Crime Makes an Entrance ~ A Love Under the Sun Romantic Suspense by Dellani Oakes Part 54

Dec22

“Deacon, I’m sure you realize how difficult this is for us. We had no idea….” Mrs. Du Champs said.

“It’s rather a shock,” her husband added faintly.

“A surprise for me too, to realize I had an exact double. He sounds like he was a pretty terrific man. I’m sorry I’ll never get to know him.”

“It’s curious to me that you were both so interested in the theatrical life. Did you know that Peter’s birth mother, that is to say your mother, is an actress?” Mrs. Du Champs stumbled over her words a little.

“No, I had no idea. I don’t know anything about my real parents.”

“Peter met his…your mother. She is a very kind person. I believe she’d like to meet you,” Everett Du Champs interjected quietly. “She lives in Mobile, now.”

Nancy clutched his hands, tears falling. “If we had only known there were two of you, we would gladly have taken you both! The adoption agency gave us to understand there was only one child. I shudder to think what kind of life you must have led, in foster care all your life.”

“It wasn’t too bad, really, Mrs. Du Champs.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Please call me Nancy, and my husband goes by Ev.”

Deacon nodded, a nervous smile tugging his lips. “I answer to pretty much anything, including hey you,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Kacy told us of your bravery and rescuing her. What a dreadful ordeal for you both,” Nancy said.

“It could have been much worse. If that wall had been sheet rock instead of plasterboard, I hesitate to think what would have happened.”

They chatted politely, not lingering on any subject for long. Deacon didn’t get the impression that the Du Champs were quite used to him yet. From time to time he would do or say something, causing Nancy to wipe her eyes and sniffle. She kept commenting to Ev, as if Deacon were not in the room, “Oh, Peter used to say things just like that. How alike they are!”

Kacy could see the visit was tiring him, as well as making him uncomfortable. When the nurse came in to give him his medication, she made the excuse for the three of them to leave.

Kacy leaned over, kissing Deacon gently and chastely on the lips and he whispered to her.

“Come back later, alone, if you can, okay?”

“I’ll try. Rest well.” She slipped an envelope out of her purse and put it into his hands, kissed him again and left.

The nurse cleaned the port and gave him his medicine. He relaxed into a semi-drugged stupor. The card in his lap caught his attention, so he opened it. Kacy had made him a silly get well card, painted and hand lettered. It was of a very personal nature, no wonder she hadn’t wanted the parents to see it. He tucked it into the art supply basket by his bed, settled back and rested until lunch time when Karmina sneaked in with more home cooking.

“You know,” he said, his eyes growing heavy with medication and good food, “I could get to like it here.”

Laughing, she cleared away his uneaten food and giggled all the way to the next room.

The next day was a blur of visits from well wishers, bad meals and care packages from Karmina. The highlight of his day was the visit with Kacy, alone. Pete’s parents had decided to shop for a condo, while in the area, and she used the excuse to go to the hospital by herself.

“They are such nice people,” she told Deacon, “but I feel like such a hypocrite. I took their son from them, and they love me anyway. Now I’ve found a replacement son, of sorts, and because of me you’re in hospital. If I just hadn’t wanted to paint that bloody office!”

“It looks good though,” Deacon said, fending off a bout of hysteria he heard in her voice.

“Yes, it does look good. Some of the girls helped me paint your office as well and we did the whole thing with stencils. No worries,” she caught his expression of disbelief. “It’s not girly in your office, I promise.”

All too soon she had to go, Kissing him with abandon, her eyes were full of tears. Deacon worried she was going to break down completely, but she held it together. As Kacy was leaving, she bumped into Dr. Connors as he walked through the door.

Deacon introduced them. “Yes, I met your lovely wife already, before surgery. She and your brother were very concerned about you that night. Good to see you again, Mrs. Stewart.”

“So what’s the good word, Doc?” Deacon asked.

Deacon was itching to be out of the bed, he hated being flat on his back. The doctor took his time answering, looking at Deacon’s chart and examining his leg. It was wrapped in layers of ace bandages, the pins sticking out at odd angles. It was braced by a stiff, padded splint.

“You will both be happy to know that I am signing you out today. I caution you, however, not to be too active for the next week.” He raised an eyebrow, looking at them both. “I know how newlyweds are, I remember it well. But Deacon and I have discussed this to great length.” He winked, chuckling at Deacon.

Kacy blushed, looking away from the two men.

“I am sorry, I’ve said too much. I am a man whose mouth outruns his common sense. I apologize, but it was of some interest to your husband, and something of which you both needed to be cautioned. That being said, I’ll see to the paperwork. Any other questions?”

Neither of them had anything else to ask, so he left, with a last wink at them both.

©2021 Dellani Oakes

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Crime Makes an Entrance ~ A Love Under the Sun Romantic Suspense by Dellani Oakes Part 53

Dec19

They hung up simultaneously. Deacon settled back, trying to think. His breakfast tray had come in while he was on the phone, but he hardly noticed.

Karmina came in to collect the untouched tray and stopped just inside the door. “You okay, skinny boy?”

Deacon forced a smile. “Yes, ma’am, I’m okay. Thank you for the care package, it was fantastic.”

“You have become my own personal project. I’m gonna get meat on you before you leave this place if it kills us both!” Chuckling, she went to take the tray. Wrinkling her nose, she sniffed the tray, then sniffed carefully near Deacon. “You are one smelly fella, and that’s for sure! We need to get you a bath! You sit tight, I’ll take care of this.”

“I don’t get one of those nasty sponge bath things, do I?”

“I’ll have the nurse check doctor’s orders, but I think you’ll be able to take a shower. The bathrooms on this floor are built to accommodate chairs and walkers. Since you aren’t in a cast, just stapled and pinned, I think you’ll be okay.”

