Different Paths (13 page)
By the time Lucy, Zach, and Tess—who had come mid-morning—joined us for lunch, Nick and I had spent a nice time getting reacquainted and I was feeling much better. Lucy whipped up some sandwiches for lunch, and afterward Zach took Nick out to show him how Barnabas had grown since his last visit. I told Lucy our plans for the afternoon and she tried to hide her relief.
Lucy had brought my crutches into the house before lunch, and I limped over to them. “I’ll be back in time to help with milking.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know. But I want to. In fact, why don’t you take the evening off.”
“Stella—”
“Really. Nick’s milked with me lots of times. We can handle it. And we’ll get supper on our own, too. Go home and spend some time with your family.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
She studied my face, and her serious expression turned light. “I’d like that. So would Lenny.”
“Give him a call. Tell him you’ll be home for a normal supper time.”
“Thanks, Stella.”
I shooed her away from the kitchen, and she went back outside, where Tess was wrestling with Queenie on the side yard. I stood at the kitchen window and watched as Lucy talked briefly to her daughter, then continued on to the barn. Zach and Nick soon came into view, Zach’s hands in his pockets as he did the teen-age shuffle beside Nick’s straight-backed posture.
I couldn’t help but remember a time just half a year before when Zach resented Nick, thinking he was keeping me from a relationship with his uncle Abe. In reality, it sort of was Nick’s fault, since I’d discovered feelings for him I’d never had for Abe. I mean, I loved Abe, but I loved him as a brother, not a lover. Zach seemed to have accepted it by now.
As Lucy passed the guys, Zach made a U-turn to follow her, while Nick continued on toward the house. Glancing up, he met my eyes through the window and smiled. My heart caught in my throat at the sight of him, looking like he belonged here.
The side door banged as I made my way to the front room, managing the crutches better than days before. Nick stood by the door, his keys hanging from his fingers. “Ready to go? And I’m driving. No use arguing.”
So I didn’t.
Queenie stayed home this time, happy with the companionship of Tess, which was good, since the Ranger was a lot smaller than my F150. And this way Nick could hold my hand when he wasn’t shifting gears.
I groaned as we pulled up to Carla’s in Quakertown. Bryan’s Tundra sat in the drive, and Nick inched as close as he could so he wouldn’t block the sidewalk.
“Nice truck,” Nick said.
I grudgingly agreed.
Carla came to the door as we made our way up the walk. Her face, while less swollen than several days before, still sported a variety of colors, and I had to look away.
“Nick! What a surprise!” Carla hugged him, and punched me on the shoulder, almost sending me off my crutches. “You didn’t tell me he was coming up.”
“I didn’t know. And since you didn’t call me, I couldn’t tell you.”
“Call you? Were you expecting me to?”
“I left a note.”
“Oh, that. I figured you were checking up on me, and since I was fine I didn’t call back. What did you want?”
I started to tell her about Dr. Peterson, but thought that standing on the doorstep wasn’t the best place. “I’ll tell you later.”
“Well, I wish I’d known you were coming. I would’ve fed you lunch, or something.”
“You can eat now?”
She smirked. “Barbecued chicken sandwich for lunch. With potato salad.”
“That’s allowed?”
“I hope so.”
I narrowed my eyes, but was stopped from scolding her by the appearance of Bryan behind her. Carla introduced the two men with exuberance, and I watched as Nick took a first look at Carla’s new boyfriend.
I tried to catch Nick’s eye after their handshake, but he avoided looking at me as Carla ushered us into her house, getting us away from the heat and humidity that had sprung up with the middle of the day. Concord huddled behind the couch, peeking out from behind it as we entered. Carla knelt down and called him softly.
“He’s still shaky from his previous life,” she said to Nick. I could hear the anger under her voice. “They treated him so horribly. Come on, sugar. Come on out. We’re all friends here.”
I glanced up at Bryan, who caught my eye for a split second before jerking his head away.
Concord crept slowly out from hiding until he stood, shaking and leaning hard on Carla. She smoothed her hand over his sleek head, talking softly. “This is Nick. He’s a good guy. And Stella…well, you know Stella, don’t you? Don’t worry about her crutches. They won’t hurt you.”
I set my crutches on the ground out of sight of the greyhound and held my hand out toward him, letting him reach out to sniff it before attempting to pet him. Soon he let me run my hand down his back, but never left the circle of Carla’s arms.
“You’ve sure been going through a lot,” Nick said to Carla.
“You said it.” But then she went on, telling him all about the attack, the hospital, the lack of adequate nourishment, and how Bryan had stepped up to take care of her. “He’s been my knight in shining armor.”
