only be the beginning. Al is taking a forensics team to check out the loading dock. Hopefully, whoever did this left something behind.”
The fall had rattled Peggy, but the idea that someone thought she was on the right track kept her focused. It also made her angry. Did they think it would all go away if she stopped asking questions?
“I’m going to get a Coke from the machine,” Paul said. “Do you want something?”
“I’ll take the same. I don’t think I have to worry about the caffeine keeping me awake. Thanks.”
He started to walk away, then turned back. His thin, young face was anxious. “Will you be okay by yourself? I don’t have to go, if you need me to stay.”
She held his hand a moment. “I’ll be fine with all the nurses and orderlies walking around through here. Thank you for coming, honey.”
“All you had to do was call. I love you, Mom.” He squeezed her hand, then went out the door that led to the hallway.
A moment after he was gone, Peggy pulled her cell phone out of her pocketbook to check the time. It was almost one in the morning. She knew she wasn’t supposed to have the phone. She’d turned off the ringer, hoping no one would notice. Before she could put it away, it started to vibrate. Glancing around, she opened it. “Hello?”
“I was wondering where you were.” The voice on the other end of the line was husky, unfamiliar.
“Who is this?” she whispered back, knowing the answer before she asked the question.
“How many times are you going to ask me that, Nightrose?”
The same odd feeling of being watched brought a chill to her spine. She looked around the crowded emergency room. “Where are you? How did you get this number?”
“Where I am doesn’t matter. I was worried about you. Are you all right?”
“If you won’t tell me where you are, then tell me how you got my cell phone number.”
A throaty laugh followed. “I’ll be glad to exchange information with you. You tell me how serious your injuries are, and I’ll tell you how I got your number.”
Peggy looked at every man in the emergency room. “I’m bruised and battered, but otherwise, I’m fine. Your turn.”
“There are several companies who will research cell phone numbers and call records. I use one out of Atlanta.”
“Is that legal?” Peggy wheeled her chair around a corner to look for anyone else using a cell phone. He had to be close by.
“Probably not. But for the right price, you can get anything, legal or not,” he responded. “How did this happen?”
“Since you know so much, Nightflyer, you should be able to pay someone to tell you that, too. Don’t call me again.”
“I’m sure you’ll change your number. Tiresome and expensive for me since I’ll have to look it up again. Rest well.”
Peggy looked up as the phone went dead. A big nurse was looking back at her.
“You can’t use that in here. Turn it off.”
“I was just checking the time,” Peggy lied. “But I’ll put it away.”
“What are you doing over here, Mom?” Paul found her. “Are they moving you to a room?”
“No. I was looking around.” She closed the cell phone and tucked it away. She couldn’t believe Nightflyer tracked her down. She’d heard stories about being stalked by people on the Internet. She didn’t think it could happen to her. And she wasn’t sure what to do about it. Suppose Nightflyer was the one who pushed her off the loading dock. Al and Paul would be looking in the wrong direction for her assailant.
She thanked Paul for the Coke, and he sat beside her in a dark green chair. She wanted to tell him about Nightflyer but couldn’t find the words. If he knew about that, too, he might actually move back home. She needed to talk to someone besides her son about the problem.
An hour later, a doctor approached and showed them Peggy’s X rays. Her knee and wrist were sprained. He gave her a brace for each of them and told her to visit her family doctor the next day for further care instructions.
Paul drove her home and insisted on spending the night. Peggy couldn’t climb the stairs and refused to let him carry her. They bunked down together in the family room, talking and watching CNN.
Peggy looked at her son after he’d fallen asleep. He didn’t look so different from when she’d watched him sleep in the nursery upstairs. She hoped everything that happened was going to bring them closer together. She missed him.
THERE WAS A LOUD banging noise at the front door. Peggy yawned and looked at the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Not wanting to wake Paul, she limped to the door. She couldn’t see anyone through the peephole. Cautiously, she opened the door. A moment later she was flat on her back with a Great Dane sitting on top of her, licking her face.
A car pulled up in the drive. Jo-Jo’s master was yelling for him. She took a deep breath and wished someone would tell her how to stop the merry-go-round. She was ready to get off.
10
Primrose
