FIREWORKS IN PARADISE Read online

  I balled my hands into fists as I forced myself to ask the next question. “What are his chances of waking up and experiencing a full recovery?”

  “Better than they were twenty-four hours ago.”

  “Okay. That’s good, but it doesn’t really answer my question.” I forced myself to look Hunter in the eye. “I need a number. A percentage.”

  His face was soft with sympathy. “As of this moment, fifty-fifty.”

  It felt as if a lead ball had been dropped onto my chest. My heart raced as I struggled to find my breath. “Fifty-fifty?”

  Hunter crossed the room. He knelt in front of the chair I was sitting in and took my hands in his. “I promise you I’ll stay here until he’s out of danger. I’ll do everything in my power to return the father you know and love to you.”

  “Could he—” I choked. I took a deep breath, then continued. “Could he have brain damage?”

  “It’s a possibility. We won’t know until the swelling in his brain decreases.”

  I glanced at Jenna, who was sitting in the chair next to me. I could see she was struggling to be strong for me, although based on the tears on her face, she was losing the battle just as I was.

  “Go home,” Hunter encouraged. “Get some sleep. If anything changes I’ll call you. I promise.”

  “Rosalie?” Rosalie was my dad’s fiancée. I was surprised she wasn’t there.

  “I sent her back to the resort to get some rest. She was hesitant to leave, but she said she was needed at the resort in your father’s absence.”

  I realized the Fourth of July crowd would be arriving over the next day or two. Fourth of July week was the busiest one of the year at Maggie’s Hideaway, the lakeside resort my father owned and operated. We had an excellent staff, but Rosalie would need help. Being needed, having something to do, somehow gave me strength.

  “Okay. I’ll go to the resort. But you’ll call me the minute something changes?”

  “I promise.”

  I looked at Jenna, who had managed to get her own emotions under control. “Is your car here?”

  “Yeah. It’s in the parking garage.”

  Jenna took my hand and led me out of the building. It was a beautiful sunny day, which seemed incongruent with the darkness in my heart. Fifty percent! Dad had a fifty percent chance of having a full recovery. What that actually meant, I realized, was that he had a fifty percent chance of not recovering.

  I began to shiver as Jenna led me into the parking garage. It was covered, which provided shade against the heat of the sun, but it was a warm day, so the garage definitely shouldn’t have been chilly. In spite of the fact that it had to be at least seventy degrees, I found I could not control the goosebumps that covered my arms.

  “Are you cold?” Jenna asked, concern evident on her face.

  “A little.”

  “I have a sweater in the car,” Jenna offered as she pressed the button on the elevator that would take us to the second level of the garage.

  I didn’t respond.

  “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

  I did feel dizzy. I supposed it was the shock setting in. I knew the last thing I had time for was a breakdown, so I took a deep breath, smiled at Jenna, and assured her I’d be fine. I focused on the pavement ahead of me as we made our way toward the second row where Jenna had left her car.

  I checked my phone, which I’d turned off while I was in the hospital, as soon as I buckled myself into the front passenger seat of Jenna’s car. There was a missed call from Kyle. I hit the Return Call button and waited while it rang.

  “Hey,” he answered at last.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “Did you make it home okay?”

  “I’m in Serenity. At the hospital. Jenna is driving me home.”

  “And your dad?”

  I glanced out the window at the passing scenery as Jenna pulled out of the garage and onto the highway. I put my fingers to my lips and pressed hard as if to hold back the cry of anguish demanding to be heard. “Alive,” I whispered, as my voice broke with emotion.

  Kyle responded in a tone that sounded forced, but I knew he meant to be supportive. “I spoke to Hunter earlier. He seemed to think your dad had a real chance at a full recovery.”

  “I hope so.” I felt my throat close and the dizziness I’d felt before begin to return. “I don’t know what I’ll do if he dies.”

  “He won’t. He’s strong. He’ll get through this.”

  I wanted so badly to believe Kyle. He was a strong man who fought for what was important to him and, in the time I’d known him, had almost always won. Having Kyle and Hunter fighting with me usually gave me the confidence to do whatever it was I needed to do, but right now, in this moment, I felt so alone.

  “Listen,” Kyle added, “I managed to get your grandpa and the girls on a flight home tomorrow morning. I’ll send a car, so you don’t need to worry about picking them up at the airport.”

  “Thank you.” Kyle, Grandpa Ben, his best friend, Doc, and my sisters, Ashley and Gracie, had gone to Gull Island off the South Carolina coast with me for the summer, and I’d yet to really consider what it would take to get everyone home two months ahead of schedule.

  “Doc and I are going to pack everything up and ship what we can home. Garrett’s sister is going to come early to take over the renovations at the resort.” Kyle referred to my father’s friend, Garrett Hanford, who we’d gone to Gull Island to help after he’d had a stroke. “Once she arrives, Doc and I plan to hire a private jet if we can find someone willing to fly us home along with all the animals.”

  “And the cars?”

