Chasing Shadows (14 page)

Please let them be in the common room or the dining hall. Anywhere safe.

His heart rammed against his ribs, demanding to be heard, but he couldn't go there, not now when Kris was in danger.

Because Kris wouldn't know
not
to trust Vivian Kirk, aka Veronica Krauss, registered nurse and murderer.

“We've got to get to the center!” He ran from the station with Angie on his heels.

K
nowing she'd been right about Mrs. Tipple didn't make Kris feel good. Why would the elderly lady, who seemed so sweet and generous, want to hurt others? But one could never tell what was in another person's heart. Only God could look deep inside and comprehend the motivations which drove someone to kill.

Or deny love as Gabe had done.

Her heart twisted with anguish for what he was missing in his life. What they were missing together. She couldn't imagine a life without love. It would be so empty.

With a sigh, Kris sent the rocker moving with the toe of her shoe. The soft sound of friction between the wooden slats gliding back and forth against the carpet in Sadie's apartment was soothing, especially mixed with the low Christmas music coming from the CD player. A reminder that the holiday was fast approaching. And she wasn't ready. Neither was Sadie.

With so much upheaval in their lives, Kris hadn't had a moment to take Sadie shopping. Last year they'd hounded the holiday bazaars at several local churches,
finding unique presents for their small family unit. This year…nothing.

Kris worried her bottom lip as she stared at her resting grandmother. Anxiety painfully tightened her shoulders. Sadie wasn't getting any better. Maybe Mrs. Tipple's tea wasn't the culprit.

According to Gina, Dr. Crowley had come to visit Sadie yesterday and had ordered some blood tests. They hadn't received the results yet and waiting for them was torturing Kris. She needed answers.

Kris glanced at the clock on the wall. Gina should have returned by now with Sadie's lunch. Not that Sadie was awake to eat yet. But Kris was hopeful that getting some food in her stomach when she woke up would revive her physically, since Gina had said Sadie hadn't any appetite the night before.

Self-reprisal crunched through Kris. She should have been here to take care of Sadie. Instead, she'd moped about her parents' house, silently bemoaning the fact she'd fallen in love with Gabe again.

Would she ever learn from her mistakes?

The man was all wrong for her on so many levels. Cynical about love, skeptical about God and married to his job. Not good. Not good at all.

She bowed her head and silently sent up prayers of understanding and acceptance of her feelings for Gabe. She really had no other choice than to acknowledge the reality of the situation and learn to live with the loss. Again. She was sure once this crisis was over, that would be it. He'd walk back out of her life. Sadness and regret pinched her heart at the loss of
what wouldn't be. What Gabe wouldn't allow in his life. Her love.

She said a prayer of healing for Sadie, asking for the doctor to be given wisdom on treating her grandmother.

And she said a prayer of salvation and forgiveness for Mrs. Tipple.

The sound of the apartment door opening brought Kris's prayers to a halt. She lifted her gaze, expecting to see Gina arriving with a tray of food. Surprise filled Kris as Vivian Kirk shut the door with a click and ambled in, her round face alight with a good-natured smile. Her graying, blond hair curled in disarray around her head and the oversized cardigan sweater added to her ample figure.

Did the woman know how to knock? It was one thing for her to enter her friend Evelyn's apartment unannounced but to do that to Sadie's was odd and rude. Kris forced a smile. Obviously the older woman was a bit off. “Mrs. Kirk? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, please, call me Vivian.” She toddled farther into the room, her tennis shoes making no noise against the carpet. “I just saw Sadie's new full-time guard in the dining hall. She told me you were here. I thought I'd come say hello.”

“That was thoughtful,” Kris said, uneasy that apparently it was common knowledge that Gina wasn't just a nurse.

“How is Sadie today?”

“Still under the weather.”

“Yes, she does look a bit peaked, doesn't she?”

Kris murmured her agreement.

“Your grandmother is lucky to have someone to care for her. Some of us aren't so lucky. Some of us could disappear and no one would care or even notice.”

