Echo Of Danger

Sylvia hadn’t come to the hospital to see Kevin, and Deidre had been glad for that. It wasn’t that Sylvia didn’t care; it was that she was too fragile emotionally to be helpful.

Kevin’s hand stirred in hers—just a butterfly touch at first, then a definite movement.

“Kevin.” She leaned over him. “Baby, are you awake?” She sensed, rather than saw, Jason snap to attention next to her. “Kevin?”

Nothing happened for a minute that seemed to last forever. Then Kevin moved, wiggling a little as he did when she woke him for Sunday school. His forehead wrinkled.

“Wake up, baby,” she said, keeping her voice gentle. “It’s time to get up now.” They were the same words she said every morning.

And, just like all those other mornings, Kevin blinked and opened his eyes. At first he stared, seeming puzzled, at the ceiling. Then he focused on her face. His blue eyes widened and he smiled. “Mommy.”

She’d never heard anything better in her life. It took a giant effort to keep her voice calm, her manner casual. “You awake, baby?”

“Sure.” He started to get up, then stared at the tube leading into his arm. “Mommy?” His voice shook. “What’s happening, Mommy? What’s that thing?”

“It’s okay.” She eased him back on the pillow, putting her arms around him. “You had a little accident and had to come to the hospital. But you’re getting better now.”

“Oh.” He settled down but still looked troubled. She thought he was trying to remember. “Did I fall out of the tree? That’s what happened, right? You told me not to climb so high, but I wanted to see.”

“Climbing the apple tree, you mean?” At a movement from Jason, she glanced at him. “That morning,” she said quietly. “Is that what you remember, Kev?”

He frowned. “I remember climbing up high in the tree. That’s all.”

Kevin was making up his own story about what had happened. It was a story that probably seemed normal and comforting to him.

Comforting because he didn’t know how he got hurt. Here was the answer everyone had been waiting for. Kevin didn’t remember anything about the attack on Dixie. However the police might feel about it, Deidre couldn’t help but be relieved.

CHAPTER FOUR

FROM WHAT JASON had seen during the time he’d spent at the hospital, Kevin awake was going to be quite a handful. It would try everyone’s patience keeping a lively kid like that quiet. But it was a lot better than watching him lie in the hospital bed unconscious.

Sitting unobtrusively while Deidre talked to the doctor, Jason had come away with an answer that troubled him. From what the pediatrician had said, she hadn’t been at all surprised that Kevin didn’t remember what had happened in the hours prior to his injury. Apparently that occurred often with head injuries. So for the moment, Kevin could be of no help at all to the police. Chief Carmichaels would be disappointed.

But there was also the possibility that the memory would come back as the child’s brain healed from the trauma. And if it did, what then?

Deidre had wanted to reject that result. Her fear had been palpable. But he couldn’t entirely dismiss the judge’s comment that something Deidre had done had put Kevin in danger.

Not intentionally, he was sure. He’d seen enough of her devotion to the boy to know that. But what did he really know about her?

For that matter, what did he really know about the judge? This situation was becoming more uncomfortable by the moment. He’d been desperate enough and raw enough emotionally to grab at the lifeline the judge had offered him. But the strings attached to that offer were pretty ugly when viewed impartially, and right at the moment, he didn’t see a clear way out of the position he was in.

He’d nearly reached the edge of town, where the row of graceful old Victorian houses petered out and farmland took over. He’d offered to pick up some toys to keep Kevin occupied, so he had a legitimate reason for going into Deidre’s house alone. He had the key she’d lent him so that he could complete his errand.

Pulling into Deidre’s driveway, he parked and slid out. The front door was locked, of course, but it responded readily to the key.

His fingers closed over the key as he stepped inside. Would the judge expect him to take advantage of the situation to have a copy made? Possibly. But even though his values had taken quite a battering during the events of the past six months, he wasn’t willing to compromise them that much.

He spared a flickering thought for Leslie, who hadn’t had any such compunction, and then dismissed her. Maybe it was a good sign that he’d been too busy to think of her more than once since he’d arrived in Echo Falls.

