Deadly Ties (26 page)

* * * *

Dr. Petropolis folded her hands on her desk and leaned onto her elbows. A classy woman, in Taylor’s opinion, always wearing suits with the perfectly groomed hair. She was middle aged, fit and trim, but her sharp, intuitive mind was what interested Taylor right now. “I’m glad you brought him in this morning, Ms. Reese.” She nodded to Gavin. “And Mr.

Kinncaid. I must say I have seen a vast improvement in that child since he first came to see me.”

Her smile was soft as she looked at Gavin. “He’s crazy about you and the idea of having a real mom and a dad. he told me this morning that he called you Mom, last night--to your face. An idea that has worried him some. As he put it, it felt good, like when you dive into a swimming pool and end up flipping underwater. You’re tummy gets all jumbled, but in a good way.”

Taylor smiled back. She liked that analogy and knew exactly what he meant.

“Did it bother you at all that he called you mom?” she asked.

Taylor shook her head. “No, the feeling was quite mutual.”

“I thought it might be.” She turned back to Gavin. “He’s still not quite there yet to call you dad.” Gavin nodded. He was drumming his fingers on the arms of the chair, and jiggling his foot that was propped by his ankle on his knee.

“Do you wish to share something, Mr. Kinncaid?” Dr. Petropolis’s blonde brows rose above her eyes.

Immediately, he quit the tell-tale signs of nervousness. Then, he leaned up and looked to her. “I get the impression you both would like to tell me something? Usually the best way is to just get it said.”

“I know you can’t actually tell me what you and Ryan talked about. But I have to ask if he mentioned ‘seeing’ things.”

The psychologist got up from behind her desk, walked over and sat on the corner of it.

“Yes, he did.”

Taylor expelled a breath. How to say the next bit? “The thing is, he was upset enough, and

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with the type of person Nina Fisher is, we called an acquaintance last evening. He found out several interesting things.”

The doctor’s sharp gray eyes narrowed fractionally.

Taylor hurried through the rest of it. “It seems there was a prison break. And Ms. Fisher has indeed escaped.”

Petropolis stood and walked to her window. Turning back to them she said. “Ryan believes what he sees. He knows his ‘visions’--for lack of a better term--are not always right, but he believes in them. I’ve seen many cases in my career that do indeed back parapsychology.” Her elegant hand waved. “But that is neither here nor there.”

Gavin spoke up. “he told us several things last night. Nina being out was only one of them.

There was the night in Austin when she beat him because he’d over heard about a murder. Then there was his.…” He gestured to the doctor. “Visions. He was upset over the fact she could be out and coming for him. But he said he saw her kill two people, shoot them in their bed.”

“Yes, I know, he told me. A gift or a curse.” This time she sat again behind her desk.

Giving them a level look, she asked, “Are you telling me that is true as well?”

Yes. Oh, God, yes. Taylor could only nod.

“My, God.”

It seemed everyone took a deep breath at the same time and then let it out.

“They’re not dead,” Taylor clarified. “Well, not exactly. The woman is on life support in hopes to keep the baby alive. Charles, my-ex,” she explained, “he’s in the hospital but seems to be doing fine. The bullet caught him in the upper shoulder.”

“Have you told Ryan?” Dr. Petropolis asked.

“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about,” Gavin said, reaching out to take Taylor’s hand. She grasped it tight.

The doctor looked down at her desktop. Finally, she faced them. “I think you should tell him. One, he needs to know. Two, the longer you wait, the more he may feel betrayed that you didn’t trust him enough to tell him what he would consider something he should know. Plus, I believe he needs to be on his guard. However, having said that I think I should warn you. Ryan has been very worried since he thought his biological mother was out of prison. The fact that she is could easily send him into regression. He may not talk at all, retreating into his own little world. Might even pull away from comfort offered. Things you saw in the beginning with him.”

This was what she was afraid of. Taylor knew all about regression. She nodded, the calming music playing in the back ground not soothing her at all.

“But, then again, he might surprise you and go the other way, acting as if none of this bothers him. I don’t see that happening, but it could. I do know that this will bother him a great deal, be extremely stressful for him, make him question his environment and the stability he’s come to know with you two.”

Taylor looked to Gavin. A muscle bunched in his jaw.

“That makes you angry, Mr. Kinncaid.”

“Hell, yes.”

“And me as well. The advice I give you is to tell him. Do not lie, be straightforward and honest. Then be there for him. Don’t push him too hard, but don’t let him completely shut himself off either.”

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“How do we know if it’s too much or not enough?” Taylor asked.

The doctor smiled again. “You’ve done an excellent job so far, Ms. Reese. Just do what you’ve been doing. Mother him. That’s all you need to do.” She looked at Gavin. “And father him as well. Ryan might even turn to you more during all this. You’re distanced from his life before. Though Taylor saved him, so to speak, previously, you’ve completed a circle in his dreams for a family. You weren’t there, so as an outlet, a sort of denial that this could all be happening again, he could turn to you, connect more with you. Though, in actuality, it would be because of the security and safety, the comfort and peace he’s learned with you since you’ve come into their lives. Plus, you are the prominent male figure in his life, and no matter the times, children generally feel better, in a healthy environment, if the male is there to scare away the monsters. Mom can do it, just as well,” she added, turning back to Taylor, “but we are still a very sexists society despite all our p.c. tags.”

