A Time to Heal(70)

"How is she?" Jenny asked.

"They've got her in surgery. She's lost a lot of blood." He ran his hands through his hair and then turned to Chris. "I don't understand. What happened? Did someone try to rob the two of you?"

"I—"

"There you are!" Phoebe cried as she rushed toward them.Then, just as she got a foot away, her face went white and she stopped and fought for breath.

Chris reached her first and helped her sit down in a chair."I'll get someone—"

She clutched his arm. "No, I'm all right. I'm all right," she repeated as Jenny hovered over her. "I just rushed too much, that's all. It was a shock hearing what happened."

Her eyes met Chris's and silently begged him not to say anything. He hesitated. Keeping secrets had only resulted in tragedy for him. They wouldn't be here in the hospital with Hannah lying wounded if he'd told everyone about himself.

He stayed silent. But if she showed another sign that she didn't feel well, he'd speak up and speak up loudly. He'd carry her into an exam room himself and that would be that.

"You're sure? Maybe I should get you some water."

"Later. I want to know about Hannah."

"Chris? What happened?"

He dragged his gaze from Phoebe and faced Hannah's brother.

"We weren't being robbed. The barn fire, the poisoned food Daisy ate, the missing book—I figured out it's a man who has a grudge against me and followed me here. As soon as I realized it, I tried to leave."

Matthew's fists clenched at his sides. "You brought him here?"

Jenny grabbed his arm. "Matthew, think. He wouldn't do that deliberately."

"The last time I checked, he was still in prison. I don't understand what happened."

"Probably won an appeal or got out early for good behavior," Jenny said absently.

She looked up when she realized she'd spoken aloud and the others were staring at her.

"Things like this happen all the time. How could you know that he'd been released? You've been here, helping us with the harvesting."

"I haven't done anything to help," he said bitterly. "I've just caused someone else to be hurt. I wish I'd never come. I don't know how any of you can even stand to be in the same room with me."

He turned on his heel and walked out.

He walked right into a police officer, the same one who'd interviewed him at the scene of the shooting.

"How's Ms. Bontrager doing?"

"We don't know anything yet."

The policewoman nodded. "I could use a cup of coffee. How about you?"

"If you've come to ask me more questions, you don't need to sugarcoat it with a polite cup of coffee."

She raised her brows and merely looked at him. "I don't sugarcoat anything. I could just stand to have a cup of coffee and get off my feet for a few minutes while I talk to you and confirm a few things. I'm on the long side of a twelve-hour shift."

He sighed and turned to go into the building. "Sorry."

"I understand. You've had a tough day." She walked beside him to the elevator. "Stay positive. I've seen people pull through worse. Maybe you have too."

"Yeah."

He glanced at her and then away. Although she appeared to be only a few years older than him, Officer K. Lang carried herself with a subtle authority.

They got their coffee and went to sit in a booth away from other diners.

She picked up a packet of Sweet N Low from a ceramic container of artificial sweeteners and, smiling slightly, pushed another with sugar packets toward him. Taking out a small notebook, she flipped it open and scanned a page.

"Kraft's saying Ms. Bontrager got in the way when he tried to defend himself against your attack."

"What?" Chris shot to his feet, bumping the table and almost knocking over his coffee.

The officer reached over and steadied the cup, then looked at him. "Have a seat. I had to tell you what he said."

"You can't believe him."

"Of course not," she said calmly, lifting her own cup and blowing on the surface to cool it before she took a sip. "I looked both of you up."

Chris sat again and stared at his coffee. Here it comes, he thought, feeling that old wariness come over him. A lot of police officers were former military. Many of them believed that you didn't air dirty laundry.

"He says he came here to forgive you."

Chris nearly blew out a mouthful of coffee. "You're kidding?"

"No. But you didn't expect him to say he came here to hurt you, did you?" she asked as she continued to review her notes."I'm looking into a few things, seeing if there are additional charges we can pin on Kraft."

She looked up. "I understand there's been a suspicious fire with serious injuries at the Bontrager property and a poisoned horse at a neighboring property. A check of the tourist accommodations in the area revealed that Kraft's been in the area since two days before the barn caught fire. I'd say that's interesting timing. Fire marshal's pulling his report and faxing it over."