Random Acts (9 page)

Butterflies took flight in her stomach. Could she really open herself to trust him? Danielle took a step back and slipped her hands into her pockets, her fingers brushing her sister’s cell phone. She pulled it out. “Oh, I found this in Jenny’s room. I can’t believe she’d go anywhere without it.” She handed it to Patrick who turned it over in his hand.

“It’s password protected.”

Patrick nodded slowly. “I’ll have one of our tech guys look at it first thing Monday morning.”

“I appreciate the ride to the hospital,” Danielle said as she sat across from Patrick in his cruiser, twisting her fingers in her lap. “And thanks for taking Gram to church with you.”

Danielle turned her head to stare out the passenger’s window. “I haven’t been to church in years.” A certain sadness laced her voice, or maybe he was imagining it.

“I understand.” He didn’t feel it was his place to press. Not now. It wasn’t his business. Yet it pained him to know she didn’t have a relationship with God. To go through life without faith…well, he’d keep her in his prayers that the Lord would eventually touch her heart.

When they arrived at Jenny’s hospital room, they found Jimmy Parker, Jenny’s boyfriend, sitting on the edge of the bed. He pressed Jenny’s fingers to his lips. Danielle froze at Patrick’s side, the subtle intake of her breath barely discernible.

Suddenly feeling like a voyeur, Patrick cleared his throat. Jimmy lowered Jenny’s hand to the bed as if she were made of crystal. He shifted, wiping his wet cheeks on his shoulder. His brown hair was mussed as if he had run his fingers through it a million times. His red-rimmed eyes brightened in recognition. “Hi, Officer Kingsley.”

Taking that as an invitation, Patrick stepped into the room and placed his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “You all right, son?”

“I feel horrible.” Jimmy swiped a trembling hand across his cheek.

Patrick glanced over his shoulder. Danielle stood ramrod straight in the doorway, her bloodless lips pressed into a straight line.

“Why’d I go fishing?” Jimmy scratched his head, sending a tuft of hair sticking straight in the air. “If I had been here she wouldn’t have been out. She wouldn’t have gotten into trouble.” He sucked in a quick breath. “I’ll never forgive myself if she doesn’t…” He glanced past Patrick and seemed to regard Danielle for the first time.

“It’s not your fault.” Patrick squeezed his shoulder.

Jimmy sniffed and ran his sleeve under his nose, finally composing himself.

“When did you get here?” Patrick asked.

Jimmy lifted a hand as if to dismiss the question. “A few hours ago. I drove all night once I heard.” A subtle shudder seemed to course through his body. “Thank goodness I went into town to get some supplies. I checked my cell phone and got the message from my father.”

Patrick clapped Jimmy on the shoulder. “You’re here now. That’s what counts.”

Jimmy nodded, a darkness settling in his eyes. “Guilt is eating me alive.”

Patrick understood that emotion all too well. Guilt and its evil twin
what if
had nearly consumed him after his wife, Lisa, died.
What if
he had been around when Lisa first started getting headaches?
What if
she had gone to the doctor sooner?
What if
could make a sane man go crazy.

Thank goodness he had his faith to pull him out of the darkness.

Patrick smiled and lifted his palm toward Danielle. “Have you met Jenny’s sister?”

Jimmy’s expression froze for a fraction before an uncomfortable smile tilted his lips. “High school. Junior-year Spanish class, right?”

“It was a long time ago,” Danielle said woodenly. “Nice to see you again. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”

“I’m sorry too…for you. She’s your sister and all.” Jimmy twisted around to face Jenny, covering her hand with his. “Don’t worry. I’m back. I’m not going to take my eyes off Jenny again.”

“You talk to your father?” Patrick asked, wondering if Jimmy knew the police department had used Jenny as a drug informant.

Jimmy bowed his head. The fingers on his free hand clenched, then relaxed. Anticipation charged the air. “He told me someone beat her up.” Jimmy turned, revealing his profile. A muscle twitched in his jaw. Jimmy reached over and traced the bandage covering Jenny’s nose. “My beautiful girl.”

