Vanished In The Night

“Wait a minute,” Joshua said. “You keep talking about patients? What’s your occupation?”

“I’m a trauma nurse.” She gave a half-hearted laugh. “You’d never know it by the way I freaked out giving birth, but I’m actually a good nurse. I now work at the Wrangler’s Corner clinic in town with Dr. Anderson.”

Joshua smiled. “You didn’t freak out, you were just in a new situation and needed a little help.”

“You’re kind.”

Clay shot Joshua a look that said, “Be quiet.” He turned back to Kaylee. “Go on. Why would you think it was this other patient?”

“He’d been involved in a hit-and-run by a drunk driver. His wife and unborn child were killed and he was hurt pretty badly. But he lived and was soon transferred out of ICU to a floor. I visited him occasionally just to check on him. He was there for two months while he recovered and I seemed to be the only one he responded positively to. He was grieving his wife, the loss of his baby...” She shrugged. “I would talk to him. Encourage him. Hold his hand while he wept. I told him about my own failed marriage and how my husband had deserted me and the baby. It made him angry on my behalf.”

Kaylee rubbed her eyes. “I cared about him. I wanted to help him. And he says I did. That my visits kept him sane.” She shook her head. “In the end, the police investigated him and it wasn’t him. A neighbor saw Patrick Talbot break into my house and called the cops. They arrived as he was trying to drag me out of my house to his car.” She swallowed. “He ran, but they caught him. I was stunned. Like I said, he’d been a patient in the ER.” She held her hands up in a helpless gesture. “So many patients come through that ER, I can’t remember them all.”

“Of course not,” Clay said.

“Did he say why he targeted you?” Joshua asked.

“No.” She frowned. “Not really.”

“So, the guy that tried to grab you in the street yesterday,” Joshua said. “No idea who that was?”

“No. I’ve never seen him before.”

Joshua frowned.

“What about the baby’s father?” Clay asked. “Would he come after the baby?”

“He’s dead,” Kaylee said. “He was killed about a month after I told him I was pregnant. And he kicked me out when I told him. Trust me, even if he was alive, he would be the last one to come after me.”

Clay frowned, compassion in his eyes. He nodded. “All right. I’ll look into this stalker of yours. Patrick Talbot, right?”

“Yes. I tried calling the detective who handled the case, but he’s not answering or calling me back. And I tried calling Patrick’s lawyer, but again, no answer or call back.”

Clay made a note of the names and their numbers. “I’ll get these flowers to the lab in Nashville and have them see if they can pull any prints.” He walked into the bathroom, came back with one of the bath towels and wrapped the box in it. “Did you touch the box?”

“I lifted the top with my fingernail.” She shivered. “Once I realized what was in there, I didn’t touch anything else. The note was sitting on top, so it was easy to read.” A wave of nausea hit her. When would the drama stop? She was tired of everything, the constant emotional roller coaster, the daily battle life had become.

“Where did you live after your husband kicked you out of your home?” Joshua asked. “That’s a big gap of time between then and now.”

“I stayed with my sister-in-law, Marla, and her husband for about two weeks, but it was just too awkward. In spite of being told I was welcome to stay, I moved in with a friend and fellow coworker from the hospital. Since the justice system moves so slow, and there’s no telling when Patrick’s trial will be, I decided to come back to Wrangler’s Corner. Even though I had some good friends and support there, I just couldn’t handle being in Nashville anymore.”

“I understand.” Clay tapped his notebook against his chin then nodded. “All right, I’m going to look into all of this and see what I can find out. In the meantime, be careful and take care of your little one.”

She nodded. Clay picked up the towel-wrapped box and left, his phone already pressed to his ear.

Joshua took Duncan from Kaylee and cuddled him against his chest. “He’s a cute little thing.”

“Yes, he’s a sweetheart.”

“You need a ride home?”

She bit her lip and glanced at her cell phone on the table. She’d left a message for her father, but he’d not returned her call. He was probably at the office and not paying attention to his phone. “I guess so.” She gasped. “I left the car seat in my car.”

“I know. I saw it yesterday and grabbed it a little while ago on my way over here. It’s in the back of my SUV—and I had your car towed to your father’s house.”

