by Lora Lindy
Mike leaned down to her ear and said. “I’m getting the buffet.”
“Me too,” she agreed.
They both piled their plates with food. They looked at each other’s plate and laughed. His plate was piled with seafood; shrimp, crab cakes, salad, and coleslaw. Her plate had pot roast, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, carrots, and salad. They were so opposite when comes to food. The only similarity was a salad. She didn’t think he would ever survive in Tennessee.
They didn’t talk much during the meal. The place was loud with people, plus they were too busy feeding their faces. “I’m going to get some desert, would you like anything?” Mike asked while stacking his two plates of scraps.
“No thanks, but you enjoy. I’m sure when you stand all the food will drop to your hollow legs.”
“Then I’ll be ready for the second round of dinner,” he said with a wink.
He left and she knew it would take him a little while because the line was long. But she didn’t care because she was so full, plus she wanted to relax for a few more minutes and watch the people. She could tell the locals from the visitors. The locals were dressed in warm clothing and they all looked the same, bundled up head to toe. Visitors were all dressed like they dress in the south, with less practical clothing for the frigid weather. She noticed that with Mike. He certainly dressed warmer the she did. Watching the people made her realize she needed to go shopping, especially for a heavier coat.
Glancing over at the buffet and for a split second she saw someone she knew. He had just grabbed his plate and started waiting in line for the buffet. A loud crash distracted her and when she glanced back, he had vanished. She searched all around the restaurant but she didn’t see him anywhere. Not remembering where she saw him would drive her crazy. Where did she know his face? He looked right at her, staring. For some reason he looked mad at her.
Mike walked back with about four different deserts; brownies, ice cream, chocolate pudding and blackberry cobbler. “What’s the matter,” he asked as he looked around trying to see what caught her eye.
“I just saw someone I’ve seen before, but I can’t remember where I saw him.”
He acted concerned because she shouldn’t know anyone from around there. “Did she know him from around Plymouth? Or do you know him from someplace else?”
“I’m not sure I just can’t put my finger on it. Maybe I’ll remember later, and when I do you’ll be the first to know. The oddest thing, he had just picked up his plate for the buffet and then he left before he finished.”
“What did he look like, maybe I can spot him?”
“Short about five-seven, salt and pepper hair and balding on the top, stocky, barrel chested, and he had on a plaid shirt with blue jeans. Maybe I saw him around here somewhere.”
“If you see him again, let me know right away,” he said while looking at his watch. “We need to be heading to the police department.”
“I agree.” She did take the last bite of his blackberry cobbler before standing.
*****
They sat in silence while waiting in the holding room at the police department. Waiting for Quent made her nervous and it gave her a headache. To stay busy by looking at all the pictures on the wall, they were pictures of the past police chiefs. One picture showed a shot up car, and it looked like it was old. It reminded her of Bonnie and Clyde’s car. She knew it wasn’t theirs, but it sure did look like the Warren.
Lana’s headache got worse by the minute and she was more than ready to get out of there. She closed her eyes and laid her head on the table, the coolness felt good on her cheek.
Mike looked at his watch and as time ticked away he got more anxious. He worried about Lana because her eyes didn’t look good at all. Without a doubt she didn’t feel well. He already decided if Quent didn’t come within fifteen minutes he would take Lana home.
They both jumped when Quent flew the door open. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you ready?” He asked with clipboard in hand, smiling.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She took a deep breath and one last look at Mike.
Mike gave her a quick kiss to reassure her. “I’ll be here waiting and Quent will be with you every minute. I love you and I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“I love you too.”
When Detective Quentin opened the door to the lineup room, several people stood in the back of the room. The room was dark, and she couldn’t see any faces because her eyes had not adjusted to the dark. Nobody said anything but there were lots of stares, some seemed friendly and some didn’t. That exasperated her nervousness even more. Lana always introduced herself to strangers. This silence unnerved her.
Detective Quentin told Lana the process. “Ms. Andrews, several people will walk out holding numbers in front of them. You need to write down the number of the person you saw unloading the truck on October eighteenth. Are you ready?”
She took a deep breath and answered with a squeaky voice. “Yes.”
He got on the intercom and said. “Send them out, please.”
Several men filed out and she looked closely at each one as they walked passed her. They all stood facing her and after a few minutes, they were told to turn sideways. Then they turned to the front again. She looked closely at each one and she knew without a doubt he was number three. She wrote three down on the paper. She looked at detective Quentin. “He is number three.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Thank you Ms. Andrews and now I’ll take you back to Mike.”
Wow, that’s it. That wasn’t so bad. She walked out without looking back at any of the people in the room. Picking him out relieved the tension in her shoulders. She couldn’t wait to get back to Mike to tell him he was right, she didn’t have to worry. Picking him out had been a walk in the park, a piece of cake.
The minute she saw Mike, she started bawling.
Mike tightened his lips and held her. “Baby what happened?” Then he looked at Quent for answers. He was ready to attack someone if they hurt her.
Quent shrugged his shoulders and nodded. His gesture let Mike know she picked him and he didn’t know why she seemed upset.
