Touched by Death (23 page)

God knows Jade had struggled over the loss of her
baby.

A light knock sounded on her door.

"Hello?"

"Jade, it's Meg. Can I come in?"

Jade groaned softly as she forced her aching limbs
to action, grabbed her housecoat and walked to the door. She unlocked
and opened it.

Meg smiled at her, looking marginally better than
Jade felt. "Hey. Tough night, huh?"

"That's an understatement." Realizing she
hadn't opened the door fully, Jade motioned her inside. "Sorry.
I only woke up a few minutes ago."

"Good for you. I woke up at six, as usual."

Closing the door behind her, Jade added, "I normally
would have but..."

"Yeah." Meg looked around the small room.
"This room is the twin to mine."

"Is it? Makes sense, I suppose." Jade could
sense there was a purpose to the visit. She gave Meg a moment to get
around to the topic. Jade walked back over to her bed and crawled under
the covers to wait.

"I have an update." Meg took a deep breath.
"Tasha's baby is dead. Usually when a fetus dies, the body aborts
it. In some rare cases, the body continues to ignore the fact until
it can't be ignored any longer."

Poor Tasha. Blinking several times to hold back her
hot tears, Jade tilted her head back and thought about Meg's news. Regaining
control, she looked her colleague in the eye. "So you're saying
the baby has been dead for a while?"

Meg winced. "Yes. In the US, an autopsy would
likely be done to find the cause. Here, I don't know what happens."
Rotating her neck as if to ease some stiffness, she continued, "Emile
is alive. They think they've stopped the bleeding. It's still touch
and go for him though."

Swallowing hard, Jade couldn't do much more than nod
to acknowledge Meg's words. She didn't trust herself to speak.

"Tasha..." Meg stopped. "Tasha goes
into surgery this morning and will undergo a psyche evaluation when
she's healthier. The bottom line is there's been no change. She's not
talking, eating or acknowledging the world around her in anyway."

Jade couldn't help wincing. "Poor John."

"Yes." Sitting in the single chair, Meg
rested her feet on the corner of the bed. "I've also spoken to
Dane. I wanted to know if there was anything I could do for his family."

"And? Is there?" Jade leaned forward.

Meg slumped back. "No. John's a mess. Dane said
he'd call or stop by later, if he can. He's sticking close to his brother."

"He was worried about John's mental state before
this."

"It's out of our hands." The two women sat
in depressed silence.

Then Jade remembered. "Any idea if their father
has been found?"

The two women stared at each other, frowning. Meg
shook her head slowly. "I forgot to ask."

"It was because of Tasha I was asking. Dane said
Peppe isn't right in the head; makes me wonder if Tasha has a heredity
issue here." Jade considered Tasha's life. "Not that what
she's been through isn't enough to make anyone retreat inside."

"Any idea how old Peppe is or how long he's been
like this?" Meg asked.

"No. You'll have to get Dane to ask John."
As much as she wanted to laze around the hotel today, Jade couldn't
stand the thought of the old man out there wandering around lost. "We
should also sort out if he's in need of finding or if he's home and
fine."

"Yes. Do you want to call Dane, or should I?"

"I will." Jade threw back the covers. "As
soon as I have my shower and get dressed. We might as well meet in the
dining room and figure out what's next."

Meg tossed her cell phone on the bed before walking
to the door.

"Hey, Meg. Where was Dr. Mike last night? Did
anyone ask him?"

A funny look crossed her face. "I haven't spoken
to him. Haven't heard anything."

"He's back though – isn't he?" Dread edged
Jade's words.

"I don't know. Things got a bit crazy last night.
I'll find out." Meg rushed out leaving Jade, standing in the middle
of the room, shocked.

Dane stretched his long legs out on the stone patio,
tilting his face to the morning sun. Sleep had been hard come by when
he finally collapsed on his bed in the wee hours of the morning. The
few hours he'd managed hadn't helped much; he still felt worn out. Not
the ending he'd hoped for.

His cell phone rang. He checked the number before
answering. Meg's – therefore hopefully Jade.

"Hi Dane."

