Death at First Sight (Spero Heights Book 2) (6 page)

Chapter Ten

Dr. Delph paced his office with his hands on his hips and a deep crease dissecting his brow. He was still in his running clothes, and he could smell himself.

“Are you sure you don’t want a second opinion?” Zelda asked again. She sat in one of the guest chairs, her legs stretched out before her and ankles crossed.

Dr. Delph shook his head. “She’s spooked enough, and understandably so after what she’s been through.” He was still trying to sort through the pieces he’d picked from her frantic mind.

Lia James’ head was like a graveyard. It was full of death and loneliness. Dr. Delph couldn’t decide if she was deranged or had lived the most tragic existence imaginable. How could one person have experienced so much loss, and so intimately, in such a short span of time?

This was a question for the Fates. He wondered if the answer would present itself after his shower and morning tea—then he wondered if he should ask Zelda to stick around, just in case. He quickly decided against it. It would be too tempting to come clean with her about the Fates shunning him.

“I better get back to the club.” Zelda stood and stretched her arms behind her head with a yawn. “The pack will be hungry when they wake up, and I promised them biscuits and sausage gravy.”

Dr. Delph nodded. “Thanks for your help, Dr. Fulmen.” He walked her to his office door and let her see herself the rest of the way out. Then he headed for his desk. He desperately needed a shower, but there was something he wanted to check first.

Graham had bought a small laptop for him two Winter Solstices back, and Dr. Delph only used it as a last resort. He had been relying on it quite a bit lately. He flipped the top open and punched the power button. His palms itched as he waited for the system to load.

A quick internet search delivered equal enlightenment and dismay. The first result was a police report that labeled Lia a dangerous and delusional hospital escapee who had murdered her former doctor. Her age was listed as nineteen, but the article was a decade old.

The picture that accompanied the report looked even younger, possibly from a high school yearbook. Lia smiled awkwardly at the camera, her hair piled in loose ringlets over both shoulders. Her wide eyes looked frightened, like she was ready to crawl back into the shadows just as soon as the uncomfortable affair was over.

The second article was even older, dated back thirteen years. It was an obituary for David Leroy James. Lia was only mentioned briefly, as a survivor of the home, along with David’s wife, Clarissa James.

The third and final article that came up was from a medical journal published by Aldini’s Research Hospital in Kansas. Lia was listed as a test subject undergoing experimental procedures for macabre hallucinations. A statement attached to her mother’s consent form stated that the girl was a lost cause with no hope of recovery. It was dated less than a year after her father’s death.

Dr. Delph put his head in his hands and blew out a slow breath. This was more than he was currently equipped to handle.

Lia saw things. That much was certain. Now it was up to him to decide if those things were real or not, and he needed to do it before she became a problem and drew the wrong kind of attention to Spero Heights.

He thought about calling Selena to give her a head’s up, but he knew she was probably just now getting back from her wolfish run. Ben would be ready to return to his shop and water his rooftop garden. It was best to hold off until he had a chance to learn more about Lia.

He headed for the bath attached to his private quarters and took a cold shower, willing his shot nerves to hold out just a bit longer. He was going to need coffee before his tea. Strong coffee.

After the shower, he faced another dilemma in his closet. A suit seemed too formal. He wanted to set Lia at ease, not cause her more distress. He dug to the very back of his wardrobe before he found a dark blue dress shirt and a pair of khakis. Then he slipped on a pair of brown loafers and tucked a canister of elderberry and rosehip tea in his pocket.

By the time he made it to the cafeteria in the south wing of Orpheus House, the day staff had already arrived. Nora and Judy were sisters and half elf. Dr. Delph had seen them in a vision, being hunted by a deranged uncle who believed in racial purity. He’d sent Graham to collect them from California. It was the way Spero Heights came by most of its citizens, though certainly not all. Word of mouth, no matter how much the council stressed discretion, seemed to be drawing in more and more supernatural refugees. He had a feeling Lia’s arrival was no coincidence either.

The cafeteria of Orpheus House was set up for casual dining. Spherical fixtures hung from the high ceiling, lighting up a dozen round tables, each set with four chairs. Six trays of bacon and sausage links lined the stainless steel breakfast bar, and a fountain machine churned a fresh batch of orange juice.

