Death By Drowning

by Abigail Keam

  “You and me both, sister. I’d like to get started on solid foods.” I sat down on the bed. Suddenly, the thought of getting into my bathing suit just overwhelmed me. As if reading my thoughts, Franklin helped take off my dirty clothes and put on one of Jake’s muumuus. “While you are swimming, I will check your room for snakes.”

  “Oh goodness, please!”

  “Shampoo and soap are by the outdoor shower. Now git, girl.”

  I limped out to the pool area looking for Jake. He was already in the water, which was steaming in the cool morning air.

  “Come on in, Boss Lady, water’s fine.”

  I carefully clung to the railing as I took one slippery step and then another until I was chest deep in the water. It did indeed feel warm and cozy. Jake must have turned the heat up. Jake handed me water weights. “Wait a minute, Jake,” I said. “I need to talk with you.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t need to say a thing. It was a bad day, that’s all. Look, I have had tough battle-hardened s.o.b.s beg me to off them when they got hurt. They couldn’t handle the pain. What your body was telling you was that we need to look at alternative ways to handle the pain, because you’re getting used to the patch. I already have some ideas that we’ll explore.”

  “What makes you think I was going to apologize?”

  “Because,” Jake grinned at me, “you like me. You really do.”

  “Jeez, you sound like Sally Field.” I looked inquisitively at his ruddy face. “So – we’re okay? No hard feelings?”

  Jake palmed his thumb and pinky while holding up his hand. “Scout’s honor.”

  “Were you a scout?”

  “No, but I’m always prepared.” He gave me a cheesy grin. “We’re fine. I never take anything you say personally any-o-how. Now let’s stop this touchy-feely stuff before I begin to cry. You cry enough for the both of us.”

  Jumping Jehosaphat, I thought, what a crummy morning. Feeling like a cranky old biddy, I did what I was told – for once.

  8

  Matt and Shaneika were seated very solemnly at my Nakashima table with their expensive briefcases open and files spilling out. Shaneika put on her lavender reading glasses, which clashed with her short red dreadlocks. I guess the platinum crew cut wasn’t working for her anymore. Both were doing their best not to stare at me.

  “Can I get you anything to drink?” I asked.

  “No, thank you,” answered Matt, flipping his briefcase open and placing it between us.

  “No, thanks,” murmured Shaneika, hiding behind some manila folders and glancing furtively in my direction.

  “Okay, everyone put down the files and folders and take a good gander. Really, I mean it. I’m open for inspection.”

  Slowly two pairs of curious eyes, one a languid dark blue, the other a bright hazel, slid up my torso and finally rested on my face. Shaneika’s eyes widened while Matt’s remained passive.

  “It is what it is. What do you think?” I asked, keeping my voice light.

  “It’s amazing,” replied Shaneika. “When I saw you in Key West, you were still pretty swollen and black-blue. You look great. I mean, not just how they put you back together but great, really good, pretty even. Matt, doesn’t she look awesome? Who would have thought after they pulled you up from that ledge that they could have repaired the damage to . . .”

  “I don’t want to talk about that night – ever. