That was probably what disconcerted him the most.
Jac Jones finally arrived, but after nearly hyperventilating when she’d learned Miranda was being kept overnight—the woman had a serious fear of hospitals apparently—Miranda’s grandmother had sent her off with Nate and Joel Masterson’s mother.
Back to the inn. Where two of the sisters had returned to oversee the incoming guests—who probably wouldn’t be too happy to learn the inn’s kitchen had ended up being a crime scene—and handle the diner.
Within an hour of Miranda’s admittance, people started showing up to support the family. To pat Flo’s hands, to hug the sisters and cousins, to offer to make food—and to even take over the diner, if needed.
It was something he wasn’t used to, that was for certain.
Finally, after about four hours of Knight prowling the hospital like an idiot, Nate Masterson returned. He smiled at Flo quietly. “We just checked. Swelling is going down. Miranda is awake, but groggy. We’ll keep her on pain meds as much as we can tonight, and Dr. Paterson and Dr. Lowell will handle the surgery on her arm. In the morning. You all can head home, if you want. Dixie is sleeping. She’ll most likely be discharged in the morning, with a massive headache. So I’m going to say this nicely. Go home. You’re cluttering up my waiting room. One of you can stay, that’s it.”
Knight slipped out with the rest of them. Her sister was staying behind, just as he’d expected.
He was going to find his duffel bag and Weatherby. Bum a ride to the car rental place.
Then, he was getting out of Masterson and never stepping foot in the town ever again.
72
Jac was there when Miranda woke up the next day—after they’d done surgery on the broken arm. It would be a while before she could play softball again, that was for sure.
That Jac was sleeping next to her bed touched her. Jac had to have been seriously concerned to risk braving the germtopia that was a hospital.
Miranda took stock of her injuries. Her head was killing her, even though the dry mouth and fuzzy feeling of confusion she had told her they’d given her something for the pain. Her arm, of course, hurt like fire. As did the area just below her shoulder where she’d been jabbed by the stake hard enough to draw blood.
Good thing she wasn’t a vampire. She’d have been dusted by that one.
Her ribs were hurting worse than they had been before.
The Beises knew how to inflict damage. That was for sure.
But she was going to be ok.
Her first piece of business was checking on her cousin. To do that, she needed Jac.
“Hey, Jac.” Miranda reached over as carefully as she could and shook her friend by the elbow.
Jac jerked awake, momentary panic on her face. “You’re awake.”
“Yep. Awake and fuzzy headed. How’s Dixie?”
“Fine. She went home this morning, with Dusty. They were bickering over whether a vet tech was an appropriate nurse or not.”
“How badly was she hurt? I know Perci told me, but I’m a little unclear on the details.”
“Mild concussion. Yours is worse. How do you feel?”
“Like I was almost staked by a woman I used to consider a friend.”
“She’s been arrested. She confessed to everything.”
“Yeah, told me all about how she’d argued with her grandmother and hit her with that vampire stake.”
“The rake handle has been taken into evidence.”
“Have forensics check for Helen’s DNA, even though it’ll probably be degraded.”
“We’ll handle it,” Jac said. “You…you just take it easy and rest.”
“Where’s Knight? How did he handle the surprise ending for this one?”
“Took off last night after we learned you were going to be ok,” Jac said quietly. “I think this case made a real impression on him.”
“I’m not so certain it was a good one.”
“They so rarely are. Anyway, it’s going to be at least a week until you’re back at work. Dr. Masterson said you probably need to take a few months on letting the arm heal.”
“Great.” She might just take that time off. “I have comp time built up. I may just stick around Masterson. Work on my second book for a while.”
She wasn’t ready to head back to St. Louis yet. Not just because of Allan Knight, either.
No. Miranda needed some time at home. Time to reconcile things between the past and the present.
No better time to do it than now.
“Jac, how much comp time you have saved up?” Jac needed a vacation, too. Space to work through her feelings for Max. Now would be a good time for that. If Miranda could only convince her.
Jac and vacations were notoriously hard to pair together at times.
“About a month, why?”
“How do you feel about helping me?”
“I’m going to regret saying yes, aren’t I?”
“Probably. So…what do you say?”
“Deal. As long as you keep me away from Ben and Derrick Tyler.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Miranda would stay in Masterson County. And by the time she got back to St. Louis, Allan Knight would be all set up all nice and tidy in his cold-case division. And what had been between them would just fade away as if it had never existed.
Epilogue
Clint stared at the note, impotent fury making him almost sick. Next time, the bullets won’t miss. Keep your nose out of other people’s business, or your family will pay the price. Such a shame, too. That redhead of yours is a gorgeous woman…
Clint took the note stuck to his windshield for exactly what it was. A threat.
Someone close to him was responsible. That, he had no doubt. It was why he’d transferred into the DCI from the WSP, even though his heart and soul resided with the WSP. His job with the WSP IA division had never been one to make friends for the investigators involved. He’d known that going in.
But no one was supposed to know he was with the WSP
