Page 44 of Cruel Hearts

I don’t care Stella isn’t an approved visitor. Zarah’s more animated around Stella than I’ve seen her since she was admitted. I haven’t heard Zarah speak in years, yet around Stella, she says something, but because of the angle and distance of the camera, I can’t read her lips.

What Stella does next is strange, and I lean forward as if it will help me puzzle it out. Using a pen she takes from the clipboard, she draws something on Zarah’s wrist where the sleeve of her robe it will cover it.

“What did she write on my sister’s skin?”

“It’s a crude drawing of a martini glass. The intruder wrote Sweet Apple under it. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a pub near your building, Mr. Maddox.”

“It is.” It’s where Stella and Zarah would hang out, where they planned my party. Why would Stella want Zarah to remember the Sweet Apple?

In the video, Stella stands and Zarah says something else. Stella nods and pauses.

“We’ll charge her for trespassingandtheft,” Iona snarls.

I don’t know what she’s talking about until Stella slips Zarah’s engagement ring off her finger.

No one who doesn’t know Zarah would understand how this affected her. I don’t visit her as much as I should, but I know my sister. Stella slides Ash’s ring off her finger and she radiates with joy. She raises her hand and stares at her empty finger. Even through the screen, her relief is palpable.

Stella took that ring and a weight lifted off my sister.

She hugs Zarah again. Brushes a kiss across her cheek.

Iona points at the monitor. “The camera placed above the door doesn’t capture the entire room, and this camera is positioned near the window.”

The view changes, and the door of Zarah’s suite flashes on the screen. Stella steps into the frame, and she studies Zarah’s medical chart. Using an old cell phone, she takes a few pictures. She glances at Zarah one more time and disappears into the crowded corridor.

“We believe the entire bomb threat was designed to allow this woman to steal Miss Maddox’s engagement ring. The diamond is worth millions.”

I lean back in my chair and rub my chin. I don’t believe Stella wanted to steal Zarah’s ring. Stella knew slipping it off her finger would make her feel better. Somehow, she knew breaking that tie would lift Zarah up. “Have you noticed a change in my sister since this woman’s intrusion?”

Iona frowned. “Actually, now that you say so, yes. Miss Maddox does seem to be more aware of her surroundings.”

“I want to see her.”

Wringing her hands together, she says, “Mr. Maddox, I understand Quiet Meadows is liable for any harm that comes to Miss Maddox due to this disturbance. I’m ashamed to admit I gave this woman and her father a tour of the facility and didpoint out Miss Maddox’s room. I assume full responsibility for what happened today—”

I stiffen. “Her father?”

“They visited the facility under the pretense they were looking to place his mother in our care. To be crass, Mr. Maddox, I think they were casing the joint and saw Miss Maddox as an easy target.”

I try not to smile at Iona’s slang. She watches too much TV. “What did the gentleman look like?”

Iona straightens her shoulders and a gleam glitters in her eyes. “I remember him quite well. He kept insisting they could afford our rates, but to be honest, they both looked rundown. The gentleman in question looked sick, and his hair was almost all grey. His clothes were old and frayed, like he’d fallen on hard times. To be frank, it looked like they needed money.”

Stella could be with Denton, but I’m not sure why he would need money. His third of the company cost me millions.

I ask Iona to play the footage again. I’m charmed by how sweet Stella is with Zarah, and the way Zarah responds twists my heart. It’s obvious they missed each other.

Reminding myself Stella is the reason Zarah is under Quiet Meadow’s care in the first place bitters my mood. Stella’s betrayal made Zarah so distraught she never recovered.

It doesn’t explain the ring, though.

How without the ring, how without Ash’s promise on her finger, Zarah radiates happiness.

“I want to see her,” I ask again.

“Of course, Mr. Maddox. I hope you aren’t contemplating legal action against the facility. We’ve treated Miss Maddox with the utmost care all these years and this one incident is not indicative of past care, or her future care, at the facility.”

“I understand.”

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