Gag.
“And Stella came to see me, too, of course.”
Nick looked at me, a smile flickering on his face. “Yes, she told me.”
“Oh, and you know what I didn’t tell
you
,” she said to me.
“Something else?”
She looked at me, puzzled, and I waved her on. “What didn’t you tell me?”
“Remember how I was saying I got that pass from a new client to go to Club Atlas for a couple of weeks? That gym where my friend Babs is the manager?”
“Sure.”
“Well, she was almost attacked in the parking lot.”
“
What
?”
“Real early this morning. She got there about five, and there was a man waiting. Luckily, some of her big lifters showed up just then and scared the guy away. Completely freaked her out.”
“Does she know who it was?”
“Couldn’t tell. It was dark enough the shadows hid his face, even with the security lights on the building.”
“He have a car?”
“She doesn’t know. He ran through the back, into the parking lot for the spa next door. And with all the racket the guys made chasing him, she wasn’t sure if she heard an engine turning over.”
“They didn’t catch him, I take it.”
“Nope. But she’ll make sure from now on that she doesn’t show up for work alone.”
I looked at Nick, my neck prickling. What the hell was going on around here?
Nick met my eyes. “You don’t think it’s the same one?”
Carla’s brow furrowed. “The same one that what?”
I cleared my throat. “That attacked you.”
“What? Why would it be?”
“Because these attacks are happening every day now.”
“What attacks?”
I took a breath. I told her about Katherine’s church being vandalized. And then I told her about Dr. Peterson.
Bryan, who had been listening to all of this with a darkening expression, shook his head. “That’s it. I’m staying here.”
Carla looked up at him. “You don’t have to, sweetie.”
“Yes, I do. If there’s some maniac on the loose you need protection.”
But who was Bryan to take over? She’d known him for a grand total of what? Three and a half weeks?
“You can stay at my place, if you want.” I stared at her, trying to send my vibes of discomfort into her head.
She gave a half-hearted laugh. “Come on, you guys, you make it sound like I can’t take care of myself. I’ve got Concord, after all.”
Great. A quivering, aging greyhound. That’s what she needed.
“This guy’s already come after you once.” Bryan wasn’t giving up. “He might come after you again.”
“He will not.”
“You don’t know that. And it sounds like he’s getting more violent, not less. Killing the doctor. And he probably would’ve killed your friend at the gym if the other guys hadn’t gotten there.”
They faced off, Carla’s stubborn countenance against Bryan’s crossed arms and clenched jaw. Her arms around Concord tightened until the dog whimpered. Carla released him, and her shoulders loosened. “All right. Maybe it would be a good idea.”
“I don’t think—”
Nick widened his eyes at me, and I snapped my mouth shut. Fine. I stood up. “I guess we’ll be going.”
Carla frowned. “So soon?”
“Got to get back to the farm.”
“Oh. Well, sure. Give Barnabas a pat for me. I’ll come out to see him again soon.”
“You’re going back to work?”
“Saturday.” She looked relieved. “I’ll be glad to get back to it.”
Bryan didn’t seem so sure, but that was his problem.
We said our good-byes and I lurched out to the truck, throwing my crutches into the bed before climbing in. We were a couple of miles down the road before Nick said, “He seemed nice.”
“Hmpf. He treats her like she’s going to break. She’s a tough woman. She can take care of herself.”
He glanced at me, his eyes sparkling. “Maybe she likes it.”
“What?”
“Being treated like a princess.”
“I don’t think so. She got pretty pissed at him back there.”
“But she gave in.”
He let that sit for a few seconds before he said, “Not every woman is as tough as you, you know. Not even your friends.”
I looked out the window, watching the passing developments. Carla had always seemed so independent. So much in control of herself. Her life. Maybe that was changing.
And, I had to tell myself, Nick had come to stay with me. And I was glad.
I shook my head, realizing my discomfort had another level. “I just don’t like him.”
When I looked back at Nick, he was grinning.
“What?”
He tried to stop smiling. “Nothing.”
“
What
?”
Now he laughed out loud. “It’s just…I don’t think he likes you too much, either.”
I crossed my arms and stared out the windshield, wondering again when it was ever going to rain.
We sat in my office, the window air conditioner chugging away, trying to ease the heat and humidity. I took an ibuprofen and leaned back in my office chair, feet on my desk.
“It’s
got
to be about women,” I said.
Nick stood in front of the window unit, his shirt sticking to his chest. “Sure seems like it.”
“I mean, Carla, Katherine, Dr. Peterson, and now this Club Atlas lady? It seems obvious. But why them?”