She stared. “Really? That was incredibly thoughtful. Thank you.”

He shrugged. “You’re welcome.”

Kaylee couldn’t believe how this man kept coming to her rescue. “Have you talked to your mother about her decision to marry my father?”

“I have. A little.”

“And?”

“Let’s just say, we’re running out of time.”

* * *

Running out of time. Yes, that was an apt description. He had slightly less than three weeks to talk his mother out of her crazy plan to marry Kaylee’s father—and to keep Kaylee and little Duncan safe from the stalker before he had to return to Nashville. He hadn’t saved them both just to let them fall prey to a crazy man.

With Kaylee at his side, Joshua carried the baby in the car seat, the handle fitting comfortably in his grip. Kaylee had dressed in a pair of loose, linen pants and a long, light blue T-shirt that brought out her eyes. Eyes he felt he would enjoy seeing on a daily basis.

The thought made him pause.

“What’s wrong?” Kaylee was looking at him with those blue eyes.

He cleared his throat. “Ah, nothing. The elevator’s at the end of this hall.”

She nodded and walked ahead of him and yet, he still pictured her face. Her beautiful eyes, slightly turned up nose and that dimple in her left cheek.

He didn’t need to notice any of that. He was there to watch over her and Duncan. Period.

Kaylee pressed the Down button then leaned over Duncan to make sure his little blue blanket was tucked around his chin. He yawned and settled back into sleep.

“When did you start working at the clinic in town?” Joshua asked.

“The second day I was here.” She smiled at him. “When I got here, I had a horrible sinus infection. I walked in and Doc Anderson was there. I couldn’t believe he was still working. When I asked him about retiring, he said he hadn’t found the person he could entrust his practice to yet.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I asked him if he needed a nurse and he hired me on the spot even though I was practically ready to give birth.”

“He’s a good man.”

“And a fabulous doctor. He might be old, but he stays up-to-date on all the latest in the medical field.”

The elevator arrived and she stepped inside. Joshua followed her and set the baby carrier on the floor. The doors closed and the car moved, taking them down.

Joshua rubbed a hand through his hair. “Mom said something about a doctor shortage in Wrangler’s Corner.”

“A human doctor shortage. There’s no lack of veterinarians, that’s for sure.”

“That’s because there are more animals than people in town.”

“True.”

“What made you try to make it to the hospital instead of letting Doc Anderson deliver Duncan?”

She grimaced. “He was about an hour away helping one of the Amish men in Ethridge. He’d fallen from the roof of his barn. Trust me, that man needed the doc more than I did—at least I thought so.” She shot him a warm glance. “Fortunately, you came along when you did.”

Her look seared him, made him want to wrap her and Duncan in Bubble Wrap and keep them locked safely behind closed doors.

He gave a silent snort. Now he sounded like a crazy stalker. Only, his intentions were good.

When the elevator opened, they stepped into the lobby. A large welcome area dominated the space with a desk and security guard leaned against it talking to two women.

“Wait here inside and I’ll bring the truck around.”

She nodded and he set the baby next to her. He hated to leave her alone, but the security guard was right there. She should be fine for the few minutes it would take him to pull the SUV around to the circle—and it was better than having her walk out in the open to the parking garage.

He jogged to the garage and took the elevator to the third floor. When he stepped off, he caught sight of the back of a man who came from the stairs. A woman to his right was pulling a child from the back seat of her minivan. Other than that, the place was quiet. Empty.

Chills skittered up his arms, raising the hair there. You’ll regret interfering. I’ll be back. Kalyee’s attacker’s words rang in his ears. Was that man her stalker? No, not possible. Patrick Talbot was in jail.

So, who was the guy who’d tried to snatch her in the middle of the road? Joshua shook his head and picked up the pace. He’d said he’d be back. Would he be watching the hospital? Surely, he knew this was where they would be. If he wanted to find her, it wouldn’t be hard—as the box of black roses testified.

Joshua’s SUV was parked on the end in the second row. He glanced around and noted the security cameras. Nah. No one would try anything that could be caught on video, right?

