gave him my sweetest smile. “Just goes to show you. Stuffing candy into your mouth is hazardous even if it’s fine Belgian chocolate. According to Irene, the box was open, the contents scattered all over the floor.”
“Hmm. Most untidy.” He was baiting me, or trying to. I squeezed his hand and called to my dogs. Pruett immediately backed up. He had made giant strides toward conquering his demons, but charging dogs still unnerved him.
After we settled into my Suburban I leaned back on the headrest and closed my eyes—to think, not to sleep. That was my story, but before I knew it, Pruett was gently awakening me in my own driveway.
“Come on, sleepyhead. Babette will beat us into the house.” He kissed my forehead in a gesture so loving that my heart and several other more visceral organs reacted. Maybe he did love me after all. The thought warmed me from head to toe and sustained me as I faced a sobering reality. In my driveway, in front of Babette’s Mercedes, was a dark, nondescript sedan I’d never seen before.
“Hmm,” Pruett said. “Looks like you have company. Should I be jealous?”
If only it were that simple. I’m not blessed with second sight, but somehow I knew what I would find in that vehicle. As we approached the driver’s side door, it opened, and the fragile frame of Magdalen Melmoth emerged.
Chapter 7
“Perri—I hope I haven’t disturbed you. I didn’t know where else to go.” Despite the horrendous circumstances of the day, Magdalen was perfectly composed. Oddly so.
I was too shocked to speak but, fortunately, Babette was not. She flung open her side door, leapt from my car and confronted Magdalen. “How in the world did you get here?” she asked. “They’ve got half the state searching for you.”
Magdalen bowed her head, acknowledging the problem. “I drove, of course. Fortunately, my night vision is still excellent. Perri gave me her business card the first time we met, so I looked up her address on the Internet. Thank heaven for GPS.”
Before we continued our discussion, Pruett nudged us toward the house. The weather had gotten chilly, and despite her obvious spunk, Ms. Melmoth was, in her own words, no spring chicken. Sounded like a good idea.
“We all need a hot toddy,” Babette said as she bustled about my kitchen. “I’ll make them.” We made ourselves comfortable in the family room, while Pruett lit a fire. Thatcher, my irascible Maine coon, sized up our guest and immediately plopped in her lap, purring loudly. Clara the border collie, wrapped herself around Magdalen’s feet.
“You’re quite a hit with animals,” Pruett said.
Magdalen stretched out her arms and sighed. “True. I love them and they seem to reciprocate.” After Babette served our hot toddies Magdalen took a sip and stared directly into his eyes. “I know you have some questions for me, so ask away. Please. Don’t feel shy.”
“Is that Nurse Ross’s car?” I asked.
“Oh yes. All the staff leave their keys in the ignitions, you know, so that made it easy. Luckily her sedan is older. Keys, not those newfangled fob things. I had no trouble at all and, quite obviously, she wasn’t going to need it.” Magdalen saw the look of shock on our faces and reacted immediately. “Forgive me, dears. That sounded so callous.”
Pruett, who holds an advanced degree in mendacity, brushed away her apology. “You did what you had to do. I presume you felt threatened.”
She nodded. “This is so selfish of me. I don’t want to endanger you by staying. I’ll find some other shelter. A hotel.”
The toddy, combined with my recent nap, helped to settle me down. “Don’t even think of it. My guest room is always ready for visitors. What else can we do for you?” My head spun with thoughts of police reaction and the agony suffered by Irene Wilson.
Magdalen, on the other hand, seemed composed and clearheaded. “I know I need to go back there, but first I must speak with an attorney. Do you know one who might help me?”
I knew Babette employed a battery of lawyers, but Pruett spoke up first. “My attorney is one of the best. I’ll set up an appointment with him first thing tomorrow if you like.” He pulled out his cell phone, dialed, and stepped out of the room.
“Such a nice young man,” Magdalen trilled. “You are one lucky girl, Perri.”
I am way too old to blush and well beyond girlhood, but nevertheless that’s what happened. Magdalen tut-tutted and Babette laughed out loud.
“That’s just what I tell her, Magdalen. Pruett adores Perri. Anyone can see that.”
I quickly changed course from my personal life to Magdalen’s. “How many people know about the manuscript? Irene does, but have you mentioned it to anyone else?”
“No.”
“What about your doctor?” Babette asked. “He hinted that you made stuff up. That tells me he knows or suspects somethin’ fishy.”
Before she answered, Pruett glided back into the room, sat next to Magdalen on the sofa, and squeezed her hand. “Everything’s all set. Bright and early tomorrow at nine thirty. Micah Briggs is one of the good guys, plus he’s tops in his field. You’ll like him.”
Magdalen closed her eyes with fatigue or relief, I couldn’t say which. That was my cue to lead her to the guest room and make her comfortable.
“Everything will work out,” I told her. “You’re safe here. We’ve got dogs, a security system, and a big, strong man to protect us.” I felt hypocritical about the big, strong man remark, but for women of Magdalen’s generation it seemed appropriate and comforting.
“I feel better already,” she said wryly, “although I’d bet you’re quite adept at protecting yourself. Army training, you know.” Before I left the room, she tugged at my sleeve. “Perhaps Mr. Pruett should move Nurse Ross’s car into your garage. No sense in advertising that you have a guest.” Magdalen winked at me, as if it were our little secret, emphasizing anew that despite her genteel ways, this woman was no pushover.
* * * *
Sleep eluded me that night. Every creaking board and shifting wind caused me to bolt upright and peer into the darkness. Images of the seemingly indestructible Nurse Carole Ross covered in chocolate haunted my dreams. At dawn I surrendered, tiptoed to the kitchen, and fired up my Nespresso machine. A pet parade immediately surrounded me, demanding tribute. After attending to their needs, I eased back into my wing chair, closed my eyes, and sipped the magic brew.
“Mind if I join you?” Pruett asked. Despite the early hour, he had already showered, shaved, and spruced up. He seldom wore a suit and when he did the results were spectacular. I tucked the throw under my chin and drank in the sight, mindful of the ragtag outfit I wore.
“Hope I didn’t wake you,” I said. “Good thing you left that suit here. Let me get you some espresso.”
He waved me away. “Not to worry, my liege. Even a humble bachelor can master a coffee capsule, you know. It’s my specialty.”
I must have dozed off because when I awakened Pruett was busily tapping his iPhone. As for my other guests,
