The Blue Lion, page 9
part #1 of Cape Danger Series
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Remember when I fell at the reunion? It was awful."
But Amber shook her head. "You didn't fall, Meg. Andrea tripped you. I saw it."
Meg stared. "That's what Matt said. He was furious. Bless your heart, does it hurt much?"
"No, it's better than it was." Amber's embarrassment showed, and Meg nodded.
Amber was quiet for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was trembling. "I just came in for some bread. But they moved it again." She reached down and picked up a loaf. "Well, I suppose I'd better go. Take care."
"You too." Meg instinctively leaned forward and hugged her. "Call me. Anytime, okay?"
Amber appeared touched, and for a moment, Meg thought she might cry. She watched sadly as Amber turned and headed rapidly toward the cash register.
So, what Nikki had told her was true after all. She collected the rest of the items she'd come in for, paid, and left.
"What is it, princess?" Matt opened the door for her, when she approached the car.
She sat down and waited until he'd climbed back into the driver's seat. "I saw Amber inside the store," she said quietly. "She had a huge bruise on her face. She'd tried to hide it with make-up, but…" her voice trailed off, and she shook her head. "I want to go home."
Matt's hand rested on hers briefly, before starting up the engine.
Neither of them spoke the rest of the way.
Nikki was quiet at work, Wednesday morning. Meg refrained from mentioning it. She knew Hannah's missing was weighing heavily on both their minds.
They were gathering up patient charts for the day when Nikki turned to face her, holding up a folder. "Hannah was supposed to come in today. They still haven't found her," she whispered. "The lieutenant came to speak with Scott over the weekend."
"I know." Meg's voice was sympathetic.
"This is the second one of the smashing seven who has disappeared recently." Nikki's face was filled with worry. "What's the possibility it's just a coincidence? Or do you think it's more sinister than that? Scott thinks I'm crazy for even thinking it."
Her husband chose to put his head around the corner as she finished.
"Girls, be careful about what you say in the outer office. And Nicole, I did not say that," he added quietly, "nor do I think it. Stop putting words in my mouth. What I said was don't assume it's something sinister until we have more proof."
Nikki grew quiet at his stern voice, and Meg felt uncomfortable as he continued. "And it wouldn't hurt the both of you to take precautions."
Nikki glanced at Meg briefly before frowning at her husband. "What kind of precautions?"
"Don't go anywhere alone, even to meet the other girls in the group. Don't go anywhere alone at night. Keep an eye on your surroundings. Don't even leave the office for lunch alone."
The phone rang around the corner, and Meg moved quickly to answer it. "Dr. Stone's office, Meg. How may I—"
"Meg, this is Mason Wallace. I need to speak to him if he's free."
Meg held the phone out to Scott, but he shook his head. "I'll take it in my office."
She put the call on hold and sighed, reaching for the charts.
"I wonder if another one of us has disappeared," Nikki whispered.
Meg stared at her, thankful when the phone rang again. "If so, I don't want to know."
The day came and went, with no sign of Hannah. None of them spoke of it, but Meg knew they were all thinking about it. When a hand descended on her shoulder that afternoon, she turned to see Matt.
"I can tell by the look on your face. She didn't show."
When he turned her to face him, she shook her head. "No. She didn't."
He observed her face. "Is Scott in?"
"He's in his office."
He squeezed her shoulder, disappearing in that direction. And Nikki came closer.
"Meg, I have a silly question. What color was the gargoyle close to Heather's house when you came back from the funeral. Or did you even notice it?"
Meg stopped, glancing at her. "We both did. It was yellow. Why do you ask?"
Nikki shook her head. "It was nothing, just odd, that's all. It was yellow when Scott and I came home from work on Friday. This morning, it was stained a dark pinkish color."
Meg laughed. "We'll have to ask her the next time we see her. I doubt she has much to do with them; she seems afraid of them."
Nikki stared. "She was at Chelsea's funeral? Who else was there?"
