Knowing that Lila was right-handed and the stroke had paralyzed her right side, Lila asked, "All right then, do you think you could use your left hand if I got you a pen and some paper?"

Terri pursed her lips and tried again to speak. Puffs of air emerged through her lips, creating the sound of the letter "F" that she repeated several times as she glanced at the bedside table.

Lila glanced at the table, completely bare after Terri's tirade, except for the telephone. Since she was unable to verbally communicate, Terri received very few telephone calls. "Did you receive a phone call that upset you? Did Mr. Tyler call you?"

Terri stared wide-eyed at Lila as she reached out and grabbed Lila's arm.

Lila pulled Terri's hand from her arm and patted her gently. "Did Mr. Tyler's wife or your uncle Clement call you and tell you something that upset you?"

Terri shook her head.

"Did Mr. Ransom call?"

Terri shook her head and then, slapped her chest repeatedly. "Mu...tok...Ty."

"Oh, you need to talk to Mr. Tyler. Is that it?"

Frowning and shaking her head, Terri squeezed Lila's hand, a look of desperation in her blue eyes.

"You relax and I'll see what I can do to get in touch with Mr. Tyler and Mr. Ransom-"

Terri went wild again, flaying and hollering and fighting Lila's attempts to calm her. Feeling as if she had no choice, Lila prepared the hypodermic and with Monique's a.s.sistance, administered the mild sedative. Within a few minutes, the medication took effect, enough so that Terri settled down, but she kept mumbling incoherently as she finally drifted off into a light drug-induced sleep.

"Please, stay with her for a while," Lila instructed Monique. "And have someone check on her every thirty minutes the rest of the morning."

Once back at the nurses' station, Lila telephoned Mr. Ransom's home. Ramona Cosgrove answered, "Owens residence."

"This is Lila Newton, the RN in charge of Mrs. Terri Owens here at Green Willows Rehabilitation and Convalescence Center. May I please speak to Mr. Ransom?"

"I'm afraid you can't talk to him," Ramona said. "He's not here."

"When do you expect him? This is rather important."

"Couldn't say. He went out of town."

"Oh, I see." Lila debated whether she should ask for a way to reach Mr. Ransom, but since technically the situation with Terri was not an emergency, she said, "If you hear from Mr. Ransom, would you please ask him to contact me, Lila Newton."

"I don't expect he'll be in touch. He's off somewhere up-state doing research for his new book. When he goes off that way, I never know when he'll be back. Sometimes it's a week or more, and other times, he's gone only a few days."

After speaking to Ramona, Lila gave some thought to phoning Mr. Tyler's wife, but decided against it. She and the staff would simply deal with Terri the best they could for the time being. After all, that's what they were paid for, wasn't it, to take care of their patient's needs, both physical and emotional? Who knew what was going on in Terri Owens's mind? It could be little to nothing, and certainly not cause enough to have either her son or ex-husband rush back to Danville.

For over a week, Lorie had been trying to talk Mike into allowing her to go to Treasures, to work in the storeroom, do inventory, price merchandise, or prepare brochures for their new summer sales items. She needed to do something-anything-that would get her out of the house and help keep her mind off the Midnight Killer and Sh.e.l.ley's murder. This morning, she had finally persuaded him to drop her by Treasures on his way in to work.

"Please, I promise to stay out of sight in the back of the store. I can do inventory and place new orders and have lunch with Cathy and we can discuss plans for the tea shop and-"

"Stop!" Mike had held up a restraining hand. "I'd rather you stayed here, but I know you're going crazy being cooped up this way."

She had given him her best begging-puppy-dog look. "Please, please, please. No one other than you and Cathy will even know I'm there. And you can post a deputy to watch the shop if that will make you feel better."

"Okay, against my better judgment, I'll take you to Treasures. And I'll have Buddy keep an eye on the shop. He's got guard duty today."

She had thrown her arms around Mike and kissed him. That kiss of grat.i.tude had quickly led to other things, and those other things had required removing a few clothes.

