Page 10 of Shadow of Deceit
She’d heard Ryan tell Lisa that he called Jessie’s dad. Jessie had to belong to the middle Maddox brother, Russ, or their oldest brother, Reid.
Didn’t matter to her. As long as she wasn’t Ryan’s child. Not that Mia should even be feeling this way, but she was. So what if Ryan had married and had a child? Mia had left him. He had every right to move on and be happy. That’s all she wanted for him was to be happy and live his best life.
Once she knew who Jessie’s parents were, Mia would make a point of sharing the signs to watch for that indicated a residual problem so the sweet young thing didn’t suffer long-term trauma from the fire.
“Do you know when Jessie’s parents will get here?” Mia asked.
Lisa removed the cuff. “Jessie’s mother died a year ago, but Reid is on his way.”
Oh, no. Poor little girl. So young to lose a mother. Mia would talk to Reid about Jessie then. Last Mia had heard, Reid was an FBI agent in Portland. But if they were here on a weekday, maybe he’d changed jobs. Or they could be on vacation.
“He lives at the resort next door,” Lisa said, answering that question. “But he’s with clients on a wilderness hike. He’ll get here as soon as he can.”
“Clients?” Mia had no idea what Lisa was talking about.
“After Reid’s wife died, he moved back here to be near family.” Lisa wrapped the cord around the folded cuff. “The brothers took over their parents’ property and started a company called Shadow Lake Survival. Cool business. They teach survival skills to city folks for big bucks. Reid runs it. Ryan works there when he’s not on duty with Wilderness Ways, and Russ fills in if he’s needed.”
Interesting, but not a surprise. Their dad had led wilderness treks in the past, and the boys picked up the skills. And Ryan would love being in the outdoors even more.
Lisa planted her stethoscope on Mia’s chest and frowned. “I hope Jessie’s lungs sound better than yours.”
Mia looked at the child. She seemed ready to crumple to the ground. Mia knew that haunting look. She now shared something with Jessie besides the fire. They were both living through the devastation of losing a mother. Mia had suffered from the loss for years but it had to be harder on the little girl.
Lisa pulled her stethoscope free and tsked. “We need to get you to the hospital.”
No. Not the hospital.Her father was a doctor and could be there.
Mia sat up and tried to control her emotions. No way she wanted to come across as a crazy woman. “I’d rather not go unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Trust me. It’s necessary.” Lisa’s somber tone left no room for argument. She summoned her partner on a radio and then strapped an oxygen mask over Mia’s mouth.
Mia inhaled the cool oxygen and tried to relax even as pain ripped into her side from the transfer to the gurney and bouncing on the stretcher as they loaded her into the ambulance. Jessie sat on a bench seat below a wall of equipment. Mia offered a smile, maybe not visible through the mask, but Mia would do everything she could to help the child and a smile was about all she could offer at the moment.
Jessie’s face mirrored Mia’s emotions, and she slid off the bench to kneel near Mia’s head.
“Don’t tell anyone I was in the barn,” Jessie whispered in Mia’s ear.
Mia lifted her mask. “You weren’t supposed to be in there?”
“No.” Jessie clasped her hands together. “Since my mom died, everybody says I shouldn’t be alone so much. But I like to be alone to read.”
Mia knew Jessie’s pain. The constant ache never left her heart the first year after her mom died in the car accident. Not to mention living the next four years with a father who blamed her for causing the crash that took her mother’s life.
Jessie tugged on Mia’s arm. “Will you promise not to tell?”
Mia wanted to give this poor motherless child anything she asked for, but she couldn’t. “I don’t need to tell anyone, Jessie. They already know you were in the barn, or you wouldn’t be in here with me.”
“I could say I came in to save you.”
Ah, right.Mia had seen this often in her counseling sessions with troubled teens. Jessie was hiding something. Her pained expression said there was much more at stake here than her father learning she’d been somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be.
Mia clasped Jessie’s tiny hands. “What’s this really about?”
She jerked her hands free, and her eyes took on a defiant tightness. “I’m sorry about the barn, okay? I didn’t do anything bad. I didn’t start the fire. I was just reading. Wally used to let me read in there whenever I wanted to.”
“I don’t think the fire was your fault. It must have been an accident. Maybe electrical.”
“Uh-uh. A man started it.”
