Day Of Reckoning Part 7

She took a sip of her coffee, watching him over the rim of her cup as he ate. "What I don't understand is why you would risk your life to help my father."

He smiled as if he'd been expecting the question. "Let's just say I owe him for the article I wrote on him."

"You could just write a retraction," she said. "Instead of risking your life."

He shook his head. "The photographs your father took were too blurry to prove anything one way or the other. The experts I had look at them were as convinced as I was that they'd been faked." He held up a hand quickly to keep her from biting his head off. "Look, I didn't know your father. Or mine, for that matter. And yes, I did have an ax to grind. I'm not proud of it. But like I said, that's the past. There's no going back and changing that."

That seemed a bit too simple, but she let it ride. After all Ford's father had been Liam's best friend-and had been hurt by the article as well. Maybe Ford also wanted to make up some things to his own father.

"I think we should keep this just between the two of us," Ford said, looking up at her. "It sounds like there are enough people out there searching for Bigfoot as it is without word of this getting out. If we stand any hope of finding the bones-"

"And the person who injured my father," she said.

"Yes. If we announce what we're looking for, we'll scare him off. Or force him to move quicker to get the bones out before we can find them."

Their food arrived. To her surprise, Roz realized she was hungry after all. She'd felt so helpless at the hospital but now there seemed to be something she could do besides pray and wait beside her father's hospital bed for him to recover.

They ate in silence, wolfing down their meals as if neither had eaten in weeks. By the time they finished, it was getting late.

"I want to stop by the hospital and see my father again."

"I thought you might. Mind if I go with you?"

She didn't mind in the least. In fact, she was glad for the company. Ever since he'd told her about the danger he thought her father was in, she'd found herself looking over her shoulder. She wanted to make sure Liam was safe-and hoped he'd be conscious by the time they got there.

Jesse Tanner was sprawled in a chair in the hospital room when she walked in. He nodded at her as she entered the room. Ford stayed in the doorway.

Roz pulled up a chair beside her father's bed. "I'm here, Dad," she whispered and squeezed his hand. No response. She began to talk softly to him, talking about the past, reliving memories she'd buried ten years ago when her mother died. He never moved, never gave any indication he heard her.

She was crying softly by the time she finally stood and let go of his hand. "I'll be back." She needed to find out what had happened to him. Ford was right about that, she thought, glancing toward the door.

But even as she thought it, she wondered again at Ford's motivations. What was it about the man that made her so suspicious of him? Was it just the article he'd written so many years ago or something else? Something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Roz hadn't realized how tired she was until she and Ford walked out of the hospital. The night was dark, the clouds damp and low. In the distance lightning flashed above the tree line.

"I'm going to walk back," Ford said and handed her the keys as thunder rumbled softly to the west. "Will you be all right?"

"It's only a few blocks," Roz said, surprised she was a little disappointed he wasn't coming with her.

"I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

When she drove away, he was still standing in front of the hospital. She wondered if he was worried about security for her father or if he just wanted some time alone. She could understand that.

Roz thought of her father and felt a chill. Who was it he had to fear? It could be anyone...

Even Ford Lancaster?

AS A CAR came around the dark corner at the end of the street from the hospital, Ford stepped back into the shadows. A sports car pulled up next to the emergency room entrance. Drew Lane got out and looked around before walking to the pa.s.senger side and opening the car door. His mother emerged, also glancing around before rushing inside.

Drew held the car door open as Suzanne Lane stumbled out from the small s.p.a.ce in the back. She shoved away his offered hand for help, obviously intoxicated, and wound her way toward the hospital entrance. "I don't know why I had to be here," she said to her mother.

Emily said something under her breath that Ford couldn't make out but whatever it was, it wasn't nice.

Drew followed the two women inside. Neither noticed Ford in the shadows watching them. Or heard him enter the hospital a few minutes later behind them.

"Who are you?" he heard Emily exclaim from Liam's room.

Ford smiled to himself as he quietly stepped into the room after the trio. Jesse was still sprawled in the chair in the corner of Liam Sawyer's room but Ford didn't doubt from watching the man move that he could spring from that chair in a heartbeat if he needed to.

"Haven't you met Jesse Tanner yet?" Ford asked behind them. "He's the sheriff's brother."

Emily spun around, breathing heavily with obvious surprise and displeasure. "What is he doing here?" she demanded, then lowered her voice to add, "Liam needs his rest."

Ford nodded. "The deputy is here to make sure he gets it."

"Deputy?" Emily was visibly trying to calm herself. "I'd like a moment alone with my husband."

