by Terri Marie
"Tyler," began Emma. "I think she started the fire. I really do."
"It's possible, but I highly doubt it. She looks too frail to be pulling off a fire. I'll make sure the detectives are made aware of this. I'll be back in to let you know what's up." Tyler turned towards the door and briskly walked out.
Jacob saw that Emma was still frightened. "Em, I think I was just seeing things."
"No, you weren't. I'm telling you, if she can get on the floor so easily, then so can Robert!" Her eyes got huge.
"Let Tyler and the detectives figure out if she signed in or not. If she didn't, and somehow she snuck up to the floor, my brother will blow a gasket." Jacob pulled her down to his chest.
Emma quickly straightened back up. "This isn't working, Jacob. Brian's parents were even able to get up here!"
"Brian's parents were allowed to come up. He's a minor, so it's not like they could stop them. Angelique on the other hand…" Jacob was afraid to agree with Emma. He'd just upset her again, but truth be told, she had a point.
"All Robert has to do is change his looks and lie."
Jacob moved over in the bed. "Lay down with me."
Emma took off her shoes, and then crawled in next to Jacob. She let her head rest on the pillow next to his. With his arm around her, he could feel how tight every one of her muscles was.
Tyler walked down to the nurse's station and asked to use their phone. He pulled out his wallet and removed a business card to call the detective. Maybe Jacob was seeing things, but maybe he wasn't. Tyler couldn't take any chances. It was strange how this woman showed up right before the fire, and then somehow disappeared in the parking lot. She hadn't even bothered to stick around and make sure they were okay, but she snuck onto the floor where Jacob saw her. If she didn't have anything to hide, why would she sneak in?
"Delcan," answered the detective.
"This is Tyler Montclair. I was talking to my brother, Jacob, and he claims he saw Angelique, the one who waltzed into our house right before the fire. He said she appeared in his doorway, and then vanished." Tyler hoped he'd take this seriously.
"I'm actually on my way there now. I have to talk to Brian. Seems his parents are saying Brian lied, and you helped him. The prosecutor will be contacting you and the kid. We don't believe them, of course, but they're going to plead not guilty. They've hired a pretty ruthless defense attorney."
"Great…" This was something Tyler wasn't expecting. He sighed heavily.
"I wouldn't worry about it right now. Just know it'll go to court at some point. About the fire, it was arson, started by an accelerant. Gasoline."
"I don't think that woman is strong enough to be making her way through that jungle of a front yard, while hauling a can of gasoline." Maybe Robert helped her.
"At this point, nothing would surprise me. The shooting happened right after the fire started, so perhaps Robert was already there."
"This isn't good. So now we have Angelique, Robert, and Brian's crazy parents to worry about. Have they gotten out of jail?" Tyler hoped he wouldn't have to stress about them coming after Brian again.
"There hasn't been a bond hearing yet, but when it's set, I'll let you know. The last thing we want is for Hank Waters to make good on his threat."
"Can we file a restraining order or something?" Tyler couldn't believe his ears.
"Because no one's allowed to leave the unit, I'm bringing one over just in case they post bond." said Delcan.
"While you're here, we need to brainstorm. We won't be able to stay in the hospital much longer."
"I talked to Detective Joy earlier. We came up with a plan, but you guys have to agree to it."
Whatever plan they came up with, Tyler knew they'd have to do the opposite. One leak to the media was more than enough.
"On another note, the prosecuting attorney in Southfield responded to Brian's written testimony, and he's dropping the charges against you in your assault case. Roger Murphy has been placed under arrest for attempted robbery and for filing a false police report."
"So it's over with?"
"You'll have to testify against Murphy, but that's not something you have to focus on right now, either."
Tyler was glad that he'd be able to rid himself of Roger Murphy, however, he'd much rather deal with that homeless man then Robert.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Robert found a can opener in a drawer and opened a can of hotdog chili. Too bad he didn’t have a few wieners to go with it. With the shitty rations in this rotten cabin, he was sure he'd starve to death. At three o'clock in the morning, Robert was startled awake by the sound of a door slamming.
