Long Simmering Spring (26 page)

“I’m glad to be here, Quentin. You and your mom are doing okay?” he asked, his deep voice filling the room.

“Much better, thanks. I like it here. Aunt Angie enrolled me in school in Providence and I like my teacher a lot. The kids are nice, too.”

“Good,” Cole said. “So you like living with your great-aunt?”

“She’s awesome,” he said, smiling at the elderly woman. “She makes me cookies all the time and helps with my school projects. She’s really great at science.”

“I was a botany professor at Brown until I retired a few years ago,” Angie said.

“Anyway, at night and on weekends, she lets me help her in her greenhouse out back. I’m learning all about carnivorous plants now. They’re really cool. I fed my Venus flytrap some flies and it ate them!”

Julie smiled as the boy kept chattering away to Cole, but she’d noticed that Margo had held back slightly. She approached her and held out her hand. “Hi, Margo. How are you doing?” Julie was rewarded when Margo reached for her hand in return. She felt the woman’s light grip in her own and squeezed gently.

“Much better, thank you,” Margo said softly. “Quentin is really thriving and my aunt has been just wonderful.”

“I’m glad to hear that, but how are
you
?” she reiterated.

“I’m—” Margo paused, “I’m good, I suppose. It still feels like I’m living someone else’s life. I never thought that things could have gotten that bad. Or that I’d have any semblance of a normal life again. I’m seeing a psychologist. She’s helping me to see that Don’s abuse wasn’t because of anything I did or said. He was just a bad man.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I was with him for so long. Sometimes I feel like things will never be the way they were before we met.”

“They won’t,” Julie said. “They’ll be better. Much better. It might be a long time before you’re able to feel like yourself again, but as long as you’re safe and continuing to improve, that’s all you can ask.”

Margo looked fondly at her aunt. “Angie’s just been a godsend. She’s given me back my son. And myself. A self I didn’t even know was gone.”

“You’re going to be fine. I just know it. You’re a strong woman, Margo.”

“I’ve been thinking of taking some summer classes,” she said shyly. “Going back to college to get my degree. Maybe studying botany, like Angie. I always loved plants.”

Julie grinned. “Do that. You’ll be great!”

“You really think so?”

“Absolutely,” she said, squeezing her friend’s hand.

Margo smiled, and for the first time, Julie saw happiness—and hope—in her eyes. Margo gripped her hand more tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered. Julie felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and blinked to keep them at bay.

“You’re welcome,” she responded. Then she looked over at Cole and Quentin. Quentin was still chatting up a storm.

Before Julie could interject, Angie cut in. “Teatime, everyone! We have to drink it before it gets cold,” she said, gesturing for them all to be seated.

Quentin bounded over to the love seat and waited for his mother to join him. “What kind is it, Aunt Angie?”

“We have two kinds today. Rose hip and lemon verbena,” she said as she picked up a dainty flowered teacup on a tiny saucer.

“Which would you like, Julie?” she asked.

“I’ll try the rose hip, please.”

“My favorite,” she sighed, as she poured the tea into the small cup and handed it to Julie.

“Sheriff?”

Cole looked as though he wanted to gag, but he managed to stay polite. “Ah, I’ll have the, um, lemon.”

“Good choice,” she said, pouring a healthy cup for him. “Honey?”

“Yes, please.” The look on his face spoke volumes to Julie.
Anything to mask the taste,
he seemed to be saying.

“And I know your favorites, you two.” She poured Margo and Quentin their own cups, and then served herself.

“Ah,” she said, inhaling the fragrant aroma of her own cup of rose-hip tea. “Delightful.”

They spent a pleasant half hour drinking the tea and eating shortbread cookies, mostly talking to Quentin about the greenhouse, a topic he seemed thrilled to discuss. Margo looked on happily, content to let her son gab away.

Julie noticed that Cole ate quite a few cookies, despite his lack of a sweet tooth. She suspected he was trying to do his best to get the taste of the tea out of his mouth. Smiling, she glanced over at Margo, who was watching Quentin. Margo slid her gaze to Julie, and her expression changed from one of love to one of worry. Julie inwardly frowned. For a moment, she looked like the old, beaten-down Margo. Just as quickly, Margo moved her gaze away and her expression changed, leaving Julie to wonder whether she’d seen it at all.

