Pushing Up Bluebonnets

'I told you she wasn't taking any medicine and like you said, her heart is fine.' Dugan seemed downright hostile now.

Heart surgery? Whoa. I thought about Elliott Richter, wondered if he knew. I opened my mouth, deciding JoLynn's welfare was more important than keeping secrets about Richter from Dugan, but before I could speak, true to her word, Roberta arrived as quietly as a snowflake falling on a feather.

'I can tell you about her heart surgery,' she said.

Everyone focused on the newcomer. 'I'm a vet and I recognized the anomaly when she told me.'

Dugan stepped back, trying to hide his surprise. He was all pleasant when he said, 'Roberta. Hi. This is awful, isn't it?'

She gave him the stink eye and addressed the nurse. 'I may not be a medical doctor, but I know plenty about heart problems, since dogs suffer from similar health issues. Considering what Elizabeth knew about her condition, I'm guessing she underwent an aortic repair.'

Shelly Young smiled. 'Thank you so much. You don't happen to know when she had the surgery?'

'Sorry, no,' Roberta said.

'She may have been quite young by the size and condition of her scar,' the nurse replied. 'I'll add this information to her history for her cardiology consult—the one her neurologist has already ordered.' Shelly Young turned and left.

Roberta's gaze returned to Kent Dugan. 'Are you trying to make these people believe you didn't know about Elizabeth's surgery? That you never bothered to ask how she got that scar down the middle of her chest?'

I was sure she wanted to add 'you asshole' to the end of her sentence, but she kept her cool.

'It's Dr. Messing, right?' Cooper said. 'I'm Chief Boyd from Pineview PD and I'm investigating this accident.'

'Accident? Abby said someone tried to kill her.' Ro

berta was staring straight at Dugan. She stepped toward him, no doubt because she considered him a lying sack of dirt.

Jeff ran interference again by blocking her path this time. He said, 'I know she's your friend, but this is a hospital waiting room. Let's keep it low-key. I'm Jeff Kline, by the way. HPD.'

Roberta said, 'HPD? You guys are a little late to the party. I told you people last year this . . . this man, if that's what you want to call him, was capable of harming her.'

'That doesn't mean he did,' Jeff said. 'Why don't we ask if you can see your friend, okay?'

Roberta took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 'Sorry. This isn't your fault. And thank you. I do want to see her.'

Jeff took her elbow and they walked toward the ICU doors.

'Don't you have business downstairs in billing, Mr. Dugan?' Cooper said.

'Not exactly. For one thing, they only want my information for notification purposes. Apparently someone else is picking up the tab. But that doesn't matter because Elizabeth and I never made our relationship legal.' He smiled at Cooper and said, 'Think I'll be going now. It's getting late and I'll need to be here to see her early tomorrow. The nurse said her favorite music might help. People can sometimes still hear when they're in a coma.'

As we watched him leave, I said, 'If he comes back for something in the next few seconds, please keep me from harming him.'

Cooper's gaze followed Dugan as he headed down the hall. 'If it helps, he won't get anywhere near her tomorrow. I'll make sure of that. Won't be a hard sell to the staff, since apparently the two haven't cohabited for a year.' Then he turned to me. 'And now, I have a job for you, if you're willing.'

But before I could ask him what he needed, Elliott Richter and Ian McFarland came walking from the elevators toward us. Jeez, they must have passed Kent Dugan on the way.

I took a deep breath, feeling like I'd just received an audit notice from the IRS. 'He doesn't know about Dugan yet,' I whispered.

'He will in a few seconds,' Cooper said.

Richter quickened his pace when he saw Cooper and me and said, 'Is something wrong?'

'No. JoLynn's condition is about the same,' I said.

'But something's not right. I can tell by your faces,' he said.

Ian gripped Richter's shoulder and squeezed. 'Abby said she's no worse, Elliott. She will be all right, you know.' He then stuck his hand out to Cooper. 'Ian McFarland. Elliott and I had a meeting in Houston today. Ran rather late, but Elliott wanted to stop by to check on his granddaughter.'

While the two shook hands, Richter honed in on me. 'What's going on? Why are you here?'

'I—I planned on calling you as soon as I could. I learned that JoLynn was living in Houston right before she arrived at your ranch,' I said.

'Okay . . . she had to be somewhere,' he said. 'What else did you learn?'

'She was living with a man named Kent Dugan and using the name Elizabeth,' I said.

'So this man must know something about her past,' Richter said. 'Have you spoken with him?'

'Yes. He claims she told him she was adopted and not much else,' Cooper said.

Richter looked back and forth between us. 'But I can tell that you don't believe him. Where can I find him? I want to talk to this man.'

Ian said, 'Elliott, calm down, old friend. These fine, professional people are conducting their business and making progress. Whatever they learn, whatever is important, they'll inform you in due time. Officer Boyd would tell you that you shouldn't put yourself in the middle of the inquiry. Isn't that correct, Officer?'

Cooper nodded his agreement. 'We've only learned within the last twenty-four hours about JoLynn's life before she came to the ranch, but there's eighteen other years we know nothing about. Mr. Dugan hasn't been as forthcoming as I'd like, but I'll deal with him.'

'You think he's a liar?' Richter's throat had reddened. This was the most emotion I'd seen from him and now that I was taking his inventory, the man looked exhausted, not to mention stressed to the max.

'Please, Elliott. You're becoming overwrought. Despite your cloak-and-dagger attempts at hiding things from me, I know you've seen your physician and that can't be good.' Ian looked at me. 'He wouldn't want me telling you people this, but he's already had a triple bypass. This whole affair has been a little much for his ticker, I'd say.'

'JoLynn had heart problems, too,' I said half to myself, never thinking Richter might have no idea.

But he apparently didn't because he said, 'What?' like I'd just told him Earth, like Pluto, was no longer considered a planet.

Ian shot me a glance that I interpreted to mean I was a complete and utter idiot. And he was probably right.

Cooper quickly said, 'We understand her heart is fine, that she probably had surgery as a child. I take it she never mentioned this?'

'No. Never. Christ, I need to get a specialist in, I need—'

'Her neurologist already took care of that,' I said. 'She's in good hands, and well protected. I am so sorry I didn't phone you before we came here tonight to meet up with Dugan. My mistake.'

'He's here? Right now?' Richter focused on the ICU doors.

Could I screw this up any more if I tried? This man literally needed breathing room, not more surprises.

'Dugan's gone already,' Cooper said. 'And I will be excluding him from the visitor list until I learn more about him. He does have an arrest record for petty crimes. Nothing serious. But the security you've hired is a good idea.'

Ian said, 'You've hired security, have you?'

Richter ran a hand through his hair. 'Of course.'

'Good thinking, but then no one could ever accuse you of anything but.' Ian smiled at Richter, probably hoping to ease his friend's mind.

This seemed to work, because Richter was more com posed when he said, 'Is there anything else I don't know?'

Should I tell him Dugan did not report JoLynn missing? Tell him about Roberta Messing, the friend who might come walking out through those ICU doors any second? I had to. And I did. Good thing, too, because Roberta and Jeff reappeared just as I finished. She and Jeff were arm in arm and Roberta had obviously been crying.