Tangle of Strings Read online

  Hank offered him a thumbs-up as the rear doors slammed. Eli felt an ache in the back of his throat watching the ambulance speed off, lights flashing and siren blaring.

  Eli wasn’t Annie’s uncle anymore than Mike was her father. He found his relationship with her difficult to explain. To the members of the Sweeney family, Annie was sister, cousin, niece, and daughter. But she was blood kin only to one. Jamie. Her half brother. His stepson. The boy Sam had raised on her own since his birth.

  Eli thought back to the previous summer when he first met Annie. She’d shown up at Faith and Mike’s wedding uninvited—filthy dirty and borderline malnourished, wearing threadbare clothes and dime-store flip-flops—in search of the half brother she’d never met. She needed Jamie’s help in saving their father’s life. Specifically, a section of his liver. But Allen had died before a decision could be made about a transplant operation, making Annie an orphan. At least that’s what they’d thought at the time. Before Heidi had shown up out of the blue.

  THREE

  Annie

  Annie fought her way through the haze toward Eli’s voice. She managed to open her eyes, but the mask covering her mouth prevented her from speaking. She couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from, but the pain was intolerable. She closed her eyes and retreated to the nothingness where everything was peaceful and nothing hurt.

  The next time she came to, she rocketed through the fog like a spacecraft being launched into orbit. Her eyes bounced around the room, off the walls and ceiling and floor. She recognized the pale green walls, harsh overhead lighting, and stainless steel equipment of the emergency room. Mike’s face came into view. She’d never been so happy to see his chubby rosy cheeks and twinkling blue eyes.

  “Welcome back, sweetheart. You’re in the emergency room at Prospect General. You took quite a blow to your head. Do you remember your name?”

  Someone had replaced the oxygen mask with tubes in her nose. “Annie Bethune.”

  Mike directed a thumb at his chest. “Do you know who I am?”

  The neck brace prevented her from nodding. “You’re Mike Neilson, my legal guardian.”

  After Annie’s father died, Faith and Mike had offered to adopt her, but the idea of a relationship so permanent terrified her no matter how kind they were. She’d grown to love them and knew them well, but her track record with parental units sucked. They’d agreed to become her legal guardians instead.

  Mike flashed a penlight in her eyes. “Can you tell me where it hurts?”

  “Everywhere.”

  He chuckled. “In your case, that’s actually a good sign.” He squeezed her right hand. “Can you feel this?”

  “Yes.”

  He pinched the tip of her index finger on her left hand. “And this.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “How about this?” He ran a cold metal object up the bottoms of both her feet.

  “Yes, I can feel that. Does this mean we can take off this neck brace? It’s choking me.”

  He smiled. “Not quite yet, but soon.”

  Tears spilled over her lids and ran down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Mike. I didn’t mean to wreck the car. The van came outta nowhere. She was in front of me and I couldn’t stop.”

  He snatched a tissue from the box on the counter behind him. “That’s what insurance is for, honey.” He mopped up her tears. “My only concern right now is your health. I’m gonna fix you up good as new, but you’ll need to cooperate. It won’t be easy.”

  “I can’t stand the pain, Mike. My left arm feels like a shark ripped it off. And my head is killing me, like someone chopped it open with an ax.”

  “I’ll give you something for the pain in a minute. But I’m not going to lie to you, Annie. You’re pretty banged up. We’ll have to take some X-rays. We may even need to do an MRI.” He turned his back on her for a moment as he consulted his clipboard, and then turned back to face her. “I’m required to ask this of all my female patients of childbearing age. Is there any chance you could be pregnant?”

  She stared at him, waiting for him to smile and say, “April Fool’s,” like he always did even though it wasn’t April 1. When his face remained impassive, she averted her eyes. Was it possible she was pregnant? She’d missed her period, but that was nothing new. She wasn’t exactly regular.

  Her mind drifted back six weeks to New Year’s Eve.