“Thanks, Karmina, I appreciate it.”

“Don’t worry about thanking me! I am doing this for my own self-preservation! Besides, can’t be scaring off that pretty bride of yours, can you? She gets one whiff of you, she’ll divorce you!”

Deacon’s chuckle followed her out the door and down the hall. A few minutes later she was back with an orderly to get Deacon cleaned up.

“You want to shave?” The orderly, a muscular white man about Deacon’s own age offered to help him. Deacon scratched the stubble.

“Does it look bad?”

The orderly held up a mirror and Deacon saw himself for the first time in days. He was pale, his skin drawn tightly over his features with pain and worry. The growth of beard on his chin aged him about ten years. The face gazing back at him looked like a hollow eyed old man.

“God, I look like death on a hot plate!”

“That’s a new one. I like that.”

“Feel free to use it.”

The orderly chuckled. He had white, even teeth, and a build like Mr. Clean. He sported three earrings per ear and admired Deacon’s plugs.

Steve, the orderly, ended up shaving Deacon, whose hands wavered so much, he was afraid he was going to cut his own nose off. Afterwards, he felt much better and got back into the bed mostly under his own power.

Kacy came in a little before ten, looking haggard and wan. Her smile was warm and welcoming as she came over to the bed, bending over to kiss him deeply.

“You look fantastic, good morning,” Deacon said softly.

“I look dreadful. My mum always says, Well, you’re no oil painting, but you’ll do. I feel that way today.”

“Dino told me what happened. Are you all right?”

“Spooked as hell, but otherwise hale and hardy. I’ve Pete’s folks with me. They’re in the waiting room down the hall, and will understand if you don’t want to see them.”

“Did you tell them about me and Pete?”

She nodded.

“How about you and me?”

Another nod. “It all burbled out when we got home, and discovered the break in. I’m afraid I was rather hysterical. Nancy seemed pretty understanding. I’m not overly sure of Everett. He and Pete were so close.” She hung her head, seemingly ashamed of herself.

“I’m glad you told them. I couldn’t have pretended not to love you. I don’t think I could have kept my hands sedately to myself, either.” He tickled her, holding her closely so she couldn’t get away from him.

“Oh, Deacon, I am too! Let me go get them, they’re probably wondering what’s keeping me.” She hopped up, moving quickly toward the door.

A few minutes later, she came in with a couple who looked to be in their late fifties or early sixties. The woman was pale, and had once been a great beauty, which had faded only slightly over the years. Deacon thought that her son’s ordeal had probably weighed heavily on her, aging her prematurely. The man was robust and dark haired, handsome in a severe and intimidating way. He wore a mustache and Van Dyke beard. It was shot with gray and an attractive blaze of gray adorned each temple.

With a gasp, the woman stopped inside the door, apparently frozen to the spot, her hand to her throat, face going even more pale. Her eyes were dark brown, in sharp contrast to her pale blonde hair.

“Oh, my God, Everett, she wasn’t exaggerating!” She burst into tears, holding her husband in a clumsy embrace. “For a moment, I thought it was Peter.”

The man looked equally taken aback, but determined not to make a scene. He led his wife further into the room so that the door could shut. Kacy led them to the chairs next to the bed and perched on the side facing them, Deacon’s hand in hers. There was an uncomfortable pause finally broken by the woman.

“Please forgive us, young man,” she began.

Kacy interrupted, “Deacon, Mom.”

©2021 Dellani Oakes

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Crime Makes an Entrance ~ A Love Under the Sun Romantic Suspense by Dellani Oakes Part 52

Dec15

“Me too, Kacy. I can’t stand not being with you, kissing you….”

He got interrupted by the nurse putting her head around the door. “Mrs. Stewart, I have to ask you to go, the supervisor got here a little early.”

“I’ll call you when I get home.” Her kiss held promises he wished he could collect on. “Night, love.”

“Night, baby.”

She left reluctantly, blowing him a kiss from the door, and was gone. Deacon fell asleep again and slept for several hours. He woke around two o’clock feeling vaguely disturbed about something, and it occurred to him that he hadn’t heard from Kacy. Groggy, he could hardly see the numbers on the phone. It was a dial rather than a key pad, which presented its own complications. After trying a few times, he gave up, setting the phone beside him on the bed, so if it rang, he’d be able to answer it right away. He dozed off again, the phone never rang.

Next morning, he woke with a start when his door opened surreptitiously. The black aid, Karmina, popped quickly in with a care package consisting of cranberry orange muffins and a small thermos of fresh coffee, extra sweet and just the right color.

“I’ll come pick that up, when I go off shift. You enjoy now.” She scooted out again as quickly as she had come in.

After eating, Deacon tried calling Kacy again, while he was still conscious. The drugs had worn off almost completely. He was starting to hurt, but he knew if he waited to call he’d have trouble. The phone rang about twenty times with no answer. He tried her cell phone and left a voice mail, then decided to try Dino’s. Dino answered on the third ring, sounding chipper and wide awake. Did the man ever sleep?

“Hi, Dino, it’s Deacon.”

“Hello! Good morning!”

He sounded a tad too bright and cheerful, Deacon suspected some of it was feigned, but didn’t know why.

“I can’t reach Kacy. I’m really worried. She was supposed to call when she got home.”

“Well, there’s a reason for that, Deacon.”

“Is she okay? What’s happened?” He could tell by the edge in Dino’s voice that he was concerned.

“When she got back last night, Pete’s folks and I were just pulling up. We went to the guest house, it had been broken into! Stuff was kind of tossed around, a few things broken. It spooked her pretty badly, so I insisted she and Mr. and Mrs. Du Champs stay here last night. I guess in the excitement, she just forgot. Maybe she didn’t want to alarm you.”

“Is she there, can I talk to her?”