"Get the hell off of my property!" demanded the Big Fat Jackass standing over him.
It took a minute for Robert to focus with the stupid flashlight shining in his eyes. He looked at the idiot's twisted face…The idiot who was holding his rifle.
"What kind of a weirdo are you? Sneaking up on a sleeping man like this!" Robert wanted to rush the guy, but knew he couldn't get up fast enough.
"You need to find somewhere else to flop, maybe under a bridge or something. Get out!" yelled The Gorilla.
"Okay, I'm going, but this cabin is vacant. You don't live here." Robert tried to figure out a way to overtake him and get his rifle back. He'd blow his damn head off then.
"Of course I don't live here. This is my property and I'm selling it. You get out of here! Last warning!"
Robert slowly got up. There was no way he could wrestle this man to the ground.
"Move!" yelled the Idiot.
Robert slowly approached the door with his hands up in the air, just like on television. The jerk's mistake was lowering the gun to hold the door open. Robert hit him in the face with the elbow of his good arm, as hard as he could. The goon fell flat on his ass. When the rifle flew out of his hand, the man reached for it, but Robert's size fifteen high-tops were faster. He stomped the man in the head until he saw blood coming out of his ears. He didn't really want to waste a bullet, but he fired one anyways, just to be sure. He liked that funny throat wound deal, so he gave this jerk one, too. Robert laughed as he searched the man's pockets. Ta-daaa! He opened up the wallet and found the man's driver's license. Buck Roy. Who the hell names their kid 'Buck?' Good ole' Buck would be perfect.
Robert laughed at his new plan. Easy peasy! No one was probably looking for Big Fat Buck. He had a few pounds on Robert, and had a buzz cut, and glasses, but that could easily be rectified. He'd waltz right into a restaurant and order himself some fried ham and eggs, buy one of those disposable phones like on the detective shows, and get Ron the Cop to rent him a nice motel room. Robert would have to hit him up for some more cash too.
He'd have to ditch the crappy rental car. I'll sink it in the lake, just like I wish I could have done to my ignorant wife's pickup. People sure were dumb. No wonder there was so much crime. Robert didn't see himself as a criminal, though. He was King of the Jungle, where only the strongest survived. Renee and her goons were nothing but a bunch of weak links. Idiots. So was Buck the Schmuck.
Robert was excited to see sixty dollars in the wallet. Buck has bucks, laughed Robert. He should sink the jackass with the car, but he knew there'd be no way to lift him with his bum arm and all. The idiot's front pocket contained some change, keys, and a pocketknife. Robert removed the glasses from the dead man's face, walked outside, and hopped in Big Buck's rusted Oldsmobile. He drove towards the address on the driver's license. The bossy jerk better not be married. He'd hate to waste another bullet on a stupid woman. If there were kids, Robert would have to think fast and leave. He wouldn't shoot kids. He could just imagine wasting even more bullets trying to target the little Curtain Climbers.
Archwood Drive was a little dirt road about ten miles away from the cabin. Robert was happy to see an old trailer back in the woods. Hopefully the jerk had some food. He took the keys out of his pocket, grabbed his rifle and let himself in. It didn't take long for him to search the little dump. There were no pictur
es lying around, so the ugly Lard Ass was probably single. There were stupid little curtains on the windows, so Robert turned on the small light over the sink. He rinsed the blood off of Dumb Buck's glasses, and then got to the important matters at hand. Opening the fridge made him feel warm all over. The frozen dinners in the freezer made him ecstatic. Cereal. Beer. Cheese corn. Holy hell, I've hit the jackpot!
Just in case someone came to the door, or was nosey and looked through the curtains, Robert went into the bathroom and found a small pair of scissors and a cheap electric razor. Goodbye beautiful hair, he thought. He'd always compared himself to those wild looking rock stars. If only he could play the guitar and sing.