When the time came for Julie and Cole to say their goodbyes, Julie embraced Quentin and Angie, then moved closer to Margo to give her a few last words of encouragement.

Margo grabbed her arm and held on tightly. “Julie, I’m worried about Don. Worried he’ll get to you and hurt you somehow.”

“Don’t worry, Margo. Cole is around almost all the time now. Don won’t be able to get to me.”

“You don’t know Don. He’s vindictive. Just be careful, Julie. You’ve been so good to me that I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you because of the help you gave to us.”

“I’ll be careful. I promise,” Julie said, trying to radiate her reassurance before climbing back into her car. Still, Margo’s words resonated in her head.

Cole must have heard what she’d said, because as soon as they were back on the road, he asked, “What did you promise Margo you’d be careful about?”

“Steering clear of Don.”

“She thinks he’ll come after you,” he stated, his voice hard. Julie kept her eyes on the road. If she looked at Cole, she knew she wouldn’t like what she saw in his eyes.

“I think she’s still scared of him. I mean, who wouldn’t be? The man terrorized her for years,” Julie reasoned.

“He also could have been the one responsible for the break-in at your house and the attempted break-in at your office.”

“Even you said yourself that it likely wasn’t him.”

She sensed Cole frowning. “I said the break-in wasn’t Don’s style, but we can’t rule him out. We can’t rule anyone out until we have more information. Whoever is doing this has been really careful. We have no DNA, no prints—nothing to go on.”

“I understand, but I can’t see how this changes anything.”

“All I’m suggesting is that you use even more caution than you have been.”

“Honestly, Cole, I don’t think that’s possible. I’m already staying with you, and we spend all our free time together. You’ve been teaching me self-defense, and you have a patrol go by my office every hour. What would you have me do? Live my life in a little box? Stop working? Close up my practice and spend all day under your watch?” Julie asked, a bit exasperated at the turn the conversation had taken.

“No, Julie. All I’m saying is that I don’t want you taking any unnecessary risks. Don’t stay too late at the office. Call or text frequently to let me know where you are. Be sensible. Be safe.”

“Right. Exactly what I’ve been doing already.”

Cole was silent.

Julie sighed softly. “What happens next with Don, anyway?”

“Best case, he’ll have a trial in a month or two. Judges try to get to criminal cases fast—the right to a speedy trial, and all that—but they usually have a backlog of cases. I’m guessing it could take up to half a year.”

“So he could be out running free that whole time?” The thought made her ill. She was already on edge, and having the extra worry of Don accosting her would just make things worse. Cole picked up on her unease, and now
he
was acting more on edge than usual. She tried to calm herself—and him—down. “You know I’m taking your suggestion to be extra careful, right?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him give a nod. “And you know I have the utmost confidence that you or one of your deputies will be there for me if anything at all should happen.” Another nod. “And the safety training has helped, so please relax. Everything is going to be fine.”

No nod. No words. He just turned his head to look out the window. How could Cole think she was still in danger? He’d insisted on so many precautions to keep her safe, she couldn’t remember the last time she was alone. Still, Cole was right that due to recent events at her home and office, it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit more vigilant until Don’s trial.

What she really wanted was for Cole to keep opening up to her. To tell her he was working on his issues.
On his PTSD.
But with every suspicious happening, she felt him regressing. She hoped he’d say something . . . anything.

But they drove back to Star Harbor in silence.

CHAPTER 21

Friday afternoon in Julie’s office was always busy. Patients loved to schedule appointments then, largely so that they had a good excuse to skip out of work and start the weekend early. Parents wanted to have their children seen so any illnesses wouldn’t have the chance to linger over the weekend without a physician’s oversight. Julie and Lisa were always kept hopping on Fridays, and although they were cheerful about it, it was usually a long, hard day for them both.

Cloris, on the other hand, reveled in the Friday-afternoon traffic. More traffic meant more information, and she loved to hear the gossip as to what people were planning for the weekend. Cloris’s network was wide and she gave as good as she got. There was nothing malicious about it; she simply liked to be in the know. And what she knew, she passed on to Julie.

