Virtue Falls (41 page)

Yvonne frowned. “Not unless it was a very husky woman.” She strained to recall the attack. “No. What kind of woman could overcome me like that?”

“One with a background in mud wrestling?” Garik suggested.

Yvonne chuckled huskily, and relaxed again.

Garik poured her a glass of ice water, helped her sit up, and gave her a sip. “Better?” he asked.

“Yes. Thank you. The meds are giving me dry mouth and talking about the … the attack is making me … I’m hyperventilating a little.”

“That’s completely understandable. Elizabeth, would you go wet a washcloth so we can help Yvonne freshen up a little?” Garik never glanced at Elizabeth; all his attention remained on Yvonne.

Elizabeth went in the bathroom to do as he asked, and as she returned she heard him say, “It’s tough being a nurse, isn’t it? You always know exactly what’s wrong with you.”

“It’s true,” Yvonne said.

Elizabeth dabbed at Yvonne’s swollen lips, and stroked the cool cloth across her cheek.

Yvonne closed her eye. “That feels good,” she said. But she mumbled.

“She’s getting tired,” Elizabeth whispered to Garik.

He waved the cloth away, and leaned closer to Yvonne. Very quietly, he said, “We’re almost done now. Just a couple of more questions. Can you do that?”

Yvonne didn’t open her eyes, but she nodded.

“How about his skin?” Garik asked. “What did you see?”

“He was completely covered. Dark leather bomber jacket—the collar was worn almost white. Jeans, I think. Boots. Leather gloves. The ski mask.”

“Did you catch any glimpse of him at all? Just an impression.”

Elizabeth kept absolutely still, enthralled and desperate not to interrupt.

“White. He was white. And his eyes.” Yvonne’s voice got breathy. “I saw his eyes. Through the holes. In the mask. They burned. He was … crazy, I think. Not like our patients when they have dementia, but livid, focused … his eyes burned. I don’t know another way to say that.” She clutched the sheet and pulled it up to her neck. “I would recognize his eyes anywhere.”

“It’s okay,” Garik said softly. “He can’t get you here.”

Yvonne began to shiver. “I know. I’m safe here.”

Elizabeth pulled the blanket at the foot of the bed over the top of her and tucked it in.

Garik nodded his thanks, and still spoke to Yvonne. “Yes, you’re safe here.”

His assurance seemed to comfort Yvonne.

“Did you tell Sheriff Foster what you told me about your assailant’s eyes?” Garik asked.

“No. Sheriff Foster was impatient, in a hurry, and the memory was too … creepy.” Yvonne shivered again.

“You did exactly right.” Garik gently put his hand on her shoulder. “Just promise me you won’t tell anyone else about the eyes.”

“I won’t. I haven’t told anyone at all, excerpt you … and that reporter.”

Garik froze. “Reporter?”

“That nice young man.” Yvonne smiled, and at last relaxed. “What’s his name? Noah. Noah Griffin.”

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

“I know the reporter. I met him. Noah Griffin is a pleasant man, and if I ask him not to publish his report, I’m sure he’ll do as I ask.” Elizabeth wasn’t at all sure, but Garik looked so grim, so worried, she was moved to reassure him.

Garik drove into Virtue Falls, slowing for the ever-increasing stream of pedestrians. “Have you ever had dealings with the press?” Sarcasm dripped from his tone.

“Of course I have.” She thought back on the past. “And not good ones. I still say Noah Griffin’s not a bad man.”

“He’s already sent the story.”

“Maybe. That depends on whether he has a stable Internet connection, though, so if we can catch him…” A thought niggled at her. “When did you have dealings with the press?”

“My expulsion from the FBI could possibly be blamed on the press.” He slid a glance toward her. “But mostly the fault is mine. As I told you … I turned into my father.”

“Stop being mysterious. Tell me what you did.”

“I’m not being mysterious!”

“Then tell me what you did.”

“I will.” As the number of people on foot became a crowd, he slowed more. “But not here. Not now … What is going on?”

She stared at the pedestrians toward the center of town. “The circus has come to town?”

They turned the corner toward the square. “Apparently you’re right.” Seated high in the truck, he and Elizabeth could see what was causing the commotion.

In the intersection, on the pavement, a large commercial helicopter rested on its struts. The blades slowly rotated. A man and a woman, both dressed in fashionable black, stood outside the open cargo doors, handing out plastic gallons of water and brown paper bags filled with … Elizabeth didn’t know what. Something that convinced all of Virtue Falls’ population they should stand in line to receive it.

