Blazing Hotter (Love Under Fire Book 2) (22 page)

The truth was, she had wanted him so badly that she hadn’t wanted to stop. That’s wasn’t so wrong, was it?

“Let’s just go to sleep tonight, Cass,” he said. “We’ve had a big day. I’m exhausted, so I’m sure you are too. We can make our final decision about living arrangements when we get home from the wedding.”

By that time, she could find out if there was any reason to worry him with talk about pregnancy or if she could brush it aside.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m leaning towards agreeing because I really care about you too. Let’s enjoy each other’s company over the next week and see how we feel when we get home.”

B
eing away from Cassie seemed like too big of a risk, even if it was only for a little while, but Frankie didn’t have a choice. He sat in his van the next morning while his father drove to the rehab center, knowing he had to put faith in Detective Rogers. The officer had picked Cassie up from the hotel and surely wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

“What are you so intent about back there?” Big Frank asked. “You have a serious look on your face.”

Frankie met his dad’s eyes in the mirror. “Worried, is all. I don’t like Cassie going outside during the day. We have to stay at that hotel a little longer. What if she’s spotted?”

His dad shrugged and turned into the rehab center parking lot. “But you said that woman after her usually works the day shift Friday through Monday. Now’s the best time for Cassie to get her stuff. The cops will keep a close eye on her, and they know better than we do how to tell if someone’s tailing them when they drive back. She’s safer with Rogers than she would be with us.”

“You’re right. Of course you are.” That didn’t mean he had to like it.

Big Frank grinned and steered the van into a handicapped spot near the front door. “I think you just miss her already, being away from each other for a few minutes.”

His dad could tease all he wanted, but Frankie simply nodded. “I think that’s the case.”

“Well, hot damn!” Big Frank took the keys from the ignition and turned in his seat to face Frankie directly. “You’re actually falling for the smart girl with a good job and not just a pretty face?”

“She has a pretty face,” Frankie countered.

“Yes, she does, but you know what I mean.” The smile on his face split wider than Frankie had ever seen before. “Your mom and I figured you’d spend your life chasing after empty-headed model types and never find real love. Personally, I like Cassie. I told your mom about her, and she likes her too.”

“You talked to Mom?” Frankie asked, momentarily sidetracked. “I left her a message a few days ago but haven’t heard anything back. Is she okay?”

“Okay is a relative term,” Big Frank answered. “She’s wondering if we were too hasty in deciding to divorce, and I think she’s ashamed to talk to you while this is going on. I had told her you took the news pretty hard.”

“Do you think she really wants to get back together with you or did the improvements I’ve made these past few days sway her decision?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Big Frank answered. “Whatever the reason, I think getting a divorce is the right choice. We’re both so much happier, but right now she doesn’t want to see that.” He shrugged. “Anyway, we should get inside. I know you want to be back to the hotel before Cassie finishes.”

That was awkward, and he was glad his dad wanted to drop the subject. Frankie had never suspected his dad wouldn’t take Mom back if she changed her mind. Relationships had a lot more to them then deciding to like a person and having things turn out perfectly. What sort of challenges awaited him and Cassie? Had he rushed into asking her to live together too quickly without contemplating the potential pitfalls?

However, they were getting ready to go on a vacation fit for lovers. Now wasn’t the time to bring up any doubts when she obviously had so many of her own. They could enjoy their trip to McCallister’s Paradise and sort out the hard stuff when they arrived home.

***

I
t felt strange being inside her house. There was a neglected, stale feeling about the place. Coffee cups strewn about the kitchen counters from the police officers’ night spent here made everything that much sadder in appearance.

Without saying a word, Cassie gathered the mugs and loaded them into the dishwasher.

“Sorry about that,” Rogers said, leaning against the kitchen counter. “It was a long night with everyone on high alert and we needed the caffeine.”

“I just wish it had done any good,” Cassie replied, wondering if she’d ever feel safe in this house again. “Any news about Sandy and whether you think she could be the one doing this?”

“You know I couldn’t tell you even if I did have something.” Rogers shrugged. “However, I wish I had news to hide from you. I’m finding it hard to connect Sandy to any of this. The first murder happened while she was working a night shift at the rehab facility. I haven’t talked to her coworkers from that night yet to make sure she never left, but she probably has an alibi.”

