“I have a feeling we’ll be visiting often,” I said and continued to devour my meal. Surprisingly, I was able to finish everything on my plate, including my drink, despite not feeling hungry.
“Are you sure you got enough? I’ll be happy to make you another plate,” Kathleen offered.
“Thank you, but I’m good. I probably overdid it as it is. I never eat that much in one sitting, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.”
“Your body was probably starving for actual sustenance. Who can survive off of watered-down broth and sugar-free Jell-O?”
I scrunched my face in disgust. “If I never see green Jell-O again, it’ll still be too soon.”
“At least you were the patient. The food they had for the visitors was much worse,” Coal pointed out.
“You should’ve said something. I would’ve gladly shared my Jell-O with you.”
“That sounds like a threat,” he teased.
“It might be.”
“Well, if you two are sure you don’t want anything else, I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Thanks, Mom. I think we’re good for now.”
“Be sure to let me know if that changes,” she said and headed for the door. “Oh, I almost forgot. Luke came by to see you earlier, but he didn’t want to wake you. He asked me to call him if you felt like having visitors once you were awake.”
“Yes, please. Luke is always welcome, even if I am sleeping.”
She smiled sweetly. “I’ll let him know.”
When Luke arrived, he walked right over to the bed and wrapped me up in a hug. “You look so much better than the last time I saw you,” he said and tightened his arms around me, causing a small groan to escape me.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” he said and released his hold on me. “Did I hurt you?”
“No, I just ate, and I’m really, really full. Blame your sister.”
He laughed. “I should’ve known. She’s all about the comfort food when a loved one is sick or injured.”
“You’ll hear no complaints from me.”
He reached out and smoothed his hand over my hair. “I’m so glad you’re home and doing better. You had me worried for a minute there.”
“I still have a way to go, but I’m glad to be home, too.”
He pulled up a chair and took a seat, clasping his hands in his lap. “There are a few things we need to discuss,” he said carefully.
“By ‘things,’ do you mean Pamela?”
“Yes. I’m not sure how much you know, so I thought I’d start at the beginning to make sure I don’t miss anything.”
“That sounds good to me. I really don’t know much of anything other than she made me drive her out to the middle of nowhere and tried to kill me.”
“Back in December, she disappeared after two bodies were found on her property. One was an associate of hers, and one was a private investigator who had been hired by her late husband’s son. Since both died in the same manner as her husband, his death investigation has been reopened.”
“You obviously think she killed them, but do you know why?” I asked.
“The working theory is she killed her husband for his money. He changed his will right before his death, leaving everything he had to her, which was several million dollars. His son immediately contested the will and hired a private investigator. We think the PI found something to prove the will wasn’t valid, so she killed him to keep him quiet. As for her associate, we haven’t been able to pinpoint a reason, but we’re still sifting through all the evidence. Unfortunately, with cases of this magnitude, it can take months before we have all the answers.”
“Months?” I asked in disbelief.
“Months before we have all the answers. That doesn’t mean it will be months before we locate Pamela. As of right now, we have more than enough to arrest her once we’ve found her,” he clarified.