  She’d been dating Cooper since Thanksgiving at his family’s farm when they’d finally admitted their attraction to one another was more than friendship. Neither of them had ever been in a serious relationship. And they were both virgins. They’d agreed to take the sex part slow, but in an intense moment on New Year’s Eve, they let things go too far. His parents were out of town. Snuggled up on the floor in front of the gas fire, they drank a glass of champagne to toast in the New Year while watching Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Innocent kisses led to heavy petting. She had squirmed and he had fumbled and groped. The whole awkward encounter hadn’t lasted long. She’d experienced no pain and there’d been no blood. Naturally she’d assumed he hadn’t popped her cherry.

  After the clock stroked midnight, while he was driving her home, Cooper asked, “You don’t think you could have gotten… I mean, we didn’t use any protection.”

  She waved him off. “I’m sure it’s fine.” She rested her head against his chest. “Technically speaking, I’m not even sure we did it.” She used air quotes to emphasize the it. “It didn’t hurt like everyone says it does. But it didn’t feel good either. I don’t get all the hype.”

  “Next time will be better.” He kissed her hair. “I don’t think either one of us was ready for it tonight. It’s my fault for letting things get out of control.”

  “I don’t think the next time should be anytime soon.” She smiled to herself at their innocence. “We’re probably the only teenage couple in America who isn’t having sex every chance we get.”

  Cooper scrunched up his brow. “If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it doesn’t.”

  She nudged him. “Don’t be so sensitive. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m laughing because we’re so naive.”

  “No, you’re right. Clearly, I’m the one with the problem,” Cooper said under his breath. And he’d barely spoken to her since.

  “Annie, sweetheart, can you hear me?” Mike’s lips were close to her ear. When she didn’t respond, he snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Come on, Annie. I need for you to pay attention, so we can move forward with your treatment.”

  She locked eyes with his.

  “It’s in the best interest of your health for you to tell me the truth. Is there any chance you’re pregnant? You can trust me. You should know that by now.”

  “Yes,” she mumbled. “But please don’t tell Faith.”

  FOUR

  Eli

  Sam beat Eli to the hospital. She was sitting alone in a long line of empty chairs when he arrived. An elderly man with a bloody kitchen towel draped over his hand and a teenage mother cradling a sleeping infant in her arms were the only other people in the ER waiting room.

  “Come here, you.” He pulled Sam from her chair and held her at arm’s length, taking her in from the top of her cropped blonde head to her dark-washed jeans and the pointy toes of her cowboy boots, relieved to see she hadn’t changed since breakfast. Sensing the worry behind her deep blue eyes, he wrapped his arms around her slight frame and buried his face in the soft spot at the crook of her neck. “You never know when you wake up in the morning what the day will bring.”

  Sam ran her hands up and down his back. “You’re shaking all over. Are you okay?”

  He choked back a sob. “Not really, no. The accident happened right in front of me. I was powerless to do anything to stop it. I can’t even think about what might have happened if she hadn’t been wearing her seat belt.”

  “Let’s sit down.” Sam lowered herself to her chair and pulled him down beside her. “Take deep breaths. Try to clear y
our mind.”

  “I saw her car flip over with my own eyes, Sammie. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to erase that image from my mind.” Eli propped his elbow on the arm of the chair and buried his face in his hand. “We should probably call Jamie.”

  “I already thought about that. Let’s wait until we know more about Annie’s condition. Jamie has a lot of work this week. Knowing him, he’ll want to jump in the car and drive down here. Same goes for Mom. She finally seems to be dealing with Mack’s death and now this. She loves Annie. I’d hate to think of what she’d do if something happens to her.” Sam slipped her arm through his, resting her head against him. They stayed that way until Faith charged through the plate glass doors ten minutes later. Sam and Eli stood and greeted her with hugs.

  Faith’s brown hair was tied back in a haphazard ponytail and the lines around her hazel eyes were etched with concern. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I had to go by the house and feed the puppy. Have you heard anything?”

