Deadly Deception (An Artisan Mystery Book 1) Read online

  He drew in a heavy sigh and parted the curtains. His heart ratcheted into high gear as he tore into the room and knelt down beside Carolyn’s crumpled form. Had Brian gotten his revenge after all? “Nurse! Somebody,” he yelled. “I need help in here!”

  Within seconds the hospital staff had surrounded them and nudged him out of the room. He stood just inside the curtain. No way was he going to leave. Michael couldn’t say why seeing her on the floor like that had had such a powerful effect on him. He prayed she’d be all right as he watched the team trying to revive her. The monitor attached to her recorded a blood pressure of seventy over twenty-six. Pulse thirty. Please, God, don’t let her die.

  Several minutes later, the steady beep of the heart monitor reassured him and he allowed himself several slow breaths to settle himself down.

  “What happened?” Doug had come up behind him.

  “Not sure.” Michael managed to keep the distress he was feeling out of his voice. “Someone said she fainted.”

  “It doesn’t look like you’re going to be able to get much out of her tonight,” Doug said.

  “You’re probably right, but I thought I’d wait for a while. I don’t want too much time to go by before we question her. On the other hand, if she was drugged, we may not get much anyway. It’s looking like she was. I’m still waiting on the lab results.”

  Doug rubbed a hand over his face. “Brian Burke has been released.”

  “What?”

  “Just saying. He apologized all over the place. His attorney claims he was distraught. Devastated over his father’s death. We had to cut him loose.”

  “I’m not surprised. Money talks and the Burkes have plenty. They may have been idle threats, but I think we need to post a guard just the same.”

  “Agreed.” He checked his watch. “If you don’t mind, I’ll head home. See if I can catch a few winks. Tomorrow we’ll want to check security tapes from the hotel. We’ll want to question everyone who was at that party.”

  “That’ll be over 200 people.” Normally, Michael loved the challenge of questioning people, examining the evidence and closing in on the killer. At the moment, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

  “Maybe you should get some rest too,” Doug suggested.

  “Like I said.” Michael folded his arms and leaned against the wall. “I feel like I need to hang around for a while.” He was tired and wished he could go home as well. Actually, he could have, but he felt a strong obligation to stay with their suspect or victim or whatever she ended up being. He’d call dispatch and have them send over an officer to stay here at the hospital in case he changed his mind.

  Doug’s gaze shifted from Michael to Carolyn and back again. “This isn’t getting personal is it? You seem pretty intense.”

  “No.” He shook his head for emphasis. “I’m concerned Brian might come back and I want to make sure he doesn’t get to her. We want to be able to question her about the murder as soon as we can.”

  Doug looked like he didn’t quite believe him. Michael wasn’t certain he believed himself. Once again he told himself that his concern was justified. He’d be acting the same way regardless of who they’d found in the murdered man’s room. Just because he’d met Carolyn at church and been impressed by her warmth and apparent sincerity didn’t make him an ally. Quite the opposite. She could be a killer. Or a victim.

  Doug left saying he’d connect with Michael in the morning.

  Carolyn heard voices and felt herself being moved and prodded. “Let’s get some fluid into her. We need to get that blood pressure up.”

  She drifted off again. They were taking care of her. A warm blanket covered her and she felt oddly at peace. God again. She knew that no matter what happened she was and always would be in God’s hands.

  She winced as someone jabbed a needle into her arm then soon drifted off again. This time when she awoke, she was being wheeled through a hospital corridor. “She opened her eyes briefly and closed them again. As long as they thought she was asleep she wouldn’t have to talk with anyone or answer questions.

  She wondered briefly what had happened to Michael. Was he still waiting to question her? She hoped not. She still couldn’t remember anything about that hotel room and Adam Burke’s body except for waking up confused and dazed and holding a gun. And seeing Michael Stedman walk into the room.

  How had the detectives known to come there? Had someone heard a gunshot? She pushed the questions aside. Carolyn didn’t want to think about what might have happened. She just wanted to sleep. The two people transporting her transferred her from the gurney to a hospital bed and she listened as a nurse rattled off pertinent information and orders to the staff who would be taking over her care. Once the ER nurse left with the stretcher, the new nurse introduced herself and an aide and said she’d be back to check on Carolyn is an hour. “In the meantime, if you need anything, press the button on the call light and one of us will be here.”

  Carolyn thanked her and closed her eyes again, not because she wanted to, but because her eyes refused to stay open. And her head still hurt. Several minutes later the lights dimmed. The door opened and closed again and she heard the soft scraping of a chair. Her eyes drifted open long enough to see Michael settle into the chair next to the bed.

  Really? Did the detective think she’d run? In truth, she might have if she’d been able to get up. His presence unnerved her and at the same time made her feel safe. Maybe he’d come because he cared. Or maybe he was there to make certain Brian Burke didn’t follow through on his threat.

  Chapter Three

  Morning brought sunshine and a minute degree of clarity. Her headache had dissipated, but the fuzziness remained. It took her a moment to orient herself. The chair beside the bed was empty and Carolyn wondered if the handsome detective had really been there during the night. She pressed a button to elevate the head of the bed. As she did, she noticed a small milk glass vase sitting on the bedside table. In it was a wilted red carnation.

