They all raced upstairs where they found Evan on the ground in the bathroom with Sean’s limp body in his arms.
Robert and Darcy rushed towards him. “What happened?” Darcy demanded.
“I found him on the ground in pain,” Evan said. “He cleaned out his insides and now he’s barely breathing and burning up with fever.”
“We need to call a doctor,” Robert said, lifting Sean in his arms.
Patrick went to the phone.
They rested Sean on the bed, stripping him of his clothes. Teresa stood near the door.
“It’s some sort of allergic reaction,” Evan said.
Darcy and Robert shared a look then turned to Teresa.
Darcy’s eyes narrowed. “An allergy he seems to share with birds. What did you give him?”
“It was just something Bertha and I made,” Teresa said in a small voice. “Lemonade.”
“What did you put in it?”
She hesitated, her mind suddenly going blank as she tried to think of all the ingredients. Her silence was enough to prove her guilty.
Evan’s eyes bore into hers. “I swear to God, if my brother dies—”
“You pretended not to know who he really was, didn’t you?” Darcy said. “You waited until he put you in his will—”
“I didn’t try to kill him,” Teresa said, horrified by their accusations. “Bertha and I have made this before and we drank it today. It was harmless.”
As if to combat her claim, Sean’s entire body began to shake. Evan held him and soon the trembling stopped.
“Harmless you say?”
“The ambulance is on its way,” Patrick said holding the phone. “Is he still breathing?”
“Barely.”
Teresa moved towards the bed, desperate to get to Sean. “Let me touch him, I can sense—”
Robert blocked her path. “We’ll take care of him.”
She tried to move around him. “But I just need to—”
“Leave,” Evan said.
“Please let me help him. I can—”
Darcy grabbed Teresa’s arm and shoved her back with such force Teresa hit the wall, causing a picture to shake. “Stay away from him.”
Teresa stared at the four pair of eyes knowing she couldn’t fight them, a chilly black silence coursing through the room. “I didn’t try to kill him, I wouldn’t—”
When Darcy reached for her again, Teresa held up her arms in surrender. “Okay, I’ll go,” she said and turned to the door. “But—”
Darcy didn’t give her a chance to finish. She shoved Teresa out of the room and slammed the door.
Teresa wanted to break down the door and defend herself. She wanted to scream and fight them, but she knew that wasn’t what mattered. It didn’t matter that she was an outsider or even that they thought she had tried to kill him. What mattered was saving Sean and finding out how this had happened.
She couldn’t explain what had gone wrong. She and Bertha had both enjoyed the lemonade so much, there was hardly any left for Sean. Just enough for a small glass. Teresa raced down stairs and grabbed the thermos. She had to find out what went wrong. She had to clear her name, Bertha could help her. Unfortunately Bertha wasn’t home and she couldn’t reach her by phone. She called Dr. Knox, relieved when he picked up after the second ring.
“Thank goodness,” she said. “I need another favor and fast.”
“What is it?” he said with a note of caution.
“I need you to check—”
“Leave it alone, Teresa.”
She paused surprised by his curt tone. “What?”
“I can’t help you. I can’t check anything for you, just leave things as they are.”
“But this—”
“Is bigger than you. Leave it alone. Don’t look too deep.”
“But I—”
“I’m sorry, I have to go,” he said then disconnected.
Teresa stared at the phone perplexed. Why didn’t he want to help her? What did he mean she shouldn’t look too deep? She briefly squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Sean was sick and she didn’t have time for more questions. She needed answers. She grabbed her car keys and headed for the door. She had to go to someone with more insight.
***
Detective Hartnett hid when he saw Teresa burst into the police station looking like a wild woman. He saw her rush up to the front desk and ask for him. He caught the officer’s eye, from where he was standing, and shook his head. The officer told her he was out. She asked a few more questions, but the officer made it clear that Hartnett couldn’t be reached. She then lowered her voice so he couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation, but from the mumbling he could tell she was talking fast and the expression on the officer’s face made Hartnett know that whatever she was saying sounded interesting.