"Jesse doesn't leave the room," Ford said. "But don't worry. He won't disturb you."

"On whose orders?"

"Rozalyn's," Ford said, knowing that he carried no weight at all in this matter. But Rozalyn did. She was the man's daughter, his blood, although legally Emily could put up a fight. But it would take time and a lawyer. "She just wants to make sure her father is safe."

"Safe?! He's in a hospital! What is wrong with that girl?" Emily snapped with disgust. "The sheriff told me that she thought she saw someone jump from Lost Creek Falls?" She was shaking her head as if the idea was ludicrous. "You know her mother committed suicide. Jumped from the widow's walk in the attic."

He tried not to show his shock. No wonder Rozalyn had freaked out at the falls like she had.

Emily nodded, obviously pleased that she'd shocked him. "I have to live in that house knowing what that poor deranged woman did just upstairs...."

"You can't get me near near that attic," Suzanne said, slurring her words. that attic," Suzanne said, slurring her words.

"The worst part is that this sort of thing runs in Rozalyn's family," Emily said with a shudder. "I'm sure she just imagined seeing someone jump from the falls. It wouldn't be the first time. Her father told me she heard voices and music all the time after her mother's death."

Ford wished now that he'd seen the jumper. He didn't want to agree with this woman that Rozalyn had just imagined the whole thing. "Losing a parent like that has to be a shock," he said, thinking of his own father's quiet death and how it had affected him.

He couldn't imagine what Rozalyn must have gone through after her mother's suicide.

"Rozalyn is unstable. Why else would she think she saw a jumper at the river? Or that Liam was in danger?" Emily demanded.

"I'll leave you alone to visit with your husband," Ford said. He glanced in Jesse's direction, their eyes meeting in silent understanding. Nothing could get Jesse Tanner out of that room short of a stretcher.

"I just wanted to tell Liam good night," Emily said and went around to the side of the bed to pat her husband's pale hand. Drew and Suzanne hadn't moved from their spots near the door.

As Ford headed down the hall, he pa.s.sed Dr. Harris and heard Emily greet the doctor with, "Oh Mark, I'm so worried about Liam." Ford heard the doctor rea.s.suring her in a soft caring tone. "Is there any way you can get that awful man out of Liam's room?"

"I guess the sheriff insisted at the request of the daughter. My hands are tied, Em."

As Ford left the hospital, the sky to the west glittered with lightning. He could practically feel the low rumble of thunder echo in his chest. It wouldn't be long now before all h.e.l.l broke loose, he thought, thinking of the coming storm-and the one inside him.

ROZ PARKED in front of the house noticing that, while a couple of lights burned inside, Drew's car was gone. Were they still at the hospital?

Roz had hoped everyone had gone to bed. She could feel the approaching storm in the air as she walked quickly up the steps and across the porch. She was relieved that the porch light was on and the front door wasn't locked. She felt a little chilled and couldn't wait to have a hot bath as lightning flickered in the distance, thunder echoing behind it, the night suddenly feeling colder.

She hurried inside, trying to be as quiet as possible in hopes of avoiding running into any of the family again tonight-just in case any were home.

She didn't see anyone as she closed the front door behind her and started up the stairs. From the kitchen came the clatter of pots and pans, but no other sound.

Roz hurried up the stairs, trying not to think about Ford Lancaster. Impossible. If even half of what he'd told her was the truth- As she pa.s.sed the second floor, she heard nothing but silence. Was it possible even Suzanne had gone to the hospital? Could she be wrong about the level of their concern for her father?

She was was tired. Exhausted with worry and from being around these people. Biting her tongue took so much energy. Not that she'd done much tongue biting tonight. tired. Exhausted with worry and from being around these people. Biting her tongue took so much energy. Not that she'd done much tongue biting tonight.

She opened the door to her room, thankful now that it hadn't been changed. It felt like a sanctuary in this house and she needed that right now. She closed the door and caught the scent of chocolate-her one weakness.

In a dish next to her bed were two perfect pieces of her favorite Swiss chocolates-and a note. "I thought you might enjoy these after the day you've had, Drew."

How thoughtful. Roz popped one of the chocolates into her mouth and closed her eyes, letting the rich, smooth delicacy melt on her tongue. "Ahhhhh."

She'd save the other one for after a hot bath.

As she turned, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Her pulse jumped and she had to stifle a scream.