“I’m just glad it’s over, and I have a terrible headache.” She wanted to go home.
As they walked out the waiting room, an officer walked up and whispered to Detective Quentin. Quent turned to them and said. “Mike, you’re big news with the breakin and the shooting. Somehow the reporters found out you’re here, and now they’re camped out in front. Do you want us to drive you back to where you’re staying?”
“We don’t want anyone to know where we’re staying, but thanks anyway. How about you drive my truck to the back and we’ll leave that way.”
“They’re in the back as well. Mike, you know the media always cover every exit.” Quent thought a minute, and then he came up with an alternative. “We can go through the jail, but I will have to make sure the inmates are out of sight.”
“Let’s do it.” Mike had his fill with reporters. If he didn’t see another reporter for the next five years, he would be happy.
Quent sent an officer to clear a path through the jail.
They exited through a barred door. Everyone was quiet except the jailer. He pushed buttons letting guards through the gates. One gate has to be closed before another opened, and the process takes about twenty seconds. While they waited for the gate to open Mike looked at Lana. He noticed she looked extremely pale and her pupils looked dilated. “Baby, are you okay?”
She didn’t answer. What he said was unintelligible to her.
Mike looked at Quent and wondered if he noticed the same reaction. “Honey, can you hear me?” Mike asked with noticeable concern.
Lana looked at them, but her eyes couldn’t focus. “I need to sit down���.” Then darkness. She fell and hit her head on the edge of the desk. It hit with a hard thud. Mike did catch her before she hit the ground.
“Quent, ca
ll an ambulance,” yelled Mike. He didn’t have to, the jailer had already asked for help through his police radio.
*****
She woke up laid out on a gurney in the police department with many officers’ standing around gawking, hoping something exciting would happen. When it was obvious she would be okay, they went back to work.
She didn’t feel a thing, as a matter of fact she felt wonderful. Her body could be lifted with a feather.
“Welcome back, I was worried about you,” said Mike trying to act cheerful, but his face showed worry. In his job, he has worried about a lot of things. Worrying about Lana topped them all.
“What happened?” She asked even though she didn’t care.
“You fainted,” answered Mike while holding her hand.
“What’s today?” For some reason she lost track of time. “Mike, I have to catch my plane home.” Panic showed in her voice.
“Honey, you don’t have to catch your plane for several days.” Her incoherency worried him even more. He looked at the medic for answers.
“Her losing time and place is normal. It’s the medicine. When she leaves make sure she drinks lots of water to flush her system. Let her get lots of fresh air to clear her mind. Other than her head hurting, she will be fine in a few hours. Keep in mind she might say some crazy things.”
Mike smiled when he asked the next question. “Is the medicine like a truth serum?” He knew he could tease Lana later with this bit of information. And maybe he could find out her true feelings for him.
“Maybe, it depends on what’s on her mind.” He finished putting everything away in his medical bag.
“Hey you, medical man,” Lana waved to the medic.
Mike laughed, now he knew what the medic meant.
“Yes ma’am?” He couldn’t help but grin at her.
“What did you give me? I feel good. You know that’s a James Brown song. I bet you didn’t think I knew that.”
“Yes ma’am I figured you did. The doctor gave you Valium.”
Mike was glad to see her in good spirits even it was caused from the medicine. “Honey, the young man has to go back to work and help someone else.”
“Yep, you don’t want to get fired,” she said yawning.
Detective Quent tried to be jolly. “Well I think you found your way out, Cody give Mike your jacket and walk him out to his truck, and follow him to the CVS Pharmacy on Southern Artery. Quent then addressed the medic. “John, can you follow them there and move Lana to Mike’s truck? We’re trying to avoid the media.”
“Sure. It would be my pleasure.”
Mike reached down and kissed her, hating to leave her side. He lingered holding her hand for a few seconds. Finally he let go and said. “I’ll see you in a few minutes, I love you.”
She said to the medic. “Hey medicine man, he loves me, did you hear him?”
The medic grinned. “Yes, I did.”
They made their way out and she could see the media videotaping and taking pictures. The police stood in front of them and told them to back up, all the way across the street. She could hear questions asked if she had been stabbed or shot. All the reporters talked and asked questions at the same time. As she glanced over at them she saw someone she knew. Her mind seemed fuzzy and she couldn’t figure out how she knew him. He stared right at her as though he might be mad at her, then his snarled mouth turned to a grin.
They pulled up to CVS and Mike ran to her side. “Thanks Cody for helping. Baby, do you feel okay and do you need anything?”
“I’m fine, I don’t feel a thing,” she truthfully answered.
When they got in the truck Mike buckled her in the middle. He knew he could lean her head against his shoulder. That position seemed to be the most comfortable for her. He propped her head slightly behind his shoulder. It was uncomfortable for him, but he knew it kept her head and neck secure. Within a few seconds Lana fell sound asleep leaning on his shoulder. He had to smile at her when he noticed her mouth was wide open. Even though temptation set in and he wanted to take her picture, he didn’t. He decided he would never embarrass her like that, at least not until he got to know her a little better.