“It’s Bradley and Vivian Hoff,” Elizabeth said.

Garik’s eyes narrowed. “Of course. I haven’t seen them in years, but trendy folks that they are, I should have recognized them.” He looked Bradley Hoff over, sizing him up as Misty’s possible lover—and killer. Both were certainly possible. The guy was handsome in a polished, actor kind of way. He was decently tall, about five-ten, and slender; he wore clothes well. But he was toned, too, for his expensive golf shirt bared arms that bulged with muscle. If Garik remembered correctly, his hair used to be brown. Now it was black, and was cut in a boyishly tousled style that took an entire can of hairspray to achieve.

But Garik was being cynical. He didn’t like Hoff for the same reasons the critics hated him; he was slick in his pursuit of success, kissing babies and old women to sell paintings and coffee table books. That didn’t mean he was a killer, and personally, Garik thought the guy was too scared of his wife to cheat on her.

At least, if he was smart, he was scared. Vivian Hoff didn’t look as if she kissed babies. She looked as if she made babies cry … with a single smile.

“They swooped in … in a helicopter?” Elizabeth was half-amused, half-appalled. “They brought supplies like you did, and nobody noticed you, but everyone worships them?”

“Bradley Hoff is Nature’s Artist. He’s the town’s golden boy—and I’m not. Beside, look.” Garik indicated the pretty young woman flitting around the Hoffs, taking artfully posed photos. “They brought their own photographer. I failed to do that.”

“Wow. That’s … shrewd and … weird.”

“They’re brilliant.” The crowds made it impossible to safely keep the truck in motion, so he parked at the curb. “They’ll get national publicity for this. And that’s what they care about, isn’t it?”

“They might care about the people in town.”

He stared at her, eyebrows raised.

“It is great publicity,” she admitted.

Garik got out, walked around, and helped her out.

Rainbow slipped through the crowd to stand next to Elizabeth. “So even you came in to see what was going on.”

Elizabeth glanced at the paper bag in Rainbow’s hand. “And even you got a bag of whatever they’re distributing.”

Rainbow opened the bag. “Toilet paper. A can of tuna. Dried beans. Tampons. Flashlight. Fresh batteries. Hershey bars. Some other stuff.”

Elizabeth turned to Garik. “There’s where you went wrong. You didn’t bring tampons. Or Hershey bars.”

For the first time since they had left the hospital, he grinned. “My mistake.”

“We missed their arrival.” Elizabeth nodded toward the square. “What happened?”

“It was spectacular. About two hours ago, the helicopter made its first pass. It swooped low over the town, made a run down the canyon, pretty well rousted everyone in the area out of their lethargy, then landed right there like they had every right.” Rainbow’s eyes sparkled; obviously she was one of the people rousted out of her lethargy.

Garik chortled. “I’ll bet Foster was pissed.”

“You bet. By the time the sheriff got here, ready to arrest whoever was buzzing his town without a permit, the Hoffs were handing out bags filled with necessities, and he slinked away.” Rainbow did her imitation of slinking.

“No, he didn’t,” Garik said. “He’s right over on the courthouse steps.”

“You’re kidding.” Rainbow climbed onto the running board of Garik’s truck and got a look at Sheriff Foster. “Look at him glower. After the days and nights he’s had, you’d think he’d go home to bed. Probably he’s afraid to go to sleep in that house. Probably he’s afraid his mother will haunt him.”

“There are no such thing as ghosts.” Elizabeth felt as if she had pointed this out all too often lately, and to people who should know better.

“That old bitch. I think she will haunt him until the day he dies. She had her claws so deep into that boy…” Rainbow climbed back down and rubbed her arms as if she felt a chill. “Foster doesn’t look like he’s slept in days. You did hear about the Suns’ house burning down, right?”

Both Garik and Elizabeth turned on her. “What?” “What?”

“Yeah. Last night!” Rainbow looked in equal parts thrilled to break the news and horrified at another tragedy. “No one knows how it started, but their place is on a country road, there’s not a hydrant out there, and there wasn’t enough water in the volunteer fire truck to fight it. Plus the fire burned fast and hard. We were all scared to death Mike and Courtney were inside, but one of their cars is gone and the fire chief said he was pretty sure there were no human remains inside. I sure hope not. I liked them both.”

