Echo Of Danger

Deidre managed to nod. He was trying to help, she knew. And at least she wasn’t having this conversation with her father-in-law. “All right. I guess it sounds as if I’m not even thinking of Dixie, but I am. She was a good friend, and...” Her throat tightened, and she couldn’t go on. The image of Dixie lying there was too vivid, stabbing at her heart.

“You told the police that you’d locked the door when you left the house. Are you sure?” He was probably trying to get the conversation back to a less emotional level, not that anything could.

“Positive. I remember doing it.” She shrugged. “When I was growing up, I don’t think my parents ever locked the doors. But things are different now, even in a town like Echo Falls. I locked it and double-checked, as I always do.”

“There was no sign of a break-in. That means either they had a key or your friend let the person in.”

She was already shaking her head. “The only person I can think of who has a key is my partner, Judith. If we’re away, she comes in to deal with things for the business and to water my plants.”

She was tempted to ask him why he was so intent about this. He’d have some sense of responsibility simply because he’d been with her, but it would surely be more natural for him to want to walk away afterward.

Of course, the judge had asked him to represent her. No doubt he saw it as part of his job.

Jason frowned, his lean face taut. “So Dixie probably let him in, whoever he is.”

“I suppose so.” She hadn’t even thought of it, and she tried to focus, but her mind kept straying back to her son. Surely the doctor would come in soon. “But I can’t see her letting someone in when she was staying with Kevin. Dixie was...” She hesitated, trying to think of how to explain Dixie to someone who hadn’t known her. “She gave the impression of being interested in having a good time and nothing else, but at heart she was so warm and giving. She loved Kevin, and she was very careful with him. She...”

Her voice broke, the memories overwhelming her. Dixie and Kevin laughing together over some silly knock-knock joke. Dixie giving up her afternoon off to take him to a children’s movie...

“Sorry.” He must have regretted opening the subject, but he didn’t seem inclined to back off. “Does Kevin often get up at night?”

“No.” It was another thing she hadn’t spared the time to ponder. “If he were frightened or ill, he’d call out to me or come to my room, but he ordinarily sleeps through the night.”

But not with the intensity and stillness he displayed now. Her fingers squeezed his.

“Would he be likely to wake up if he heard voices downstairs?”

Jason was far more demanding than the police had been. Deidre reminded herself again that he probably thought it was his duty. “He might, but...” The thought struck her. “He knew Dixie was coming, and he’d tried to stay awake to see her. I guess if he heard her voice, he might have had the idea of going down to talk to her.”

She could picture him heading for the stairs, trailing the blue blanket that he still liked to have when he went to sleep. She gasped and fought for control, closing her eyes.

Jason’s hand closed strongly over hers. “What is it?”

“Nothing. It... I just pictured it too clearly.”

“I’m sorry.” His voice seemed to deepen, as if he understood.

How could he? He barely knew her. Deidre took a steadying breath. “Kev didn’t necessarily see anything. He could have tripped on the blanket.”

“Possible.” Jason drew back, letting go of her hand. “But the police have to find out. Whoever killed your friend is still out there. He has to be found, both for her sake and your son’s.”

Fear jagged through her. “You mean Kevin might be in danger if that person thinks he knows something.”

“I mean the sooner the police know everything he knows, the better,” he said bluntly. “Then he can’t be a danger to anyone.”

That made sense, but somehow it didn’t offer a lot of comfort. Would the person who attacked Dixie reason that way?

“I just don’t understand it. If someone broke in, intending to rob the house... But they’d hardly do that when someone was there, would they?”

“The police couldn’t find any signs of a break-in.” His flat tone seemed to eliminate that possibility. “You’ll want to check, but there was no obvious indication that someone was trying to rob you.”

Deidre rubbed her temples. “Surely no one would have come there to deliberately hurt Dixie. How would they even know she was there? And if they thought I was home...” She didn’t finish the sentence. It made even less sense that way.

“That’s a good question. You’d expect, if someone was targeting her, they’d do it at her apartment, not at your house.”

“I can’t imagine anyone hating Dixie that much. She had some rough edges, but she hadn’t had an easy life. And she was so good-hearted. She’d have done anything for Kevin.”

