Knock, knock... Read online

  Chapter 23

  Tuesday evening…

  Shay entered the hospital and walked to Pappy's room. Roman walked silently at her side. He'd been unapproachable since her demonstration earlier. She couldn't really blame him.

  His energy didn't reach for her or slide or caress her energy any longer. No. His energy swirled as if he wore a glass jar around his body with the colorful energy inside. Yet it wasn't angry.

  Whatever she'd stirred up, it had brought on a major deep-thinking session.

  Her insights were obviously a very sensitive subject.

  But one they'd need to broach sometime in the near future because the bond was growing, deepening between them.

  He couldn't hide his feelings any more than she could avoid seeing how his energy slipped around hers and melded and blended them into one. She felt the little strokes, the little brushes of his essence constantly. Her own energy stretched eagerly, reaching for him.

  Normally, his energy responded in kind. Except right now.

  He was locked down, big time. She could understand. He needed to do something. He needed to be able to put a stop to this nightmare. But she didn't have any answers or any way to stop it.

  They reached Pappy's door in silence. Roman stepped back to let Shay enter first. Gerard was already there. He looked up and smiled when they walked in.

  "There you go, Charles. Look who finally got here."

  Pappy smiled and Shay rushed over. She reached down and gently hugged him. "How are you feeling?"

  She studied him intently; his face was pale and wan. "You didn't sleep well, did you?"

  "I'm fine." He patted her hand. "Don't you worry."

  "Well, I will regardless, so you might as well let me." She dropped a gentle kiss on his forehead. "What about the tests? Did the doctors get the results?"

  He shook his head. "None that say anything. I didn't have a stroke. My heart seems fine. I just seemed to have blanked out."

  Shay smiled. "I'll talk to them. See if they have any other concerns, tests they can do."

  She stepped back, letting Roman in closer, and then walked into the hallway to see if she could find the doctor. Seeing no one, she headed to the nurses' station and asked about her grandfather's test results.

  "Sorry. The doctor is here but hasn't gotten to your grandfather yet." The harried nurse paused her clicking on the keyboard long enough to look up and answer. "Everyone is running behind right now."

  That was normal. Shay understood. "I'll wait for him then. Thanks." She turned and starting walking down the hallway. There were various carts and doors at this end of the floor. She passed a trolley full of folded laundry, and a hamper at the end of the trolley that held dirty laundry. She stopped and looked at the dirty hamper.

  Something was wrong with the picture. She switched her vision on and studied the energy. A nasty black swirled up around the garments in the bin. Oozing, murderous black energy.

  Oh shit. She whirled around, searching for the energy trail. The black came from the hallway that led toward Pappy's room. That energy hadn't been in his room earlier, and Pappy should be safe with both Roman and Gerard to keep watch. Should be...

  Her heart sped up. She was almost running by the time she reached Pappy's room, only to realize the energy trail carried on past. But there was a large collection at the doorway where it must have wallowed for a moment, as if the person looked in and considered this room and then moved on.

  She studied the doorway. The black had pulsed here, gathering tighter together. In anger? In frustration?

  Then it had moved on.

  That information stalled her. Shay had automatically surrounded her grandfather with healing, protective energy, but she hadn't done anything to the doorway.

  But there was other residual energy there. Something had prevented entrance to the room. Could Stefan have…? She stepped back, opened her inner vision, and gasped.

  Bernice. The doorway was outlined with the residual energy of Bernice's soul. Connected as always – to Pappy.

  Her heart stalled, and then she smiled happily. The trio had a unique relationship, and no one could ever doubt the power of their bond. Now, when Pappy was in trouble, Bernice was still protecting him.

  And as for that horrific energy... Shay walked slowly to the next room, where the energy entered and looped back out and turned down the hall again. She stood at the entrance and followed the trail with her eyes. The energy swelled with emotion. It tossed and roiled with the need for expression – and it had found it.

  The elderly woman on the bed had half fallen to the floor. Even from where she stood, Shay understood it was too late to help her.

  She studied the energy, knowing she had to go back to the nurses' station and report what she’d found. But she needed confirmation, if she could find it, evidence that this woman had died of something other than natural causes. In her heart she knew the autopsy would say she died of a heart attack. The black energy had entered the woman's body at the heart chakra and only the heart chakra. The angry entrance had slammed into that poor woman and given no quarter. From where she stood, Shay couldn't tell if the energy had drained from the woman or if she'd been given such a hard jolt that, in her weakened condition, the assault had finished her.

  There was only one purpose for energy like that.

  Murder.

