Garden of Secrets (6 page)

She was relieved to learn that the mayor was gone for the moment. As the nurse went in to check on the other patient, Charlotte took a quick look at Theresa’s chart. The tests showed brain swelling but no bleeds. That was a good sign.

“What are you doing here?” a man asked sharply, his voice cold.

She turned in surprise. The mayor stared back at her with dark, angry eyes. A big man with a square
face and a strong jaw, he was a little soft around the middle, and his hairline had receded, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. “I was just checking on your wife.”

“I don’t want you anywhere near Theresa. That’s why there’s a guard outside the door. How did you get past him?”

She was taken aback by the intensity of his animosity. She’d thought his reaction the night before had been in the heat of the moment, that he would have calmed down by now.

“I didn’t have anything to do with your wife’s attack,” she said. “I don’t have any grudge against Theresa. And my problems with Pamela were a long time ago, when we were kids. I would never try to hurt either one of them.”

“Save your explanations for the police. I want you to leave now, and I don’t want to see you here again. Is that understood?”

“Yes.”

“Good, then get out.”

She walked out of the room, mentally kicking herself for coming into the ICU in the first place.

As she reached the end of the hall, the elevator doors opened, and Joe stepped out. He had on gray slacks and a black sweater. His dark eyes and sexy mouth made her heart beat a little faster. Her breath caught as their eyes met. They’d taken a step past friendship last night, but where they were now, she had no real idea. It was impossible to go back, but the way forward was complicated.

“You’re working today?” he asked.

“One of my patients had a false alarm.”

“Obstetrics isn’t on this floor, is it?”

“I wanted to see how Theresa was doing,” she admitted.

His jaw tightened. “That wasn’t a good idea, Charlotte.”

“That’s what the mayor just told me.”

Joe looked even less happy to hear that. “Want to fill me in on what else he said?”

“Not much. He just wanted me to leave. Do you have any leads?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Really?” she asked in disappointment. “No fingerprints? No shoe prints in the mud? No tire tracks?”

“You’ve been watching crime shows, haven’t you?”

“I got hooked while I was taking care of Annie’s baby a few months ago. There was nothing else on in the middle of the night. You really didn’t find any clues? No other eyewitness reports besides the housekeeper?”

“Not yet, but Jason is in the early stages of the investigation.”

“Jason is a good officer, but he’s a new detective, and you have a lot of more experience. Why aren’t you leading the investigation?”

“I was at the party. We’ll have a better, cleaner case if I stay out of it. I have complete faith in Jason, but I am watching from a distance.”

“I hope you don’t watch me get arrested from a distance,” she said dryly.

A smile played around his lips. “I wouldn’t stand by and let that happen. I’m hoping Theresa will wake up and be able to give us a lead.”

“If you’re staying out of it, then why are you here?”

“The mayor asked me to give him a personal report.”

“I saw the guard. You don’t think Theresa is in any danger, do you?”

“I hope not. It’s possible that her injury came from a shove and a slip on the marble floor. If that were the scenario, it’s unlikely the thief would show up here at the hospital, but then again, it depends on whether she can identify them and how badly they want to cover their tracks.” He paused, his expression all business. “Don’t go back to the ICU, Charlotte. The fact that you could get past the guard and into Theresa’s room will not work in your favor.”

“I’m a doctor here. I can go anywhere I want in this hospital.”

“Exactly. And that ability will make you more of a suspect if something else happens to Theresa.”

“I understand. But I want to help find out who did this to her.”

“I appreciate that, but you’re going to have to sit this one out.”

“I’ll try,” she said.

“Do better than try,” he said forcefully. “You were the only person spotted near the crime scene. You
have an alleged grudge against the victim. That gives you motive and opportunity, not a bad start to any case.”

A shiver ran down her spine at his very serious words.

He put his hands on her shoulders and gazed into her eyes. “I’ll do everything I can to keep you out of the line of fire.”

The strength of his touch and his vow reassured her. Joe would protect her. That’s the kind of man he was. He stood up for what was right.

“Thank you.”

His hands gently kneaded the tight muscles in her shoulders. “I’ve made you tense.”

