Hair Brained (The Bad Hair Day Mysteries Book 14) Read online

  Brianna had already unfastened the soiled diaper. Marla made quick work of disposing of the wet item and wiping Luke’s bottom.

  “Don’t lean over him too close,” Brianna warned. “He might pee again. You have to watch out for boys.”

  “You’re right.” After patting him dry, Marla sprinkled Luke’s bottom liberally with powder before putting on a dry diaper. His blue eyes, so like his mother’s, gazed up at her, and her heart melted. “You’ll be fine,” she said in a soothing tone. “We’ll take good care of you until your mommy comes home.”

  She put the baby’s outfit back on, planning to change him into pajamas after his last bottle for the evening. Lifting him into her embrace, she cuddled his warm body to her chest. He was so small and totally reliant on her.

  “Don’t worry,” Brianna told her with a perceptive grin. “I’m here, and Dad will help.”

  “I know. But what happens when I go to work? I have clients scheduled for tomorrow. They’re depending on me, too. I don’t like to disappoint my customers.”

  “It’s your salon. Can’t you bring Luke along and sit him in his stroller?”

  Marla cast her a wry glance. “I barely have time to eat when it’s busy, so how could I give Luke the attention he deserves? I’ll call Ma and see if she can come by.”

  “I’m off from school until next week. I can babysit. What’s the going rate these days?” Brianna asked with a teasing poke at Marla’s elbow.

  “I’ll speak to your dad about it, but it’ll be a long day. Maybe my mother can come over for a few hours. You can have the morning, and Ma can take the afternoon shift if she’s free.”

  “Or maybe Tally will show up at our door. It’s unlike her to leave you in the dark.”

  Lately, it’s been rather common, Marla thought. “I wonder if your father has spoken to Kat yet.” She led the way back into the kitchen, toting Luke under one arm and lugging the tied garbage bag with her free hand.

  Dalton was speaking on his cell phone. He stood by the kitchen sink, near where a capped bottle stood on the adjacent counter. Noting Marla’s entrance, he wagged his finger at it. He must have prepared the bottle before calling Kat.

  “Ken drives a gold-colored Acura RLX,” he said on the line. “You should be able to get his tag number. I have no idea which direction he might have taken. I’d say to concentrate on the tri-county area first, then we can expand our search later if necessary.”

  “Dalton, I just thought of something,” Marla said as soon as he’d hung up. Grateful to Brianna who took the trash bag and dumped it into the larger one in the garage, she shifted Luke to her other arm. “If Ken got a call before he left the house, is it possible to trace its origin?”

  He stared at her. “That’s an idea, although they have a land line too, don’t they? The call might have come in on either phone. I’d wait to see what develops before contacting their service providers. If they don’t show up, maybe their GPS is active, and we can find them that way.”

  “So nobody who meets their description has been admitted to any hospitals?”

  “Kat said there were some John Does. She’s investigating further.”

  “What’s a John Doe?” Brianna asked with a perplexed frown.

  “Patients whose identities have yet to be established. Watch the news. All sorts of scum end up in the ER along with accident victims.”

  Marla gawked at him. “You don’t think Ken got off I-95 at the wrong exit, and they were attacked, do you?” It had been known to happen, especially in Miami.

  He spread his hands. “Who knows? It’s damn peculiar that they haven’t tried to contact us.”

  “Maybe they had car trouble and have been out of range for cell service.”

  “I suppose we could check with Road Rangers and the towing services.”

  “And hotels in the area, since the sitter said they might have gotten a room somewhere. But why would they have gone out on New Year’s Eve so suddenly? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Mrs. Phelps said Ken’s call had been work-related,” Dalton reminded her. “I’ll visit his office when it reopens to see if his colleagues know anything. Meanwhile, Luke needs to be fed. Mrs. Phelps wrote down which formula he drinks, in case we have to buy more supplies.”

  Marla sat at the kitchen table with the baby in her lap. Dalton brought over the bottle, and she tickled Luke’s lips with the nipple until he grasped onto it. He made loud sucking noises as he drank, his gaze fixed on hers. Oh, gosh. Her heart softened at the trust in his eyes and at the scent of his formula mixed with his powdery baby smell.