Elizabeth began, “They were just at—”

Garik put his hand on her shoulder and pressed warningly. “That’s a damned shame about their house. But I’m sure they’re fine.”

Rainbow observed them. “You guys know something.”

“I know Foster’s going to say the Suns burned their own house, and I know they didn’t.” Garik fixed his gaze on the helicopter pilot, now lingering impatiently beside the pilot’s door. “I just remembered something I need to do. Elizabeth, hang here with Rainbow until I get back, okay?”

Elizabeth watched him reach into the truck and pull out a Priority Mail box, and head toward the helicopter.

Mail? He wanted to mail a package? Now?

She climbed on the running board to watch.

Meanwhile, Rainbow chatted. “Look! The Hoffs’ photographer is taking video now. Wouldn’t you know it? The first person to stick her face in there is Cameron Hardwick. Pull out a camera and that girl arrives like the coyote chasing the Acme truck. I wonder if she’ll offer to sing a song for the Hoffs. She fancies herself one of America’s Top Talents. She wants to go try out, but her father keeps nixing the trip. Seize the day, kid!”

Elizabeth paid no attention. She kept her gaze on Garik. Garik, who approached the pilot, spoke to him, and offered the box.

The pilot shook his head and backed away.

Garik dug in his pocket and flashed his badge.

In all the time Elizabeth had spent with Garik, she had never seen him flash his badge.

The pilot examined it, hesitated, grimaced, and took the package.

Elizabeth climbed down.
How interesting.

Noah Griffin worked his way through the crowd to her side. “Who’s your boyfriend? The one with the badge?”

“Oh. Garik.” Elizabeth looked; Garik was speaking intensely to the now-fidgeting pilot. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my ex-husband.”

Rainbow butted right in. “He’s an FBI agent. Local boy made good in big-time law enforcement.”

“Really?” Noah pulled out his phone. “How do you spell his last name?”

Elizabeth took Noah’s arm firmly in her grasp. “I’ll tell you, but first I want to talk.”

“About what?” Noah asked.

“Yeah, about what?” Rainbow asked.

“A private matter,” Elizabeth told Rainbow firmly. Then she steered Noah toward the back of the truck. “You interviewed Yvonne Rudda.”

“I did.” In a characteristic gesture, Noah ran his fingers through his blond-tipped brown hair. “You’ve got some freaky stuff going on in this town.”

Elizabeth didn’t care what he thought. She only knew what she wanted. “Hold the story.”

“What? Are you kidding? Why?” He had the guts to sound affronted.

“Because Yvonne said she told you she’d recognize the guy by his eyes, and since the guy got away, that could be dangerous for her.”

“Um … I already transmitted the story.”

“And you said that? About the guy’s eyes?”

“Sure.”

Elizabeth couldn’t believe his carelessness. “Did you not think of the danger this could present for Yvonne?” She turned away in disgust.

“C’mon, don’t be that way.” Noah caught her arm. “You don’t have to worry. Yvonne Rudda’s not a famous name. I’m not even officially employed by a news agency anymore. Probably no online site will pick up the story.”

“You’d better hope not,” Elizabeth said, “and if someone does, you’d better hope nothing happens to Yvonne. I mean—I assume you would feel guilty if something did.”

“Of course!”

She didn’t know whether to believe him. “That’s good, because I stood up for you to Garik, and I would hate to think I’m mistaken about your character. I would also hate to think what would happen to you, stuck in this little town, if one of the most beloved nursing professionals we have is killed because of your callousness.”

Noah looked astonished. “Are you threatening me?”

“I’m merely pointing out that this part of the world retains a little of the wild, we own a lot of guns, and as we’re more and more cut off from civilization, justice could become something less politically correct, and more savage.” Where had she learned such intimidating tactics?

From Garik, of course, and—

Andrew Marrero’s voice called, “You! There! Reporter! Hold on. You misunderstood. Elizabeth and I—we are ready to release the tsunami video, and we’re giving you the exclusive!”

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

“All right, Mr. Jacobsen, I’ll do it.” The helicopter pilot was not pleased. “But if I took a package from every person here who had an emergency shipment, I couldn’t get this helicopter off the ground.”

“If you took a package from every person shipping to the FBI, you’d fly without fuel,” Garik retorted.

“Yeah. Yeah.” The helicopter pilot opened the door and flung the package inside.