Page 88 of Shattered Hearts

“Thanks. I’ll be ready to go in ten.”

“Right.”

Stella walks out of the dining room carrying her plate and mine. I feel foolish and object, but she insists I’m a guest and to shut up.

We’re alone, and I ask Zarah, “What are your plans today?”

She feeds Baby a piece of sausage and says, “I think Stella and I are going shopping. I want to find her a new dress to wear at the courthouse. You marked your calendar, right? You’ll be there?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Thanks.”

Zane pokes his head around the doorjamb holding a briefcase in his hand. “Ready to go? No time for more hanky-panky.”

Zarah blushes, and it’s adorable.

“We’ll find time later,” I say, smacking a kiss to her cheek. “Have fun today.”

“Be careful,” she says, scrubbing her fingers through my beard. I have to resist the urge to purr like a kitten.

“Always.”

I hurry and catch up to Zane in the foyer, Baby trotting along behind me, her ears perked.

He waits until we’re fifteen minutes into the drive to say, “Sorry I hurried you out of there. We have an appointment to talk to Iona Belsely.”

“We?” I ask. “And who?”

“Iona Belsely. She was the director at Quiet Meadows.”

“Why are we talking to her?”

“I want to know if she knows anything about what was going on there.”

I sigh and consider my words. I promised Zarah I wouldn’t tell Zane what happened at the facility, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t say anything at all. “I brought Zarah out there a couple of days ago.”

Zane scowls. “And you didn’t think to ask me, or her doctor, or, I don’t know, run the idea by hertherapist?” he asks angrily.

“You know I don’t like Jerricka Solis. I trust her about as much as I trust a kid around the stash of cookies Lucille gave me before we left.”

He glares. “Look, I know you love my sister, but I don’t think you know enough, or are qualified enough, to be involved in her care.”

I scoff. “You forget that Quiet Meadows is the reason she needs ‘care,’ as you so delicately put it. We both agreed there’s something going on, and that facility holds the key.”

“Hence the visit with Iona Belsely.”

“HenceZarah and I walking around the building.” I mock his tone.

“Fine,” he snaps. “Did you find anything?”

I pause. Obviously, the first thing on my mind is the video, and the second thing is my promise to Zarah not to show it to him.

Settling on a middle truth, I say, “Quiet Meadows has a...testing site. In the basement.”

All the blood rushes out of Zane’s face leaving him whiter than a ghost. “What?” He leans toward the dash, his eyes glassy, perspiration dotting his forehead.

“There’s a staff-only elevator in the doctor’s wing. Zarah knew the code. ”

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