Chapter 7
"Sam!"
Sam closed his eyes at the sound of her voice.
Ivy slipped her arms around his waist from behind. Propping her chin on his shoulder and whispering in his ear. "Remember when we were young, Sam?"
Sam untangled her arms from his waist and turned around. His hands holding hers gently. "I remember," he said softly.
"I missed you last night, Sam. Where were you?" she queried.
This is it. You have to tell her. There's no way around it. He squeezed her hands. "Ivy.I think.let's sit down."
"O-o-kay," she said slowly. Complying with his request. The uneasy feeling returned to the pit of her stomach. The image of Grace's smiling face flashed through her mind.
Sam shifted restlessly on the park bench. How did he say this? How did he tell her?
"Sam," Ivy said worriedly. A hand on his arm. "Is something wrong?"
No. Yes. No. Damn. He was happy to have his wife back. But she'd been gone for nine years. Nine years. He'd moved on. His whole life was one complicated mess after another. "You could say that," he muttered.
"Sam.talk to me."
He couldn't do it. He couldn't force the words out when she looked at him like that. Worry and concern in her blue green eyes. For him. When she was going to be the one hurt the most.
"Sam.please."
"Ivy, I don't know how to tell you this. I guess the best way.what is my brother doing with Gwen Hotchkiss? Hold on just a minute, Ivy. I'll be right back."
Ivy watched Sam stalk over to where Hank and Gwen sat. He was stalling. She was sure. This.whatever he wanted to tell her.it must be big. Momentous.
A ball rolled to a stop at her feet, and she reached down to grab it.
"Hey lady! Can I have my ball back?"
She smiled at the youngster in his baseball uniform. Something about him reminded her of Ethan. "Certainly."
The sandy-haired boy grinned in thanks and resumed his game of catch with a similarly attired child.
She looked back to the park bench. Only to turn away when she realized she was spying. Her jaw dropped open in shock when smiling blue eyes stared through her.
"Hello, Ivy."
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"How did I know you would be here?"
Danielle twisted a strand of her long dark hair around her index finger. Making no move to acknowledge her presence.
"Sweetie? Are you upset about yesterday? You don't have to be, you know. I'm alright now. Good as new."
She could barely talk over the lump in her throat at her mother's words. Her sad smile. The dullness of her blue eyes. She was lying. But Danielle didn't even think her mother knew that. Yet. "You scared me, Mommy," she whispered. "You scared me."
Sheridan sifted her fingers through her daughter's hair. Cradling her beautiful face in the palms of her hands. "I'm so sorry, Baby. Forgive me?"
Tears spilled down Danielle's cheeks as she nodded her head. "There's nothing to forgive. I love you, Mommy."
Sheridan kissed her tears away gently. "I love you, too. More than anything else in this world." She twined her fingers with Danielle's and gave her hand a tug. "Grandma made something special for you. You want to go in?"
Danielle slid from her perch on the porch railing and looped her arm around her mother's small waist. "Yeah," she smiled. "I'd like that."
Sheridan kissed the crown of her daughter's head with a sigh. "Well.let's go."
Danielle said a silent prayer to God. That He would help them. Help them through this. There was too much to lose if they didn't.
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"Mr. Alcott.let me see if I get this straight. You had just returned from a long afternoon enjoying the sun and the water with your grandkids."
Joseph Alcott nodded his head vigorously and spoke with great pride. "That's right, Detective. My daughter.her name's May.May brought the children to see me. Joey-that's my namesake-loves sailing. Alyssa.she's more like her father's side of the family. Had her nose buried in a book the whole day. Missed everything."
Luis listened impatiently. They had been at this for over an hour already. At this rate."Mr. Alcott.you said you docked your boat."
"The Maid Marian. Named her that to aggravate my wife," he grinned. His disheveled hair falling forward into his eyes.
"You docked The Maid Marian, said goodbye to your family, and decided to walk down to Joe's for a little refreshment."