Dino sighed heavily. “She’s here, but she’s sleeping. I called Doc Cooper. He came over and gave her a sedative to help her rest. She was pretty hysterical. She didn’t feel safe in the second guest room by herself, so Nancy stayed in with her, and Ev stayed in the other by himself. It was pretty alarming for all of us.”

“You’re sure nothing was taken?”

Dino paused. “Now you mention it, Kacy said she thought the original plans for the set and the blueprints were missing. It was a little freaky and didn’t seem too important, so we didn’t really think too much about it. I’ve still got the new plans and another set of the blueprints. We called the police. Detective Reyes came over personally. Something very weird is going on, Deacon. This is starting to get dangerous. Maybe we should just postpone opening until this is cleared up.”

“Dino, if we do that, we may never find out who is doing this. If we keep going like normal, stay on schedule as much as we can, maybe we force him to make a move he’s not planned out.”

“I won’t use any of our people as bait, Deacon.”

“I’m not saying that. If anything else happens, then we close down and wait it out.”

“The next thing to happen could be someone getting seriously hurt. I’m not willing to risk that.”

“No one has been yet. So far it’s been pretty low key. We’ve not even gotten any threatening calls or anything.”

Dino paused, it lengthened to a disturbing amount.

“Have we?”

“Not exactly, no. But I’ve gotten a lot of calls where the phone rings, I answer and then they hang up. Sometimes two or three a day.”

“Did you tell Reyes?”

“Yes, he’s put a tap on my phone.”

“This just gets weirder all the time. Listen, Dino, don’t keep those plans at the house. Put them in the safe at your office.”

“Why, Deacon?”

“Just a dumb hunch.”

“I’ll do that today. Reyes might be dropping by. Kacy is going to be there around ten, with Pete’s folks.”

“Thanks for taking care of her, Dino. I feel totally helpless here.”

“No problem, buddy. You get better. I’ll see you later.”

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Crime Makes an Entrance ~ A Love Under the Sun Romantic Suspense by Dellani Oakes Part 51

Dec12

All but the Coopers left, chattering happily. Dr. Cooper examined Dr. Connors’ handiwork.

“Admirable job! You shouldn’t have a bad scar, once this heals. I venture to say very little. He missed his calling as a plastic surgeon.” He grinned. They bid farewell to Deacon and Kacy, leaving more quietly than the others.

Just before the end of visiting hours, the construction crew came in. Their manner was subdued, as if they were visiting a death bed. Mac and Dexter led the crew, carrying a large basket of drawing paper, pencils, paints and other art supplies artistically arranged to resemble a turkey.

“Miss Kacy told us you were bored, when we called. We raided the local art supply store right as they were about to close. I don’t think they were too happy, till they saw how much we spent,” Dexter told him cheerfully.

“Deacon, the boys and me took care of the doors and loosened up the windows and took those bars off. No reason for them, I think they were mostly just decorative. We had Dexter and his team wire in an alarm system that Mr. Sawyer bought. I feel bad about this whole thing, like I’m responsible.”

Mac looked so forlorn, Deacon held out his hand to the him.

“Mac did you have any idea anything like this would happen?”

“No, Deacon, how could I?”

“Exactly, no one could. So why are you taking blame for something that’s not your fault?”

“Well, when you put it that way, I guess it’s kind of silly isn’t it?” He chuckled. “When are you coming back to work?”

“I’m not really sure, depends on when the doctor cuts me loose. He told me I have to behave myself for a week, then by damn I’m back there. I’m bored out of my mind!”

“I brought you something else, Deacon.” Dexter shouldered his way through the crowd. “I borrowed this from my kid. He’s outgrown his Game Boy, and he said you could use it till you feel better. I know it’s old, but it still works great. I think he’s got about fifty games, so there ought to be something you like in there.” He set a black gym bag down on Deacon’s lap.

Speechless for a moment, unused to such an outpouring of friendship, Deacon stared at the bag and basket. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you all. It feels like Christmas, only I never had a Christmas this good in my life!”

Never one to show his emotions, Deacon honestly wanted to cry. He was overwhelmed by the show of caring and support given him by these people who hardly knew him.

“Thank you, thank you so very much.”

Kacy, noting his discomfort, scooted them all out the door. Their voices dropped to near silence when they got to the hallway, fading rapidly away.

Deacon still didn’t want to show his feelings in front of Kacy, but was simply too tired and sore to cover it any longer. Tears welled up and dribbled down as he hung his head, trying to conceal his face. She walked to the sink to refill his water pitcher. With a massive sniff, he got himself under control and was ready to face her when she turned around.

“I’m acting like a big baby, I’m sorry.”

Kacy sat on the edge of the bed, taking him gently in her arms.

“I never had a lot of friends when I was growing up. Now, I have so many, I can’t even count them all.”

“It’s not childish to have feelings, you know.”

“This is going to sound crazy and, given my history, strangely appropriate,” he was babbling a little with overwhelming emotions. “But I feel like I’m finally alive, like the last twenty-seven years were just practice. The best thing that ever happened to me was having that breakdown. I guess I really did get in touch with myself.”

An announcement came over the intercom that visiting hours were over. Kacy looked at him in alarm, their private time together gone in a flash. A nurse came in to give him another shot, assuring Kacy that spouses were allowed to stay longer.

“Just not too late, or the night supervisor will crawl my butt.”

“Only a little longer, I promise. I’ll be gone by ten thirty, so you don’t get in trouble.” She crawled up beside him again, her head on his shoulder. “It’s amazing how empty that big bed feels without you. I cleared out your things and put them in my old room, it’s a bit easier to get in and out of, I’ve moved down the hall and Mom and Dad will be in the master bedroom. I hope that’s all right.”