“Did she tell you who she was going out with on Thursday?” Danielle asked, her voice sounding brittle. Patrick found himself holding his breath, afraid of what Jimmy might reveal.

“I didn’t have cell phone reception.” Jimmy’s words seemed clipped. “I know she had a lot of homework. Maybe she had a study group. Maybe she met some friends out.” He shook his head, his jaw firmly set

“The police will find out who did this to her.” Patrick chose his words carefully. An upset boyfriend interfering in their case was the last thing they needed. Especially since the boyfriend was the son of the police chief.

“It’s just…” Jimmy hesitated, “…Jenny was stressed out. School. Work. Everything. I told her to quit. The stress wasn’t worth it. I told her I could take care of her.”

Danielle visibly flinched.

“I bought her a ring in September,” Jimmy continued, “but she told me she wanted to finish school first.” He fingered the whiskers on his chin. “Jenny’s got a mind of her own.”

“That’s good, right?” Danielle finally spoke up. A deep pink crept up her neck and colored her cheeks.

One corner of Jimmy’s mouth curled upward. “Except when her ideas conflict with my ideas.”

“So, you never talked to her Thursday night?” Danielle asked, suspicion evident in her voice. Jimmy seemed to watch her closely as she strolled around to the opposite side of the bed and smoothed a hand across her sister’s hair.

Jimmy narrowed his brow as if giving it some consideration. His red-rimmed eyes spoke to his exhaustion. “I did try to call but couldn’t get a connection.” He pushed his fingers through his thick brown hair. “I think I even texted her more than once, but she never replied.” He shrugged. “Who knows if the messages went through.”

“I’m afraid you’re disturbing the patient.” The nurse’s soft voice interrupted Jimmy.

Danielle creased her brow in question.

“We have monitors at the nurses’ station. Jenny’s heart rate has increased.” The nurse slipped her stethoscope from around her neck and pressed the end to Jenny’s chest. After listening for a moment, the nurse draped the stethoscope over her shoulder. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave. She needs quiet.”

Something flickered in Jimmy’s dark eyes. Something Patrick couldn’t pinpoint. Pain? Hurt? Guilt? “Mind if I stay? I promise to be quiet.” Jimmy raised his eyebrows and pressed his hands together in a suppliant gesture.

“As long as you’re quiet, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” The nurse pointed at Jimmy. “But only one of you.”

Patrick lifted his arm, gesturing for Danielle to walk ahead of him out the door. Instead, she slipped her delicate, trembling hand in his. An overwhelming urge to protect her welled up inside him.

The late afternoon sun streamed through Gram’s smudged kitchen window. Danielle glanced up from her cell phone. Deleting e-mails was like swinging a sword at the snakes on Medusa’s head. If she got rid of one, three more popped up in its place. She blinked her eyes, trying to refocus. Tipping her head back, she pressed her fingers to her mouth. A shudder coursed through her as she recalled clutching Patrick’s hand at the hospital. What had she been thinking? Pushing away from the kitchen table, she stood and stretched her arms over her head. Every nerve ending buzzed to life.

In the other room, Gram dozed, her finger keeping her place in the Bible. How many Sunday afternoons had Gram spent reading the Bible as she and Jenny did homework at the kitchen table? An emptiness—a yearning—threaded its way around her heart and squeezed. The Bible had always been Gram’s constant companion, and in times of tragedy, her grandmother clung to it like a life preserver.

Danielle wished she had something to hang on to besides work and worry. The image of her hand warmly nestled in Patrick’s came unbidden. She quickly shook it away.

Suddenly, her skin grew clammy and the walls closed in on her. She slipped on her jacket and stepped out onto the front porch. Filling her lungs, she zipped up her jacket against the chill. She descended the steps and retrieved a rake from the detached garage. Maybe she’d be able to work off some of her pent-up energy. Hadn’t Patrick mentioned something earlier this morning about manual labor allowing his mind to relax?

Why do all my thoughts keep coming back to him
?

