably playing a big role in all this.” She took a bite of the toast. “You might want to ask Jackie to give her an extra week or so before she approaches her. She’ll probably have better results.”

Richard looked perplexed. “How do you know about the effects of thyroid disease?”

“My grandmother. We thought she had dementia, but it turned out to be her thyroid. That little gland can seriously mess a person up. So when can I go home?”

Richard laughed. “Well, you seem ready to go now, but I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait a little while longer. The surgeon will have to release you, and Doctor Howard doesn’t usually make rounds until the evenings. I won’t take you away from your food to examine you, but how are you feeling?”

“That’s the question of the day, Doc. The pain is a little uncomfortable from the surgery, but the agony that brought me here is gone. It’s amazing, actually.”

“Good. That’s perfectly normal. You got very lucky, young lady. Your pancreas wasn’t involved. If it had been, you’d be a guest in this institution for a few days.”

Wyatt said, “Something Maria said when she was drifting in and out is still bothering me. Something along the lines of how there are no secrets in hospitals, that doctor’s know all their patients’ sins. That’s true to some degree. Other than doctors, who else would know a patient’s secrets?”

Richard shrugged. “It depends. Doctors, nurses, anyone who comes into contact with the medical records. Transcriptionists certainly would.” He frowned. “You aren’t thinking this extortionist is someone here, are you?”

“I don’t know what I’m thinking.”

The doctor glanced at his watch and grimaced. “I need to go. Call me if you need anything.” With a wave, he was gone.

Wyatt moved to Maria and helped her stand. “I could have sworn I saw a spark when he said ‘transcriptionist.’”

She slid her arms around his waist. “Good catch, Sheriff. I’ll tell you about it, but first I want something. I’d like a kiss.”

He gave her a mock scowl and leaned closer. “Are you trying to bribe me, Ms. Pace?”

“Yes. Is it working?”

In answer, he nipped gently at her lips, then deepened the kiss, carefully gathering her against him. She could feel his restraint, and too soon, he pulled back.

She cleared her throat. “The victims sourced from Sharon Jenkins’s office? All that info came from medical records. That’s a rich resource for anyone to tap into. I think we should explore the possibility that our extortionist is a transcriptionist, or someone who has access to the records of a transcriptionist.”

“Okay, we will. I’ll call Ethan shortly. But right now, I think you need to rest. That’s your number-one task.”

With a contented smile, she let him help her into bed. “Yes, because as soon as I have the go-ahead, I have plans for you.”

Wyatt gave her another soft kiss. She settled back against the pillows, and closed her eyes. “I’ll just rest for a few minutes,” she told him with a yawn. Within a few seconds, she had drifted off to sleep.

~ * * * ~

As soon as Maria was asleep, Wyatt called Ethan.

“Hey, I have something for you.” He explained the theory. “Take that and run with it. Bring everyone up to date. My gut’s telling me this is something.”

“Sure thing, Boss. How’s the patient?”

“Resting, doing better. She’ll probably be released this evening some time.”

“Good. Are you going to try to take her home with you? You know, I did that, sort of, and ended up married.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Watching you fall?” The detective chuckled. “Hell, yes.”

“Just get onto what we talked about, and quit playing Cupid.”

Ending the call, Wyatt watched Maria as she slept. He had to admit that marriage was something he was considering, something he hadn’t thought he would ever be interested in again. He wondered if Maria felt the same way.

Chapter Thirty Four

By Saturday morning, Maria was ready to climb the walls. She’d been released from the hospital Thursday evening, as Dr. Hudson had predicted. Though she’d wanted to go home with Wyatt, she had finally allowed herself to be convinced to stay at her condo, with Savannah there to help her. Wyatt had the strongest argument.

“You need someone with you for the first couple of days, anyhow. I could be there at night, but not during the day, and I very much doubt Savannah would agree to come to my house and stay with you,” he told her when they were alone. “As much as I want you with me, we need to consider your best interests.”

To her embarrassment, she had cried with disappointment. When he pulled her into his arms and tried to comfort her, she had held on tight and laughed through the tears. “I know. I just don’t want to let you go.”

Wyatt had kissed her tenderly and promised to stop by every night. He’d kept his word, shamelessly bribing Savannah with her favorite ice cream that night, and then a home-cooked meal on Friday evening. When he showed up at lunchtime on Saturday with homemade brownies, Maria was sure her sister was starting to soften.

“I’m only going to the kitchen, so don’t get too touchy-feely,” Savannah warned, taking the brownies with her.

Maria placed her hands on her hips. “You know I can’t eat those right now.”

“I know, but I’ll make you a whole batch just as soon as you can.” He eased her into his arms.

Sliding her hands slowly up his chest, she grinned. “I was hoping you would say that. Can you stay for a while?”

He dropped a kiss onto her lips. “No. I’ve still got some things to take care of at the office. We’ve been chasing down that lead you gave us.”

“Any progress?”

“Maybe. We’ll know more by Monday. Stop that,” he gently scolded, stopping her hand from playing with his collar. Undeterred, she moved on to the buttons on his shirt, looking up at him impishly when he growled. “You’re going to start something we can’t finish right now.”

With reluctance, she stopped teasing him. “Any chance you can break me out of here? Take me with you to the office? You have that nice couch; I could sit quietly there just as well as here.”

Wyatt rested his cheek next to hers. “I wish I could, but no. If I take you to the office, you’ll try to work. But I’ll tell you what. If you’re interested, I’ll pick you up this evening and steal you away for the rest of the weekend.”

“Really?”

He ran his hands over her back. “Oh, yes.”

When she drew in a deep breath, she was surprised to find it shaky. Completely serious, she met his gaze with concern. “We’re in trouble, aren’t we? This isn’t a frivolous fling or something like that, is it?” She was relieved when he didn’t blow off the question.

“No, it isn’t.”

The moment stretched, and Maria couldn’t tear her gaze from his. When her sister’s phone rang in the kitchen, they both jumped.

“If I go home with you, I might not want to come back here,” she warned.

Wyatt’s response was surprising. “I’m okay with that.”

Just as he leaned in to kiss her again, Savannah cleared her throat. Maria couldn’t prevent a small laugh at the disgruntled look that crossed Wyatt’s face.

“So sorry to interrupt, but that was the folks. They’re on the way over to check on Maria.”

With a heartfelt groan, Maria dropped her head onto Wyatt’s chest. “I feel a relapse coming on. Are you sure you can’t take me with you?”

“I’m sorry, honey.” He tightened his arms around her and turned to her sister. “Savannah? I’m kidnapping your sister later this afternoon. Will you help her get a bag together after your parents leave?”

Savannah gave him a searching look. “You do make a mean brownie.” She turned to Maria. “Are you sure you’d rather be with him than someone like Damon?”

Maria sent her a satisfied look. “Oh, yes.”

Savannah rolled her eyes, but she was clearly fighting a smile. “Okay. But as far as Mom and Dad are concerned, you’ll be staying here. I am
not
breaking this news to them.”

Chapter Thirty Five

Wyatt requested that Ethan, Stacy, and Gordon meet him Saturday afternoon at the office. Stacy was the first to arrive, and when Wyatt saw her face, he came up out of his chair. “What the hell happened to you?”