Chapter Twenty-Three

Maggie and I drove into Cedar Lake later that afternoon to fill Steve in on what was happening. He sat there holding the gold button.

"Nathan?" he asked, sounding incredulous.

I had to agree, this whole mess was incredulous. "I haven't seen Nathan since the party. He was called away for some emergency," I said.

"I know. I saw Sarah this morning," he said. "She told me he was still in Dubuque, but he'd be back tonight. I suppose I'll take a run over there and have a chat with him when he gets home." He picked up the phone and called Sarah. After a brief discussion, he hung up. "Sarah says he's still not home, but thought maybe he should be by now. I'll check later. I don't like this."

"I don't like this either, Steve," Maggie said and I heard the weary tone in her voice.

"You still have all the other evidence in the safe," I said.

Steve motioned behind his desk, "Yep, all secured." He picked up Bedford's notebook. "I read this little thing. Not much evidence, but it does tell us about the family. Your grandfather and Sarah? Shit. And what's this about taking your car, Maggie?'

"I have no idea why Bedford would write that. He was right, though. I was angry with Aunt Sarah for taking my car and not saying anything. I don't remember why she took it."

I picked up the book and found the page. "Cinco de Mayo. That would have made it what? The fifth of May, right? If my Spanish serves me correctly, which it usually doesn't. That reminds me of a great Mexican restaurant in Chicago..." I looked at Maggie who grabbed the notebook and stared at the page. Her complexion had turned ashen. "Maggie, what's wrong?"

She said nothing and looked from Steve to me. "Dad died on the fifth of May, six months ago."

Steve sat forward and took the notebook. I sat there, stunned. "Sarah borrowed your car on the same day your father died in a hit-and-run in Chicago. And the driver was never found."

Steve whirled around to the file cabinet and plucked out a manila folder. "Jonathon Winfield. DOA at Northwestern University Hospital in Chicago, on May 5, 2006. Hit-and-run. Blah, blah, no driver found, no witnesses. Time of death, approximately 2 a.m...." Steve skimmed through the other pages. He looked up. "Well, I suppose I'll have to talk to not only Nathan, but Sarah. This doesn't prove anything. I'm sure she has an alibi. She could have been anywhere with your car. Okay, so why don't you two go home, and I'll call you later? Don't talk to anyone about this. Of course, tell Hannah but stay put until you hear from me. I can't believe we found this out. It's amazing."

The king of all understatements.

We all sat in the kitchen, once again trying to cram five people around the table. No one had much of an appetite as we picked at our food.

I told all about our meeting with Steve. Hannah was visibly shaken. Maggie sat next to her and put he arm around her. Mac and Teri were equally stunned.

"This doesn't look good for Sarah, but Steve is right," I said. "She could have been anywhere and I hope she has an alibi. And I'm worried about Nathan, that button from his coat found at Bedford's doesn't help him at all either. Let's think of Sarah and all that we have seen so far. She broke into the house...I know it was her. She argued with Bedford. She ran around in the woods like a crazy person. According to Bedford's notes, she had something going on with Alexander and had a screaming match with Jonathon. You know, come to think of it, Bedford's handwriting...I said it looked shaky in the passages about Jonathon and the Maggie's car."

"What do you mean?" Teri asked.

"Shaky like an elderly man was writing it, which could mean that the argument would have precipitated Sarah taking the car on May 5^th. Maybe the two are connected, maybe not. I hope Steve finds out. It's in his ballpark now. It's a police matter."

"Well, I for one can't believe the turn of events in the past few days. My God, what will happen now?" Hannah asked sadly.

None of us could answer that. I only hoped I was right and Steve could take it from there. It was late, and the mood was somber. We all decided to try and get some rest. We had no idea what tomorrow would bring.

A nice hot bath, I thought and when I eased myself into the hot water, I felt instantly relaxed. I laid my head back and closed my eyes as my mind wandered, and I thought about the week's events. Now I really had a headache.

There was a knock on the door. "Kate?" Teri whispered.

"Hmm, c'mon in," I sighed dreamily.

She poked her head in. "You've been in here a long time. Maggie wanted me to check on you."

"I'm fine Teri, I'm fine. I..." I laid my head back and put the hot cloth on my face.

"I know. You're not used to the attention. Well, I think it's..." she started again and I interrupted her.

"Oh, can I please take a bath by myself?"

I lie there for a while longer and almost fell asleep right in the tub. I was extremely stiff when I lay down on the bed and Chance jumped up. "Hey, you mutt, where've you been?"

Again, there was a knock at my door. "C'mon in, Teri, the door's open," I said with my eyes closed. "You can tell Dr. Winfield I'm fine and I didn't drown."

"Well, she'll be relieved. She was told you were accident prone," Maggie said and I opened my eyes.

"I thought it was Teri," I said and started to sit up.

She waved me back. "Don't get up. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," I said. I noticed she had her doctor bag.

