She Waits Part 27

We sat in silence for a moment.

"I never realized how wealthy Maggie is. Wow, so she's loaded," I said jokingly, trying to lighten the sudden dark turn this was taking.

Hannah gave me a superior look. "No wonder Allison needs Margaret so desperately," she said with more than a trace of sarcasm. "What Margaret needs is someone to love." She was still sporting a superior look as she smiled sweetly.

Maggie came into the kitchen. "Good morning." She apparently tried to sound cheery though she looked exhausted.

"G'morning," I said and noticed her sad eyes.

She sat at the table and said nothing. Mac nudged her. "You okay?" he asked and she nodded.

I poured a cup of coffee and put it in front of her. She looked up and smiled. "Thanks."

"Margaret, what's wrong? You look terrible, dear," her aunt asked.

Maggie took a deep breath. "I had a horrible dream. Like the dreams I had when I was young, about being chased through the woods, but I couldn't see a face. I just kept running." She stopped and put her hands over her face.

I pulled up a chair and sat next to her. "Maggie," I whispered and put my hand on her shoulder.

She sobbed and, suddenly, she threw her arms around my neck. I was shocked at first and didn't know what to do. She cried mournfully into my neck and I put my arms around her and held her tight.

"Hey, Maggie, it's okay," I said. "It was only a dream. Don't worry, we'll get this thing solved and you won't have bad dreams anymore. I promise." My hand found its way to her soft wavy hair. I gently smoothed it back off her face.

She clung to me for a moment then pulled away, completely embarra.s.sed. "I am so sorry." I handed her a napkin. She smiled and dried her eyes.

"Don't apologize," I said. "I'm glad I had a shoulder." I smiled and gave her an encouraging hug.

With breakfast finished, we sat in the den not knowing what to do next. Then the phone rang and Maggie nearly flew to it. Thankfully, it was Steve. Maggie handed me the phone.

"Good morning, Kate. I haven't been able to locate Sarah, but I did talk to Nathan. He's still in Dubuque. He's coming back tomorrow."

"Did you tell him about Sarah, and Bedford's notebook?" I asked and leaned against the desk. It was then I noticed Allison standing in the doorway talking to Maggie. Where did she come from?

"I did not. I didn't want to tell him over the phone. He has no idea where Sarah is. I tried to call her this morning and left a message. My deputy has been patrolling the estate and he's calling in periodically. So far, all is normal. Last night, the lights were on, but that doesn't mean she was home."

"Why don't you go get her?" I asked and suddenly had a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"I drove by and she wasn't there. Kate, I hear the impatient tone in your voice. Sarah, until proven one way or the other, is a very prominent figure in this community. I can't go around hara.s.sing her."

"Steve, you're not hara.s.sing her. You're questioning her. And as for prominent figures, doesn't Maggie count as one of those? I mean the poor woman has been scared to death on more than one occasion. Bedford's dead and now we're talking about Miranda and Jonathon having been killed." I stole a glance at Allison, who, with Maggie, was listening intently to my side of the conversation.

"Kate, I know what you're saying. Please let me do my job and I'll call you when I've contacted Sarah."

He was so calm and he sounded so like the hospital psychiatrist, I wanted to strangle him, too. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm a little impatient. We'll wait for your call." I hung up the phone, calmly.

Allison sat on the couch with Maggie. "I take it he didn't talk to Aunt Sarah," Maggie said.

"No, he'll talk to her today. He did talk to your uncle. He'll be back tomorrow." I looked at Allison and wondered what she was telling Sarah, if anything. "You haven't seen Sarah, have you?" I admit I had an accusatory tone.

She glared slightly. "No, Kate. I have not seen her at all."

"My advice is for you to go home and, if she calls, tell Steve. He's looking for her to answer a few questions." I was hesitant because I still didn't trust her not to alert Sarah.

"Well, I can't go home. I have a business to run and it's my busy time of year," she said in a challenging tone. I could tell she still considered me a threat to Maggie. "So, on that note," she said and stood, "I'll get back to the shop."

Maggie put her hand on Allison's arm. "Al, this is serious. We don't know what's going to happen. Please, just listen to Kate, promise me."

Allison walked over to her and affectionately cupped her face in her hands. "I like you worrying about me, Mags." She caressed her cheek and then kissed her on the lips.