An hour later, Mike had escorted her into Treasures through the back entrance and given her strict instructions on what she could and could not do. He had also told Cathy that he expected her to see to it that Lorie followed orders and had made Cathy practically sign a blood oath that she would look after Lorie.

Everything had gone smoothly until midafternoon, when UPS made a delivery. As usual, Kerry Vaughn, the UPS guy, brought the stack of boxes in on a dolly and wheeled it straight to the storeroom.

When Lorie heard the door open, she looked up from where she sat on the floor going through the merchandise on the bottom shelves in the storeroom. She had been marking the sale prices on the winter, Valentine, and hadn't-sold-in-six-months items. Kerry's unexpected appearance startled her. She had promised Mike that no one other than Cathy would see her while she was at Treasures.

"Afternoon, Lorie," Kerry said as he pushed the dolly into the room. "Sure is good to see you back at work."

"Uh...hi, Kerry. It's good to be back, but I'm keeping a low profile for the time being." She glanced at the open door. "So don't mention to anyone that I'm here, okay?"

"Sure thing. I understand." Kerry shoved the door partly closed and then he unloaded the boxes and stacked them in the corner. "It's a shame the way some people around here have been acting. I just want you to know that I think the world of you and so do my mom and my wife. We're hoping the FBI catches that crazy Midnight Killer real soon."

Looking up at Kerry, she smiled. "I appreciate that. Right now, I need all the friends I can get."

When Lorie started to get up, Kerry held out his hand to a.s.sist her. Once on her feet, she signed for the delivery and they chatted for a couple of minutes before Kerry grabbed hold of the empty dolly and turned to leave.

Suddenly, they heard a woman's voice calling from outside in the shop. "Is that you back there, Lorie?"

With her heartbeat rapidly accelerating, Lorie glanced past Kerry and saw Cathy trying to block Tracie McLees's charge toward the storeroom. Tracie was one of their best customers, a real sweetheart of a person, but Lordy, Lordy, did that woman love to gossip.

"My goodness, why didn't you tell us that Lorie was back?" Mrs. Webber followed Tracie. Mrs. Webber, another valued customer and Nell Birkett's first cousin once removed, had befriended Lorie the moment she returned to Dunmore nine years ago.

"Please, ladies." Cathy blocked the storeroom entrance. "Lorie's doing inventory. She's not back at work full-time and we'd appreciate y'all keeping her presence here hush-hush."

"You can trust us not to say a word," Paul Babc.o.c.k said from where he stood in the middle of the shop. As usual, he was going through the display of antique postcards. "We don't want anybody causing trouble for you, Lorie."

Kerry shrugged. "Sorry. I guess I was talking too loud or something. I didn't mean to give you away like that."

"It's all right. It couldn't be helped, I guess."

After Kerry left, Cathy came into the storeroom. "Should I call Mike?"

"Heavens, no. He'll blow this all out of proportion and come rushing over here for no good reason."

"I'm sorry I didn't stop Kerry, but Mrs. Webber had me so distracted that I didn't realize-"

"It's not your fault. No harm done. Thank goodness the customers here in the store are people who genuinely like me and won't rush out of here to tell the whole town that I'm at Treasures."

"I hope you're right. And it should be okay, if Tracie can keep her mouth shut. You know how she is."

An hour later, a small group representing the WCM-Women for Christian Morality, a radical, fundamentalist organization-showed up outside Treasures. Within ten minutes after those five ladies began marching up and down the sidewalk in front of the shop, reporters from two Huntsville TV stations and from the local newspaper appeared on the scene.

So much for trusting people who liked her. Lorie would lay odds that Tracie had accidentally let it slip about Lorie being at Treasures. Depending on who she told or who overheard her, the news probably traveled at the speed of light.

"I recognize three of those good Christian women out there protesting," Cathy said. "One is a former customer, Sheila Smith, one is Rita Martin, a friend of my mother's, and the other is our old sixth-grade teacher, Doreen Culp."

Lorie sneered. "I always hated Miss Culp and she didn't like me. She's the type who never should have been allowed to teach children. If she'd been around during the Spanish Inquisition, she'd have loved getting the chance to torture people."

