Tainted Mind (25 page)

“But your uncle wasn't wearing one today, and you reminded him to put it on. If you hadn't been there or, more importantly, if you hadn't said anything, he might be more hurt than he is now. So, thank you for saying something, Chris. I'm sure glad you did, and I'm pretty sure everyone else here is too.”

His eyes followed her as she rose, then traveled to his mom's face. “Does this mean I can get some ice cream?”

Brianne laughed. “Yes, especially if Dr. DeMarco is treating. You can have as much as you want.”

“Of course, I'll treat,” Vivi said with a smile as she rose. “I'll leave you with your family, Ian,” Vivi said, turning back to him. “Nick is waiting for me. We'll head to the station, and I'll update everyone on where we are. I have the videos.” Then a thought occurred to her that made her stomach turn. “Are the files in your Jeep?” It would make sense, since he'd been out for an early breakfast and probably hadn't had time to drop them at the station. She could always ask Carly or Marcus to retrieve them.

But Ian shook his head. “I dropped everything off last night. It's upstairs with all the other things we've gathered—including more reports that came in from the folks Carly was reaching out to.”

Vivi nodded. “Good. I'll catch them up, they can catch me up, and by the time you're out of here we should all be on the same page.”

“Except me.” Ian looked so miserable about being left out, she couldn't stop herself from crossing back to him and laying a hand on his cheek. He took it in his free hand and pressed a kiss into the palm.

“I'll come back tonight and fill you in. How does that sound? When are they going to release you, anyway?” she asked.

“That sounds good, especially if you sneak in some real dinner. They want to hold me for one night,” he said, not at all happy.

“And I threatened to go public with some of his baby pictures if he didn't listen to the doctor,” Brianna interjected. Vivi turned and smiled.

“How about I take you
and
Chris to ice cream later this afternoon, and you can bring his high school pictures? Baby pictures are always cute, but I find the truly cringe-worthy ones are from about seventh grade to tenth grade,” Vivi laughed.

“I like how she thinks, Ian.” Brianna gave her brother a smile and turned to Vivi. “You have a deal. How does four work?”

Vivi glanced at the clock. It would give her a couple of hours at the station to touch base with everyone. She nodded. “Perfect, I'll meet you at What's The Scoop.”

Ian groaned behind her.

“I'll bring you a banana split when I come back,” Vivi added with another smile.

“Okay, deal,” he said, instantly halting any complaint he was about to lodge. Vivi wanted to bend down and kiss him goodbye, or at least show some sort of affection toward him. But modesty wouldn't let her take such a public action. So she said her goodbyes, and with one last look at the very much alive Ian, she breathed a sigh of relief and left him to his family.

*   *   *

Ian watched the door close behind Vivienne and knew he didn't have long to wait. Sisters were so predictable.

“Ian's got a girlfriend,” Brianna teased in a sisterly, singsong voice as she approached the bed and perched beside him. “I like her.”

“I like her, too,” Chris chimed in.

“She promised you ice cream, of course you like her,” Ian chided his nephew.

“No,” Chris said. “I like her ’cause she called me smart. And she's pretty.” Everyone laughed at that.

“Mom's not so sold, and Dad hasn't said a word,” Ian pointed out.

His sister waggled her eyebrows. “And is it to the point that you
care
what mom and dad think? Besides, mom likes to withhold her judgment on
everyone.
”

“I'm cautious, that's all,” his mother argued. “But I do like her, she seems like a lovely person. It just hasn't been long and it seems like you went from never dating anyone to living with someone. It's just a surprise.”

“Whoa there, baby brother. You're
living
with her?” Brianna's eyebrows would have disappeared into her hair if they'd gone any higher.

“You didn't tell me this, Ann.” Ian's dad finally joined the conversation. Just as it was about to spiral out of control.

Ian held up his hands the best he could, trying to fend off any more comments. When it was clear everyone was paying attention to him, he spoke.

“Look, Vivienne and I are involved,” he said, repeating what she'd said the day before. “We don't know where it's going, but neither of us are players. On the other hand, we both have a lot of things we're dealing with, and I don't just mean this case. The circumstances that we met under are unusual and this whole situation is bizarre, so we're not pledging our undying love to each other. We're letting it play out and seeing where it goes.”

