Found and Destroyed: The Second Sarah Martin Mystery

by Danelle Helget

  “Is she talking? Is she okay?” I asked.

  “Her eyes just opened a few minutes ago. So I don’t know. We should go up there,” he said and took my hand.

  We walked towards her room and saw Derek’s family outside her door.

  “The doctor’s in there running some tests,” Kathy told us. “Hi, hun. How are you?” she said to me with a hug. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Oh, you, too,” I said. “I’m so glad to hear she’s awake.”

  I gave Doug a hug, too. Derek put his hand at the small of my back and nudged me further down the line of people.

  “Sara, this is my brother, Travis, and his wife, Deb,” he said. I shook both of their hands and said hello. “This is my nephew, Mich,” he said gesturing to a young man leaned up against the wall with ear buds in.

  I smiled, and he nodded. His mom elbow-jabbed him in the ribs and he pulled one bud out and said, “Hey,” and shook my hand, then stuck his ear bud back in. Derek shook his head in apology. Travis was a lot taller than Derek and was heavier set. He didn’t really look like Derek. His hair was medium brown and cut short, and he had a goatee. Deb was around my height and weight but a little softer looking. She had short hair, too, almost a pixie cut. She was dressed in jeans and an oversized sweatshirt and tennis shoes. Mich had his dad’s face and his mom’s smaller frame. He was wearing oversized jeans that hung low on his hips and a black-and-white printed t-shirt with skulls and daggers on it. His extremely white tennis shoes were thick and fluffy looking, and the laces looked really loose. He looked like every other teenage boy I’d seen lately.

  Kendall was there, too. I smiled at her, and she smiled back and put her head down on her mom’s shoulder. She looked bad, like she hadn’t slept in days. She had minimal makeup on and her hair was in a pony. Not the beautiful girl I saw last time. I felt so bad for her.

  “It’s nice to meet you all,” I said.

  “It’s nice to meet you, too. Derek speaks fondly of you,” Deb said with a smile.

  “Aww.” I shot a sweet smile at him. He shrugged and turned a little pink in the cheeks.

  “He talks about his family fondly, too.”

  The doctor came out and said, “We’re taking her to run some more tests, so if you could make your way to the waiting room, I’ll send a nurse for you when she’s back in her room.”

  “Is she talking?” Kathy asked. “Can we see her before she goes?”

  The nurses started coming through the door, pushing her bed. Her eyes were closed and she was still hooked up to a lot of machines. Kathy grabbed her hand and made them stop the bed for a second.

  Kathy leaned over her and whispered, “I love you baby. They’re going to take you to run some more tests. We’ll be right here when you get back. I love you so much. You’re going to be fine.”

  She pushed her hair back and kissed her gently on her forehead. She held her lips on her, softly crying without breaking contact until Doug gently pulled her back. I, of course, started crying, too. No one cries alone in my presence.

  “We’ll bring her right back,” one of the nurses assured her.

  Kathy rolled into Doug’s chest and hugged him for a moment. Kendall stepped up and joined in. Derek reached out a hand and put it on his mom’s back. After a moment, Travis said we should go to the waiting room and slowly led the way. We sat down on the various chairs and couches. Everyone was pretty quiet. Derek excused himself to take a call. Travis offered coffee but I wasn’t interested, not after last time. When Derek came back he said that it was the Morris Police Department on the phone.

  “They had a lead on Cory. He was spotted at the gas station on Fifth last night, around midnight. There are wanted posters that have been handed out to all the local gas stations, grocery stores, and hospitals. They’re hung out of the public’s sight, so hopefully it doesn’t scare him out of town. They’re reviewing the security footage now. They’ll call back if it leads to anything. But I think I’ll go down there in a bit and see what I can find out.”

  After a very long hour, a nurse came into the waiting room and said that the CT scan, x-rays, and ultrasound were done, and that she was back in her room resting. We could go in a see her but we couldn’t stay very long. When we walked into the room she was lying almost flat and all the machines were placed back by her bed. Kathy and Kendall went over to her.