Jason came to a halt in the living room and had a cautious look around. The previous time he’d been here, he’d been focused on the emergency and the need to act. He’d barely been aware of the surroundings. He looked first at the spot where Dixie James had lain, on an area rug in front of the sofa. That rug was gone now, maybe to the police lab or maybe disposed of, and in its place was an oval braided rug, whose mellow colors blended with the blue upholstery on the sofa and chairs.

The room seemed furnished for comfort rather than style, as if a family had acquired pieces they liked over a couple of generations. A child’s toy airplane nosed against a framed photo of an older couple on an end table, and several magazines had slid to the floor from an overburdened rack. It wasn’t messy, just lived-in, he supposed.

He could imagine it annoying the judge, though. He’d already noticed that everything in the office had to be exactly the way the judge liked it, down to the way the pens were arranged on Evelyn’s desk.

He moved through the adjoining dining room, where tulips drooped in a vase, dropping their petals onto the polished surface of the table, and on into the kitchen. Deidre had apparently resisted the current urge toward steel appliances and granite. The cabinets were painted wood, and geraniums bloomed in a pot on one windowsill, while what were probably herbs grew on the other.

Beyond the kitchen he found what must be the headquarters of Deidre’s business. On one side, shelves and racks held packing supplies, while two walls were covered with shelves holding a variety of handcrafted items—everything from placemats to quilts to wooden toys and more. He zeroed in on the computer at one end of a long wooden table.

He switched it on. Deidre apparently hadn’t seen the need to password protect it, and he easily accessed the files. The computer seemed devoted to the business, though, with sales records, addresses, sample newsletters and photographs of items offered for sale.

Searching her email was similarly nonproductive—it contained only correspondence related to the business. If Deidre had personal emails, she obviously kept them elsewhere.

Glancing at his watch, he retraced his steps and started upstairs. He couldn’t take too long completing his errand, or Deidre might become suspicious. Still, he might not have another chance to prowl around her house undetected.

The police would have gone over the stairs with meticulous care, but as far as he knew, there had been no indication that Kevin’s injury had been anything other than accidental. He’d started down the stairs, tripped and fallen. Whether he’d tripped in shock from what he’d seen was an open question.

Four rooms upstairs. Which one was Kevin’s was obvious—typical little boy’s bedroom, decorated with train wallpaper and bright curtains to match. The items he’d come to fetch would be there, but for the moment, he wanted to see the rest of the upstairs. There was a guest room and next to it what might have been a study for Frank, furnished with bookshelves and a desk. He considered taking the time to search the desk, but if Deidre were hiding anything about an affair, it was unlikely to be there.

Her bedroom was the likeliest place. He moved into the room, feeling like an intruder. But that was part of the job, wasn’t it? Like the living room, this room had an air of permanence, as if the furniture had stood where it was for a lot of years and was comfortable there.

Jason dismissed the thought. This was no time to get nostalgic for a permanence he’d never experienced. He went quickly to the dresser, a massive affair of highly polished maple, and pulled open a drawer. Moving quickly, he felt under clothes, looking for any crinkle of paper or odd shape.

In the third drawer he found it—a sheaf of something under the drawer liner. He drew out the bundle. Cards, greeting cards, stretching back over the years, it seemed. A birthday card signed “Mommy and Daddy,” a graduation card, several Valentine cards. He opened one that read: “I don’t know what I did to deserve someone like you. You are my strength.” It was from Frank.

Feeling like a Peeping Tom, he shuffled through the rest and came up with nothing. As he put them back into place, he felt something else, something tucked back into the corner under the paper. He was reaching for it when he heard footsteps on the stairs.

Closing the drawer as quietly as he could, he managed to be in the center of the room when Judith Yoder appeared in the doorway. She didn’t look surprised, but then she’d have seen his car in the driveway. But she did look suspicious.

When she didn’t speak, he hurried into speech. “I’m glad you’re here. Maybe you can help me. Deidre asked me to pick up a few things for Kevin, and I haven’t been able to spot the first one on the list. Do you know where his handheld electronic game might be?”

The suspicion in Judith face wasn’t allayed. “Not in Deidre’s bedroom.” She jerked a nod toward the next room. “Komm. It’ll be in here.”

He was very aware of her covert glances as she took the list from his hand and began collecting the items. A couple of small toy train pieces, a few books, a pack of crayons, the electronic game.

