Impulsive (38 page)

"Only when Jess went to the ladies' room." Ty frowned.
"Would you mind telling me why you're asking?"

"In a minute," the officer said. "While Miss Myers
was visiting the bathroom, did you step outside with Miss Shultz for a brief
liaison, perhaps?"

Ty glowered. "If that's what Bambi told you, she's lying
through her teeth. When is that woman going to give up and stop trying to make
trouble between Jess and me? It makes me wonder if she spiked Jess's drink, out
of pure spite."

"That's occurred to us, too, along with a few other
possibilities. One more question. When was the last you recall seeing Miss
Shultz?"

Ty shook his head. "I don't know. Sometime during the party.
I couldn't say if she was still there when we left."

"We understand from the nurses that you were quite a mess
when you arrived last night. Gray makeup all over your face and hair and
hands."

Ty gave a rueful smile. "Yeah. Jess made me up as the Tin
Man. I did my best to wash it off, but it's going to take more than a quick
splash over the bathroom sink."

"You've still got clumps of it in your hair and behind your
ear," the officer commented. "Looks like it smears pretty easy, and
tends to stick."

"And your point is?" Ty asked irritably. "Besides
the fact that I'm in need of a hot, soapy shower?"

The two officers shared a look and a nod. "Okay, here's the
skinny. We had to verify your story against other information we've gathered
before we could rule you out as a suspect."

Ty gaped. "A suspect? You think
I
drugged Jess?"

"No, but we did wonder if you might have sneaked out of the
party long enough to kill Miss Shultz."

Ty's eyes widened further, his jaw dropping. "What?" He
practically shrieked the word. "Where? When? How?"

They ignored his query for the moment, preferring to relate the
details in due process. "Despite the argument between Miss Myers and Miss
Shultz, we knew your fiancée didn't do it. There was evidence of sexual
intercourse, which naturally points to a man as the perpetrator. It appears
that Miss Shultz either had a romantic interlude that turned ugly, or someone
lured her outside with the intention of murdering her. A couple of guests
looking for privacy stumbled over her body on the golf course behind the
country club where the party was held. That was a few hours ago, after we last
spoke to you."

The second man took up the tale. "Of course, we'd still like
to compare your story with Miss Myers', but all things considered, the time
frame doesn't really jibe. Moreover, if you were the killer, Miss Shultz should
be smeared with that gray paste you were coated with."

"I take it she wasn't," Ty concluded.

The older man shook his head. "Nope, and it would have been
fairly obvious, since the only clothing she had on at the time she was found
was her bra. It was knotted around her neck. The coroner will be able to supply
more details when he finishes the autopsy, and the news media will sniff them
out, too, no doubt."

"So, I take it you're not about to read me my rights and haul
me off in handcuffs?" Ty deduced, his voice laced with irony. "Or
warn me not to leave town?"

"Nah. We know where to find you if we need to. Still, you
might watch what you say to the reporters. They're going to have a field day
with this one, no
punt
intended."

Ty heaved a weary sigh. "What else is new?"

By late that afternoon, Jess was well enough to be transferred to
a private room. After his own recent experience in the hospital, Ty was not
about to rely on the hospital staff to see to her safety. He was determined to
do that himself, even if it meant literally living in there with her for the
next few days.

Jess put up only a weak objection. "Ty, you look like you're
about to drop over. You need some rest, darling. In a bed, not a lumpy chair.
Besides, Mom and John are here, too."

"John is flying back to Dayton tonight," he told her.
"And let's face it. Your mom couldn't whip a bowl of overcooked noodles,
let alone a man. I'm staying."

She smiled, and gave his hand a weak squeeze. "Good. I need
you near me. I was just trying not to be a thoughtless wimp."

"You?" he teased. "My fearless Amazon reporter? No
way."

When Jess fell asleep again, Ty did let Claudia and John take
over, while he drove to the mansion and packed up their belongings. At
Claudia's insistence, he used her and John's motel room to take a shower,
shave, and change clothes. Also at her urging, he called his parents and Josh,
told them that he'd asked Jess to marry him, and explained about Jess being in
the hospital.

"You don't want them hearing about it second-hand, on the
news or in the papers, in the same breath with that cheerleader's murder and
Jess's so-called accidental overdose," Claudia admonished him. "The
way the media distorts things, your family is liable to think Jess is some sort
of junkie, for heaven's sake! Even if they don't believe the worst of her, that
is not the ideal way to announce your engagement. As thrilled as I am for both
of you, eavesdropping on your conversation with the police was not how I'd
envisioned learning of my daughter's plans to marry. It's a wonder I didn't
keel over, but I guess I was still too numb with fear that Jess might die for
it to make the proper impact."

Jess wasn't released from the hospital until Wednesday, and then
with strict orders to rest and avoid any physical or emotional stress for at
least a week.

"Ha!" she scoffed. "If that doctor only knew!
Stress is our middle name these days. It's become part and parcel of our
everyday lives. I'm becoming so used to it that if a week went by without it,
I'd be bored simple."

All three of them, Jess, Claudia, and Ty, flew back to Columbus
together. Claudia insisted on staying with Jess, at least through the next
weekend, to make sure she followed the doctor's orders.

"Mom," Jess protested, "you know how you hate
sleeping on that futon... and what about John?"

"He can fend for himself for a few more days. Besides, he's
already agreed. He'll drive down Sunday to pick me up. Meanwhile, you and I can
have a nice little mother/daughter visit and get caught up on things. Like this
recent engagement for instance," she added significantly. "Maybe we
can get started on some wedding plans."

"Ty and I haven't even had time to decide
when
we want
to tie the knot, let alone any of the other particulars. He just popped the
question Saturday, and things have been rather hectic since then. We really
need some time to discuss it together, at our leisure, first."