By the time Mike showed up, spitting mad and barking orders to his deputies to disperse the crowd, the streets were lined with curiosity seekers, some having left the downtown stores where they worked in order to join the horde and see what all the fuss was about.

Cathy, who had closed Treasures to keep the would-be intruders at bay, unlocked the door to let Mike in and then quickly locked up again. Lorie could hear him clearly from her hideaway in the back of the shop.

"I was afraid something like this would happen." Mike tromped into the shop. "Where's Lorie?"

"In the storeroom," Cathy said. "Buddy's standing guard at the back door. Unfortunately, a small crowd has gathered out there, too. I swear I don't understand this herd mentality that has turned normal people into raving lunatics. How five uptight, narrow-minded rabble-rousers like Miss Culp could stir up such a stink in such a short period of time is beyond me."

"I put in a call for help to Patsy Elliott. I'm hoping that in her capacity as a minister, she can talk sense into the WCM ladies," Mike said as he marched toward the storeroom. "I brought three deputies with me, including Jack, and five more are on their way to help with crowd control. I want this situation ended peacefully."

Cathy followed Mike. "Do not blame Lorie for any of this. If it's anybody's fault, it's mine. I was busy with Mrs. Webber and couldn't get away from her in time to stop Kerry Vaughn before he took a delivery back to the storeroom."

"It's not your fault," Mike told her. "It's my fault for letting Lorie talk me into bringing her here this morning. I knew better, but..." He walked into the storeroom and glared at Lorie. "When I get you safely back to your house, you'll be lucky if even I let you take a walk in the backyard."

Lorie bristled. She knew he was upset with the situation and worried sick about her, but d.a.m.n it, she would not let him take his frustration out on her. "With that att.i.tude, you'll be lucky if I let you step foot in my house again."

Mike huffed, blowing off steam, and then grabbed Lorie's shoulders. He stopped just short of shaking her. "I'm sorry, honey. G.o.d, I'm so sorry." He pulled her into his arms and the rest of the world faded away completely.

She relaxed her tense body and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have nagged you day after day about letting me come into town to Treasures."

Cathy cleared her throat. Lorie and Mike pulled apart and looked at her.

"I don't mean to break up this tender moment, but I think I hear my husband calling out and banging on the back door."

"You two stay here," Mike ordered. "I'll see what's up with Jack."

Lorie and Cathy stood in the storeroom doorway while Mike went to the back entrance, exchanged a few words with Jack, and then opened the door. Jack escorted Reverend Patsy Elliott into Treasures.

"Patsy and I have talked to the mob out front and half the folks have gone on their merry way," Jack said. "There's maybe a dozen people out front, along with three of the ladies from the WCM, who are still ranting and raving. Of course, the TV reporters are still here, cameras ready, and Ryan Bonner just arrived. He must have broken every speed limit between Huntsville and Dunmore to get here so quickly. One of the reporters is out back, along with maybe five or six people, including two of the WCM ladies."

"Thanks." Mike glanced from Jack to Patsy. "I want to take Lorie home as soon as possible. It's just a matter of deciding on the best route-through the back door or front door. Either way, we're going to have to maneuver her safely away from the reporters and the WCM."

"Front door," Lorie said. "I want to go out the front way, flip Miss Culp a bird as I pa.s.s by, and watch her faint dead away."

"I'm glad you find this so all-fired amusing." Mike's brow wrinkled in a censoring frown. "You've got this town riled up. People are taking sides, pro-Lorie and anti-Lorie. My mother and my kids have to defend me to their friends and acquaintances because I'm personally protecting you. Keeping a deputy around the clock at your house is costing the county money it doesn't have. And this little scene today is only adding fuel to the burn-Lorie-Hammonds-at-the-stake frenzy the WCM has stirred up."

Lorie felt as if Mike had slapped her.