“I just want this thing over,” Cassie said. “My life is on hold until this killer is caught.”

“I’m working on it, Miss Flick. I already talked to that boss of yours, Stan, to see if there was anyone he didn’t completely trust who works with you. He mentioned a few names of people who are lazy or whatever, but no potential killers. I finally had to specifically ask about Sandy and if he trusted her.”

“And he said she’s as good as they come, right?” Cassie didn’t need Rogers’s answer to know that’s what Stan said. “That’s the thing I can’t figure out. Sandy really
is
the most reliable, nicest, hardworking person I know. I can’t see her having the time or the temperament to kill anyone, let alone me.”

“Do you have any other theories?” Rogers asked. “It’d be nice to have a few things to look into while you’re out of town. I want this person behind bars before you come home.”

“Me too.”

Cassie made her way to the bedroom, comforted when Rogers followed close behind, keeping a watchful eye on everything. As she packed a bag, she thought hard if there was anyone in the world she could imagine holding a grudge against her. It seemed a remote possibility, but there was one person.

“You know I used to work as a nurse in the neonatal unit, didn’t you?”

Rogers nodded her head. “You quit about two-and-a-half years ago, though. Right after...”

“After Dr. Kenneth Morgan got me laughed out of the police station, yes.” There was no sugar coating that, but Cassie was somewhat mollified when Rogers had the grace to look embarrassed and stare at her feet. “That wasn’t your fault, Detective Rogers, and I’m glad you believe me about the situation.”

Rogers looked back up, her chocolate brown eyes narrowed with a shrewdness that suggested she knew Cassie hadn’t brought that up just to make her feel bad. “So what happened in the neonatal unit that you think might relate to this?”

“It was a hard job,” Cassie said softly, grabbing her suitcase from beneath her bed and unzipping it. “Good days were great because it meant you saved a baby that was in dire straits.”

“But the bad days were horrid,” Rogers said, nodding her understanding. “It’s the same being a cop. The days that go bad usually mean someone died.”

“Exactly. My best friend was head nurse at the time, so I was in on several difficult cases, her right-hand woman. We always tried our best, but sometimes nature won over the miracles medicine can provide. Maybe one of those parents had something bad happen to them and they snapped?”

“Are there any kids you helped save who have passed on recently? That could be good motivation.”

Cassie nodded, remembering the woman standing in the center of the rehab facility before Frankie’s party. She’d looked so familiar, and Cassie finally placed her. “I think there’s a real possibility. And I’m even partially to blame because this all happened while Kenneth Morgan was stalking me. I checked the babies ten minutes late one night because he had cornered me in the hallway. One of the kids had stopped breathing during that time and ended up with severe brain damage.”

“Which wouldn’t have happened if you had arrived sooner?” Rogers asked.

Cassie nodded, feeling miserable all over again. “More than likely. For some reason the monitor malfunctioned, not alerting anyone there was a problem. The longer without oxygen, the worse it is on the brain. I revived him after getting in the room, but in the years that followed, he didn’t have normal development and never gained much in the way of physical abilities.” Blinking back tears, Cassie forced herself to go on. “His mom was in the hallway of the rehab center right after I returned from my brother’s wedding. I thought she looked familiar, but couldn’t place her. She was crying and said it was all my fault. I didn’t think she meant it was actually
my
fault, but medical professionals’ in general. It’s something that sometimes happens when people’s loved ones die, and I forgot about her with everything else going on.”

Rogers came up alongside Cassie, helping to fold the clothing she’d been laying on the bed. “But why wait so long to come after you?”

“The doctors had all agreed her son wouldn’t have a full life. He started having uncontrollable seizures after the cardiac arrest, and the doctors said eventually one would end his life. What if that’s happened?”

“Then Kenneth Morgan has more to answer for than being a stalker and a jerk. That mother should hold
him
accountable, not you.”

Cassie breathed out a small exhale of relief. It was good to hear someone else agree that checking the babies late hadn’t been her fault. Her friend, Tess, told her that repeatedly after the accident, but Cassie couldn’t help but feel responsible. If she’d stood up for herself and shoved Kenneth out of her way, she might have been in the room when that baby stopped breathing and he would have likely gone on to live a normal life.