“Thanks. I’m afraid I’m not up on little boys’ toys.”

Judith tucked everything into a bright tote bag. “Please tell Deidre I’ll be in later this afternoon.” She handed him the bag. “Let me see you out.”

He’d gotten the bum’s rush a few times in his life, but never with so much politeness. Judith closed the door firmly behind him, and he headed to his car.

So she’d be seeing Deidre this afternoon, would she? What exactly would she have to say about this little episode? It seemed to him that his relationship with Deidre Morris might be ending sooner than either he or the judge had expected.

* * *

A FEW DAYS LATER, juggling a backpack and a shopping bag provided by the hospital, Deidre ushered Kevin into the house at last. It had seemed like forever, and she wondered how long it had felt to Kevin. She kept a close eye on him as they walked into the living room. Would being home bring back memories?

But Kevin seemed perfectly normal. He spotted Judith coming out of the kitchen with Benjamin and rushed over to them.

“Hey, Benjy, did you know I was in the hospital? I had my own room and a television, too.”

Benjamin grinned. He wasn’t too fluent in English yet, but the two of them chattered together in a scrambled mixture of English and Pennsylvania Dutch. “Me and Mamm brought whoopie pies.”

“Wow!” Obviously that was far more important than the hospital stay. “Can we have one now, Mommy? Can we?”

Deidre glanced at Judith and got a smile and a nod in response.

“Okay, you two. One each. Kevin, don’t run.”

Heedless, the two boys raced to the kitchen. Judith chuckled. “I wonder how many times you’ll say that in the next few days.”

“I might as well save my breath, but I have to try. The doctor said to keep him quiet.”

“Does the doctor have a five-year-old boy?” Judith asked innocently. “Might as well try to stop the wind from blowing.”

“True.” Dropping the bags, she gave Judith a hug. “Thanks for the treat. Maybe we’d better see if there’s any milk for them before they choke on mouthfuls of chocolate.”

“No need. I already poured it. And made sure you have what you need in the refrigerator. I knew you wouldn’t want to run to the store first thing. Your cousin Anna dropped off chicken potpie for your supper, so all you have to do is heat it up.”

Deidre had a ridiculous urge to cry. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Everyone has been so kind, coming to sit with Kev, cleaning the house, running errands...”

“Everyone wants to help.” Judith hesitated, and her serene oval face actually looked troubled. “That makes me think of something I must tell you.”

“Something bad?” She was instantly apprehensive.

Judith considered. “Maybe not. It bothered me, is all. The other day when I came over I found somebody here. That Mr. Glassman. He said you’d asked him to pick up some things for Kevin.”

Deidre’s tension slid away. “Actually he offered, but it was really helpful. Kevin was just about bouncing out of the bed, and I needed something to entertain him. It’s okay that he was here. I had lent him my key.”

“Ja, that’s what he said. But I found him upstairs in your bedroom.”

“In my room?” Odd, but she could easily see reasons why that would be. “Maybe he was just trying to find the things on the list. And he hadn’t ever been upstairs before.”

“Maybe.” Judith didn’t sound convinced. “But I’d think he’d have seen that Kevin’s toys were in his room, not yours.” She hesitated a moment. “He is a stranger.”

He was. She kept forgetting that. Natural enough, since he’d been with her through one of the most traumatic experiences of her life. But how much did she know about him?

“You’re right to tell me. Thank you, Judith. Denke.” She used the Pennsylvania Dutch word for thanks automatically.

“What will you do?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll have to decide soon.” She glanced at her watch. “He’s coming over so he can be here when Chief Carmichaels talks to Kevin this afternoon.”

“Ach, that man and his questions.” Judith looked exasperated. “He even talked to Benjamin, and what could Benjy tell him? Benjamin was in bed and asleep, and he hadn’t even seen Kevin since the morning.”

“I guess if they didn’t ask questions, they wouldn’t be able to find out what happened.” She tried to be fair, although her sympathies were with Judith. She glanced at the boys, sitting at the kitchen table and chattering around mouthfuls of chocolate and cream filling. “But I hope it doesn’t upset Kevin to have them asking him about that night. Maybe it’s wrong of me, but I hope he never does remember.”

