“Why don’t you lie down? You’re tired. I could bring you some tea? And a magazine?”
“The courtyard,” she said. “I need the sun.”
He set her up on one of the chaises. He worried it was chilly, so he brought a blanket along with her sunglasses and iPhone and a magazine.
“There are a couple of things I have to take care of,” he said. “The office, I’ve been away—”
“Go. I’m not sick. And I’m not made of glass. Obviously, considering the knock I took to my head.”
He didn’t smile and she went on. “I’m fine. Really.”
He bent and kissed her. “I’ll be in the study, answering e-mails. Call if you need anything. Anything. Promise?”
She did, but still he lingered. “Enough, you. Just go—” She waved him off. “I won’t be able to nap with you hovering like this.”
So he left her. Bailey laid her head back and closed her eyes, letting her mind drift, like the puffy clouds above.
A sharp sound broke the gentle day. A gunshot. Her eyes snapped open, fear gripping her. She looked down at her lap, her hands.
A cry of terror escaped her. Blood. Where had all this blood come from?
“There you are.”
Bailey jerked her head up, and pain shot through it. Raine, standing just inside the courtyard gate, a huge arrangement of flowers in her arms.
“My God, Bailey, what’s wrong?”
“I was dreaming. I thought … Did you hear a gun go off a moment ago?”
Raine went white. The arrangement slipped from her hands, the vase shattered as it hit the brick patio floor. “Where’s Logan?”
“His study. Raine, what—”
But the other woman was gone before Bailey could get the words out, running into the house, calling Logan’s name.
And then it hit her why. No. He couldn’t … he wouldn’t. Panicked, Bailey leaped to her feet and ran after the other woman. She flew through the kitchen and into the foyer, then stopped short. She grabbed the banister for support, dizzy, head throbbing.
Logan, alive and well, his sister, clinging to him and shaking. He looked befuddled.
“Raine, it’s okay.” He patted her back, then drew away from her, looking her in the eyes. “What brought this on? I’m fine.”
“Bailey said she heard a gunshot.”
“I did.” Bailey stepped into his line of sight. “I’d dozed off and it woke me up.”
“When?”
“Just now. Right before Raine arrived.”
“I didn’t hear anything.” He looked at his sister. “Did you?”
She shook her head. “But I had the radio on.”
“I’d better call down to the barn, see if they heard it.” He quickly dialed. “Hey Paul— Yeah, she’s fine. Look, she was outside and thought she heard a gunshot. You hear anything down there?” He paused, obviously listening, then nodded. “That’s what I’m afraid of. If so, it was damn close to the house.” He stopped to listen again. “I agree. But let me get a little more information from her first. Thanks, man.”
“Did he?” Bailey asked.
“No, but it wouldn’t surprise him if you did. Considering recent events.”
Henry.
“Paul’s going to call the sheriff’s office, but I wanted to get as many details from you as possible first.”
“The sound awakened me. I opened my eyes and I—”
Saw blood. A lot of blood.
“What?”
She brought a hand to her head. “I don’t feel so good. My head hurts really bad.”
He was by her side in an instant, helping lower her to sit on the stairs. “Deep breath, baby. Everything’s all right. Just calm down.”
He looked at his sister. “Could you get a cool cloth for the back of her neck?”
Moments later, Raine returned with it and Logan laid it on the back of her neck. “That’s it,” he said. “Breathe. In your nose, out your mouth.”
She did and after several seconds the pain eased and the dizziness passed. She took the cloth from her neck. “I feel better now. Thanks.”
“So stop scaring us, please,” Raine said. “I don’t think I can take any more.”
The image of red filled her head. “Logan, I—” Her throat closed over the words; she cleared it. “I may have remembered something. Or—” She bit the last back, moved her gaze between Logan and Raine. “Or maybe I was dreaming.”
He curled his fingers around hers. “Tell us.”
“I opened my eyes and saw … blood. On my hands and my jeans.”
“Anything else?”
“No. There was Raine—”
“Having the life scared out of her, thank you very much.”
Logan ignored his sister and squatted in front of Bailey. “You were dreaming,” he said.
“Why do you think so?”
“I told you about Henry in the hospital and you were really upset about it right before your nap.”
“But the blood—”
“Remember what Billy Ray said? That you had a lot of blood on you. Of course it was on your mind.”
That’s right. Of course.
From out front came the slam of a car door. Bailey jumped. She noticed Raine did, too. The other woman’s nerves seemed to be just as fried as hers.
Raine started toward the door. “Maybe what you heard was me slamming the car door? It certainly made us both jump just now.” Raine peered out the sidelight, then looked over her shoulder at Logan. “We have company, and it’s your very favorite person.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Sunday, April 20
4:05 P.M.
“Hello, Billy Ray,” Raine said, cracking open the door. “Isn’t this a lovely surprise.”
“Give it a rest, Raine. I’m here to speak to Logan and Bailey.”
“I don’t think they want to speak to you.” She looked over her shoulder at her brother and grinned. “Do you?”
Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to Billy Ray. “He said to go screw yourself.”
Logan strode forward. “That’s enough, Raine.”
“After all the trouble he’s caused our family? Not near enough.”
Logan yanked the door the rest of the way open. “Now’s not a good time, Williams.”
“I’m sure it’s not, but I’m here anyway. Just came to check on your wife. See how she was feeling.”
He looked past Logan to her and smiled. “The doctor let you go home. That’s good news.”