this. “No, it’s not. First, we don’t even know if this is related to your parents. It could be a burglary gone wrong. She may have surprised the guy when she came in last night.”
Silent, she dropped down into the chair beside him. They both knew it wasn’t a burglary gone wrong. He’d stayed up most of the night reading through her grandfather’s letters. Daniel Wilde had no proof of his suspicions, but the vague references he’d made of threats to Savannah and her sisters if Daniel didn’t drop his questions struck a strong chord in Zach’s gut.
The letters, the dead animal at Savannah’s doorstep, and now Gibby’s injuries didn’t exactly scream conspiracy and cover-up, but he’d trusted in his instincts too long to ignore them now.
Had Savannah’s questions stirred up a hornet’s nest? If her parents were indeed murdered, was the killer still out there or was this just someone’s fear that the truth would come out?
“And even if this is related to your parents’ deaths, the asshole who did this is responsible. You had every right to ask questions if you thought there was a cover-up.”
Before she could say it, he added, “Telling me about it wouldn’t have prevented what happened to Gibby. There’s no way we could have predicted he’d go after her.”
The woman beside him swallowed hard and then gave him a heart-wrenchingly sad smile. “Thank you, Zach, for trying to make me feel better. I don’t deserve it.”
Zach’s fists clenched to keep from reaching out to hold her. When she turned away with a soft sob, he said to hell with it and put his hand on her shoulder. “Savannah … don’t.”
“Miss Wilde?”
They went to their feet. Zach’s chest tightened when Savannah grabbed for his hand. He squeezed it gently as they waited to hear the news.
The on-call doctor didn’t look old enough to be out of high school, much less a full-fledged physician. Looks were deceiving. Zach had dealt with the doctor several times and knew him to be competent.
“Your aunt is going to be fine. She’s got some facial lacerations from her fall, a severely bruised nose, a couple of bruised ribs and a sprained wrist. I was afraid of a broken hip, but it’s bruised, not fractured. I’d like to keep her here for a couple of days to monitor her.”
Savannah slumped against Zach in relief. “Thank you, Doctor. She looked so hurt, I was afraid—”
Frowning, Zach zeroed in on one word. “Fall? Is that what she told you? That she fell?”
“Yes. She regained consciousness a few moments ago. Said she tripped on the carpet at the top of the stairs and that’s the last thing she remembered.”
Savannah gasped. “I can’t believe she’s alive. Those steps are so steep. I told her that—”
Zach interrupted. “She said nothing about an intruder?”
“No. We’ve not pressured her to talk. She’s still groggy and in some pain. You can see her as soon as we get her into a room, but I’d advise against questioning her too much and getting her agitated.”
While Savannah asked a few more questions, Zach thought back over what he found when he’d arrived at Gibby’s house. The back door had been unlocked, the bed unmade, and she had been wearing a nightgown, indicating she had either been about to get into bed or had possibly even been asleep when the assailant entered. No way in hell did he believe she had tripped on the carpet and fallen. Had she forgotten what happened or was she too afraid to say?
Zach nodded his thanks to the doctor, who walked away with the promise that a nurse would come and get Savannah when Gibby was in a private room.
The relief on Savannah’s face said she bought the story of a fall; she hadn’t seen Gibby’s house.
“She didn’t fall, Savannah.”
“Are you sure? She said—”
“I don’t care what she said. The back door was unlocked and she was either in bed or getting ready for bed when this went down. Don’t tell me an eighty-year-old woman is going to leave her back door unlocked and go to bed. Not even in Midnight, Alabama.”
“She could have forgotten to lock the door, Zach. Her memory might not—”
“Agreed. However, I’ve not seen any indication that she has memory problems. Have you?”
“No. You’re right. I was just hoping a fall was all it was.”
“You and I need to talk. I read through the letters. I need to know what you’ve learned.”
A multitude of emotions whirled through Savannah. She wished she