overheard at the ball between Michael and Diane. It had sounded like he was trying to break something off, something like a relationship. What if Diane had refused, and he’d strangled her? Well, then why would he have a head injury? Unless she’d managed to clock him on the head while he was strangling her, but then, where was the item used to knock him out? Maggie’s mind raced through the possibilities.
“Let’s hope the crime-scene investigators discover that it was a burglary,” Sam said.
His voice was reluctant, and Maggie knew right away why. “Nothing was stolen, was it?”
“No,” he said. “The office safe was untouched and the register was already loaded for the day, and it was untouched as well.”
“It looks bad, doesn’t it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m going to have to dig into the relationship between Michael and Diane, Maggie, and it may get messy.”
Maggie sighed. She knew Sam was doing his job, and he was trying to prepare her for what was coming. She knew she should tell him what she had overheard. She opened her mouth to tell him, but then she thought of Joanne kissing her husband good-bye as he was wheeled off to surgery, and she couldn’t do it. Not yet.
“I understand,” she said.
“I’m sorry, Maggie.” Sam sounded truly regretful, and Maggie felt a surge of guilt that she wasn’t telling him what she knew.
She would wait, she decided, until after the crime-scene analysis was done. If it proved to be a burglary gone wrong, well, then the information she had was irrelevant and unnecessary.
“Me, too,” she said.
Sam sighed, and Maggie knew he had no idea that she was apologizing to him and not just commiserating with him. She felt bad about it, and she really hoped that keeping what she knew to herself did not bite her on the butt later. She had a feeling that Sam in detective mode was not going to forgive her for holding information back from him.
She ended the call with a promise to let him know if there was a change in Michael’s condition, and then she picked up the coffees and returned to her hard chair in the waiting room.
• • •
The Good Buy Girls filtered in and out of the waiting room all day long. They took turns sitting with Joanne, and Claire even dashed over from the library on her lunch hour to join the vigil.
Ginger had broken the news to Laura, who did not take it well at all. She came to the hospital with Ginger, and Maggie held her daughter while she cried over the loss of her new friend. When Claire left to go back to the library, Laura went with her. She wanted to be back in the shop. She said she needed to keep busy. Maggie couldn’t blame her. Sitting in the tiny room was becoming excruciating.
The surgery took several hours, and when Joanne started to look pasty and likely to faint, Maggie forced some soup on her. She was sure Joanne was only eating for the baby, but that was fine.
When Doc Franklin appeared in the waiting room door, he looked haggard. He had been in the gallery that overlooked the operating room, keeping an eye on Michael for Joanne.
Joanne jumped up from her seat at the sight of him and immediately wobbled on her feet. Both Maggie and Ginger stood to support her.
“How is he, Doc?” she asked.
“He’s stable,” Doc said. “The surgeon will be in to talk to you shortly.”
“Can I see him?” Joanne asked.
“In a bit,” Doc said. He looked at Maggie and Ginger. “From recovery, he’ll go to the ICU, where it will be family only.”
“We are family,” Ginger said in a growl.
Doc took in her fierce expression and he gave a faint smile. “Indeed you are.”
“I’m afraid I have to get back to the office,” he said. “Call me if you need me.”
“We will,” Maggie said. “Thanks, Doc, for everything.”
“Yes,” Joanne said. “Thank you.”
Just then a nurse appeared at the door, “Mrs. Claramotta, if you’ll follow me, you can visit your husband in recovery
“Let’s hope the crime-scene investigators discover that it was a burglary,” Sam said.
His voice was reluctant, and Maggie knew right away why. “Nothing was stolen, was it?”
“No,” he said. “The office safe was untouched and the register was already loaded for the day, and it was untouched as well.”
“It looks bad, doesn’t it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m going to have to dig into the relationship between Michael and Diane, Maggie, and it may get messy.”
Maggie sighed. She knew Sam was doing his job, and he was trying to prepare her for what was coming. She knew she should tell him what she had overheard. She opened her mouth to tell him, but then she thought of Joanne kissing her husband good-bye as he was wheeled off to surgery, and she couldn’t do it. Not yet.
“I understand,” she said.
“I’m sorry, Maggie.” Sam sounded truly regretful, and Maggie felt a surge of guilt that she wasn’t telling him what she knew.
She would wait, she decided, until after the crime-scene analysis was done. If it proved to be a burglary gone wrong, well, then the information she had was irrelevant and unnecessary.
“Me, too,” she said.
Sam sighed, and Maggie knew he had no idea that she was apologizing to him and not just commiserating with him. She felt bad about it, and she really hoped that keeping what she knew to herself did not bite her on the butt later. She had a feeling that Sam in detective mode was not going to forgive her for holding information back from him.
She ended the call with a promise to let him know if there was a change in Michael’s condition, and then she picked up the coffees and returned to her hard chair in the waiting room.
• • •
The Good Buy Girls filtered in and out of the waiting room all day long. They took turns sitting with Joanne, and Claire even dashed over from the library on her lunch hour to join the vigil.
Ginger had broken the news to Laura, who did not take it well at all. She came to the hospital with Ginger, and Maggie held her daughter while she cried over the loss of her new friend. When Claire left to go back to the library, Laura went with her. She wanted to be back in the shop. She said she needed to keep busy. Maggie couldn’t blame her. Sitting in the tiny room was becoming excruciating.
The surgery took several hours, and when Joanne started to look pasty and likely to faint, Maggie forced some soup on her. She was sure Joanne was only eating for the baby, but that was fine.
When Doc Franklin appeared in the waiting room door, he looked haggard. He had been in the gallery that overlooked the operating room, keeping an eye on Michael for Joanne.
Joanne jumped up from her seat at the sight of him and immediately wobbled on her feet. Both Maggie and Ginger stood to support her.
“How is he, Doc?” she asked.
“He’s stable,” Doc said. “The surgeon will be in to talk to you shortly.”
“Can I see him?” Joanne asked.
“In a bit,” Doc said. He looked at Maggie and Ginger. “From recovery, he’ll go to the ICU, where it will be family only.”
“We are family,” Ginger said in a growl.
Doc took in her fierce expression and he gave a faint smile. “Indeed you are.”
“I’m afraid I have to get back to the office,” he said. “Call me if you need me.”
“We will,” Maggie said. “Thanks, Doc, for everything.”
“Yes,” Joanne said. “Thank you.”
Just then a nurse appeared at the door, “Mrs. Claramotta, if you’ll follow me, you can visit your husband in recovery
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