Midnight Kiss (11 page)

“On where Mr. O’Neil might have gone.”

He pulled the receiver away from his ear and shook his head. Was Nurse Nagel hitting the bottle? He rarely dealt with the night-shift nurses, but when he had, they had struck him as all competent and highly-trained professionals. “I believe that will be decided by a higher authority than us, Nurse Nagel.” He pulled a shocked and stunned Autumn into his arms.

“Huh?”

“What part are you having difficulty understanding, Nurse Nagel?”

“The higher authority, Doctor. Is Paddy O’Neil there or not?”

“You mean he’s not there?” Thane roared.

“No, sir, that’s why I was calling his granddaughter. He seems to have disappeared.”

“You mean he’s . . .” He glanced into Autumn’s huge, anxious eyes and gulped. “. . . gone?”

“Well, yes, he’s gone.” There was a brief pause. “Oh, you thought he was
gone
gone.”

“What did you think I was talking about?” Thane snapped.

“Honestly, Doc, I was beginning to think you might have been tilting the bottle a little too freely.”

He would have chuckled at the confusion if Autumn didn’t look as if she was ready to keel over. “Tell me what
is
going on.”

“He was there as the twelve-o’clock bed check. At one he was gone. We’ve been tearing the home apart for the last hour, and still no sign. We were kind of hoping he might have tried to go home with Autumn. One of the orderlies said she was here until at least midnight.”

Thane blanched. Someone had seen them leave. “He didn’t leave with Autumn. Have someone search the grounds and the surrounding area if need be. We’re on our way in.” He hung up the phone without waiting for a reply.

He grabbed Autumn’s hand and dragged her into the bedroom. “Come on, honey, snap out of it. I’m sure nothing has happened to Paddy.” He placed a pair of jeans in her hands. “Hurry up and get dressed. By the time we get there, he’ll probably be fast asleep in his own bed.”

Autumn stared at the jeans and slowly pulled them on. Without saying a word she gave Thane back his shirt and finished getting dressed.

Three minutes later Thane worriedly glanced at the silent woman sitting beside him in the car. She hadn’t spoken a word since the phone call. “We’re almost there.”

Autumn glanced out the side window at the passing scenery. She bit her lip as they drove up the long driveway to the home. Beams from flashlights bounced across the yard. They were still looking for Paddy. She unfastened her seat belt and placed her hand on Thane’s arm. “He’s not outside.”

Thane halted his descent from the car. “He’s not?”

“No. I have a pretty good idea where he is, though.” She opened her door and climbed out.

He caught up with her halfway across the parking lot. “How do you know?”

She turned and faced Thane. Tears pooled in her eyes as she threw her arms wide in frustration. “Don’t you see? I’m the reason he has pulled such a stupid stunt.”

Thane watched in confusion as Autumn dashed into the home. What was she talking about? He quickly followed her into the brightly lit home.

Nurses were quietly reassuring patients standing in doorways and trying to settle them down. He watched, bewildered, as Autumn disappeared down one of the hallways of the female residents’ area.

“Doctor, you’re here.”

Thane glanced at Nurse Nagel. “Any news?”

“I’m afraid not, sir. We’re concentrating on the grounds, but I think we should notify the police.”

His first concern was for Paddy’s well-being. But calling in the police would pose some problems. There would be reports, and the newspaper was guaranteed to pick up on the story. The attention it would generate could be an embarrassment to the home. “His granddaughter is here, and she seems positive that he’s still in the home somewhere. Why don’t we give her some time. Maybe she can locate him?”

“I haven’t contacted Mr. Baker yet either. I thought I’d wait for you and get your reaction first.”

Thane smiled his appreciation. “We’ll give Autumn twenty minutes before calling in the big guns, okay?”

Nurse Nagel sighed in relief. “I’m more than glad to turn everything over to you, sir.”

Thane went down the hallway looking for Autumn, when he saw her enter the specially equipped bathroom.

Autumn had already been in Lillian’s room, had checked every hiding space inside, without waking the woman, and had come up empty-handed. Paddy was close by. She knew it.

Taking off her coat, she marched to the bathroom. She pushed open the door and flicked the light switch. Empty. She checked the only other possible hiding spot—the linen cabinet. It was stacked with piles of towels, washcloths, soaps, and shampoos. No Paddy.