The seriously ominous words caught Kris off guard, but then she realized there was such a sad note in Vivian's voice. Kris's chest ached with compassion and her mind immediately jumped to the three missing residents. “That's not true. People do notice and care.”

Something flickered in Vivian's light brown eyes. “You're right, of course. Inquisitive people everywhere.”

A bit put off by that odd comment, Kris asked, “You don't have any family close by?”

“It's always been me against the world.”

There was a slight note of defensive anger in the older woman's tone that confused Kris. “I'm so sorry.”

She patted Kris's arm and smiled indulgently. “Don't feel sorry for me. I have a purpose.” She stepped closer to the bed. “What keeps you busy when you're not here tending to your grandmother?”

“I'm a photographer by trade.”

“Oh, how exciting. You must tell me more.” Vivian sat on the edge of Sadie's bed.

Kris thought it odd Vivian would take such a liberty, but shrugged the behavior off as that of an eccentric woman. And obviously since Sadie was still sound asleep, Vivian's presence wasn't bothersome. “I have a studio downtown,” Kris explained. “I do mostly advertising work but for a few months each year I travel to various missionary outposts and take pictures for the ministries. It helps to show people the fruit of their labor.”

“That is very philanthropic of you. Your parents must be so proud.”

Not wanting to get into her family dynamics, Kris made a noncommittal noise. She hadn't really thought of her work with the various ministries as philanthropic. That was a label she placed on her parents' endeavors. They gave of their monetary resources and encouraged others to do the same, while Kris gave of her time and equipment to encourage others to give. Was either form of charity better or worse?

Could it be she and her parents weren't so very different after all? The realization was a heavy one especially after the revelations of her misconstrued ideas of their relationship with Sadie from a few days ago. Her perceptions of her parents kept changing. And she truly liked what she was seeing. Go figure.

“I don't see your parents here often.”

Vivian's comment brought Kris's mind back to the conversation. “Their visits were too upsetting for Sadie. Ms. Faust thought it best they not visit often.”

Vivian's gaze wandered toward the window. “Ah, yes, Cynthia does take direction well,” Vivian murmured.

Kris frowned.
“What?”

Vivian brought her gaze back to Kris and raised her eyebrows in question. “What? I'm sorry. I was lost in thought.”

“You said something about Cynthia? Who's Cynthia?”

“Did I?” Vivian shrugged. “Silly me.” She leaned in closer in a conspiratorial way. “Did you know that a police officer took Mrs. Tipple away?”

Kris smoothed her hand over the wooden arm of the
rocker. She should feel safe with Evelyn Tipple in custody but anxious little butterflies still fluttered in her gut. “Yes, I'd heard.”

“Do you know why?” Vivian stared at her with wide bloodshot eyes.

“Um…I'm sure the police have their reasons,” Kris said, unwilling to get into the specifics. She didn't want to upset Vivian.

A smug smile spread over Vivian's round face as she straightened. “She did bad things. She made people sick with her tea.”

Kris blinked. “You know?”

A dry chuckle turned into a slight cough. Vivian cleared her throat and then said, “Oh, yes. But she doesn't.”

Kris drew her eyebrows together in confusion. “She doesn't?”

“No.” Glee lit up her expression. “But she'll be arrested and put in jail just the same. I have it all worked out. The police are so easy to manipulate.”

Shocked by the words so incongruent with the genial woman, Kris vaulted to her feet. “I don't understand.” A slithering of apprehension galvanized Kris to stand protectively beside Sadie. “What have you
worked out?”

Vivian slid from the bed and crowded closer to Kris. “You see, dear, it's questions like yours that get you in trouble. You should have listened to my first warning.”

Shock sent a tremor cascading down Kris's spine as the meaning of the words solidified in her mind. “You defaced my apartment door?”

