Dakota’s Delight Read online

  “Maybe,” he said. “I can’t say I’ve been looking though.”

  “Neither have I,” she admitted. “I’m not sure it works that way.”

  “No, but, in your case, you need to move on. It’s hard, but that’s the easiest way to get back into living your life.”

  She nodded, and she tried to keep talking, but her eyelids drooped. “I think I can sleep now,” she whispered.

  “Good. Go to sleep. I’ll stay here for a few minutes to make sure you’re good.”

  She snuggled deeper into the blankets and whispered, “You’re a very nice man.”

  “No,” he said quietly. “I’m really not.”

  She struggled to answer but it took too much energy and decided against it. With each breath she let herself drift deeper into sleep. When she woke up the next time, she was all alone again; yet, as she assessed her pain level, she realized she felt a whole lot better. She checked her cell phone. It was now past eight. Grabbing another two plus hours helped her feel relatively decent. Now if only she had clothes to get changed into. She had to stay in the bathrobe and oversize T-shirt that had been provided for her.

  She slipped her feet into slippers on the floor beside the bed and walked to the chair to put on the bathrobe. In the bathroom once again, she straightened up her tangled mess of auburn curls but gave up. She’d have to use a lot of conditioner to get the curls under control. She wasn’t even sure that was possible at this point as a shower was out of the question for now.

  She walked to the door, feeling more energetic. Although various parts of her body hurt, the pains weren’t sharp in her back. She opened the door and stepped out in the hallway.

  Once again it was empty. But this time she remembered her way to the elevator, taking it to the main floor, and headed for the kitchen. She stopped when she saw Alfred’s face focused on the large grill in front of him, busy cooking up what appeared to be food for dozens of people. Instinctively she walked forward and asked, “May I help you?”

  He looked up and smiled at her. “You can help me by going in and sitting down beside Dakota. He’s been worried about you.”

  “I can do that,” she said gently. “But I can also help you. I’m not helpless, and I’m not that badly injured.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve got this.”

  She admired his efficiency as he worked his way from one side of the grill to the other. “You do have my utmost admiration. It takes skill to cook for this many people all the time.”

  “You grow into it.”

  “I wonder.” She made her way through the kitchen to the dining room.

  Dakota hopped to his feet. “I was hoping you’d sleep in longer.”

  “I woke up a few moments ago. I didn’t feel comfortable as a guest to just stay in bed.”

  “That’s hardly an issue here. Until you’re back to full health, sleep in as long as you want. It’s important we take care of you and make sure you’re safe.” He pulled out a chair and said, “Sit down. I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”

  She managed to sit on her own and settled back slightly. If she kept her position and posture relaxed and in good form, the pain wasn’t too severe. And of course everybody else was checking her out too. She smiled at the people around the table a little shyly. There were more women now than she remembered seeing last night, but then last night she couldn’t identify one from the other. “Good morning, everyone,” she said.

  “Good morning” was the chorus answer.

  Ice walked in just then, studied Bailey carefully and said, “You look much better.”

  “Thank you. I’m feeling a bit better.” When Dakota placed a cup of coffee in front of her, she smiled her thanks and turned her attention back to Ice. “Any word from the detective?”

  Ice said, “He didn’t find anything this morning either because of the heavy rains.”

  Beside her, Dakota opened several images and then turned his laptop for her to see. She studied the men’s faces. One image showed two men, the mayor stood in the center. Standing beside the mayor was the man who had shot the third man.

  She tapped the man’s face on the screen and said, “That’s the man who shot the third one.”

  “That’s Jim Haskell,” Dakota said. “One of the mayor’s two right-hand men.” He brought up a third image and said, “This is the third man that made up their very strong trio. His name is Troy Burgess.”

  She stared at it, felt the click of recognition and whispered in a low tone, “Not strong enough. That’s the man who was shot.”

  *

  Of all the things to come out of her mouth, that was not what he had expected. He didn’t realize she’d been so close that she could see the victim’s face. No wonder they’d shot at her. And wouldn’t stop looking for her either. On a whim, he had brought up the third man. He studied her drawn features. “Are you sure?”

  Her gaze flicked back to the image, and she nodded. “I’m sure.”

  He turned to the others. “Now what?”

  Ice already had her phone out, dialing Detective Mannford. She stood up and stepped away from the crowd, so she could hear better. When Mannford answered the phone, she spoke. “This is Ice. We have a tentative ID on the victim.”

  She continued to walk away, making it hard for anybody to hear the rest of the conversation. But it wasn’t hard to see Bailey’s reaction. She reached out a trembling hand to pick up her coffee cup but put it down because she couldn’t stop the liquid from spilling over the edge. She clenched her hands into fists and rested them on her lap.

  Dakota reached over and covered her hands with his. “It’ll be fine.”

  She raised her dark gaze to his. “A man died.”

  “And you couldn’t have done anything to stop it,” he said, his voice gentle with understanding. “You can’t take on the guilt for that.”