  What if he was her own? No, don’t go there, Marla. You have enough to do right now taking care of Tally’s child.

  “You said Ken drives a gold-colored car,” she remarked. “Isn’t that unusual in Florida?”

  “You mean, compared to all the white and silver models?” Dalton replied. “The technical term for his color is gilded pewter metallic. The RLX retails for around sixty thousand dollars with add-ons.”

  “His business must be doing well.” She glanced at Brianna, who’d taken a seat opposite and wore a broad grin on her face. “What are you smiling about?”

  “You and Luke. You look so natural with him. It would be nice to have a baby brother.”

  Marla’s cheeks heated, but she didn’t comment. It was one thing to care for a teenager and quite another to satisfy an infant’s needs. Luke required a level of care she didn’t know she could provide.

  She finished the feeding session, aware of Brianna and Dalton’s keen observation. Did she pass muster? Her doubts got cast aside as she burped Luke and changed his soiled diaper. Dalton rigged the guest bed to serve as a crib, and she put the baby down for his afternoon nap. If his parents remained absent, she’d have to look into the possibility of buying basic nursery items.

  Luke cried as she stepped from the room. She remembered Tally saying he often fussed before going to sleep, but the temptation to pick him up almost made her return. Logic told her he’d been fed and changed, so he should be comfortable. She steeled herself against his wails while lingering in the hallway.

  Shortly thereafter, his cries segued into whimpers, until finally silence reigned.

  She dragged a hand across her face. This day had been exhausting, but she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight until she’d reviewed things with Dalton.

  “What else can we do?” she asked him at the dinner table. They ate leftovers from the party. She was so tired that her appetite had fled. It took too much effort to chew and swallow, but she forced herself to eat for the energy.

  Dalton looked as fatigued as she felt. Lines creased his brow, and his mouth curved downward as he regarded her. “I can broaden the search tomorrow. They can’t have just disappeared.”

  Tally, where are you? Marla hoped for a simple explanation that they’d laugh off together someday. But dread wove its insidious fingers into her psyche. She’d never be able to get any rest at this rate. Her heart pounded, its pace accelerating when the phone rang. She glanced at the wall clock as she snatched the receiver. Six-thirty. Maybe Dalton’s partner had news.

  “Hello?” Her voice came out as a squeaky croak.

  “Hi, may I speak to Marla Vail, please?”

  “That’s me.”

  “I’m a nurse at Southwest Regional Hospital. Now don’t get too alarmed, but we have a patient here in ICU who has you listed as an emergency contact. She was in a car accident last night. Her name is Tally Riggs. How soon do you think you can get here?”

  Chapter Two

  Marla’s knees quaked as she and Dalton rode the hospital elevator to the floor that held the Intensive Care Unit. What would they find there? Her friend surrounded by tubing and wires? Was Tally even awake? The nurse hadn’t given much information over the phone, just that Tally had sustained serious injuries. She’d been stabilized for now but wasn’t out of the danger zone.

  “The nurse didn’t say anything about Ken. Do you suppose he’s
been hurt, too?” Marla said in a hushed tone to Dalton, even though they were alone in the lift.

  “We’ll find out soon enough.” His stony eyes didn’t betray his emotion, but she knew he was worried from his tense posture.

  She gripped her stomach as a wave of sickness hit her. What would they find when the doors opened?

  Her nose wrinkled as they stepped into a corridor beside a bustling nurses’ station. The antiseptic smell reminded her of her father’s last days. Her body trembled, and her pulse raced. Beyond the nurses’ station were cubicles walled off by glass partitions. Patients lay against white sheets, looking as pale as their bed linens. Their faces were barely visible behind the apparatus that supported them. Marla scanned the group but couldn’t identify Tally among them.

  One of the nurses, a short woman with auburn hair, glanced up and smiled at their approach. Marla’s throat tightened. She couldn’t find her voice to speak, so she let Dalton take the lead. As they neared, she clutched his arm, needing the reassurance of his firm presence.

