Santa in a Stetson (4 page)

“No,” sounded a female voice. “Are you Mr. Brenner?”

He blinked. “Who's this?” Colt knew he sounded terse, but couldn't help it.

“I'm Katy McFarland.” Katy was the nickname she used with young people. “The first thing you need to know is that your daughter Allie is fine, but she's asleep right now. She gave me your phone number so I could call you.”

Adrenaline gushed through his veins. “Where is she?” he cried out. “Who are you?”

“I'm a medical caseworker for North Avenues Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was called in when your daughter was brought here around four-thirty this afternoon. She became dizzy after getting off the Greyhound bus. A passerby saw her on the ground and called 911. There was no ID on her. An ambulance picked her up and brought her to the E.R. Your daughter has the H1N1 virus, but it's not a serious case.”

Colt staggered to the bed and sank down.

“She's really all right?”

“I wouldn't lie to you, but I have to tell you her biggest fear is that you won't be able to forgive her for what she did. In case you didn't know it, she worships the ground you walk on, so that makes a girl nervous to disappoint the most wonderful father in the whole world.”

She'd imitated Allie's way of speaking to perfection, charming Colt, who was close to speechless at this point. “I don't know how to thank you.”

“You just did, so don't think about it anymore. We've got her on an IV to treat her flu symptoms. If she continues to improve, she can probably be released tomorrow provided she gets nursing care at home for another day.”

Colt jumped to his feet. “My son was the one who figured out she'd taken the bus somewhere. The police are attempting to locate her in Salt Lake right now. Matt and I will fly to Salt Lake on the earliest flight out of Bozeman in the morning. We want to be with her until she's out of the woods.”

“You don't need to do that. To be frank, your daughter didn't want to stay here tonight. She has begged me to
let her go home tomorrow. In the event that she's well enough, I've made arrangements through the hospital to fly her to Bozeman by private charter in the afternoon. I'll accompany her and take care of her for another day until she's up and around.”

“I can't let you do that.”

“It's my job.”

“No one has a job like that,” he argued. “No wonder our hospitals are in financial trouble.”

“The patient advocacy department is funded by a private donor, so it's not a concern. More importantly, your daughter made a deal with me. She would tell me your name and let me call you if I nursed her till she was better. We shook on it.”

Good grief.

Allie, Allie.
What was going on inside her? After a certain age, she'd only wanted Noreen around and Colt hadn't hired another nanny. Yet in her vulnerability today, she'd reached out to a stranger. Why?

Colt wanted to ask this woman if she knew what had driven Allie to do what she did, but now wasn't the time. It was enough to know his daughter was safe in a hospital, getting treated for the flu of all things.

He took a deep breath. “How soon can I talk to her?”

“As soon as she's awake. Housekeeping has brought me a cot so I can stay with her tonight. If she should wake up, I'll let her use my phone to call you. Otherwise, call my number in the morning and I'll put her on.”

He pursed his lips. “I may phone you before that to find out if you're real or if I'm having an out-of-body experience.”

She laughed quietly. A husky kind of laugh that resonated inside him. “There's nothing more terrifying than not knowing where your child is. Until you can hug her and kiss her, I know you won't quite believe you have her back.”

Whoever this woman was, she could read minds. It gave him goose flesh. “Ms. McFarland?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“You're welcome, Mr. Brenner. We'll talk in the morning. Good night.”

She hung up first, leaving him dazed.

When he gathered his wits, he left the room and walked down the hall past the guest bedroom to Matt's room. His son had fallen asleep, but after what they'd been through, he decided to wake him up.

“Matt?” he called softly to him.

He made a sound and turned toward him. “Is it time to go?”

Colt sat down on the side of the bed. “We don't have to go anywhere. Your sister's been found.” In the next few minutes, he told him about the phone call.

Matt reached over and hugged him. “Do you think I'll catch it?”

He hadn't seen that question coming. “I don't know. Let's not worry about that now. Go back to sleep.”

