With Autumn's Return (Westward Winds Book #3): A Novel (38 page)

Mrs. Seaman looked at Jason, confusion evident in her brown eyes. “What should I do?”

Jason thought quickly. Though he was almost certain this was some kind of ruse, he could not risk anyone’s life, not even Tabitha Chadwick’s. If she really did need a physician’s care, Jason would find a way to get it to her, but he would do nothing to endanger Mrs. Seaman.

“Go upstairs,” he said softly, pointing to the outdoor staircase that led to Elizabeth’s apartment. “I’ll come for you later.” As she turned, Jason approached the carriage. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “The doctor’s gone to fetch some supplies.”

The woman in the carriage frowned, as if she hadn’t expected that and wasn’t certain how to respond. “Mrs. Chadwick collapsed,” she said. “She went to the lumber company, and she was so upset that she collapsed.”

It was a ruse, an attempt to keep Elizabeth away from her office. Jason was certain of that. Not only was it implausible that Tabitha would have gone to Nelson’s place of work at night, but the woman’s speech sounded as rehearsed as Tabitha’s declaration of sorrow had.

Jason climbed into the carriage and faced the woman. “Where is she? Where is Tabitha?” he demanded.

Cringing, the woman repeated her earlier lies. “I told you. She’s at the lumber company. She collapsed.”

“Try again.” Jason adopted the menacing tone one of his professors had claimed would elicit the truth from even a hardened criminal. “I don’t believe you.”

The woman shrank against the seatback. “I don’t know. She didn’t tell me. All she said was I was supposed to take you and the doctor to the lumberyard.”

She was telling the truth. The woman might not be innocent, but she was ignorant of Tabitha’s plans. Jason would learn nothing more from her. He leaned out and called to the coachman. “Take me to Dr. Harding’s office. As fast as those horses will go.”

Elizabeth needed him.

They were a woman’s footsteps, and though the person who had entered her office through the rear door said nothing, Elizabeth knew those footsteps belonged to Tabitha. She had come to kill Phoebe. Elizabeth had expected that; however,
she had not expected that neither Jason nor the deputy would be here when Tabitha arrived. Their plan had unraveled, and there was no one to help Elizabeth.

She retrieved one item from her instrument drawer, then settled on the cot, pulling up the sheets and turning on her side so that she faced the wall. Tabitha would expect Phoebe to be the occupant of the bed, and while most people saw what they expected, Elizabeth would take no chances. When she entered the infirmary, Tabitha would see only the back of a woman with a bandaged head.

Firm footsteps announced the visitor’s arrival. For a second, there was no sound other than the two women’s breathing. Then Tabitha laughed, a sound so devoid of mirth that it sent a shiver down Elizabeth’s spine.

“There you are.” There was no mistaking Tabitha Chadwick’s voice. “You thought you were so smart, didn’t you, trying to steal my husband? You were wrong, Phoebe. I gave up more than you can possibly imagine to become Nelson’s wife, and I have no intention of being humiliated by a whore like you.” Her voice filled with venom, Tabitha fairly spat the words. “You should have died the first time, but don’t worry. You’ll die tonight.”

This was the confession Elizabeth and Jason had hoped to elicit. The problem was, there was no one but Elizabeth to hear it. She could only pray that the deputy would regain consciousness—for surely Tabitha had not killed him when she’d lured him outside with her false cries for help—in time to apprehend Tabitha.

Elizabeth lay quietly, wondering what Tabitha would do next. The woman seemed to have exhausted her supply of vitriol.

Elizabeth heard the swishing of something soft, perhaps a scarf, and guessed that Tabitha intended to strangle Phoebe. Moving so swiftly that Tabitha had no way of anticipating it, Elizabeth rolled onto her other side and sat up, facing Tabitha.

“Killing me won’t accomplish anything. The sheriff knows that you murdered your husband and tried to kill Phoebe.”

For a second, Tabitha stared at Elizabeth, confusion evident in her expression.

“Dr. Harding? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be . . .” Tabitha looked around the infirmary, clearly searching for signs of Phoebe. When her gaze returned to Elizabeth, Tabitha’s green eyes filled with malevolence. “Where is she?”

Elizabeth kept her eyes fixed on Tabitha, refusing to even glance in the direction of her examination room, where Phoebe lay. “Safe,” she said, keeping the scalpel that she held in her right hand hidden from Tabitha’s view. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but when she realized she was alone, Elizabeth had wanted some way to defend herself.

Tabitha shook her head. “She’s here. I know she is.” Pulling a pistol from her pocket, she pointed it at Elizabeth. “Come along, Doctor. We’re going to find your patient, and when we do, you’re going to kill her.”

The woman was mad. That was the only explanation Elizabeth could find. Tabitha’s anger and hatred had grown to monstrous proportions. She knew that Elizabeth would never kill a patient, and yet she seemed to believe it was a reasonable demand.

Elizabeth clutched the scalpel, wondering how she could use it to disarm Tabitha. She couldn’t let her harm Phoebe, and yet there seemed no way to keep Tabitha from finding her. If Elizabeth refused to tell her where Phoebe was, Tabitha
would simply shoot her and then search the office until she found Phoebe. Phoebe’s only hope was for Elizabeth to stall Tabitha until Jason returned.
Please, Lord, make it
soon.