  ***

  Over an hour later, Shay headed back to Pappy's room to say good-bye. She didn't know what the normal procedure was in these cases, but as she'd initially informed a policeman who'd been standing at the nurses' center, She'd been asked to give a statement, just in case. She had no problem giving her version of the event. She really had nothing to tell.

  Nothing that she could tell law enforcement.

  With Roman at her side, she gave her grandfather a gentle hug and kiss goodnight. "I hope you're feeling better in the morning."

  She followed Roman to the door.

  Pappy called out as they were leaving, "Shay, could I speak with you for just a moment?"

  She rushed back over. "What's the matter; aren't you feeling well?"

  "Oh, I'm fine. I just want you to know that I spoke to my lawyer today. Made a few changes to my will."

  She grinned. "That's nothing new. You do that every few months or so."

  He smiled gently. "I do, but that's because I never know when my old heart is going to give out. I want to make sure everything is taken care of."

  "You're not dying, and when you do go, it won't matter anymore because you'll be gone." She chuckled.

  "Don't be cheeky," he chided her gently with their old joke. "I'm not going any time soon. I know that. But I do want you taken care of before then. So my question is: how is the relationship with Roman?"

  She flushed and laughed lightly. "Fine."

  "He's a good man."

  "I know." She didn't know where he was going with this, but she knew he had something to get off his chest.

  "I thought you two would be good together."

  "Are you matchmaking?"

  "No. I need to tell you. I gave him a picture a long time ago. A couple of years ago at least. Of you. From some family gathering. Thought maybe he'd be interested in meeting you."

  She tilted her head and frowned. Interesting. Roman hadn't mentioned it. Then why would he? Besides, for all she knew, Pappy had sent the picture after she and Roman had started chatting anyway. "Okay...I don't know why you would have, but that's fine."

  Relief washed over his face. "Good. I've been worrying over that for a long time. I should have asked you before giving it to him, but..."

  "But you forgot."

  "And Bernice told me not to tell you."

  Bernice? Shay laughed. "Now that figures. She was trying to match the two of us at the end too."

  Pappy smiled. "Maybe this is one time you should listen to your elders."

  Her grin widened. "And maybe it's not."

  She brushed her lips against his papery cheek, hating th
at such a thing had been eating away at him. He was precious to her.

  And she had to protect him.

  ***

  Roman drove home through the busy streets in a deeply contemplative mood. Finally, needing to understand, he asked, "How do you know it's the same energy?"

  She gave a long, heavy sigh. "Energy is like DNA. Individual to each person. Once I see an energy signature, I can recognize the look, the feel of it again. There's a familiarity or sense of knowing that is hard to miss." She settled back. "In this case, as I not only saw it, but was touched by it, I know how this energy also feels. And the same person who attacked me at the cemetery killed that poor woman."

  "And your cousin, Marie, and David, and possibly several other people? That can never be proven."

  "Exactly. Look at what Stefan is up against. How can the police stop someone they can't see? How can they believe a crime was committed when there is no physical evidence?"

  "There's a dead body," he countered.

  She slid him a sideways look he caught from the corner of his eye. "A dead body that will show up in the autopsy as having had a heart attack – ergo, death by natural causes."

  "How can so many people die of natural causes?"

  "Thousands of people die every day from natural causes. And millions die every year from heart attacks. That's why an attack like this is so easy to get away with."

  He couldn't argue with that, but he wanted to, damn it. How often did things like this happen in the world? With everyone oblivious, shaking their heads. "We have to do something."

  She nodded, and then leaned her head back against the headrest and said, "We are."

  "You and Stefan?"

  "Yes."

  Stefan again. "I want to help." He frowned. "What can I do?"

  "I'm not sure there is anything you can do."

  He drove the car around a corner. In a thoughtful voice, he said, "Can you trace this energy to a person?"

  "We're trying to. Stefan picks up a thread of the energy on the ethers and then tracks it back, but he says in this case it's almost like the energy changes, morphs into something else, and then he loses it at that point. It's not a visual path in the way that you or I would think, but an inner vision, so the trail can be lost easily."

  "And lost because someone is hiding?" He watched as she fumbled with her phone. "What are you doing?" he asked.

  "Calling your brother." She moved it away from her head and turned on her speaker phone. "Hi Ronin, anything new?"

  "Actually maybe. We've tracked the brother to Seattle, where we have a last known address. He had a girlfriend – on again, off again. Apparently, she was questioned about him today but said she hasn't seen him for a year or so."

  "A year?" Shay’s mind spun on the possibilities. Surely that timeframe was no coincidence?

  "I'm working to track his movements from their point of departure. I'll keep you updated." He coughed. "How's my brother doing these days?"

  Shay glanced over at Roman. "He's fine."

