PassionsPoison (15 page)

Sighing, she rose and dragged herself to the front desk. She
glanced around the lobby, but didn’t recognize any of the dozen or so people
milling around. “Gary, you said there was someone here for me?”

“Yeah, him.” He pointed to a man standing with his back to
her, staring out the three-story window.

Curious, she approached the stranger. He was built, probably
used weights, maybe stood five foot ten. “Can I help you?”

He turned to face her. “Bea, it’s me.”

She couldn’t hide her surprise. “Chris? I didn’t recognize
you without your uniform and hat. What are you doing here? Is this police
business?” Sudden images of Zach being rushed to the hospital flooded her mind
and her legs turned to slush. She leaned on the couch for support.

Chris smiled, relieving her of her panicked thoughts.

She’d forgotten how handsome he was. His blond crew cut made
his jawline more pronounced and his light-blue eyes reminded her of the sky in
summer.

“No. I have the day off. I just wanted to give you a friendly
heads-up.”

She motioned to the couch and took a seat.

Chris sat facing her. “I heard from a friend of mine at the
Wrenborough Police Department that they ran the plates on your car. I guess you
left it at the depot the other night.”

Bea could feel her cheeks burn. “Yes, I did. You know how
slippery it was, though it’s hard to believe with a day like today. They say it
will hit sixty degrees. Zach insisted on driving me home. Why did they run my
plates?”

Chris shrugged, his shoulders looking bigger in the
light-blue t-shirt he wore than in his uniform. “Standard procedure. That’s a
private parking lot and the department there does a good job of watching out
for the businesses in town. I wanted to let you know because if they find it
there again, they’ll tow it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” His smile went crooked. “Standard procedure.”

She chuckled. “Well, thank you for stopping by here to let
me know. That was so nice of you.”

“No problem. Hey, since I’m here, do you want to grab
lunch?”

Bea kept her smile by sheer force of will. “I’m sorry,
Chris. I have an old friend who’s supposed to be meeting me for lunch. Do you
remember Phillip Sutton from high school?”

Chris thought for a moment. Then his eyes narrowed and his
muscles bunched beneath his blue shirt. “Weren’t you two an item at one time?”

Bea studied her hands. “Yes, but he got sick.”

Chris slapped his hand on his knee. “That’s right. He’s the
kid who went into a coma and missed a ton of school. I’d heard he’d come out of
it, but I was in the police academy by then. What’s he up to these days?”

Bea looked over the couch to check the lobby. She hadn’t
been anxious to see Philip again, but at least he would go home. Chris was
right in town, and she didn’t like how awkward he made her feel. “He works for
a pharmaceutical company now. He and my mom keep in touch.”

Chris rubbed the back of his neck. “Now that I think of it,
you didn’t date anyone after Phil got sick.”

She stood. Okay, enough was enough. “Thanks for letting me
know about my car, Chris. I’d better finish the billing, if I can, before
Phillip arrives.”

Chris stood. “Right, forgot you’re on the clock. Well, if
you ever need anything, just give me a call.”

Bea accepted the card he gave her. “Actually…”

“What?”

She glanced toward the lobby and caught Phillip, in a
pale-gray suit, entering the main doors. “Nothing important. I’ll call you. It
looks as if the billing will have to wait.”

Chris turned as Phillip joined them and gave her a kiss on
the cheek.

She sensed Chris stand straighter. Maybe because Phillip was
so tall. He had to be six four. Great, the testosterone levels elevated another
notch. “Phillip, this is Chris Ledoux. He went to high school with us.”

Phillip reached out his hand and the two men shook. “I don’t
remember you, but then again there are a lot of things I can’t recall from high
school. Luckily, Bea is the bright memory for me.”

Chris put his hand on Bea’s shoulder. “Yes, she’s definitely
special.”

Bea stiffened. Time to end the posturing. “So, Phillip, are
you ready for lunch?”

“That I am.” He held his arm out to her.

She gritted her teeth as she stepped away from Chris and
linked her arm with Phillip. “Thank you, Chris, for the information.”

He nodded at her before Phillip led her to the inn’s
restaurant. She could feel Chris’ gaze on her until she had rounded the corner
of the lobby. One down, one to go.

