Darker Than Midnight Read online

  He frowned in turn, his face suddenly even more troubled. “Depends on the dosage. He could become lethargic, extremely docile, weak, unable to focus on specific problems or work through issues in his mind.” His eyes narrowed. “Are you telling me you think he was deliberately misprescribed?”

  “I don’t know,” she said slowly. “It’s possible. It might be a good way to mess with someone’s mind. Would it have an impact on his memory?”

  Her father shrugged. “I suppose it could. It’s quite likely, in fact.”

  “I need to get my hands on River’s medical records,” Jax said, pacing across the kitchen, talking almost to herself. “I need to get the entire case file, both from the state hospital and from his doctor. Am I going to need a court order?”

  Her father sighed deeply. “You would,” he said. “He wouldn’t. Those records are his property, he has a right to them.” He said it so reluctantly she knew he didn’t approve of her helping River. And why would he? Frankly, Jax was surprised her father hadn’t thrown him out into the snow. And for just a moment, she wondered why that was. Dad was being awfully calm about all this, for a man who’d lost one daughter to a criminal already.

  “So he should, what, just show up and demand them?” she asked.

  “Not if he’s wanted by the law. He’s going to have to work through a lawyer.”

  “A lawyer would have to turn him in if he knew where River was holing up.”

  Sighing, Ben said, “A lawyer can’t tell what he doesn’t know.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Cassie, don’t be gullible. Don’t make yourself vulnerable just because you feel sorry for the man.”

  “When have you ever known me to be gullible or vulnerable to anyone, Dad?”

  He studied her face for a long moment, then nodded. “Never,” he said. “I’m not going to tell your mother he’s here. It would just worry her. Don’t let your guard down, Cassie. Promise me?”

  “I promise.”

  Nodding, he moved back to the doorway and looked through. Jax did, too, and she saw the dog, head on River’s chest as River stroked and spoke softly to him. She glanced at her father, saw his brows rise, and knew exactly what he was thinking. He’d always believed dogs to be the best judges of character. If the dog loved the man, he couldn’t be all bad.

  “You should get him to take a cool bath. I know your instinct is to wrap him up, keep him warm when he’s shivering like that, but the fact is, he’s too hot and the aspirin you gave him isn’t working well enough. You need to cool him down some more.”

  “Okay.”

  “Get hold of a thermometer. He wouldn’t like the type in my bag.” She smiled at that. “If he gets up over a hundred and two, you’d best call me.”

  “I will.”

  “Get those antibiotics into him—starting around midnight.”

  “Not right now?” she asked.

  “No. The shot I gave him was penicillin. It should jump-start things. By midnight he should be able to handle the next dose. Then morning and evening thereafter. As close to twelve hours apart as you can manage. And never on an empty stomach. Flood him with liquids, feed him simple, nutritious meals, but nothing too complicated. He needs to build his strength but he may not have much of an appetite for a while. I’ll see if I can locate a vial of vitamin K. An injection of that would do him a world of good. If I can I’ll bring it over tomorrow.”

  She nodded. “Thanks, Dad. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “It goes both ways, Cassie. Don’t you forget it.”

  “I won’t.”

  “He shown any symptoms of trouble? Talking to himself? Making up far-fetched stories? Sweating a lot?”

  “He didn’t sweat at all until that fever hit him. And his only far-fetched story so far is that he left the mental hospital because someone there tried to kill him. I’ve found physical evidence that makes that story look pretty likely.”

  He nodded slowly. “Even if it were true, he must have been there for a reason.”

  “Yeah. And I’m afraid the reason might not have been valid. He might have been set up, Dad, to take the fall for something he didn’t do.”

  Her father went very still, very silent. He lowered his eyes in a way that set Jax’s teeth on edge. But no. He didn’t know, he couldn’t. “Then you have to find out the truth,” he said.

  It stunned her.

  Her father turned for the door, then paused. “When you get hold of those medical records, let me know. I have friends in psychiatry. Some of the best in the business. I could have one of them take a look for you.”

