A Roux of Revenge

by Connie Archer

  Lucky followed the winding road up and over the mountain and then finally down into Lincoln Falls, passing under an umbrella of ancient trees brilliant with yellow foliage. The last time she had driven this road, she had been with Jack. Elias and the other specialists had been attempting to diagnose his health problems. She only hoped they’d be as fortunate this time with Janie.

  She glanced in the rearview mirror. Eamon’s jaw was clamped shut, a look of fear on his face.

  “I hope you know where this place is,” he murmured quietly.

  “I do. Don’t worry.” Lucky drove as fast as she could through the first few blocks toward the center of Lincoln Falls. When she reached the corner where the post office stood, she made a right turn on the street that would lead straight to the emergency room of the hospital. Remy was just as anxious, but he remained silent. Ignoring the sign pointing to a parking garage, she pulled up at the ambulance entrance directly in front of the automatic doors.

  Remy hopped out and opened the back door. He gently guided Janie’s feet to the ground; one foot was still bare. Lucky ran toward the entrance, rushed inside and waved down an orderly who quickly located a wheelchair. He followed Lucky out the emergency doors to the parking lot.

  Eamon said nothing, but he shook his head, refusing the help. He carried Janie through the sliding doors and, ignoring the clerk at the intake desk, headed for a small examining room. He laid Janie gently on the gurney. Remy followed in his wake.

  Eamon turned to Remy. “Go find the doc. Quick.”

  Remy nodded nervously and scooted out of the room as Eamon covered Janie with a soft white cotton blanket he found in a supply cabinet.

  Remy rushed to the clerk’s window. “We need a doctor. Right away.”

  The clerk patiently replied, “We’ve already called. Dr. Norden’s on call today. He’ll be right out to examine your friend.” Turning to Lucky, she said, “Someone will have to fill out these forms. I’ll need an insurance card, some ID, whatever you have. Are you family?”

  “I’ll fill in as much as I can,” Lucky replied. “And no, I’m not family, but I’ll get you the information you need.” She settled into a molded plastic chair and, balancing the clipboard on her lap, started to fill in the spaces with a ballpoint pen that didn’t work very well. She completed as many blanks as she could and then reached for her cell phone. Belatedly, she remembered she had left it with Jack.

  Remy was standing outside the door of the examining room. She called to him, and he hurried over. “Do you have a cell phone with you?”

  Remy patted his pockets. “No. It’s in my trailer. I didn’t take it with me when I went out to check on the horses.”

  “Never mind. I’ll ask the clerk if I can use hers.” She hurried back to the intake window. The clerk hit a button, and the door to the small chamber opened.

  • • •

  LUCKY QUICKLY DIALED Miriam’s home number. Miriam answered on the first ring. “We’ve found Janie.”

  “Oh, thank God,” Miriam sobbed. “Where is she?”

  “We’re at the hospital in Lincoln Falls. The doctor’s with her now. I don’t want you to panic, but she wasn’t conscious when we found her.” Lucky had no intention of describing to Miriam the close call with the combine in the cornfield. That could wait till later.

  “Where did you find her?”

  “In the cornfield.” Lucky hesitated. But finally decided it would all come out in the end. “She didn’t run away, Miriam. She was abducted.”

  “What? Why?” Miriam cried. “Who would want to hurt Janie?”

  “It’s a long story, and I’ll fill you in later.” Lucky felt exhaustion creeping over her. Her muscles ached, and her eyes burned from lack of sleep. “We don’t know exactly what happened, but she might have been drugged. We think she tried to escape and hit her head in a fall. We just don’t know how long she’d been in that field.”

  “We? Who’s with you?”

  “I’ll tell you later, okay?” Lucky peeked down the hall. “Miriam, I just saw the doctor come out of her room. I’d like to talk to him. Right now I just need her insurance information if you can give me that over the phone.”

  “Of course. Of course. Hang on. I’ll go find the card.” Lucky heard the telephone receiver bang heavily on a table and then Miriam’s heels clacking as she ran down the hall. She was back in a minute. “Here it is.” Miriam recited the company name and policy number.

  “Thanks, that’s all I need.”

  “I’ll be right there,” Miriam answered.

  Lucky hesitated. “Miriam?”

