Fatal Disclosure by Sandra Robbins Page A

of her sisters. This time, though, her refusal to give up what she had could prove fatal.

EIGHT
    B etsy couldn’t sit still another minute. She jumped up from the health center’s waiting-room couch and charged across the floor to the desk where the receptionist sat. Mona Davis glanced up from the computer screen she’d been staring at ever since Betsy arrived and smiled.
    “Do you need something, Betsy?”
    Betsy pointed to the clock over the door that led to the hall where the exam rooms were located. “We’ve been here forty-five minutes. What’s taking Doc so long?”
    The pretty receptionist’s smile grew larger, and Betsy wondered how often she’d practiced on the friends and family members of patients receiving treatment. “I’m sure he’ll talk to you as soon as he knows anything. In the meantime, could I get you something to drink? A soft drink, perhaps? Or a cup of coffee?”
    Betsy sank down in a chair beside Mona’s desk and sighed. “No, thanks. I’m not trying to be difficult, Mona. It’s just that I’m so worried about Mark. He got hurt trying to protect me, and I feel responsible.”
    The receptionist’s eyebrows arched. “No wonder you’re worried. I would be the same way if my boyfriend got hurt trying to protect me.”
    Betsy tried to control the surprise Mona’s words produced. Ocracoke Island might host a lot of tourists, but the locals knew all about each other’s personal problems. One of the hottest topics on the village grapevine was about the abuse Mona suffered from her boyfriend, Mac Cody. No one could understand why she put up with it.
    Betsy’s gaze drifted to a vase filled with red roses next to the computer and then to the bruise underneath Mona’s left eye. Concern for the young woman she’d grown up with pricked her heart. “Would Mac protect you?”
    Mona’s forehead furrowed, and she stared at Betsy. “Of course he would. He loves me.”
    Betsy reached out and grasped Mona’s hand. “We’ve been friends since we were in first grade. I know what a rough time you’ve had since your parents died and your sister moved away. I don’t know why you put up with Mac.”
    Mona jerked her hand free. “You don’t know anything about Mac.”
    “I know he shouldn’t be using you for a punching bag. You deserve better.”
    Mona’s eyes darkened, and she shook her head. “Please, Betsy. My personal life is none of your business.”
    Betsy searched her mind for words that might offer hope to someone living in an abusive situation. “It’s my business because I care about you. A few Sundays ago our pastor spoke about friendship in his sermon. He reminded us that a friend loves at all times, even when bad things happen to us. I’ve been your friend for a long time, Mona, and that’s not going to change. If you ever come to the point you want help, let me know.”
    A tear trickled down Mona’s face, and a sad smile pulled at her lips. “We’re not all as fortunate as you are, Betsy. You have a supportive family, and you have a boyfriend who puts himself in danger to protect you.”
    The word boyfriend took Betsy by surprise, and she shook her head. “No, you have it all wrong. Mark isn’t my boyfriend. I’ve known him for a long time, but we’re not romantically involved.”
    Mona tilted her head to one side and let her gaze drift over Betsy’s face. “Well, you could have fooled me. From the way the two of you were looking at each other before Doc shooed you out of the exam room, it sure looked like there was a lot of chemistry there.”
    Betsy jumped to her feet and frowned. “No, he’s just a friend who’s visiting the island.”
    Before Mona could reply, the phone on her desk rang, and she reached for it. “Ocracoke Health Center. May I help you?”
    Betsy turned away and strode to the couch. She glanced at Mona, who was still talking on the phone. The smirk on her face conveyed the message that Betsy needed to deal with her own problems before trying