  “Doc and I decided it would make the most sense to leave them here for Garrett’s sister to sell. I have another car back home just sitting in the garage gathering dust and your car is on its last leg anyway. I’ll buy you something new when I get there.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I can buy my own car.”

  Kyle hesitated before answering. “Whatever you want to do. We can talk about it when I get home.”

  He sounded hurt, which made me feel bad. I’d snapped at him and all he was trying to do was help. It was just that having him taking care of me made me feel more helpless than I already did.

  “We’re almost at the resort,” I told him. “I should hang up. I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay.”

  “Tell the girls I love them. Tell them everything is going to be okay.”

  “I will. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I waited for Kyle to hang up, but I could hear his breath, so I knew he hadn’t. I wanted to tell him I loved him and missed him and appreciated everything he was doing to make this easier on me, but in the end, I simply hung up. The conversation reminded me that my feelings for Kyle were complicated, raw and uncertain. I knew I cared for him, but complicated, raw, and uncertain were feelings I couldn’t deal with just then.

  Chapter 2

  Rosalie was standing on the front lawn talking to Noah Sawyer, the new operations manager my dad had hired after I’d decided to head to the East Coast for the summer. I had only met him once, but he’d seemed like a nice competent guy. He’d worked at several large resorts around the world before taking the job at Maggie’s Hideaway.

  Rosalie ended her conversation as soon as Jenna’s car pulled into view. She headed toward the circular drive to meet us. Rosalie was the local veterinarian and I’d always gotten along with her, although things had become somewhat awkward after my dad had proposed and she’d moved in with him, making me feel like a third wheel in my own home.

  Jenna came to a full stop. I opened the passenger door and stepped into Rosalie’s arms. We held each other for a full thirty seconds before I finally took a step back.

  “How are you?” I asked.

  “Hanging in. Have you seen him?”
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br />   “We just came from the hospital.”

  Rosalie took my arm and turned toward the house. “You poor thing. You must be exhausted. Let’s go in and I’ll make you something to eat.”

  “I’m not really hungry.”

  “I know. My appetite has been nonexistent since the accident, but you need to eat. Maybe just a sandwich?”

  I’d meant it when I said I didn’t feel like eating, but I could see it was important to Rosalie, so I allowed her to lead me into the kitchen while Jenna followed behind us. In the kitchen, Jenna and I took seats at the counter while Rosalie began assembling sandwiches.

  “What exactly happened?” I asked.

  Rosalie sat down on a stool across the counter from Jenna and me. “Your father had been to a town council meeting. His car wouldn’t start, so Judge Harper volunteered to give him a ride home. The plan was for Mike to leave his car where it was and deal with it in the morning. Mike called to tell me what was going on so I wouldn’t worry when he was late. That was the last time I spoke to him.”

  Judge Harper was a retired judge and currently the acting mayor of Serenity. He’d lived in Serenity since before I was born and was a close friend of the family. My Grandma Maggie was friends with his wife, Veronica, and the couple came to the resort for dinner on a regular basis. Once Maggie passed, the Harpers didn’t come around as often, but I knew both my father and my grandfather considered Judge Harper family.

  “Do you know how the accident occurred?”

  Rosalie glanced at Jenna, who turned and looked directly at me. “Judge Harper’s car was tampered with,” Jenna said.

  “Tampered with?”

  “According to Roy Fisher,” Jenna said, mentioning the deputy assigned to Serenity, “the brake line had been cut. There was a slow leak. The brakes failed as they made their way along the lake road on the way home.”

  “There’s that one steep hill,” Rosalie added. “They went over the embankment.”

  “Wait!” I stood up. “Are you saying it wasn’t an accident at all? Judge Harper was murdered?”

  “Yes, that’s what Roy thinks,” Jenna answered.

  If I had been numb before, I was darn near paralyzed now. It was one thing when I thought a man I liked and respected had died in a horrible accident, but murder? I wasn’t sure how to process this new information, so I simply sat back down on the stool.

  “Roy believes Judge Harper was the intended victim and your father was simply an innocent bystander,” Jenna continued.

  “Does he have any suspects?”

  “As of the last time I spoke to him, there were a bunch of people he was looking at, but none of them really stood out.”

  “I need to call him.”

  “Hunter said you should rest,” Jenna reminded me.

  “I can rest later. If the person who killed Judge Harper and almost killed my father is walking around free, I intend to hunt them down and make them pay for what they’ve done.” I picked up the sandwich Rosalie had made for me and took one bite. “Thank you for the lunch. I’ll be in my room.” I turned and looked at Jenna. “And thank you for everything. I’ll call you later. Right now, there’s a deputy sheriff I need to talk to.”

  Once I arrived in my bedroom, where I knew I’d have some privacy, I called Roy, but he was tied up. The receptionist promised to have him call me as soon as he was free. I decided to lay down on my bed for just a minute to rest my eyes while I waited. The next thing I knew, it was dark, and my phone, which had been in my hand when I laid down, was on the table next to the bed. When I realized it was turned off, I wanted to be mad at Rosalie for interfering in something that was clearly none of her business. But then I remembered the tender way she looked at my father when they’d announced their engagement and realized it would be best if I started keeping in mind that she was suffering as much as I was.

