by Laura Acton
“Man, we got the twin vibe going on. You read my mind. I want to ring her, but I don’t want to worry her more, and well, Loki didn’t find a charger, so there isn’t much battery life.”
“KISS her.”
“What? Dan, are you hallucinating again?”
“No. Keep It Simple Stupid. K.I.S.S. Ya don’t have to tell her everything now, only allay her fears.”
Scott laughed. “Oh man, I’m going to be attending your funeral if you don’t change your attitude when you marry. Wives, and particularly Broderick wives, don’t like to be kept in the dark about important things.”
An arrow pierced Dan’s heart. There would be no wife or children for him, but he deflected so Scott wouldn’t be aware of how his words hurt. “You’re in trouble either way. She won’t be happy you risked your life, especially if you tell her you almost froze to death after stabbing your thigh with a ski pole. And talk about worrying, Lily’s mind will conjure up all sorts of terrible things, and the whole point of you calling is to put her mind at ease.
“Plus, if you add in why you went into the blizzard, her concern will grow, and I’m sure she will call our moms. I don’t want Mom finding out about this on the phone. I want to ascertain if I’m gonna lose my leg before telling her anything. She’s been through too much with what happened a few months back with Snow seeking revenge and Merrill shooting me last year.”
Scott stared at Dan, processing his logic. “And they say I’m the practical one. I didn’t think everything through.”
“Strategy. A game of chess. Pick the time and place of your battles. Lily’s likely to forgive you once she sees you are alright, and in the meantime, she isn’t tied in knots worrying about you.” Dan chuckled, finding a bit of humor in the situation. “You’re gonna spend time in the dog house regardless, but at least if she is present, you can give her puppy dog eyes. Say hi for me.”
“You’re right. I’ll undoubtedly end up spending several nights on the couch,” Scott lamented.
Dan met Scott’s gaze. “I bet this is the last time Lily allows you to go on a ski trip with me.”
Scott snorted. “Doubtful. She likes you too much.” He picked up the satellite phone and dialed his home. Scott needed to hear Lily’s voice … she would help to center him, and he would be able to draw strength from her to be strong for Dan if the worst was to come for him.
As his cousin talked to Lily, Dan’s thoughts turned to Alpha Team. Jon is gonna be pissed when he finds out. Scott may be in trouble with Lily, but I’ll be benched for months. Dan cringed. If they don’t hack off half my leg. Damned infection. What the hell am I gonna do if they have to amputate?
Recalling his promise to Loki, Dan tried to find a positive thought. On the verge of drifting off, he smiled, coming up with one. If I can’t be on the team … I might gain Lexa.
Hospital – Café – 6:45 p.m.
As he and Officer Bartonella descended the stairs, Loki relaxed ever so slightly when the Mountie agreed to go with him, easing his concern for Vera’s safety. He wanted, no, needed to talk to the man anyway, hoping the missing pieces of the puzzle would magically appear and dispel his odd vibe.
Once reaching the café, Loki selected a bottle of chocolate-flavored milk from the cooler and a crisp MacIntosh apple while Bartonella grabbed several candy bars, two sodas, and three bags of chips. Stopping at the empty cashier stand, having learned from Vera their cook and cashier had been among those down with the flu, so the nurses took turns preparing meals, Loki placed money on the counter covering the amount of the food. However, Loki noted Bartonella walked right past and took a seat, ripping open one of the bags and shoving chips into his mouth.
Noah kept a keen eye on the raven-haired man as he put his wallet back into his pocket and joined him at the table. So far, what he perceived didn’t appear threatening. A grown man eating an apple and drinking chocolate milk … a kid’s snack for sure. And putting down cash for the items when no one was around to see what he ate … a real goodie-two-shoes.
Loki sat and extended a hand. “Forgot to intro myself. I’m Loki. And you are?” He pulled back when Bartonella ignored his offer to shake hands.
“Officer Bartonella.”
“So formal. You got a first name?”
“Noah.”
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Noah.” Loki shook his milk and unscrewed the top as he tried to channel what Boss, Lexa, or Ray would do to glean information. Without his computer, he had to rely on social skills, and that was not his strong point. He often said the wrong thing or his emotions were too apparent to others. One of the reasons he rarely, if ever, did the negotiations. He was much better in a support role than front and center.