  “That’s on the top of my list. Thanks, Dad.”

  She went to him, hugged him hard. He kissed her cheek and left the house, though she could tell he hated doing it.

  Jax returned to River in the living room. He sat on the sofa, back propped against the corner between its back and its arm, legs bent, blanket pulled tight around his shoulders. He was still pale, but he looked a good deal better than he had before.

  “You need a cool bath and a lot of liquids. And I need to go to the grocery store.” She put a hand on his forehead. Still damp and hot, but not as hot as before. “Fever’s not as bad as it was.”

  “Your father is worried about you,” he said. He said it as if it was the only thing of particular interest to him at the moment. “Really worried.”

  Jax nodded. “He worries more than most.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Oh, he’s got reason, believe me. Tell you what, you take that bath while I run to the store, and then, if you’re feeling up to it, I’ll tell you about it while we go over some more files. Okay?”

  “You got more files?”

  She nodded. “Frankie gave me a whole packet full. She was digging into your case on her own time, back when it first went down.”

  “You’re kidding me.”

  Jax shook her head. “No. But, um…she’s on to me, River. I didn’t tell her about you,” she added quickly at the look of alarm that flashed into his deep brown eyes. “But I slipped a little today when your doctor showed up at the station.”

  “Ethan is in town?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. Said he wanted to be notified if we found you. He seems genuinely concerned.”

  River closed his eyes. “I hate putting him through this—I just…I don’t see that I have any choice.”

  “Neither do I. I referred to you as River while he was there. He wanted to know how I knew to call you that, and Frankie jumped in and covered for me. I think Ethan was convinced. Frankie wasn’t, though.”

  “Hell.” He lowered his head, shaking it slowly.

  “She’s on your side, River. She never believed you started that fire. That’s why she kept on investigating even after you entered your plea. But she couldn’t find proof.”

  He looked surprised by that.

  “Still,” Jax continued, “I didn’t admit anything. And she didn’t push.”

  River shook his head. “I should get the hell out of here. Too many people know. Frankie, your father…”

  “Yeah, well…I’m not entirely convinced you’re wrong about that. But River, if we need to move you, we have to plan it out first. Find you a safe, logical place to hole up. It would be stupid for you to just walk out the door without a plan. Especially in the shape you’re in.”

  He stared at her, drew a breath, let it out slowly. “I’ll manage to run my own bath. Go ahead, run your errands.”

  She nodded, got to her feet, then turned to him once more. “Will you tell me where you got the nickname?”

  He was sitting up by then, looking tired. He pushed a hand through his damp hair, nodding. “When I was a kid, Ethan’s dad bought me a canoe. Beautiful thing. Stained wood with a shine so glossy you could see yourself in it. We all went camping together that summer, and Ethan dared me to shoot the rapids with the canoe. Hell, I was never one to resist a dare.”

  She smiled. “How old were you?”

  “Thirteen.”
He shook his head slowly. “It’s a wonder teenage boys survive to adulthood. Anyway, I didn’t know there was a freaking waterfall at the end of the rapids. Ethan knew—he’d been camping there before. Thought it was a big joke. He never expected it would damn near kill me.”

  Jax felt her smile die. “You went over the falls?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. The canoe was demolished, and I almost was myself. Broke my wrist and a couple of ribs—damn near drowned.” He shook his head. “Poor Ethan. I think his father was madder than I was.”

  She lifted her brows. “And this was your best friend.”

  “Is my best friend. We were kids.” He shrugged. “It’s a guy thing. Women don’t get it.”

  “I bet your parents never let you go camping with him again,” she said.

  He shrugged. “My parents were gone by then. I was part of his family.”

  “I see.”