As they settled into a private booth, Bea took a sip of
water and dove in. “So, Phillip, tell me about your great discovery. Have you
found a perfect match? Developed a new medicine for the company? Oh, have you
been promoted?”

He glanced sideways before making eye contact with her, an
old habit she’d forgotten he had.

He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “Bea, it
has nothing to do with my job and everything to do with you.”

Huh? She pulled her hand away, watching him gauge her
reaction. “What is it, Phillip?”

“I’ve found an antidote.” He sat back and waited.

She shook her head. “For what?”

“You.”

“Me? What about me?”

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Your poisons. I
know about your toxic orgasms.”

Bea’s blood chilled, her heart slowed. “What are you talking
about? What poison?”

“My coma. It was the poisons in your orgasm that caused it.
I know, Bea. Your mom admitted it to me. She thought if I knew, I could forgive
you and then you could forgive yourself.”

Bea shook her head. This couldn’t be. Phillip couldn’t know.
Would he tell others? What had her mother been thinking? Fear skidded up her
spine as the full implications of Phillip’s knowledge penetrated her brain.

The waitress came over at that moment. “What would you
like?” She smiled as if everything were normal.

Bea would like her world back the way it had been less than
five minutes ago. She couldn’t even manage a smile for the girl, so she kept
her eyes fixed to the menu while she ordered her usual sandwich. Maybe she
could eat it later when she could think straight.

Phillip waited for the young woman to leave. “Bea, it’s
okay. I forgive you. You didn’t know at the time.”

Her shock transformed to anger, mostly at her mother. No one
outside the family knew their secret. Did her mother have a death wish? Was her
mom so determined to see her married that she would risk their very existence?
Or worse, was she clueless?

Dread seeped into Bea’s heart. She stared at Phillip, who
looked away before meeting her furious gaze. Her body shook as she tried to
keep her voice low. “You forgive me? There is nothing to forgive. I didn’t do
anything wrong here.”

Phillip sent a furtive glance around the room. “Shh, you’re
attracting attention. We need to keep this a secret.”

Bea laughed, hysteria building in her throat. She dug her
nails into her palms to hold on to her sanity. “So, now you want it to be a
secret. Now that you’re in on it. What right did you have to dig into my
family’s past? We dated as teenagers, Phillip. Teenagers. There was nothing to
it but young love. Damn, it was thirteen years ago.”

He reached across the table again, but she was ready this
time and pushed back against the seat.

He took the hint. “But I never stopped loving you, Bea.
Surely you know that. It took me years to figure it out, and then sneaking
samples of your DNA from your mom and using the lab at work to do the
experiments. But I knew it would all be worth it in the end.”

She shook her head at the stranger sitting across from her.
This could not be happening. Her DNA? He stole her DNA. No, her mom and he
stole her DNA. “Phillip, I’m sorry if you spent years figuring out why you went
into a coma, but you have to understand, this doesn’t concern you anymore. I’ve
resigned myself to my fate. I’ve made peace with it.”

Bea couldn’t believe she could utter such nonsense. But her
limited knowledge of Phillip and his motives had her instinct pushing him away.
She needed him to leave, now.

He glanced to the side before looking at her again. “I don’t
think you understand, Bea. I have the cure. You wouldn’t have to be resigned to
your fate. We could be together, have children. Remember how we chose names for
our kids?”

Bea shook her head. She didn’t remember. It hadn’t been
important for her because their whole relationship had been buried under her
guilt, but facing him now, she finally understood it hadn’t been her fault. Her
mom had never told her. Her mother. She would wring her mother’s neck. Grandma
Beatrice was right. Her mom’s aspirations far outpaced common sense.

What she wouldn’t do to have Zach walk in the restaurant
right now and sweep her into his arms. Maybe that would finally register with
her old beau. “Phillip. I’m sorry, but there will be no ‘us’. I’ve found
someone.”

She looked down, afraid to see Phillip’s reaction. She
needed him to understand, but her gut feared he would take revenge. What the
heck was she supposed to do here? When he didn’t say anything, she chanced a
peek.

His smile was wide, confident. Huh? Why did she feel as if
she were breaking up with him all over again? That he didn’t understand?
“Phillip, did you hear what I said? I’ve met someone special.”