After about an hour, despite the huge pile of leaves in front of her, Danielle hadn’t made a dent in clearing the front lawn of leaves. But the repetitive work had allowed her mind to drift, but mostly between her sister and her handsome neighbor. She rolled her shoulders, easing out the kinks. Thank goodness Gram hired someone to do lawn and seasonal cleanup. She’d never be able to finish this. Her hands throbbed and her entire body ached, but it had provided a nice release for her jumbled nerves.

The cell phone trilled in her pocket, startling her. She fished it out of her jacket pocket and recognized Tina Welch’s number. Her stomach clenched in response. So much for clearing her mind.

“Hi, Tina,” Danielle said as something forgotten niggled at the back of her brain.

“How’s your sister?” Tina’s voice sounded shaky, uncertain.

“The same. Thank you for asking.”

“I’m sorry to bother you on a Sunday.” A deep sigh sounded over the phone line. “Maybe I shouldn’t have called. With your sister and all.”

“What is it, Tina?” A buzzing started in her ears.

“The bank moved the foreclosure proceeding to this Tuesday, 9 a.m..” Tina broke down in sobs.

Danielle felt her shoulders droop. “You have to be kidding me,” she said, more to herself than to Tina. Softening her tone, she added, “That’s in two days. You should have called sooner.”

Silence stretched over the line. “I tried to reach you on Friday. Your assistant told me you were out of town because your sister had been in an accident.” Desperation dripped from every word.

A dull throbbing started behind her eyes. “I’m sorry I forgot to call you back. With everything going on here—”

“I didn’t know who else to call.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there.”

“Really?” Tina’s relief was palpable. “Oh, thank you. Thank you.”

Danielle wrapped a palm over the top of the rake and leaned on it. She glanced at Gram’s house. She felt pulled in a million directions. “Of course I’ll be there, Tina. We’ve come this far, haven’t we?”

“Do you really think Dominic and I will be able to stay in the house?” Tina’s voice cracked. “It has so many memories.”

Danielle tucked the rake under her arm and pinched the bridge of her nose. Dominic’s expressive milk-chocolate-colored eyes flashed in her mind. She would not be responsible for allowing this darling boy and his mother to be forced out onto the street.

“I’ll be there, Tina. Don’t worry.”

Danielle snapped her cell phone shut and stared at it for a moment. She tipped her head back and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. If she booked a flight home tomorrow night, she could get back to Mayport by Tuesday afternoon. The pile of work on her desk came to mind. Could she really return to Atlanta without checking in at the law office?

“Hello, Miss Danielle.” She spun around to find Ava standing there, her bright blue eyes taking in the huge pile of leaves.

“Hello there.” Danielle’s eyes shifted to the neighboring house. “Does your daddy know you’re over here?”

“He had to run in to work. Bunny said I should go outside and get some fresh air.” She shrugged. “I’m supposed to stay within sight of the house.”

Danielle gave a quick nod. “I suppose this counts.”

“How’s Miss Jenny?”

“Still the same.”

“Oh.” The little girl lowered her eyes and pushed a few leaves around with the toe of her graffiti-decorated Converse tennis shoes. “I said a prayer for her last night. And they prayed for her in church this morning.”

“That was nice.” Danielle didn’t know what to say. She supposed it couldn’t hurt. “Thank you”

“I always feel better after I pray. God is watching out for us.” Ava shrugged, looking up expectantly at Danielle. “Need help with the leaves?”

Danielle glanced down at her palms. The first signs of blisters marked her soft flesh. “Actually, I was thinking of calling it a day.”

Ava frowned, clearly disappointed.

Danielle hated to think of sweet Ava cooped up in the house all day. “How about you jump in the leaves instead?”

Ava’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

Danielle lifted a shoulder. In a few hours, the wind would destroy any evidence of the work she had done here. Why not let the child have some fun first? “Why not?”

Ava hesitated for only a moment before kicking her way through the pile, sending the rich smell of autumn twirling into the air. After a few times crisscrossing the pile, she stopped and looked at Danielle. “This is fun.” The excitement on her face was contagious. “But maybe I should go. You’re probably busy.”