“Jonah.”
“I can’t, Dani. I’ll tell you when I know for sure.”
“Give me a coded message. Then decode it.”
Jonah chuckled briefly. “Just give me the day. I’ll tell you tonight.”
She read between the lines. “We’re not in the clear, are we?”
“Not by a long shot.”
She turned back to watch the rest of the town pass by. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’m going to see my aunt. She’ll probably not even talk to me, and that’s if she doesn’t kick me out. Your cryptic message is safe with me.”
Jonah’s jaw clenched, but he loosened his grip on the steering rod. “The dire and doomed visit to the dying Kathryn, huh?”
“Pretty much. You have no worry about me panicking. I’m more stressed about seeing her.”
“Trenton said you and Julia got into it last night. You okay?”
“He could hear us? Great. I wonder who else did.”
“He shut the fire doors so you were cut off from the atrium.”
“Remind me that drinks are on me at Mae’s Grill one night as a thank you.”
He chuckled lightly, and Dani closed her eyes, letting the sound of his laugh warm her. When she opened them, they were passing one of the cafes in town. The tops of the red umbrellas that covered five or six tables outside the entrance were the only things they could see now. “Look at that.” Dani gestured toward them.
“I’m surprised more of the tables aren’t gone. Winds were dangerous last night. They picked up an hour after we got to headquarters. We were lucky we got there when we did.”
Dani felt a shiver down her back.
Just then, they turned the corner. She noted, “The gas station is still the hookup for drinks.”
Two boats of teenagers were drifting around the corner. A bottle flashed as it caught the sun between one hand to the next.
“Don’t they have something better to do?” Jonah answered himself, “No, I would’ve been doing that when we were younger.”
“You were the rebellious leader type back then.”
“I just wanted to have fun, but, yeah.” He grew quieter. “Some things pissed me off.”
“Like when you beat up Trenton Galloway.”
“He was going on and on about how he was going to ‘score’ with some chick on prom night, and then he was going to ditch the girl for his real date that night. Made me mad.” Jonah fell silent. “He reminded me of my father—just ready to use and discard someone. I saw red that night, but Trent turned out to be a good guy.”
“It was just for show.”
“No.” Jonah shook his head. “Some guys can do some pretty cruel stuff. You never know what consequences can happen from something reckless.”
“I was always scared of Hawk.” Dani thought a moment. “I still am scared of Hawk.”
Jonah laughed, steering the boat behind the local laundromat. “Hawk’s a good guy. One-track mind about sex and girls, but he’s decent. He sees through a lot of bullshit.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Dani glimpsed the nursing home ahead, then the flat runner drew abreast the ground. Jonah cut the engine, hopping out and pulling it the rest of the way on the embankment. He helped Dani get out, placing his hands on her waist and lifting her. She held on to his arms. “Looks like I’m walking the rest of the way.”
“You’ll be okay?” He nodded to the right. “The town’s center is a block down. There shouldn’t be any water around it—”
“I’ll be fine. It’s a block away.” She stretched up and kissed him, whispering, “Good luck with your top-secret meeting.”
“I’m not—” He stopped and admitted, “I am.”
“I know.” Dani backtracked up the hill, toward the hospital. “Still rather be doing what you’re doing than what I’m about to do.”
Jonah gave her a wave before pushing the boat back into the water. He lithely jumped back in, and after a second wave, floored the engine. He was gone from eyesight within seconds.
Dani smelled freshly brewed coffee when the doors slid open. She almost groaned. The receptionist looked up and smiled. Dani saw how tired she was.
“Are you here to see your aunt?”
“Yes.” Dani readied herself. “And just so you know, she might have you throw me out. I won’t hold it against you if that happens.”
She grinned as she stood up, taking a walkie-talkie with her. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” A pair of glass doors opened behind her. “I’ll be right back.”
It wasn’t long before she came back. “Kathryn said you could go in, but she’s not sure if she’ll talk to you.”
Classic Kathryn. “It’s better than what I thought.”
“My mom had my grandma barred from her room when she was in the hospital a while back. Every family’s got their own ways. You’d be surprised at the families that come through the doors. Yours isn’t that bad.” She pushed a button, and the doors slid open. “I’m sure you’ll have a lovely visit.”
Dani wasn’t, but then she was heading inside and down the hallway. Call lights were beeping in the background, along with other alarms.
She stopped in her aunt’s doorway.
Kathryn lay with her hands propped over the folded-back sheet, dead center over her body. Her rich chestnut curls were brushed, with the curl lying over her shoulders. Kathryn was dressed in a pink silk nightie.