He took a sip of water and shook his head. “How long can it
last, Bea? A few days at best. If you spend any more time than that, he will
die, if he doesn’t go into a coma.”

He leaned forward, excitement shining in his eyes. “You see,
Bea, I realized fate had saved me. By going into a coma, I couldn’t have sex
with you, which, as the randy teen I was, would have killed me. We were meant
to be together.”

He sat back, picked up his napkin and laid it neatly across
his lap before making eye contact again. “But it’s okay, I can wait. You’ll
see. The only way you’ll ever have a normal relationship is with me. Ask your
mother. She knows we’re right for each other. I just hope you don’t kill this
guy before you wake up and realize the truth.”

The blood pounded through Bea’s veins, causing her head to
ache. The man was in severe denial, or certifiably crazy, or both. “Phillip, I
love this man and I will control whatever I need to control to insure his
health.” She ignored the twist of pain in her heart at her own words.

Phillip glanced sideways before a Cheshire Cat grin settled
on his face. “I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to come to your senses. But
a word of caution, you’re not getting any younger and if we’re going to have
children, we should get started right away.”

Whoa. The conversation had disintegrated and she had no idea
how to save it. On second thought, she didn’t want to.

She stood. “I’m sorry, Phillip. What we had as teenagers
died a long time ago. I didn’t realize you still had feelings for me, but I
don’t love you and I don’t need your forgiveness. Find another woman to love.
One who can love you back.”

Bea took a breath and waited for Phillip’s gaze to return to
her. “Phillip, don’t call me again. I don’t want to see you,
ever
.”

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist, his grip
painful, his eyes narrowing. “We are meant to be a couple, Bea. We will have
our family. I have the solution and when you’re ready, we can make it happen.”

She pointedly looked at his hand and he let go. She spun
around and stalked through the door, doom settling over her like the gray sky
of yesterday.

As she strode through the hallway, she thought of her
mother’s machinations and she ground her teeth. Grandma had been right. Ms.
Susan Rappaccini had her priorities mixed up to have given hope to the poor,
insane man who was Bea’s ex-boyfriend. She stopped in mid-stride. Or had her
mother created the insanity? The idea was too horrible to contemplate. Her
mother had to be made to understand the ramifications of her actions.

Bea moved across the lobby on shaky legs. She headed behind
the desk, intending to grab her phone from the back office, but Gary stopped
her.

“Bea, this came for you while you were at lunch.”

She glanced at him, saw the plain envelope with the single
line of typing on the outside and swayed.

“Hey, Bea, you all right?”

She grabbed on to the counter for support. “Yes, no, I don’t
know.”

“When did you eat last?”

She shook her head, she couldn’t remember. “I’ll take that.”

He handed her the dreaded envelope and she dragged herself into
her office. The outside read, “To Bea Rappaccini”.

Her hands shook as she used the letter opener to slit it.
Unfolding the note, she read.
Does he know about the other men?

Bea dropped the letter as if it contained a rattlesnake and
slumped back in the chair. She wiped the perspiration from her forehead. Had
she been followed? As if she didn’t have enough problems, someone felt a need
to make things worse?

“Damn it.” She sat up. She was tired of being manipulated.
She needed to take control, like she used to when having a one-night stand.
Ever since Zach, she’d let herself be pushed and pulled. The question was,
where to start first?

Craig Larsen meandered into her office at that moment. “Bea,
you look flushed.”

His expression mirrored his concern.

She brought her hands to her cheeks. “I’m not quite myself
today.”

He frowned sympathetically. “Why don’t you go home early? We
can handle it. It’s pretty slow for a Wednesday. You must have come back to
work too soon.”

She glanced away from his kind face. “Yeah, maybe I did.
Thanks, Craig.”

He waved her off as he wandered toward the front desk. “Get
some rest. See you tomorrow.”

As soon as he left, she grabbed her purse and strode outside
to her car, for once unhappy with the warmth of the air. The half-mile it took
to drive to the police station wasn’t long enough for her to calm her racing
blood. She should have done this as soon as she received the first letter.
Inside the small building, she stepped to the window.