A Dozen Deadly Roses (19 page)

“What are those people doing, Mommy?” Donnie asked.  A large wheel emblazoned with various denominations of dollar bills spun against a leather flap.  The strip of cowhide snapped rhythmically as the wheel slowed and then stopped.  The players surrounding the table emitted a chorus of groans.

“They’re losing hard earned cash, Donnie.  That’s what’s they’re doing,” Mac said, his gaze scanning the hordes of people in the lobby and crowding the gaming area.

Jade turned to him, surprise in her eyes.

“You don’t gamble?  You used to talk about it all the time.”

Mac shook his head.  “Not any more.  For me, drinking and gambling went hand in hand.  I’m having enough trouble staying away from the bottle without throwing money away, too.”

The expression on her face turned from curiosity to concern.  “Are you having a hard time?”

“No more than usual.  As I told you before, I take it, ‘One day at a time.’”

Suddenly a boisterous mass of people exited an elevator.  A man, not paying attention, crashed into Jade.  Mac’s arm shot out and steadied her before she toppled to the floor.

“Jade?  Is that you?” the man asked.

Mac immediately placed his body between Jade and the interloper.  Mac’s right hand hovered over the butt of his gun concealed beneath the blue denim jacket he wore.

“Malcolm?  What are you doing here?” Jade asked, peering around Mac’s chest, her eyes wide with surprise.

Ah, so this was Malcolm, the doctor who’d been angry when Jade didn’t want to date him anymore.  This Malcolm guy went right to the top of Mac’s list as a suspect.  What were the chances of Jade running into him in Vegas?

Mac estimated him to be in his mid-thirties.  Receding blond hair was left long in the back.  The man wore a rust-colored silken shirt beneath a black leather jacket.  A gold chain adorned with a Chinese symbol rested at his neck.  A horseshoe shaped diamond ring glinted on his hand under the bright lights.  He didn’t look dangerous; he looked like a wise-guy wanna-be.

Jade started to step around Mac, but he blocked her path.  He placed his left arm around her, turning her, remaining a barrier between her and the newcomer.

“Honey, I don’t think I’ve met your friend,” Mac said amicably as he extended his hand to the man.

“I’m Doctor Malcolm Toombs,” the man said, gripping Mac’s hand.

“Mac Stryker,” Mac offered, noticing the other man sizing him up.  The good doc also scoped out Jade’s left hand for rings.

“What brings you to Las Vegas, Malcolm?” Jade asked.

The doctor ran his hand through his hair.  “A seminar about recognizing injuries from domestic violence.  Working in the E.R., I come in contact with it all the time.”

Jade nodded her head.  “So many victims are afraid to report the crime.  They lie about how they got injured.”

Malcolm leaned forward, extending his arm toward Donnie.  “I haven’t seen this little fellow in a long time,” he said, ruffling Donnie’s hair.  Donnie frowned, moved behind Mac and wound his arms around his thigh.

“Are you staying here at this hotel?” Malcolm asked Jade.

“We’re here for a wedding,” Mac interjected. Let the wise guy chew on that one for a while, Mac thought.  He changed the subject.  “This is a great resort,” Mac said. “Are you staying here, doctor?”

“Yes, I’ve got a deluxe suite upstairs.  Killer view.”

“Gee, that’s great.”  Mac extended his hand again.  “Nice meeting you, Doctor, but I’m afraid we’ve got to go now.”  Mac guided Jade, who clutched Donnie’s hand, deeper into the lobby area.

“Hey, Jade, it’s good to see you. Give me a call!” the doctor yelled after them.

Mac moved fast and kept a tight grip on her.  She barely called out “goodbye,” before the crowds enveloped them.

“Hey, Mama, there’s Grandpa and Mona,” Donnie cried, breaking away and running to the elderly couple.

# # #

After a leisurely dinner with her father and Mona, Jade and Mac returned to their tropical-themed hotel and traversed lamp-lit paths near the gigantic swimming pool.  Mac carried Donnie, who was sleeping.  A fine mist spewed from giant fountains, chilling their faces in the crisp winter air.

“Do you think Dad and Mona bought the story you had a friend who worked here and got us a good deal on a suite?” she asked.

“Yeah, I think they did.  I plan to check out your friend, Malcolm.  It’s too much of a coincidence that he’d be in Vegas, much less staying at the hotel where we’d originally had reservations.”