Jade's warm voice flooded his senses. Damn it was
good to hear her voice. "Good morning. How are you today?"

"Better than most of the people involved in last
night's emergency. I have several reasons for calling. First, how is
John? Second, did anyone ever find Peppe?"

Peppe?
Shit he hadn't given that crazy old man a second thought.
Not after last night's chaos. "Peppe might have come back overnight.
We're just up, so I'll walk over and check in a few minutes. John is
okay, but not good – still, he's holding on."

"Not a good night for any of us."

"Yes. The doctors didn't say much." Dane
checked his watch. "Tasha should be out of surgery by now. We might
know more soon."

The kitchen door slammed shut. He spun around see
John walking down the garden path, head bent in the morning sunlight,
hands in his pockets. "I'll call you back."

Dane closed the phone and tucked it back into his
jeans pocket and hurried to catch up with his brother.

Jade walked back to the patio table where Meg sat
waiting. Bruce came out to join them. "Dane says he's going to
walk over and check on Peppe and will call us back."

Bruce scrunched his face as he pulled a chair back
to sit. "What a mess."

"That's one way to put it." Jade lifted
her cup of coffee, letting the steam waft upward to bathe her eyes.
The shower had helped but not enough. She still ached inside, as if
she were a faded version of herself. In direct contrast the thick bushes
beside her were many shades of vibrant green, their branches, lively
in the breeze. Typical of so much of the vegetation here. It took her
breath away.

"Dr. Mike's still missing," Bruce said.
"I've contacted the authorities and will be heading there shortly
to give them Dr. Mike's photo. He has to be missing for twenty-four
hours before they'll do anything official. However, because of the work
we've been doing and the missing SUV involved, they'll look into it
earlier." He grimaced. "I've also contacted Tony – to give
him the heads up."

"Oh joy," Jade muttered. "Is he coming
back?"

Settling back into his chair, Bruce took a sip of
his coffee before answering in a grim voice. "No. Not at this point.
He does want to know as soon as possible, whether he needs to find a
replacement."

"What!" Meg stared at him in shock. "A
replacement? For Dr. Mike? Are you serious? Surely that's jumping the
gun?"

"Tony is thinking of the project and his client.
If Dr. Mike is injured or missing or... anything else, then Tony needs
to find a replacement." Bruce's gaze went from Meg, to Jade. "It's
not unreasonable given the schedule. But we aren't going to go there
yet."

Jade shuddered and walked off a ways. She could see
both sides regarding Tony's concern but that didn't mean she wanted
to contemplate anything nasty. Last night had been enough drama for
a long time. "Let's hope he went on a bender and is sleeping it
off in the SUV somewhere."

"Dr. Mike doesn't drink."

Jade spun around throwing her hands in the air. "Then
maybe he found a lady friend or something. Let's remain positive, please."

"Right. I'm heading out now. I don't know what
you two are planning to do today, but if it involves searching for Peppe
and Dr. Mike, please wake our two party animals and get them involved.
Leave Susan alone; she needs to rest. Maybe she can throw the flu that's
plaguing her."

Jade shook her head, a small grin on her face. "Is
that what Stephen and Wilson were doing? Partying? We were so busy last
night I never gave them a thought."

"Me neither. Which is why we dropped the ball
on Dr. Mike," Meg said tiredly.

Bruce leaned over slightly so he could meet Meg's
gaze. "Don't think that. We didn't drop the ball. Priorities shifted
due to emergencies. I'm going to the authorities right now. We'll find
him."

Meg stood as he walked back inside the hotel. She
motioned to Jade. "Why don't you bring your coffee and join me
in the conference room? If I stay out here, this morning sun will put
me back to sleep."

Talking quietly, they walked inside to their desks
and turned on their computers. Meg's phone rang. She checked the number
and handed it over to Jade.

"Dane. You might as well answer it."

Jade's heart lightened. "Hello Dane."

"Hey. Too bad you don't have your own cell phone.
I wouldn't have to keep bothering Meg this way." She heard the
smile in his voice that said he wasn't too bothered by the inconvenience.
Still he had a point. If she wanted privacy, she'd have to get a phone
for the duration of her time here. "Anyway, Peppe is not in his
cabin. The door is open now and it wasn't left that way yesterday. John
believes Peppe came home last night and was probably confused and scared
off by the sirens. We'll keep an eye out for him."

