Of course you don’t. “Do you want me to?”
He looked torn for a minute. Then the most decisive look she’d ever seen from him crossed his careworn face. “Yes. Yes, I do, Aubrey, if you’re willing. I know Daisy hasn’t been much of a mother--in-law to you. I understand if you’d rather stay out of this. But if there’s something there, and she wakes up, maybe we can put her mind at ease. She was so upset, so disturbed. You should have seen her. It was horrible.”
He started to cry again and Aubrey shushed him, patting him on the back like she would a small child.
Children, rather. The idea that Daisy had more than one child freaked her out. But for Tom, and for Josh, who might actually be out there somewhere, she’d go digging.
A nurse who had just hung up the phone came around the desk to them. “Mr. Hamilton? They’re going to take her into surgery, sir. She’s crashing again, they don’t want to wait any longer.”
“Go, Tom. I’ll handle things out here.”
“Thank you, Aubrey. I love you.”
The words blew her away. Very few people had ever told her they loved her. Her parents, when they were alive. Josh. Meghan. And now Tom.
“I love you, too.” And she meant it.
CHAPTER 43
It was cresting six and the sun was fighting its way into the sky, reluctant but inevitably persistent. Aubrey left the hospital and went directly to Meghan’s house. She hadn’t decided yet whether to tell her about the photo. For some reason, she felt like she needed to keep it to herself. But she’d make that call if it came up.
Sons. Daisy said she had two sons.
Meghan lived in an A-frame in Sylvan Park, and Aubrey knew she was a morning person. Sure enough, when she rolled up to her house, Meghan was outside on the front porch in a robe and slippers, drinking a cup of coffee and reading a book. She parked, and Meghan waved at her with a smile.
“What up, buttercup? You’re moving bright and early today. But you look like crap. Don’t you sleep?”
“Rarely, it seems. I need your help,” Aubrey said.
“With what? I’m still looking into Derek Allen. I asked Daniel to pull everything he could find on him. We’re meeting later this morning to talk about it. You have another problem, sugar?”
“Daisy took a turn for the worse and is back in surgery. She said some crazy stuff and Tom wants me to look into her files, see what I can find.”
“Crazy stuff like what?”
Aubrey leaned against the column that held the roof up over the porch. She hadn’t had breakfast, even tea, was running on fumes. “Like she has more than one son.”
Meghan rocked back in her seat. “Seriously? Wow. That’s . . . intriguing.”
“I don’t know. She could have just been corked out of her brain on morphine. Tom asked me to look into it. You game? You are the one who was married to the PI, after all. I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
“Hell yeah, I’m in. Let’s do it!” She stood and started down the stairs.
“Um, Meghan? This isn’t a clothing-optional field trip.”
Meghan stopped and looked down. “Oh, yeah. Give me a sec.”
She roared back inside and came out five minutes later, hair wet and glistening, combat boots unlaced, miniskirt only slightly askew.
They got in the Audi and buckled up. “I need to stop by the house and check on Tyler and Winston first. Will only take a second.”
“Tyler’s back?”
“Sweating it out on my couch.”
“Bless his heart.”
“You know it.”
The drive was quick. Meghan offered to stay in the car, just to be safe.
“He doesn’t bite, you know.”
“He hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you,” Aubrey said. “You just represent all the worst ills of society to him.”
“I don’t get it. I’m a rebel. You’d think he’d love me.”
They’d been through this before. Tyler felt like Meghan was a poseur, just faking being this romantic rebel to make her coffee shop cool to the college kids. Aubrey didn’t think Tyler had any room to complain, considering. They’d argued about it more than once.
“Fine, stay here. I’ll be quick.”
Winston was thrilled to see her. Tyler was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a box of cereal. Without a bowl.
“Feeling better?” she asked, the suspicion in her voice clear. He usually didn’t eat when he was coming down.
“Not really. But I thought I should try something. Your moms-in-law okay?”
She collapsed in the seat next to him, rubbed Winston’s ears.
“No. She’s in emergency surgery right now. I need to go by their house, get some things.” She was hedging, and Tyler knew it. He sat back in the chair and eyed her.
“What kind of things?”
“Not money, Tyler. Records. Seems Daisy might have had more than one child, but no one knew about it until now. Is there any tea?”
“Do I look like your waiter?”