Gavin sat stunned at the doctor’s words. Ryan turn to him? Trust in him for safety? And why in the hell wouldn’t he? Gavin would do everything in his power to protect the boy. But it was almost terrifying hearing it the way the doctor put it.

He turned to look at Taylor to get her reaction to this. Her eyes were worried, but she gave him half a smile.

“You both have to be there for him in different ways at this time,” Dr. Petropolis gently said. “Another thing, I have a feeling Ryan could blame himself after you tell him about the shootings. Make certain you clarify that is not the case.”

What? “Do you honestly think, we wouldn’t?” Gavin asked her.

A rueful smile passed her lips. “You’d be surprised what I have to explain to some people.

I meant no offense.” She checked her watch. “I hate to do this because you probably have more questions, but I have a nine fifteen appointment.”

So she did. Gavin understood schedules and patients. Trying to juggle time, seemingly personal, caring visits, and the constraint of knowing another patient waited. He rose, pulling Taylor with him.

Dr. Petropolis scribbled a number on her card and handed it to Taylor. “You’re fiancé already knows my home number, but here is my mobile. Feel free to call me anytime if things become too … intense. And if Ryan needs to, or wants to, call and schedule another appointment in the morning. I would like to see him in the next couple of days to see how he deals with the news you’re about to tell him.”

She walked them to the door. “Oh, and though I’m not suppose to break patient/doctor confidentiality, I think I can tell you this. I have no idea what your living arrangements are in regards to a yard, but after all this is over, Ryan really like puppies. Yellow ones.”

With that, they walked out of the office smiling and into the waiting room to see Ryan gently kicking his feet off the couch. He stood up when he saw them, apprehension in his eyes.

It was clear even to Gavin that the boy wanted to know what was going on. How to tell him? When to tell him? He’d talk to Taylor about that.

They both had work. He’d already pushed his rounds and appointments back a couple of hours. He needed to get going.

Stopping, he turned Taylor to him and asked her quietly. “Do you think it’s okay to send him to school?”

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“I don’t want to, but I don’t want to mess up what he’s used to either. I actually wish, for the first time, that I didn’t have a job. I want to take him home and keep him safe.”

Gavin agreed with her, but knew Ryan wouldn’t. “Do you want to take a bit more time off work and tell him now? Or wait until this afternoon. Depending on babies, I should be off my around five.” Unless one or two of his patients went into labor. He had several that were close to their due dates.

“That’s fine. I’ll pick him up after school and just take him to work with me for a couple of hours. When I explained things to Jenkins this morning, she was very understanding. I may have to take off tomorrow after we tell him today, and I’d rather not take off any more days than I absolutely have to.”

“We also need to talk to Morris. Do you think we could get Ryan to talk to him? To tell him what he remembered.” Taylor only shook her head and shrugged at his question.

Apparently her ex had been coherent enough to tell the police who had shot him and why.

A fact that chilled Gavin’s blood. Nina Fisher didn’t seem to care whom she harmed or killed as long as she got what she wanted. And Gavin knew what she wanted was Ryan.

He walked them both to their car and got into his, giving Ryan a tight hug and promising pizza for supper. Instead of the smile he’d hoped for, Ryan only raised his brows, got into the back seat and buckled his belt.

Taylor hugged and kissed him. Gavin held her longer than necessary, but he didn’t want to let her go.

Finally, he pulled back long enough to kiss her again on the forehead. “Be careful.”

“I will.”

“I know, I just worry.” And would keep worrying. “Do you care if I call you during the day? To make sure everything’s okay?” Generally, they left the other alone at work, but a few times they had swapped phone messages.

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”

Stupid he supposed. “I don’t know. I don’t want to bother you, but I’d worry all day. Hell, I will worry all day.”

“I know. I will too.” Her hand smoothed down his chest. “Tell you what--why don’t we make plans for six at the house. I’ll order a pizza, since you’ve already mentioned it to him.”

Damn, he forgot. Taylor liked to cook food, so she knew what was in it. She hated preservatives unless occasionally. “Sorry,” he said. “I just thought it would be easy and stress free.” “It’s fine. Really. He loves pizza.”

Ryan opened the door up. “He’d like Chinese. If that’s okay?” he asked.

Gavin smiled. Kids heard everything. Looking into Taylor’s eyes, he saw some of the tension in them easing. “Sounds good to me. You?” he asked her.

“Fine.”

“Then it’s settled.” Gavin opened her door. He liked this car and it had fewer miles on it than her old one. Maybe he’d get it for her as a wedding present. What to get his son was still a mystery. Actually, come to think of it, maybe the puppy wasn’t such a bad idea.

Shaking off the thought, Gavin leaned down into Ryan’s still-opened door. “You have fun at school. Don’t let any of this bother you, okay? We’ll see you this evening.”

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His palm slapped with Ryan’s as the boy’s small hand high-fived his. Gavin shut the door again and turned to see Taylor sitting behind the wheel.

