requested. This neighborhood had had enough excitement over the past three weeks. Why wake everyone up on a Saturday morning?
The car stopped in front, and the same officer who’d escorted her to safety the day of the bomb scare emerged. He followed the walk to where she waited by the front door. “Morning, ma’am. I’m Officer Clark. You have concerns about your neighbor?”
“Yes.” She repeated what she’d told the dispatcher by phone. “There’s supposed to be a key hidden around the house somewhere. Olivia said she’d left that information with the local police.”
His brow puckered. “Not to my knowledge. Give me a minute.” He pulled out his cell and retreated a few yards, speaking in low tones.
He finished his call fast and returned to her. “We can’t find any record of a key location for this address, although we do have that information on file for a number of residents. You’ve tried the doors?”
“Yes. And the windows.” The task had kept her occupied while she waited for help to arrive.
He scanned the front door. “Let’s go around back.”
She led him to the rear, stepping aside as he examined the door and frame.
“This shouldn’t be difficult to open. The homes in this area don’t tend to have very secure doors. You may want to back up.”
As she complied, the officer angled sideways and kicked with his heel below the lock. With a splintering clatter, the door swung open and smashed against the wall.
“Wait here.” The officer entered the kitchen.
Eve clamped her hands on her hips as he disappeared into the hall.
Wait?
Not her forte.
Tamping down the urge to follow him in, she paced the small back porch.
One minute passed.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Why was a walk-through of the small house taking—
She halted as the faint wail of a siren keened through the quiet Saturday morning. It was coming their direction.
Had the officer summoned an ambulance?
Ignoring his orders to stay outside, Eve entered the house.
A male voice was speaking, but the volume was too low to distinguish the words.
She moved toward it.
“Try to stay calm, ma’am. The paramedics will be here within a few minutes.”
Her pulse stuttered. Olivia did have a medical emergency!
Eve picked up her pace, following the voice to the living room.
In the corner that led to the hall, Olivia lay on the floor beside a closed door. She was pushing at the officer with her left hand, as if she wanted him to leave, while her other arm lay limp on the carpet, a key beside it. One side of her face was contorted, and the syllables coming out of her mouth were garbled.
Classic stroke symptoms.
Eve’s heart sank.
Fighting back tears, she crossed to the woman and dropped down next to her. If the officer didn’t like her being here, tough. “It’s Eve, Olivia. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll watch out for you.”
The woman’s gaze shifted to her, the emotion in her glazed eyes difficult to read. And the string of mangled words she uttered was incomprehensible.
“Does she have any family we can contact?”
At the officer’s question, Eve shook her head. “None that I know of. She’s a widow, and she told me once she didn’t have children. I’ve never heard her mention any family other than her husband, Nathaniel. I think she’s been alone since he died twenty years ago.”
The sirens outside were louder now, and the officer glanced toward the street. The ambulance must have turned on to the cul-de-sac.
“Can you stay with her while I open the front door?”
“Of course.”
The man left her alone with her neighbor and disappeared into the small foyer.
Eve took the older woman’s hand in a comforting clasp. “The paramedics are here, Olivia. They’ll take you to the hospital and you’ll get the best of care.”
The reassurance had no effect on her neighbor’s agitation. She continued to thrash weakly on one side and mumble muddled words.
Eve’s throat tightened again. It must be awful to be helpless and have no one in the world to call upon for assistance.
But if—no, when—Olivia recovered, she wouldn’t be alone. None of the Reillys were wired to walk away from a friend in need. A fact she’d relay as soon as her neighbor was calmer and able to think more rationally.
In the background a door opened, and a muted conversation took place. Seconds later, two paramedics entered the room.
Eve gave Olivia’s hand a final squeeze and relinquished her position to the professionals.
As the paramedics went to work, the officer motioned her into the kitchen.
Her cell began to vibrate, but she ignored it as