It was only the curtain billowing in on a gust of wind. Her relief was short-lived. She hadn't left the window open. Maybe Drew had opened it to let in some fresh air. Odd, though, she couldn't imagine anyone doing that with a thunderstorm on the way.

A cold draft of damp air curled around her neck as she went to the window, frowning as she looked down. Past the narrow window ledge was a drop of three stories to the garden below. She glanced up through the limbs of the large tree directly outside her room and caught sight of a dark figure moving along the garden path toward the guest house. Ford?

She started to close the window but stopped as she noticed how close the branches of the tree were to her room. It would be easy for someone to climb the tree and right into her room.

She shook off the thought as she closed the window and locked it. Why would anyone go to the effort, let alone the danger of falling from a rain-slick tree limb to climb in her window? Especially when the window had been closed and locked when she'd left earlier. Hadn't it? It had definitely been closed. She couldn't swear it had been locked though.

She turned to survey the room, her gaze settling on her open suitcase.

Earlier when she'd left, her suitcase hadn't been open on the trunk at the end of her bed.

But it was now.

She stepped to it, seeing at once that the contents had been gone through-and not very neatly-as if the person had been in a hurry. Drew? It seemed unlikely that it had been him. He wouldn't leave her chocolates and a note, and then rummage through her suitcase in such a way that she'd notice. Someone else had been in her room!

Her mouth went dry as she looked around. What had someone been searching for? Had he climbed the tree?

Or just left the window open to make her think the intruder had come from outside the house-rather than from within?

Ford Lancaster looked more than capable of scaling that tree and coming in through her bedroom window. That image tantalized her imagination a little too much and she quickly moved on to other suspects.

Emily was nosey enough that Roz could easily see her going through the suitcase. But she was also cheap enough that she wouldn't leave the window open. Too much heat loss.

Roz sighed. As far as in-house suspects, that left Suzanne. Suzanne didn't seem motivated or sober enough to go through her suitcase let alone open the window to make her think someone had just left moments before Roz arrived.

Roz looked out, thinking of Ford.

That pretty much left Ford. She'd just seen him from the window. He could have scaled down the tree only moments before. That had had been him she'd seen heading for the guest house, hadn't it? He'd certainly made good time walking back, even though Timber Falls was small and the hospital was only a few blocks away. been him she'd seen heading for the guest house, hadn't it? He'd certainly made good time walking back, even though Timber Falls was small and the hospital was only a few blocks away.

But what would Ford have been looking for in her suitcase? What would anyone have been looking for?

She locked the window and froze as she heard a familiar song playing in the room next door, her mother's sewing room. The song was her mother's favorite-and the same song Roz heard in her nightmares.

Heart pounding, she moved across her bedroom and opened the door to peer out. The hallway was empty. She was only imagining the music-just as she had earlier tonight. Just as she had right after her mother's death. Just as she did when she dreamed about her mother's death.

But this time it sounded so real. And this time there was no mistaking where the music was coming from.

She tiptoed down the hallway, stopping at the sewing room door. The k.n.o.b felt cold to the touch. It turned in her hand and the door swung open.

The room, like her own, was exactly the same as it had been ten years ago. Some of her mother's fabric was still spread out on the cutting table, the scissors lying next to it, as if any moment her mother would pick them up.

The song stopped, and in the silence that followed, she thought she really had imagined it. But then the record began to play again, startling her and she saw why.

Her mother's old automatic phonograph. The single 45 spinning on the turntable. The record scratchy, the speakers tinny sounding.

She stepped into the chilly room, lifted the needle off the 45 and turned the record player to off. Silence filled the room.

She wasn't going to cry. Wasn't that exactly what someone wanted her to do? Why else had they turned on the phonograph? But how? Wasn't everyone at the hospital?

As she started to turn toward the open doorway to leave, she heard a soft click behind her and froze.

An instant later the phonograph needle began to scratch across the record again.

Chapter Six.

As Ford walked to the guest house from the hospital, the town of Timber Falls was quiet and dark as if holding its breath before the next rainstorm hit.

He stopped on the porch, took out his keys and started to unlock the guest house door. He froze, the hair rising on the back of his neck. The door was already open and he had the feeling that whoever had broken in either hadn't been gone long-or was still inside.

He reached into his pocket for his penlight but didn't turn it on as he slowly pushed open the door. It was black inside the guest house except for a sliver of light under his bedroom door. He could hear a faint rustling on the other side.

Cautiously, he moved closer. A floorboard creaked under his shoe. The light under the door went out. He snapped on the penlight and threw open the door just in time to see a dark figure rush out through the patio doors and out into the night.