After cutting his hair and shaving his face, Robert put the glasses on. He tried to look in the mirror, but damn, that jerk was blind! Was. Robert laughed again. Heading to the kitchen, he flicked on the television. The picture was kind of a joke, but it would do. He grabbed the cheese corn, the last two beers, and a roll of sausage, and sat down in the recliner. It wasn't as nice as his, but it'd have to do, just like the television. Robert was asleep in the recliner by six that morning. He dreamt that Renee had a bobble head.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Emma woke up when she heard the nurse come in. She hurried to get out of Jacob's bed, which caused him to awaken.
"Where are you going?" he asked softly.
"Um, the nurse is here." Emma blushed as she said good morning to her.
"I'm here to take that annoying nasogastric tube out, Jacob. I know you're happy about that!" The young nurse didn't make any comments about the woman being in her patient's bed.
"I sure the hell am ready!" Jacob used his controls and sat the bed up.
"This won't hurt, but you'll feel it coming out. I'm going to do it fairly quickly so you don't think about it." The nurse smiled as she put gloves on.
Emma held Jacob's hand as the nurse removed the tube from his nose.
"Does that feel better?" she asked.
Emma smiled down at Jacob. "He certainly looks more comfortable."
"Thank you!" Free of the tube, he asked the nurse for some things to get cleaned up with.
She walked to the bathroom and brought out a clean gown, washcloth and towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a warm basin of water.
"Do you need any help?" asked the nurse.
"Nah I got it. Em, come back in about ten minutes?" asked Jacob.
"I'll stand outside the door. Holler when you're done." Emma winked and went out into the hall.
As Jacob washed himself up and brushed his teeth, he was happy about how everyone was healing, but uneasy at the same time. Even when they got discharged, they'd still be in no shape to fight, or run from Robert. Those who weren't injured were getting by on fumes. He wondered when the last time Tyler had gotten decent night's sleep was. He knew Sean and Vincent were on their last leg as well. Sean kept talking about old times with him, to keep him cheered up, and Vinnie kept reciting, "We'll get that bastard, don't you worry." But it was Emma he worried about the most. He feared she'd be emotionally scarred for life. Would she ever trust anyone ever again? After Robert was caught, or dead, and they'd found Angelique, would she still keep checking over her shoulder? Would they all do that?
After Jacob was finished getting himself cleaned up, he hollered for Emma to come back in.
"Wow, don't you look spiffy!" She walked over and took his hand.
"I feel pretty spiffy," laughed Jacob. As he stared at her, he could tell she'd lost a lot of weight. "Honey, have you been eating?"
"Yes, but not as much as I normally do. One can only handle so many sandwiches," she laughed.
Jacob knew it had nothing to do with sandwiches; he'd seen Sean eating trays that the nurse had ordered for him from dietary. His best guess is that she had no appetite.
"I want you to eat something for me. I'm going to ask the nurse to order you a tray for lunch."
"It's okay, Jacob. I'm doing fine, honestly." Emma held up her fingers. "Scouts honor."
"I want to tell you a secret," Jacob said softly as he pulled her down to him. Just as Emma was about to turn her head to listen, he suddenly held her face and put his mouth on hers. He'd dreamed about kissing this woman for so long, and she tasted as sweet as he'd imagined. Her mouth opened to greet him, and with all of his heart, he slowly made love to her mouth. It wasn't long before Robert began to invade his thoughts. Jacob pulled Emma closer. Where the hell is that stupid bastard?
Chapter 10
Sometimes what you can't see can hurt you the worst. Robert was invisible, coiled and hidden in the brush like a deadly snake. He was nowhere and everywhere, all at the same time. Emma was more than aware of how strong the Montclair men were, but even they had been stopped by this monster lurking in the night; a force that kept trying to kill them. She knew the failed attempts weren't going to cause Robert to give up. No matter how ugly things got, she refused to allow her friend, Renee, to be thrown at his mercy. Could she kill him? Emma often questioned herself and was surprised at how quickly she was able to answer. Yes. A thousand percent, yes.