“However you want to do it, Kacy. It’s as much your home as mine.” He kissed her gently on the cheek. “I’m gonna go stir crazy in this place, I hate hospitals. I had my tonsils out when I was twelve, and had to stay in a couple days. I was driving the nurses crazy by the end of the first day.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow, and I’ll bring Pete’s parents by. Dino is going to pick them up and take them to dinner, but they will be at the house any minute. I suppose I ought really to be there to meet them.”

“They will understand your being here, won’t they?”

“I suppose so. Oh, Deacon, I just wish they hadn’t come at all. They are lovely people, but a bit odd, in some respects.”

“Do you think they’ll understand about us?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll tell them about that right away. It’s chicken hearted of me I know.”

“What happened to the old stiff upper lip, Ms. Du Champs?” he teased gently.

“It got thrown out with last night’s supper,” she grinned. “I’d best be going, I promised to be out of here by ten thirty and it’s twenty-five past. I love you and I’ll miss you, Deacon.”

©2021 Dellani Oakes

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Crime Makes an Entrance ~ A Love Under the Sun Romantic Suspense by Dellani Oakes Part 50

Dec8

“You tell that pretty lady, I’ll see what I can do later, when I go on break.”

She slipped out quietly, leaving him with his meal. Apparently the menu hadn’t been processed yet. They had given him black-eyed peas and cornbread. Not that he minded, but it took a very special touch to get that right.

The peas were bland and the cornbread so sweet, it was more like cake. Too much abuse for a Southern boy to take, he shoved it aside. He drank his ice tea and ate his pie, which was remarkably good, and opened the candy bar. It was a Baby Ruth, his favorite.

The day passed slowly, spent between lightly sleeping and drug induced slumber. Kacy appeared around six, just after the supper trays had been delivered, smuggling in a box of moo goo gai pan and packets of soy sauce. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he smelled that aroma. She brought a two liter of root beer, nice and cold, to wash it down.

The newest offering from Kacy’s co-conspirator was a fresh wedge of Southern cornbread wrapped in foil and a little note beside it. I had my daughter bake this and bring it over special. That stuff they serve here would set any Southern boy’s teeth on edge. Enjoy! Karmina.

Handing Kacy the note, Deacon laughed as he munched on his cornbread, slathered thickly with real butter. It was heavenly. The dinner tray yielded another decent piece of pie. The roast beef and mashed potatoes weren’t too bad, so he ate most of that too. The rest of the meal consisted of anemic broccoli and gray peas.

“You certainly managed to eat a lot!” Kacy was surprised at his capacity.

“I’ve been starving all day. I couldn’t eat anything from the lunch tray but the pie. Karmina only had time to get me a candy bar. It was good, but not too filling.”

“I promise to be here tomorrow with each meal. I can’t have you wasting away to nothing.” She kissed him, snuggling up beside him on the bed.

He put his unpunctured arm around her, holding her to him. “Doc says I can probably go home in a day or two. I wish I could go home tonight. I miss you like crazy.”

“I miss you too, Deacon.”

“I’m bored half out of my mind here! Tomorrow can you bring me something to draw with? I need to actually do something. I need to go over a color scheme so the set painters can get started.”

“Deacon, you’ll have time to do that, don’t worry. Dino’s got the men working on repairing your escape hatch as well as replacing all the locks to the outside doors and fixing the others so they’re accessible from the inside. He was horrified by what happened and feels so responsible. I can’t seem to convince him it was our own bloody fault we got stuck there.”

“Where were the security guys? It just occurred to me, they should have been around. They would have seen someone go in or out.”

“They were contacted earlier in the day. A man, who said he was Dino, called them up and told them not to come by, that he had hired another team. We only found out about it because Dino called this morning and asked where they’d been.”

“They didn’t get a phone number I suppose?”

She shook her head. “No, the caller ID said unknown number, so that was useless. They’re back on duty, and Dino told them that unless he comes by personally, not to take any more messages on the phone. He apologized for the misunderstanding, and gave them a bonus.”

A sound of muffled voices echoed in the tile hallway and a light tapping at the door announced the arrival of the entire cast of the play. Dr. and Mrs. Cooper headed the troupe carrying a large bouquet of flowers from the florist shop next to the theater.

“They sent it over for free,” Coop told Deacon. “Said they felt so badly about what happened. They were at their shop, but didn’t see or hear anything.”

“That young man was all torn up about it, he felt just terrible. He and his mother send their regards.” Mrs. Cooper went about arranging the bouquet in a vase they had brought with them.

“I believe that the gentlemen from the construction team will be stopping by later this evening,” said the man playing Mr. Hix.

He was a short, rotund fellow who looked well healed and well fed, the semi-retired lawyer, Stevens. As usual, he wore an ugly, garish tie that clashed horribly with his suit. This one was pink and blue swirls with a brown suit. It looked like someone had vomited in Technicolor, and made Deacon’s head ache.

Mrs. Cooper was disappointed to know that Deacon had already eaten, because she had brought him a care package. Included were specialty items of hers, and the other ladies of the cast. Deacon had to go through the basket and view the entire contents, before they were placated.

“Looks like I’ll eat well for breakfast,” he declared to their delight. They stayed a little longer and then Dr. Cooper made everyone leave.

“The patient needs his rest! Scoot, all of you!”

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Dec5

Dino could sense this was an uncomfortable subject, so he finished his meal in silence, threw out his trash and declared he was leaving. Kacy asked him for a ride, then kissed Deacon goodbye.

“I’ll be back later. You rest.”

“You too,” he smiled and closed his eyes as she went out the door.

Instead of going back to sleep right away, he turned on the TV and watched the news, which was fraught with war stories. Cartoon Network was insipid, so he switched to Discovery Channel. Ironically, it was a documentary about twins separated at birth, and their similarities. It amazed him how much alike they were, given the disparate circumstances of their upbringing. Deacon watched avidly until the program was over.