Jade nodded her head.  “Kind of surprising to see him here, isn’t it?  How are you going to check him out?”

“I’ll be sure he’s staying at the hotel he says he is, and then verify there really is a medical seminar going on.  Pretty bizarre he’d literally bump into you while you’re in Vegas.”

Jade opened the door for him.

    Despite the noise from the casino, Donnie didn’t wake up as they walked to the elevators.  Once inside their suite, they discovered the maid had turned down the bed and left a piece of chocolate on each pillow.

“Oh, chocolate,” Jade said, unwrapping a piece and popping it in her mouth.  “Mmmm, now I can sleep a happy woman.”

Mac laid Donnie down on the bed.  “If you feel that way about it, here, take the other piece, too,” Mac said, offering her the other foil wrapped confection.

“I really shouldn’t.  It’s Donnie’s.  Besides, I need to watch my calories, you know.”

Mac appraised her slim frame.  “You don’t have a weight problem.  I don’t think one piece of candy is going to kill you.”

“I should probably save it and let Donnie have it tomorrow,” she said, looking wistfully at the treat.

“Live a little,” he said taking off Donnie’s sneakers.  “Go ahead and eat it already.”

Before he’d finished the sentence, she had the wrapper off and the chocolate in her mouth.  Her eyes closed as she savored the sweetness.

“I’ll get Donnie changed into his pajamas and then come help you get your bed made up,” she said.

“Don’t bother.  I can get it.  Will it bother you if I take a quick shower first?”

“It won’t bother me at all,” she lied as Mac disappeared into the bathroom area.  I’ll just sit out here and fantasize about hot water running over your muscled chest and down your broad back, she thought.

Without waking him too much, she got Donnie into his pajamas and tucked him under the covers.  She turned the TV on low, and listened to the local news while digging through her suitcase for her nightgown.  Suddenly, she winced as intense pain shot through her abdomen.

“Wow,” she said to herself, “that was weird.”  She stood still for a minute to see if she’d be stricken again.  When no new discomfort wracked her body, she resumed her search for her nightwear.

The sound of the running shower told her she’d have time to unpack, so she started to pull sweaters and slacks from the soft-sided luggage.  Once again a severe cramp assaulted her.  Quickly, she unhooked her belt and slid her gun and holster from her hip.  Wobbling to the closet, she placed the firearm on the top shelf of the closet.  Making her way to the bed, she sank to the mattress.  A cold sweat broke out on her skin.  Her stomach rolled in distress.

“Oh,” she groaned.  Not able to sit any longer, she lay opposite her sleeping son.  A spasm shot through her abdomen caused her to draw her legs toward her chest.  Even lying down, she was feeling dizzy.

The water flow in the shower ceased.  She could hear Mac moving about the bathroom.  In a few minutes she heard him brushing his teeth.

She didn’t want him to see her in this condition.  She tried to sit up, but nausea forced her to lie back down.

Finally, the bathroom door opened and Mac appeared, the lower half of his body covered by a towel.  He looked at Jade and did a double take and rushed to her side.

“What’s the matter?  You look terrible.  Are you sick?”

Jade tried to prop herself up on her elbow, but didn’t have the strength.  “It must have been something I ate,” she said weakly.

“I’ve got something in my suitcase that will coat your stomach.  Do you think that’ll help?”

She nodded her head and Mac hurried to his satchel.  While he pawed through his belongings, the towel bunched at his waist undid itself, falling to the floor.  He quickly found the medicine, then retrieved the covering from the floor and rewrapped it in place.

“You know, if I were feeling better, your strip tease would have been the highlight of my day,” she whispered.

Mac made a face.  “Very funny.  Let’s get some of this into you,” he said, pouring the Pepto Bismol into the plastic cup provided.

After drinking a small amount of the chalky pink liquid, she laid back and waited for the elixir to work.

Instead, she felt worse.  The nausea turned to paralyzing pain.  She couldn’t help but moan.

“What did you eat at the restaurant tonight?” Mac demanded.

“’member, I had the baked potato stuffed with vegetables and chicken.”  Her voice sounded feeble even to her.

“I’m going to call for a doctor.  The hotel must have someone on call.”

Jade tried to shake her head, but it only caused the room to spin more.   “Oh, don’t do that, Mac.  I’m sure it’s just something I ate.  I don’t want to make a big deal about it.”