“While you're playing house.” Unfazed at his glare, Brianna grinned.

“Yes, she is staying with me, and that's all I'm going to say on the matter.”

Both Brianna and his mom opened their mouths to comment, but his dad cut them off. “I think she seems like a very nice young
woman and I'm glad you've found someone you're interested in spending time with. I look forward to seeing her again and getting to know her better—when and if you decide that's what you'd like.”

Ian's mouth twitched into a small, satisfied smile. His dad had a way of ending a conversation that brokered no arguments.

“So, do I still get to have ice cream?” Chris asked—the simplicity of his concern taking some of the tension out of the room.

“Of course you do, honey. I don't think Dr. DeMarco would promise you ice cream and then not follow through on that promise. That doesn't strike me as the kind of person Vivi is.”

Ian met his sister's knowing gaze and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Vivienne was most definitely not the kind of person to back down from a promise.

*   *   *

Several hours later, Vivi was pulling out of Ian's driveway with a clean uniform for Ian and Rooster's stuffed toy and blanket at her side. Earlier, Ian had called to tell her that the vet needed to keep Rooster overnight and asked her to drop off the dog's comfort toys on her way back down to the hospital. She'd spent several hours at the station, and with the strain of the day, all the driving, and the stress of the case, she was looking forward to giving Rooster a good rub at the vet's and then spending some quiet time with Ian. Granted, the hospital wasn't the ideal place to spend time together, but at this point, she'd take what she could get.

Vivi followed the directions to the vet that Ian had given her and pulled into the nearly empty parking lot. After grabbing Rooster's toys, she walked into the office and found the reception desk empty, so she rang the bell on the counter.

Within seconds, a tall man in a white coat, whom Vivi assumed to be the vet, walked out. He was unusually good looking, with dark brown hair and eyes that matched, and looked to be about Ian's age, maybe a year or two younger.

“I'm Dashiell Kent,” he said, striding forward with his hand outstretched.

For a split second Vivi found herself just staring at him. It wasn't that she was attracted to him—she wasn't—it was just that his face was the kind a woman couldn't help but admire. But then he smiled at her—the kind of smile that was more self-effacing than arrogant—as if he was aware of his looks but found them more amusing than anything else, and the moment was gone.

She smiled back and shook his hand. “Vivi DeMarco. Ian sent me with a few things for Rooster. How is he?”

Dr. Kent waved her toward the back. “Come with me and you can see for yourself. In general, he's doing okay,” he said as they made their way through a few doors. “We stitched the paw, but then his hip seemed to be bothering him. We dug around and found a couple of pieces of glass embedded pretty deep. Given Rooster's thick coat, we did an x-ray to make sure we knew where all the pieces were, and then we had to put him to sleep for a bit so that we could dig them out. He's good now, but because he was put under, I wanted to keep him overnight just to be sure he handles the anesthesia.”

They'd arrived at the kennels, and Rooster was the only dog in occupancy. He was lying on his side with a cone over his neck to keep him from chewing on his stitches. His tail thumped against the kennel floor as she approached, but he didn't move much more than that.

“But he'll be okay?” Vivi asked, reaching for the kennel door.

“Rooster will be fine. He's tired now, but I'm glad Ian had you bring his things by. It's always helpful to have reminders of home when in the hospital. For animals as well as people.”

Vivi placed Rooster's blanket and stuffed toy beside him, then ran her fingers through the thick fur on his head, rubbing the spot behind his ears. “I wonder what he was doing in the car with Ian in the first place?” she pondered, mostly to herself.

“Ian had an appointment for Rooster's shots this afternoon,” Dr. Kent surprised her by answering. “He takes very good care of this guy,” he added.

Vivi didn't doubt that, but there was something in Dr. Kent's tone that hinted at something more. She turned an inquisitive eye on him, even as she continued to massage Rooster's head.

The vet shrugged. “Ian found Rooster abandoned on the side of the road the first week he was back from Walter Reed. By my estimate, Rooster wasn't even six weeks old. I'm not sure who needed whom more, but they both helped each other heal and survive, that much I do know.”

