Page 51 of Unlikely Guardian

No fast answer that time. Lilly gave it some thought. “I told my secretary, Corinne.”

Oh, hell. Now that was a bit of info that Corinne hadn’t volunteered. That lent some credence to the theory that Corinne might have faked her own death or injury. Of course, maybe the woman simply forgot to inform them of what she knew. But then, that seemed such an important thing to forget.

“Does anyone else know that you have the disk?” Dr. McCartle read from the list.

“Maybe.” Another pause. Her forehead bunched up. “I kept the blinds in my office open all day, well into the evening. Corinne said something about having the feeling that we were being watched, and she was nervous.”

Yet another new piece of the puzzle. It didn’t exonerate Corinne, but it sure as heck explained how someone else might have known what Lilly was about to do.

“You’re in your car now,” the doctor continued. “You’re driving on Anderson Loop. Traffic is light. You’re going through an area where there aren’t many businesses. Look around you again. Check the rearview and side mirrors. Is anyone following you?”

Before the doctor spoke the last word of his question, Lilly gasped. Jason bolted to his feet, but without looking at him, the doctor motioned for him to sit down.

“The car’s coming right at me,” Lilly said, her voice high-pitched and strained. So were the muscles in her face and neck. And she had a death grip on the side of the bed. “My God, it’s going to hit me.”

Jason couldn’t sit. Not listening to that. Not hearing the terror in Lilly’s voice.

“Describe the car,” McCartle insisted.

She frantically shook her head, and for a moment Jason didn’t think she could answer. That this had all been for nothing. But then, the head shaking stopped and her grip relaxed a little. “It’s maroon. Dark windows. Four doors. It’s coming at me. Fast. So fast. And I’m swerving to get away from it. There’s a bridge. God, a bridge!” Lilly’s hand flew up to cover her face, and Jason could only imagine how terrified she was. “I slammed into the guardrail.”

“It’s all right,” the doctor assured her. “You won’t feel any pain.”

“No pain,” Lilly repeated several times, as if trying to convince herself. “But I touch my fingers to my forehead, and I see the blood. I’m hurt. I’m dizzy.”

Dr. McCartle gently rubbed her arm. “Look around you, Lilly. Do you still see that car that ran you off the road?”

“No. I can’t see anything. Everything’s spinning around.”

The doctor leaned closer to her and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Listen, then. What do you hear?”

She waited a moment, and the movement was almost feverish beneath her eyelids. “Someone’s there. Someone’s opening the door on my side of the car. But I can’t see a face.”

“Look carefully,” the doctor prompted. “Try to focus.”

Jason held his breath. Waiting. And praying this would soon be over so that Lilly wouldn’t have to go through any more.

“I can’t see the face,” Lilly whispered, her voice weak. “It’s getting dark. And I can’t feel. I don’t think I can breathe.” She hesitated. “And then everything stops… I stop.”

The coma had taken her—and at such a crucial time. A few more minutes, a little better light, and Lilly might have been able to make an ID. Still, Jason wasn’t ready to give up.

“Lilly, I want you to go back in time,” the doctor instructed, looking at the notes. “Before the crash. What were you thinking about just before you saw the maroon car?”

It took her a moment to answer. “I was thinking about the disk. About all the problems my father had caused. And I was thinking about Greg.”

That got Jason’s attention. He motioned for the doctor to continue with that thread of questioning.

“Why Greg?”

“I found some information.” Lilly paused, and judging from the way her mouth tightened, she was concentrating hard. “I think maybe Greg had some run-ins with one or more of my father’s former business associates.”

Well, that confirmed what Corinne had said. And what Jason had suspected.

“I was also thinking about the night Greg and I slept together,” Lilly continued. “It was a mistake.”

The doctor started to say something, but Lilly spoke before he could.

“I didn’t love Greg,” she volunteered. “And I told him that. He was angry. Furious. Yelling. He said I didn’t love him because I wanted his brother. It was true. I couldn’t deny it. I’ve always been attracted to Jason.” She made a dismissal sound deep in her throat. “But I’m not his type.”

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