“Jade, I’m looking at you, and quite frankly, you look like hell.  If you’ve got food poisoning, we need to get you to a hospital.”  Not waiting for her reply, he went to the phone on Donnie’s side of the bed and called the hotel operator and requested a doctor or paramedics.

Jade gave in to her desire to close her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

# # #

At the hospital, Mac paced the emergency room lobby.  He’d naturally gravitated to the rear.  There weren’t as many people in this section so it was quieter.  He could also observe the people who came and went.

Angus sat in a rounded plastic chair staring into an untouched cup of tepid coffee-machine brew.  “I don’t know what she could have eaten that would make her so sick,” he said, shaking his head.

Mac didn’t share his gut feeling with Angus that Jade was suffering from something other than food poisoning.  In his mind he’d replayed Malcolm colliding with Jade.  When they’d bumped, did Malcolm have time to inject her with something?  While she was being admitted, Mac alerted the nurse that it was possible foul play was involved.

Reliving the evening’s events at the hotel, his stomach clenched with the fear he’d felt after he’d called for help.  Jade’s body went limp and she’d shut her eyes. Mac’s heart had dropped to his knees.  He’d slapped her cheeks, doused her face with water, and even bent her fingers in a painful compliance technique usually used on drunks.  Nothing had worked.  He’d quickly dressed.

When the hotel doctor arrived, he’d done a quick examination and immediately requested an ambulance.  Fortunately, it hadn’t taken long for paramedics to arrive and get her in the ambulance.  But they, too, had been unable to revive her.

Mac had hated to wake Donnie and frighten him with his mother’s condition, but having Jade go to the hospital alone wasn’t an option.  He’d called Angus and Mona at their hotel, and told them what had happened and directed them to meet him at the hospital.  Donnie had been both frightened and in awe of the paramedics who treated his mom.  Donnie, from his car seat, had cried and begged Mac to hold him as they followed the racing ambulance to the hospital in Jade’s SUV.

Mona and Angus had arrived by cab about a half hour later.  Angus’s hair was standing on end, and he wore a corduroy jacket over his pajama top.  Mona’s slacks and sweater were the outfit Mac had seen her wearing at dinner.  Both of their faces had been creased with worry.  Mona had volunteered to take Donnie back to their hotel, while Angus stayed with Mac.

A short time later, a grim-faced doctor appeared in the waiting room and called for relatives of Jade Donovan.  Angus stood slowly and Mac held his arm and steadied him while they walked to learn Jade’s fate.

“You’re the family of Jade Donovan?” the doctor asked in a curt tone.

Both Mac and Angus nodded.

“I won’t lie to you.  She’s very critical.  You need to prepare yourselves for the worst.”

Angus wilted into Mac, who threw an arm around the older man to support him.  “Do you have any idea what’s wrong with her?” Mac asked.

The physician shook his head.  “Not yet.  I do know it’s not food poisoning.  When I know more, I’ll let you know.”

“Can we see her, doctor?” asked Angus.

“I’m still trying to get her stabilized.  She’s in critical condition right now.  If she takes a turn for the worse, I’ll let you in.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back.”

Mac led Angus back to the chair he’d been sitting in.  “Angus, I’ve got to make some phone calls.  You stay here.  Do you want me to call Mona and have her bring Donnie back?”

“No, laddie, I don’t want the boy to be here if she…” tears spilled from the older man’s eyes as his face crumpled with emotion, “…if she doesn’t make it.”  Mac patted the old man’s hand and then walked out of the lobby outside to the front of the hospital.

Mac tried to gather his thoughts. 
Once again, Stryker, someone you care about is in danger of dying because of your incompetence.  You’ve had plenty of time to get this stalker thing under control, but no – you’ve been too busy pretending Jade and Donnie are your family, enjoying them living in your house.  Instead, you should have insisted Jade get some help from the department, or never left her alone…anything would have been better than what you’ve done!  If Jade dies, it’s your fault
.

“God, I need a drink,” he whispered to himself.  Pushing that thought out of his mind, he used his cell phone to call his division.

“This is Lieutenant Ryan.  How can I help you?”

“Uh, lieutenant, I don’t think you know me.  I work day watch.  This is Officer Mac Stryker.”

“No, I don’t know you Stryker, but I’ve heard a lot about you.  So what’s up?”

“I’m in Las Vegas with my partner, Jade Donovan.”

“What?  Are you putting me on?”

“No, I’m serious.  Donovan is in the hospital.  She got really sick and she may not make it.”

“Hold on a second.”