"Hannah. Amber. Matt and I, and Stacy and Lt. Wallace. And Heather. She was pretty broken up. Her husband came to get her and said he'd tried to get her to stay home, but she wouldn't hear of it. And Chelsea's husband, of course."
When the phone rang, Nikki picked it up. "I hear this thing ring in my sleep," she mouthed silently.
The rest of the week was quiet, and Meg almost heaved a sigh of relief as the weekend approached. Hannah had still not been found. Matt had call at the hospital on Saturday and stopped to kiss her as he left, wanting to know what she planned to do that day."
She grinned. "If you don't mind, I thought I'd go shopping for you."
He raised a brow. "Where?"
"I can't tell you. It's a surprise," she teased.
He was thoughtful a moment. "Then call Nicole and get her to go with you. I don't want you going alone."
"All right." She raised up on tiptoe to kiss him. "I will."
"And take your phone with you. And your glasses."
"I will. Matt, you worry too much."
"Maybe. But you're my responsibility."
"And I appreciate it." She leaned forward to hug him. "I'll be careful."
"And text me at least—"
"Matt!"
She thought he was going to respond, but his phone rang once again, and he ended up giving her a kiss before heading for the garage. "Call Nicole," he mouthed as he left.
She shook her head as the door closed. "Sheesh." Dragging out her cell, she punched in Nikki's speed dial.
"Hey, Meg. What's up?" Her voice sounded sluggish.
"Matt made me promise to call and ask you to go shopping with me. But you don't sound as if you feel like it."
"Migraine," Nikki answered, her voice low. "I'm so sorry. Any other time, I'd love to. The mall?"
"No, I thought I'd go down to Mellie's antique shop and see what she has in the way of records. I found one of Matt's lists of ones he wanted. But don't worry at all, sweetie. Go to bed in the dark and keep your eyes closed. Call you later."
She hung up and looked at the clock. It was ten. If she left now, she'd have plenty of time, and then she could text Matt and see if he wanted her to bring him lunch. The day was pretty, and she'd wear her glasses. Mellie didn't care what she looked like in them. She rifled through her purse and pulled out the business card, looking at the address. It was down Independence, almost downtown.
She pulled on her jacket and locked the house.
A groan escaped as she got into the car. Her phone was still sitting on the island in the kitchen. Going back for it, she also realized she didn't have her glasses with her and ran upstairs for them.
The garage door came upward, and she backed out carefully, checking both ways. She was looking forward to spending the day shopping, alone. She didn't get to do that often.
Punching the knob, she listened to the CD player. An old sixties tune began, and she hummed along with it. She had to admit, she had a little difficulty reading the numbers on the houses as she neared downtown, but she found it. A huge sign on the side of the building read, Mellie's Antique Attic. She laughed and pulled up outside the three-story red brick building, moving around to the front steps.
It was rather dark inside when she entered.
"Hello," a friendly voice greeted her, and she grinned. "Hi. I'm a friend of Mellie's. She invited me to come—"
"Oh, let me get her for you," a young girl with a big smile answered, pulling out her phone. "Mellie, there's someone here to see you." She paused, looking at Meg with an inquisitive expression.
"Meg."
"She says her name is Meg."
Through the phone, Meg could hear Mellie's excited squeal and "I'll be right there." And a few moments later, she heard footsteps coming down stairs.
"Meg! It's so good to see you here. I wish I'd known you were coming. I'd have gotten the records out and brought some of them downstairs."
"Well, the truth is it was a spur of the moment decision. Matt had call today, so I just hopped in the car and came."
"I'm so glad you did. Here, let me show you around."
The tour of the building was fascinating. Meg kept her glasses on and her phone in her pocket, in case it vibrated or rang, and followed Mellie around the building. There were relics from as far back as the Revolutionary War, and she eyed them with amazement. The building was laid out in staged areas.