Vivi hadn't known that but had no problem seeing Ian nursing Rooster back to health, maybe even bottle-feeding him. It had probably been something Ian needed more than he knew—a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to push through each day. Yes, he'd had his job, but having a job is different than having a living thing depending on you.

Vivi leaned down and gave Rooster a big kiss. “You get better, Rooster, and Ian and I will be back to pick you up tomorrow, if Dr. Kent says it's okay,” she said against his fur.

“Call me Dash,” Dr. Kent said. “And if he keeps recovering the way he is, he should be more than ready to be home tomorrow.”

Vivi gave Rooster one last kiss, then took a step back as Dash locked the kennel door. “Call me if you have any questions or just want to know how he's doing,” Dash said as they made their way back toward the front of the building. “Ian and I went to school together. He's a few years older than me, but it's a small town. If there's anything I can do for either of you, please let me know.”

Vivi stopped at the front door and looked at Dash Kent again. His face was still striking, but more to the point, she saw a friend of Ian's—yet another person who cared about him. “Thank you,” she said. “We will.”

After leaving Rooster and stopping by Frank's Café for some dinner, Vivi arrived at the hospital and peeked her head into Ian's room.

“It's safe,” he said.

“I didn't want to interrupt,” Vivi countered, entering the room. It was partly true, she didn't want to interrupt him if he were with the doctor or his family, but by the look on his face, she knew he knew that wasn't the primary reason.

“You're afraid of my family.” Ian smiled as he held out his good hand to her.

“Not afraid, it just seems premature to be at the “meet the parents” stage of the relationship, that's all,” she said, putting down the bag she'd brought and coming to his side.

“Too late for that, and besides, nothing about our meeting or being together has been normal. I think abnormal is probably our normal.”

She inclined her head. “You do have a point. How are you feeling?”

“Better, less sore. They let me get up and walk around this afternoon despite being on pain meds. I think it helped get the blood flowing again. They said I can even take a shower tonight.”

“That sounds like an exciting night.”

“Not nearly as exciting as a few nights ago.” His hand came to rest on her thigh. Again, she wasn't inclined to argue.

“Be that as it may, I did bring some entertainment,” Vivi said.

“And food, if my nose is still working.”

“And food. And some clothes, a clean uniform for you for tomorrow,” she added, pointing to the bag. “But no ice cream. What's The Scoop was closed, but I'll promise you some for tomorrow if you're good,” she said, leaning down and brushing a kiss against his lips.

“I'm always good,” he countered with his own smile. One that faltered when she pulled away and stifled a yawn. “It's been a long day for you, hasn't it?” His hand curled around hers. Her eyes watched his bigger, rougher hand entwine with hers.

“Probably not as long as yours.”

In truth and in different ways, it had been a long, tough day for both of them. Physically for Ian, and, well, for her the emotional roller coaster she'd been riding almost all day wasn't something she was going to stand in line for again, if she could help it.

“Anyway, let's eat. I brought a laptop and a copy of a few of the surveillance videos. I figured this is our best shot at dinner and a movie these days.”

Ian chuckled. “Like I said, abnormal.”

She unwrapped the food as he pulled the table over the bed. It probably wasn't the big meal he craved, but Vivi hadn't wanted to load his stomach down given he'd just had surgery. Ian didn't seem to mind too much, and while they ate, Vivi updated him on what they'd gone over at the station that afternoon, which wasn't much. The only new development was that Carly was able to eliminate one
more woman from the list of possible victims. Charlene Wycoff, one of the missing women, had a two-million-dollar insurance policy and a brother chomping at the bit to have her declared legally dead. The cops were trying to keep the case open, but without more evidence to support their belief in the brother's involvement, they were running up against a brick wall.

“So, how much of the video did you watch yesterday?”

Vivi gathered up their wrappers and napkins and, after tossing them into the garbage, pulled out her laptop. “I went through about twelve hours of the office party traffic cam videos between yesterday and this morning. But I haven't seen all of it,” she added, “or any the videos from the fundraising event or the university.”