Joseph's blue eyes twinkled at Luis. "Beer, boy. I walked down to Joe's to get me a beer."
"A beer," Luis conceded. "And you happened upon Mrs. Bennett."
"Well.what do you mean 'happened'? The lady just appeared out of nowhere. I had to rub my eyes real hard. Didn't rightly believe she was there. She looked awfully pale. And her hands.Detective.her hands were like ice. The poor thing collapsed at my feet without a word. I had to help her. That's why I carried her down to the clinic. Since Dr. Johnson took over.people say she works miracles."
Luis scribbled a few final notes in his pad. "Mr. Alcott.you will be around if the Harmony Police Department should need to get in touch?"
"Detective Lopez-Fitz.Fitz."
"Detective is fine."
"You can count on me, Detective. I'll help in any way I can."
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The phone rang insistently.
He gritted his teeth in anger and punched the button forcefully.
"The girl was here to see her mother again, Sir."
He leaned back in the supple high-backed leather chair. "And."
"Sir.she's asking questions again. About her mother's condition."
His evil laughter echoed in the small, enclosed room. "What condition?"
The man's nervous gulp was audible over the phone line. "I told her.I told her that her mother would never speak again. Would never recover."
He picked up the file in front of him and studied Rebecca's picture. "Good. That's what I pay you for."
"But, Sir. You don't understand," the man stammered. His voice thick with fear. "The medication.Mrs. Crane is showing signs of returning to her normal self. She spat at Nurse Lilly the other day, Sir."
He slammed his fist down on the cherry desk's surface. He took great pleasure in watching the skittish doctor wince on the monitors. "Damn. Double the dosage."
"We already did, Sir. I can't explain it. But it doesn't seem to be working."
"Well then triple the dosage, you imbecile!" he raged. "Get off this phone right now and personally see to it that Mrs. Crane is back out of commission."
The phone line went dead.
He folded his hands together. "Rebecca can never tell the world what she knows."
"Sam!"
Sam closed his eyes at the sound of her voice.
Ivy slipped her arms around his waist from behind. Propping her chin on his shoulder and whispering in his ear. "Remember when we were young, Sam?"
Sam untangled her arms from his waist and turned around. His hands holding hers gently. "I remember," he said softly.
"I missed you last night, Sam. Where were you?" she queried.
This is it. You have to tell her. There's no way around it. He squeezed her hands. "Ivy.I think.let's sit down."
"O-o-kay," she said slowly. Complying with his request. The uneasy feeling returned to the pit of her stomach. The image of Grace's smiling face flashed through her mind.
Sam shifted restlessly on the park bench. How did he say this? How did he tell her?
"Sam," Ivy said worriedly. A hand on his arm. "Is something wrong?"
No. Yes. No. Damn. He was happy to have his wife back. But she'd been gone for nine years. Nine years. He'd moved on. His whole life was one complicated mess after another. "You could say that," he muttered.
"Sam.talk to me."
He couldn't do it. He couldn't force the words out when she looked at him like that. Worry and concern in her blue green eyes. For him. When she was going to be the one hurt the most.
"Sam.please."
"Ivy, I don't know how to tell you this. I guess the best way.what is my brother doing with Gwen Hotchkiss? Hold on just a minute, Ivy. I'll be right back."
Ivy watched Sam stalk over to where Hank and Gwen sat. He was stalling. She was sure. This.whatever he wanted to tell her.it must be big. Momentous.
A ball rolled to a stop at her feet, and she reached down to grab it.
"Hey lady! Can I have my ball back?"
She smiled at the youngster in his baseball uniform. Something about him reminded her of Ethan. "Certainly."
The sandy-haired boy grinned in thanks and resumed his game of catch with a similarly attired child.
She looked back to the park bench. Only to turn away when she realized she was spying. Her jaw dropped open in shock when smiling blue eyes stared through her.
"Hello, Ivy."