  “Not yet,” Sam said. “An ambulance arrived a few minutes ago. I imagine that was Annie. But I haven’t seen or heard from Mike.”

  Faith held up the phone she gripped tightly in her hand. “I just texted him to let him know I was here.”

  Faith slipped off her fleece and they all sat down.

  “Where’s Bitsy?” Sam asked.

  “I left her with the Cooks. Kathy, the mother, offered to keep Bitsy overnight and take her to school in the morning.” She leaned over Sam and said, “Eli, how much do you know about the accident?”

  Eli inhaled a deep breath. “I was there at the time. I was writing a parking ticket on Main Street, in front of The Grill, when Annie sped past me.”

  Faith scrunched up her brow. “Speeding? Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like Annie. She drives like a granny. I should know. I’m the one who taught her.”

  “Surprised me, too, honestly,” Eli said. “But she was definitely driving too fast for that portion of Main Street. Maybe she wasn’t aware that the speed limit is only thirty-five through there. Or maybe she wasn’t paying attention. I followed her, planning to pull her over and give her a warning. Just to scare her, you understand. But then a car coming from the opposite direction veered across the line. The woman admitted to texting at the time.”

  “Do you have any idea where Annie was headed?” Sam asked. “Why would she have been going east on Main Street, away from the market, when she was already late to work?”

  “I have no idea, but wherever she was going, she was in a hurry to get there.”

  “I talked to her as she was leaving the parking lot at school,” Faith said. “She was going to stop by the house to change and go straight to work.”

  “Something must’ve happened,” Sam said. “Maybe she and Cooper got in a fight or something.”

  Faith asked, “Did you get a chance to talk to her, Eli?”

  “She was in and out of consciousness,” Eli said. “I spoke to her as the paramedics were wheeling her to the ambulance. She opened her eyes, and I think she recognized me, but the oxygen mask prevented her from responding.”

  Tears filled Faith’s eyes and she brought a trembling fist to her mouth. “Sounds like her injuries are serious.”

  Eli nodded. “I hate to alarm you, Faith, but you need to be prepared for some bad news. Her car overturned. She’s lucky to be alive.”

  “But she’s in the best hands, honey,” Sam said, rubbing her sister’s thigh. “Mike will take good care of her.”

  “I know,” Faith said, drawing in an unsteady breath and swiping at her tears.

  In the back corner of the waiting room, a television caught their attention with its early edition of the local news. The lead story featured the accident on Main Street, which continued to create havoc for afternoon commuters. The reporter broadcasted the details. A young mother, texting at the time, swerved into oncoming traffic. A teenage girl seriously injured. Authorities still working to clear the scene.

  Faith twisted in her seat to see the TV.

  “I wouldn’t look if I were you,” Eli said. “Believe me when I tell you that you don’t want that image in your mind.”

  “Good point,” Faith said, and turned back around.

  The threesome waited in silence. They crossed and uncrossed their legs, twiddled their thumbs, watched the minutes tick by on the wall clock opposite them, and fiddled with their phones. But their eyes never left the double doors leading to the examining rooms.

  A stunning young black girl with a flawless complexion, pert nose, and amber eyes—about sixteen years old if Eli had to guess—entered the ER just as the early edition of the news was ending. Three pairs of eyes followed her across the room to the reception desk where she inquired about Annie Bethune.

  The threesome sat up straighter in their chairs, straining to hear the conversation.

  The disinterested nurse, an older woman with hair more violet than silver, at the reception desk asked, “Are you family?”

  “No. But I’m a friend.” The girl cast a nervous glance around the waiting room.

  “I’m sorry, but we’re not allowed to release patient information to friends.” The nurse’s lip curled up as if she found the word distasteful. “I suggest you come back in the morning.”

  When the girl turned to leave, Eli rose from his chair and stepped in her path. Sam and Faith joined him. “I couldn’t help but overhear you inquiring about Annie,” he said. “We’re her family.”