  “Hi, we’re Marla and Dalton Vail. Somebody called us about our friends, Tally and Ken Riggs.” Dalton’s deep voice flowed over her like warm honey, soothing her nerves.

  Thank God she had him to lean on. She couldn’t have done this alone.

  “Oh, yes. The doctor wants to speak to you. Come this way, please.” The woman wearing blue scrubs guided them briskly down the corridor and into a lounge. The waiting area had a TV, vinyl-upholstered chairs, a coffee table, and a magazine rack. A potted plant stood in one corner. A counter held a coffeemaker that looked half-empty. Marla wondered why the room wasn’t filled. She’d be here all the time if a loved one was in jeopardy, but perhaps visiting hours were over for the evening.

  “Have a seat, and I’ll page Dr. Gillis.”

  The nurse scurried out before Marla could mobilize her tongue to ask questions. Was the woman avoiding their inquiries on purpose? It wasn’t a good thing when the doctor had to relate the news.

  Unable to sit still, she joined Dalton in pacing the linoleum floor until heavy footsteps sounded from the corridor. She stared at the open doorway, relieved to see a gray-haired man in a white coat approach them. He had warm brown eyes and a welcoming smile.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Vail? I’m Dr. Gillis. Please, have a seat.” He shook their hands and then waited until they’d complied. “The police informed us you were on Mrs. Riggs’ ICE list. In Case of Emergency,” he clarified.

  “Yes, we’re close friends,” Dalton acknowledged.

  “It took the rescue team a while to retrieve the couple. When we got them in the ER, our priority was to stabilize the injured woman. That’s why you didn’t hear from us until today.”

  “Do you know what happened?”

  “Their vehicle went off the road last night. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Mr. Riggs did not survive the crash.”

  “Oh, my God. No, it can’t be true.” Marla clamped a hand to her mouth. This wasn’t possible. Ken … dead?

  Dalton leaned forward. “Ken has a brother, Phil. Do you know if he’s been notified?”

  “We’re doing that now.”

  “Tell us more,” Dalton said in a flat tone.

  How easily he could turn on detective mode and shut out his feelings, Marla thought. These were his friends. How could he act so unruffled?

  “Mrs. Riggs sustained serious damage in the accident. Keeping her alive is our main concern.” The doctor rattled off a bunch of medical terms, but Marla only heard words like “lung puncture” and “brain swelling” and something about the danger of her spleen rupturing.

  With each pronouncement, her gut clenched. Fear churned her belly at the thought that Tally might not make it. If only this were a nightmare and not reality.

  “So Tally is unconscious?” she asked, once she could speak beyond her constricted throat. At least her friend wouldn’t suffer any pain that way. Her body must be bruised all over.

  “Yes, ma’am. It might be weeks before she wakes up. We’ll have no idea of the residual damage until then,” Dr. Gillis said, enunciating each word. Marla surmised he was used to dealing with frantic family members whose anxiety caused selective hearing.

  “You mean, she might be permanently disabled?” Marla’s pitch rose. Tally had to be all right if she made it through this crisis. Luke needed his mother.

  “I don’t care to sugar-coat things for you, ma’am. Your friend is lucky to have survived. Our ER is filled with patients injured on New Year’s Eve. The holiday is another reason why it took so long to identify her.”

  Dalton gave Marla’s hand a squeeze. For a brief instant, pain flickered across his expression. But then he suppressed it into his detective’s mask and retrieved his cell phone.

  “I should check with Kat. It’s odd she hasn’t heard about the accident. She’s been checking the reports.”

  “Dalton is a police detective, and Kat is his partner,” Marla explained to the doctor. “We feared something bad might have happened when Tally’s babysitter called us to come over.”

  “Would either of you know if Mrs. Riggs has a living will?” the physician inquired.

  Marla exchanged a startled glance with Dalton. “Um, I think so. I have a bunch of her papers at home, including power of attorney. I’m listed as Tally’s successor trustee after her husband.”

  “We’d appreciate having a copy of those documents when you get the chance. I assume the brother will take charge of Mr. Riggs’ body when it’s released?”