“They're really going to fly her home?”

“That's what the nurse said.”

“Whoa. Well, good night, Dad.” Matt laid back down and punched his pillow to get it in the right position.

Colt eyed his son for a moment. The biggest care on Matt's mind now was whether he would come down
with the virus. Would that the flu was all that plagued Colt. Unfortunately for him, this new knowledge was only the tip of an enormous iceberg.

After leaving Matt's bedroom, he headed for his study again. He called both detectives and left messages that Allie had been found. Following that, he e-mailed the Wagners to tell them the good news. There was no one else to inform.

Wired and restless, he went to the kitchen to make himself some coffee. Caffeine was the last thing he needed, but it was the only drink he wanted.

His premonition that something was wrong with Allie had borne fruit. Two times he'd experienced this. Both times there'd been bad news. He dreaded the thought of it ever happening again. His heart might not be able to take it a third time.

Noreen was going to be surprised when another woman besides herself would be waiting on Allie. Colt had gotten the surprise of
his
life when a Ms. McFarland, rather than the detective, had phoned to let him know his daughter was in hospital. Sick, but safe.

The woman had sent an essence through the phone line he couldn't describe. He had to confess that his curiosity had been aroused. For several reasons, he knew it would be a long time before tomorrow afternoon rolled around.

Colt wasn't sure he could wait. If he talked to Allie in the morning and didn't hear improvement, then he'd fly to Salt Lake with Matt as planned.

 

K
ATHRYN HAD SET
her watch alarm for six-thirty. After she got up from the cot, she checked her patient's vital
signs. Everything looked good. Her temperature was down to ninety-nine. While Allie still slept, she stepped outside to use the restroom and freshen up. She ordered breakfast trays for both of them, then put on a new surgical mask.

As she reached the room, the E.R. doctor was just coming out. “She's doing fine. Keep her on the IV until you're ready to transport her.”

“I've arranged it for this afternoon.”

He nodded his approval before walking away.

Kathryn went back in the room. “Good morning.”

Allie looked happy to see her. “Hi.”

“The doctor said you're coming right along. Let's get you up to the bathroom, then you'll feel even better.”

“I've never had to go so badly.”

“That's what an IV does to you.” She raised the head of her bed, then helped her get up and walk to the bathroom while she rolled the IV stand. “Do you feel dizzy?”

“Not really.”

“Good, but I'm still going to stay right outside the door. If you start to feel funny, just tell me.”

“Okay.”

When Allie came out again, she said, “I feel ten pounds lighter.”

Kathryn laughed. “You probably are. Need help getting back to bed?”

“I don't think so.”

To her relief, Allie made it without support. “Do you feel any nausea this morning?”

“No. I'm hungry.”

“I'm glad to hear that.” She helped ease her back
on the bed. “Our breakfast should be here in a minute. While we wait, why don't you call your father. I promised him you would.”

“I'm afraid to.”

Kathryn made a face. “Afraid? Of the most wonderful father in the whole world?”

“By now I'm sure he knows I asked Jen to lie for me. I think Dad hates lies more than anything else.”

“But he loves
you
more than anything else, Allie. Once you tell him the reason behind this incident and let him know you're sorry for not being honest with him, he'll understand and love you all the more.” She pulled out the phone and pressed his number. “Here. It's ringing.”

With reluctance Allie took the phone from her. Almost immediately she said, “Hi, Dad. It's me.” Whatever he answered in response caused the tears to roll down her cheeks. “I miss you, too. I'm so sorry for what I did.”

Kathryn slipped out in the hall to give them privacy. The trays eventually arrived. She took them in the room and put them on the table that slid over the bed. Propping herself on the stool, Kathryn reached for hers and devoured her toast and eggs. In a few minutes, she heard Allie saying goodbye.

“I love you, too. Here she is.” She extended the phone to Kathryn. “Dad wants to talk to you.”