Then again, some people didn’t care. The attacker who’d tried to nab a pregnant woman in broad daylight hadn’t worried about being seen or stopped. And he’d been ready to kill if it suited him. Joshua wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling the guy hadn’t pulled the trigger because of the man who’d stopped to ask if they’d needed help. Whatever had made him decide to run instead of shoot, Joshua didn’t know and didn’t really care. He was just glad it had ended the way it had. Then again, he had a feeling it wasn’t over, either. And the guy had said he’d be back.

Joshua climbed into the SUV and cranked the engine. The low purr never failed to bring him satisfaction. His phone buzzed and he pulled it from the clip on his belt. Clay. “Yeah?”

“Patrick Talbot is out.”

“Out? How?”

“He had a fancy lawyer who managed to find a loophole in the arrest. He was released a week ago.”

“And no one called to tell Kaylee?”

“The detective said he tried, but apparently she changed her number and never gave him the new one. He said he’d just gotten her messages and was getting ready to call her when I rang.”

“Great. That’s just great,” Joshua muttered.

“I know.”

“All right. I’m getting ready to take her and the baby to her father’s house. Want to meet us there?”

“I’d feel better if you had an escort. Stay there and let me see if I can get someone to follow you to Wrangler’s Corner.”

“I’ll let her know.”

He disconnected and drove around to the front entrance to the hospital. Pulling up to the door, he could see Kaylee standing at the glass window waiting for him. His heart did that funny little dance it seemed to want to do whenever he was in her presence.

Telling himself to get over it—that she was as off-limits to him as his mother was to her father—he parked and climbed out of the SUV. He had to ignore the little voice reminding him that his mother was engaged to that off-limits man. He grunted. Being attracted to Kaylee was one thing, acting on it was another. Right now she needed a protector, not a Romeo.

Kaylee opened the hospital door, her bag slung over her shoulder and the baby carrier gripped in her other hand. She walked toward the SUV.

Joshua hurried to her. “I’ve got him.” He took the carrier from her. For a little bitty thing, lugging him around in his seat required some muscles. Joshua rounded the front of the vehicle and opened the back door where he’d placed the base of the baby’s safety seat.

Sunlight glinted off something in the parking garage across the street. A sharp flicker of light that made him squint. He took a closer look and saw the protruding piece of metal. The sight produced a distinctly bad feeling in his gut.

I’ll be back.

“Kaylee, go back inside.”

“What? Why?”

A crack sounded and the concrete spit shards up around the bottom of his calves.

Joshua simply moved, keeping Duncan’s carrier in front of him and out of sight of the shooter. He rounded the front of the vehicle and had almost reached Kaylee when the glass door behind her shattered.

Silence reigned for a split second before screams echoed around him. With a tight grip on the handle of the carrier, Joshua grabbed Kaylee and shoved her through the door that no longer existed.

They made it inside just as the second bullet took out the glass of the other door.

FOUR

Kaylee huddled over her baby, tucking his carrier against her midsection while Joshua wrapped his arms around her. His chest pressed into her back and all she could think was that he was going to die because of her.

Another shot pinged off the tile floor and she flinched. Hospital security burst onto the scene. The security guard and one other officer who must have already been in the building raced into the lobby, weapons drawn.

“Everyone stay down!”

Really? They thought they had to say that? A hysterical giggle threatened to slip out and Kaylee swallowed hard. She had to keep it together. Her baby needed her. Sirens screamed in the distance.

“Is he still there?” she whispered. Joshua hadn’t moved. How long had the shooter been there anyway? Hours? Minutes? Seconds? Time had no meaning anymore.

“I don’t know.” He shifted and she looked up to see him peering out the shattered door. “The shooting’s stopped,” he said. “Cops are in the garage where the bullets came from.”

Her pulse still in overdrive, she straightened and checked Duncan, who’d slept though the chaos. The lobby now swarmed with law enforcement. Kaylee’s hands shook and she had to set the baby carrier on the floor.

It finally registered that Joshua was speaking with a police officer. The officer glanced her way then back at Joshua. Finally, the two finished and Joshua returned to her. “I think we can leave. I gave him Clay’s contact information, as well as mine and yours. If he needs anything else from us, he knows where to find us.”

“Good. I’m ready to go home.”

