Page 16

I lene and Tyler waited in the quiet kitchen, while Katherine continued to sleep upstairs. Doc soon returned from outside, minus the two officers.

“I didn’t see anything out of place. Those horses might’ve, though. Both were bucking; their eyes were wide and fearful. I’d let Carson know. He might’ve purchased horses that have a history,” Doc said to Tyler. “Something or someone frightened them. I did my best to calm them down. They’ll need a good run first thing in the morning.”

Tyler said, “Katherine’s intruder probably scared them. I checked on them earlier this evening. They were agitated, ears back, jumpy. When I saw the intruder on the surveillance videos, I figured that might’ve been what scared them.”

Doc nodded his head. “Most likely, that’s what’s stirred them up. I didn’t see any injuries or signs of poisoning.”

Ilene spoke up. “This might not be what you two lovesick admirers want to hear.” She cleared her throat. “But I want to do a background check on Katherine. Something about her bothers me. The idea that one could spend years in isolation as she has sounds insane.”

They sat around the kitchen island, and no one spoke for a moment.

“That’s wrong,” Tyler finally said. “Unless she’s committed a crime, you shouldn’t check up on her, Ilene, especially given her fragile mental state. She’s been so badly frightened. I wouldn’t want her to think our concern is an act.”

“I agree with Tyler,” Doc said. “She’s decent, down-to-earth. Just because she’s intentionally stayed inside her home doesn’t make her completely crazy.”

Ilene rolled her eyes, then laughed. “She’s gotten to you both. I promise I won’t do a background check. Yet,” she added. “So what’s next?”

“You both can go,” said Tyler. “I’ll stay with her. The dogs need someone to feed them and let them out. No way will I leave those French doors open. I’ll find a piece of wood or something to cover them. Then I’ll call Carson and let him know his horses are acting out of character. He would never purchase a horse if he thought there were bad bloodlines.”

“I hope not,” Doc said. “Those beauties are worth a small fortune.”

“Carson knows what he’s doing. He’s the best. I’ll call him.” Tyler checked his watch. “In a few hours. This can keep for now. Let the guy rest.”

“Speaking of . . .” Ilene began. “Franklin, let’s get out of here. I’m tired, and there isn’t anything more we can do here. Tyler’s got her so doped up, she’ll be lucky if she wakes up by tomorrow evening.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Tyler said. “I know it’s still hard for you, Ilene, but I am a doctor now. Not the kid next door playing loud music just to tick you off.”

“You are still a kid to me,” she acknowledged. “With a medical degree. Take care of that woman, all right?”

Doc shook his head. “Ilene, unless you want to walk home, put a plug in that hole beneath your nose.”

Tyler raised his eyebrows. “I’m not sure I’d want a ride from him, Ilene. There’s a crude man hiding behind that fake smile.”

Ilene laughed. “You’re right. He is not the charmer he pretends to be.” She took Doc Baker’s hand. “That’s why I like him.”

Doc rolled his eyes, a giant smile on his face. “Women,” he said.

“Can’t live with or without them?” Tyler asked, even though he didn’t believe the overused cliché.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Doc joked. Then, in a more serious tone, he added, “Be careful, Tyler. Whoever broke in could still be out there. Stay close to K, all right?”

“Sam and Sophie aren’t going to let anyone near her tonight. I’ll check on her after I fix the windows,” Tyler promised.

“Upstairs, in the third bedroom on the left, there’s a toolbox, some laminate, and I’m pretty sure I saw a few pieces of pressed wood last time I was up there,” Doc said.

“What were you doing in her bedroom?” Ilene asked.

“Not what I do in yours,” Doc said. “Let’s go; it’s too darn cold. An old man’s bones can only take so much.”

“’Night,” Tyler said to their retreating forms. Ilene and Doc had been in a relationship for a long time. Both tried to hide it for reasons unknown to him, but he thought they made the perfect couple.

As soon as they left, Tyler went upstairs to check on Katherine. Sam and Sophie hadn’t budged, though both were wide awake, eyes on their dog mom. Tyler smoothed Katherine’s long hair away from her face. Seeing her so vulnerable, yet relaxed, he thought she looked even more beautiful. Tyler checked her pulse, then pulled the covers up and tucked them close to her. Both dogs relaxed, their heads on their paws.

“I’m going to take care of her,” Tyler told them, patting both dogs on the head. He had feelings for Katherine. How and why so soon, he didn’t know. She was delicate, pure, and new. He’d never felt this way before, especially in a matter of hours. She had reached his heart and, at this point, he wished for more. He could only hope she allowed him to help her live a normal life again.

Assured that all was well for the moment, Tyler located the spare room. He wasn’t sure where the light switch was located, so he used the flashlight on his cell. Locating the switch on the left side of the door, he flicked the overhead light on. Sealed boxes were stacked against the far wall. It wasn’t his place to look inside. On the opposite wall, he spied a few scattered tools alongside a pile of mismatched tiles and several oddly shaped pieces of wood. Then he saw the laminate Doc suggested he use as a temporary fix until Katherine could have the glass replaced. He found what he needed to cover the two panes and headed downstairs.

With the razor knife, Tyler cut the laminate to fit the missing windows. He carved the fake wood around the edges, hoping it would snap in place, and fortunately, it was close to perfect. He locked the door, then went into the kitchen and grabbed a barstool. He positioned the stool beneath the doorknob so if anyone tried to get inside, he would hear them before seeing them. Satisfied, he was tempted to reach out to Carson and let him know what happened. But as he’d told Doc, it would keep. Tyler walked through the dining room, making sure all of the windows were locked. He’d done the same upstairs before coming down.