It didn't appear to me as if Dr. Winfield minded in the least.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

Maggie had gone up to her room. The rest of us sat by the fire. I stared at the flames. "This waiting is killing me. I feel helpless," I said and ran my fingers through my hair, letting out a groan.

"It's okay. You've come up with quite a bit. We just have to figure out why someone wants Maggie out of the way." Teri smiled hopefully.

"Is that all?" I asked. "Well, I don't think I could've gotten this far without you," I said, meaning every word.

"We'll bill you later," Mac said with a wink. "Better yet, we get to use your cabin for a month."

"Mac, I couldn't love you more if you were my own brother." Then I stopped dead in my tracks. My own brother. "I'll be a sonofab.i.t.c.h!"

They both gave me a worried look. "Okay, stay with me. All this time we've been hearing how Nathan's picture was in Miranda's locket. No one wanted to come out and say Nathan and Miranda were having an affair. If they couldn't say that, then they'd never be able to face the obvious conclusion."

I retrieved the photo alb.u.m and handed it to Mac. "Mac, pick out who you think is Maggie's father." Teri stared at me.

"Okay." He started to leaf through the photos of aunts, uncles, relatives and friends. There were a lot of men from which to choose. He looked for five minutes and shook his head. "I couldn't even guess. Maggie doesn't look like any of them. Well, maybe this guy." He turned the alb.u.m around. There was an old black and white photo of a skinny young man, perhaps in his twenties.

"We must not have seen that one. I wonder who it is." I gently took the photo out of its place and turned it over. I was shocked. I thought I might be right, but never believed it. I handed it to Teri who looked like someone socked her in the gut. She handed it to Mac.

He stared at the writing on the back and said slowly, "Nathan's 21st birthday, July 1961."

We all sat and stared at the photo. In the distance, I heard the phone ring. My stomach flipped. I hoped it was Steve.

"Kate, do you know what this means?" Teri whispered.

I merely nodded. I put the photo back and closed the alb.u.m. "I'll be a sonofab.i.t.c.h."

Hannah came back into the room and sat down. "Where the heck did you disappear to?" I asked. "I heard the phone. Was it Steve?"

"No, dear. It was Allison. She-"

Maggie walked in just then, looking a little worn. "Look, I'm going to go out for a while. Don't worry I'll be back in an hour or so."

Hannah said nothing as I looked at her, then Maggie. "Whoa. We need to talk. I don't think it's a good idea for you to go off alone right now. Where are you going?"

"Can't I even go out by myself? Do I need your permission? Christ, I don't need a chaperone. I'm just going out for an hour and I'll be right back for Christ's sake," she said with a caustic bite.

I stared at her with my mouth open. "Hey, hey, don't get snotty with me. I just asked. Have you forgotten what's happening around here?" I started sarcastically then stopped. "Look, you do whatever you want. You're going to anyway," I said and threw up my hands in resignation.

"You-" she growled. "I will be back in an hour," she said angrily and stormed out.

We heard the front door slam and the car engine rev. The tires screamed as she pulled away.

I stood staring at the front door. "Want to tell me what in the h.e.l.l just happened?" I asked.

Mac and Teri sat dumfounded.

Hannah played with her ring. She said, not looking at me, "She went to Allison." She coughed nervously, and said, "I, uh, listened on the extension."

Teri put her hand to her mouth. Mac smothered a grin. I gave her a shocked look.

"You what? Hannah! Shame on you," I said in a stern voice.

We all sat there for a moment.

Finally, I looked at her. "Well, where did she go?" I asked casually.

"Allison's antique shop," she said.

"She could have told us that. I don't care where she goes; it's none of my business. I just didn't want her going off by herself, that's all. She said she'd be back in an hour," I said and looked at my watch, "Okay, it's three-thirty."

I got up, poured myself another cup of coffee and sat down. "I mean it's none of my business where she goes. I don't care."

"You already said that," Mac said.

"I know what I said," I said quickly. "Do I look like I don't know what I'm saying?"

"No, no, not at all," Teri said.

"Well, then, let's forget it shall we? What the h.e.l.l was I saying anyway?" I asked.

"Nathan and Miranda," Mac said.

"Okay, right."