“So, what do you do for a living?” Noah asked.
Loki had to think fast. Something told him not to reveal he was a cop, but another skill he was terrible at was lying. His mind lit on a half-truth which suited his purposes. “I work with computers. Kinda geeky, you might say.”
Noah smiled. A nerd won’t pose any problems. “What about your friends?”
Crap, how do I position Dan and Scott semi-truthfully but not give away their professions? Inspiration hit him. Scott worked in Navy Intelligence, and he did a fair share of researching for national security. Dan regularly analyzed situations and risks, part and parcel with their job in TRF. Loki said, “Scott does research, and Dan does risk analysis.”
“Like for insurance companies?” Noah guzzled his soda.
Loki smiled, latching on to what Bartonella said and remained half-truthful. “Yeah, life insurance mostly. Seems rather boring if you ask me.”
Noah nodded. A geek, a researcher, and an insurance analyst. I lucked out—no real threat from any of them.
“So how long have you been stationed here?” Loki used the trick he learned from Dan of turning the tables and asking a question when you did not want to be answering them.
“Not long.” Noah didn’t like the query, so asked another one himself, trying to appear conversational. “So, how did your friends get hurt?”
Ah, a fellow deflector, this will be interesting. “Skiing and running into a wall.” Loki didn’t provide any detail as doubts about the officer increased.
“They must not be very coordinated.”
Loki shrugged. “My friends are a bit accident-prone.”
Noah chuckled. “I’d say so since they landed in the ER. Isn’t one of them feverish and hallucinating?” He used the info he overheard when he arrived.
“Infections can do that.” Loki needed to stop Noah from digging for details on Dan and Scott, and he wanted to probe for more information. “So, you recently moved here? Where were you stationed before?”
“Here and there.”
The non-answer further added to Loki’s distrust. “How do you like the area so far?” Loki let out a little chuckle, his nervousness not entirely faked. “Me and the woods don’t get along. I’m a city boy at heart.”
“A little backward.” Noah opened his second bag of chips to munch on. “Where do you hail from?”
Back to me. Hmm. I’m not so good at cat and mouse. What would Lexa or Dan do … they playacted well in that sting operation. Keeping it chatty like they did when they stood at the jewelry case, Loki answered, “Toronto. What locale do you consider home?”
“Nowhere in particular. Don’t like staying put for too long.”
The man’s continued evasion set Loki on edge. He took a drink and bit into his apple. As he chewed an idea formed, but Loki would need to be careful. He swallowed and baited a trap. “So, you move around a lot … you have wanderlust. Bet you chose to be a Mountie because it allows you to move to different posting every year.”
“Yeah, one of the reasons.”
Loki tucked the wrong response in his back pocket and hoped his face didn’t give away his emotions. “What are the other reasons?”
Noah eyed Loki. “None of your damned business.”
Deliberately, Lok
i added nervousness to his tone. “Sorry, sorry. Gosh, I’m being way too personal. A bad trait. My ma says I stick my foot in my mouth often, and I spend too much time in my room on the computer.”
Noah chuckled, disarmed by the geekiness and child-like innocence fairly wafting off this momma’s boy. He had nothing to fear from him. He reassessed and decided to answer. “I didn’t plan on becoming a pi … cop. Just sorta fell into my lap and suited my needs at the time.”
“Like being able to move around?”
“Yes.”
“Bet you’re glad you did. ‘Cause if you hadn’t been on patrol, that guy, Jonas I think is his name, would be dead.”
“Yeah, he would.”
Loki’s suspicions were just confirmed. This man was not an RCMP Mountie. He didn’t know who he was, but the fact he didn’t comprehend postings lasted three to five years, and RCMP officers did not patrol Ontario. The Ontario Province Police performed those duties in areas without a police force. Sure the ‘O’ Division RCMP operated in Ontario, but they only investigated federal offenses such as organized crime, financial corruption, and national security.
Hoping his face didn’t give away his conclusion, Loki said, “Your sergeant is gonna be real happy with you. You’re likely to win an award or something for saving his life. I sure hope you find out who shot him.”
