Page 36 of Where Secrets Lie

She nudged him back against the stack of pillows that elevated his head to help with swelling. “Not quite yet.”

“I might need to lean on you a bit, but we could get it done.”He patted his hips. “I’ve been carrying a ring around in my pocket for days, but I seem to have misplaced my pants.”

A choked chuckle escaped her throat, and she couldn’t decide if the moisture blurring her vision was from joy or the release of terror. Maybe both. “I saw you fiddling with something in your pocket several times recently. It was the ring?” And the first time she’d noticed it was just before she’d found the empty wine bottle in the trash. If not for her suspicions, she’d likely have that ring on her finger right now.

His smile faltered and he nodded. She knew he was remembering that aborted proposal as well, and she could have kicked herself. Right after taking down Beckett, things had seemed so straightforward and perfect. They’d plan a quick wedding and resume their life together, but things hadn’t worked out that way, and it was all her fault.

She realized Hez had spoken and she hadn’t heard a word. “I’m sorry?”

“The ring. What happened to it?” His brows furrowed as he tried to focus. “Where did it go? Can you search for it?”

“That can be arranged. The nurse probably has your personal belongings in a locker somewhere. I’ll see what I can find.” She stood and leaned over to kiss him. “But not quite yet.”

***

Hez lay back in bed and let his mind drift. Not that he had much choice. Between the pain meds and the aftereffects of his injury and surgery, he couldn’t focus on anything. He also had virtually no energy. If his bed hadn’t been set in a raisedposition, he doubted he’d be able to sit up for more than a few seconds without tiring. When they moved him into a private room, the neurologist told him to rest and get plenty of sleep if he could. Hez had no trouble following the doctor’s orders.

While he was awake, his thoughts kept floating back to Savannah. She’d assured him that she’d found the ring and that it was now on the counter of his condo next to his wallet. When would he give it to her, and how? Maybe a dinner cruise on Bon Secour Bay, with the proposal timed to happen as the sun set, turning the water into a sheet of gold. Or maybe he would take her back to the scene of their first date, Schwarzburg Stadium. Will Dixon played quarterback for the TGU Gators, so he might be able to get them into the Schwarz on a weekday. Or would it be better to do it during a game with the proposal up on the scoreboard? But that would mean waiting until the next football season, which was seven months away. Still, that would be fun. He closed his eyes and pictured the scene.

A door squeak woke him. He opened his eyes to see Ed, Toni, and Dominga in the doorway. Dominga carried an enormous card that saidA BIG Get Well from All of Us, and Toni held a bag with the Petit Charms logo. Hez’s stomach rumbled as the familiar scent of fresh beignets reached him. The women both looked uninjured, but Ed had two black eyes and a healing cut on his forehead.

“Sorry to wake you, Professor Webster.” Ed started to close the door. “We can come back later.”

“No, no.” Hez gestured them in with a lazy sweep of his hand. “I could use some visitors. And some beignets. The food here is terrible, even for a hospital.”

“We also brought you a card.” Dominga walked in and handed it to him. “I think your entire legal writing class signed it, and a bunch of other people too.”

Hez opened the card. The inside was completely covered with hundreds of handwritten messages. He didn’t even recognize all the names. His eyes blurred and he swiped at them. The pain meds must be making him emotional. He cleared his throat. “Thanks. So how are things going?”

“Okay.” Ed’s eyes widened as his gaze went to the side of Hez’s head. “Uh, how do you feel?”

Hez had a similar reaction when he saw himself in the bathroom mirror. The left half of his head was bald, bruised, and had a seam. It looked like an enormous well-used softball. “Better than you look, Ed.”

Ed grinned. “I’m sure the other guys don’t look great either. Two of them weren’t moving too well when they ran away.”

“Ran away.” Hez processed the information. “So they all escaped?”

Ed nodded. “I’m afraid so. They got all our phones and took off before the cops arrived. And they all wore ski masks, so the security cameras didn’t get anything useful.”

Their phones. Hez knew that should mean something. Maybe it would come to him. “That’s too bad, but I’m glad you three are all right. Toni, I have a dim memory of something happening to your car. Is that right?”

“It is.” She handed him the bag of beignets. “Someone smashed in the window and took my phone. Probably the same guys who attacked you.”

He took a bite of beignet and chewed slowly. “Mmm, thanks. Is your insurance covering it?”

She rolled her eyes. “They should, but they’re giving me a hard time. Ms. Legare is letting me borrow her car in the meantime. She’s been a huge help.”

Hez didn’t need to be at the top of his mental game to guess why. “Are you working on something involving the Pierre Legare Trust?”

“Yep. The trust, Ellison Abernathy’s estate, and Beckett Harrison’s estate own a vacant lot behind a gas station outside Nova Cambridge, and they’ve been leasing it to the university for fifty thousand dollars per year. Since Abernathy signed the lease for TGU and was also a partial owner of the lot, he had an obvious conflict of interest. I think we can get the lease voided and maybe even recoup some of the past payments.”

So Pierre’s trust would take another hit. No wonder Jess was being a huge help. Hez nodded, which was a mistake. Despite the meds, a twinge of pain ran across his skull from left to right, and he carefully leaned his head back on the pillow. “Could you write up a memo?”

“I already am. Ms. Legare asked for one yesterday.” Toni bit her lip. “That’s okay, isn’t it?”

Of course Jess already asked for a memo. “Sure. The university is our client, so it’s fine to do stuff for the officers. Just run it past me first—if I’m not in the hospital, that is. I’ll give her a call—” And then he finally connected the dots. “Our phones. Did they only take our phones? Why?”

“I think your hunch was right, Professor,” Toni said. “The smugglers must have figured out that the tip came through the Justice Chamber, so they stole our phones to search our call and text histories.”

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