Hidden Threat Read online

  She hugged Jesse next, then exchanged an awkward hug with Pop. Eve still hadn’t worked through her conflicted feelings about some of his past decisions and wasn’t sure how to act. She stepped away and gave Blaze, the newest foster sister, a one-armed hug before the teen shrugged away. The blue in her hair had been replaced with fuchsia. “Nice color, kiddo.”

  “Thanks. I saw the article in the paper about you accusing that congressman of burying grease from his restaurant. So did you get fired, or what?”

  All eyes turned to Eve. Leave it to Blaze to cut to the heart of the matter. She wasn’t ready to talk about this just yet, so she tried a bit of deflection. “Since when do you read USA Today?”

  Blaze huffed out a breath. “A girl’s gotta stay informed. Isn’t that what you’ve been preaching? So why are you here?”

  Despite herself Eve grinned and hugged Blaze again before she could escape. “Right. But, no, I didn’t get fired. I’m taking a short leave of absence. I figured I’d come home.”

  “What congressman?” Sasha wanted to know.

  Eve waved that away. She wasn’t ready to deal with Sasha’s questions yet, either. “I’ll fill you all in later.” She pulled up a chair. “Right now I want to hear how Mama is doing.”

  Mama opened one eye and glared at all of them. “Mama is doing fine, and I want you all to go home so I can rest. I can’t sleep with you staring at me.” She looked over at Eve. “But I want a word with Eve, first.”

  The family trooped out of the room after another round of kisses on Mama’s cheeks while anxiety slid under Eve’s skin. The last time Mama wanted something from her daughters, it turned out to be far more than any of them had bargained for.

  Mama waited until the door shut, then took one of Eve’s hands in her thin one. Eve bit her lip, hard. No matter how much she tried to resist, those dratted tears leaked out at the worst times.

  “Do you remember my friend Althea Daughtry?”

  Eve smiled at the memory. “I do. Miss Althea was our Sunday school teacher.” The tiny, gray-haired woman with dusky skin and a will of iron had used the same no-nonsense approach to Sunday school as she had during the week as a public-school teacher.

  “She was also my friend. The Lord called her home last year. Bladder cancer.” When Eve opened her mouth to say she didn’t want to hear about friends dying, Mama held up her other hand. “Let me finish. Her great-grandbaby, little Glory, is very sick. They think it might be from the water.”

  Eve’s every sense went on alert. “Where did you hear this?”

  “I heard the nurses talking about it, but it was also in the Gazette.”

  Eve whipped out her phone and punched in the Gazette’s website. The headline slammed into her like an unexpected fist.

  LOCAL INFANT HOSPITALIZED, NEAR DEATH. DOCTOR SUSPECTS BLUE BABY SYNDROME.

  Eve’s heart pounded as she scanned the article. Most people had never heard of blue baby syndrome, and medical professionals often attributed the blue lips, fingers, and skin tone to a heart issue. Which it might well be, but Eve knew there could be another cause, one often overlooked, that could be deadly. If four-month-old Glory Daughtry had consumed water contaminated with high levels of nitrates, often from nearby agriculture, she could become mentally impaired or die if she wasn’t treated right away. Eve had seen it too many times. The results could be tragic.

  Did this doctor know to check for that? The article seemed to hint at it, saying Dr. Stern was “exploring all possibilities.” He’d also done some work in third-world countries for Doctors Without Borders, where blue baby was much more common.

  Either way, baby Glory didn’t have much time.

  “You will look after Althea’s granddaughter, Celia, and make sure the doctors are doing all they can. I’ll not have her going through this alone.” Mama narrowed her eyes. “Is there more to this than the paper said?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “You will find out. For me. And for that baby’s sake.”

  Since that was exactly what Eve planned, she nodded and kissed Mama’s forehead. “I’ll keep you posted.” She would talk to Dr. Stern, make sure he checked beyond a simple heart issue. He should also check where the Daughtrys lived and whether there was agriculture nearby.