“She was divorced, I gather. Any problems with the ex-husband?”

She ventured a glance at him. His face was stern, maybe judgmental. “Not anything recent. I don’t think she’d been in contact with him at all since she came back to Echo Falls. His name is Mike Hanlon. I don’t know where he lives.”

The police would look into that, of course. Didn’t they say that the spouse was often responsible in a murder?

“Would she have let a boyfriend in while she was there with Kevin?”

“No!” Her temper, already frayed, unraveled at that. “Dixie dated, but there wasn’t anyone serious, and even if there had been, she wouldn’t have invited him to my house. She wasn’t a teenager.”

Skepticism showed in his narrowed eyes. “You can’t be sure of that.”

“Yes. I can.”

She glared at him, knowing what was happening. He’d heard rumors linking Dixie with one man or another. He’d added that together with the way she dressed and the fact that she worked at a bar, and he’d come up with an answer—categorizing her.

Jason looked ready to snap back at her. But the door swung open, and Liz Donnelly came in, a chart in one hand. Deidre started from her chair, everything else dismissed by her need to know what Liz and the other medical personnel thought. She couldn’t seem to find words to ask the question.

Liz smiled. “It’s good news, really it is. All the tests we’ve done so far show little or no brain swelling, and his brain function looks normal.”

Deidre sagged against the bed. She’d been so braced to face whatever came that the relief was overpowering.

Liz patted her shoulder and then moved to the bed, taking a look at Kevin while she gave Deidre time to compose herself. “Everything here seems fine. Blood pressure right where it should be. Temperature normal. Breathing fine.”

“He’s going to be all right.” She had to hold back the tears.

But Liz seemed reluctant to go that far. “We can’t say positively what effects the injury might have until he’s awake, but if all continues to go well, we’ll wake him up slowly tomorrow morning.”

And when Kev woke up, they’d know. They’d know if he’d seen the attack on Dixie, and she’d have to find a way to help him through the consequences, no matter what.

* * *

STILL THINKING ABOUT the situation with Deidre and her son, Jason walked the few blocks from the hospital to the office. One thing he had to say about Echo Falls—nothing was very far. The town stretched along the valley floor, making Echo Falls narrow and long as it followed the contours of the land.

The ridges on either side were heavily forested, increasing his sense of isolation. Not the sort of place he’d ever imagined himself settling down. How long was he going to be able to take it?

For the moment, he didn’t have much of a choice. If he could hang on here for a few years, rehabilitate his reputation, have something positive on his résumé, he’d stand a chance of making a fresh start in a city more to his liking. Until then, he was stuck.

Just like he was stuck in this tangled situation between the judge and his daughter-in-law.

How much of Morris’s dislike was based on fact and how much on unfair prejudice against his son’s wife? He couldn’t tell. His job at the moment was to protect the kid, nothing more. But the more he saw of the situation, the less he liked it. He was torn between the judge’s opinion of who Deidre was and the woman who sat in agony waiting for the doctor’s verdict on her son.

And what did he do with the lingering thought that the tragic circumstances had brought him into just the sort of relationship with Deidre that the judge had suggested.

Jase walked into the reception area of the office to find a guy about his own age perched on Evelyn’s desk, apparently joking with her, to judge by their smiles. Since he was wearing a coat and tie, Jason deduced that this must be the partner he hadn’t met yet.

They both turned toward him at his entrance, Mrs. Lincoln adjusting her smile subtly. The man slid off the desk and held out his hand. “You must be the new guy. I’m Trey Alter. Welcome.”

Jase had a quick impression of something a little guarded behind the welcoming smile, accompanied by the kind of self-assurance that only came to those born to the position they occupied.

“Jase Glassman.” He shook Alter’s hand, revising his estimate of the man’s age. He was probably a few years older than Jase, fit and solid with an easy smile.

“Sorry I wasn’t around when you got in. I had a case that went to the federal court in Williamsport. I hear you’ve had quite an introduction to our little town.”

Obviously he’d heard all about it. Probably everyone in town had by now.

“Not what I expected, I admit. I’m just glad I happened to be around so that Mrs. Morris didn’t walk into the situation on her own.”