Noah smiled. “Oh, I don’t doubt we will … he’ll regret the day he shot Jonas for the rest of his life.” Yeah, the two seconds between him hitting Jonas and me putting a bullet in his head.
“Well, the Mounties always get their man … so I’m sure you will, Officer.” Silence ensued, and Loki rose after finishing his apple and beverage. “Thanks for chatting with me. I think I’ll grab some milk and fruit for my friends. Catch ya later.” He strode to the cold storage, pulled out two milk cartons and two apples, then stopped at the register to lay down more money.
Forcing a smile, Loki waved as he headed out, glad Noah, if that was his real name, remained at the table munching candy. His gut urgently shouted at him. He needed to be armed and to grab his and Dan’s police IDs from their bags, so if the guy snooped, he wouldn’t become aware of their real jobs. He wished all the pieces would fall into place, but they remained jumbled. Likely because Loki now ran on fumes after an exhausting long day of worrying.
Noah gave Loki a fake smile as Loki exited. Still hungry, he stood and raided the cooler, taking two more sodas, a piece of chocolate cake, and more potato chips before returning to his seat. Me and Jonas won’t have any problems leaving here. Jeremy is a wimpy, pimple-faced boy of no more than twenty. Loki is a computer nerd who would quiver and cry if I pointed a gun at him.
The ski patrolman is my only real concern, but a threat to kill Minna, who Ron clearly likes, will make him comply. And if Ron tries to play hero, one bullet between his eyes will eliminate my problem.
We Have A Problem
36
November 24
Hospital – ER Treatment Area – 7:10 p.m.
A smile formed as Scott hung up from a quick call to Lily. He kept it simple, as Dan suggested, skirting the actual state of their health and swiftly shifting the subject to their babies. It tickled him to no end to learn Jerrell and Anna calmed down when she wrapped them in his shirts. And he was grateful for his mom and aunt stopping by tonight and providing Lily dinner.
Peering across the way, he was unsure if Dan had fallen asleep. “Danny, you still awake?”
“Hmm, sorta,” Dan replied, keeping his eyes closed, not entirely with it, his mind elsewhere in a soft, dreamy world of his creation. One focusing on a life with Lexa … although he still couldn’t fathom what life would be like without a leg or being on the team anymore.
“Lily sends her love to you. She said she would call Sergeant Pastore for you and inform him you and Loki are snowed in and won’t make it back on Thursday.”
“K.” His shoulder and leg throbbing, Dan shifted, endeavoring to find a comfortable position on the sweat-dampened sheet beneath him, but couldn’t so he stopped moving. At least his headache subsided a bit, likely due to the softer lighting after Minna dimmed the exam lights over his bed.
Loki entered the treatment area with a backpack slung over one shoulder, trying to appear nonchalant, but failing. He glanced at Jonas as he passed, noting he seemed to be sleeping. He stopped and studied the man as another odd feeling crept in. Where have I seen him before? Unable to place him, he continued on to Scott, who picked up a book.
“I think we have a problem,” Loki spoke quietly as he set his backpack down on Scott’s bed.
Scott lowered his novel to his lap, detecting nervous energy emanating from Loki. “Besides the obvious problems, what’s got you so wired?”
Though both spoke in undertones, Dan overheard both and opened his eyes. “Loki?”
Unzipping the backpack, Loki pulled out Scott’s handgun. “You need to put this someplace concealed.” He pivoted and moved to Dan. “I have your off-duty weapon too. Are you in the right frame of mind now? Is it safe to give it to you?”
“Loki, what’s up?” Dan shifted again and pressed the button to incline the bed, so he was sitting up a bit more.
“Are you lucid enough to handle your gun properly?” Loki demanded.
Dan wanted to say yes but answered, “I am at the moment, but I can’t guarantee I won’t hallucinate again. Safer if I’m unarmed. Now tell me why?”
“Wait, I’m coming over.” Scott concealed his weapon at his side, and although it hurt like hell to walk, he used the cane and Loki’s assistance to move to the chair at Dan’s bedside, bringing the satellite phone with him.