They stood for a moment, watching their sons. Even though their lives were different in so many ways, she and Judith valued the same things: home, family, tradition. Judith would say that she was content in the place God had put her. It was a good place, despite what had happened to Dixie.

“We should go, since you’re expecting people.” She swept into the kitchen. “Ach, look at the two of you. Such dirty faces. Let’s get clean, and then Benjamin and I must get home.” She smiled at the expected outcry. “Benjamin can visit tomorrow, if your mamm says it’s okay.”

While Judith supervised the cleanup, Deidre put the milk away, noting that the refrigerator was filled with dishes she hadn’t put there. Obviously the neighbors were intent on seeing they didn’t go hungry.

By the time the front doorbell rang, Judith and Benjamin had already gone out the back. “Somebody’s here!” Kevin started to run to the door, but Deidre was close enough to grab him.

“You’re not supposed to run, remember? Just for a few days.”

Kevin nodded. “I know. But it’s hard to remember.”

“Try,” she said. “Okay, let’s answer the door.”

Jason had arrived before Chief Carmichaels was due, as they’d arranged. At first the judge had insisted that he be personally present for this interview, and he hadn’t taken kindly to her obvious negative reaction. Imagining the tension that could so easily develop any time her father-in-law was present, she’d been relieved when he’d given in to Jason’s reminder that he was representing her and Kevin. It had been hard enough running interference between the judge and the doctors, let alone trying to referee between him and the chief.

Jason came in, giving Kevin a friendly smile. “So, you’re home at last. Bet it feels good.”

Kevin nodded, instantly at ease. After a couple of visits with Jason at the hospital, Kevin had decided, apparently for reasons that made sense to a five-year-old, that Jason was an okay guy. “The hospital wasn’t bad. But being home is better.”

“Right.” He sent a questioning glance to Deidre. “Did you tell him about Chief Carmichaels yet?”

“No, I was just about to.” She reminded herself that she ought to ask him about what Judith had said. But not now. She touched Kevin’s shoulder. “Kev, Chief Carmichaels is coming over in a few minutes. He wants to ask you about your accident.”

“You mean when I fell out of the tree?”

Obviously she should have cleared that up for him before this, but she’d wanted to let him hold on to his comfortable story for as long as possible.

“You didn’t fall out of the tree, sweetie. It was later when you fell. During the evening. You fell down the stairs.”

His small face crinkled, and he shook his head. “But the tree...”

“You’ve forgotten some things from that day. That happens sometimes when a person gets a bad bump on the head.”

Kevin seemed to digest that. “Okay. I remember Chief Carmichaels from when he came to kindergarten to talk to us about safety. He let me wear his hat. Remember, Mommy?”

“Yes, I remember.” Kevin had been so proud, standing there in the cap that was way too big for him.

“But why does he want to know about me falling?”

“Well...” How did she explain that without getting into the thing she didn’t want to say?

Jason squatted down to Kevin’s level. “See, Kev, it’s this way. Sometimes the police look into accidents to see what caused them. Like if anyone was to blame.”

“Oh.” He nodded. “Okay.”

Jason rose, opening the attaché case he’d carried in with him. “I hear you like trains, and I thought maybe you’d like this one.” He held out a new locomotive for Kevin’s train set.

“Wow.” Kevin’s eyes widened. “Wow. It’s for me?”

“For you. In honor of coming home from the hospital.” Jason grinned. “Think it’ll work?”

“It’s great.” Seizing the train, he raced for the stairs. “I have to put it on the track.”

“Don’t run,” Deidre cried as he reached the stairs.

“I’m not,” he protested, scrambling up them.

Deidre’s breath caught, her chest tightening as he scooted past the place where he must have tripped.

“It won’t always be this bad.” Jason’s voice was low and infused with more than simple empathy. “Even the worst memories fade with time.”

She looked into his face, but it didn’t tell her anything. He was too good at hiding his feelings.

“That sounds like personal experience talking.”

He shrugged. “I guess we all have bad things we don’t want to remember.” He turned, glancing out the front window at the sound of a vehicle. “Looks like Carmichaels is here. Are you ready?”

“I guess I’ll have to be, won’t I?” Deidre straightened her shoulders and tried to summon up some courage. Whether Judith was right or wrong in her opinion of Jason, at the moment Deidre was glad he was with her.