“There’s no reason to kill Phoebe,” Elizabeth said, keeping her voice as calm as she could. “She can’t hurt you.”

Tabitha’s lip curled in disgust. “She bewitched Nelson. She deserves to die. Now, show me where she is.”

Elizabeth slid the scalpel under her skirt, then began to unwind the bandage she’d wrapped around her head. Tabitha watched, almost as if she were mesmerized. “Why were you wearing that?”

“I wanted you to think I was Phoebe. I knew you’d try to kill her again, but I couldn’t let that happen.” Elizabeth folded the bandage, moving slowly and deliberately, as if there was nothing more important than having a precisely folded piece of cloth. When she finished, she removed the nightshirt she’d used to cover her own dress.

“How did you know I was the one?” Tabitha demanded. “I didn’t leave any clues. I know I didn’t.”

Elizabeth lifted her left hand and mimicked a stabbing motion. “Phoebe is left-handed. She couldn’t have inflicted those wounds herself.”

For the first time, Elizabeth saw hesitation in Tabitha’s expression, but it was only momentary. “Stop stalling,” she said. “I want to see that woman.”

See, not kill. Perhaps there was hope. Elizabeth stood and moved toward the door leading to the hallway. Taking Tabitha through the waiting room would require more time than going through the kitchen and across the hall to the examination room.

The waiting room was dark. Though Elizabeth knew she
could find her way without switching on the lights, she stopped and pretended to fumble with the switch. Light flooded the room.

“Of course she’s not here. This is the waiting room.” Tabitha sounded annoyed, and she jabbed the barrel of her gun into Elizabeth’s back. “Where is she? Where is that harlot?”

Where was Jason? Elizabeth couldn’t let Tabitha come any closer to Phoebe. She had to do something to stop the woman from killing again. Gripping the scalpel firmly, Elizabeth spun around and held it to Tabitha’s throat.

“You can kill me if you want, but you’ll die too. A woman who’s been shot still has enough strength to cut your jugular vein.”

Tabitha blinked but pressed the gun against Elizabeth’s chest. “You wouldn’t.”

“Are you willing to risk your life?”

“Faster.” Though the carriage careened around the corner, it wasn’t fast enough for Jason. He had to reach Elizabeth. He had to know that she was safe and that the deputy had Tabitha in custody. There was no reason to worry, he told himself, and yet he did. As the buggy approached Elizabeth’s office, Jason’s sense of foreboding grew. Though the waiting room shades were drawn, light seeped around the edges. Why? No one should be there, and Elizabeth was far too frugal to light a room unnecessarily.

Leaping down from the carriage, Jason sprinted to the front door. As his hand touched the knob, he heard a small voice deep inside himself say, “Quietly.” And so he opened
the door as gently as he could and entered the hallway, every movement stealthy.

It was only a few steps to the waiting room. Jason reached the doorway, his breath catching and dread filling his heart when he saw them. The two women stood face-to-face, only inches apart. Elizabeth held a knife to Tabitha’s throat, while the woman who had already killed at least one person had a gun in her hand, a gun that was pointed at Elizabeth’s heart.

He would have only one chance. Jason knew that as surely as he knew that Elizabeth would never use that knife for harm. He took two long strides into the room, and then, heedless of the noise, leapt forward and knocked Tabitha to the floor.

The gunshot was deafening.

Shaking her head in a vain effort to stop her ears from ringing, Elizabeth knelt on the floor next to Jason and Tabitha. It had all happened so fast that she hadn’t been able to see what occurred. One second Tabitha was pointing the gun at her. The next, both she and Jason were lying on the ground. And sometime—before, during, or after the fall, Elizabeth wasn’t certain when—Tabitha’s gun had gone off. Though she saw no blood, Elizabeth couldn’t stop her heart from pounding with fear at the thought that Jason might have been wounded. Or worse.

Slowly, Jason shifted his weight and sat up, apparently unharmed.
Thank you, Lord
.

“Are you all right?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes, and so is Tabitha. She’s just stunned.” Jason gestured toward the wall that separated the waiting and examination rooms. “Your wall wasn’t so lucky.”

A nervous laugh escaped from Elizabeth. That and the fact that her limbs were trembling like leaves in a thunderstorm were the natural aftermath of the ordeal she’d endured. She would be light-headed, even a little dizzy, for a few minutes, but then the effects would subside. She was safe. Even more importantly, so was Phoebe.

“Where’s the deputy?”

It was Tabitha who answered Jason’s question. “At the back door, out cold. The man was so worried about answering my cry for help that he didn’t notice I was waiting for him with a brick in my hands.” Once again Tabitha’s laugh held no mirth.

Elizabeth scrambled to her feet. “I’d better check on him.” The man would need a physician.

“Could you give me some bandages first?”

Feeling the blood drain from her face, Elizabeth stared at Jason. “I thought you were unharmed.”

“I am, but I want to tie Tabitha’s hands and feet. Then she’s going to take a trip to the sheriff.”

As Elizabeth watched, a calculating gleam filled Tabitha’s eyes.

“You’ll help me, won’t you?” she asked Jason. “Help me like you did Adam Bennett. I’m no guiltier than he was.”