Cross My Heart (22 page)

“Sure. I'm not on Dumont duty anymore.”

“Right. The cops have someone watching him at the hospital until whoever shot him has been caught,” Ty said.

“Who would want him dead?” Lilly asked. “And who'd come after me if not Uncle Marc?”

Ty shook his head. He'd been sorting through possibilities since hearing Lilly's version of events. “He said he wasn't behind the attempts and he knew who was?”

She nodded. “I was petrified and I wouldn't let him into the house. But after he was shot, it actually seemed like he came to warn me, not hurt me.”

Ty rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands. “Let's get to the hospital and see how my mother's doing. Maybe there'll be news on your uncle by then, too.”

“And don't worry about your dog,” Derek said, coming back into the room with Digger on her leash, trotting happily at the other man's feet.

“Looks like you got yourself a new lady,” Ty said, laughing. He knew all too well how Digger attached herself to new people.

“She stinks,” Derek said with a frown. “Did you ever think of getting her breath mints? She licked my face when I was putting her leash on and I swear to God, I nearly passed out.”

Lilly grinned. “It's part of her charm. Take good care of her and thanks again.”

They started for the door together, when Ty turned to Derek. “She likes to sleep with you,” he told the other man. “And she likes to be on top.”

“Swell,” he muttered.

And Lilly laughed for the first time in hours.

 

T
Y HAD CALLED
Hunter about the incident at his mother's. Hunter had called Molly, knowing she'd want to be there when Dumont was brought in. He'd promised to meet up with her as soon as his meeting was over. She'd told him not to rush, that she was fine.

And she was fine. At least fine as far as Molly's life was concerned. As soon as she'd hung up with Hunter, Molly had called her mother.

“I really don't do hospitals,” Francie had said.

Disgusted, Molly had slammed down the phone and driven straight to the hospital by herself.

Molly heard the distance in her mother's voice. She'd sensed it for a while. Ever since the party, when Francie had discovered Lilly was alive and well and stood to inherit the trust fund that would have been Marc's and by virtue of marriage, hers, as well.

Molly had hoped things would turn out differently this time, especially since her mother hadn't yet ended things with Marc. But with her mother's refusal to come to the hospital, Molly had to face the truth. Francie was merely biding her time, waiting until she had a lead on another eligible wealthy man or at least until she had an idea about where to find one. Knowing Francie, a cruise or a trip to Europe would be her next stop as she hunted for her next victim. She wouldn't think twice about leaving Molly behind. In fact Molly would be lucky if she received a goodbye. After all, she'd been this route before.

So much for family. So much for a mother loving her daughter and realizing her past mistakes. So much for Francie having changed.

Molly stepped through the automatic hospital doors and strode up to the check-in desk. “I'm here to see Marc Dumont,” Molly said to the tired-looking woman sitting in front of her.

“Are you immediate family?”

Molly swallowed hard. “No.”

The woman glanced down at the papers on her desk. “Mr. Dumont is not allowed visitors just yet. Have a seat and we'll let you know when you can see him.”

Molly nodded. “I see. Thank you.” She turned and headed for an empty chair in which to wait.

The longer she sat, the more uncomfortable she grew and she fidgeted, unable to remain still. She didn't belong here. She wasn't related to Marc and probably never would be. But he'd been good to her in ways nobody else had been and she wanted to make certain he would be okay.

She tapped her foot. She drummed her fingers against the armrest. And she waited.

“Molly?”

She glanced up and saw Lacey and Ty standing in front of her. She rose to her feet. “I didn't see you come in.”

“You were deep in thought,” Lacey said.

“Yeah. Not in a pleasant place, either. Are you okay? Hunter told me what happened. I can't believe Marc was shot right in front of you. Why did he come to see you in the first place?” Molly asked, still missing major parts of the story.

Lacey shrugged. “We never got that far. Is there any news?”

“Not yet.”

“I need to go inside and see my mother,” Ty said.

“I'm coming.” She touched Molly's shoulder. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be sorry. Go. I'll be fine.”

Lacey gave Molly a quick hug and walked off with Ty.

Molly sighed. Her gaze followed the retreating couple until they disappeared behind the emergency room doors, then she glanced around the busy room. Most people were here with someone else. A friend, a family member. Someone they loved. Not Molly.

As she waited for news on Marc, she realized something profound. She'd spent too much time defending the man and not enough time sorting through the truth, only to end up exactly where she feared she'd be when all was said and done.

Alone.

