“Hey, Dice,” she answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Ember. I need you to do me a favor. Well, it’s actually for Daphne.”
“Sure, what can I do for her?” she agreed without even knowing what I was going to ask of her.
“Can you keep Diablo at your place for a few days?”
“Of course. Is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not. I’m at the hospital with Daphne now. We think she’s been poisoned with a lethally toxic mushroom. Patch and Gabby are here, but she’s going to have to stay a couple of days. Diablo is at my house. Your dad should have a key. His food is in the kitchen, and he has some toys scattered around the living room.”
“I have a key, so I’ll head over there now.”
“Listen, I know the farm is safe, but someone is going to great lengths to hurt Daphne. I’d feel better if you took one or two of the brothers with you when you go to my house.”
“No problem. Dash and Falcon are here. They can go with me. Does Daphne need us to bring her anything from home?”
“Shit. I didn’t think to ask her, and she just fell asleep.”
“That’s okay. I’ll pack a bag with a few things she’ll probably want, like pajamas and her phone charger, and have one of the guys bring it to you. Do you need anything from your house?”
“No, I’m okay for right now. Thanks, Ember. I really appreciate it, and I know Daphne will, too.”
“No problem. Text me later and let me know how she’s doing.”
After ending the call with Ember, I called Jan from Daphne’s office. I’d met her before, and Daphne always spoke highly of Jan. I knew she would get the message to the appropriate person.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Jan. This is Daphne’s friend, Dice.”
“Oh, hi. Is everything okay?”
“Actually, no it isn’t. I’m at the hospital with Daphne. She’s really sick and will be out of work for a few days.”
“Oh no! Is there anything I can do?”
“Yes, can you let her boss know? Also, I picked her up from work and drove her to the hospital. She was the last one there, and I’m not sure if we locked up. Would it be too much trouble for you to make sure we did?”
“Of course not. I have the security app on my phone. I can lock the doors and set the alarm from home. And I’ll let Andi know about Daphne. Can I ask what’s going on with her?”
I wasn’t sure how much I should tell her, but I didn’t want to lie to her either. “The doctors think she ate something that made her sick.”
“Like food poisoning?”
“Yes! Like food poisoning.”
“Oh, how awful. You tell her not to worry about work. I’ll call and check on her tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Jan.”
I ended the call with Jan and stared at the phone. I decidedly did not want to call Walter and tell him what happened to Daphne, but I knew I had to.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he answered.
“Hey, Walter. It’s Dice.”
“What happened?” he demanded.