Dark Hearts (12 page)

The hostess came back to greet him, and when he also asked for a booth, she seated him right behind Sam. Apparently, they were sharing a waitress, which was fine with him. As long as she kept his coffee hot and the conversation short.

* * *

Unaware he was close enough to the killer to reach out and grab him, Sam directed his focus entirely on Lainey.

She was beaming, and the way her eyes flashed as the waitress walked over and she recognized yet another friend from her past made him happy.

She and the waitress, a girl named Jennifer, had gone to school together. Jennifer seemed so happy to see her that she kept giggling while taking their order.

As soon as Jennifer left, Sam reached across the table and held out his hand. Lainey grasped it as if it were the gold ring on a merry-go-round and held tight.

“Oh, Sam, this is wonderful. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Believe me, it's totally my pleasure,” he said softly. “So tell me, how was your day? Did you have classes?”

“World history at 2:00 p.m. and that was it. I'm off until Monday, but that day is pretty full. What about you?”

“There was a lot going on that had to do with the investigation,” he said. “And I've got a big day tomorrow, but I won't go into that here.”

“Do you know if there was anything of value in Mom's diaries?” she asked.

“Yes. Just the revelation about the cheating scandal was huge. It's opened up all kinds of leads.”

“Mom kept diaries all her life. There are more if you think you might need them,” she said.

“My mom did the same thing. She called them journals, but she was still writing in them up until she was murdered. In fact, what she wrote, combined with what we gleaned from your mother's diaries, has given us most of what we know right now.”

Lainey leaned forward and lowered her voice.

“I stayed in your meeting until I felt I had nothing more to share, and then I left, so I don't know what all was said afterward about the cheating thing, but I can't imagine committing murder over something like that. As for the names in her posts, they weren't the real names, were they? They read like code to hide people's real names. I can't imagine why, other than it being Mom's way of being cute as a teenager.”

“I haven't had a chance to read them yet, but I have them. Trey gave them to me today.”

“She wrote about things like Tom Collins and Betty Boop being lovers, and everyone thinking Betty Boop was helping someone cheat, but it wasn't her boyfriend TC. The gossip was, someone else paid her a lot of money for the answers to a final.”

Sam's heart skipped when she said the name Collins. Tom Collins was the name of a mixed drink, but
Donny
Collins was MIA. Then he wondered if Donny Collins had a girlfriend in school. It was something to investigate.

He shrugged. “Cheating has a whole lot of repercussions. A cheater's status and honor would take a big hit if he was found out, and some people will do anything to keep their name clean, you know?”

“You're right. I didn't think of it like that.”

“Oh, good, here comes our appetizer,” Sam said.

Lainey leaned back with her hands in her lap as Jennifer set the hot baked-artichoke dip in the middle of the table, and then asked, “May I top off your drinks?”

“We're good for now,” Sam said.

“Enjoy,” Jennifer said, and moved on to the next booth.

* * *

The killer looked up when the waitress stopped by his table. While he'd been waiting, he had gotten an earful of information he didn't like, and now he was so distracted he could barely focus enough to order. By the time the waitress left, Sam and Lainey were talking about food and he'd missed his chance to hear the end of the conversation. He didn't like knowing there were even more diaries that could screw up everything. What the hell was it about girls in the '80s writing everything down?

* * *

The steaks they'd ordered came cooked to perfection, although Lainey got full before her food was gone. Sam obliged by finishing off the last four bites of her small filet, and then had the audacity to ask if she wanted dessert.

“Maybe crème brûlée or a slice of cheesecake?” he asked.

“I have poppy-seed cake with cream-cheese icing at home,” she said.

“That sounds even better,” Sam said. “We can go home, have dessert, then eat cake.”

Lainey laughed, and he grinned. Hearing that sound would never get old.

He signaled for the check, left a handful of bills that included a big tip and took Lainey's arm as they turned to leave. But their appearance together had the curious wondering, and they were stopped a couple of times before they got back to the lobby to retrieve her coat.

“Did you enjoy your meal?” Cherry asked.

“It was delicious, and it was so good to see you,” Lainey said.

“Come back and see us anytime,” Cherry said, and then left to seat another couple as Sam helped Lainey on with her coat.