  Strange. Had whoever put it there forgotten the water? A card had been propped up against the vase. Carolyn picked it up and slid a card out of the envelope. A red smear covered one corner. The message read: You’re next…

  Carolyn flung the card to the floor, a scream catching in her throat.

  Michael stepped into the room carrying two cups of coffee. “The nurse said you could have a cup if you….” His smile disappeared when his gaze met hers. “What’s wrong?”

  Carolyn nodded toward the flower. “Someone left a card.” She swallowed hard. “I think there’s blood on it.”

  Not sure what to think, Michael set the coffees on the table and pulled a latex glove from the box near the sink. Neither the flower nor the card had been in the room when he’d left not more than fifteen minutes ago.

  He tucked the card inside a plastic bag he kept in the pocket of his slacks for gathering evidence. He’d send it to the lab along with the flower and vase. Michael doubted they’d find prints or DNA or anything else that would tell them who had brought it.

  “Someone wants me dead.” Carolyn gripped the edge of her blanket, her knuckles white. “I don’t understand any of this.”

  Michael didn’t have an answer for her. “I need to check with the staff. Maybe someone saw whoever delivered these.” He paused in the doorway. “I’ll be right back.”

  His search for a staff member was fruitless. The shift change left one person on the floor and she had gone into another patient’s room. Michael dug into his morning memories. He’d nodded off a couple of times during the night and at six-thirty decided to make a coffee run. He’d seen a few aides and nurses tending to their duties but hadn’t seen anyone with a wilted carnation.

  He came back into the room. “I’m sorry. Apparently no one saw anything.”

  “You were here all night.” It was a statement, not a question but he nodded anyway.

  “I suppose you want to question me now. And you thought coffee would help?”

 
He offered a tentative smile. “It couldn’t hurt.”

  “I wish I could help you. I can’t remember what happened last night. I woke up and Mr. Burke was lying on the floor and I…” she pinched her lips together and then raised the cup to her lips.

  Carolyn seemed to gain some strength from the coffee. After taking another sip she asked, “How did you know to come to the hotel room? Why were you there?”

  He settled into the chair and took a couple of swallows of his double shot Pike’s Place brew. “We got a tip. Someone called 9-1-1 saying Adam Burke had been shot.”

  Carolyn closed her eyes for a moment. “It wasn’t me. At least I don’t think so.” Her blue gaze turned liquid. “Please tell me I didn’t kill him.”

  Michael took another long sip. “We found gun powder residue on your hands.”

  The shock on her face made him wish he could take back his words. “So I did shoot the gun?”

  “Apparently.”

  “You’ll find my prints on it too.” She lifted her gaze to meet his. “When I woke up, the gun was in my hand.”

  Carolyn set the coffee aside. She’d tested positive for gun residue. Up until now she’d been certain that she could never kill anyone. She still couldn’t believe it. With more calm than she thought possible she said. “I was drugged. I’ve read enough about date rape drugs to know the side effects.”

  “We’re still waiting to hear, but I’d suspect you were.” He hesitated and then asked,

  “Is that why you shot him? He was trying to rape you?”

  “No. He wasn’t like that. Mr. Burke wouldn’t have hurt me.” Carolyn stopped. She had no idea of what the politician was capable of.

  “How well did you know him?” Michael asked.

  Carolyn’s gaze locked with his. “I didn’t. He came to the art gallery where my paintings were featured about a week ago and seemed interested in my work. He bought one of my seascapes and asked me if I’d consider painting his portrait as a gift for his wife.”

  Michael’s jaw tightened. “And one thing led to another. . ..”

  Carolyn shook her head. “No. It was nothing like that. He gave me a check for $1000 as a retainer.”

  “To do what?”

  Carolyn glared at him. “How dare you insinuate anything so—so despicable? He commissioned me to paint his portrait. Nothing else.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I—I…” Carolyn stared at her hands. She had a reputation for being too trusting. What if Michael was right and Adam Burke had ulterior motives. Now that she thought about it, $1000 was more than she’d ever gotten as a retainer. Usually she asked for around $200--enough to cover supplies. When she looked up his ice-blue gaze bore into her. “I don’t think I should talk to you anymore. You’re twisting what I say. I’d never go out with a married man. I’ve never even . . ..”

  “Had sex.” Michael ground out the words, refusing to believe them even though the doctor’s report had indicated that Carolyn was still a virgin.

  Carolyn turned to face the wall. “I’d like you to go now.” A sob caught in her throat and then escaped. “Please.” Was it so hard for people to understand that there were still women in the world who believed in saving themselves for marriage? As a teenager she’d made a promise to God. And it was a promise she intended to keep. Michael clearly didn’t believe her.

  Michael left the room, taking the evidence he’d collected with him. He felt like a complete and total jerk. He hadn’t meant to push her so hard. And he certainly hadn’t meant to hurt her or level accusations. He nearly collided with Dr. Alexander as he left.