  “Kelly? It’s Kendall. Can you hear me?”

  “Kelly, can you squeeze my hand?” Kathy asked.

  We all looked down at her hand, it took a moment but you could see a small squeeze.

  “She did it! Did you see that? She squeezed it!” Kathy looked around at us excited. I smiled and nodded.

  “That’s great Kelly! The doctor says you’re going to be fine,” Doug told her as he stepped closer.

  “Kelly, everybody’s here! Dad, Travis and Deb, Mich, Kendall, and Derek and Derek’s friend Sara. Can you open your eyes and see us, Kelly? It would make our day. We’re all so worried about you.”

  All of us leaned in and watched closely. A moment later her eyes wiggled and squeezed, and she opened them ever so slightly and then squeezed them shut again. I wondered if it was too bright in the room, so I went over to her bed side and flipped the light switch that was on the wall behind her bed. The two recessed lights above her bed went off. Derek gave me an approving look. We watched and she tried again. This time she held them open for a few seconds and looked around quickly before she closed them again.

  “Good, Kelly! That was good,” Kathy said and teared up.

  Deb and Travis put their arms around each other. Even Mich looked like he had a smile. We stayed in the room a little longer, then Derek announced that we were going to go to the police station to check on the situation with Cory. We gave hugs to everyone then Derek leaned over Kelly’s bed. “Be back later, sis. I’m gonna go get the bad guy. See you soon,” he said and kissed her forehead. I teared up again.

  The police station was about a five-minute drive. When we’d parked Derek told me that I should go in with him. I felt a bit awkward but followed him in. He spoke with the officer at the front desk and was told to “go on back.” I followed Derek through a large room that was sectioned off by cubicles with a hallway down the middle and a hallway around the perimeter. There were window offices along the two side walls and the back wall. Derek looked like he knew exactly where to go.

  It was 6:50 p.m., so the office was pretty quiet. We walked down the middle hallway to an office along the back wall. The door was open, so Derek walked right in. There were three men gathered around a TV looking at security tape, and another was on a laptop. All of the men were in plain clothes. Two were older, in their late fifties both in great shape and the one on the laptop was young, maybe twenty three or four, also in great shape. They all looked up when we walked in. One of them stood up and walked towards Derek.

  “Detective Richards, come on in,” he said extending his hand. “This is Detective Jacobs,” he said, gesturing to the other older man, who also shook Derek’s hand. “And Officer McHann.” Derek nodded and shook his hand too.

  “Nice to meet you both,” Derek said.

  “Detective Richards works out of the St. Paul Police Department and is a brother to the victim. He witnessed the crime,” he informed the others.

  “Sara, this is Detective Jensen. Detective, this is my friend, Sara,” Derek said. “She also witnessed the crime and is your 911 caller.”

  We exchanged greetings and handshakes. Detective Jacobs gave us the rundown on the tape. As soon as it started Derek looked at me.

  “That’s him, for sure!” I nodded in agreement.

  On the video he was driving an older model Chevrolet Chevette. He filled his tank, paid cash and walked back out of the store. There wasn’t much to go on. The officers were working on zooming in on the license, but that’s all they had. I asked for the ladies’ room and excused myself. When I returned, they were searching the database for information on the car. The ve
hicle was registered to Cory. The tabs on it were over a year old.

  “That’ll help if he leaves the city,” Officer McHann said.

  “Yes it will. Let’s get an APB out on that car now and wrap this up. McHann, you can go back out on patrol for the rest of your shift,” Detective Jensen replied. He closed the laptop, and left.

  Derek asked, “Do you still have extra patrols around his residence?”

  “We do. There hasn’t been any activity though. I’m glad to see that he’s still in town. Now we just need him to think he got away with it, and keep showing up in public.” He shook his head, “We should have had him by now. I’m sure this is very frustrating for you. How’s your sister?”

  “Showing improvement. She opened her eyes and squeezed our mother’s hand today. The doctors ran some tests a little bit ago but we haven’t heard anything back on them yet … Thanks for asking.”