Thane was leaning against the hall wall when she came out. “Any luck?”

“I just started.” She walked over to the door marked LINENS. She frowned at the door; it was locked.

“It’s always locked.” He glanced down the hall. “Where to next? We only have about sixteen more minutes before the police are called in.”

Autumn was still staring at the door. “Do you have your wallet?”

Intrigued. Thane handed her his wallet and watched as she pulled out a credit card. With one smooth slide of the card between the door and the frame, the door was unlocked. “I’m impressed.” He put his wallet back into his pocket as she opened the door.

Shelves from floor to ceiling held sheets, blankets, and bedspreads along with other assorted items. Her hand was reaching for the light switch when a low moan came from behind a pile of blankets. “Paddy!” Light flooded the large closet as she knelt down beside her grandfather.

Thane quickly moved Autumn aside and started to examine Paddy. He appeared to be waking up. “Paddy, can you hear me?”

“Of course I can, I’m not deaf.” He tried to rise, but couldn’t.

Thane helped him to sit and kept a steady hand on his shoulder. “Can you tell us what happened?”

Paddy glared at Autumn, like a defiant child. “Do I have to?”

Thane looked at Autumn. She had been right about Paddy being in the home, and she even located him within five minutes. But how did she know? “Autumn, would you like to explain?”

Autumn’s eyes filled with tears as she gazed at her grandfather. Paddy was all right and unharmed. He might have been a little uncomfortable, which he rightly deserved, but he appeared to be in good health. “He was trying to catch the Kissing Bandit.”

Flabbergasted, Thane glanced between Autumn and her grandfather. “You’re joking, right?” Who ever heard of an eighty-three-year-old playing detective? Seeing her shake her head, he glared at Paddy. “Are you out of your mind? You could have been hurt.”

Paddy stubbornly held his ground. “We asked you to stop him, but you haven’t done a thing.”

Now he understood what Autumn had been talking about. Because of their deal, Paddy had taken it on himself to stop the Kissing Bandit. He helped Paddy to his feet. “That didn’t give you the right to scare Autumn half to death and to upset the entire home. Every spare orderly and nurse is outside searching the grounds for you.”

Autumn quietly followed Thane as he helped her grandfather back to his room and into bed. She sadly shook her head as Thane continued to scold Paddy for his foolish behavior. It wouldn’t matter; Paddy wouldn’t listen. In a couple of days he’d be on the trail once again. “Thane, could I have a couple moments alone with Paddy?”

Thane glanced down at Paddy. He looked half asleep already. “I’ll go tell everyone we found him.” He pulled a chair close to the bed for Autumn and left.

Autumn sat down and covered her grandfather’s trembling hand. “You win, Paddy. I won’t stop Thane from investigating the Kissing Bandit.”

Paddy’s voice was weak and shaky. “You’re not going to place me in another home?”

“No, love. Maple Leaf’s the best, and you deserve the best.” She squeezed his hand. “But I want your promise—no more stakeouts. Let Thane handle it.”

“Since when did you and the doctor become so friendly?”

Autumn tucked the blanket up under his chin and placed a kiss on his wrinkled cheek. “Since we both discovered we had a mutual interest.”

“What?”

She brushed a stubborn white curl off his forehead. “Trying to keep you alive and out of trouble.” She saw his fleeting smile as he drifted off to sleep.

With quiet, sure footsteps she joined Thane, who was lounging against the door of the home’s main entrance.

“How is he?”

“Asleep.” He opened the door, and she stepped through to the parking lot. “The deal’s off, Thane. Find, arrest, or prosecute the Kissing Bandit.” Tears blurred her vision. “Do whatever you wish.”

“Autumn?” Her tears tore at his heart.

“He’ll try again if the Bandit isn’t caught. I know my grandfather, Thane. Trust me.” She hurried ahead of Thane through the frosty night toward the car. “The ladies’ pleasure isn’t worth my grandfather’s health.”

Thane straightened the red necktie and perched the old bellboy’s cap on top of the bald head. He positioned the bony hand to grasp the flashlight and pointed its ray of light toward the floor. The haunted theater now had an official usher, Horace.