Nora was pulling a tray of blueberry and lavender muffins out of an oven when Dr. Delph came into the kitchen. “Good morning,” she sang out to him, and then waved the tray under his nose. “I got just what the doctor ordered.”

Dr. Delph took a deep breath and his mouth watered. Nora’s muffins rivaled the finest pastries in Paris. He knew firsthand, having traveled there the summer he backpacked across Europe, seeking answers from every temple and ancient ruin across the old countries.

“I’ll take twenty,” he said to Nora with a playful grin.

She chuckled. “I think you better stick to one if you want to keep that trim figure of yours.”

“Actually…” Dr. Delph held up two fingers. “A new patient joined us this morning. We’ll be eating breakfast in her room while I do a preliminary exam.”

Nora raised an eyebrow. Her eyes dropped to take in his casual appearance, but she didn’t say anything as she deposited two muffins on a paper plate. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best.”

“Oh, I know.” She grinned and went to open another oven.

Dr. Delph fixed himself a cup of coffee and downed it before filling a tea kettle with water. While it heated on a free stove burner, he dug out a serving tray and arranged two teacups on it beside the plate of muffins. Then he found a glass and stepped back into the dining room to fill it with orange juice. He added it to the tray along with the tea kettle.

As he left the kitchen, he snatched a bit of fresh lavender from the herb basket on Nora’s prep table and dropped it in the center of the tray. Now it was perfect.

“I saw that!” Nora shouted as he hurried off.

On his way to Lia’s room, his eyes darted down at his watch. He had told her half an hour, and he was almost a minute late. When he reached her door, he cracked it open slowly and peeked inside.

Lia was asleep on the bed. Her black sweatshirt lay in a heap on the floor, leaving her in nothing more than a thin, pink tank top and a pair of jean shorts. The bedsheets were tangled around her legs, and she moaned as she tossed and turned. A few bruises lined the back of one of her arms as if someone had grabbed her too tightly, and a nastier purple bruise marred one of her cheeks.

Dr. Delph stepped inside the room and quietly set the tray down on the small table near the window. He dug the tea tin out of his pocket and put two pinches of the dried berries and flowers in each cup. Then he topped them with steaming water from the kettle.

The sweet aroma filled the room, and Lia’s moans softened. Her eyes fluttered open suddenly, and she sat up with a start, one hand reaching for her head. A pained expression puckered her face, and her shoulders shook softly.

“I’m feeling much better,” she said between clenched teeth. “May I leave now?”

Dr. Delph sat on one of the chairs at the table and unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and waved a hand at the empty chair across from him. “Why don’t you have something to drink and eat first? Then maybe we can find you some fresh clothes and a hot shower.”

Lia tensed at the suggestion, and Dr. Delph caught the image of a hospital gown as it passed through her mind.

“We have a respectable community closet with some lovely donated items,” he said. “No one wears hospital gowns here. It’s not that kind of facility.”

Lia looked suspicious now. “What kind of facility would it be then exactly?”

Dr. Delph smiled and pointed at the chair again. “Come. I’ll tell you all about it.”

Chapter Eleven

Lia erected a brick wall in her mind as she stood and joined the doctor at the table. She didn’t want him to sense her anxiety or reservations just yet. Plus, she had the strangest feeling that he was reading her mind. It shouldn’t have surprised her so much. After all, she predicted deaths at the sun’s command every morning.

The thought slipped through before she had a chance to stop it, and Dr. Delph’s eyes lit up in surprise.
Ah ha!
She was right. She gave him a pointed look, one that she hoped conveyed how busted he was.

Dr. Delph sipped gingerly at his tea, his gray eyes smiling over the rim of his cup. When he winked at her, Lia felt her body temperature spike a hundred degrees, and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She was sure her Folgers fantasy had been hidden in a dark corner of her mind.

“I swear, I had no idea.” Dr. Delph’s cheeks flushed, but Lia couldn’t decide if he was more embarrassed for himself or for her. He gave her a meaningful look and set his teacup down so he could take both of her hands in his.

Lia’s face grew warmer, her embarrassment warping into anger and then dissolving in sadness. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “It’s rude, poking around in places you haven’t been invited,” she said.