  “Yes?”

  “You should know. Eamon’s with her.”

  “Eamon?” Miriam’s voice had dropped several registers.

  “Yes. If it hadn’t been for him, we wouldn’t have found her.”

  Miriam was silent for a long moment. “I’m on my way.”

  “Drive safely. There’s no need to panic. She’s in good hands,” Lucky replied, but Miriam had already hung up.

  • • •

  ALL THREE OF them were seated on hard plastic chairs that lined the corridor. Waiting. Janie had woken up, confused and disoriented. She had been given an IV saline drip and now had been wheeled away for a CAT scan. Eamon had insisted on going with her, but the nurse was very firm and barred him. When Janie realized who was in the room with her, the light of recognition filled her eyes, but she said nothing.

  Remy had found a nearby coffee shop and returned with three cappuccinos. The coffee was making Lucky’s hands shake, and it still wasn’t doing a very good job of keeping her awake. She had managed to call Jack who was at the police station with Nate. She wanted to tell him they were fine and they had found Janie. Jack had been up all night as well, but he sounded a lot more chipper than she could have managed. Daniel, he said, had taken off for the travelers’ campsite as soon as he heard Nate’s siren, and Jack didn’t mention Daniel’s involvement in subduing Devlin, who was now in custody.

  Next, Lucky called Meg to tell her she had an unexpected day off. And finally, she called Sage, already at the restaurant, to say the same thing. She filled him in as briefly as possible, promising to explain more later.

  “Really?” he said. “That’s great news. Don’t worry about me. I can get some soups ready for tomorrow, and then I’ll take the rest of the day off too. You need any help out there?” he asked.

  “No. Thanks, Sage. We’ll be fine now. Miriam’s on her way. We just don’t know yet if they’ll want to admit Janie.”

  Lucky took a last sip of her cappuccino, doing her best to scoop the frothy milk from the bottom of the paper cup, and leaned her head against the wall behind her. She felt her eyelids grow heavy, and before she knew it, she had slipped into a light sleep. She was dreaming of spinning metal blades and woke with a jolt when Remy nudged her gently. She looked up to see Miriam standing in the entryway.

  Eamon rose from his chair.

  Miriam stared at him. Her face was white. “Where is she?”

  Eamon walked toward her. “She’s getting some tests right now. She’s groggy, but she’s coming to.”

  Miriam stood rigidly. “Who did this to her?”

  “It’s a long story,” Eamon replied. “Why don’t we sit outside, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  Miriam turned to Lucky. “Can you come get me as soon as she’s back?”

  Lucky nodded in agreement. “I’ll find you right away.”

  “Lucky?” Remy asked. She turned to look at him. “Who is that guy?”

  Lucky smiled, realizing that Remy had been with them all night yet had never asked. “That’s Janie’s father.” She watched Remy’s eyebrows shoot up. “Her real father. I guess there’s no harm in telling you now. I don’t think any of this will be a secret any longer.” She outlined the barest of facts for Remy. When she finished, Remy whistled and collapsed against the back of his chair.

  “I had no idea all this stuff was going on. Sage never mentioned anything,
but I guess he wouldn’t. Did Sophie know all about it?”

  “She picked up on some stuff when we were with Janie at the Harvest Festival, so I had to tell her part of it.”

  Remy nodded. “I always thought Janie was real cute.” He smiled sheepishly at Lucky. “I still do, but I knew she’d never give me the time of day, at least not when I first met her. I was a real jerk then, so I don’t blame her.”

  “I think Janie’s got some growing up to do herself right now.” Lucky reached over to squeeze Remy’s hand. “You never know what can happen.”

  The elevator doors at the end of the hall opened, and a different orderly emerged, pushing Janie down the corridor in a wheelchair. Her complexion had regained some color. She was conscious, and she smiled when she saw Lucky and Remy. Remy stood up nervously to greet her.

  Lucky walked toward her. She leaned over and kissed Janie on the cheek. “Your Mom’s here. I’ll go get her.” Lucky turned away and headed for the door to the emergency entrance. Before she stepped on the mat that would release the glass doors, she saw Miriam sitting on a concrete barrier. Tears were running down her face. Eamon’s arm was around her shoulders. Lucky hesitated, not wanting to interrupt them, but she had promised Miriam she would let her know immediately when Janie was back. She took a step, and the doors whooshed open. She hoped that maybe now the healing could begin for all of them.

