“Your charm sucked!”
“Did you say it right?”
“Exactly the way you did.”
“It’s always worked for me.”
“Saying the words without understanding them is worthless.” I put my hand to the back of my head, wincing at the bump. “I guess Grandmother was right again.”
If we’d had more time, I might have remembered that.
Suddenly Ian leaned over and kissed me. I was so startled, I let him.
“This was my fault,” he said.
“You didn’t throw me across the room.”
“I brought you into this situation; you weren’t prepared. You could have died. Or worse.”
“Worse?”
He looked away, his face haunted. There was more to this, which I’d get to the bottom of later.
I sat up, gritting my teeth against the pain. I had things to do and no time for a headache. Ian reached for me, hands gentle, and I shoved them away. “I’m fine.”
I was able to get to my feet under my own power. Nora still sat on the bed with Ben, whispering to him as if he’d wake up sooner or later.
“I should probably call Doc.”
“I’m a doctor.”
“He’s the medical examiner. He can deal with Ben; you can deal with Nora. She’s going to need sedation, but not before I talk to her.”
“You might not get anything useful.”
Maybe not, but I had to try. I put my hand on her shoulder. “Nora?”
I half-expected her to keep whispering, lost in another world where Ben still answered, but instead she said, “Hey, Grace.”
We’d gone to high school together, though she’d been a few years younger than me. However, in a town like this, everyone knew everyone else and most of their business, which made me wonder why I hadn’t known her husband was sick.
“What was wrong with Ben?” I asked.
“Wrong?” Nora’s forehead wrinkled. “I think he’s dead.”
“I meant when did he get sick? What did he have?”
“Ben’s never been sick a day in his life. Hardly even a cold. He made me so mad.”
I glanced at Ian, who shrugged. “You’re sure he didn’t see a doctor lately?”
“He hated doctors. No offense,” she threw in Ian’s direction.
“I’m not wild about most of them myself,” he said, and Nora’s lips curved just a little.
“Can you tell us what happened tonight?” I pressed.
Nora’s smile faded. “I got up to get some water, and there was this awful noise. I ran back to bed, and he was gasping, clutching his throat.” Her voice broke; she buried her face in her hands.