  Eve thought of her boss’s earlier tirade and winced. Mr. Braddock would no doubt have some choice words when—if—he found out what she was doing. So for now, she wouldn’t tell him. She’d always been able to talk her way around his anger, but a small part of her worried she was going too far this time. Still, a baby’s life was in danger. That had to come first.

  “Go see them right now,” Mama commanded. “They need you.” And with that she closed her eyes and pretended to go to sleep.

  Eve joined her family in the hallway. “I’ll meet you all back at the marina. I need to make a quick stop on the way home.”

  “Where are you going?” Blaze crossed her arms over her chest in a fair imitation of Mama’s expression and narrowed her eyes.

  “No big deal. I just want to check on something I read about in the Gazette.”

  Blaze clearly wasn’t fooled by her nonchalant tone. “You’re talking about the blue baby, aren’t you? The article said the doctors think it’s her heart.”

  “It could be.”

  “You think it might be something else.”

  “I read about that,” Jesse added from where he stood propped against the wall. “Poor kid. You going to check it out?”

  Sasha marched over and poked Eve in the shoulder, backing her against the wall. “That’s why you’re really here, isn’t it? Not for Mama. But because you found another ‘cause’ to fight for.”

  Eve shook her off and stepped away. “That’s not fair, Sash, and you know it. I’m here for Mama.”

  “And to investigate.” Sasha’s chin came up as she dared Eve to deny it.

  Jesse laid a calming hand on his wife’s arm. “You’re making assumptions, Sasha. Besides, none of us can sit by Mama’s bedside 24-7. She wouldn’t stand for it.”

  Eve stared her sister down. “Yes, I’m going to investigate. Mama asked me to—and little Glory’s mother needs an advocate. It’s what I do.”

  Sasha brushed Jesse off and glared at Eve. “You can’t save everyone, Eve.”

  Eve’s chin came up, too, just as it did whenever they had this particular argument. “Maybe not. But I can try. I have to try.”

  Blaze furrowed her brow. “What’s going on?”

  Jesse leaned close to Blaze, but Eve heard every word. Even after all this time, the pain dug deep.

  “Eve’s mother died from drinking contaminated water when Eve was about thirteen, back in Chicago, so she’s pretty passionate about preventing that sort of thing.”

  Blaze locked eyes with Eve. “You think this blue baby drank poisoned water?”

  Eve thought of her mother and rubbed over the ache in her heart. “Maybe. That’s what I want to know.”

  “Then I’m coming with you.” Blaze stepped beside her and silently dared her to say no.

  “OK, but let me do the talking. We’ll catch up with the rest of you at the marina.”

  She’d deal with Sasha later. Right now she had questions for Glory’s mother. Blaze, in her usual army boots, clumped down the hall by her side as they headed for the intensive care unit, where a nurse directed them to a small waiting room off to one side. Curled up on a plastic sofa with a sweatshirt for a blanket, a young twentysomething woman with curly dark hair blinked her eyes open when Eve and Blaze approached.

  “Celia Daughtry?”

  The young woman nodded and slowly sat up, pushing her hair off her face. The dark circles under her eyes attested to her worry, and indicated she’d been sick, too. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Eve Jackson, and this is my sister, Blaze. How is little Glory doing?”

  Celia blinked and looked from one to the other. “Why are you here? Do I know you?”

  Eve studied the young woman, s
earching her memory. “I grew up in Safe Harbor, and Miss Althea was my Sunday school teacher.”

  Pain filled the young mother’s eyes. “Grandmama Althea passed last year.”

  “That’s what I heard. I’m so sorry for your loss.” Eve paused, tried to figure out the best approach. “I live and work in DC, now. I read about your baby in the Gazette. Is she getting any better?”

  Celia came to her feet, suspicion in her eyes. “Are you a reporter? I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you need to leave.”

  Eve edged closer, palms out, desperate to appear warm and friendly. She needed Celia’s cooperation, and she wouldn’t get it if she scared her away. “I’m not a reporter. My mama and your grandmother were friends. I work for an environmental agency, and I’d like to help you figure out what caused your daughter to get sick.”

  The young mother’s eyes filled with tears, and Eve felt her own heart clench.

