“How did you ruin it?”
“I was beaten and unconscious,” she said. “And my parents had to go to the hospital.”
“That was when you were taken away from Winston Falls, wasn’t it?”
“No, not that time.”
“Jeez, Ellie, how many times did Patterson send you to the hospital? The court records didn’t tell that.”
“Just a couple.”
She tried to act blasé about it, but he knew talking about the bastard made her anxious. He could hear it in her voice.
“Is it difficult to be here, even though it’s just for a couple of days?”
She didn’t see any reason to lie. “I get this stone in the pit of my stomach, and it doesn’t go away until I’m out of here, all because of him. I used to think it was odd that he didn’t try to find me.”
“How do you know he didn’t?”
“I don’t think it would have been all that difficult to find out where I was. I took the Wheatley name for a long time, but I went back to my name for my M.D. A psychiatrist suggested to me that Patterson’s obsession was somehow tied to Winston Falls.”
“Maybe,” he allowed, though he wasn’t convinced.
“The doctor said that part of Patterson’s obsession or fantasy was that he had to kill me here. It’s one theory,” she added with a shrug.
Max had another theory. A man with a violent obsession would stop at nothing to get his victim, and the only reason he hadn’t killed Ellie was because he couldn’t find her. From what he’d read in the file, he also knew that Patterson would never stop until he was locked away for life.
“I’d rather not talk about him anymore.”
“Okay, tell me about this Noble guy. Did you love him?”
“He looked good on paper.”
Max laughed. “In other words, no,” he said. “What exactly does looking good on paper mean?”
“John’s a dermatologist, so there’s very little chance of danger in his job. That made him safe.” And God knows, I’d love to find out what it’s like to feel safe, she thought to herself.
“What else?”
“We were both residents, so we had the hospital and medicine in common.”
“What else?”
“He was extremely polite and easygoing.”
Max noticed she hadn’t mentioned an emotional or physical connection. “You wouldn’t have married him.”
“No, I wouldn’t have,” she admitted. “I realized after that fiasco that I can’t marry anyone. My life’s too unpredictable.”
“And it wouldn’t be safe for the man you married?”
Had he read her thoughts? “Yes, that’s right. It wouldn’t be.”
“You’re letting that bastard, Patterson, continue to run your life.”
She didn’t disagree. “Aren’t you going to ask me if I slept with John?”
“No,” he replied. “I already know you didn’t.”
She looked up at him. “How could you know?”
He didn’t say what he was thinking, that any man who had gone to bed with Ellie would never want or need any other woman. Instead, he said, “I just know.”
TWENTY
Bridezilla arrived at the house at seven o’clock with her fiancé and her sister.
Max watched from the window as John carried Annie’s suitcase and walked between the two striking women. The twins were identical, all right. Both were of medium height and had long blond hair a shade darker than Ellie’s, and delicate features. In Max’s opinion, the sisters were very pretty, but in no way could they compete with Ellie’s beauty.
John Noble was something else. He looked as though he should be working on Wall Street or maybe as a mannequin in a department store window. He was tall, thin, and neatly dressed in a starched, light blue shirt and pressed khakis. Not a hair was out of place. There was something odd about him, though. Max couldn’t figure out what it was until John got closer to the house. He realized then that John’s forehead didn’t move when he smiled. It was as though his skin had been frozen. Botox? Surely not.
Ellie came up behind Max. “The bad seed’s the one on the left,” she whispered.
He tried not to smile. “Try to get along,” he whispered back.
“You sound like my mother.”
“Just do it, sweetheart. Play nice.”
Her father rushed past them and opened the front door.
Annie spotted Ellie. “I didn’t think you would make it,” she cried out. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
The sisters were talking a mile a minute as they hugged each other. Though they were speaking at the same time, they still seemed to understand what the other was saying.
Ava stood behind Annie, waiting. She clutched a notebook in her arms, and Max noticed she acted irritated that she was having to wait for Ellie’s attention. When it was her turn, she gave Ellie an air kiss on her cheek.
“I’m glad you decided to behave like an adult and come home for the wedding,” Ava said. She lowered her voice. “And, by the way, you are in the wedding.”
“No, I’m not,” Ellie replied.
She plastered a smile on her face and introduced Max to her sisters. She didn’t say anything negative about Ava, though there were a few choice words she would have liked to use. Then she introduced John.
He had been standing in the door with his head down. When she said his name, he looked up, but he didn’t look at Ellie. His face was red, and his eyes darted back and forth as though they were afraid to meet hers. He nervously stepped forward and shook Max’s hand, and the room fell silent. Finally, he glanced up at Ellie and said, “Congratulations.”
“Congratulations for what?” she asked.
“The Chapman Award.”
“The hospital won the Chapman?”
“No, you did.”
She shook her head. “You must be mistaken, John. I would know if I’d won it.”
“Oh, Dr. Westfield probably wants to tell you himself,” he said. His embarrassment turned his complexion an even deeper shade of red. “I guess I ruined his surprise.”
“How did you find out about this?” she asked, still believing he’d made a mistake.
“I was talking to Westfield’s assistant about some papers I still hadn’t received for the hospital here, and she mentioned the news to me. Everyone at St. Vincent’s is so excited. It’s such a huge honor, and it means they’ll get additional grant money and other funding. You should be hearing from Westfield anytime now. You’re going back there, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she answered. “I’m not signing a contract, though. I promised Westfield I’d help out for a little while when they need me.”
“You did win it, Ellie,” he assured her.
Now that the initial awkward moments were out of the way, Ava had lost interest in the conversation and had gone into the kitchen to talk to her mother.
“What’s a Chapman?” Annie asked.
John answered. “It’s a prestigious award given for outstanding achievement in the field of medicine. This year it was awarded to Ellie and, therefore, to her department, too. It’s a coveted prize,” John stressed, “because it’s so rarely given. The last Chapman Award was presented eleven years ago to a senior resident and his department in Memphis.”
“Will there be a presentation?” Annie asked. “And will Ellie get a medal or something?”
John smiled at Annie, glad to have somewhere else to direct his attention. “She’ll get a little more than a medal. The award comes with a large cash prize. Half goes to the department and half to Ellie. She won’t even have to pay taxes. That’s included in the award.”
“That would certainly help with your loans, wouldn’t it?” Annie said.
Ellie was still incredulous. “If I had won it, Dr. Westfield surely would have called me by now.”
Her father kissed Ellie’s forehead. “Even if you didn’t win it, you know your mother and I are very proud of you, don’t you? We may not be able to brag about you to the relatives and our friends the way we’d like, but you know how we feel.”