"Right," Ty agreed, jumping into the conversation.
"Let's not get the cart before the horse."

Claudia was openly disappointed. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to browse
through a few bridal magazines, would it? After all, we are talking about my
only daughter's wedding, and if I'm footing the bill, I want it to be
nice."

"You don't have to pay for anything," Ty assured her,
trying to be amicable. "Between us, Jess and I can handle it."

Claudia's face clouded. "Now, listen here you overrated
Romeo! I'm not some destitute bag lady. I fully intend to finance this wedding.
And if you—"

"Mom, I'm sure Ty didn't mean any offense," Jess
inserted hastily. "Did you, Ty?"

"Absolutely not. I simply thought that Jess and I are a
little old to be having our parents pay for our wedding, especially when we're
capable of doing it ourselves. Lots of couples are taking over that
responsibility these days."

"Oh, well, that's different," Claudia said, partially
mollified. "But I still want to pay for part of it. It's only
proper."

"That's fine with this overrated Romeo," Ty replied with
sardonic humor.

Ty went straight from Thursday's practice to Jess's apartment and
announced, "I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

"The good," Jess decided. "The bad, maybe never,
depending on how awful it is."

"Gabe is out of the hospital. He might even be able to play a
series or two in Sunday's game."

Jess beamed. "That's great! We ought to have him and Corey
over for dinner, to celebrate. Mom, you'd help me prepare the meal, wouldn't
you? Nothing fancy. Maybe spaghetti and meatballs? Of course, I'll have to
check first, and make sure Gabe isn't on a restricted diet."

"Whatever we have, I'll do most of the work," Claudia
insisted. "You are supposed to be taking it easy, young lady."

"I'm already turning into a lazy sloth," Jess
complained. "Tomorrow, like it or not, I'm going back to work."

"Oh, no you're not!" Claudia declared adamantly.

"Try it, and I'll borrow Haggardy's handcuffs and cuff you to
your bed!" Ty warned at the same time.

"Gee, you guys! Cut me some slack!" Jess exclaimed.
"What's so hard about sitting at my computer and doing a little research?
I'll be pounding keys, not railroad spikes, for crying out loud."

"You could have been more specific," Ty said, climbing
down off his high horse. "I thought you meant football practice."

"I did, too," Claudia admitted. "I suppose a couple
of hours at your computer wouldn't hurt, as long as you don't tire
yourself." She turned to Ty with a grin. "Boy! For a minute there I
could have sworn I was hearing Jess's dad laying down the law. You sounded just
like Mike, Sr., when he had a burr under his saddle about something."

Jess's smile was a little wobbly. "He did sound like that,
didn't he? They say, subconsciously or otherwise, a girl looks for a guy like
her father. Do you suppose that's one of the reasons I fell for Ty?"

Ty wasn't buying it. "Because I yell at you? What kind of
nonsense is that?"

"Nonsense or not, it wouldn't be a top priority with
me," Claudia remarked. "Though I do like an assertive man. No
mealymouthed wimps for me, thanks."

"Me, either," Jess agreed. "How can a gal have a
good argument with a man who won't stand up to her? It would take all the fun
out of winning. Which reminds me of something else I wanted to ask you, Mom.
Have you talked to Tommy lately?"

Her mother frowned. "No, and what brought him to mind, may I
ask?"

"You mentioning Dad, I guess. A while back, Tommy phoned me
in his godfather mood and was haranguing me about this and that. I lost my
temper, told him he didn't have any right to boss me around, that he wasn't my
father. In response, he announced that he should have been, and hung up on me.
It sort of rocked me, you know?"

Claudia groaned. "Don't tell me he's back to grinding that
old ax again? I thought once he'd married Anita, that was all water under the
bridge."

"Am I missing something?" Ty asked in confusion.
"You've lost me."

"In a nutshell, I met Tom before I did Mike," Claudia
explained. "We went out a couple of times, but nothing serious was
developing between us, at least not on my side. Then, Tom introduced me to his
best friend, and I fell for Mike like a ton of bricks, and vice versa. Though
all three of us remained fast friends for over fifteen years, I think Tom has always
held a bit of a grudge that he had first dibs and it didn't work out. But what
can I say? He just didn't trip my trigger."

"So he hangs that on Jess?" Ty said in annoyance.
"Infers that she should have been
his
daughter? That's a crappy
thing to do."

"I thought so, too," Jess concurred, "but I chalked
it up to all the stress he's been under since Anita came down with Alzheimer's,
and dismissed it. He's been in some awfully rotten moods lately, not his usual
jovial self at all."

"Perhaps I should talk to Anita while I'm here," Claudia
suggested. "Get her feel on things."

Jess sighed sadly. "She'd love seeing you again, Mom, if
she's able to recognize you. From what Tommy says, she rarely has a good day
anymore. He's been urging me to go visit, but I've been putting it off. I know
I should be ashamed of myself, but I want to remember her the way she was
before, so bright and vibrant."

"You can go with me, if you want," Claudia offered.
"If Anita is in a muddled state, I suppose I could break down and talk to
Tom personally, though I'd rather not. Still, he is your godfather, and he was
there for us after your dad and brother died, even if it was primarily for his
own selfish purposes. It can't be easy for him, seeing Anita deteriorate before
his eyes. Maybe I can talk him into joining one of those Alzheimer's support
groups. But I swear, if Tom makes the first snide comment about John, I'll pop
him one. I've had it with trying to convince him that I made the right choice,
twice running, and that I will never want him in any romantic way."

"Good luck," Jess murmured.

"Speaking of luck, or the lack thereof, reminds me. Do you
want to hear the bad tidings now?" Ty queried.