An abrupt stop of the truck woke her up and she realized they were at Mike’s beach house. She was surprised. “Why did we come back here?”
“Since we have the bad guy behind bars there is no reason not to come here. Do you want to go back to Hull? If you feel safer there, I don’t mind going back at all.” Mike didn’t want to take her back to Hull. He did worry about the bump on her head because it was the size of a golf ball. Even though he knew it’s better for the bump to be outside the skull, he couldn’t help but worry. If they go to Hull, it would take longer to get her to the hospital if they needed to go.
“No I like your bed and this is fine with me. Right now I just want to sleep, I don’t know what they gave me, but all I want to do is sleep.”
They walked in and she noticed the steak had been removed and the house had been cleaned. She went straight to the bedroom and changed into her t-shirt and drank two big glasses of water then went to bed.
Mike wanted her to drink all the water she could. He wanted all the medicine flushed out of her system before she took more. Before he went in the living room, he filled her glass and put it on the night stand.
He stood at the door a couple of minutes watching her sleep. She looked so small curled up under the covers. Her beautiful hair tossed across his pillow and across her face. At that moment he knew she had captured his heart for life and his heart had never felt so fulfilled.
*****
Mike heard a knock on the door, it was his brother Lance. As he opened the door both grinned from ear to ear. Even though they were a mirror image in looks, Mike was eight inches taller than his brother.
“It’s good to see you and thanks for coming over here and cleaning up after the CSI finished,” Mike said as he gave his brother a hug.
“You’re welcome, and how is Lana?” He smiled at Mike knowing how much his brother had fallen for this lady. His love was written all over his face and he noticed Mike couldn’t sit still. Mike always acted hyper when he started a new case.
“She’s great, and she’s sleeping right now. Do you want to see what an angel she is?”
“No, I’ll meet her later when she’s ready to meet the family. Maybe we can all get together before she goes home. You are smitten with her aren’t you?”
“Lance, I have never loved anyone like I love this woman. As I told you she is not the typical woman I date, but there is not one hair on her head that I would change. She’s intelligent, beautiful, outgoing, and man can she cook. Also, she can keep up with me on scrabble,” he laughed. “You know me and scrabble I always said I would marry the first woman who could beat me in scrabble. And she is good.” His heart raced just talking about her. He couldn’t stop grinning.
“I can’t wait to meet her,” said Lance.
“I can’t either. You will meet her soon.”
“What caused her to faint?”
“We think it’s the stress of everything. She has been through a lot the last couple of days, and she hasn’t been sleeping the best, and it all caught up with her. But she’s sleeping now and I’m going to encourage her to rest the last few days here. It’s over until she has to testify.”
“I don’t blame you—you have to protect her from all of this. This is your everyday life, but not hers. I think you’re doing the right thing by not exposing her to any more of this than necessary. I’m so proud you found her, she sounds like a great gal.”
“Yea she is,” said Mike as his phone rang and he held up a finger to tell his brother just a minute. “Hello ��� hey Quent. ��� What? ���. Are you sure? ���. I’ll call Raymond now���. Thanks for letting me know.” Mike’s face turned white as he flipped his phone shut.
“What’s wrong?” Lance asked.
“The blood type of Greg Poll, the guy Lana identified today,
is not the same blood type of the sperm found on the window.” Mike was shocked.
“What does that mean?”
“The blood type doesn’t match any of the men in jail. We don’t know who was in the house.”
Lance put his hand on his brother’s shoulder and said. “I know you will figure this out, you always do. You know you both are welcome to stay with us, we live in a gated community.”
“Thanks, but I don’t want to put her through the stress of all this and meeting my family. Besides you know our policy with the marshals, stay away from populated areas if possible. But I do appreciate the offer.” Mike was truly concerned. This case was a little too close to home.
Lance stood up and gave his brother a well needed hug and said. “Good luck and you know where I am if you need me.”
“Thanks, and I’ll call you when I know more.”
Mike watched Lance drive off while pulling out his phone to call his team together.
Chapter 22
7:31 p.m.
Lana stirred trying to wake up and she heard men talking in the other room, she thought maybe she heard the TV. Their words prodded her to listen better. She heard something about masturbating and DNA. She leaned her ear toward the door to listen better. Surely it was not a coincidence the TV had been turned on to a station talking about the same incident that happened there.
What time was it? She glanced at the clock and it said seven-thirty. She did notice the bathroom light was left on, and she figured Mike turned it on for her. She saw the glass of water on the nightstand and she drank every drop. Everything seemed like a dream. She sat up in bed for a moment trying to remember her day. The last thing she remembered was when she stood at the jail.
She crawled out of bed to splash some water on her face. She was shocked by her reflection in the mirror. A big black and blue goose egg covered the right side of her forehead. I look like death warmed over, she thought. For the first time since she met Mike she was be embarrassed by the way she looked, pale with swollen and blood shot eyes. Regardless of how she looked, she wanted to know who came to visit. She peeked out and saw several men with guns. What the heck? She took a deep breath and walked in the living room.