Despite her weariness, Julie couldn’t help but stifle a smile as Cloris went through the information she had received. Hearing about other people’s problems and plans helped distract her from her own issues.

She felt displaced without her clothes, toiletries, and amenities. She missed her house. She missed her kitchen. She missed her bed. Although sharing Cole’s bed was . . . interesting, if a little snug.

As her mind drifted, she thought back to the night before. She’d been on top of him in his berth as he watched her with those devilishly sexy eyes. She’d ridden them both to a glorious climax, Cole’s strong, capable hands guiding the way. Giving a little sigh, she tuned out Cloris’s gossip and smiled. There was some benefit to being in tight quarters. You couldn’t help but be close to whomever you were with.

Still, she wondered how much longer they’d have to stay at Val’s place. Her house had been cleaned up days ago, yet Cole had suggested they stay on the boat for a while longer. Why, she wasn’t really certain, since it didn’t seem to be helping to keep his nightmares at bay. He’d been having one, sometimes two, per night. Her smile faded.

“Julie!” Lisa called from the nurse’s station. “I just finished up with Mr. Chu. He’s ready for you in Room Two. I’m about to start with Ms. Woods.”

“Thanks, Lisa. I’ll be right back.” With a nod to Cloris, she slipped back into her familiar examination routine.

The three women worked briskly through the afternoon. By six in the evening, Lisa and Cloris had finished their work and were preparing to lock up.

“Julie, there’s going to be a garbage pickup early Monday morning. Should I put out the trash tonight?”

“No thanks, Lisa. I’ll handle it once I’ve finished with my patient notes.”

“It’s heavy. Sure you don’t want a hand?”

“No, I’ve got it. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, but be sure to give Cole a call when you’re heading back to the boat. He gave me explicit instructions to remind you to let him know where you are at all times.”

“I’ll call him before I leave, I promise,” Julie responded gamely.

“All right. We’ll lock up the front, then.”

“Great. Good night, ladies. Have a wonderful weekend.”

After Cloris and Lisa left, the office was quiet, the only noise coming from passersby outside, their heels clacking on the cobbled streets.

Julie spent the next hour completing her notes. When she was finished, she stretched her arms above her head, working out the kinks. As soon as he was done with his shift, Cole was going to join her for a late dinner. They’d rented a movie, a new action flick that had recently been released on DVD. Julie smiled, knowing she’d enjoy watching the movie while being held in Cole’s strong arms.

Filing away the notes she’d made, she rose, grabbed the two trash bags from near the nurse’s station, and unlocked the small rear door of the office that led to the alley behind her row of buildings. Thinking about those deep gouges outside made her uneasy. Maybe she should have taken Lisa up on her offer. Julie pushed the thought aside. She’d only be back there for a moment, and it was more than likely that one of Cole’s deputies was out on patrol. But as she stepped out the door into the cooling evening, something didn’t feel right. The air was utterly still. She didn’t hear the usual chatter of people walking by the end of the alley, and the quietness was almost oppressive.

Without warning, rough hands grabbed her from behind. Julie let out a scream that was quickly muffled by a hand clamped across her mouth. The hands began to drag her back inside her office.

What? Who?
Her worst fears had materialized, but Julie kept her cool. She wasn’t going to let herself be dragged away without a fight. Cursing the fact that she was wearing flats, she nevertheless raised one foot and stamped it down hard on her attacker’s inner shin, as high as she could near the knee, just as Cole had taught her. Despite her flimsy footwear, the man yelled in surprise and released his arms enough for Julie to wriggle free. She spun around to confront her attacker.

“Don!” she cried.

“Where the hell is my wife?” he rasped as he came toward her again.

Julie quickly backed away from Don’s outstretched hands. “Stay away from me, or I’ll scream again.”

“You’re going to do more than scream when I get my hands on you.”

“What about the restraining order? You’ll violate the terms of your bail!” He just swore at her as she backed away, glancing from side to side for something to use as protection. “Look, I already told you, I don’t know where she is.”

“Lying bitch! I have sources.”

Julie began to back away more quickly. “Help! Help!”