Back in the kitchen, he used Katherine’s iPhone to turn the alarm system on. He checked the current video footage and didn’t see anything unusual. In the small area off the kitchen where they’d had dinner earlier, which seemed like days ago, Tyler saw orange-red embers still burning in the fireplace. With the poker, he spread the bits of ember in a thin layer, watching as they cooled. Then he returned to the kitchen in search of baking soda. Katherine had a well-stocked pantry. He smiled, remembering that she said she liked to cook. He found a large box of baking soda. He once more shoveled the embers into a thin layer, then sprinkled baking soda over the top. He watched as the glow faded into tiny swirls of smoke. Satisfied, he returned the poker and shovel to the stand, glad that he had remembered to check the fire.

He spied the containers of leftovers Katherine had placed on the counter and put them in the refrigerator as she’d intended. He scanned the kitchen, searching for anything out of place or unusual—which would be tough, given that he wasn’t too familiar with the house. He decided other than the broken panes on the French doors that everything was in its place. The dirty pots, pans, and dishes could wait.

Tyler was about to head out of the kitchen when he heard a buzzing noise that stopped him. After a visual sweep of the kitchen, he saw the burner phone on the island. It continued to buzz. Normally he wouldn’t have taken it upon himself to answer someone else’s cell phone, but these circumstances weren’t normal. He opened the flip phone and said, “Hello.”

“Can I speak to Darby?”

“Sorry, no one by that name lives here,” Tyler answered.

“Really?”

Tyler took a deep breath. “There is no one by that name here, really,” he said emphatically.

“But this is the number Darby called me from. I told her about my dad and the notebook. I think he’s going to do something to K.C. Winston.”

The caller had Tyler’s full attention now. “What are you talking about?”

“He says he wrote all of the GWUP books and is working on a new one. I wanted to tell Darby. She’s up on all the latest books.”

Suddenly it clicked. Darby. That was Katherine’s online alias on her Friendlink page. Tyler couldn’t reveal her true identity, so he went with the truth. “Oh, well, she’s asleep. She wasn’t feeling well earlier and went to bed.”

“Are you her foster dad, Walter?”

How far was he willing to go with this? Should he play along? Knowing what was at stake gave him no other choice. “Yes, I am.”

“Could you please tell her that I called? Maybe she could call me back as soon as possible? It’s really important.”

“Sure, let me . . . uh, get a pen and paper.” Tyler saw the pen and pad of paper on the counter. “Okay, what’s the number and message?”

He wrote her number down, even though he already knew it, as it had flashed on the cell phone. “I’ll have her call you tomorrow,” said Tyler. The girl was clearly scared; he could hear the fear in her voice. But nothing she said made sense to him. Katherine had told him about Karrie and her circumstances, but he hadn’t given them much thought until now. This kid was frightened, and Katherine was right to be concerned.

“Tell Darby it’s urgent, and I really mean it,” the girl told him. “She can call me anytime, okay?”

“I’ll see that she gets the message,” Tyler promised.

“Bye,” the girl said, then ended the call.

Debating whether he should try and wake Katherine up, since he knew she was concerned about this young member of her Friendlink page, Tyler looked at the time. She still needed a few more hours of sleep, as far as he was concerned. The Ativan hit her hard; Tyler was almost positive she’d never had any kind of benzodiazepine, hence her almost immediate sedation. As a medical doctor, he knew some of his patients reacted differently to medication. He would simply let her sleep it off. He’d call the office in the morning and have Liz, his secretary, cancel his in-office appointments. If there were emergencies, Liz knew to refer them to either his father, which wasn’t a possibility now, or Dr. Rose Smith, a good friend and colleague. He would call Rose first thing tomorrow and have her cover for him.

Tyler put the burner phone and Katherine’s iPhone in a drawer that stored her flatware and tore Karrie’s phone number from the pad and put it in there, too, just in case the phone hadn’t stored the number. He didn’t trust those cheap phones, but knew in an emergency they worked okay.

It was now after two a.m., and he was tired and anxious after the night he’d been through. Anxious not for himself, but for Katherine. There was something about her that went straight to his heart, a feeling he had never experienced before. He’d been in a couple of long-term relationships, if you could call eighteen months long-term. Hannah Logan had had an issue with his profession and always thought he was psychoanalyzing her. She was a nice woman, but with her insecurities, in addition to the constant complaining, they had both agreed the relationship wasn’t going anywhere.

He hadn’t dated for several months when he met Trudy Rollins. She was gorgeous and knew it. She was a flirt and a spoiled brat. They’d had a good time for a few months, but Tyler knew she wasn’t what he wanted in a woman for a real relationship, so he’d broken it off with her. Trudy had been mad for a couple of weeks until she met another guy. Tyler hadn’t heard from her since.

Katherine had an effect on him. He’d felt it the first time he saw her, which had only been yesterday—though again, that seemed like a lifetime ago. It was more than physical attraction. She was beautiful, kind, and smart. She loved animals. He was pretty sure she was attracted to him. It would be hard for her to commit to a relationship with her agoraphobia, but he wouldn’t let that deter him. He’d spent twelve years training to be a medical doctor and another two in a fellowship for psychiatry. Tyler would help Katherine overcome her fears. He’d done it for dozens of people, and that made his choice of profession more gratifying than anything. He loved his work, but he knew when to turn it off.

The sofa in the living room called to him. He took off his shirt, tossing it on the back of a recliner. Katherine had soft pillows and plush throws on the back of her sofa, making it pretty darn comfortable. Tyler tucked himself in. Very comfortable, indeed. He gave in to his exhaustion and was asleep in minutes.