The officer was trained to look interested, even when he wasn’t, but this time his expression wasn’t fake. He really was listening to her every word. She then shoved something at him, which he took, using a pen to hold it by the handle. She said something else then dashed off. Hartnett half smiled, imagining her grabbing a broom and flying away.
Once she was gone, he came out of hiding. “What was that all about?”
The officer held up a thermos he’d put in a plastic bag. “She thinks someone tried to poison her husband. She wants us to test this.”
“Are you serious?”
“She seemed very serious, sir.”
“I don’t know why she keeps dropping things off here.”
“She seemed pretty desperate. I think we should look into it.”
“Why? It’s probably a waste of time.”
“What if it’s not, sir?”
Hartnett sighed. The officer was right. He needed to put an end to her hysterics. “Fine, send it to the lab. We’ll see what they find.”
***
Teresa left the police station, not knowing where to go next. She knew she couldn’t go home yet. Sean was likely at the hospital by now and she doubted his family would allow her to see him. She drove to Long Creek Park and wandered around. As the sun beat down around her, she could hear the fountain, the rush of bicycle wheels whizzing past, laughter and people enjoying ice cream snacks, sunbathing and the smell of food drifting through the air from a local food truck. But she felt cold inside not knowing who to call or what to do. Her sisters couldn’t help her.
“Teresa!” Kenneth’s bright friendly voice said behind her.
She spun around and saw that he was on a late afternoon break, a half-eaten meal in his hand.
“I thought it was—” he began until he saw her face. His expression changed. “What happened? ”
She stumbled towards him then stopped, tears suddenly blinding her. “I’m in so much trouble. I don’t know what to do.”
Kenneth reacted immediately. He threw the rest of his lunch away in a garbage bin and led her over to a bench. When he spoke, he kept his voice steady. “Just tell me what happened.”
Teresa nervously tugged on her bracelets. “This is all my fault. They think I tried to kill him.”
“Who?”
“Sean.”
“Who thinks that? Where is Sean now?” Kenneth took a deep breath then gently covered her hand. “I don’t want to rush you, but you have to tell me everything. Start from the beginning.”
“There’s not much to say,” she said thankful for his presence, but knowing there wasn’t much he could do. She looked away from him and saw a squirrel peek its head inside an empty potato chips bag. “I visited Bertha and we had some mint lemonade and she put some in a thermos, which I gave to Sean.”
“And now he’s sick,” Kenneth concluded.
Teresa shook her head. “No, it’s worse than that, it killed the birds.”
“Birds?”
“I used the same thermos to fill the birdbath. The birds drank the water and died. Now his family won’t let me near him.”
“We know you didn’t do anything so there must be another explanation.”
She turned to him intrigued. “What?”
“Someone tampered with the thermos.”
“But it was with me the entire time.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure.”
Kenneth frowned, rubbing his chin. “Pretty sure isn’t definite. Are you sure you never left the thermos?”
She shrugged searching her mind. “Just when I was in the bookshop.”
“Where is the thermos now?”
“I gave it to the police.”
Kenneth swore.
Teresa stiffened. “I did something wrong again, didn’t I? I should have come to you first and—”
“No, no,” he said. “You did what you had to.”
She jumped to her feet. “But I keep making things worse. I have to go talk to Pernelle at the bookshop.”
“Wait,” Kenneth said, standing too. “Let me go with you to the hospital so we can explain to his family what you think happened.”
Teresa shook her head. “I can’t face them, yet. If he dies....”
“He won’t die,” Kenneth said, with more hope than conviction.
***
He couldn’t figure out where he was. When Sean opened his eyes, the light in the room was dim and the walls seemed far away, like he was in the middle of an auditorium. He knew by the stark white walls and crisp, scratchy sheets that he wasn’t at home. He heard the whisper of footsteps, then two faces peered over him.
“How are you feeling?” Darcy asked, touching his forehead with cool fingers.
“Better,” he managed, his voice hoarse. He struggled to sit up feeling that something was missing. When he glanced around the room at his family, he figured out what it was. “Where’s Teresa?”
“She’s out,” Darcy said quickly.
“She’s gone,” Evan corrected.
Darcy sent him a harsh glare, which he ignored. Sean stiffened. “Gone? What do you mean she’s gone?”