As he'd predicted, the air had turned much colder while they'd been inside, and Lainey was very glad for the weight and length of her coat. They were on their way across the parking lot to the car when a loud explosion rocked the ground on which they were standing, followed by a huge fireball shooting up into the air.

Eleven

S
am reacted without thought. He pulled his gun with one hand and shoved Lainey behind him with the other. One explosion and he was thousands of miles away, fighting a war.

Lainey saw the fire, and then she saw Sam's face and knew he was mentally no longer with her. All of a sudden it no longer mattered what had caused that explosion. She needed to focus on how to defuse the situation. For a moment she was uncertain how to react, and then all she could think to do was defuse the situation.

She slipped out from behind him and carefully put a hand on his arm.

“Sam, it's okay, honey. You're in Mystic. You're home.”

He glanced down at her, and when the front door to the restaurant opened and people began filing out to see what had caused the explosion, his focus shifted to them.

In that moment Lainey grabbed his face with both hands. “Sam! Look. At. Me!”

Sam's heart was pounding, and despite the cold, he was sweating. He was already trying to regain his sense of self when he heard Lainey's voice. He looked down and saw the worried look on her face, and his gut knotted.

“I'm sorry,” he said.

“Put the gun up,” she said.

He looked surprised that he was holding it and put it back in the shoulder holster, but his gut was still in knots. “Damn it. Now you see why—”

She interrupted him before he could say it.

“What I see is a man who has a right to be jumpy because of loud, unexpected noises. I'm cold. Let's get in the car, okay?”

He sighed. The only good thing about what happened was that she'd gotten a dose of the other side of his life and hadn't freaked out.

He unlocked the door for her, and then circled the car and got in. As soon as they were inside, he started the engine so he could turn on the heater, and then clasped her hand.

“I'm sorry. This is what happens sometimes. Did I scare you?”

“No, you didn't scare me. You're my Sam.”

He threaded his fingers through hers, and then leaned back against the seat with his eyes closed, trying to regain his sense of self. His heart was pounding so hard it was difficult to breathe, and all he could think was that he'd ruined a perfect evening.

“But that's just it, Lainey. Sometimes I'm
not
your Sam. Sometimes I'm the bomb tech who got blown up.”

“I get what you're saying, but you aren't hearing me. When I see this, I just think it's because of something that happened to my Sam. Of course your ways of reacting to things will be different because your life experience has been different, and if you will remember, I know next to nothing about what happened, because you never told me. I only knew the bits your mom shared.”

“What do you want to know?” he asked.

“Where were you when it happened? How did it happen?”

“In Iraq. Fallujah, to be exact. One of the men from our unit, a man named Carlos Olvera, had stepped on a mine. If he moved off it, it would explode. I was on my knees trying to defuse it. I had on all the padded gear a bomb tech wears, and was digging down in the sand when I stopped and turned to grab a tool. As I did, Carlos suddenly yelled, ‘Sniper! Get down!' I heard a burst of gunfire as I threw myself away from the bomb. Carlos fired back, but he had already been hit. Everything blew up when he fell. Because I wasn't facing the bomb when it went off, I took most of the shrapnel and the blast in my back. Carlos died. I didn't. Loud noises still rattle my cage.”

“Lumps under my skin rattle
my
cage, too. Let's just agree that we're part of the walking wounded and let it go.”

He exhaled slowly. “I can do that,” he said, and before she could answer, the notes of “Amazing Grace” filled the car.

Sam answered his phone. “Hello?”

It was Trey. “Where are you?” he asked.

“Just leaving Cutter's with Lainey, why?”

“I got a call about an explosion.”

“Yes, we heard it. It was loud...really loud.”

And in that moment Trey got it. “Oh, shit. Are you okay?”

“Mostly. So what's up?”

“I was going to tell you that Trina's condition has been upgraded from critical to serious, and they're going to start weaning her off the drugs that are keeping her asleep.”

“That's wonderful news. Did they give you a timeline as to when they expect her to wake up?” Sam asked.

“Maybe in a couple of days.”

“That's great,” Sam said.