A place where she had always been and a place she knew she would be for a long time to come.

 

T
Y HELD ON TO
Lilly's hand as he walked into the room where his mother lay sleeping. Earlier today Lilly had needed him but now he needed her. As he pulled a chair up to his mother's bedside, he was reminded of the last time he saw her this frail and sick.

He'd come home from college when she'd had her first heart attack and subsequent surgery and she'd lain sleeping in a sterile room much like this one, hooked up to machines similar to these. He'd taken one look at her and realized she was all he had in the world and he stood to lose her.

He felt the same way now. Because despite the fact that Lilly had returned, despite loving each other, there were no promises exchanged, no guarantees made to each other. He knew they'd take things one day at a time until this trust fund issue was solved, but after that? Who knew.

The only constant in his life had been the woman whose frail hand he clasped in his.

“Ty?” He glanced up.

Dr. Sanford walked over to him, another man he'd never seen before by his side. “Ty, this is Dr. Miller. He's our newest cardiologist. He has some things he'd like to explain to you.”

Ty listened as the young doctor who was also a surgeon explained that an angiogram showed his mother needed immediate surgery to reopen arteries that had closed off. More technical terms followed but the next thing he knew, he was signing a consent form and his mother was being wheeled out of the room.

Lilly placed her hand on Ty's shoulder. “She's going to be okay. The doctor said so himself.”

He glanced up and into her comforting eyes. “Did he? I barely remember the conversation.”

She smiled. “That's why I listened carefully to every word. The surgery shouldn't take more than an hour and she'll be brought in to recovery where you can see her.” Lilly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his. “Then you'll see for yourself, okay?”

He covered her hand with his. “I'm glad you're here.”

“I felt the same way when you opened that closet door and found me. How did you know where I'd be?”

He leaned backwards, against her. “Because I showed you that hiding space myself and I couldn't think of anyplace else you'd go that was safe.” And he'd refused to believe she was anything other than okay, despite her uncle's bloody body lying at the front door.

Silence surrounded them until he couldn't stand it another minute. He needed a distraction from waiting for the surgery to begin, let alone end.

He glanced at the clock. “We have time to kill. We should check on your uncle and see what, if anything, the police have found.”

Lilly straightened. “Now that sounds like a plan.”

Except the guard dog nurse at the desk had no new information on Dumont. Not even the fact that Lilly was a blood relative uncovered any more news. So, along with Molly, they settled in to wait.

T
wenty-four hours later, Flo was recovering from successful surgery. Lilly's uncle was still unconscious, the bullet having punctured his lung. The doctors expected him to recover, but they wouldn't allow visitors for a while.

Lilly, Ty, Hunter and Molly sat in the waiting area of the hospital, having moved out of the emergency room wing. The police were on their way to talk with them. They had new information and the hospital was as good a place as any to bring together all interested parties and fill them in.

Molly looked pale and she hadn't had much to say to Lacey or Ty since they'd met up here. Hunter had his intern doing research and he'd taken the day off to be with Molly, but she wasn't talking to him, either. Lacey didn't know if the other woman was upset over Marc's condition or the fact that Marc was obviously involved in something bad enough to have ended up with him being shot on Ty's mother's doorstep.

Lacey was grateful when Don Otter, the chief of police, walked in the door and broke the silent tension.

“I'm glad you're all here,” the chief said.

“Hey, Don.” Ty rose to greet the man and shake his hand.

The big man nodded.

“What brings you out so early in the morning?” Ty asked.

Don settled his large body into a seat and leaned forward, stretching the buttons over his shirt. “My men have been all over the site of the shooting. The footprints outside definitely belonged to a man. Some matched Marc Dumont's shoe we confiscated from the hospital, the other prints are unknown. No fingerprints beyond the obvious, Flo, Lilly, Ty, etc. The bullet taken out of Dumont during surgery was sent to forensics and we should have answers soon.”

Lacey gagged.

Molly grabbed her hand.

How odd that the two women who felt so drastically different about Marc Dumont had formed such an unlikely bond, Lacey thought.

“Then we started interviewing the neighbors,” the chief said.

“Did anyone give you anything more on the car or the shooter beyond what we saw?” Ty asked.

“Which amounted to nothing useful,” Lacey said in frustration.

“You were running for your life. Nobody's holding lack of detail against you,” Hunter said. “Besides, we have a car color. I wouldn't call that nothing.” Hunter shifted his gaze to the chief of police.

The man nodded his agreement. “And one of the neighbors reported the same car color you did, along with some new information.”