  “Detective,” she caught his arm. “I’m glad I ran into you.” She chuckled. “Well not literally.” She sobered and lowered her voice. “I have some of the lab results. Miss Hudson was definitely drugged. In fact, the amount of Rohypnol in her system was high enough to have killed her. We’re lucky she was here and not in that hotel room. We came close to losing her last night.”

  Michael rubbed a hand through his hair. “And one of the side effects is memory loss.”

  “Yes. She may never know what happened to her or to Adam Burke last night. Usually the drug is slipped into a drink. She says all she had was a glass of juice—at least that she can recall.”

  “And there’s no way we can get the glass or find out who gave it to her or how she got it. The hotel would have cleaned up everything. We’ll check the security tapes. They may have caught something.”

  “I’ll leave that to you,” Dr. Alexander said as she stepped toward the computer station that was parked near the entrance to the room.

  He nodded. “Let her know I’ll be back later. In the mean-time we’ll have an officer posted just outside the door.”

  “Is she under arrest?”

  “Not yet.” As he left the unit, he called to find out what had happened to the officer he’d asked for during the night. Dispatch told him they hadn’t been able to spare anyone until now. Rooky officer, Marla Jenkins, had been assigned and should be there any moment.

  Good. They were sending a female. He had a feeling Carolyn would appreciate that. Another benefit was that Marla was also a member of their singles group at church. He frowned hoping Carolyn would be okay with Marla being there. As he recalled from the one meeting he’d been to Marla and Carolyn seemed friendly toward each other.

  Michael waited until Marla arrived and then took several minutes to bring her up to date. She was to make certain no one came in or out of the room without proper credentials. He told her about the incident that morning. “If she remembers anything or says anything that might be related to the case call me.”

  “Will do, Detective.” Marla flashed him a smile. “And don’t worry. She’ll be fine.”

  Carolyn wasn’t sure how she felt about seeing Marla and learning that she’d be acting as a guard. In their ordinary world, she and Marla were friends. Here and now, Carolyn felt raw and exposed.

  Marla moved out of the hug she’d given Carolyn. Her expressive brown eyes held no censure, only compassion. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you’re going through all this.” She lowered her slender frame into the chair Michael had been sitting in earlier. “I know I’m supposed to be objective but since I’m not actually working on the case I can tell you that no matter what the evidence says, you are innocent.”

  Carolyn almost felt redeemed. “I need more friends like you.”

  “I think Michael is on your side too.”

  “I doubt that.” She sighed. “I just wish I could remember something about last night.”

  “What about the party? I heard it was quite the extravaganza. I couldn’t believe you’d gotten an invitation.”

  “Me either.” She frowned. “Come to think of it, why did I get an invitation and who sent it?”

  “Probably Mr. Burke. You said he’d commissioned you to paint his portrait.”

  Tears clouded her vision again and a sob choked off her response. It took her a minute to regain her composure.

  Marla stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Maybe if we talk I’ll be able to remember something that will be helpful.

  “Then tell me.” Marla sat back down. “Do you remember why you went to the party? The last time we talked you said you wouldn’t be going because you didn’t have the right kind of dress.”

  “I should have stuck with that plan. I made the mistake of going to the thrift shop and found a formal for $50.” She hesitated. “I shouldn’t have gone, but I was so excited to have a commission like that. I’ve worked hard to build a reputation.” She fiddled with the hem of the sheet. “Now it’s ruined. Who’s going to want a painting by a . . ..?” Carolyn couldn’t finish the question. What could she say? Instead, she shrugged. “On the other hand if I went to prison I’d have plenty of time to paint.”

  “Carolyn Hudson. Don’t even think such a thing. You are not going to jail.” Marla rolled her eyes for emphasis.

&
nbsp; “Don’t be too sure. There was gunshot residue on my hand. I had Adam’s blood all over my dress.”

  “I know it sounds incriminating but there has to be an explanation. You were set up.”

  Carolyn heard a noise coming from the other side of the partially closed curtain. “What was that?”

  Marla whipped the curtain aside revealing a heavyset man wearing a lab coat and holding up his smart phone. “What the heck?”

  He ducked around and took off running. Marla chased after him. It didn’t take a genius to realize he was a reporter. He’d probably heard everything they’d said. Carolyn hadn’t thought about it before now. She shuddered thinking about what the press would do to her. Or had already done.

  Chapter Four

  “Detective Stedman.” Mayor Dayton shook Michael’s hand and gestured to a pair of chairs that sat in front of his oversized mahogany desk. The mayor was a big man who’d once played for the Oregon Ducks. His popularity on the field won him the election two years ago and his determination to do the right thing, or at least look like he was, kept his popularity rising. “I don’t have to tell you how important it is to put whoever killed Adam Burke behind bars.”

  “I understand that and we’re doing the best we can.” Michael sat, though he’d have preferred standing. He’d just left the hospital when Captain Bennet called asking him to pop in on the mayor to brief him on the case. He tried to get out of it, but his superior was adamant. Michael was best suited for the job. Even though Doug was lead detective, Michael was the diplomatic one.

  “You’ll need to do better than your best.” Mayor Dayton pressed his lips together.