"This is pre-and post-civil war, and the next floor up is mostly early twentieth century. And the top floor is mostly retro and flea market type stuff."
"Oh, Mellie," Meg breathed. "This isn't an antique store. It's a museum."
Mellie laughed. "Do you think so? Thank you. Jim told me I could do whatever I wanted with it, and this is it."
"Everything okay, Miss Mellie?" A male voice spoke from behind them, and Meg jumped. Mellie turned, smiling. Meg looked behind her to see a tall, muscled man standing behind them. She hadn't heard a sound.
"It's fine, Aaron. This is Meg. She's an old friend from school. We did cheerleading together."
His face instantly relaxed, and although there was no smile there, Meg sent one his way. A nod answered, and he seemed to recede into the other parts of the store.
"My husband thinks I need a bodyguard," Mellie explained. "Someone seems to be after him. I've no idea who it is. But it's good to have Aaron here, anyway. This about covers the downstairs. Want to go up and see the other floors?"
Meg grinned. "Absolutely. I've never been in an antique store so well laid-out before, Mellie. I'm so impressed."
She followed her friend up the steps toward the next floor, and then later, toward the top. The retro area of the building was the most fun, she thought as Mellie brought her to the section of record albums that lined the wall.
"I don't have them all out yet, but these are all in alphabetical order by group and then alphabetical by album name. So, if you know what you're looking for, it helps."
Meg reached into her purse and pulled out the sticky note she'd brought. "As it happens, I do," she said, waving it.
Mellie laughed and sat down on top of a nearby desk that was for sale. They chatted, but it wasn't long before a phone rang. Making a face at Meg, she looked at the phone and rolled her eyes.
"It's Jim," she said, giving the phone a swipe. "Hello?"
A man's excited voice through the phone reached Meg's ears. It was impossible not to hear what was being said. "Mellie? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Why?"
"It's happened again. This time, I think you'd better come home. Bring Aaron with you."
Mellie's face fell. A long sigh escaped, and she glanced at Meg. "Okay."
"Hurry."
Meg listened, concerned.
Mellie hung up. "I'm so sorry, Meg. I need to go. But feel free to browse as long as you like."
Meg shook her head. "I found them, Mellie. I should go too. But I'd love to come back another day and just look around."
"Please do. It was so good to see you. Maybe we can go and have coffee and chat." Mellie moved forward and hugged her. "I'd love that."
Meg hugged her back and gathered up her purchases.
"I guess I'd better go and find Aaron."
Meg hurried down the stairs behind her, watching carefully to make sure she didn't miss a step. Mellie had found him, and with a wave, they both headed outside. Meg barely had time to pay and make it to the front door, when she saw them speeding out of the parking lot. She could hear the girl behind the desk on the phone, calling someone else to come in and work.
"It's happened again," were the only words she caught as she exited the front door.
Chapter 10
A week later…
It was a week later, when Matt found his little wife standing in front of the bay window. She had her hands jammed into the pockets of her jeans and was staring outward. Her profile was lit by the last of the evening light, and he put his arms around her from behind.
"Come here." He spoke into her ear, drawing her to the sofa and into his lap to face him, the way he always did when they had something important to discuss.
Meg's expression was wary. "What is it?"
"I'm adding some rules for you, princess. No, don't scowl at me. They're for your own safety."
Her shoulders sagged. "Great. What rules?"
"Don't look at me like that. Scott and Mason and I have been talking, and we all agreed it was a good idea."
She looked up at him. "You've been discussing me?"
"We've been discussing all our wives."
"Fantastic." Meg's voice sounded sarcastic, and she shook her head. "Here it comes."
He'd seen that expression before and found it hard to suppress a grin. "First, don't accept any invitations for lunches or dinners without consulting me."
"What if it's from someone in the group?"
"Especially from someone in the group. With the exception of Nicole, of course."
She blinked. "And what if you're not available?"