  “How can you know more than the doctors do? I just want them to make her better.” Celia lowered her face to her hands and cried. “But so far, they don’t know what’s wrong, and my baby keeps getting sicker.”

  Celia’s helplessness washed over Eve, tugging her mind back to the night her mother died. The helplessness, the terror, the overwhelming guilt that this was her fault. If she hadn’t given her mother that water, she wouldn’t have died. If she’d come back sooner, no matter what her mother had said, she might have been able to save her.

  Eve swallowed hard and forced her mind back to the present. She couldn’t go there mentally, or she wouldn’t be able to think. “Dr. Stern has officially diagnosed her with blue baby syndrome, right?” At Celia’s nod, Eve continued. “But she wasn’t born with any kind of heart defect?”

  “No. Not that we know of, but they checked, just to be sure. She’d been fine until a few days ago. But then she got real quiet and listless, and started having trouble breathing. It kept getting worse, and when she started turning blue, I brought her here.”

  Celia sagged back down on the couch as though she didn’t have the strength to stand. Eve sat beside her and gently took the young mother’s hand in hers. “I’m sure Dr. Stern is running all kinds of tests and doing everything he can. Do you nurse Glory? Have you had the flu?”

  “I couldn’t nurse her. But I’ve had a stomach bug for a couple of days.” Celia shrugged. “But it’s nothing like what Glory has.”

  Eve’s brain ran through possibilities. “I’d like to go out to your property and look around, see if I can find any clues that would help pinpoint what caused this in the first place. If that’s all right with you.”

  Celia shrugged. “I don’t care. I just need my baby to get well. Glory is all I have.” She broke down into sobs, and Eve gathered her close, rubbing her back and making soothing noises. She blinked back her own tears and looked over at Blaze, whose eyes held their own suspicious sheen.

  After Celia’s sobs subsided and she’d dried her eyes, Eve pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “Could you give us the address and a way to contact you?” When Celia rattled off the information, Blaze entered it into the smartphone she had pulled from her back pocket. Eve patted Celia’s hand as she stood. “Try to get some rest. Glory will need you to be strong. If you don’t mind, we’ll peek in on her on our way out.”

  On the other side of the ICU, she and Blaze peered through the window at the tiny baby girl in a huge crib. She had blue lips and fingers and was connected to far too many tubes and wires.

  Eve straightened and clenched her hands at her sides. Every instinct screamed this was nitrate poisoning, and she planned to prove it. She had to find Dr. Stern.

  Before she could, a woman marched up to the ICU window and placed both hands on the glass. “Sweet Jesus, heal our precious little girl.” She bowed her head and her voice faded away, but her lips kept moving in prayer. The man beside her shifted uncomfortably.

  For a moment Eve thought she was seeing Miss Althea, but then she realized this must be her daughter, though she was much broader in the beam than her mother had been. The tall, well-built man beside her looked about her age, but carried himself like a former football player.

  When the woman raised her head, she eyed Eve. “How do you know my grandbaby? You one of them reporters?”

  “No, ma’am. I’ve Eve Jackson. Miss Althea used to be my Sunday school teacher.”

  “I’m Althea’s daughter, IdaMae. This here is my brother, Leon.” She studied Eve. “Don’t have no Jacksons here in Safe Harbor.”

  “No, ma’am. I’m one of the Martinelli daughters. This is Blaze, another of their daughters. Mama Rosa was a friend of Miss Althea’s. She asked me to stop by and check on little Glory.”

  “That’s right kind of you. Tell Mama Rosa we hope she gets to feeling better soon.”

  “You don’t live around here,” Leon said.

  “No, sir. I live in DC. I came to check in with Mama Rosa.”

  “You and your sisters stirred up a boatload of trouble last time you were in town.” He narrowed his eyes like he was searching for some memory, then jabbed a finger in her direction. “You’ve always been one of them tree huggers, stirring up trouble since you were in high school. We don’t want your kind around our little Glory.”

  Eve kept her smile firmly in place, tone polite. “Like I said, Mama asked me to stop by. You all have a nice day.”

  As soon as they were out of earshot, Blaze said, “You didn’t tell them you were looking for the cause.”