“I bet none of them ever fell for their brother’s widows,” he muttered darkly.

Stifling a yawn, he tried to get himself into a satisfactory position, but didn’t really have much luck. Having his foot up in traction wasn’t exactly conducive to comfort. He dozed for an hour or so before the nurse came in and administered his next shot. It wasn’t Cindy, she was on night shift, which had ended at seven.

“She’ll be back tonight around quarter to eleven.” This nurse was older and British, her accent clipped, but her voice was friendly.

“When will my doctor be by? More to the point, who is my doctor?”

“Doctor should be around soon, he’s started rounds already. His name is Dr. Connors and he’s the best in the business.”

The door popped sharply open and a tall, dark skinned man in royal blue scrubs and Crocs came in. His white teeth glittered in his chocolate colored face, his smile broad and welcoming.

“Good to see you awake, Mr. Stewart,” his accent bore traces of Jamaica. He shook Deacon’s hand, his grip firm and confident. “I am Dr. Connors. I believe I heard my name as I opened the door. Is she talking about me again?”

He winked at the nurse, who blushed and ducked out, saying she had other patients to medicate.

“All complimentary, Dr. Connors.”

The doctor waved the comment away happily. “It’s lies, everything lies. Don’t believe it. So, I suppose you want to know what I did to you?”

“I’m hazy on details. Past being pulled from the car and put on a gurney, I can’t remember.”

“Well, they called me down when you arrived, and I saw you about ten minutes later. Nasty break, but no bone fragments, it went back together neatly, just like a jigsaw puzzle. I put in a couple pins as a precaution. They can be removed at a later time if necessary. You won’t be competing in the Olympics any time soon, however,” he teased.

“How soon can I go home?”

The doctor’s expression turned thoughtful. “You’re young, strong, healthy. Your brother says he’ll hire a private duty nurse to look in on you. What he really said was someone to chain you to the bed for a few days.”

Deacon laughed heartily. How like Dino to say that.

“I suppose, baring any infection or complications, we can look at two days time?”

“I can live with that. How long will I be immobilized?”

“We’ll have you in a brace at least six weeks. We will have to see how well it heals up. This kind of break is actually two injuries; the break itself, and the puncture wound caused by the bone. The wound was rather extensive. You are lucky your wife got you here as quickly as she did. You were bleeding heavily. You punctured the vein that runs from your foot. Another ten minutes, and we might have lost you. You mind telling me how you broke it? Your wife was understandably incoherent.”

Deacon told him the entire story of their entrapment and his fall off the water fountain.

“I wondered about the signs of blunt trauma I saw. It’s a miracle you didn’t hurt yourself more, in an escapade like that. You are watched by a guardian angel, it seems.”

“Would have been nice if he’d kept me from breaking my leg altogether.”

The doctor chuckled dryly. “Sometimes, good comes from circumstances we’d never expect. Perhaps if nothing else, I have now a case I may write up for a journal article in the future.”

“Be sure to send me a copy.”

“I shall do that. Meanwhile, you rest and try to think happy thoughts. If I do not see you tomorrow, I will see you the day after. Any more questions before I go annoy someone else?”

Deacon’s last question made the doctor laugh so loudly, the nurse stuck her head in the door, telling him to keep it down.

“You have gotten me in trouble, Mr. Stewart. To answer your question, you must be very careful for at least a week, for the swelling to go down. Once that is over, a little careful planning and all is well. A newlywed couple should not be kept from one another’s embrace for long. Good day, Mr. Stewart.”

Deacon watched a little more TV, then dozed off until the lunch trolley rumbled up to his door. The same black aid carried in his tray, looking around furtively before she set it down. Concealed beside the plate, under the packet that held the napkin, was a giant size candy bar.

“Your wife said get you something you could actually eat, and slipped me some money. I didn’t have a chance to get much else but that. Here’s the change.”

Deacon laughingly waved the money back into her palm. “You keep it. I know Kacy would want you to have it.”

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Crime Makes an Entrance ~ A Love Under the Sun Romantic Suspense by Dellani Oakes Part 48

Dec1

A tap at his door and Kacy came back in, carrying two bags of McDonald’s breakfasts, and two large coffees. “I knew you’d not be able to eat. I saw it as they were loading it up. Disgusting! I got you something good tasting, even if it isn’t good for you. Eat up.”

She’d gotten him three Egg McMuffins with extra cheese, hash browns and plenty of ketchup and pepper.

“How did you know?”

Her smile faded a little, “Pete loved ’em. I took a wee chance.”

“It’s all right, Kacy. You can’t help falling into old habits. It’s kind of cool, in a way, knowing he and I liked the same things. It gives me a little connection.” He shook massive amounts of pepper on his egg and took a huge, satisfied bite. “You have no idea how good this tastes right now!”

Someone came in to take his food tray and smiled as he tried to look innocent.

“You’ve got the good stuff there, don’t ya?” The heavy set black woman said cheerfully. “Put some meat on you. You are one tall, skinny white boy!”

“Aw, come on, I bet you like your men tall and skinny.”

She raised an eyebrow, a quick flicker of her eyes at Kacy. “Well, I do at that, but not when they belong to some other woman. You just keep to yourself, honey.”

She winked. He laughed loudly, almost choking on his food in the process. He spewed a few crumbs onto the sheets.

“Yes, ma’am. You serving lunch too?”

“I might be, then again I might send someone else in here to put a collar on you. You’re getting wild. I hope they’re planning to let you out soon.”

“I promise I’ll behave. Scout’s honor.”

She took up his tray, tipping her nose in the air, she walked to the door. “Mm hm, I bet you wasn’t even a Boy Scout,” she said as the door shut behind her.

“I was too a Boy Scout for a whole semester.” He grinned broadly, taking another huge bite.

“Why didn’t you stay in?” Kacy asked.