“I mean she left you.”
“Evan!” Darcy warned. “He doesn’t need news like that right now.”
The warning tone in her voice alerted him that something was wrong. He had to be careful until he knew the full story. Teresa’s freedom—and maybe even her life—was at risk and he had to do his best to save her. Although Evan was no longer a cop after a bullet shattered his leg, his instincts were on alert and Sean knew his brother would have Teresa in jail before he knew it. “I don’t believe you.” He turned to Patrick. “Is it true?”
“I’m sure she’s coming back.”
Sean sighed, wishing he had more strength. “How long have I been here?”
“A couple of days,” Robert said.
“I want you to find her. I need to see her and—”
“What’s the point?” Evan cut in. “She tried to kill you.”
Sean scowled. “What are you talking about?”
“She put something in your drink. She wouldn’t admit it, but we guessed.”
Patrick shook his head. “No, she said—”
“Shut up,” Evan said.
“What did she say?” Sean asked his younger brother.
“She said she didn’t do it,” Patrick said in a soft voice.
Evan gripped his cane. “And then she did a runner.”
“Well maybe if Darcy hadn’t pushed her—”
Sean shot his sister a glance, anger piercing through him. “You
what
?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“By attacking my wife?”
“She kept trying to get near you.”
His hands shook as he imagined the scene in his mind. Teresa trying to touch him and his family pushing her away. “So you kept her from me!”
“Keep your voices down,” Robert said.
“She may be dangerous,” Darcy said.
“She didn’t do anything. It was my fault,” he lied.
They all stared at him, then Evan finally said, “How is it your fault?”
“The doctor had prescribed pills for anxiety and I probably took too many.”
“Then why did she run?”
Sean met his brother’s hard stare. “Oh, maybe because you accused her of trying to kill me.”
“Or maybe because anxiety medicine is not what they would find in your system and she knew that. She even took the thermos. We nearly lost you. It’s only because they were able to flush out most of the toxins that you survived.”
“You have to find her,” Sean said.
Evan tapped his cane. “We plan to.”
“How?”
“There’s a warrant out for her arrest.”
Sean grabbed the lapel of his brother’s shirt and pulled him close. “Don’t lie to me.”
Evan easily loosened his hold. “I’m not lying. Your wife has a history. She did quite well after the death of a friend of hers and some say she was the last person seen with her cousin Louisa before she died. The police were only too eager to listen. Especially when they got back the lab report on the thermos.”
“Teresa would never hurt anyone. Louisa hemorrhaged.”
“And people at the shop saw Teresa giving her cousin the
same
lemonade she gave to you.”
“So what? They’re just gossips trying to make connections that don’t exist. Get me my trousers, will you?”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Evan said.
Sean pushed back the sheets. “Watch me.”
Evan stopped him with the tip of his cane. “If you fall on your face, I’m not picking you back up again.”
“That’s fine,” Sean said, moving with a great amount of will. He knew he didn’t have the strength to make it even a few feet, but he had to do something.
“There’s nothing you can do,” Darcy said, gently pushing him back. “The police are already looking for her.”
He glared at her. “I won’t press charges.”
“With a past like yours, will it even matter?”
Sean felt his insides grow cold. His sister was right. All the things he hadn’t told Teresa about—the loss of his practice, his insomnia and his brief stay in an asylum—could all be used against her if his family deemed him incompetent. He felt his heart begin to race; his joy was being taken away from him, again, just as it nearly had been when the truck caught fire.
“Sean, are you all right?” Darcy asked.
He knew he was breathing too fast by the sudden concern on his sister’s face, but he didn’t care. He had to think. He knew Teresa was innocent and if he couldn’t protect her, someone else had to.
“We’re not doing this to hurt you,” she said.
“The fact that they haven’t found her, means she knows what she did and doesn’t want to get caught,” Robert added.
Evan shook his head in pity. “You need to rest and regain your strength. She isn’t worth it.”
Sean squeezed his eyes shut, the rage in him hot and acidic. She was worth everything to him, but he knew he couldn’t make them understand. He gripped his hands into fists, until he felt his fingernails impaling his palms.