  Her golden eyes sought out his nametag. “Oh right. You’re Eli. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She looked first at his wife and then her sister. “You must be Sam and Faith.”

  Eli wondered how she knew so much about them when they knew nothing about her. “And you are?”

  “Althea Bell. But everyone calls me Thea. I’m a friend of Annie’s.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Did you say Bell? Are you any kin to Flora?”

  Coils of hair danced around Thea’s face as she nodded her head. “I’m her daughter. How do you know my mama?”

  “I used to eat breakfast with her at The Grill at least three times a week. She sure could pour a mean cup of coffee. I’ve missed old Flora. How’s she feeling?”

  A pained expression crossed her face. “She has good days and bad days. The doctor’s after her to lose some weight, but so far, none of the diets have done any good. She’s still smiling, though. You know Mama.”

  “I know that smile well.” The image of Flora’s bright face lifted his spirits. “What about your brothers? Are they still giving her a hard time?”

  Thea shuffled her feet. “Pretty much, yeah. They have good days and bad days too. They help us out a lot with the bills.” She stared down at the ground. “If only they’d come up with a better way to earn their money.”

  Eli raised an eyebrow. “How do they make their money now, Thea?”

  “I suspect you already know the answer to that.” She brightened. “I’m working at The Grill now.” She held open her down jacket to reveal a red apron she wore over black pants and a white polo. “I was serving a table by the window when the accident happened. I saw the whole thing. But I didn’t get Annie’s text until ten minutes ago when I went on break.”

  Thea removed her phone from the apron pocket and handed it to Eli. He read the text out loud. “Heidi ambushed me at home. Why won’t she leave me alone?” He slid the text bubble to the side to show the time. “She texted this at eleven minutes past four.” He removed his ticket book from his jacket pocket. “I was writing a ticket for the owner of a pickup parked in a handicapped spot across from The Grill just prior to the accident. I documented that time as 4:13 p.m.”

  Faith massaged her temples. “Annie knows better than to text while driving.”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Sam said. “For all we know, the light was red and Annie was stopped when she texted this. What’s more important is her frame of mind at the time. Sounds like she was upset about Heidi’s visit.”

 
; “Which might explain why she was speeding,” Eli said.

  Thea gestured at the reception desk. “That old lady won’t tell me anything. Is Annie gonna be okay?”

  “We don’t know anything yet either. We’re still waiting to hear from the doctor.” Sam pulled her phone out of her bag. “If you’ll give me your number, I’ll text you as soon as we do.”

  Thea recited the number. “I need to get back to work,” she said, with a glance toward the exit. “My ride is waiting for me outside.”

  Eli, Sam, and Faith walked Thea to the door and stood watching as she drove off in a low-slung compact car with tinted windows and black rims. They were headed back to their seats when the double doors opened and Mike emerged from the treatment area, dressed in scrubs with his stethoscope draped over his neck. His slumped posture and solemn expression warned Eli to prepare for the worst.

  FIVE

  Heidi

  Hugh held the door open for Heidi, welcoming her into her own apartment upon her return from Prospect. Her neck prickled, an army of ants crawling across her skin. Did being her landlord allow him unrestricted access to her home without her permission?

  “How’d you get in?” she asked.

  “I have a spare key.” He held up a silver door key. “Just in case of emergencies.” He pinched her chin in response to her concerned look. “Don’t worry. I promise not to abuse my landlord privileges.”

  What privileges did he have as her landlord? She’d never thought to ask.

  Heidi had first met Hugh six weeks ago when she’d signed the lease on the apartment, the whole second floor of the federal-style single house he’d recently renovated on Broad Street. She’d moved in on December twenty-eighth. Then, three days later, they’d bumped into one another, both alone, at a bar on New Year’s Eve. They’d seen each other nearly every day since.

  She brushed past him, and dropped her bag onto a nearby bench.