  “Nope. I want to gather as much information as I can before people get suspicious of me and shut down.”

  Blaze glanced back over her shoulder. “I hope that baby makes it.”

  “Me, too. We’ll do everything we can from our end.” Eve raised her voice. “Excuse me, Dr. Stern?”

  The gray-haired doctor stopped long enough for them to reach him. “How may I help you?”

  “Are you thinking nitrates caused Glory Daughtry’s illness?”

  He seemed surprised by the question, then narrowed his eyes. “Who are you?”

  “I’m a friend of the family. Are you going to treat her for nitrate poisoning?”

  “That’s confidential information.” His cell phone buzzed, and he took it out of the holder at his hip. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have patients to attend.”

  “If you don’t act fast, that baby could die.”

  He puffed up, and Eve wanted to call back her impulsive words.

  “I am well aware of my patient’s needs, young lady. Good day.”

  As he marched away, Blaze muttered, “That went well.”

  Eve sighed. Too often her desperation to get answers got in the way. Drat her unruly tongue. “I need to go out to Celia’s house. I’ll drop you off at the marina.”

  They walked out to the parking lot. As Blaze climbed into the passenger seat, Eve scanned the hospital, and that twitchy feeling of being watched skittered between her shoulder blades. It caught her off guard, but she shouldn’t really be surprised, since she’d given the townspeople plenty of reasons to distrust her and her “reckless crusading” years ago. Maybe this time, she could not only help little Glory, but she could help set the past to rights, too.

  Chapter 2

  Cole Sutton shoved his black Stetson back on his head and squinted up into the blazing sun, wondering what in blue blazes he was doing back in Florida. If not for his promise to Ma, he would still be in Montana, working the run-down ranch he’d recently sunk every penny into buying. But then his father had died, Ma had called, and now here he was, fighting to save the ranch his father had kicked him off of seventeen years ago.

  Cole shook his head and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck as he scanned the area. Another cow had given birth to a deformed calf early this morning, which made the third this month. The vet was trying to help him find the cause, but so far nothing.

  He sighed. This was not the way to get the ranch out of the red. Ma had seriously hedged when she said things
were a “little lean.” If he didn’t figure out a way to turn things around, fast, the situation was going to get a lot worse than lean. They were headed straight for foreclosure.

  He placed a booted foot on the paddock rail as he watched one of the dirt roads that came onto the ranch, still soggy after an early-morning rain shower. A girly little blue hybrid slipped and slid through the mud as the driver fought to make forward progress. He squinted. Nobody came in the back way, through the mud, in a car like that on purpose. Which meant they were either selling vacuum cleaners or religion, or they were lost.

  As the car sank down in the mud on the other side of the paddock, the driver’s side opened and a beautiful woman with a cloud of curly black hair gingerly stepped out and immediately sank ankle deep in the mud. Cole grinned as the woman flailed and tugged, trying to pull her feet from the quagmire.

  He figured he should lend a hand.

  He crossed the paddock and ducked under the fence to hear the woman muttering about ruining her favorite shoes as she tried to extricate herself from the mire. “Can I help you?”

  She hadn’t heard him approach and yelped in surprise. She tried to spin around, but with her feet stuck, she wobbled and would have fallen. He reached out a hand to steady her just as she lunged backward to free herself. He managed to scoop her into his arms and brace his feet so they didn’t both end up in the mud. Before he could get a secure grip on her, she started squirming.

  “Let me go. Put me down!” she demanded.

  Cole grinned as he shifted his hold. She was cute, issuing orders while in his arms. And her snug curves felt really nice tucked against his chest, but he wouldn’t think about that right now. “Easy there, darling, or we’re both going to end up in the mud.”

  “Put me down! Who are you?”

  Cole headed over to the fence and carefully set her on the top rail, caging her with his arms so she wouldn’t topple over. He grinned at her disgruntled expression. “I’m the guy whose family owns this property. Who are you?”

  “Oh. I’m—wait.” She pushed the hair out of her face, and her eyes widened as she studied him. “Cole? Cole Sutton?”