  "And how are you and my brother?"

  Shay coughed with obvious embarrassment. "All is well. Thanks, Ronin. Keep in touch."

  Roman drove his BMW into his underground parking at home, stopping to key in the code to open the gate, then drove into his parking spot. He turned off his engine and turned to face her as she finished her call. She hopped out of the car and walked toward the elevators. Roman shook his head. Talk about determined.

  He laughed, caught up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I wanted to show you my place."

  She raised an eyebrow. "Good. Have you got new paintings? I'd love to see them."

  "Not the latest. Those are at the gallery."

  He joined her at the elevator and punched in the number.

  She watched, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Penthouse?"

  "I like my space." That's all he said as the elevator rose. The doors opened, and he led the way to a single door in front. He unlocked and pushed it open, letting her inside.

  "Nice." She walked in, her eyes locking on the artwork covering the wall. "These are beautiful." He stood in the hallway and admired her as she wandered the large open space admiring the art.

  "Some older pieces. Glad you like them."

  She smiled, a look that lit her up from the inside. "It's spectacular."

  "You're spectacular," he said softly. "Truly."

  Her smile warmed. She walked toward him. "Thank you." She reached up and placed a light kiss on his lips. He snatched her up and lowered his head to kiss her with the intensity he'd kept locked inside all day.

  She purred in his arms. He deepened the kiss, shifting her slightly to allow better possession of her mouth. He could never get enough of this woman. She was so special. So his.

  ***

  Shay stepped closer, wanting to be inside his mind and body. She needed this man like no other. It didn't matter that she'd said ‘never again.’ They were words spoken before she'd understood what was waiting for her. She'd have raced toward her future if she'd known. Roman was her future. She just needed him to be comfortable with his present, and with her.

  And one perfect way to do that was right here and now.

  She stepped back and smiled up at him. And her fingers went to her blue cotton shirt. She undid the buttons as he watched – a gleam lighting his eyes. His hands hurriedly unbuttoned, unhooked, and undid his clothing, tossing clothes from where he stood. Minutes later, they were both nude in the living room. Standing, staring at each other, with enough heat steaming from their bodies to make her skin glow.

  He was a magnificent animal. Tall, muscled, so masculine. She didn't think he worked out but rather thought he was blessed with a natural grace and form that most men would die to have. She reached up and unclipped her long hair, shaking it free around her shoulders, then took one step closer. She reached out a finger and stroked over the lean muscles of his chest, her finger running a long, teasing stroke that ended at a nasty ragged scar over his ribs. His bullet wound. She couldn't resist; she leaned forward and dropped a kiss on the hardened center. He hissed.

  "You're going to have to tell me about that sometime," she murmured.

  She pulled back slightly, a smile on her face.

  "Later." He opened his arms and she stepped into them.

  ***

  Early Wednesday morning…

  Hours later, Shay woke up refreshed and energized. Roman slumbered, face down beside her. His arm was flung across her belly. What time was it? She couldn't see a clock from her position. There was a gray light to the room, so she guessed it was probably early morning. She wiggled upright and slipped out from under him. She needed a drink and was too wired to go back to sleep.

  A couple of folded t-shirts lay on Roman's dresser. She tossed one over her head, almost laughing when it came to mid-thigh on her. She gave a curious glance around.

  She'd never seen his place and she was wanted to take a peek. The walls in the bedroom were a light, soothing mocha with sharp white trim. His bedding, so similar to hers included a huge duvet in a rich deep chocolate with lighter stripes, now rumpled into a ball at the bottom of his massive bed.

  The atmosphere was light and breezy and satisfaction oozed from the bedroom. And she smiled. She loved being with Roman, and she was seriously thinking that she might be in love with him – maybe even past thinking about it.

  She walked through to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water from the tap, loving the open spacious feeling and the bright tiles on the floor. As she sipped, she wandered around his penthouse. She'd never considered what type of home he'd have, but appreciated that this suited him perfectly.

  There was a large solarium that opened up on the left that appeared to be part workroom and part sitting room. The art on the walls there, sprawled into another room that was filled with paints and easels. She wandered through the large room, loving the pictures. The half light added shadows to the images, highlighting various parts and hiding other
s. And there she was. That they were all the same model only reaffirmed her belief. She hoped one day Roman would share who this woman was that had grabbed his passion and held on so tightly.

  And explain the relationship he had with her.

  She was stunning. But his skill made her even more so. He expressed so much in so few strokes. Her profile, shoulders, everything created with minimal paint.

  The blue accents on some of the pictures intrigued her.

  On some of the paintings there was almost a sheen, a blue air around the central figure. Like an aura? Unusual and intriguing.