“A lucky coincidence.” Trey’s voice was dry. “I understand the judge asked you to act for Deidre...Mrs. Morris.”

Was he thinking that it should have been him? Most likely he was another person who’d known Deidre Morris her entire life. But he couldn’t have any idea of exactly why the judge had pushed Jase into this position.

“I was on the spot,” he said, careful not to sound defensive to someone who obviously belonged here.

Before Alter could respond, the outside door opened. Chief Carmichaels came in, nodded all around and zeroed in on Jase. “I’d like a word or two, Mr. Glassman.”

“Of course.” He wasn’t sorry to be interrupted. “Come through to my office.”

He led the way, reflecting on the fact that it hadn’t been his office long enough to feel a sense of possession. The wall of bookshelves wasn’t full yet, although it probably would be by the time he unpacked the cartons sitting in front of the shelves. He’d been a lot busier than he’d anticipated.

“Have a seat, won’t you?” Jase gestured to the client’s seat and sat back in the leather desk chair that still seemed molded to its previous occupant’s shape.

But Carmichaels paced to the window instead, staring out for a moment at what he probably considered his town. “This used to be Frank’s office.” His voice was neutral, but Jason wondered if there was implied criticism in the words.

“I know.” What else was there to say? “Frank was a classmate of mine at Dickinson Law.”

Carmichaels grunted, turning to face him. “I figured there had to be some connection. So...you’re representing Deidre Morris’s interests, right?”

Jason nodded. The chief was taking his time getting to the point of this visit. “She doesn’t need an attorney, but the judge wants me to shield her and the boy as much as possible. So far we haven’t had any problems with reporters, but...”

“If you do, you let me know. I’ll give them a quick boot on their way.” The chief came down heavily on Deidre’s side at the mention of the press.

“Good.”

Carmichaels walked to the desk, frowning. The silver hair and slightly thickened body made him look older, but he probably wasn’t much more than in his early fifties. He gave the impression of shrewd intelligence hidden behind a stoic facade.

“So I tried to sound out Kevin’s doctor today. She referred me to you.”

Jase leaned back in the chair. “You didn’t really expect her to tell you anything, did you?”

They seemed to cross swords for an instant, but then Carmichaels gave a shrug and a half smile. “It was worth a try. Look, Judge Morris asked me to cooperate. That’s all very well, but this is murder. I’ll cooperate with you, but not at the cost of my investigation.”

The judge’s power to control events might not be as strong as he apparently thought it was. But Jase still had a client to represent.

“Relax, Chief. I’ve already prepared Mrs. Morris for the fact that you’ll have to talk to Kevin. She understands, but she insists it can’t be until his doctor says so. And not at the cost of the boy’s well-being.” He deliberately echoed Carmichaels’s words.

Apparently deciding he meant it, the chief gave a short nod. “Okay. You’ll let me know as soon as I can question the boy.” It wasn’t a request.

Now it was Jason’s turn to want something. Time to see how far this cooperation extended. “Any progress on the case?”

Chief Carmichaels gave him a long look. “I’d think it a burglary gone wrong, but no one broke in. No evidence of ransacking, everything in perfect order except for the woman lying on the floor. You saw.”

“Was there any evidence that she fought back? You’d expect that, wouldn’t you?”

“None,” he said flatly. “From all we can see, it looks as if the woman was sitting there quietly when someone walked up and hit her. Used the heavy base of the lamp from the end table.”

“So deliberate.” Jase tried to think through what that meant. “No one who got that close could have mistaken Dixie James for Deidre.”

“No. Whoever did this knew who he or she was attacking. I can’t make it fit any other way. But finding out who and proving it are two different things. You know that.”

Was that intended as a barb? Maybe not, since the man was already continuing.

“Dixie James had a bit of a reputation as a partier since she got back to town. There were plenty of boyfriends, and the most likely scenario is that one of them came to the house that night. She let him in, things got out of hand, turned sour.” He shrugged. “If so, we’ll get him.”

“Mrs. Morris says that Dixie would never have let someone into her house when she was babysitting.” He wanted to hear the chief’s reaction.

Carmichaels didn’t speak at once. “I’ve known Deidre Wagner...well, Morris...since she was a kid. A good person. Honest, kindhearted, just like her folks were. Now, with her father gone and her mother remarried and living clear out in Arizona, she doesn’t have anyone to rely on.”