“What did they see?” everyone asked at the same time.

The chief chuckled. “Ty, your mother's best friend and the neighbor across the street—”

“Mrs. Donelly?” Ty asked.

The other man nodded.

“Viola Donelly said she was sitting in her study that overlooks the street reading the latest John Grisham novel when a tan car pulled up in front of her house.”

“Did she see the man get out of the car? Did she see who shot Marc?” Molly asked.

“Unfortunately no,” the chief said. “But Viola managed to catch the first few numbers of the license plate,” he said, obviously pleased. “We traced it back to Anna Marie Costanza, of all people.”

Molly's gaze jerked toward Hunter.

Lacey knew what the other woman was thinking. Hunter believed Anna Marie had told her brother about Hunter's court case, and her brother, the trustee, had talked the judge into moving the date, keeping Hunter too busy to get involved with Lacey. Then her brother, the trustee, had paid Dumont a visit soon after he'd met with Lilly. And not long after that, Marc Dumont was shot while paying Lacey an unwelcome house call.

Lacey doubted she could explain it all to the police, but somehow, Ty summed it up for the chief in a clear, concise manner.

The big man scratched his head. “You're saying you think Paul Dunne's involved in the shooting?” the chief asked, surprised.

“And the attempts on Lilly's life,” Ty said.

Molly jumped up from her seat, more animated than she'd been all morning. “Did Anna Marie ever say she lent her car to her brother, Paul?”

The chief shoved his hands into his front pants pocket. “Why?”

“Because she does that often. Anna Marie doesn't drive the car much except to work. She says she likes to keep the engine running smoothly, so she has Paul drive it about once a week.”

Which meant Paul could have followed Uncle Marc to Lacey's. But why would the trustee want Uncle Marc dead, Lacey wondered.

The chief shook his head. “She said her car was stolen.”

Hunter narrowed his gaze. “Had she reported it?”

“No.”

“And didn't you find that suspicious?” Ty pushed the subject.

“We did, yes. But we don't have the car, so we can't dust it for prints. And even if we could, we now know finding Paul's fingerprints wouldn't amount to squat. There's a good reason for them to be there.” Chief Otter shrugged. “Listen, guys, I see you have your theories and Ty, I trust your judgment, I really do. But in this case, you're accusing an upstanding citizen of our town without a shred of proof. And that means we have to be careful.”

“Then search his house or his office. I'm sure you'll find
something.
” Lacey pounded her fist against her thigh. “I don't know what the link is between Uncle Marc and Paul Dunne but there is one. I'm sure of it.” Her voice cracked and she turned her head away in embarrassment.

Ty came up behind her chair and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“I'm sorry, but there's no probable cause for a warrant. We'll keep looking into it and when Marc Dumont regains consciousness, the hospital knows to call me immediately. Maybe he'll reveal something of interest.”

“I'm not holding my breath,” Lacey muttered.

Ty squeezed her tight. He must have known a search warrant was asking for the impossible.

The chief apologized and went to check on her uncle's status, leaving the four of them alone.

Lacey rose and started to walk away, unable to speak without screaming in frustration. She just couldn't believe they'd hit a brick wall. Again. Three incidents and they were no closer to finding out who wanted her, and now her uncle, dead.

“I have an idea,” Molly said, stopping Lacey in her tracks.

Lacey pivoted. “I'm listening.”

“Anna Marie wouldn't talk to the police but maybe she'll talk to us.” Molly gestured between herself and Lacey. “She's a good woman. She might be protecting her brother but there's no way she knows she's hurting people in the process. I really believe if we talk to her, she might break down and give us something to go on.”

Lacey nodded, slowly warming to the idea. “I like how you think.”

“I don't,” Ty said. “I don't want either of you going to question Anna Marie. If her brother
is
involved you're putting yourselves in the direct line of fire.”

“Then come with us if you want to. But Molly's idea is a good one and we're going to talk to Anna Marie,” Lacey said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

She couldn't allow Ty's fear, or even her own, to sway her. They had to end this thing once and for all.

 

B
EFORE THE MEETING
with Anna Marie, Ty wanted to spend some time with his mother. Since Anna Marie wouldn't be home from work until later, he had the afternoon to spend at the hospital. Hunter had gone back to work, though he'd promised he'd meet Molly for dinner later. Molly had tried to avoid seeing Hunter again today but Hunter had insisted. Things didn't look good for the couple if Molly's withdrawn attitude was anything to go by. Ty felt awful for his friend. And he hoped he wouldn't find himself in a similar situation not too far in the future.