“As long as you're okay, I'll get over to the scene, see what the hell happened. Talk to you later,” Trey said.

Sam slipped the phone in his pocket and turned to Lainey.

“That was Trey. He called to tell me Trina's improving and they're going to begin weaning her off the drugs.”

Lainey gasped. “Sam! That's wonderful! Did they say how long it would take for her to wake up?”

“Maybe a couple of days.”

“And then you'll know your killer!”

He nodded, but his gaze was still focused on the fire above the rooftops.

“That was one hell of an explosion,” he said.

She turned to look at the skyline and saw huge orange flames above the roof of the nearest building.

“I hope no one was injured.”

Sam looked at the sky. “It would be a miracle,” he muttered.

She squeezed his hand. “Miracles happen, don't they?” she said.

He looked at her then, with the streetlights painting shadows on the contours of her face and was struck once again by her singular beauty. Despite everything she'd gone through, for him, she was still light in the dark.

“Would you mind if we stopped off at the hospital for a quick look in on Trina before we go home?” he asked.

“I would love to see her,” Lainey said. “Do you want me to drive?”

He slid a hand beneath her chin, then leaned over and kissed her.

“No, baby, I'm okay, but thank you for asking.” He steered out of the parking lot and headed to the hospital.

The killer walked out just as they were driving away. He was still bothered by the fact that Lainey Pickett had more of her mother's diaries. It stood to reason that no specific names had been mentioned or the cops would already have made an arrest, but it left him with an unsettled feeling. This had started out simple; now there were too many things beyond his control.

He drove out of Cutter's parking lot and followed Sam's car to see where they were going. When they drove into the hospital parking lot, he guessed they were going to visit the sister. He thought about trying to find Lainey Pickett's house, but he didn't know where she lived and let that slide for now.

The truth was that he was tired of the whole mess. His original targets had been necessary, and he'd thought of it as “them or me.” It was when Trina Jakes had entered the picture that everything began going wrong. He'd shot her point-blank. He thought he'd shot her in the heart, but obviously he had missed. Now he was involving someone else in his attempts to get rid of her, which meant that once Moses Ledbetter gave him the bomb, he couldn't let Ledbetter live, either. The stakes were getting higher and the cost so much greater. After all he'd gone through, this had to work out.

* * *

Lainey was holding Sam's hand as they stepped off the elevator, and she could tell he was still trying to shed the remnants of the flashback. When she slid her thumb over his wrist and felt the ragged thump of his heart, a slow anger washed through her. What he'd been through—what all soldiers went through fighting other men's wars—was unconscionable. She was beginning to get a feel for Sam's mind-set, for his sense that he needed to distance himself from the people he loved, and she understood something now that she hadn't understood before. PTSD was like a scar. In one form or another, it was there forever.

Sam glanced at the time as they walked into ICU. Clarice was at the desk when he stopped to sign in.

“Good evening, Sam. Who's your pretty friend?”

Lainey smiled. “I'm Lainey Pickett,” she said as she took off her coat and draped it over her arm.

Clarice's eyes widened. “Well, my goodness, honey. I know you, but I didn't recognize you.”

“My hair's a lot shorter,” Lainey said. It was an easy way to shift the subject away from her waiflike appearance.

“Hey, Clarice, I'm adding Lainey's name to the visitor list,” Sam said. “And I understand they're going to start weaning Trina off the drugs that are keeping her asleep.”

“I saw that,” Clarice said.

“If you can keep it quiet, that would be great. We don't want to make it public knowledge. If the killer thinks she's still unconscious, she'll be safer,” Sam added.

“Understood,” Clarice said. “I'll make sure all my nurses are alerted to that.”

“Thanks,” Sam said, and then took Lainey's hand. “Come on, honey. Let's go say hello.”

As they neared 12B Sam noticed Cain Embry was gone and Mike Cantrell was back on guard duty.

Cantrell stood when he saw Sam coming. “Evening, Mr. Jakes.”

“It's Sam, remember? This is Lainey Pickett, and she has visiting rights with the rest of the family, okay?”

Mike eyed Lainey and nodded. “Ma'am, nice to meet you.”

Lainey smiled.

“We won't be long,” Sam said. “I just wanted to see her before I ended the day.”