  She didn’t, she realized. But there was something niggling at her. Something telling her there was more here than met the eye. And the entire time she was wandering the aisles of Purdy’s Grocery, picking out ginger ale, chicken soup, gelatin, vitamins and extra strength pain and fever medication, the new information was processing its way through her brain. River’s best friend had nearly got him killed when he was a kid. And had been in charge of his care when someone else had tried to kill him as an adult. Was it coincidence? Or was there more to Ethan Melrose than met the eye?

  “Lieutenant Jackson?”

  She turned, shopping basket in hand, and came face-to-face with the man himself. He was impressive looking. Expensive suit, not a wrinkle in it, and not the same one he’d been wearing this morning. Nails trimmed and clean, glasses smudge free, hair neat and gelled enough to stay that way. He cared about his appearance. She filed that bit of information away and painted a smile on her face.

  “Please,” she said, “call me Jax. Everyone does.” Not everyone, she thought. River called her Cassandra. No one else called her that. “What’s wrong, aren’t they feeding you well at the inn?”

  “They feed me too well,” he said. “If I stay around long, I’ll have to spend a week in the gym when I get home.”

  She smiled, nodding in agreement as she glanced at his purchases. Antacid tablets, bottled water. “I hope you’re not sick.”

  He shook his head. “Nerves. I’m worried about River.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have realized. Are you…staying in town long?”

  “I really don’t know what my plans are. My home is only an hour away. I just—I just feel like I need to be here, you know? If he shows up here, I’ll stay. If he surfaces somewhere else I’ll go to him immediately.”

  “You really care about this patient, don’t you?”

  “River’s more than a patient. He’s also a friend.” He sighed. “There’s not much I wouldn’t do for him.”

  Jax put a hand on his forearm. “I wonder if he knows how lucky he is to have you on his side.”

  “It hasn’t done him much good, not that I haven’t tried.”

  “I’m sure you’ve done your best, Dr. Melrose.”

  “Ethan,” he corrected, and he put his hand over hers on his arm. “Jax…would I be out of line if I asked you to have dinner with me while I’m in town?”

  She met his eyes, smiled slowly. “You’d be out of line if you didn’t,” she said softly. “Tomorrow night?”

  “Absolutely. Can I pick you up?”

  “Why don’t we meet at the restaurant instead? Say seven o’clock?”

  He nodded. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  “So will I.” She wanted to take her hand away from his, but she couldn’t do that and still seem flirtatious, so she let it remain there, until he finally lowered his own.

  “Good night then,” he said.

  She nodded, and kept the smile on her face as she paid for her purchases and headed back to her car. When she drove back to the house, she told herself this dinner was an excellent opportunity to get more information about Ethan, and about his diagnosis and treatment of River.

  * * *

  When she got back to the house, River was sitting in a chair at the small kitchen table. His hair was wet from the cool bath. He wore jeans and a T-shirt. He didn’t look up when she came in.

  She closed and locked the door, set the grocery bag on the counter and began taking items out of it. “Are you feeling any better?” she asked.

  He didn’t reply.

  She set the tea bags on a cupboard shelf, then several cans of soup and packets of gelatin mix. “Are you hungry? Dad said you should be eating as much as you can manage. You need to get your strength back.”

  He still didn’t reply, and when she took the bottle of ginger ale from the bag and turned to the fridge, she looked at him, wondering why.

  He sat still, hands in his lap, gaze seemingly turned inward. He wasn’t looking at her. He didn’t even appear to be hearing her.

  Jax put the bottles in the fridge and then went to him. She knelt beside his chair to put her eyes level with his. “River?”

  Nothing. She touched his face, felt no trace of any remaining fever. Then she tried snapping her fingers in front of his eyes. “River? Come on, talk to me.” She gripped his shoulders, shook him slightly.

  Rex came toward her, growling a warning, so she stopped. “All right. All right, boy, I’m not going to hurt him.”

  The dog whined and then lay down on River’s feet.

  Frowning, and completely unsure what to do, Jax put away the remaining groceries, set the pain reliever on the counter, folded the paper bag and tucked it into a drawer under the sink. She kept a close eye on him as she got a glass down and filled it with ginger ale. Returning to the table, she touched his face again. Seemed she couldn’t stop herself from touching him.