  She bit on her lip and then slowly nodded. “Intellectually I know that’s true. But emotionally I’m still kind of wrecked about it. I stood there and stared when I should’ve cried for help. I should’ve done something. What if he wasn’t killed outright by the bullet? What if he died later because he didn’t get help fast enough?”

  “With a bullet taken at such a close distance in the chest area of the body, chances are he was dead before he hit the ground.”

  She shrugged. “And again I know that in theory, but …” She sighed. “The police need to check that I have the right man.”

  Ice returned to the table. “Mannford is doing just that first thing. If he can’t find him, he’ll put out an APB for him. Then he’ll visit the mayor.”

  “And still it’s my word against theirs,” Bailey said. “And I’m no one.”

  Levi nodded. “Exactly why you must stay out of sight. If you are the only witness who can prove their involvement, then it will be to their benefit if you disappear.”

  She took a low gasping breath.

  Ice added, “And considering they have already taken one life, they won’t stop at taking a second.”

  Bailey swallowed hard. “I can take the vacation and sick days I’ve accrued at my job,” she said hesitantly. “But after that expires, I have to return to work. My husband’s illness wiped out our savings.”

  The others exchanged a look. Dakota knew what they were thinking. It wouldn’t be a case of a week or two. She would pretty well have to stay out of sight for a long time. At least until after this was settled one way or another.

  He glanced across at Ice. “Witness protection?”

  She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side as if considering. “I’ll bring it up with Mannford when we get that far. Let’s hope there’s a much faster, easier solution than that.”

  Bailey stared at Dakota in shock. “No way I can do something like that.”

  He glanced over at her. “You’re already alone. You’ve lost the person who mattered the most to you, and you have no other good friends or family. Right now witness protection would be easy. New name, new loc
ation. You’re already doing that right now.”

  She opened her mouth to protest and slowly closed it. “It just seems wrong.”

  He shook his head. “Unfortunately many people have gone through something like this.”

  “But that’s not today’s issue,” Ice said firmly. “I need to check your dressing. We can do it now or after you’ve eaten.”

  Alfred’s voice called from the kitchen, “Breakfast is ready.”

  Everybody bolted into action, some setting the table, others walking into the kitchen to help Alfred carry out the trays of food.

  Dakota sat beside Bailey. “Just sit tight.”

  He watched the amazement cross her face as the group played a part in bringing out platters of food and plates and cutlery, not to mention the condiments they each wanted.

  When a large platter of unbuttered toast came out, she smiled. “That’s something I can do to help.”

  A large container of butter and a knife were handed to her with a plate. She quickly worked her way through the job. Within minutes everybody sat at the table, joking and talking as they served themselves the delicious food. She snagged a piece of toast before the platter moved on to the next person. Dakota made sure all the other dishes came by her, and she had a decent selection for herself. She needed sustenance to regain her strength and to heal.

  “What kind of work do you do in town?” Ice asked.

  “I’m a buyer for Waltons, Inc. It’s a restaurant supply house.”

  Several people nodded around the table, understanding what she did.

  Dakota wasn’t exactly sure. “Does that mean you do all the purchasing for the company?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I source the best prices and then do all the ordering and budgeting for the company.”

  “Do you like the job?” Ice asked.

  “It keeps me busy, not having time to think about missing my husband. A lot of work is involved, and I like that. I work mostly alone, and that’s also not necessarily a bad thing. All in all, it’s a good job.”

  “Was this a new job after your husband passed away?” Dakota asked.

  “Yes, I’ve only been there almost six months.” She shot him a look. “How did you know?”

  “Because you don’t have much time off coming to you.”

  She nodded. “I lost my job when my husband became so ill. But I had to turn around and get another one quickly. Of course it was temporary with no benefits. Though, at that time, I ended up with about four different jobs.” Bailey shrugged. “The only thing I hated about that was how I was away from him for hours. … When he passed away, I had to sell everything to cover the bills. It took me a long time to clear it all.” She gave a ghost of a smile. “I know I should be proud I’m debt-free again, but honestly it was a hard go. And I don’t want to go through it again so soon.”

  There was silence as everyone contemplated the burden on her shoulders. She’d been dealing with it the best she could.

  “The fact that you’ve cleared yourself of those debts says a lot,” Sienna said. “It takes a massive amount of dedication and savings to do that.”

  “All I had was work,” Bailey admitted. “I took all the overtime I could get.”

  Ice winced. “It probably took plenty to pay for his last months in the hospital, so that made it almost impossible for you to stay home.”

  Bailey nodded. “I had to work. His medication was extremely expensive, and I couldn’t see him suffer without it. So not working wasn’t an option.”

  “You survived. That’s what counts. Your husband would want you to have a whole new life now. And tomorrow will look brighter than today yet again.”

  “Right, I just saw somebody murdered. The killers saw me and tried to kill me. You almost ran me down with your SUV, and I ended up in the hospital,” she snapped sarcastically. “How is that better?” Almost instantly she felt bad about her outburst. “Sorry, Dakota. You don’t deserve that.” She glanced at her watch. “I should phone my company to let them know I need a few days medical leave.”

  “Will that cause problems for you?” Levi asked from the head of the table.