* * *

JASON DIDN’T KNOW where that need to reassure Deidre had come from, but he’d better get back to a more professional stance with her in a hurry. It was not part of his assignment to get that involved with her. All he wanted was evidence, one way or the other, to either prove or disprove the judge’s opinion of her.

Carmichaels entered, greeting Deidre with an avuncular hug. “Bet you’re glad to have that boy of yours home. How’s he doing?”

“Fairly well, so far.” She glanced at Jason as if asking him something, and he nodded.

“Before you talk to Kevin, I think Mrs. Morris wants to set up some guidelines.”

Carmichaels’s gaze went from Jason to Deidre, speculative. “Now, Deidre, you know me well enough to know I’m not going to bully the boy.”

“Of course, but I’m still concerned.” She seemed unconscious of the fact that her hands were clasped tightly. “He doesn’t remember anything about most of that day. He won’t be able to help you.”

“We won’t know that until I talk to him, will we?” Carmichaels glanced around. “Where’s the best place for us to talk?”

“Sorry.” Deidre’s fair skin flushed. “Come and sit down.” She looked at the sofa and seemed to change her mind, leading the way into the dining room instead. “We’ll sit here at the table, all right?”

Carmichaels might have preferred the scene of the attack, but he didn’t argue, just pulled out a chair and sat down, planting his elbows on the table. “How about calling Kevin, and we’ll get this over with.”

“Not yet,” Deidre said quickly, gesturing Jason to a chair. She glanced at the stairs, as if afraid Kevin would appear too soon. “Since Kevin imagines he fell earlier in the day, he doesn’t remember Dixie was here. So he doesn’t know that she’s... That she died.”

“Deidre, you don’t believe you can keep it from him, do you? Kevin could hear about it from almost anyone. Lord knows the whole town’s been talking about nothing else.” Carmichaels looked disapproving, and Jason had to agree with him on this one. What was she thinking?

“I know he has to be told.” Deidre’s color was high, and there was a stubborn look to the way her chin was set. “But I thought it was best if he heard it in his own home. I’ll tell him soon, but you’ll have to respect my decision as to when and how.”

That was Jason’s cue to do his job. “If we don’t have your assurance that you won’t mention the James woman’s death in the boy’s presence, then I’m afraid I can’t allow you to question him.”

“Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out.” Carmichaels shrugged heavy shoulders. “Okay, I won’t say anything about her death. But he’s a smart kid. He’s going to figure it out soon enough.”

“All right, then.” Deidre seemed ready to accept the chief’s word. “I’ll get him.” She walked to the bottom of the steps and clutched the newel post. “Kevin, come down for a minute, please.”

It said something about the way she’d brought up her son that he didn’t embark on a shouted argument. Instead, he appeared at the top of the steps.

“Don’t run,” she said quickly, and he suspected that the words had become a kind of talisman for her. If she could keep him from running, she could keep him safe. Deidre wouldn’t believe that rationally, but the instinct was still there.

“Okay, Mommy.” Kevin put his hand on the railing, sliding it down all the way to the bottom.

“Remember, I told you Chief Carmichaels wanted to ask you a few questions about your accident, Kev.” She led him to the table, one hand on his shoulder.

Kevin didn’t look upset at the prospect, but when Deidre sat down and held out her arms, he climbed into her lap and leaned against her.

“This won’t take long, Kevin. Then you can go back and play, okay?” Carmichaels was clearly making an effort to keep it low-key.

Kevin nodded, his expression wary.

“Well, now, what can you tell me about your accident? Just say anything you remember.”

Kevin leaned against his mother, turning his head to look up into her face. She nodded in encouragement. “It’s all right. Just tell the chief what you remember.”

“I remember climbing in the apple tree,” he said promptly.

At Carmichaels’s baffled look, Deidre explained, “That happened earlier in the day. It seems to be the last thing he remembers.”

“You don’t remember being on the steps in your pajamas?”

Kevin shook his head. Again he looked up at his mother. “Is that where I fell?”

“That’s it. You must have tripped on your blanket and tumbled down.” She kept her voice even, but Jason could see that it was a struggle.

“Let’s go back a little bit,” Carmichaels said. “What did you have for supper?”