Susannah's Garden (Blossom Street #3)(83)

At twenty minutes to seven, Susannah took time to freshen her makeup and brush her hair. Her nerves were on edge and she considered changing clothes, wearing something more feminine than her jeans and black cotton sweater. She examined herself in the hallway mirror, sucking in her stomach. No doubt about it, she wasn’t seventeen anymore, but then Jake wasn’t, either.

“How do I look?” she asked, twirling around for Carolyn to comment.

“You want the truth?”

“Of course I do.” Susannah had already decided it must be bad. She tucked her hair behind her ears and realized she was trembling.

“You look like you’re about to throw up.”

Laughing softly, Susannah admitted, “That’s exactly how I feel.”

The phone rang, startling her. Susannah moved toward the kitchen with leaden feet, almost afraid to answer.

It rang again.

“Aren’t you going to pick it up?” Carolyn asked after the third ring.

Susannah’s instincts said to ignore it, but too much was at stake and she reached for the receiver just before the answering machine clicked on.

“Leary residence,” she announced stiffly.

“Is this Susannah Nelson?” a crisp female voice asked.

“Yes, it is.”

“I’m glad I caught you. This is Michelle Larson from Altamira. I’m sorry to tell you this, but your mother’s taken a bad fall. We’re transferring her to Memorial Hospital.”

Susannah’s heart leapt into her throat. “Is she all right?”

“I can’t say for sure. It looks like she’s broken her hip.”

“Oh, no!”

“According to our records, you have power of attorney. Is that correct?”

“Yes.” If they were asking Susannah this, it probably meant her mother was unconscious.

“We’ll need you to sign the forms at the hospital.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes.” Susannah banged down the phone and automatically headed for the door.

“Susannah!” Carolyn raced after her. “What happened?”

“It’s Mom. She’s fallen—they’re taking her to the hospital.” She scrawled a note for Chrissie, scooped up her purse from the hall table and had just opened the door when Carolyn stopped her again.

“What about meeting Jake?”

For a fleeting second, Susannah had completely forgotten. “You go.”

“Me?” Carolyn flattened her hand against her chest.

“I don’t have any choice. Mom needs me.” She hated to ask this of Carolyn, but there was no one else.

Slowly, her friend nodded. “Okay.”

“I owe you,” Susannah said, and rushed out the front door.

“Yes, you do,” Carolyn said, following her. “I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

CHAPTER 36

The gate leading into Calvary Cemetery was closed.

“Oh, great,” Carolyn muttered as she parked the car on the road and climbed out. There was space enough for her to squeeze through and walk onto the cemetery grounds, which she did.

Glancing around, she searched the area for any other parked vehicles and saw none. Being in a cemetery by herself was a little…well, scary—even if she wasn’t a woman who scared easily. The note hadn’t told Susannah exactly where she should meet Jake—or whoever her mysterious visitor was. Although Calvary Cemetery didn’t have extensive grounds, it was large enough to hide in if someone wished not to be seen.

With her arms hugging her middle, Carolyn marched down the center of the paved roadway. The most logical place to wait, she supposed, was George Leary’s grave. After a quick search, she located it. His marble tombstone noted his birthdate and the day he died and nothing else. Like her own father, he’d been a frugal man. Any added adornments, any words of comfort—a quote or a Psalm—were not desired.

Sighing, Carolyn looked up. The cemetery was dead silent. Carolyn grimaced at her unintended pun. No one, not even the groundskeeper, was anywhere in sight. There didn’t appear to be any other visitors.

“This could be a very long night,” she mused aloud, checking her watch. Five to seven.

Pacing up and down the row of tombstones, she glanced at her watch repeatedly. Each minute seemed to drag interminably. This was obviously a waste of time and she grew disheartened.

Walking over to the site where her own parents had been laid to rest, she crouched down and ran her hand over the large marble headstone. She’d last visited only a few days ago. The flowers she’d brought for them, for Lily and for Doug had gone limp by now and been removed.

Many of the grave sites were adorned with artificial flowers. She preferred a fresh-cut bouquet from the garden her mother had planted all those years ago. It seemed a fitting gesture.

By seven-thirty, she knew Jake wasn’t coming. He’d probably seen her waiting and decided not to make an appearance. He didn’t trust Carolyn, and there was no reason he should. She assumed he wasn’t willing to risk his freedom for the opportunity to meet with her. It was Susannah or no one.

To be on the safe side, Carolyn waited another fifteen minutes, then returned to her truck. She hated to be the bearer of disappointing news but there was no help for it.

When she got back to the house, she noticed that Susannah’s car wasn’t parked outside, which meant she was still at the hospital. Not bothering to park, she drove directly to Memorial.