We were quiet for a few moments before I said, “I guess that should be obvious, too, just like I told Willard.”
Nick’s eyes were closed. “What should?”
“That these women are threatening someone. Think about it. All of them have jobs that are traditionally men’s. A vet. A pastor. A doctor. Now a lady who runs a predominantly male gym. I mean, who’s next? Some poor business owner who just so happens to be female?”
Nick’s eyes were open now. “You mean like you?”
I sucked in a breath. “No.”
“Why not?”
Because I’d already been through my share of sabotage and pain and heartbreak.
“Because who else would want to be a dairy farmer? I mean, come on. It’s not like I’m taking one of the more…
desirable
male jobs. There are hardly any farmers left
at all
because it’s such a shitty lifestyle.”
He was still looking at me.
I dropped my feet to the floor. “I’m calling Willard. He probably knows about Club Atlas, since it’s in his jurisdiction, but I want to make sure.”
He knew.
“We’re on it, Stella.” I could imagine his pencil bouncing up and down on his desk.
“On what, though? The event at the gym, or the fact that women are being targeted?”
“Was there a sign?”
“A what?”
“You know, like at the church, and the doctor’s office. A sign with a saying.”
“I don’t know. I didn’t investigate it.”
“Well, there wasn’t. No sign.”
“There wasn’t for Carla, either.”
Silence.
“Okay,” he said. “It’s not that I won’t consider a connection. I just want to be sure.”
“Well, be sure sooner rather than later.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He didn’t say good-bye.
“What?”
“I spent the morning in Warminster.”
“Okay. Doing what?”
“Attending Dr. Peterson’s autopsy.”
Oh. “I’m sorry, Willard. I don’t mean to be an ass.”
“It’s okay. You can’t help it.”
“What did you find out?”
“Pretty much what we expected.”
I waited.
“You sure you want to know?”
“No. Not really. But yes, tell me.”
“It was the head injury.”
“From hitting her temple on the corner of the sink.”
“Yes.”
“So she was pushed.”
“Or tripped. There’s no way to know at this point.”
An accident? Or murder? Both, really.
“It was a direct hit,” Willard said. “She probably died instantly. No prolonged suffering.”
A small consolation.
“So you think I might be right? About it being the same guy?”
“Stella, I just don’t know. We have to check out the possibility that it was one of her patients. Or a druggie.”
“I know, but—”
“I’ll talk to you soon, Stella.”
I hung up, closing my eyes and breathing deeply.
“Stella, what is it?”
I told him.
Nick stepped away from the air conditioner and pulled his shirt away from his chest. “What about your theory?”
“Willard thinks I’m wrong.”
“He said so?”
“Not exactly.”
“Wrong about what?” Lucy stood in the doorway.
“About why women are being attacked.”
“What?”
I told her about Babs.
She frowned, the lines around her eyes deepening. “It’s getting really scary.” She looked out the window, then back at me. “So what do we do about the farm?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean this place is owned and run by women. What makes you think we won’t be a target?”
Nick looked at me, like “
See
?”
A flood of memories hit me. The days—and nights—of watchfulness the past summer, taking shifts with Howie, rage simmering just below the surface. The sabotage, the dead cows, Howie, lying in his own blood…
“Okay,” I said. “Suggestions?”
“Queenie,” Lucy said. “She always lets us know when someone’s on the property.”
Except for last night when she’d missed Nick’s truck.
“She helps. But at night she’s coming inside. She can watch from the window. She’s done that before.” She’d also been dog-napped, and I wasn’t taking any chances. I rested my elbows on the desk. “And nobody stays at the farm alone. There’s got to always be at least two people here. Not including Zach.”
“Agreed.”
“And at night?”
I sighed, resting my face on my hands. “Like we said, Queenie will keep watch from downstairs. We’ll leave the window open a little so she can hear. And we’ll flip on the barnyard lights.”
Lucy chewed her lip. “You think that’s enough?”
I could stay up. Sit outside like I did last summer. Fall asleep out there where I’d be vulnerable. Make Nick sit out with me, when he needed his sleep to stay healthy.
“It’ll have to be.”
She looked at me a little longer. “So should I still take the evening off, or do you want me to stick around?”
“You can go. Nick’s here with me. We can do the milking, and keep an eye on things.” I looked to make sure he was with me, and he nodded.
“All right. But if you need me, you just call.”
“Will do.”
She glanced at the clock. “I’m going to finish up what I was doing, then head home.”
“Sounds fine.”
She still stood there.
“Lucy, go.”
She bit her lip, looked at the floor…and finally left.