She followed my gaze and smiled. "It occurred to me I haven't checked your shoulder," she said as she came over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm fine," I repeated. She opened her bag and took out a tiny flashlight.

"I know. I want to check out your head, see if there's anything there," she said frankly. "Lie back please," she said professionally, as she shined the light in my eyes. "Now, look straight ahead."

I did. She put her finger up. "Follow my finger," she said professionally and I did. If she says, look at my thumb...

"Mm-hmm," she said and turned off the light. I hate that doctor thing they do.

"Whatta ya mean, 'Mm-hmm'?"

"It's just as I suspected," she said, shaking her head. "You have a definite independent streak. I'm afraid it's inoperable." She gave me a smug grin.

I let out a hearty laugh. "Okay, I had that one coming."

"Go to sleep and no getting up to wander in the woods in the morning," she ordered.

"Okay, okay, you bossy thing," I said. Chance jumped up and lay at my side.

Maggie ruffled her ears. "You, too, go to sleep," she said as she kissed her head. Chance was in heaven; her tail was wagging so fast I thought she'd take off.

Then, unexpectedly, Maggie leaned over and gently kissed my forehead then my cheek. "I wouldn't want you to feel left out. Good night," she said tenderly as she walked out.

My heart was racing as she left me staring at the door like an idiot. I was doing that a lot this week. However, I knew how Chance felt. If I had a tail...

I woke at six-thirty, sat on the side of the bed and flexed my neck. I heard a noise behind me and turned. Maggie was standing there half-asleep. She looked tired, worn and, God help me, adorable.

"Kate, what are you doing? It's only six-thirty," she said, with a yawn.

"Waiting for a bus. Go back to bed," I said.

She was leaning against the door as I walked up to her.

"I can tell you're not a morning person," I said softly and for a moment, she grinned and leaned into me. I could feel her warm body close to mine. I swallowed with difficulty and didn't trust my voice at that moment. She was like a zombie as I guided her back to her room.

"In you go," I said.

"Mornings are not my best time," she whispered and crawled back into bed.

As I pulled the covers over her, she looked up through sleepy eyes. "No going out. Stay in the house." She yawned and snuggled into the covers.

"Yes, doctor, now go back to sleep," I said.

As I turned away, she reached for my hand.

"I do appreciate all you're doing. Truly I do," she whispered tiredly.

I looked down at her sleepy face. She looked so young and so peaceful. Before I knew what I was doing, I bent down and gently kissed her forehead. As I pulled back, she sighed and pulled the covers up to her neck. Yes, I noticed the slight grin as she cuddled the blanket to her.

"Go back to sleep," I whispered and gently tucked the covers around her, desperately trying to ignore my racing heartbeat.

Mac was in the kitchen reading the paper and drinking coffee. He looked up and smiled. "Good morning. Teri's still sleeping. How are you feeling?"

I poured a cup and sat across from him. "Fine and good morning. I don't suppose Steve called?"

"Nope, not yet. He will."

"Mac, he's got to solve this soon. I feel like we're so close."

"I know. I thought for sure he would have called already. Well, it's early."

I was making breakfast, again, when Hannah came into the kitchen.

"Good morning all," she said in a quiet voice. She looked a bit haggard.

"Sit, Hannah, I'm making breakfast," I said.

Hannah sat next to Mac. I poured coffee for all of us. They both talked absently and I tried unsuccessfully to not think about Sarah.

Mac nudged me and I looked up. "Okay Sherlock, what's on your mind?"

"I was thinking about Sarah. What was she arguing about with Jonathon? The notes said the Winfield Clinic. What was the big deal? It's a clinic. But Bedford said, 'there goes her meal ticket.' Okay, then it's a big deal. If it was Sarah and Nathan's meal ticket and Jonathon was taking away the meal, that's a motive. And you did say they were running through money like shi... well, they were running through money. Right, Hannah?"

"Yes, they are," she said sounding very tired. "Sarah loves to spend."

I thought of Allison's comment yesterday about her compensation. "How was Sarah going to compensate Allison for being a dupe if she had no excess money?"

"I don't know, dear," Hannah said.

"I missed that yesterday. What is Allison's deal?" Mac asked.

"Well, it appears Sarah was telling her I was the one who was causing all the problems and she wanted Allison to stay close to Maggie to protect her," I said and thought about it. "Once again, we're back to Maggie, dammit. This is annoying."

I looked out the kitchen window. It was a cold and rainy, blustering fall day. "Maggie," I said, thoughtfully. "What did she have to do with that clinic? She had no money invested in it. She doesn't work there. Because she was family, and Jonathan died, she was now on the Board of Directors. Big deal."

"It's not only the seat on the Board, dear. Once Jonathon's will is out of probate, she'll have controlling ownership of the Winfield Clinic."

I looked at Hannah and, for the first time, like an idiot, thought about Maggie's inheritance. "What about his company? Who gets that?"