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"How did I know you would be here?"
Danielle twisted a strand of her long dark hair around her index finger. Making no move to acknowledge her presence.
"Sweetie? Are you upset about yesterday? You don't have to be, you know. I'm alright now. Good as new."
She could barely talk over the lump in her throat at her mother's words. Her sad smile. The dullness of her blue eyes. She was lying. But Danielle didn't even think her mother knew that. Yet. "You scared me, Mommy," she whispered. "You scared me."
Sheridan sifted her fingers through her daughter's hair. Cradling her beautiful face in the palms of her hands. "I'm so sorry, Baby. Forgive me?"
Tears spilled down Danielle's cheeks as she nodded her head. "There's nothing to forgive. I love you, Mommy."
Sheridan kissed her tears away gently. "I love you, too. More than anything else in this world." She twined her fingers with Danielle's and gave her hand a tug. "Grandma made something special for you. You want to go in?"
Danielle slid from her perch on the porch railing and looped her arm around her mother's small waist. "Yeah," she smiled. "I'd like that."
Sheridan kissed the crown of her daughter's head with a sigh. "Well.let's go."
Danielle said a silent prayer to God. That He would help them. Help them through this. There was too much to lose if they didn't.
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"Mr. Alcott.let me see if I get this straight. You had just returned from a long afternoon enjoying the sun and the water with your grandkids."
Joseph Alcott nodded his head vigorously and spoke with great pride. "That's right, Detective. My daughter.her name's May.May brought the children to see me. Joey-that's my namesake-loves sailing. Alyssa.she's more like her father's side of the family. Had her nose buried in a book the whole day. Missed everything."
Luis listened impatiently. They had been at this for over an hour already. At this rate."Mr. Alcott.you said you docked your boat."
"The Maid Marian. Named her that to aggravate my wife," he grinned. His disheveled hair falling forward into his eyes.
"You docked The Maid Marian, said goodbye to your family, and decided to walk down to Joe's for a little refreshment."
Joseph's blue eyes twinkled at Luis. "Beer, boy. I walked down to Joe's to get me a beer."
"A beer," Luis conceded. "And you happened upon Mrs. Bennett."
"Well.what do you mean 'happened'? The lady just appeared out of nowhere. I had to rub my eyes real hard. Didn't rightly believe she was there. She looked awfully pale. And her hands.Detective.her hands were like ice. The poor thing collapsed at my feet without a word. I had to help her. That's why I carried her down to the clinic. Since Dr. Johnson took over.people say she works miracles."
Luis scribbled a few final notes in his pad. "Mr. Alcott.you will be around if the Harmony Police Department should need to get in touch?"
"Detective Lopez-Fitz.Fitz."
"Detective is fine."
"You can count on me, Detective. I'll help in any way I can."
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The phone rang insistently.
He gritted his teeth in anger and punched the button forcefully.
"The girl was here to see her mother again, Sir."
He leaned back in the supple high-backed leather chair. "And."
"Sir.she's asking questions again. About her mother's condition."
His evil laughter echoed in the small, enclosed room. "What condition?"
The man's nervous gulp was audible over the phone line. "I told her.I told her that her mother would never speak again. Would never recover."
He picked up the file in front of him and studied Rebecca's picture. "Good. That's what I pay you for."
"But, Sir. You don't understand," the man stammered. His voice thick with fear. "The medication.Mrs. Crane is showing signs of returning to her normal self. She spat at Nurse Lilly the other day, Sir."
He slammed his fist down on the cherry desk's surface. He took great pleasure in watching the skittish doctor wince on the monitors. "Damn. Double the dosage."
"We already did, Sir. I can't explain it. But it doesn't seem to be working."
"Well then triple the dosage, you imbecile!" he raged. "Get off this phone right now and personally see to it that Mrs. Crane is back out of commission."
The phone line went dead.
He folded his hands together. "Rebecca can never tell the world what she knows."