“Then let’s go.” He picked up the baby carrier in one hand and grasped her elbow with his other. It felt weird and oh-so-right all at the same time. Her husband had only showed her this kind of courtesy when he’d wanted something from her—or he’d wanted to impress people. For Joshua, it just seemed to come natural. She liked that and took comfort from it.

His SUV was still parked in the circle and in short order, she and the baby were safely strapped inside.

When Joshua settled into the driver’s seat beside her, she held out her hands, noting the fine tremor still running through them. “Do you think I’ll ever stop shaking?” She knew it was shock and that it would pass. The day of her attempted kidnapping, while she’d definitely been scared, she’d also been in so much pain, it had pretty much overridden her fear. Not so today.

He took her left hand and closed both of his larger hands around hers. Warmth enveloped her. “You’ll be all right, Kaylee.” He glanced into the back seat. “And so will Duncan.”

Kaylee desperately wanted to believe him. She nodded and took a deep breath. “I pray you’re right.”

“Yeah. Me, too.”

Joshua pulled away and she clasped her hands together in her lap, missing his gentle hold. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Anytime.”

The hour-long drive passed mostly in silence, but Kaylee didn’t find it uncomfortable or awkward. The truth was, she was glad he was with her while she processed the terrifying experience. She found herself praying as he drove. She prayed even while she wondered if God was listening. She was leaning toward yes. He’d made sure she’d had help and that Duncan had arrived safely. The bullets at the hospital had only damaged the building. No one had gotten shot or hurt. Yes, bad stuff was happening, but maybe God was still in the midst of it.

When Joshua pulled into the drive of her father’s home, the home she’d grown up in, Kaylee tried to see it through his eyes. Traditional in style, with clean lines and a stately bearing, the house really was beautiful. A banner hung between the two white columns that gave it the Southern charm most people swooned over: Welcome Home Kaylee and Duncan!

“Nice,” he said.

“Yes. It is. Solid, too. It’s been here since the mid-eighteen hundreds. Fortunately, Dad had it restored with all of the modern conveniences of today.”

“I was talking about the banner.”

“I know.” There was no way her father was responsible for that, but she had a feeling she knew who was.

Kaylee opened the door and climbed out. Joshua had put the baby seat behind the driver’s side, so he beat her to it.

“I’ll carry it,” he said when she held out her hand. “From now on, you don’t need to be lifting anything very heavy for the next couple of weeks.”

“He’s only eight pounds,” she said.

“Plus the carrier. Lead the way.”

The set of his jaw said not to argue. And she didn’t have the energy to fight about it. She needed to be wise in the battles she picked. “Okay. Thank you.” With a glance over her shoulder, she moved up the steps to the front door. Before she could reach for the handle, the door swung open.

And she came face-to-face with Joshua’s mother. “Welcome home!”

Kaylee stiffened but put a smile on her face. The woman looked so pleased and had been nothing but kind to her. Until she proved herself a gold digger, Kaylee would be polite and respectful. Even if it killed her. “Hi.” She cleared her throat. “Ah, thank you for the banner. That was very thoughtful.”

“You’re so welcome. Your father and I were talking about how we needed to do something to celebrate.”

Her father? Most likely Olivia had told her father what they were going to do. But he hadn’t said no. Interesting.

Joshua simply looked bemused.

Olivia clasped her hands to her chest. “And that awful shooting at the hospital! Coverage is still playing on the television. I tried to call and you didn’t answer, Joshua.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I was a little distracted.”

“What do you mean? Please tell me you weren’t there when it happened.”

Kaylee let her gaze meet Joshua’s.

“We were there. That’s why we’re so late getting here. We had to give a statement and answer questions.”

His mother’s face paled. “How terrible. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“We’re fine.”

They walked into the house and Kaylee once again felt a pang at the loss of her mother. Not only was the woman gone, but everything in the house that had been hers had been put away. Resentment flowed and she drew in a deep breath. “I think I’ll lie down for a little while,” she said.

“Of course, honey,” Olivia said. “Would you like for me to watch the baby while you rest?”

“No.” Kaylee’s swift answer brought forth a flinch from the other woman. Guilt hit her. “Thank you, though,” she said, softening her tone. “I need to feed him.”