Deacon’s smile faded slightly as he remembered. “I got moved to a new home, they couldn’t be bothered to take me, so I had to quit. It wasn’t a lot of fun anyway, since all the kids came with their moms and dads. I didn’t have anyone but Mr. Petry, and he was about seventy years old.”

“Deacon, were you ever happy growing up?”

He stayed silent so long, she thought he’d forgotten her question, but he was thinking.

“Once in a while, yeah. Mostly, I wasn’t really happy at all. I don’t think I ever got really happy until I met you.” Having said more than he intended, he concentrated on his food.

Kacy sat quietly until a telltale sniffle escaped her. “I’m sorry, I’m being bloody awful again. I can’t seem to keep my emotions in check. I feel like I’m on this roller coaster ride that has me up and down like crazy.”

Wiping his hands and lips on the napkins, he held out his arms to her. She came willingly, lowering the side rail, she lay next to him, her head on his shoulder.

“It’s all right. I’ll be out of here soon, and you won’t have to see another hospital room for a long time. That’s what is really getting to you, isn’t it?”

She nodded, wiping her eyes on the sheet. “I just keep remembering. Oh, it was awful, Deacon. He was so still, so pale and he never, ever came back so I could say goodbye. I used to sleep next to him in that horrid bed, praying he’d wake up and tell me everything was all right.”

She snuggled next to him, sniffling. He felt her tears warm and wet on his hospital gown.

“Go home with Dino and rest. When the doctor comes by I’ll find out how soon they’ll cut me loose. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they will spring me tomorrow.”

“Oh, tomorrow! I completely forgot! Pete’s parents are coming in. What am I gonna do?”

“Call them, tell them to rent a car, and have Dino give them directions.”

“Have Dino give who directions to where?” Dino walked in the door just then, carrying another bag of food. “You already ate?”

“My fault, Dino. I went for a walk, and there it was like Mecca.”

“No problem, I’m starving. Mind?” He sat down and started to eat. “Who needs directions?”

“Oh, Pete’s folks are coming in tomorrow. I was going to go pick them up, but under the circumstances….”

“I’ll go, no problem.”

“I was just going to have them rent a car and drive up.”

“With Pete’s mom as intense as she is? Hell no, I’ll get them. She’d have Ev crazy before they got out of town. I can ignore her.”

“You won’t mind?”

“Not at all. People want a friendly face coming into town. It’s been a while since I saw them. Maybe I can help prepare them.”

“For seeing me, isn’t that what you mean, Dino?”

The older man nodded. “I have to admit, it was rather a shock to me. I honestly didn’t know what to think when I first saw you. I swear, I think you guys are brothers.”

“Kacy told me Pete was adopted, it’s very possible that we were.”

©2021 Dellani Oakes

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Crime Makes an Entrance ~ A Love Under the Sun Romantic Suspense by Dellani Oakes Part 47

Nov28

“I’ll go, you need to be here, Kacy.”

Her smile of thanks was rather weak, but the touch on his hand reassured Dino that she was grateful. She dropped her head, a deep, shuddering breath coursing through her petite frame. That and a renegade sniffle gave away her tears.

“No crying allowed, young lady,” Deacon mumbled.

“I can’t help it. I saw your face after surgery, it was so pale. You looked like you were dead! Like Pete looked when he was— I had this horrible, this awful….” She sobbed, unable to control the emotions welling up in her. “You lost so much blood!”

“I’m fine, except for this bum leg. Must have happened when I slipped off the water fountain, I felt something snap when I landed. I lost my balance, the bad leg gave out.”

“Oh, Deacon, if I lost you, I don’t know what I’d do!”

Dino walked quietly back in the room as Kacy tried to compose herself.

“Nurse says you are being given Demerol and Visteril and due for a dose in a few minutes.”

“How did you get that information out of her?” Deacon was curious.

“I told her you were my half brother, and Kacy was your wife, otherwise we’d not have been allowed in. Cindy and I used to date back in high school.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’ll call her and ask her out again, sometime.”

The door opened and a tall, blonde woman, who was built rather like a Nordic goddess, entered, carrying a syringe full of medication. She smiled broadly at Dino, nodding deferentially to Kacy as she moved toward the bed.

“I hear someone is in pain,” she grinned. Her manner was brisk and friendly.

Kacy turned her head. “I’m sorry, I’m not overly fond of needles.”

Cindy chuckled understandingly. “It’s all right, Mrs. Stewart. We’ll make this quick.”

She put the needle into his IV port, and Deacon felt a cool trickle up his arm.

Deacon grinned “Thanks.”

“So Dino tells me you two are half brothers?”

“Yes,” Deacon lied and tried to sound convincing.

“Same mom,” Dino said. “My folks got divorced when I was little. Remember, my Mom moved away and remarried.” It was partly true anyway, his mom had moved and married again.

“I see,” she looked between the two men who resembled one another in basic build and coloring. She didn’t look fully convinced, but not as if she were going to raise a stink about it either. “Dino, I go on break in about twenty minutes, want to grab a cup of coffee?”

“Sure, Cindy. That would be fantastic.”

He opened the door for her as she went out. His eyes followed her down the hall and he closed the door, the squeak of her crepe soled shoes echoing behind her.

“She’s nice,” Deacon said, his voice sounding tired.

“She’s pretty too,” Kacy added. “You could do a lot worse, Dino. Invite her to dinner soon.”

Deacon made a rather crude suggestion earning him a surly reprimand from Kacy. “Be nice!”

“I am being nice! That’s the nicest thing a man can do for a woman.”

“You only wish!”

“You two sound as if you want to be alone. I’ll cut out. Kacy, get some rest. You’ve been up all night. I’ll bring you some breakfast when I get back.”

“Thanks, Dino. You know where I’ll be.”