Once Scott was situated, Loki conveyed his suspicions, “Spoke with Officer Bartonella in the café. Couldn’t shake the sense something was off. And it is. I don’t believe he is a Mountie. And Bartonella might not be his real name.”
“Why?” Dan asked.
“Because he indicated he was patrolling when he found the victim. As you know, the OPP patrol this area. RCMP only investigates federal crimes. His other answers didn’t jive, his hair is too long, his uniform didn’t fit, and he had no name tag. And a nurse upstairs is creeped out by him … so much so she lied and told him she was married. Noah, is the first name he gave me, might be fake too, asked Vera questions about her patients wanting to do a threat assessment.”
Dan listened to all Loki shared. He focused on the name Noah Bartonella as his gaze shifted to the carjacking victim. “Did Jonas give a last name?”
Wondering what the three whispered about, Minna moved from her desk to them in time to catch Dan’s question. “I didn’t ask Jonas for his surname name before administering the meds. I probably should’ve, but the poor man needed relief after being in pain so long. And Officer Barton,” Minna sneezed, “sorry. Bartonella said he had no wallet.”
Minna’s ill-timed or perhaps perfect-timed sneeze caused Dan to lock eyes on Loki. Recognition hit both simultaneously as they shared a look of disbelief. Dan blew out a breath. “Shit! Noah and Jonas Barton. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize Jonas right off the bat. He is the one who held the detonator at Central Bank, and his brother killed a man because he couldn’t kneel.”
“Hey, you have an excuse … I don’t. We’ve seen their photos on the most wanted posters for over two years.” Loki swallowed hard.
“The Barton brothers? You mean the murderous bank robbers?” Scott turned to stare at Jonas.
Blanching, Minna grabbed Dan’s bedrail, and her words came out timid, “My father and uncle discussed the Bartons last week at dinner. Oh my god. That means …” her voice wavered more, “he k-killed one of the officers.”
Liquid welled in her eyes. Which officer? She knew them all. They each came for dinner on a rotating monthly basis. Her father liked to invite them over for a relaxed meal to keep an open dialog with his men. They were like an extended family. Who did they kill? She wracked her brain.
Curious, Scott inquired, “Minna, who is your
father?”
Tears spilled as Minna said, “Captain Leif Lundgren of the local RCMP. Uncle Torsten is also a Mountie. I know all the men who work under my dad. Oh god, they must’ve killed Bruno Ramsey.”
“Why do you think it is him?” Loki offered her some tissues.
Minna couldn’t stop the little sob as she wiped her eyes. “He is the only heavy-set officer. Bruno joined us for supper the night the topic of the latest efforts to locate the Bartons came up. He complimented me on my apple pie and asked for seconds even though I burnt the crust. We’re trapped in here with two brutal murderers, what are we going to do?”
Hospital – Surgery Area – 7:10 p.m.
Jeremy spotted Ron waiting outside the surgery. He quickened his pace and glanced around nervously. He had no idea where the fake cop might be lurking.
Ron smiled. “Hey, Jeremy? Betcha’ve been busy the past few days.”
“Yeah. Um, I need to talk to ya in private ‘bout something important.”
Noticing Jeremy seemed jumpy, Ron nodded and opened the door. “Sure. Maisie said they are finishing up with Ethan. He is going to be okay.”
Once in the surgery’s recovery room, Jeremy leaned close to Ron as he pulled the name tag out of his pocket. He unfurled his fingers, showing him. “I found this covered in blood in the officer’s pants. The uniform belongs to Ramsey. I think he killed Bruno. I don’t think Bartonella is a real cop.”
Ron stared at Bruno’s tag. His heart dropped. He went hunting with Bruno only three months ago. They planned a week-long fishing trip for the summer. Ron reached out for the gold-toned metal piece and closed his hand around it. God rest your soul, my friend. He sighed. “I should’ve realized something was wrong because his uniform didn’t fit him at all … too sloppy.”
Jeremy anxiously chewed his fingernails. “What are we going to do?”
The connecting door to the surgery opened. Vanessa and Maisie pushed Ethan’s bed into the room. Landry followed behind and sat on a chair near the sink, pulled off his gloves, and began washing his hands.