  Chapter 48

  JACK DROPPED A heavy log onto an already flaming hearth and shifted the fireplace screen back into place.

  Janie sat next to Eamon on the cushioned sofa. Miriam was across from them in a rocking chair, gazing at them both. Seated together, the resemblance between father and daughter was unmistakable.

  Remy was excitedly relaying the events of their early morning search for Janie while Janie sat wide-eyed. When he reached the part of his story where Lucky and Janie were almost trapped by the combine, Miriam looked as if she were about to faint.

  “But it was really Eamon who saved them. He just hopped on that combine, pushed the farmer out of the way and managed to shut it down. You wouldn’t believe what those things look like. Layers of metal blades. They wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

  “That’s enough,” Jack grumbled. “You’re scarin’ everybody half to death. You’re scaring me half to death too.”

  Lucky was greatly relieved Remy didn’t continue to describe in gruesome detail what could have happened. A shiver ran up her spine. Jack had had enough of violence in the war to last him several lifetimes. He still had a great deal of trouble at the sight of blood, and she didn’t want anything to bring back dreadful memories for him.

  They had all agreed to gather at Jack’s house that evening. Lucky was glad of the suggestion. It was neutral ground for both Miriam and Eamon. Jack had plenty of room for everyone plus a fireplace to keep them warm. Janie had been given a clean bill of health—no fractures, no dehydration, no concussion—and had been sent home with her mother. The doctor felt that under the circumstances there was no need to admit her. She had been drugged, but the dosage was wearing off as they reached the hospital. Once Janie was back in Snowflake, she had no objection to returning to her mother and her own house. Remy had spent that day checking on the horses while Lucky headed back to her apartment for a hot shower and a long nap.

  On the way to Jack’s house that evening, she had stopped at the Spoonful and picked up a large container of Sage’s pumpkin soup and enough supplies for sandwiches for everyone. Jack had made three large bowls of popcorn and offered beers to everyone.

  Lucky passed on the beer, but she consumed a giant sandwich of turkey meat and dried cranberries. She realized it was the first thing she had eaten all day.

  “Won’t they miss you tonight at the Harvest Festival, Eamon?” Jack asked.

  “They’ll be fine without me. They’re all good musicians. They can carry the show. Spending some time with Janie is far more important to me.” He looked across the room at Miriam. “As long as her mother has no objection.”

  Miriam smiled. “None at all, Eamon.”

  “We have two more performances. One tomorrow afternoon and the last one tomorrow night. And then we’ll be on our way.”

  “Well, I hope you return soon,” Jack said. “You’re welcome in Snowflake any time.”

  “Thank you.” Eamon nodded gravely. He turned to look at Janie. “As long as Janie’s willing to talk to me.”

  Janie reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry I was so horrid.” She looked over at her mother. “And I’m so sorry I made you worry, Mom.”

  Miriam took a deep breath. “If you ever do that again, I’ll . . .”

  Jack reached over and placed a hand on Miriam’s shoulder. “Let’s not think about that. She’s home now, safe and sound.”

  Chapter 49

  “I STILL CAN’T believe it,” Nate said. “Look at this.” He pushed the driver’s license used by Jim Devlin across the desk. He shook his head. “I got taken. I got taken real bad. And here’s a picture of the real Joe Conrad.”

  “There’s a definite resemblance,” Lucky said. “The same shaped face, gray hair, blue eyes. Nose is very similar.”

  “I even called Union Fidelity and talked to one of his colleagues. The man knew Joe real well. In fact, Conrad had even trained him. He confirmed the story that Devlin gave us. Said Conrad was a guy who could never let go of a trail. It’d be just like him to keep chasing an old case in his retirement.” Nate shook his head. “I even tested Devlin with the name of the guy at the insurance company, but he didn’t miss a beat. What a fool I’ve been.” He slammed his hand against the desk, making Lucky jump.

  “So is this driver’s license a fake?” Jack asked.