He glanced at his watch and hoped he had enough time to slip into his costume before Autumn showed up for the evening’s activities. That morning Autumn had been unusually quiet and withdrawn. And that afternoon, when he had stopped in at the shop during lunch, the spark had been missing from her smile. She was still upset about Paddy’s adventures the previous night. Thane gave Horace a friendly pat, hoping he’d bring a smile back to Autumn’s lips, and hurried to his office.

The small washroom in his office was normally neat and clean. That night it resembled the backstage dressing room of a Broadway play. White facial makeup was caked in the sink. An old-fashioned white dress shirt and a pair of black pants were draped over the doorknob, and a black cape with red silk lining hung from a hook on the back of the door. Thane read the instructions on the hair spray can for the third time, shrugged his shoulders, and proceeded to spray his hair black.

The cloud of mist evaporated as he stared at himself in the mirror. After darkening his brows with an eyebrow pencil, he inserted a set of plastic fangs into his mouth and practiced making scary faces.
Bela Lugosi, eat your heart out.
Thane’s rich chuckle filled the small room as he quickly finished dressing.

He peeked out of the door to make sure his office was empty, before stepping into the room. He wanted to surprise Autumn and the rest of the staff. He had stubbornly held his ground and prohibited them from wearing costumes to the party until yesterday morning, when he allowed Autumn and a group of nurses to win the argument. He had rented the vampire costume three days before. Count Dracula held a very special place in his heart. Thane straightened his cape, slipped a vial of fake blood into his pants pockets, and slipped out into the dim hall.

#

Autumn parked the truck and gazed at the elegant brick building that was her grandfather’s home. Her hands started to tremble as fear for her beloved Paddy filled her heart. He could have been hurt seriously the night before. And all because she was more interested in fun and baiting Thane than in listening to the plea of an eighty-three-year-old man. She should have known he would never sit still while nothing was being done to stop the Bandit. Thane had to catch the culprit now, before Paddy tried something really stupid, like hiding in the air vents.

She glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror. Over an hour in front of the bathroom mirror had produced the creature staring back. Pasty complexion, black smudges under her eyes, and stringy streaked hair matched her depression. She felt right in character. If someone offered her a nickel, she’d go screaming into the night like the banshee she was dressed up to be.

The first twenty-five years of her life had ended in an alley in New York when she realized that when push came to shove, she couldn’t shove back. She had willingly jumped at the chance to come to Dogwood and shoulder the entire responsibility of Paddy. No one could have been more surprised than she was when she realized she enjoyed running Second Chances. She liked fixing up old things, having a yard to sit in, and painting. Here she was beginning to think she had finally found her niche in life.

It was all a mistake. She had liked being a cop too. And it had taken Paddy almost getting seriously hurt to make her realize she had failed in her responsibilities once again.

Autumn opened the truck door and climbed out. Her flowing white gown billowed and swirled around her. She didn’t want to host the Halloween party, but the thought of disappointing the residents caused her stomach to churn. Thane was waiting somewhere inside for her, probably painting smiling faces on the rubber bats and spiders decorating the theater. The man was insistent on not scaring the residents.

Autumn entered the home and headed for Paddy’s room before looking for Thane. She needed to know he wasn’t suffering any side effects. A frown pulled at her bluish lips. His room was empty. Was he feeling well enough to join in this evening’s activities or had something happened to him?

She hurried to the nurse’s station. “Where’s Paddy O’Neil?”

A witch looked up from a clipboard and scratched the wart on the end of her nose. “He’s in the game room,” she answered, her voice crackling with wickedness, “my pretty.”

Autumn started toward the game room at a more relaxed pace. He must be feeling better. She passed Millicent being pushed in her wheelchair by a six-foot toad. “Enjoying yourselves?”

Millicent proudly said, “I’ve been to two of the movies today, dear. What’s the secret one being played tonight?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret.” She looked at the toad.

“Want to pucker up and release me from the evil spell a wicked witch put on me?” it asked.

Autumn chuckled at Leon. At fifty-six, married to the same woman for thirty-seven years, father of five, and a grandpa, the orderly was still trying. “What are you supposed to be? A horny toad?”