"Then put them off until you can talk to me. I'm not saying you can't go. What I am saying is I need to know about them before you accept, so I can make plans to be close by." His hand slid down to cup her bottom, giving it a slight squeeze. "And so help me, if you utter the words you don't trust me, I'll put you over my knee. Hear me?"
Her scowl deepened. "I hear. Is that all?"
"No, that's not all. Are you listening?"
A sigh escaped, and he gave her bottom a hard pop. "Megan Savannah?" He put as much warning into his voice as he could manage.
She jumped and lowered her gaze. "I'm listening."
"Good, because I expect you to remember this. If anyone in the group calls, put them on speaker, or bring the phone close enough so I can hear their side of the conversation." He paused. "If they call and I'm not around, write it down. No, I'm not finished."
She glanced upward, frowning, as he continued. "No going places by yourself. If you need to leave the clinic, even in the daytime, for any reason, call me first, and take Nikki with you if I can't come. I don't think Scott will ask you to do that."
"Not even to pick up lunch?"
"Not even for that. There's one more thing—no—two more. I know you don't want to hear this, but with your vision, it's important. Make sure—no exceptions—you have your glasses with you every single time you leave the house, in case you lose your contacts."
She sighed. "And the second?"
"Make sure your phone is set to ring and vibrate, and do not forget it, for any reason. That's probably the most important of all. Understood?"
She was not happy; he could see it. "Megan?" he prompted sternly.
"I understand. But you have to give me a reason, Matt. You can't just impose—"
"The reason is because it's necessary to know you're safe."
"Why?" she insisted. "Has something else happened I don't know about?"
He didn't answer immediately, and she glared at him.
"Matt?"
He lifted her chin. "Yes, it has. I was hoping you wouldn't ask, but since you have, I'll tell you."
Meg's blue eyes widened. "They've found Hannah, haven't they?"
"No," he said softly, "they haven't."
"Then, what is it?"
"According to Mason, another one of the girls from your group has a missing person's report filed on her."
She sucked in her breath, and he could see her mentally going over the girls left in the group.
"Who?"
Matt looked down into her eyes. "Amber Nelson."
Meg's eyes became even wider. "No," she whispered. "Not Amber."
"I'm afraid so." He pulled her down against his chest. "I want you to think, princess. Who in the group would be carrying a grudge against all of you? I heard what Stacy said about Andrea and how she carried grudges. Is there anyone else, or any other reason? Rivalry? Anyone who had tried out for, say, the cheerleading squad, who thought she might have been edged out unfairly? I don't know. I'm just grasping at straws here."
Meg was thinking, a wrinkled frown settling across her forehead, and he ran his thumb across it to smooth them out. After a moment, she shook her head.
"I really can't. That only leaves Mellie and Andrea and Heather. And Nikki and me." She gasped, suddenly. "Oh, Matt! I just realized they might consider me a suspect!"
He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "It's not likely. Chelsea's husband is still considered a person of interest in her death. And Hannah's being severely diabetic with the insulin pump could well account for her disappearance. Amber…" He paused, unsure whether or not he should disclose what Scott had told him. He finally made a decision. "Amber's husband is being questioned, since her disappearance. There's a history of domestic abuse there, princess."
"I know. Nikki told me. It was the first thing I thought of after seeing the bruise on her face at the store Tuesday afternoon."
He gave her a swift nod before continuing. "What I'm asking you is just a thought that's been in my head since I heard what Stacy Wallace said to you the night we were there, about Andrea."
Meg frowned. "I've been thinking about it too. But Amber and Mellie liked everyone, and so did Heather. I was hurt and irritated by Andrea's stomping my glasses and what it did to my grades. At the same time, I understood how she felt about her boyfriend asking me to dance, and I didn't hold a grudge against her for it. I can't say I really liked her a whole lot as a person. Nikki felt the same way. She liked everyone too, except for Andrea. It's understandable, at least to me."
"Agreed. If we were to pursue that train of thought, it would only leave one person as a suspect. Andrea."