He leaned over, kissing her on the cheek briefly touching Deacon’s hand.

“You be more careful. Okay, little brother?” He winked.

“Will do.” Deacon laid his head wearily back against the pillows, the Demerol making him drowsy. “I’m wiped out, Kacy. I’m gonna try to sleep a little. Go home, get some rest.”

“I’m not leaving, Deacon.”

“Have Dino drive you home after you eat, okay? Will you please get some rest? I want you in top form, for when I get out of this place.”

Her smile was tender, tinged with fear and sorrow. “All right. But I’ll be back this evening, if not sooner. I’ll bring you a hamburger or Chinese or something I imagine the food is pretty bad.”

“Pizza and beer.”

“The only beer you’ll be having is root beer, my love.” She kissed him tenderly, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “You rest, I’ll be fine.”

Deacon closed his eyes, Kacy sat beside him, humming softly, songs he didn’t recognize, but they were soothing and sweet. She had a pretty voice. The last thing he was aware of, she kissed him softly on the lips.

When Deacon woke later, the sun was higher in the sky and he heard the sound of the food cart rumbling down the hall. From a distance, the food didn’t smell too bad, but he wasn’t convinced. His tray was delivered, and he was not disappointed in how nasty his meal really was. Soggy scrambled eggs, limp bacon, watery grits and a dry biscuit. A choice of hot tea or orange juice and a warm fruit cup. The tea tasted like old coffee and the biscuit would have made a good floor tile. He moved the items around, pretended to eat and shoved the tray aside.

He found the menu selection beside his plate and looked through to see if there was anything he could actually stomach, marking things at random. “I wonder if I’d get better food if I told them I keep Kosher,” he said aloud.

©2021 Dellani Oakes

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Crime Makes an Entrance ~ A Love Under the Sun Romantic Suspense by Dellani Oakes Part 46

Nov24

Sticking his head out first to judge the drop, he was glad to see he’d been fortunate enough to come out above, but to one side of the drinking fountain. There were really two of them next to each other, at slightly different heights, but wide enough to stand on easily. Turning his body, he pushed himself out feet first. Feeling the wall with his toes, he was grateful to find the drinking fountain also held his weight, although it groaned loudly when he stood on it.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared to hop off the fountain, but slipped on the shiny metal. Hitting the floor harder than he intended, his sore leg gave out as he landed. He felt something pop, a sharp pain, followed by a dull, receding ache as if part of his mind had simply stopped functioning on that level.

Kacy screamed hysterically, pounding the door and calling his name. Now that his escape was complete, he called to her.

“It’s all right, baby, I’m coming!”

He gasped sharply as he dragged himself upright, holding onto the wall. Stumbling forward, he lost his balance, falling on the tile floor, gasping and gritting his teeth. His bad leg refused to hold his weight, so he dropped to his knees, crawling along the hallway. Groping his way to the office, he followed the sound of her voice. Keys out, he unlocked the door and Kacy fell into his arms. She was hyperventilating, although, he noticed absently, her face and eyes showed no sign of tears.

Kacy helped him up, supporting his weight on her shoulder as he propped himself against the wall. Limping, gritting his teeth, he hobbled to the door a few feet away. Together, they stumbled out into the fresh air. The door was unlocked and Deacon knew he had locked it behind them when they came in.

Kacy locked the door behind them and helped him to the car. He fell into the passenger seat, handing her the keys so she could drive home. He reclined the seat, pushing back as far as it would go, his leg screaming at him for all the abuse it had taken.

“You’re bleeding, Deacon,” her voice was tight, panicked.

He looked down and saw he’d been ripped up by the staples in the wall board, but there was something more to it that he couldn’t quite understand.

“I hurt,” he sighed, his eyes falling shut of their own accord. “God, I hurt.”

“I’m taking you to hospital.”

“No, I’m all right. Just take me home, baby. I’m fine.”

“You’re not! You aren’t in any position to argue.” She tied her bandanna tightly around his upper calf before starting the car.

She drove rapidly over the causeway and to the hospital at the base of the bridge. The emergency staff took one look at him and got a gurney. Deacon had enough energy to hand Kacy his wallet with his insurance card and driver’s license before he passed out. He only partially heard the thump of the doors as they swung shut behind him.

Deacon became aware of hushed voices, the smell of clean sheets and antiseptic. Wrinkling his nose, he tried to sit up, only to have a sharp pain stab through his lower right leg. He realized his leg was suspended at an odd angle, held in place by something he couldn’t see. The room was minimally lit, the voices seemed to be outside.

A hospital. Damn, she’d told him she was taking him there. He tried to speak, but his throat was too dry. It came out as a croak, but someone heard him and the voices outside stopped. Kacy stuck her head in the door, expectant expression on her face. She looked worried, as if she had been crying.

“He’s awake! Hey, handsome! Don’t scare me like that again, okay?”

Deacon smiled weakly, motioning for a drink. She poured him some water from the obligatory insulated pitcher and handed him a plastic cup. He drank it greedily, his throat rasping with each swallow. As if it had drained his strength, he handed the cup back, nearly spilling it on the bed. She took it carefully, set it aside and grasped his hand gently in both her own. He became cognizant of the fact that his other arm was full of needles and tubes and something was clipped to his index finger. It pinched uncomfortably, but was nothing to the throbbing pain in his leg.

“What happened?”

He saw his leg suspended at about a thirty degree angle and tried to wiggle his toes. A surge of burning misery followed the attempt, causing him to swoon again. Kacy patted his hand, trying to rouse him. A kiss on his lips did what no amount of hand slapping could, and he raised his beneedled arm, clasping her head gently.

“He’s not so badly hurt as we thought then,” he heard Dino’s voice a few feet away.

“You’d have to kill me for me not to respond to her kiss,” Deacon rasped, his throat still dry and tender. “What happened?” he repeated.