Vivian casually put her hands into the pockets of her bulky sweater. She rocked back on the heels of her
tennis shoes. “I did. I had hoped you would do as you were told.” She shook her head sadly. “But no. You just kept pushing, didn't you? Had to involve the police. Just had to go searching for Denise. What a nuisance you've been.”

Her mind reeling with the implications of what she was hearing, Kris's hand sought the call button on the bed while she tried to distract Vivian by keeping her talking. “You did something to Carl, Lena and Denise. Where are they?”

Vivian's now razor-sharp gaze pierced through Kris. The physical change in her demeanor was as unsettling as her words. “That won't help you. I've already disabled the alarm.”

Swallowing back her rising fear, Kris considered bolting for help, but fear for Sadie kept her feet in place. “How? When?”

She smiled serenely. “Everything is
plug and play
these days, so high-tech around here. And I came in last night when I brought your grandmother some delicious pudding.”

Rage roared as thunderous as a train through Kris's mind, pushing back the fear. “Is that why she's sick? Did you lace the pudding with something?”

“Oh, you are a smart one, aren't you? Yes, I used the same ingredient to taint Evelyn's teas.”

Infuriated, Kris demanded, “How could you do this! Why?”

“It needed to be done.”

Vivian's expression showed no remorse; instead her benevolent smile made Kris shudder. The woman was
clearly deranged. Kris's gaze searched the room for her purse with her cell phone. Crud! It was over by the sink. She couldn't risk moving from her place beside her grandmother. Who knew what Vivian would do? Kris stole a glance at the door. Where was Gina?

Vivian chuckled, the sound ripping along Kris's flesh like the thorn of a sticker bush. “I can see what you're thinking. But your friend Gina won't be returning. She was taken to the infirmary and I would hazard a guess that the man who's been guarding you is there by now, as well.”

A rocket of horror launched in the pit of Kris's stomach. “What did you do to them?”

“Well, to your young man, I acted the gracious host and gave him a big cup of coffee. He did look like he was fighting to stay awake in the lobby. And Gina, well, she was a little harder to convince. But she took the hot chocolate I offered, I think mainly to get me to shut up.” Vivian giggled. “I just love when my plans come together.”

Kris's gaze landed on the bedside phone. Unfortunately it was on the other side of Sadie. If she worked her way around the bed, then she could at least knock the receiver off. The receptionist would figure something was wrong when the light continually flashed at the front desk, right?

Vivian followed her gaze. “Uh-oh. No, no.” She wagged a finger. “Don't even think about it. You'll have to get by me to reach the phone. And that's not going to happen.”

Kris's gaze narrowed on the other woman. Kris could take her down in a heartbeat. But her mind worked to formulate a less violent plan. Keep her talking. Some
one had to check on Sadie at some point. Besides, surely Gina or Don would let Gabe know they were sick and he'd come here. She sent up a prayer for help. She really didn't want to have to hurt Vivian.

Gently taking Sadie's hand in her own, Kris drew strength from her love. Sadie stirred but didn't wake. “You didn't answer me. What did you do with Carl, Lena and Denise? Where are they?” Kris imagined them trapped in some dark room, wasting away. She shuddered at the image.

“Dead,” Vivian stated simply, her voice holding not a trace of regret. “Cremated, actually.”

Gabe's words about the mortuary rang in Kris's head. The van that had tried to run her off the road belonged to the mortuary. She swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat. Anger pounded at her temples. “How could you?”

“Oh, it was quite easy, really. Of course I did have some help. I don't get around like I used to.”

Thinking of Sadie's suspicions that Ms. Faust was up to no good, Kris asked, “Is Ms. Faust aware of what you're up to?”

Vivian face twisted in confusion. “Of course. Didn't I already say that?”

Kris blinked. No. “Why would she agree to this madness?”

“As I said, Cynthia Faust follows direction well, though she wasn't on board at first. It took some fancy talking on Henry's part to convince her, but eventually, Cynthia saw the wisdom in relieving these poor souls of the burdens they carried.” She let out a small chuckle. “Besides, she liked cashing their checks and pocketing the money.”