said. "I'm Jasmine Portillo." She glanced over her shoulder. "Could I speak to you for a moment?"
"Of course. Come in."
"TJ told me you live in Houston," Jasmine said, as she stepped into the house.
"I do. I came home for a visit. How do you know my brother?"
"I work with him at MDT." She drew in a breath and let it out. "Actually, we have a personal relationship, too. I don't know if he told you…"
"We haven't spoken recently."
"Well, it's kind of new. He was supposed to get back on Thursday from a trip to Mexico, and I haven't heard from him. One of his coworkers told me that they thought he missed the plane. He's not answering his cell phone. I'm worried about him. I thought your mom might have heard from him."
"She told me he was in Mexico," Katherine said carefully. "Should I be concerned?"
"I'm sure he just stayed a day longer or took a sightseeing trip. He was pretty excited about going to Cancun. He said he'd never been to Mexico but had always wanted to go."
"I think it was on his wish list," she admitted.
"TJ is usually really good about calling me back, and we were supposed to get together last night, so I thought it was strange that I didn't hear from him. I probably shouldn't have come over here. Now I've worried you, too."
"It's fine. I'm glad someone is looking out for him." She wished she could tell Jasmine that TJ was all right, but she'd promised her brother not to speak to anyone about his situation, especially not someone who worked at his company. Jasmine seemed genuinely worried, and maybe she was right to be worried, because Katherine hadn't heard from her brother in almost twelve hours. Who knew where he was now or what condition he was in.
"There have been some weird things going on at the company," Jasmine added. "I guess we're all still a little on edge when something out of the ordinary happens."
She thought back to what TJ said about the people in his department who had died the past year. "He mentioned to me there had been some problems."
"The problems are supposedly over, but you never know." She paused and put on a brighter smile. "Anyway, I hope the bell didn't wake up Mrs. Barrett."
"I doubt it bothered her at all."
"How's your mother?" Jasmine asked.
"She's doing well this morning."
"That's good to hear. TJ told me her condition has been getting worse. I went through Alzheimer's with my grandmother so I know a bit about how bad it is."
"It is difficult," she said.
"I won't keep you. If you hear from TJ, could you tell him to call me?"
"I will. It was nice to meet you."
"You, too. TJ talks a lot about you, Katherine. He's really proud of you, just in case you didn't know that. I know how brothers can be."
"I'm proud of him, too," she said, relieved that Jasmine had only heard good things about her from her brother.
After Jasmine left, Katherine went upstairs to use the bathroom, then went into her mother's bedroom to see what condition it was in. Sadly, it was as messy as the rest of the house. There were dozens of clothes on the bed, as if her mom had tried on several different outfits the night before.
There was a pill bottle on the nightstand that disturbed her. Her mother definitely should not have access to medication, since she might get confused about what she'd taken and when she'd taken it.
The prescription was for a medication she wasn't familiar with, but what bothered her more was that the prescribing doctor was not her mother's physician. That was odd. Maybe Dr. Benner had gone out of town and his associate had filled the prescription. She'd have to ask TJ when he got back, or maybe one of the caregivers would know.
Slipping the bottle into the pocket of her jacket, she moved down the hall to TJ's room. He'd always been a nerd, and despite the fact that he was now twenty-seven years old, his bedroom still looked like a teenager lived here. He had Star Wars posters on the wall, and his desk was filled with textbooks.
How had he gone from this geeky
"Of course. Come in."
"TJ told me you live in Houston," Jasmine said, as she stepped into the house.
"I do. I came home for a visit. How do you know my brother?"
"I work with him at MDT." She drew in a breath and let it out. "Actually, we have a personal relationship, too. I don't know if he told you…"
"We haven't spoken recently."
"Well, it's kind of new. He was supposed to get back on Thursday from a trip to Mexico, and I haven't heard from him. One of his coworkers told me that they thought he missed the plane. He's not answering his cell phone. I'm worried about him. I thought your mom might have heard from him."
"She told me he was in Mexico," Katherine said carefully. "Should I be concerned?"
"I'm sure he just stayed a day longer or took a sightseeing trip. He was pretty excited about going to Cancun. He said he'd never been to Mexico but had always wanted to go."
"I think it was on his wish list," she admitted.
"TJ is usually really good about calling me back, and we were supposed to get together last night, so I thought it was strange that I didn't hear from him. I probably shouldn't have come over here. Now I've worried you, too."
"It's fine. I'm glad someone is looking out for him." She wished she could tell Jasmine that TJ was all right, but she'd promised her brother not to speak to anyone about his situation, especially not someone who worked at his company. Jasmine seemed genuinely worried, and maybe she was right to be worried, because Katherine hadn't heard from her brother in almost twelve hours. Who knew where he was now or what condition he was in.
"There have been some weird things going on at the company," Jasmine added. "I guess we're all still a little on edge when something out of the ordinary happens."
She thought back to what TJ said about the people in his department who had died the past year. "He mentioned to me there had been some problems."
"The problems are supposedly over, but you never know." She paused and put on a brighter smile. "Anyway, I hope the bell didn't wake up Mrs. Barrett."
"I doubt it bothered her at all."
"How's your mother?" Jasmine asked.
"She's doing well this morning."
"That's good to hear. TJ told me her condition has been getting worse. I went through Alzheimer's with my grandmother so I know a bit about how bad it is."
"It is difficult," she said.
"I won't keep you. If you hear from TJ, could you tell him to call me?"
"I will. It was nice to meet you."
"You, too. TJ talks a lot about you, Katherine. He's really proud of you, just in case you didn't know that. I know how brothers can be."
"I'm proud of him, too," she said, relieved that Jasmine had only heard good things about her from her brother.
After Jasmine left, Katherine went upstairs to use the bathroom, then went into her mother's bedroom to see what condition it was in. Sadly, it was as messy as the rest of the house. There were dozens of clothes on the bed, as if her mom had tried on several different outfits the night before.
There was a pill bottle on the nightstand that disturbed her. Her mother definitely should not have access to medication, since she might get confused about what she'd taken and when she'd taken it.
The prescription was for a medication she wasn't familiar with, but what bothered her more was that the prescribing doctor was not her mother's physician. That was odd. Maybe Dr. Benner had gone out of town and his associate had filled the prescription. She'd have to ask TJ when he got back, or maybe one of the caregivers would know.
Slipping the bottle into the pocket of her jacket, she moved down the hall to TJ's room. He'd always been a nerd, and despite the fact that he was now twenty-seven years old, his bedroom still looked like a teenager lived here. He had Star Wars posters on the wall, and his desk was filled with textbooks.
How had he gone from this geeky
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