I looked at Hannah and told her what I was thinking and what happened with the photo of Nathan. She listened, amazed, and looked at all three of us.

"Let me see that picture," Hannah said urgently.

Mac handed it to her.

She stared at it with tears in her eyes. "This was right before he and Walt went to med school. I remember taking this picture." She looked up at me. "Kate, can this be possible?"

"Hannah, it makes perfect sense. If what Doc said was true, and Jonathon had a wandering eye like your father, then he was not home very much. And when he was, he was not very attentive to Miranda. It's very possible Maggie is Nathan's daughter. Don't you see the possibility?"

Hannah nodded slowly. "Yes, I do, and honestly, I've thought of the possibility many times. It's just something you don't discuss. Miranda never confided in me about anything like that. Neither would Nathan. So I suppose it is possible."

"But if it were true, why would Nathan want to kill Miranda?" Mac asked.

"As we said, perhaps he wanted her and she refused him, or he wanted to continue the affair, and she refused him," I said. "Or maybe Jonathon found out and couldn't bear it."

"I can't imagine Nathan involved in this. I just can't," Hannah whispered.

"Maybe he's protecting Sarah. She's very unstable, Hannah, you know that. Unfortunately, we have a woman intruder but a b.u.t.ton belonging to Nathan's jacket in Bedford's apartment," Teri said. "This is confusing."

"Just because the b.u.t.ton was from Nathan's coat does not mean he was wearing it. Remember, I initially thought the intruder was a man. It turned out to be Sarah, I'm sure of that. So, if we all agree Nathan wouldn't do anything to Maggie and doesn't have the stomach for murder, then the alternative is Sarah. Sarah who threatened Bedford, and fought with Jonathon and used Allison. And let's not forget her romp in the woods." I was sure of what I was saying. "My only other issue is the fight Bedford overheard with Jonathon about the clinic. And we have to face the facts: If we're looking at everything honestly, the clinic is Sarah's life. I'd love to know what happened there because the next entry in Bedford's little notebook is Sarah taking Maggie's car the same day Jonathon was killed in a hit-and-run. Coincidence? No such thing." I got up and stoked the fire absently. Then I walked over to the doors and looked out at the woods. "Miranda, if ever Maggie needed you, she needs you now."

Hannah looked right at me. "Well, are you going to go bring her back?" she asked.

I looked at all of them and sighed. "Look, she's a grown woman, with a definite mind of her own. She's got ten minutes."

I picked up a magazine and started leafing through it. "The h.e.l.l with ten minutes," I said, angrily. "Okay, I'm going. I don't like this at all. Boy, she'd better be in trouble, that's all I have to say. If I'm not back or haven't called in half an hour, call Steve," I said.

They gave me a worried look. "Kate, don't go off," Mac started.

"Mac, do you think Maggie would do this and not at least call?"

"Take Mac with you," Hannah pleaded.

I shook my head. "I'm probably over reacting, so I'll feel like a big idiot. However, I'd rather feel like an idiot all alone, thank you," I said seriously. I looked at Mac and Teri. "Half an hour."

"Be careful," Teri called after me as I left.

"Geez, don't say that," I said, helplessly, and closed the door.

Chapter Twenty-Five.

I parked a few stores down from Allison's and turned off the engine. I sat there for a moment and watched as someone turned the sign in the door to "Closed" and shut off the lights. I felt a little foolish. s.h.i.t Ryan, the woman is in love, and scared to death. Wouldn't you want to be with the woman you loved? If you had any idea what that is like, that is. I was about ready to tell myself to shut up and start the car when I thought I saw a flashlight scanning the inside of the store.

I got out and walked across the dark street. With all the other shops closed, no one was around. I walked down the alley behind the shop and tried the back door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. As I walked in, I smelled a pungent odor.

My blood ran cold as I realized it was gasoline. I cautiously shut the door and walked around the shop. Careful not to knock anything over, I strained my eyes against the darkness to see anything, or anyone.

Then I heard a m.u.f.fled noise. I slowly turned and, in the far corner, I noticed a railing and staircase that led, more than likely, to Allison's storage area downstairs. I looked around for something to use to protect myself, like a cane or baseball bat, and found nothing-nothing I could lift anyway. What was this junk?