"Well, Charlie works there, I think he's in there somewhere, but Maggie is his sole heir. But it has always been that way. And of course, she has her own money from Alexander, so Margaret doesn't need the Clinic or Jonathon's company. I'm not quite sure what she's planning. With all this, we've never even talked about it."

My mind raced as I thought of a possibility. "Hannah, what happens if something happens to Maggie? What happens to the company and the clinic?"

Hannah thought for a moment. "Because of the complexity of the family business and the clinic, I believe it would be as it was with my father. The bulk of his estate went to Jonathon, who in turn would leave it to his heir. It as my understanding if anything happened to Margaret, who is without an heir, it would revert to the next surviving male heir..." her voice trailed off as she frowned in contemplation.

"And that would be Nathan," I said.

We sat in silence for a moment.

"I never realized how wealthy Maggie is. Wow, so she's loaded," I said jokingly, trying to lighten the sudden dark turn this was taking.

Hannah gave me a superior look. "No wonder Allison needs Margaret so desperately," she said with more than a trace of sarcasm. "What Margaret needs is someone to love." She was still sporting a superior look as she smiled sweetly.

Maggie came into the kitchen. "Good morning." She apparently tried to sound cheery though she looked exhausted.

"G'morning," I said and noticed her sad eyes.

She sat at the table and said nothing. Mac nudged her. "You okay?" he asked and she nodded.

I poured a cup of coffee and put it in front of her. She looked up and smiled. "Thanks."

"Margaret, what's wrong? You look terrible, dear," her aunt asked.

Maggie took a deep breath. "I had a horrible dream. Like the dreams I had when I was young, about being chased through the woods, but I couldn't see a face. I just kept running." She stopped and put her hands over her face.

I pulled up a chair and sat next to her. "Maggie," I whispered and put my hand on her shoulder.

She sobbed and, suddenly, she threw her arms around my neck. I was shocked at first and didn't know what to do. She cried mournfully into my neck and I put my arms around her and held her tight.

"Hey, Maggie, it's okay," I said. "It was only a dream. Don't worry, we'll get this thing solved and you won't have bad dreams anymore. I promise." My hand found its way to her soft wavy hair. I gently smoothed it back off her face.

She clung to me for a moment then pulled away, completely embarrassed. "I am so sorry." I handed her a napkin. She smiled and dried her eyes.

"Don't apologize," I said. "I'm glad I had a shoulder." I smiled and gave her an encouraging hug.

With breakfast finished, we sat in the den not knowing what to do next. Then the phone rang and Maggie nearly flew to it. Thankfully, it was Steve. Maggie handed me the phone.

"Good morning, Kate. I haven't been able to locate Sarah, but I did talk to Nathan. He's still in Dubuque. He's coming back tomorrow."

"Did you tell him about Sarah, and Bedford's notebook?" I asked and leaned against the desk. It was then I noticed Allison standing in the doorway talking to Maggie. Where did she come from?

"I did not. I didn't want to tell him over the phone. He has no idea where Sarah is. I tried to call her this morning and left a message. My deputy has been patrolling the estate and he's calling in periodically. So far, all is normal. Last night, the lights were on, but that doesn't mean she was home."

"Why don't you go get her?" I asked and suddenly had a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"I drove by and she wasn't there. Kate, I hear the impatient tone in your voice. Sarah, until proven one way or the other, is a very prominent figure in this community. I can't go around harassing her."

"Steve, you're not harassing her. You're questioning her. And as for prominent figures, doesn't Maggie count as one of those? I mean the poor woman has been scared to death on more than one occasion. Bedford's dead and now we're talking about Miranda and Jonathon having been killed." I stole a glance at Allison, who, with Maggie, was listening intently to my side of the conversation.

"Kate, I know what you're saying. Please let me do my job and I'll call you when I've contacted Sarah."

He was so calm and he sounded so like the hospital psychiatrist, I wanted to strangle him, too. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm a little impatient. We'll wait for your call." I hung up the phone, calmly.

Allison sat on the couch with Maggie. "I take it he didn't talk to Aunt Sarah," Maggie said.

"No, he'll talk to her today. He did talk to your uncle. He'll be back tomorrow." I looked at Allison and wondered what she was telling Sarah, if anything. "You haven't seen Sarah, have you?" I admit I had an accusatory tone.

She glared slightly. "No, Kate. I have not seen her at all."

"My advice is for you to go home and, if she calls, tell Steve. He's looking for her to answer a few questions." I was hesitant because I still didn't trust her not to alert Sarah.

"Well, I can't go home. I have a business to run and it's my busy time of year," she said in a challenging tone. I could tell she still considered me a threat to Maggie. "So, on that note," she said and stood, "I'll get back to the shop."

Maggie put her hand on Allison's arm. "Al, this is serious. We don't know what's going to happen. Please, just listen to Kate, promise me."

Allison walked over to her and affectionately cupped her face in her hands. "I like you worrying about me, Mags." She caressed her cheek and then kissed her on the lips.

It didn't appear to me as if Dr. Winfield minded in the least.

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