  “You bet. And please keep us informed,” he said.

  “I will. We will let you get back to finding the bad guys. Please let me know if anything turns up. We’re at the Holiday Inn in town for tonight. I’ll be in touch tomorrow,” Derek said and shook his hand again.

  I said goodbye as well, and followed Derek out the door. We talked in the car and decided to go out to eat.

  There was a Perkins on the main drag so we decided on that. It was pretty empty since it was after 8:00 p.m. Derek and I got a table in the back so we could talk about Cory and Kelly without having to worry about anyone hearing. The waitress came over, and we placed our order right away. We both got a sandwich with fries and a diet pop. While we sat there, across the booth from each other, I noticed how quiet Derek seemed. He leaned back and interlaced his fingers behind his head. “It’s so frustrating, you know? I just want to get out there and get this guy.”

  “I know,” I said. “You’re doing everything you can though. Your hands are tied. It’s not your jurisdiction. Everyone understands that. I think it’s nice that Morris PD is letting you be involved as much as they are.”

  “I know. Most detectives would tell a guy in my position to go home and let them do their job.”

  “Well, we know he’s in the area and he was getting gas so he must be planning to drive somewhere soon. Hopefully it’s somewhere around here.”

  “Right. And he’s hooked on drugs and out of hiding already, so hopefully he’ll keep up with the public appearances and you can bring him in.”

  My hands were folded on the table in front of me. Derek unlaced his fingers, leaned forward and cupped his hands over mine. I looked into his eyes and my heart softened. I had to inhale deeply to make up for the sigh I’d quietly let out. I smiled gently and tipped my head. His eyes were so tired, so loving, so full of pain. I wished I could make him feel better.

  “Thank you, Sara,” he said. “I’m really glad you’re here. I know you didn’t have to come and I know how long the drive is. I just want you to know how much I appreciate it. It means the world to me that you came. Just seeing you and being next to you makes me feel stronger.”

  My eyes filled up.

  I blinked and told him softly, “You’re welcome.”

  He leaned over the table, and I met him halfway for a kiss. It was a little awkward because I could hardly reach, but when our lips gently touched it was like the world stopped for a moment, and I didn’t care who saw. When we pulled apart, our eyes opened and met one another’s. He gently winked one eye and sat back. He made me happy. Every time I saw him he made me happy. I loved him. I really loved him.

  Feeling a presence, I looked up to the waitress, who was holding our plates of food. She placed the items on the table and we dug in. I was hoping the butterflies in my stomach would settle quickly so I could eat. They did and when the bill came I got it. Derek tried, but I insisted. We loaded ourselves into his car and went back to the hospital.

  When we walked into her room, Kelly was sitting in an upright position on her bed. She was leaning back with her head on the pillow. Her eyes were swollen closed. All of the family was still there.

  “How is she?” Derek asked his mom.

  “The doctor just left,” his mom told him, glancing in my direction. “He’s very optimistic. Her CT scan didn’t show any further damage, and the x-rays and ultrasound didn’t find anything new either. Everything seems to be healing the way it’s supposed to. So that is great news. She’s awake on her own and they are going to lower her meds so that she can start being awake more often. She still has weeks of recovery left, but if there aren’t any new complications she’ll be okay.”

  “So it’s just a waiting game for her to heal and get her strength up?” Derek asked.

  “Yup, she’s going to be fine. Praise God!” Kathy said.

  “You two smell like food,” Travis said as Derek passed him to get closer to Kelly.

  “We went to Perkins after the police station and grabbed a bite,” I told him.

  “The police have surveillance tape footage of Cory gassing up in town. Sara and I took a look and it’s definitely him. We have an APB out on his car. Hopefully he’s planning on driving more.”

  “Boy I hope so,” Doug said.

  Kathy said that they were just talking about going to get some food. They all agreed to leave and find something to eat. Travis and Deb said that after they ate, they would head back to the Cities. Derek and I gave both of them hugs goodbye and, after they said goodbye to Kelly, they stepped out into the hallway. Derek moved over to the side of the bed opposite his mom.