  Marla’s mouth opened and closed like a beached fish, but she couldn’t edge any words past her thick tongue.

  “That’s right,” Dalton agreed. “Phil would be the one to make funeral arrangements. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to call my partner with this news.” He rose and strode away into the corridor.

  Marla stood, anxious to learn more about Tally. “So what are my friend’s chances?” she asked, avoiding any thoughts of Ken. She couldn’t believe he was gone, but she’d deal with it later. Tally needed her strength through this ordeal.

  “The next forty-eight hours are crucial. If she makes it to the weekend, I’d say we have a fighting chance she’ll come out of this alive. But that’s all I can predict at this point.”

  “How often can we visit?”

  “Two visitors are allowed at a time from eleven in the morning to eight in the evening. So to clarify, you’re the person to call if we need to make a decision on her care, and not the husband’s brother?”

  “Yes, that’s correct. Unfortunately, Tally doesn’t have any close relatives. We’re like family to her.”

  “I’ll make a note in her chart. You can come see her now. Don’t be frightened by the equipment. It’s helping to save her life.”

  “Thank you so much, doctor.” Tears tipped her lashes at his kindness. She was grateful he showed compassion, especially when he must relate bad news on a regular basis. Tally was fortunate to be under his care. Actually, what type of specialist was he? Did the hospital have Tally’s insurance info so she could get whatever interventions were needed?

  Marla asked at the front desk. The nurse reassured her that the police had called in that information once they’d retrieved Tally’s wallet. Marla said goodbye to the physician and followed Karyn, the nurse, to the proper cubicle.

  Tally’s wan face was barely visible beneath the ventilator tube and tape keeping it in place. Her chest rose and fell beneath the flimsy hospital gown, and her eyelids remained closed. An IV machine dripped fluid into her arm, while other wires and tubes snaked to various devices. Karyn explained the purpose of each one, but Marla’s ears closed. She could only take so much.

  “Her lips look dry,” she observed.

  “Here, I’ll take care of it.” Karyn dabbed a wet swab around Tally’s mouth. “You might want to talk to your friend. It’s possible she could hear you. People who’ve awakened from comas sometimes remember loved ones being nearby and speaking to them.”

 
; “Okay.” After the nurse left, Marla pulled up a chair and sat, grasping Tally’s cool hand. “Tally, it’s me. I’m here with you. You were in an accident, but you’re going to be all right.” She smoothed Tally’s blond hair away from her face.

  Air-conditioning blew into the room. Marla shivered, more from nerves than the ambient temperature. Beeps, clicks, and hissing noises filled the space. Her gaze rose to the monitors, where she viewed the steady rhythm of Tally’s heartbeat.

  Oh, Tally. Why did you go out last night? Why couldn’t you have stayed home? A tear leaked down her cheek. She had to believe things would turn out okay, for her own sake as well as Luke’s. If and when Tally woke up, she’d have to deal with her husband’s death. A long road stretched in front of them.

  Marla didn’t know how long she’d sat there until Dalton arrived and put a hand on her shoulder. Her tense muscles uncoiled at his reassuring touch.

  “What did Kat say?” she asked him, keeping her face averted to hide her distress.

  Dalton signaled for her to join him away from Tally’s bedside. When she’d complied, he spoke in a low tone. “Kat got a response on Ken’s license tag earlier and wanted to get more information before she called. The accident happened in Davie, which isn’t our jurisdiction. Ken was driving down a narrow two-lane road when he swerved onto the swale. Their car flipped over down a ditch and ended up with the driver’s side submerged in a canal.”

  “Why did it take so long for us to hear about it?”

  “The rescuers were able to retrieve Tally and Ken from the wrecked car, but they had to wait for daylight to tow it upright. Tally’s purse and cell phone were inside. Fortunately, those items were still dry. Kat was about to call us once she clarified their status.”

  An image played in her mind of the wrecked car where Ken must have been killed. Or had he been merely stunned? Maybe he’d been awake but trapped in the car while water filled his end. Unable to pry himself loose, he would have drowned. A chill swept her nape at the horror of it.