Free MULTIPLE MOTIVES (The Kate Huntington mystery series Book 1) by Kassandra Lamb Page B

blew her nose.
    He almost laughed at her expression as she looked ruefully at the make-up and other disgusting things now smeared on his handkerchief.
    “You really don’t want this back, do you?” she said.
    “No, I think not.”
    She stuffed the handkerchief in her purse.
    “Let’s go find the ICU,” he suggested.
    “Oh, my God, I’ve got to call my folks, and my brothers!” Kate fumbled in her purse for her phone.
    He turned her around toward the doors and snatched the phone from her hand before she could protest. “You find the ICU. I’ll make the calls. I’ll be up in a little bit. I need to call Liz, too, and let her know why I’m not there to wait on her hand and foot.”
    At Kate’s guilt-stricken expression, he said, “Stop it. Samantha’s home today. That was my feeble attempt at a joke about her Highness, the Queen.”
    “Humph. If I know Liz, she’s hating every minute of being waited on.”
    “Got that right. Thought she was gonna bite my hand off when I brought her coffee this morning. At this point, grouchy is winning out over gratitude most of the time. But the doctor said in a few more days she can ditch the wheelchair and hobble around on crutches. There’ll be no stopping her then.”
    Kate actually smiled a little at whatever mental image that had conjured up… probably of Liz knocking over her throne with her crutches and beating it into matchsticks.
    He made a shooing gesture, and Kate headed back into the hospital.
    Deciding he needed some moral support himself, he called his Lizzie first.

CHAPTER NINE
     
    While Kate sat in the ICU holding her sister’s limp hand and talking to her, the family was once again converging on Towson.
    After filling Liz in, Rob had called the elder O’Donnells at their retirement condo in St. Augustine. They’d immediately headed for the Jacksonville airport. When he called Jack’s number in Chicago, his girlfriend answered. Jack wasn’t home but she promised to track him down and get him on the next available flight.
    Then Rob called Michael’s home number. Phyllis answered. He told her what had happened, then where to find the spare key to Kate’s house hidden in a fake rock by the front porch steps.
    “Uh, Phyllis, hang onto that key for now.” Having a key where just anybody could find it probably wasn’t a great idea at this point.
    ~~~~~~~~
    Phyllis dispatched Michael to once again make the airport runs, while she headed for Towson.
    Retrieving the key, she walked up onto the porch. The sight of the rusty-red blood soaking into the floorboards hit her like a fist in the gut.
    How could anyone do this to dear, sweet Mary?
    Pulling herself together, Phyllis stepped over the still sticky puddle and unlocked the door. She went in search of fresh sheets and started making up beds everywhere she could, including the sofas in the living room and study. There would be no driving back and forth to Silver Spring this time. Everyone would want to be near the hospital.
    She knew she should try to clean up the blood on the porch before her in-laws got there, but she wasn’t sure her stomach was up to the task. She found an old throw rug in the laundry room on the back of the house and put it over the stain.
    Her eyes stinging, she untied the remnant of yellow crime scene tape still attached to the porch railing.
    ~~~~~~~~
    Two long days went by with no change in Mary’s condition. Rob stopped by the hospital as often as he could. The family was taking turns, two or three at the hospital at a time, the others going back to Kate’s house to get some sleep.
    Her parents and siblings seemed to be buying Kate’s stoic facade, but he knew better. She normally had a voracious appetite. Watching her pick at the carryout food offerings he brought to the hospital told him a lot.
    Wednesday evening, he walked into the ICU waiting area. Kate was alone. She shifted forward in her chair, nose in the air, sniffing.
    “Oh, you wonderful man!” she said when