“I didn’t realize she was so alone.” He probably should have, but the subject had never come up.

“She has all her Amish kinfolk. Like them, she doesn’t easily recognize dishonesty in others.” He paused. “That’s a good quality, but it’s dangerous, too.” He focused on Jase, and his expression seemed to hold a warning. “I’d be upset if anyone hurt her.”

Was that warning intended for him? Or was the reference aimed at Dixie James? Carmichaels couldn’t know about the judge’s plans, or the extent of Jase’s involvement in those plans.

“As her attorney, I feel the same,” he said, carefully expressionless.

But he was going over what Carmichaels had said about Deidre in his mind. The man’s opinion of her was as far from Judge Morris’s as possible. Maybe he was right, maybe not.

But one thing he’d said Jason couldn’t buy. In his experience, honest women weren’t just rare—they were an endangered species. And he didn’t suppose he’d found one in Deidre Morris.

* * *

DEIDRE HAD RUSHED home early the next morning to shower and change, leaving Judith with Kevin. She wouldn’t have left without being sure there was someone there he loved, just in case he woke up.

She’d nearly forgotten that she’d left her car at the library, but Jason had brought it back, running again, and handed her the keys. He had waved off her insisting on paying the garage bill, saying it had just been a loose connection.

Now she willed the elevator to get to Kevin’s floor more quickly. Even knowing someone would call her cell if there’d been any change, she had to see for herself.

Nothing had changed in the quiet room. Judith smiled at her from the chair beside the bed. “It’s been perfectly calm and quiet while you were gone, but I’m certain sure Kevin’s color is better today.”

“Has the doctor been in?” She drew up a chair next to Judith and put her hand over Kevin’s, needing the skin-to-skin connection.

“Not yet.” Judith touched her arm comfortingly. “Soon, I’m sure.”

Now that she’d seen for herself that Kevin was safe, Deidre could manage to widen her thoughts to include someone other than her son. “I’m really sorry to drag you out at this time of the morning. How will Eli manage getting the children fed and off to school?”

Judith chuckled. “He probably gave them cold cereal out of a box, but that’s all right for once. It’ll make him appreciate me more, ain’t so?”

Since they both knew Eli and Judith had the happiest of marriages, Deidre didn’t think Eli needed any prompting. “You be sure he knows how much I appreciate it. Do you have a ride home? I could ask...”

“It’s all settled. One of the ladies from your church offered to drive me. I hear they’ve all been standing by to take turns doing whatever needs done.”

Deidre nodded, and the tears she hadn’t allowed herself to shed for Kevin filled her eyes at the kindness. “So many people have helped me since this happened. I don’t know how I’ll be able to thank them all.”

“Seeing Kevin well is all the thanks anyone needs.” Judith glanced at the clock that was mounted above a mirror on the far wall. “I should probably go down. I don’t want her to have to drive around waiting for me.” She studied Deidre’s face. “If you want me to stay...”

“No, no, I’ll be fine. I’m just eager to talk to the doctor. She said they’d probably let Kevin wake up today if all continued to go well.” Her heart lurched at the thought of seeing his eyes open, of knowing he recognized her. “Please, go on home. I’m fine now.”

Judith embraced her. “We are all praying,” she whispered. And then she was leaving, passing Pastor Adam in the doorway.

“I don’t want to intrude, but I had to see how Kevin’s doing.” He gave her a tentative smile. “Better?”

“I think so. The doctor should be in soon, so...”

Adam nodded. “I understand. I’ll leave you.” But he didn’t. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, and then he came closer and put his hand on her shoulder. “You know how much I...we all care. If there’s anything, anything at all, just...”

He sounded so eager to help that Deidre wished she could think of something for him to do. “I’ll call you, of course. Thank you, Adam.”

He nodded, patted her shoulder. “I’ll go now. Be sure you call me.”

Finally he was gone. Alone with her son, Deidre wrapped Kevin’s hand in both of hers. “You’re going to wake up soon.” She kept her voice soft. “All the boys and girls from your kindergarten class have made cards for you. When you open your eyes, you can look at them, okay?”