She was more tense now that he was touching her. She swallowed back a sudden knot in her throat as she remembered the last time they’d been this close, his hands threading through her hair as he angled his head for a deeper kiss.

His massage stopped abruptly, his gaze meeting hers, as if his memories were taking him down the same path. The air between them sizzled with anticipation. They were close but not close enough.

Then the elevator dinged, and they jumped apart.

A woman stepped out, wearing black jeans, spike-heeled boots, and a black leather jacket over a white silk top. Her dark blond hair was long and thick, drifting past her shoulder blades. Her legs were skinny, her bust a triple D.

Charlotte’s heart began to pound. She knew that body—that face—those eyes that had once mocked her.

“Oh, my God,” the woman drawled, recognition flashing in her eyes. “It’s Charlotte Adams, isn’t it? Funny that you would be the first person I would see in Angel’s Bay. You remember me, don’t you?”

How could she have forgotten the girl who had stolen Andrew from her and been picked in their high school yearbook as “Most Likely to Have a Spread in
Playboy
”?

“Pamela.”

“That’s right. We meet again. You’re living here now?”

“Yes,” Charlotte said. “I am.” She felt awkward and tongue-tied, the way she had when she and Pamela were teenagers. No one had ever gotten under her skin like this girl. With most people, she was outgoing, talkative, and confident, but somehow Pamela always made her feel foolish.

Pamela’s attention drifted to Joe. “And you are?” she asked, her predatory gaze making a bold run down Joe’s body.

Charlotte frowned, fighting a ridiculous urge to stand in front of Joe and tell Pamela that she couldn’t have him.

“I’m Joe Silveira, the chief of police,” he said.

“Just the man I wanted to see. I’m Pamela Baines, Theresa Monroe’s sister. My brother-in-law didn’t tell me much, except that Theresa had been assaulted and her jewelry stolen. What are you planning to do about it?”

“I’d be happy to fill you in on our investigation, perhaps after you’ve had a chance to see your
sister,” he suggested. “Her room is just down the hall.”

“Thank you.” Pamela cast Charlotte a speculative look and then left them alone.

“So that’s your old nemesis,” Joe said.

“That’s her,” she said, watching Pamela’s sexy swagger. She hadn’t changed a bit.

“Are you all right?”

She shook off her feeling of dread. “I’m fine. So what if Pamela is back? She’s here to see her sister. It’s perfectly natural. Not at all a big deal.”

“Are you done?” he asked when she ran out of steam.

“I don’t like her. She annoys the hell out of me.”

“Really? Because you hide it quite well.”

Her mouth curved into a reluctant smile. “Sorry. It’s been a dozen years, but she still makes me crazy. And she doesn’t appear to have changed at all. She still has that hair, that smirky smile, those skinny legs, and those boobs. God! She flaunted those from the day she got them, and I’m betting they’re even bigger now. It’s not funny,” she added as Joe’s grin broadened.

“I’ve never seen you so worked up.”

“You’re right. I need to calm down. We’re all adults, and I should start acting like one.” She pressed the button for the elevator. “But a word of warning: when you talk to Pamela, keep your guard up. Don’t trust her. She always had an agenda, and I’m betting that hasn’t changed.”

* * *

Joe thought about Charlotte’s warning as he walked down the hall. She normally had good instincts about people, but she might be too caught up in the past to see Pamela clearly now. He wouldn’t have that problem.

“Morning, Chief,” the guard greeted him.

“Everything been quiet?” he asked.

“Only visitors have been the mayor and the sister. I didn’t let the sister in until the mayor gave the okay.”

Bart didn’t mention that Charlotte had been inside. “I’d also like you to keep track of the hospital personnel going and out of these doors,” Joe said.

“Sure, Chief. Dr. Adams was by and Dr. Coulter. A couple of nurses have been in and out. I knew all of ’em by sight. No strangers have gotten past me.”

“Thanks.” He gave Bart a brief smile and headed into the ICU.

The nurse sent him a quick glance, then returned her attention to her computer.