  “Get some rest, baby. We will be back in the morning,” Kathy said and kissed Kelly’s forehead.

  “I love you, Kelly. Get better. We miss your sweet smile,” Derek said, his voice cracking.

  He lifted her hand and kissed it. She squeezed it. We all noticed and looked at her face. She opened her eyes a fraction and a tiny smile formed on her lips.

  “There it is,” he said. “We’ll be back tomorrow. Get some rest.”

  We quietly stepped out of the room and walked down to the parking lot with Doug and Kathy and Kendall. After we all exchanged hugs and said see you in the morning Derek got into his Jeep and I got into mine. I followed him to the hotel. While helping with the bags, he asked where Faith was. I told him that I’d found a cat sitter in Nisswa. He’d never met Tannya, but I explained on the way up to the room who she was, and what she looked like. He gave me a look with a head shake as he opened the door for me. I slid past him and into the room. It looked like the mirror image of the room we’d stayed in last week.

  I walked across the room and set my bag down. It was 10:00 and I wasn’t really that tired. Derek grabbed the ice bucket and liner and said he’d be right back. I plopped down on the bed and lay there until the door opened again. When Derek walked in, I rolled to my side and watched him. He was so pretty. If there was such a thing as a perfect ten he was it.

  “Are you tired … or do you want to stay up for a while?” he asked.

  Chapter Eleven

  I’m okay for a little while yet,” I said.Derek went to the dresser where the TV was, and inside there were two wine glasses. He set them out on the desk, then reached into the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. He glanced my way and his eyebrows went up and down quickly. I smiled back. He walked past the bed to his bag and after he’d rooted around a little he came up with a corkscrew. When he was finished pouring the wine, he brought a glass over to me and sat on the bed next to me. I thanked him and picked my head up enough to take a sip. It was good, and wine was so relaxing.

  He nudged me a little, so I scooted back giving him room to lie down too. We were both on our sides, one hand holding the glass and the other propped up under our heads facing each other. He smiled softly at me. I smiled back.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been calling you as much lately. I’ve missed you and your voice,” he said quietly.

  “Me too,” I said.

  He slid his hand along my cheek, under my hair, and to the back of my head and firml
y pulled me to him for a kiss. The kiss lasted for several minutes. When we broke he took my glass from me and set it on the night stand between the two queen beds. He stood and got more wine to refill our glasses. My mind was spinning. I want him so bad, but not yet. Not in a hotel. Not when he’s so upset about his sister and finding Cory. When we’re ready, I want it to be perfect.

  “You’re dangerous,” he said from across the room. “I’ve had a hard time being close to you and behaving.”

  I laughed out loud. “I know,” I whined, “I feel the same about you.”

  He sat back down on the bed.

  “I want to be with you, just not in a Holiday Inn. And not here in Morris while I’m looking for my sister’s shooter.”

  “I totally agree,” I told him. “We’ll have our chance,” I said with a wink.

  We spent the next hour talking and sipping wine, then agreed on bedtime. After I finished my bathroom routine, I came out and climbed into bed where Derek was patting the spot next to him. I had on cotton shorts and a tank.

  “Cute,” he said.

  We slid under the covers. He moved over and pressed up against my back with his arm lying softly across my belly. It was so warm and cozy. He felt so good. Moments later we were asleep.

  The next morning was Thursday. Derek woke me with a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said.

  “Mmmm, morning.” I mumbled back.

  “I’m going to get in the shower, then I was thinking we should go to the hospital, check in with the family, and then I want to do a little mini-investigation around town with the information I have.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I’m going to check my email and Facebook.”

  When Derek disappeared to the bathroom, I slouched in the chair at the desk. I logged onto my email account finding nothing important there I logged into Facebook. I had a bunch of new friends. I searched for Cory’s page. He had some recent activity on it. I friend-requested him. Boy, he’s a real idiot. Maybe logging onto Facebook and getting gas in your car is not a great idea when you’re wanted by the law for attempted murder. I left the page up and walked across the room. Derek had just come out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.