It wasn't about saving her own butt at this point. Robert was a killer and he needed to be stopped. Running from him had slowly destroyed their happy spirits. He was now a part of the very air they breathed. Invisible but deadly. When Emma thought about it, Robert had caused seven people to stop living their lives and go into hiding. Who was really winning? Perhaps it was true about the good guy finishing last. Tyler, Sean, and Vincent were her brothers, and what scared her the most, was that they'd try to be heroic and get themselves killed.
Emma felt like a hundred pounds had been lifted off of her shoulders once she'd learned who Jacob was having dinner with on that night so many years ago. Normally she could carry on a regular adult relationship with the man, but Robert had halted her ability to do that as well. Emma couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by impending doom. Normally that wasn't the case. She loved being optimistic, and providing others with a bit of pleasantness in an otherwise ordinary day, but that Emma was gone.
Would she ever get the chance to be happy? Maybe get married and have a family, or watch Brian grow into a wonderful man? For the first time in her life, she wasn't excited about the future. Even after making amends with Jacob, she didn't dare take even the next five minutes for granted. It had only taken Robert seconds to try and kill them.
The detectives didn't share a whole lot of information with the group. They had to believe that they were being protected. She'd caught some officers' texting, or reading the paper and flirting with the nurses. How could they possibly be ready if Robert stepped off of that elevator? The police were breathing the same deadly air as the rest of them. Robert would come out shooting at anyone who got in his way.
They'd been up on the sixth floor for almost a week now. The doctors were trying to figure out the best way to discharge everyone. Her friends reminded her of soldiers; hurry and heal so we can either throw you onto the front lines again or send you home. Emma knew there'd be no going home for them. Southfield was out of the question. She could just picture being shot by a cop, who was friends with Robert.
Hiding was just a symptom of being hunted. They couldn't do it forever, and the only cure was Robert's demise. Even if they arrested him, he'd haunt them from prison, or escape. They had no choice but to play his cat and mouse game. The worst case scenario wasn't dying; it was Robert going underground. They'd have to live in fear every day, wondering if he'd pick them off one by one until he felt it was safe to come up, aim, and fire. Emma couldn't help but think the monster would go after Tyler and Renee first, leaving the rest of them to exist in an ocean of grief. In her mind, she knew it'd be crippling.
The sixth floor was, to their surprise, a psychiatric unit. The floor was divided into two sections, A and B. One side was for those without precautions, and the other was for patients requiring major supervision. They were on the gentler side, and luckily the census was low. Out of ten rooms, there wer
e only two patients on the floor when they had arrived. Per the hospital administrator, the group could stay as long as the beds weren't needed.
Then what?
Emma realized that this unit was heavily guarded, with keys needed to access the floor from every entrance, including the elevator. Instead of relaxing in the secure environment, the tension was building amongst them.
Detectives Delcan and Joy, came to the unit every couple of days to provide updates on Robert and Brian's parents. Bond had been set for Shirley and Hank Waters at five hundred thousand cash, each. Brian didn't look concerned. He said they couldn't afford to pay it, but Emma still saw the concern on Tyler's face, a look that was always present now.
Today was different, though. The detectives met them inside of a therapy room and announced that they'd come up with a plan. Sean was the first one to roll his eyes. It wasn't that they distrusted the detectives, but the faith they had in law enforcement's abilities to outsmart Robert, was pretty much nil.
"I'm happy to see everyone recovering so steadily," began Detective Delcan as he carefully sat down with a steaming cup of coffee.
"They're doing really well," offered Tyler. His mood hadn't seemed to alter much since he'd spotted Robert and the cop at Emma's apartment. She watched his eyes narrow.
"Our best option, which you have all been adamantly against, would be to put each of you into protective custody," explained the detective. Delcan didn't bother looking up.
Sean shook his head and spoke firmly. "We'd all have to go our own separate ways. Besides, we believe our safest bet is to stay together. Regardless of where we go, Robert will find us. We'd each get picked off if we were separated."
"He's right," began Tyler. "Hopefully you've come up with a different plan."
"Our second best option would be to send you all out of state," said Detective Joy. "But you're against leaving Michigan."