  “I don’t think so. I have maybe five days’ worth of sick leave and vacation time, six maybe. I’d have to check. I’m definitely not capable of working, so, with a medical excuse, I should be fine. Although I might need a note from my doctor. And that could get a little bit embarrassing. I don’t really want people to know what happened.”

  “We actually can’t have you telling anybody either. Once the police report is filed, it’s not something you want to share.”

  She nodded, pushed her empty plate back. “Alfred is an awesome cook.”

  “He is.”

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go phone my company.” She pushed her chair back and froze as the pain had her hunching over and gasping for breath. Instantly Dakota hopped to his feet and gently eased her chair back so she could stand.

  “Easy,” he said.

  Biting her lip, she slowly pulled herself vertical and walked, albeit stiffly, down to the far end of the room by the window. He watched as she pulled out her phone and made the call.

  He hated to say it, but he really wished he could hear her conversation. He had no reason to disbelieve her, but he hadn’t gotten this far in life without being cynical to a certain extent.

  “She’s lovely,” Ice said.

  “She is. I just wish I knew more about her.”

  “Didn’t you do research last night?”

  “Yes, and everything seems on the up-and-up.”

  “Seems?” Merk asked from the far side of the table. “Is your instinct telling you something’s off?”

  “I don’t understand why she paused at the alleyway in the first place.”

  “Surely it’s not that dangerous an area that anybody can’t walk down an alley?” Sienna said. “I often walk through places you guys wouldn’t like.”

  Rhodes turned to look at her. “You what?”

  She raised an eyebrow in challenge. “I like alleyways. They’re full of character.”

  Rhodes walked over to her. “We have to talk.”

  She snickered. “But it will only end up the way it did the last time we talked.”

  Dakota watched in amusement as color washed up Rhodes’s neck. He quickly grabbed his coffee and took a sip and refused to join in the conversation.

  It was Ice who said, “If you have any questions you need answered, then we should get them answered now before we get too far down this road.”

  He nodded. “I thought I’d take her back to the alley and have her act out the steps she took, how she would’ve been positioned, where the murder took place, and then I’d look for any evidence. I can also swing by her apartment and grab some of her clothes.” He shot another glance to where she talked earnestly on the phone in the distance and added, “The only thing is, I’m not sure she should be doing that much traveling.”

  Ice paused as she considered it. “As long as it’s just the drive and walking around a little bit, and she’s very careful getting in and out of the vehicle, she should be fine. But she’ll need to make sure she has her painkillers. Then she comes back here and lies down again. But watch your back. She’s a target. That makes you one too. Merk will go with you.”

  “It’s at the edge of town. So forty minutes to wherever the location was, twenty minutes to half an hour maximum to get her back to her house, grab her bag, and then home again.”

  “Do it then,” Levi said. “Check in with me when you’re back.”

  Chapter 6

  After putting away her phone, Bailey carefully made her way back to the table. Several people stood, so she wasn’t sure she should sit down again or if she was to go back to her room.

  Dakota stepped in front of her and asked, “How are you feeling?”

  She gave the question some serious thought. “I’ve been better, but I’m actually not feeling too bad. When I turn the wrong way, it often takes a few minutes f
or the flare-up to calm down, but overall I’m okay. Why?”

  “I want to take you back to your place to get some clothes.”

  She grinned. “Oh, I think I can manage a trip for that.”

  “You probably shouldn’t go,” he stressed. “Any movement will slow healing so, you have to promise not to do too much.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. Even sitting hurts, and I just don’t understand how that could be.”

  “Your whole body comes into play with an injury like that. While we’re out, I would like to drive past the alley and look at the actual location and layout of the crime you saw.”

  “It probably would be a good idea for me to go back and look too. I don’t know how hazy my memories are, how much shock plays into them.” She glanced down at the bathrobe she wore. “I’m also extremely short on clothes. I can wear my pants again but I don’t have a clean shirt.”

  Sienna stood up and looked at her. “I have a light-blue T-shirt that’s sure to fit you and is really soft so should feel nice against your stitches, if you would like to borrow that.”

  Bailey smiled. “Thank you. I’d really appreciate it.”

  The three of them went back upstairs with Sienna heading off down the hallway to her room. She returned a moment later with the light-blue cotton T-shirt. “Try this.”

  They were almost at Bailey’s doorway. She accepted the shirt and said, “Thank you. I’ll try it on.” Facing Dakota now, she said,” Give me five minutes to get dressed.”

  Inside she sat down slowly on the bed. Her back really was killing her. She counted the hours and realized it was time for another painkiller. She reached for the bottle, took them and the antibiotics as instructed, swallowing them down with a drink of water.

  She straightened a bit and tugged the T-shirt nightgown up and over her head and cried out, but she managed to get it off.

  She wasn’t sure she could wear a bra. She walked into the bathroom and checked the height of the bandage with the mirror. It would be close, but maybe Ice could lower the bandage or at least adjust it so the bra strap wouldn’t interfere. She brushed her hair and then tried on the bra, followed by the borrowed T-shirt.