“Oh, yes, you do that.” She smiled but the hurt in her eyes lingered and Kaylee mentally kicked herself. She would not be rude to this woman, no matter her own thoughts on Olivia’s reasons for marrying her father.

“It’s kind of you to offer. I’m sure I’ll take you up on that in the near future. Especially when he’s keeping me awake at night.”

The hurt faded and Olivia’s lips curved into a genuine smile. “Wonderful.”

“Where’s my father?” she asked.

“He went into the office, but asked me to be here so you didn’t come home to an empty house.”

“I see.” Had he really? Was it possible for him to be that thoughtful? Or had Olivia Crawford just given him the credit to elevate him in Kaylee’s eyes? She thought about asking, but couldn’t figure out how to do so without it sounding rude.

The doorbell rang and Kaylee jumped. Heart thudding, she swallowed and told herself there was no reason to be so twitchy inside her father’s home. She and Duncan were safe here.

Joshua set the baby carrier on the floor as Olivia strode to the door and flung it open.

“Clay?”

“Yes, ma’am. Hi, Aunt Liv.”

“Hi, honey. Come on in.”

Clay stepped inside and swept his hat from his head.

Kaylee frowned when his eyes locked on hers. The scowl on his face didn’t bode well. “What is it?” she asked.

Clay’s eyes locked on Joshua’s. “You haven’t told her?”

Joshua grimaced and shook his head.

Kaylee frowned. “What haven’t you told me?”

“I didn’t want to spoil your homecoming,” Joshua said. “I figured it could wait a few hours.”

She was going to strangle him. “What news?”

“Patrick Talbot was released from custody.”

A gasp slipped from her lips. “And you didn’t think I needed to know that?”

He rubbed a hand across his eyes in a weary gesture. “Of course you needed to know. You just didn’t need to know it in the last couple of hours. An officer tailed us here, and I’ve been on guard, watching. I’ve seen no sign of him.”

Shoving aside her irritation with his silence on her would-be kidnapper’s escape, she looked at Clay. “How? When?”

“He was released a week ago. Something to do with a technicality in his arrest and processing.”

“But...just...how?” She’d asked that already, hadn’t she? And he’d answered her, but her mind refused to fully process the news. Weakness invaded her and she stumbled to the living room sofa. The cushions pulled her in and she wanted to keep sinking until she simply disappeared. But no, she couldn’t do that. Duncan needed her.

“Wait a minute. He confessed. And they can just let him go?”

“He recanted his confession, said it was all just a misunderstanding and that he wasn’t trying to force Kaylee to go with him. He said she agreed, then at the last minute started going crazy and screaming. He claimed he was about to leave when the cops showed up.”

“He was not,” Kaylee muttered.

“His lawyer—once he arrived—advised him to just keep his mouth shut. Talbot did. Over the last three weeks, the man’s been looking for anything to get his client off. And he found it,” Clay said. “It’s on video that the arresting officers kept questioning him after Talbot requested a lawyer. It’s as simple as that.”

As simple as that.

“So, where is he now?” she asked.

“We don’t know. No one’s been able to track him down. But we’re looking, for sure. It’s only a matter of time.”

“So, what’s being done to find him?” Joshua asked.

“Well, he probably had a visitor or two at the jail. I’m going to ride over there today and take look at who’s been in to see him.”

Kaylee cleared her throat. “So, you think that was him at the hospital today? You think he’s the one who was shooting at us?”

“Shooting at you?” Olivia asked. Her eyes widened. “The hospital shooting? They were shooting at you?”

Kaylee gave her a short nod and waited for Clay’s answer.

“We’re not sure,” he said. “We’ve pulled the security footage from the cameras in the garage, but haven’t been able to get a good look at the shooter’s face. The angles just aren’t working to give us that clear shot, however they’re still working on it.”

“What about the black roses?” she asked.

“Those we know were from Talbot. We got him on camera entering the hospital with the box in his arms. He’s also on camera entering your room with them.”

She shuddered. “So,” Kaylee breathed, “what do I do now?”

Clay placed his hat back on his dark head. “You watch your back and don’t go anywhere alone.”

Joshua stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll make sure of that.”

Olivia raised a brow, but Kaylee didn’t care at the moment.