The Family Gathering (Sullivan's Crossing #3)(65)

“And I’m her brother and the guy who’s going to sue your asses!” Dakota said.

“He’s a little cranky,” Cal said. “Let him go, huh? Otherwise, he’s going to make this worse than it already is.”

“Maybe we should wait awhile,” the first cop said. “See if he can behave. We already know he can’t listen or follow orders.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Cal said.

“What about Alice?” Sedona asked.

“Alice?” three people said in unison.

Sedona turned and looked at the elderly woman in the doorway. She just stood there, waiting. But a couple of tears made paths down her cheeks. “Oh, Alice,” Sedona said, walking back to her and enfolding her in her arms. “Oh, dear Alice, you took such good care of me.”

“I didn’t,” she said, her voice weak and trembling. “I didn’t do anything for you. And you were my friend.”

“Well, we knew it was going to have to end. I have a family.” She looked over her shoulder. “A lot of family. And you have to talk to your son.”

“Hmph,” she said, wiping her eyes. “Is it too late to cut him out of my will?”

Sedona laughed and wiped her own eyes. “He only wants you to be safe,” she said.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Alice said. Then she gave a tremulous smile. “My house has never been so clean. Even before I was old.”

“One of my gifts,” Sedona said. “It comes at a dear price, trust me.”

Alice got a shocked look. “Do I owe you something?”

“No, no, of course not. I just meant... Oh, never mind what I meant.” She kissed the old woman’s cheek. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“A lot of people seem to want you,” Alice said.

Sedona looked at the crowd. She didn’t know most of them.

“This is going to take some sorting out,” one of the officers said, approaching Sedona.

Maggie came to her side. “I’ll go with you, Sedona. Your brothers will come. We’ll call Bob right away—he’s very worried. Everything is going to be okay now.”

*

Sedona had only been three short blocks from Maggie’s house, but since it was in the opposite direction of the restaurant the search hadn’t covered that area and Alice and Sedona had never noticed the flyers posted everywhere. It was unclear if Sedona had lost her purse or left it at the restaurant or if it had been stolen but her credit cards had been used until they were shut off by companies. It was possible Sedona left it and someone took advantage.

Sedona told her story, an emotional ordeal for sure. To her, it was all very logical. She signed herself out of the hospital and went to Maggie’s house, where she used her time alone to prepare herself for how she’d work things out with her family. But her medication wore off and panic set in. As she had done for many years, she forced herself to leave the house, get dinner, make a reservation, behave in a socially acceptable manner. It was very likely the panic that caused her to leave her purse behind. By the time she got to the park without her purse, her phone, her money, she was exhausted and frightened. That’s where Alice found her and took her in.

“I’m kind of embarrassed I didn’t think of that scenario myself,” Maggie said. Sedona was released to the custody of her brothers and sister-in-law. Maggie called Dr. Tayama to report that Sedona was safe and asked her to prescribe the best mild sedative for her condition.

Bob was on his way. Dakota and Sidney were told they could head back to Timberlake, but they decided to stay until they could see Sedona and Bob reunited. Sedona was tense despite a sedative, but Bob was so relieved to see her he just put his arms around her and said, “Let’s get this fixed, honey.”

Dakota and Sidney finally did escape. They were in two cars. Dakota leaned into her window. “Let’s go somewhere for the night,” he said. “There’s a lodge on our way—the Pinewood Lodge. Give me just a second to call them and make sure they have a room, then will you follow me there?”

“Sounds perfect,” she said.

A moment later, he put his phone back in his pocket. He smiled. “Twenty-four-hour room service,” he said.

In forty minutes they were pulling into a little hideaway in the mountains. Ten minutes later they were entering a room with a view of the Rockies and a lush valley below them. They had a small deck, a king-size bed, a spa tub and each other.

“It’s been a long, stressful week for you,” Sid said. “Good outcome, but a long one.”

“Thank God she’s okay and safe.” He laughed. “Thank God I didn’t go to jail!”

“Yeah, you’re going to want to avoid making a habit of that.”

“I know,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “How fast can you be naked?”

She laughed in spite of herself. “You’re impossibly romantic, you know that?”

He grabbed her around the waist. “I must knock you off your feet, huh?”

She ran her fingers through his short beard. “As a matter of fact...”

*

They enjoyed a delicious dinner of trout, rice, grilled asparagus with a cream sauce and beet salad. “It’s like eating a rainbow,” Sid said.