“All in?” he asked her.

“Yeah. You be careful, too,” she told him.

“Always. I’ll talk to you later.” He watched her drive out of the parking lot before he walked to his car.

Time to fill his family in on the latest events. When one came after one Kinncaid, they came after them all. Kinncaids stuck together. Though maybe he’d wait. With Dad’s blood pressure he didn’t need to be worrying. Yeah, maybe he’d wait.

Gavin just hoped all this was for naught, that they’d catch the psychotic woman before she got to D.C., but something told him that wouldn’t be the case.

* * * *

Nina took a drag of her cigarette. Rod paced down the side of the car. The Mississippi slugged by, its muddy waters lazily flowing across all that space. Memphis. She was in Memphis, Tennessee. If she weren’t so damn pressed for time, she’d stay and see some of the sights.

The King’s Mansion. Freaking Elvis Presley and his Blue Suede Shoes. What-the-hell-ever. She’d just like to ride that riverboat across the way. That might be cool. Boring, but probably cool, like some old western or something.

“I can’t believe you shot them!” Rod turned on her again, stalking up to her. “Where the hell did you get a damn gun? You’re not supposed to have a fire arm!” A vein ticked in his forehead and his meaty fists rested on his lean hips.

He got so damn worked up over things. “Rod, I’m not supposed to be out of prison either.”

“You never told me you were going to kill anyone,” he accused. “I thought you were wronged. I thought you were innocent.”

She was innocent of lots of things, just not what he thought. Nina shrugged.

“I was wronged.” She glared up at him. “They stole my son from me. My flesh and blood.”

His eyelids slowly lowered. “I know, babe. I know. But this is just wrong. That woman was pregnant. You shot her.”

Yeah, that had been a mistake. “I didn’t mean to. I thought she was Shepard. No one told me they got divorced.”

“That doesn’t excuse a damn thing, and you know it.” His finger pointed at her chest. “You swore after the judge you wouldn’t shoot anyone again. You swore.”

Nina blew smoke in his face. “So? I lied.”

She walked past him, jerked the driver’s door open, and slid behind the wheel of the old beat-up convertible they purchased. They stashed his car in an alley in Austin behind the Social Services’ office. This one they traded some goods for. It paid to know people.

Rod glared at her, then turned and glared at the river.

Nina almost felt sorry for him. Almost, but not quite.

“Are you coming or not?” she asked. Lots of road to cover. She had wanted to be in D.C.

tonight, but it looked more like it would be in the wee hours of the morning. Or maybe not.

Maybe they’d stop off in Nashville. She always wanted to see the Music City.

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“They’ll be expecting us, you know,” he finally said, turning to her.

“Yeah, I know. I thought instead of heading straight there, we could stop at a couple of places on the way. Give things some time to settle.”

“We could be recognized.”

Nina snorted. Was he kidding? Rod looked like a foxy albino with his pale golden eyes and almost-white locks. They were looking for a brown haired clean-cut man. She had chopped and colored her hair.

“Rod,” she said, patiently. “That isn’t likely to happen.”

“Why the hell not?” He strode around the front of the car, jerked his door open and hurled into the seat, slamming the door shut behind him. “That Shepard man you tried to kill saw you.”

“It was dark. And besides, I had on a cap.” Nina reached up and patted his cheek. “You worry too much.”

She cranked on the old engine. “So where do you want to go? See Elvis’ home? Or head to Nashville? Or that Music Hall of Fame place?”

Come to think of it, she didn’t really know any of the new country artists. She hadn’t listened to those twanging songs in years. Metal was more her style. Maybe she’d just stop by a few bars instead.

“I don’t really give a flying rat’s ass what the hell you want to do.” Rod slunked down in his seat, laying his head back against the headrest. “This is a bad idea. A very bad idea.”

“What’s bad about it?” Nina took her eyes off the road for a second to light another stogie up. “I’ve got a plan.”

“Care to share it?”

“Nope, not yet. I want them to wonder, to worry first. Then, when they start to relax, just a bit, we hit ‘em.” Her pad of her thumb rapped against the steering wheel.

“Hit them? As in kill them?” Rod sat straight up.

Damn straight. Instead, she laughed. “No, just that’s when we strike.” She gave him a brief glance. “You watch too many movies.”

What he didn’t know would obviously not hurt him. The question now in her mind was what she would do with Mr. Rod Thomas after she had her use of him. Just leave him somewhere? That wasn’t so bad, he could take a lot of the heat off finding her. But he might remember something, and Rod was the type to turn over on his cronies to save his own ass.

Yeah, Rod would have to die later. She looked at him again. A shame really. He was kinda cute in a weird sort of way. But she’d wait and see what happened. Just wait and see.

What to do once they reach D.C.?

Nina, thanks to files on hand at the Social Services’s office, knew where Ms. Taylor Reese now worked. Same job, different scenery. Homewrecking families in a different part of the country.

Well, wreck away Ms. Reese. Wreck, away. The day of reckoning is coming.

Nina laughed and drummed her fingers to the song blasting from the radio.