  “You’re awake.” Rosalie stated the obvious when I walked down the stairs and entered the living room, where she was sitting quietly staring out the window.

  “Yes. I guess I was tired after all.”

  “Are you feeling better?”

  “A little.”

  “Can I get you something to eat?”

  I was about to remind her that I wasn’t a baby and could feed myself, but one glance at the look of fear and hopelessness on her face made me pause. “Thank you. I would like that. A sandwich is fine. I’m going to call Roy while you make it, but I’ll join you in the kitchen as soon as I finish.”

  Rosalie smiled at me. She appeared weak and tired, and I felt petty for being so prickly. She had to be going through her own sort of hell.

  “And thank you,” I added as Rosalie turned to the kitchen. “Thank you for sitting with Dad and taking care of things here at the resort and making me feel welcome now that I’m home.”

  Rosalie started to say something and then paused. I could see she had a lot on her mind, and in the end she simply asked if I’d prefer turkey or roast beef. I chose turkey, and she turned and headed off to make my dinner.

  I took out my phone and dialed.

  “Hey, Roy, it’s Tj,” I greeted when he picked up.

  “Tj, I called you earlier, but Rosalie said you were sleeping.”

  “Yeah, I was. It had been…” I thought about it. “…I don’t know, days since I’d slept. I laid down to rest my eyes and I guess I crashed.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “I need you to tell me everything. Jenna said it wasn’t an accident.”

  “She’s correct. It appears Judge Harper was targeted.”

  “Do you have any suspects?”

  “I have a ton. The problem is that none of them stand out over any of the others.”

  I stopped to consider the fact that not only was Judge Harper a retired judge who must have made enemies during his time on the bench, but he was the current mayor, who, in the course of running the town, had probably made new enemies in the year he’d served.

  “We’ve had tough cases before,” I reminded him. “We can figure this out. We should meet.”

  “I agree, but I’ve been warned by Hunter, Jenna, and Rosalie not to put you in a situation where you’ll overdo it.”

  “I’m not a child.”

  “I realize that. In fact, you’re probably the most capable person I’ve ever known. Still, I don’t want to make matters worse by bringing you into this before you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready. Murphy’s in an hour?”

  “Murphy’s in an hour,” Roy confirmed.

  Murphy’s was a popular local hangout. It had been my grandfather’s favorite place to grab a cold one since before I was born, and some of my earliest memories were of sitting next to him at the bar, sipping a soda and watching a game on television. Although I had visited Murphy’s many times as an adult, the smell of beer mingling with tobacco still created a welcoming feeling as soothing as a warm hug.

  I headed to the table Roy had saved as soon as I walked in. “I’m so sorry about your dad,” he greeted me.

  “Thank you.”

  “How’s he doing?”

  I slid onto the barstool across from Roy. “He’s doing okay, considering. I called Hunter before I came over. He said nothing has changed since this afternoon, but every hour of stability is a good thing that improves his odds of a full recovery.”

  “You know I’m pulling for him.”

  “And I appreciate it. Now tell me what you know.”

  Roy hesitated. “Are you sure you want to get involved in this one? You already have a lot on your plate worrying about your father, dealing with the resort, and getting your family moved back across the country.”

  “I’m sure. I not only want to be involved, I need to be.”

  Roy waved the bartender over and ordered us soft drinks before he began. I could see he both did and
didn’t want my help this time. I was certain he was struggling to make the right decision. Luckily for him, as far as I was concerned, it wasn’t his decision to make.

  “You should know the sheriff has assigned a new deputy to the Serenity office since you’ve been gone. She seems like a competent cop, and I really could use the help, but I’m not sure about her opinion regarding the involvement of civilians in open investigations. You might want to tread lightly until we see what her response is.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Kate. Kate Baldwin.”

  “Okay. I’ll tread lightly around Kate. Now what do you know?”

  Roy took a sip of his soda, then leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “When the accident was initially called in, I believed it to be just that: a horrible, tragic accident. After the car was retrieved and the crime scene guys filed their report, I realized I had a bigger problem than the death of one friend and the injury of another. It was evident that the brakes on the judge’s car had been tampered with. Your dad was a last-minute passenger, so it seemed clear it was Judge Harper and not your father who was the intended victim. I’ve spent most of the day identifying and checking out possible suspects. I hate to admit it, but I haven’t gotten anywhere. There are just too many variables. Too many people with grudges against the judge, who we know was a fair but opinionated man.”

  “I assume you didn’t find any physical evidence on the car to indicate who might have tampered with it?”

  “No. The brake line was sliced to create a slow leak. The crime lab guys didn’t find anything that might help identify who would have done it.”

  I took a sip of my soda as I considered the situation. The only way to approach it was from a structured analytical perspective: make a list of those individuals with means and motive and eliminate them one by one until all we were left with was the guilty party.

  “Do you have a list of everyone you’ve talked to?”