  She was still standing there, one hand on his cheek, when he blinked, sucked in a sharp breath and looked right into her eyes, his own completely confused. “What…?”

  “It’s okay. I think…you zoned out for a few minutes. That’s all.”

  River’s eyes widened and he surged to his feet. “Oh God. Are you all right?” He gripped her shoulders, searching her face. “Did I hurt you, did I—”

  “River, for crying out loud, I’m fine.” She clasped his face between her palms to make him stand still. “I’m fine. Okay?”

  He sighed, lowering his head slowly. “How long have I been…out?”

  “That’s what this was, then? One of your blackouts?”

  He nodded, not looking at her. “I don’t remember anything since I got out of the tub and got dressed.”

  She nodded. “Well, depending on how long you were in the tub, I’d say this lasted fifteen to twenty minutes, at the most. I just got back from the store.”

  Slowly, he lifted his head. “Did I do anything? Threaten you or—”

  “River, you didn’t do anything but sit there and stare at the empty space in front of your nose. I don’t think you could have done anything if you’d wanted to.”

  He frowned and sank into his chair. “I never know. Steph always said it was like I was asleep with my eyes open.”

  “That’s exactly what it was like.”

  “But it’s not always like that.”

  “No?” Jax sighed and pulled out a chair to sit beside him. “River, has anyone ever witnessed you doing anything besides sitting still during one of these blackouts?”

  He lowered his head. “Yeah. I’m afraid so. That’s another reason I shouldn’t be staying here, Cassandra. I could hurt you. I get violent sometimes, agitated. I lash out at whatever or whoever is close enough.”

  She nodded slowly. “Your wife told you that?”

  “No. She never saw me like that. At least…not until…” He closed his eyes, shook his head, not able or maybe not willing to complete the sentence.

  “So who has seen you like that? Who told you that you get violent when you black out?”

  He sighed. “Ethan.”
>
  “Ethan,” she repeated. “And he’s the only one?”

  “Yeah. Thank God.”

  She pursed her lips. “Yeah. Thank God for friends like Ethan.”

  “Don’t. Don’t sound like you doubt his motives. Ethan’s the only person who’s stood by me through all of this. God, I’d have fallen apart without him.”

  “River, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you pretty much fell apart with him.”

  He gnawed his lip, shook his head. “He did the best he could. No one could have done better.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. Listen, I want you to contact your lawyer. The man who brought your plea to the D.A. and negotiated on your behalf. His name was in the file on your case. Derrick Brown. Do you remember him?”

  “Yeah. But I already wrote him once and it didn’t do any good.”

  “Are you sure he ever got the letter?”

  Clearly he hadn’t considered that.

  “I want you to tell him to get copies of all your medical records from the state hospital, and swear him to secrecy. Don’t tell him where you are. He’ll be obligated to pass along any information as to your whereabouts, if he’s asked. Maybe even if he’s not. Depends on how ethical he is and what he believes about you, I imagine. But he can damn well get your records.”

  “What’s that going to tell us?”

  She sighed, and decided against voicing her growing gut feeling that Ethan Melrose might not be as good a friend as he seemed. Yet she couldn’t keep the whole truth from River. “My father says you don’t treat a brain injury with Haldol.”

  He frowned, lifting his head. “I thought you said your father is a surgeon, not a psychiatrist.”

  “He’s a veterinarian, actually. Was a surgeon once. And he’s going to confirm it with some psychiatrist friends of his, but his initial reaction is that you are either schizophrenic or being treated incorrectly. We need to know which it is.”

  “Ethan never said I was schizophrenic.”

  “That’s because you’re not.”

  He was quiet, maybe mulling that over in his mind. So she got out the big envelope from Frankie and set it on the table. “I’m gonna make us some dinner. And then we’re going to comb through these files, okay?”