  “Yes and no. It’s a real driver’s license, but this is Devlin’s picture on it. That’s how he managed to fool me,” Nate continued. “See, Jimmy Devlin got to know Conrad pretty well when Conrad was investigating the original robbery. It was really Conrad’s persistence that caused the detectives to keep looking at Devlin for the robbery. That’s when they went back and kept digging. Then, of course, Devlin took off when the police got too close to the truth. About a year later . . . by the way, I did manage to contact the real Joe Conrad. He’s a widower, and he’s been on a cruise for a month with his kids and grandkids. Anyway . . . a year later after the robbery, Conrad was forced to retire. Had some trouble with his eyes, detached retina, something like that, so he didn’t drive anymore. Devlin carried a grudge against Conrad. He blamed Conrad for his troubles, and Devlin’s a vengeful son of a gun. He had been keeping an eye on Conrad—from a distance. He thought about the resemblance and thought it might be useful to him. So he kept tabs on Conrad, watched the house now and then, and must have figured out Conrad wasn’t driving anymore.

  “I got the story out of him. This is what happened. Devlin rented a post office box in a false name. He hired someone to follow Conrad around and lift the poor guy’s wallet. Conrad cancelled the credit cards when he realized his wallet was missing but didn’t bother notifying the motor vehicle division, because he couldn’t drive anymore anyway. Conrad never thought his wallet was stolen because Devlin was smart enough not to use any of the credit cards. Conrad just thought the wallet was lost. He figured the license was about to expire so no harm done.

  “With the ID in hand, Devlin filled out a change of address card for Conrad’s home, changing it to the post office box. Then he applied for a lost driver’s license and gets a new picture taken. It’s now Devlin’s picture on Conrad’s license, and the new driver’s license gets mailed to the PO box. Conrad’s none the wiser.

  “I’ve talked to Conrad on the phone. He remembered a time when he stopped getting mail a few years ago, and he went to the post office to complain. When they looked into it, they just figured somebody mixed up an address.”

  “Pretty smooth,” Jack remarked.

  “I’ll say. And I feel pretty dumb. I’ve been leaning on Ernie White. Had him in here for questioning
when I discovered he had been at the accident scene. He swore up and down he had nothing to do with the accident. I didn’t believe him, but it turns out he was tellin’ the truth.” Nate shook his head. “Then when I saw the security tape from the impound lot, I was convinced Ernie was as guilty as sin. He was right there, in the lot, drinking beer with the guard the night the van was stolen. That clinched it for me.”

  “I can understand that. I’d think the same thing if I were in your shoes,” Lucky offered.

  Nate sighed. “Turns out that guard had worked for Ernie before, and he was just trying to get him to fill Daniel’s spot at the pony corral.”

  “Did Remy finally tell you about the woman from the band who was attacking Ernie?”

  “Yeah, he did. The travelers didn’t know why Daniel hadn’t come back to them. At first they thought he had been arrested, and then they started to suspect Ernie might have had something to do with it. They didn’t know what to think. Believe me, Ernie and his sidekick are no choirboys. Probably guilty of a lot of things, but this murder isn’t one of them. It’s a good lesson for me, though, not to let personal feelings get in the way. I never liked the guy, and I woulda been happy to nail him for this.”

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Nate. You did everything you reasonably could. If the Conrad family was away, or out of the country, what else could you have done?”

  “I think Devlin got a kick out of using the old investigator’s name. He probably had other ones he’d used over the years, but this was a perfect cover for being in Snowflake and looking for the missing cash.”

  “So he killed the man you found in the van?” Jack asked.

  “He claims he didn’t. Claims it was an accident. Devlin says he was trying to force the guy to tell him where the loot was, and the guy we found on the road jumped him. They struggled, and the gun went off by accident. Our guy was wounded, but he managed to get in the van to escape. Devlin might be tellin’ the truth. I think that’s why I found the newer indentations on that old van. He was trying to force the guy off the road before he could escape and get help. Why would he want to kill him if he still didn’t know where the money was hidden? And he thought the money might have been hidden in the van. That’s why Devlin stole it from the impound. When there was nothing there, he got desperate and went after Janie. Anyway, that’s outta my hands. Up to a judge and a jury to decide now. How they’re gonna do that without a body, I don’t know. But we’ve got him for the robbery and the kidnapping charge.”