Kacy drew a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down, her head just above the railing. “Well, somewhere in your great escape, you broke your tibia clean in two and the bone decided to pop out of the skin. It was rather horrid really and you bled all over Dino’s pretty car.”

She tried to keep the concern out of her voice, to make it light hearted, but she couldn’t quite pull it off. Deacon touched her cheek gently, brushing away a stray hair.

“No worries, I’m fine. My leg hurts like a mother, what are they giving me for pain?”

“I don’t know, Deacon. I’ll ask the nurse,” she stood to go, but Dino put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

©2021 Dellani Oakes

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Crime Makes an Entrance ~ A Love Under the Sun Romantic Suspense by Dellani Oakes Part 45

Nov21

She remembered a time in college when she was painting in the box office. The large window was uncovered, opening onto the lobby. Her current boyfriend, who had just become box office manager, went out of the room. She thought she saw him in the corner of her eye, standing in the lobby looking up at her, hands on hips, as if deciding whether she was doing a good job or not.

Losing her temper with him, she fussed for him to quit standing around and help her, only to have him respond from behind her that he was painting the base boards, and had been for some time. She never lost that sensation of being watched the rest of the evening, and into the late hours of the night. Walking back to Ronnie’s car, she’d felt as if dozens of eyes watched her, and could almost hear another set of steps behind them. She’d stayed spooked about that for weeks. She had the same sensation now.

The lamp next to her blinked twice and went out. Trapped in the dark, she stifled a scream. No one could hear her outside and it would only alarm Deacon if he did hear it. She was sure he was looking for a way out, maybe he’d called someone on his phone. She could only pray.

“Why didn’t we tell someone where we were going?” she whispered. “Because we’re bloody fools, that’s why. Bollocks.”

Disturbed by the silence and the dark, she started singing to drive the demons away. Singing one hymn after another, she felt a tiny bit better, but wasn’t comfortable until she wrapped Deacon’s sweater around her head and shoulders and sat on the floor with her back against a blank wall, the door and windows in plain sight.

Deacon sat down in disgust, sighing heavily. He reached for a cigarette, then decided against it. He didn’t dare light anything in this old, wooden building. He hadn’t let the crew smoke in here, he wasn’t about to break his own rule. Leaning back against the wall facing the door, he tilted his head back, hands propped on knees, and tried to relax and think.

How long had he been in here? What about Kacy? She must not have been able to call anyone. He was sure that if she were able to, she’d have been at the door, letting him out. All sorts of visions of her being murdered, or raped, or both, flashed in his mind like a macabre strobe light.

Surely he’d have heard if something was seriously wrong. But he knew that was stupid. A bomb could go off outside, they’d hardly have heard it. He could barely hear cars go by on the busy street a few yards away.

Resting his head against the wall, he gazed upward and stopped mid sigh. Of course! Banging his head on the wall, he looked around for something to climb on. The ceiling was a dropped acoustic tile, making the height somewhat lower than the one in the hallway. He figured it was probably because the air conditioner ducts were put in well after the building was erected. However, if air ducts could fit up there, so could he.

The idea of crawling around in the filth and dark wasn’t very appealing, but it beat being trapped all night in the bathroom, with Kacy across the hall afraid or hurt. He had to take care of her. He pushed the apprehension aside and found a broom. With it, he managed to knock a tile over the sink out of the ceiling, exposing a slit of utter blackness. Fingers of doubt tickled his spine, as he remembered how many nasty spiders liked dark attics, but after the tenting the exterminators had done, it was unlikely to be infested at the moment.

Popping the tile harder, he cracked it and was able to pull it free while standing precariously on the sink. It creaked ominously under his weight, but held. Grabbing the wooden beam and peaking through the hole, he hauled himself upward, gaining a purchase for his feet against the wall. His habit of wearing hiking boots paid off, the rubber cleats grabbed, and kept him from slipping on the wooden paneling. He levered himself through the hole, slithering slowly and cautiously onto the cross beams.

A glance out the hole to orient himself, he set off crawling on the beams, running perpendicular to the direction he wanted to go. Keeping himself at right angles to the beams, he should progress into the foyer and prayed he could get out on the other side. He wouldn’t let himself consider the possibility of being trapped in this dark and spooky space with no way out.

It was awkward crawling, holding a flashlight in one hand, so he set it an arm’s length ahead, crawled up to it, repeating the process until he got to the end. He saw a lot of old spider’s webs in the small space, but none of them were occupied. Judging by the number of crumpled forms he saw on the old insulation below, there were no current occupants. For that he was grateful.

Just as he feared, he saw the way blocked by a wall separating the bathroom from the lobby. Letting out a string of curse words, which would have set Mrs. Sanderson on her ear, he studied the wall carefully. From what he could tell, it wasn’t sheet rock, but plasterboard. His adept fingers felt the surface, searching for a seam. If he could find that, perhaps he could kick part of it free and climb out the hole, dropping to the lobby below. Dino wasn’t going to be very happy, but then he would rather not have his friends trapped overnight in the theater, either.

Luck was with him and he found a seam. There were studs here, but this hadn’ not been hammered into one, just stapled together. For once, Deacon was happy to find shoddy workmanship.

He leaned back on a beam, supporting himself carefully. Pulling his legs up in front of him, he grimaced. His sore leg had felt fine until now. Suddenly, it gave him a clear message that he was overdoing it. Ignoring the discomfort, he pulled his powerful legs back to his nose. Lying on his back as well as he could, he kicked both feet at the plasterboard wall. The noise of impact echoed sounding like a gun had gone off. He heard Kacy scream his name, but couldn’t stop to answer her. Again and again, he hit the wall with all his strength, until he had a hole he could fit through. It was going to be uncomfortable, but he would make it.

©2021 Dellani Oakes

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