“Yes, sir,” Mike said, eyeing Lainey again, and then sat down as they walked into Trina's room.

Lainey froze. “Oh, sweet Lord,” she whispered, then dropped her coat on a chair and walked straight to the bed. She leaned over the bed rail, laid a hand on Trina's forehead and gently smoothed down her hair. “Hey, Tink. Hey, darling, it's me, Lainey.”

Sam was startled. He hadn't expected this immediate tenderness, and had forgotten how close Lainey and Trina had once been. Trina was just a kid when he and Lainey were a couple, and he had completely forgotten Lainey used to call her Tinker Bell.

Just thinking of Trina as a young girl, remembering her and their mother head-to-head, laughing and planning what they were going to do next, was a painful reminder of what they'd lost. Trina had been his mother's surprise baby and, after being the only female in a house full of men, a delight for Betsy Jakes.

He took a deep breath, and then walked up behind Lainey and put his hands on her shoulders.

“So many machines,” Lainey said as she looked up.

There were tears on her face.

Sam hugged her. “She's getting better, remember?”

Lainey nodded. “I know. I was just thinking of everything she saw,” she whispered.

Sam shuddered. That was part of his nightmare, too. “I want a name. That's all. I just want a name.”

It was the soft, almost calm manner in which he spoke that gave Lainey a start. Of all the times Sam feared he was going to frighten her, this was when she saw the soldier—the warrior—that he'd been, the one who wanted justice for his family.

Then he took a deep breath, and when he reached for his sister, the look had disappeared and he was her Sam again.

He leaned over the bed rail and ran a finger along the side of Trina's cheek. “It's me, Trina. It's Sam. We're just waiting for you to wake up.”

They heard footsteps at the door and turned around to see Lee walking in.

“Lee, how goes it, buddy?” Sam asked.

Lee's expression was solemn, his eyes hollow from worry and lack of sleep.

“Just waiting for my girl,” he said, and gave Lainey a curious look.

Sam put an arm across Lainey's shoulders.

“Lee, this is Lainey Pickett. Lainey, this is Trina's boyfriend, Lee Daniels.”

“It's nice to meet you,” Lee said.

Lainey went one better. She walked over and hugged him.

“Lee, I'm so sorry. When Sam and I were together before, Trina was always special to me. I'll be glad when she wakes up to say hello.”

Lee liked the sweetness of Lainey's manner. “This one's a keeper, Sam Jakes.”

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, I know. I just didn't think she would still want me.”

“Which was stupid,” Lainey added.

“And that's true, too,” Sam said.

Lee glanced at Trina. “I guess you heard the good news?”

“About Trina being weaned off the drugs? Yes.”

“Trey said we shouldn't talk about it,” Lee said.

“I just told the head nurse the same thing,” Sam said.

“I want her to wake up with that son of a bitch's name on her lips,” Lee said. “I want his name to be the first words she utters.”

Lee's voice was shaking, and Lainey could tell by the way he kept touching Trina's face that he wanted to be alone with her.

“Sam, I'm ready to leave whenever you are,” she said.

Sam nodded, told Trina goodbye and then gave Lee a quick hug.

“Hang in there, Lee. She's closer to coming back to us than she was before, right?”

“Right,” Lee said. He was already pulling a chair up to Trina's bedside as they left the room.

“Bless his heart,” Lainey said as they walked back toward the elevator.

“Yeah. They'd been fighting and were on the verge of making up when this happened. It's tearing Lee apart that he hurt her feelings.”

“As long as we live, we have a chance to make things right,” Lainey said as she punched the button at the elevator, and then turned around and kissed him.

It was brief but heartfelt, and Sam knew it. Instead of letting her go, he pulled her close and held her.

When the door opened, Will Porter stepped out.

“Good evening,” Will said. “I trust you've been visiting your sister.”

“Yes,” Sam said. “You're here pretty late, aren't you?”

“My wife is here.”

“I'm sorry. I hadn't heard,” Sam said. “I hope she's healing.”

Will shook his head. “Unfortunately, her prognosis is poor. They moved her into ICU this afternoon. I expect they'll move her to hospice soon.”