"I did not ask you to personally protect me. And I never asked for around-the-clock protection from the sheriff's department." Lorie barely managed to keep her voice calm. What she really wanted to do was scream at Mike. "Don't do me any favors, Sheriff Birkett!" She turned to Jack. "I'd appreciate it if you'd take me home. And if no one else has anything to say, I'm getting my purse and going through the front door and out onto the sidewalk to meet the press and those uptight old bags. They're just jealous because I look so d.a.m.n good in those Playboy Playboy photos and they know that n.o.body would ever want to see any of them naked." photos and they know that n.o.body would ever want to see any of them naked."

"I'll take you home." Mike grabbed her arm.

She jerked away, planted her hands on her hips and yelled, "Don't touch me, d.a.m.n you, Mike Birkett!"

"Lorie." Patsy said her name softly. "As the county sheriff, Mike is under a great deal of pressure trying to protect you and at the same time pacify his const.i.tuents. He's just terribly frustrated. I don't think he meant what he said as a condemnation. He's not blaming you. He was simply stating the facts."

Lorie crossed her arms over her chest and refused to look at anyone in the room.

"How about a compromise?" Jack said. "Let Mike and me take you out of here through the front door and straight to my patrol car and then I'll drive you home. And you won't shoot Miss Culp a bird."

"That sounds like a reasonable plan," Patsy said.

"If you'd like, I'll go home with you," Cathy offered.

When Lorie was angry and hurt the way she was now, she tended not to think straight. Cathy had been her best friend since they were kids and Patsy had become a dear friend during the past few years. She needed to listen to them because they wanted what was best for her.

"No, you stay here and close up shop," Lorie told Cathy. "Once I'm gone, the WCM will leave and the reporters will no doubt follow me home." She turned to Jack. "You can take me out of here through the front door. And I promise to behave myself."

"I'll need Mike's help," Jack told her.

She nodded and then glanced at Mike. "I'd appreciate it if you could post a deputy outside my house until I can hire another Powell agent. I'm sure Maleah can get someone down here in the morning."

"There's no need to call Maleah and hire another agent," Mike said. "I'm not going anywhere."

Before Lorie could reply, Jack intervened. "For now, let's just get you to my car and then home. You and Mike can work out everything else later."

"He's right," Cathy told Lorie. "Please, do what Jack says."

"Okay." Lorie stiffened her spine, determined to hold her head high as she faced the reporters and the WCM witches.

Jack and Mike flanked Lorie as she picked up her purse and marched out of the storeroom, through the shop and to the front door. When Mike opened the door, three deputies moved in to stop the reporters from storming toward Lorie. Mike walked out onto the sidewalk and the minute she emerged from Treasures, he grasped her arm tightly. Their gazes met briefly, his stern look telling her he wasn't letting her go, not now or later. Jack came up on her other side, the two men providing a physical barrier between her and everyone else.

"Leave Dunmore today, Jezebel!" Rita Martin bellowed at the top of her lungs. "We don't want your kind in our town. Not nine years ago and not now."

"Ignore her," Mike whispered as he picked up the pace, hurrying Lorie down the sidewalk toward Jack's patrol car.

"You're a shame and a disgrace to your parents," Doreen Culp yelled. "You broke their hearts with your wickedness."

"We're almost there," Mike told her. "Don't slow down. Don't acknowledge them."

Oh, Mike, Mike, don't leave me. I can't do this without you.

"Wh.o.r.e! s.l.u.t! Harlot!" Sheila Smith hurried after them, repeating the slurs over and over again.

Jack opened the pa.s.senger door. Mike practically shoved Lorie into the car.

"Is she worth risking your career, Sheriff Birkett?" one of the TV reporters asked.

Mike froze to the spot, his hand on the door handle.

"She must be," Ryan Bonner said. "Tell us, Sheriff, is her body still as perfect as it was in those Playboy Playboy photos? Are the b.l.o.w. .j.o.bs she gives you as good as the one she gave that guy in photos? Are the b.l.o.w. .j.o.bs she gives you as good as the one she gave that guy in Midnight Masquerade Midnight Masquerade?"

Mike snapped around and lunged at the Huntsville Times Huntsville Times reporter. Jack grabbed Mike in time to stop him just short of attacking Ryan Bonner. reporter. Jack grabbed Mike in time to stop him just short of attacking Ryan Bonner.