Pausing in the doorway to Theresa’s room, he watched Pamela and Robert conversing in hushed tones. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their discussion seemed rather heated. He’d need to learn more about Pamela’s relationship with both her sister and her brother-in-law.

When Robert saw Joe, he quickly ended his conversation and joined him in the outer room. Pamela
remained where she was, but her attention was on them and not her sister, which he found odd.

“What have you learned?” the mayor asked.

“Unfortunately, not much. How is your wife?”

“She’s fighting for her life. That’s how she is,” he said angrily. “I want to know who did this to her.”

“So do I. We’re going over forensics and witness statements, and we’ve conducted an extensive search around your property. With the nearby beach and the thick cluster of trees, there’s a lot of ground to cover.”

“I don’t care how difficult it is. I want every officer in the department working on this case. What about Charlotte Adams? Has she been brought in for questioning?”

“She’s cooperating fully with the investigation.” On a good day, the mayor was impatient, short-tempered, and egotistical, and this was far from his best day. His eyes were bloodshot, and he hadn’t slept in twenty-four hours. He wanted someone to blame, and right now the only person in his sights was Charlotte. “When you have a chance, I’d like you to take a look around your house to help us determine if anything else is missing besides the jewelry your wife was wearing.”

“I don’t know what Theresa had in the way of jewelry. She was always shopping for something.” Robert drew in a deep breath as he looked through the glass at his very still and pale wife. “She has to make it through this.”

He could hear the fear in the mayor’s voice. He’d
never thought of the mayor as a man capable of having deep feelings, but he certainly seemed to be in love with his wife.

“I can’t leave here until Theresa wakes up,” the mayor added. “Whatever may or may not be missing from the house will have to wait.”

“Perhaps your sister-in-law could help with that.”

“I doubt that. Just find who did this, Silveira. If you don’t, you won’t have a job.” With that threat, Robert returned to his wife’s side.

Pamela moved across the room, pausing in the doorway. “He’s worried about Theresa,” she said.

“Completely understandable. Are you and your sister close, Ms. Baines?”

“We’re sisters,” she said with a shrug. “Our blood makes us close.”

“When did you last see her?”

“I can’t recall. We’ve both been busy. Robert tells me that Charlotte Adams is a suspect.”

It was an adept change in subject. Pamela obviously wasn’t going to give him much on her relationship with her sister. “Dr. Adams was one of many people in the house last night,” he conceded.

“Charlotte and I have a history. She doesn’t like me because I stole her boyfriend.”

“And how do you feel about her?”

Pamela shrugged. “I couldn’t care less about her. She might have thought we were rivals, but as far as I was concerned, she was no competition whatsoever.”

“And your sister’s opinion of her?”

“I have no idea. Until I saw Charlotte a few minutes ago, I hadn’t thought about her in years. I must admit I’m a little curious about why Theresa invited her to the party, though.” She paused, tilting her head thoughtfully. “We should meet later for coffee. You can fill me on the investigation, and maybe I can help you in some way.”

It was a good idea. He needed to know the players, and with Theresa unconscious and the mayor stressed out, Pamela was his best bet at getting some insight into the family. “Call the station. They’ll get in touch with me.”

“I’ll see you later, then.”

She gave him a flirtatious smile that seemed out of place in this very serious hospital room. Despite the fact that Pamela had rushed to her sister’s bedside, she didn’t appear to be all that upset about Theresa’s condition. Or was her flirting a cover for something else? If she had a hidden agenda, as Charlotte suspected, he intended to find out what it was.

After leaving the hospital, Charlotte stopped home to change into jeans and make up a tray of sandwiches to take to the party. Then she headed across town. Kara and Colin lived in a three-bedroom house in a quiet neighborhood filled with young families. The elementary school was only a few blocks away, as was a neighborhood park, and as on most blocks, there was a feeling of community and friendship among the neighbors. It was that feeling of belonging somewhere that she’d missed when she left for college.

But just as she had grown up, so had Angel’s Bay. There was a lot more action within the city limits now, more stores and businesses and an influx of people who had come to live here, not just spend their summers near the beach. Yet in spite of the growth, the town still retained its charm. She hoped that would never change.