"Oh, that sounds reasonable." In fact that
was excellent news. They could focus on Dr. Mike now. "How is John
holding up?"

Dane's voice flattened. "He's coping, somewhat.
He opened up a little, admitted that he and Tasha had been having problems
for a bit. At the time he figured that was because she was upset that
he allowed you to work on the grave."

Jade wrinkled up her nose. "Yeah, I can see that.
Relationships being what they are." Meg looked at her, an eyebrow raised.
Jade continued. "Let us know if there are any developments with
Peppe. We'll turn our attention to trying to find Dr. Mike."

"What? Dr. Mike didn't come home?" he asked,
his voice rising.

Jade had forgotten what they'd been doing when they'd
found Emile. "No. There's no sign of him or the SUV. Bruce left
a few minutes ago to speak with the police."

"Hmmm. While I look for Peppe, I'll keep an eye
out for him too. Let me know if there is anything we can do to help
you
."

"I'll get back to you on that," Jade promised,
then hung up. She quickly filled Meg in on the latest developments.

Meg brightened. "If he'd seen the ambulance take
his kids away, then he's going to be confused and upset. I can see him
going into hiding. That doesn't mean he's not in need of care, though."
She thought for a moment. "Any idea what happened to Tasha and
Emile's mother?"

"No. I never thought to ask." Jade stared
down at the phone, wondering if she should call Dane back. Some family
history would be good to know.

"Not to worry. It's not our problem."

She stared at Meg. "You're right, yet somehow
it seems like it is."

T
he team was discussing the previous night's events
over lunch when Bruce returned.

Susan walked in slowly just behind him. She fielded
all the questions with a smile. "I'm feeling a little better, thanks,
everyone. Apparently I missed lots of excitement last night."

Jade shook her head, "And you were the lucky
one there."

Pulling her chair out, Susan sat down next to Stephen.
She frowned. "Not really. I think someone tried to break into
my room last night."

"What?" A chorus of cries erupted from the
table.

"Really." Meg stared at her in horror. "What
happened?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I took some decongestants
to try and throw this cold. Those things always knock me out."
She sighed, reached for her coffee cup and took a sip. "I woke
up in the night, everything was dark. But I could hear movement in my
room."

"Jesus." Jade so didn't want to think about
what could have happened. "Did he just leave? On his own?"

Susan nodded. "I coughed a couple of times, sat
up to clear my throat and this shadow detached from the wall, the door
opened and this person went out. Had a hard time getting back to sleep after that. The front desk sent someone up to check the lock for me"

Stephen growled. "That had better not happen
again. We've got enough problems without worrying about intruders while
we sleep."

Susan gave him a wan smile. "I did get up and
lock my door. Figured I must have forgotten to before climbing into
bed.

At that, Bruce highlighted something they all knew
but found easy to forget. "Remember people, this area is incredibly
poor. Lock up your belongings. The hotel has a safe if you want to make
use of it and be sure to check that you've locked your room doors at
all times."

Everyone had something to say. Jade sat back and listened.
She couldn't believe the shitty luck the team had been having lately.

Bruce gave everyone another moment, then held up his
hand. "Now on to my news. We're in luck. There's a tracking device
on the SUV. The police called the rental company. Apparently, with the
unrest in Haiti in the last year, thefts were up, along with every other
crime imaginable. In order to keep their fleet insured, they'd been
forced to boost their security measures." He pulled out a chair
and sat. "I handed over all the paperwork on the leases and they're
doing their thing as we speak."

"Oh, wow. That is great news." Jade sat
up straight. She'd never considered a tracking device.

Bruce's phone rang. He answered, gesturing for silence.
The room fell quiet. He put the phone on speaker. "Hi, did you
find him?"

"We found the SUV. However there's no sign of
your missing person."

Worry lined Bruce's face. "He's not there? Is
there any place close-by where he could be? A hotel or restaurant, something?"