She took it from her and put her empty tray on the side table. “Good morning, Mr. Brenner.”

“It is now.” His voice sounded deeper.

“Are you grounded yet?” she teased.

He chuckled. “Almost. Like you said, it will take hugging her to convince me completely.”

“The doctor says she can go home. If all goes well, we should be in Bozeman by two.”

“That's even earlier than I'd hoped.”

The man couldn't wait to get his daughter back. “She can't get home fast enough either. We'll be coming in on a Cessna CJ2.”

“All the comforts of home for my daughter. I'm very grateful.”

“I'm thrilled she's doing this well. Before we hang up, there is one thing. Allie stowed her backpack in one of the lockers at the bus depot, but the receipt with the access code for the computer was stolen along with her purse. I'm afraid you're the only person who can authorize someone to open it.”

“I'll take care of it right now and ask them to ship it back to us.”

“Hopefully by the time she's ready to return to school, it will have arrived. See you in about six hours.”

“I'm counting down the time.”

The comment made her smile. She hung up.

“Katy?”

Bemused by his comment, she was slow to flick her gaze to Allie. “What is it?”

“I'm glad you're going to be taking care of me.”

“You are?”

She nodded. “People die from the H1N1 virus.”

The poor thing had been so frightened to tell her father what she'd done, she was only now realizing the state of her health.

“Well, it's not going to happen on my watch. While
you graze the TV channels, I'm going to go home and pack a few things. Then I'll be back. I expect your breakfast to be gone.”

“I want to eat.”

“Good. You know the button to press if you need a nurse to help you to the bathroom again. Can I get you anything else before I go?”

“No. Just hurry.”

“I promise.”

Nancy had gone off shift when Kathryn approached the desk. Sue was on duty. Kathryn caught her up to speed on the Brenner case, then she left the hospital for home.

It was cold and cloudy, but no storm was pending yet. For Allie's sake she hoped there'd be little turbulence on the flight to Montana.

Once she'd reached her condo, she packed a suitcase, then took a shower and washed her hair. After she'd blow-dried it, she slipped on fresh underwear and walked over to the closet.

She gave a few outfits consideration, then made her choice of a pair of camel-colored wool pants and matching cashmere sweater with a crew neck. She toned it with a dark brown suede blazer she'd picked up with her family in Rio. The suede boots in the same tone were comfortable, yet dressy. Her topaz studs added the right touch.

The clothes she'd worn at the farm had been nothing like the outfits Maggie wore. Her sister, with her long legs and slim figure, looked like a fashion model without even trying. With her sense of dress, she'd helped put a wardrobe together that suited Kathryn. Their
family's local and national prominence dictated that they be ready for the camera whenever they went out in public.

Both sisters were blonde and five foot eight, but Kathryn's figure was a little fuller. Sometimes from farther off, people thought the two of them were twins. But once they got up close, the differences in their facial features became evident.

Kathryn had a wider smile and naturally dark-fringed eyes. Since becoming a mother, Maggie wore her hair shorter, the way Kathryn had done at the farm. Now they'd reversed things.

She rummaged through her accessories drawer and pulled out a chiffon scarf in a geometric design of leopard-skin colors. Once she'd caught her shoulder-length blond hair at the nape with it, she applied a pink frost lipstick, sprayed herself with her favorite wild-flower scent and was ready.

Before she left the condo, she phoned her parents. Her mother answered. “I'm so glad you called, darling. Come on over and have lunch with us.”

“I wish I could, but I'm on a case and won't be home for a few days.” Her mom understood what that meant. Any lost child took top priority. Thanks to her psychiatrist's suggestion, Kathryn found that if she took the time to explain things to her mother, she didn't get so upset if Kathryn couldn't be with them.

“Where are you going?”

“I'm taking a teenager home to her family in Bozeman. Her name is Allie Brenner. She came down with the H1N1 virus, but it's a light case. Maggie's going to fly us there in a little while.”

“Was she a kidnap victim?”