Rogers grabbed her phone from her suit jacket pocket, tapping the screen. “Tell me the names of everyone you remember and I’ll look into it. If this is what started all these deaths, the situation is even sadder than I thought.”

***

F
rankie had hoped to avoid Sandy while in the facility, but as he and his dad stepped into the lobby off the elevator, Sandy was waiting to go up it.

“Frankie! Where have you been?” She bent over his chair, hugging him around his shoulders. “I knew you were leaving with Cassie a few days ago, but you never returned. I had expected you to come back when she left town.”

Doing his best not to reveal his distaste and anger at the woman, Frankie hoped she’d interpret his curled lip to be directed toward Cassie. “She left town? Well, I wouldn’t know what Cassie’s doing these days. She totally ditched me, kicking me out of her house the day after I left here.”

“That’s horrible of her,” Sandy said, practically cooing at him. “I can’t believe she’d do that to such a nice guy.”

The other nurse Frankie knew the best, Rose, walked up. “What’s horrible of who?”

Sandy pouted and patted Frankie’s shoulders, not seeming to notice how her touch made his skin crawl. “Cassie ditched Frankie. Just threw him right out of her house!”

Rose raised an eyebrow, looking between Frankie and his dad. “I don’t know how to put this delicately, but you aren’t always a joy to be around, Frankie, especially not when you’re in pain. What did you do?”

“Don’t blame him,” Sandy scolded. “He’s not at fault. I’m sure it’s Cassie’s fault.”

Big Frank cleared his throat. “Are you ready, son? We need to get going.”

“I’m ready.” Frankie smiled at the nurses, doing the best he could not to let his irritation show. Sandy might not be picking up on it, but Rose was more shrewd. Heck, the woman wasn’t even willing to talk crap about Cassie without hearing both sides of the story. It was that attitude that made her such a good nurse, but Frankie couldn’t risk her realizing he was upset with Sandy. “It was good to see you both, but I’m going to spend some time with my dad. Don’t worry if I don’t come back to the center for a while.”

Sandy smiled at Big Frank, extending her hand to shake his. “I didn’t mean to ignore you, Mr. Hernandez, I just really care about your son and was worried about him.”

“It’s good to know the people around here take such good care of my boy,” Big Frank said, not indicating one way or the other whether he realized Sandy was the person Bambi had accused of making her buy the flowers. Frankie thought his dad knew, but Big Frank was better at disguising his feelings. “I’ve missed Frankie a lot. Now that he has this great chair, I’m taking him home with me. I’ve got a line on a job for him and everything. It’s time he left this place.”

“A job?” Frankie was distracted from his anger at Sandy with this news. “What job?”

“That’s where we’re headed next.” Big Frank made a production out of looking at his watch. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late to the appointment I scheduled. Nice to see you again, ladies.”

Setting off at a brisk pace, his father headed out the doors of the facility.

“A job?” Sandy asked. “That’s exciting.”

“It really is,” Rose agreed. “And, hey, don’t worry about Cassie. I’m sure she’ll come around when she gets back to town. She’s usually a reasonable person.”

“Where has she gone?” Frankie asked, proud of himself for doing such a good job playing stupid.

Rose shrugged. “Vacation is all she told me. I think she left with whoever sent those flowers last week.”

“That’s nice for her, I guess.” Frankie shrugged. “I’m getting a new therapist anyway, so I guess it doesn’t matter what Cassie does with herself now.”

Sandy rubbed her hand against his shoulder. “If you get that job and move out, you should call and tell me all about it. Maybe once you get back on your feet we could go to dinner. I’m going to miss you around here if you live with your dad, but once you aren’t living here we could date.” She flashed a wink.

She wanted to date him? Frankie was floored, having always assumed her flirting was harmless. Could that be the reason she was after Cassie? Jealousy because Frankie had so obviously been into his therapist? Then again, he’d just made it clear there was nothing going on between him and Cassie, and Sandy didn’t even twitch. Nothing to suggest she might feel guilty about anything.