“It’s my job.” Dr. Delph sighed. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. Though I honestly didn’t read that last bit you suspect me of. Not until after…” his voice trailed off and he took a tense breath.

Lia looked down at their joined hands. His were warm and soft, all except for a ridged line of scar tissue that cut through each palm. She wondered what had happened, but just as soon as the thought appeared in her mind, Dr. Delph withdrew his hands and cleared his throat.

Lia chewed her bottom lip and then snatched up one of the muffins. She needed a distraction, and they smelled so delicious. She never got fresh baked goods from Saunders.

“A sheriff?” Dr. Delph interrupted her thoughts.

“He’s no one,” she snapped, throwing her brick wall up again.

Dr. Delph leaned back in his chair. “I’m not making any phone calls, Lia. No one knows you’re here, and I’m quite happy to keep it that way. Spero Heights is full of people who have left their pasts behind and started fresh. Good people with unique circumstances, much like yours.”

“What would you know about my circumstances?”

He tapped the side of his head. “It’s my job to know.”

She ignored him and took a bite out of her muffin. It melted on her tongue. The buttery, sweet flavor was so amazing that it made her want to cry with joy. Dr. Delph nodded at the second one on the tray, next to a bundle of purple flowers.

“You can have that one too,” he said. “Nora makes them every morning.”

Lia glanced around the small room. It was almost as big as the apartment Saunders had stuffed her in, but it was definitely cleaner. No rat fumigation aftertaste in the air. Just a sweet, pleasant bouquet—the health food store smell, now mixed with the delicious muffins. And the tea.

She picked up her cup and took a sip, letting the hot elixir coat her tongue. It was strong and a few leaves slipped past her lips. She coughed and sputtered, clearing them from her throat.

“It’s loose leaf,” Dr. Delph said apologetically. He watched her for a few moments as she ate and drank, until she couldn’t stand it any longer.

“What do you want from me?” she finally asked.

Dr. Delph blinked stiffly. “I want to help you.”

Lia gave him a tight smile. “And how do you plan to do that?” She pointed down at the teacup. “Herbs? Supplements? Pills? A priest? Electroshock therapy?” She shook her head with a sigh. “It’s all been done. You’re wasting your time.”

He folded his hands in his lap and frowned. “I don’t mean to
cure
you, Lia. You’re not damaged. At the very least, I think I could offer you a safe, clean environment to overcome your drug addiction.”

Lia groaned low in her throat. “I
need
those meds. I am in constant pain. You don’t understand.” She could almost appreciate his comment about not being damaged, but the thought of going without pain meds turned her stomach.

Dr. Delph reached out to her, but she twisted away from him. “The kind you’re on—they’re illegal for a reason,” he said. “The side effects can be catastrophic. We should run some bloodwork on you and see if there isn’t something milder I can prescribe. In the meantime, I have plenty of other techniques I can show you to help with pain management.”

“Great.” Lia tilted her chin up and stared at the ceiling.

“You do realize that your talent is not in the sphere of human understanding?” Dr. Delph sounded perturbed. “Why would you expect human medicine to remedy the residual effects?”

“Human medicine?” She laughed. “You say that like there’s some other kind out there.”

Dr. Delph raised one eyebrow and Lia’s heart tightened in her chest. Maybe Mandy hadn’t been crazy after all. Pieces of their conversation were slowly beginning to make sense.

Humans are the worst.

“Monsters come in all shapes and sizes,” Dr. Delph said, the shade of his gray eyes changing with her mood. “Finish your breakfast. There’s a bathroom through there.” He nodded at a door in the corner of the room. “You can shower while I go get that change of clothes.”

He stood and left, leaving Lia alone with her thoughts and the second muffin. She scarfed it down before hurrying off to the bathroom to find the shower.

Checking the door to see if it was locked crossed her mind again, but the crust of dried vomit in her hair shifted her priorities. Showing up anywhere looking the way she currently did would draw too much undesired attention. Someone could call the cops to come remove the loitering homeless lady. What a way to top an otherwise
lovely
day, she thought disparagingly.

Orpheus House wasn’t the worse place she’d ever been dumped off at. It was clean and the food was tasty. She still wanted the hell out of there, but a shower first couldn’t hurt. At least she’d be able to ask for directions at a gas station without having the dog catchers called in.