She heard the door and stopped, but Liz Donnelly just smiled and nodded. “It’s okay to talk to him. But right now Dr. Jamison and I want to have a few words with you.”

Jamison followed Liz into the room. He stood silent for a moment, studying a chart he carried, and Deidre’s heart began to thud. At last he looked up and focused on her.

“As we explained to you earlier, the reason for the sedation was to allow the brain time to rest and recover by reducing swelling.”

He seemed to expect a response, so she nodded.

“All of the tests we’ve run are looking good, so we’ve ordered to stop the sedation. Once your boy wakes up, we’ll be able to assess the situation in a different way.”

“Does that mean you’ll be able to tell if there’s been any permanent damage?” Her throat tightened as she said the words, and her hands felt clammy.

Jamison looked at Liz, as if passing the question off to her. Liz came and sat down knee to knee with Deidre.

“We just don’t know. Once Kevin is awake, we’ll want to see if there are any overt signs of damage. But signs can be very subtle, and there’s also the fact that he might demonstrate some impairment at first and then have that completely disappear as his brain continues to heal.” She patted Deidre’s hand. “It’s a game of wait and see at this point, but we’re agreed that we don’t see any indication of trouble now.”

Deidre managed to nod. What it boiled down to was that they really didn’t know. But when she looked at Kevin, his cheeks rosy as they always were when he slept, she found it impossible to believe he wouldn’t simply be himself when he woke.

“When do you think he’ll wake up?”

Liz glanced at her watch. “Anytime in the next hour or so. You can talk to him the way you were, but don’t make any other effort to rouse him. It’s better to just let him come out of it gradually on his own.”

Again Deidre nodded, but with a flicker of irritation. What did they think she was going to do—try to shake him awake?

“Good.” Liz rose, and Dr. Jamison was already halfway out of the room. “We’ll leave you with him, then. When he starts responding to you, just ring for the nurse and have her page me. I expect to be here in the hospital.”

“All right.” Much as she liked Liz, she was ready to have her go. Talking about the possibilities of difficulties with Kevin’s brain made them uncomfortably real.

But apparently she wasn’t destined to be alone with Kevin, because no sooner had the doctors left than Jason came in. “You haven’t been left by yourself, have you?” He seemed to echo her thoughts.

She managed a smile. “You just missed Pastor Bennett. And Judith was here before that.”

“Good.” Apparently he, like everyone else, thought she needed company. He looked at Kevin and nodded, as if pleased with his appearance. “What’s the verdict? Are they waking him up today?”

“Yes.” There was a world of relief in the word, but it was tinged with anxiety.

Jason seemed to pick up on what she didn’t say. He studied her face and then came to sit next to her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head, trying to deny the longing to spill out her worries and fears.

“There must be something, or you wouldn’t look that way.”

She couldn’t help smiling at his words. “You’ve only known me a few days. You can’t possibly know what my expressions mean.”

“Granted, it hasn’t been long, but they’ve been eventful days. You get to know a lot about people when you see them in a crisis.” Jason’s face tightened, making her wonder what had induced that grim look.

“Kevin’s going to wake up soon.” She squeezed the small hand that lay in hers. “When he does, we’ll have an idea of whether there’s any permanent damage. And we’ll know what he remembers.”

That was on everyone’s mind, it seemed. The police, of course, but maybe also the person who’d attacked Dixie. Was he still here in Echo Falls, waiting? Or had he fled? Surely that was what he’d have done.

“Whatever happens when he wakes up, at least you’ll have him back again.” He put a hand on the back of her chair rather than on her shoulder, as Adam had done.

She blinked back sudden tears. “Yes. Maybe I’ll be able to take him home soon. I won’t know what to do when we get back to real life.” She gestured to their surroundings. “This...all of it...doesn’t seem real.”

Jason seemed to consider her words. “It’s not normal, anyway. Well, today is the first step back. By the way, Judge Morris sends his apologies. He wanted to be here this morning, but he had to be in court.”

So that was why Jason had come. It wasn’t anything personal. Surely she wasn’t disappointed. She couldn’t be relying on the man. She barely knew him.

“I’m sure. I’ll call and give Sylvia the latest news once Kevin is awake.”