Ty had talked the chief into posting a plainclothes person in the hospital to keep an eye on Lilly, who very well could have been the target today, too. At the very least, the shooter might think Lilly could ID him and come after her to protect himself. Ty wasn't taking any chances with her safety. While the women went to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee, they had an escort.

Meanwhile, Ty waylaid the food service cart in the hallway and picked up his mother's tray. He knocked once and let himself in.

To his relief, Flo sat up against her pillows. Although she had an IV attached to her arm, the color had returned to her cheeks and she had a smile on her lips. A quick glance at the visitor's chair revealed the reason.

“Hello, Dr. Sanford,” Ty said, setting the tray down on the mobile cart by the bed.

“Call me Andrew, please.” The other man rose and extended his hand.

Ty shook it, pleased his mother wasn't alone and had someone in her life that obviously made her happy. She'd lived on her own for too long, Ty thought.

“Andrew, I'd like to have a word alone with my son,” his mother said.

The doctor strode to the bed, leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “I'm going to visit some patients and I'll be back soon.”

Ty waited until they were alone before pulling a chair up beside her. “You scared me,” he admitted.

“I scared myself.” She leaned back into the pillows. “The doctors say I can go about my normal routine though. There will be no repercussions.”

He nodded, then paused in thought. They had to talk about her relationship with Dr. Sanford, among other things lingering between them, Ty thought.

“I like him,” Ty said at last.

“Andrew?”

Ty nodded. “I like him because he seems to have your best interests at heart.” And he'd shown that by being respectful to the mother/son bond.

Flo smiled again, the one that left her face beaming. She deserved that kind of happiness.

“There's something else I need to say.” Ty rose and walked to the window overlooking the parking lot. “Nice view,” he muttered.

His mother laughed. “It costs me extra.”

He grinned. Her sense of humor had returned, another good sign. “Mom…”

“The thing about loving someone is that you don't need to rehash things,” his mother said, letting him off the hook.

He didn't deserve it. “That might apply had we hashed things out to begin with. We didn't. I didn't let you. Oh, you explained taking Marc Dumont's money and you said you'd done it for me, but my anger got in the way of hearing anything else.”

He ran a hand through his hair, the memory of the day he'd discovered his mother had taken money in exchange for giving Lilly room and board, vivid in his mind.

“All kids think their parents are saints. It hurts to find out we're human,” Flo said.

Ty stared out the window. “The thing is, it wasn't you I was angry at so much as myself.” The admission wasn't an easy one for him to make.

“Why in the world would you be angry at yourself?” his mother asked.

Ty didn't turn around. He couldn't face his mother while confronting issues that had haunted him for years. But while she'd been in surgery, Ty had done a lot of thinking. With Lilly's head resting on his shoulder, he'd contemplated losing the mother he loved, and he forced himself to deal with what had
really
bothered him about learning she'd taken the money.

In reality, Flo's taking the cash had probably saved Lilly's life. To be mad at his mother for giving Lilly a good home in exchange for cash was ridiculous. It had just been easier to be upset with his mother than to face his anger at himself.

“It's complicated,” he said. “All the while I was upset with you for not telling me Lilly wasn't really a foster kid, that I was angry at you for keeping the money a secret, I'd been keeping a huge secret of my own.” He breathed in deep. “For years, I let you grieve, knowing Lilly was really alive.” His pulse pounded in his temple as he spoke.

“We both made mistakes,” his mother said. “Or should I say we both made choices that we felt were necessary at the time. Who knows? Maybe they were necessary,” she said, once again letting him off the hook.

He wasn't ready to do the same thing for himself, at least not yet. Hopefully he'd reach that point, but first, he needed to say all that was on his mind.

“What else is bothering you, Tyler? What are you still holding inside of you?” his mother asked.

“Besides letting you suffer for ten years?” This time he turned, determined to face his mother while he admitted his mistakes.

His flaws.

His faults.

“What did I do? I sent Lilly off to New York alone. She was all of seventeen years old and I didn't go after her. Hell, I didn't even check on her for five goddamn years,” Ty said in disgust.

And he'd used a ridiculous promise never to talk about that night again as an excuse for staying away. Then when he had discovered she was alive and living in Manhattan, he hadn't gone to find her. Instead he'd blamed
her
for not coming back to him. Talk about the height of arrogance. But it had taken Lilly's return, her nearly being killed and his mother's heart attack to open his eyes.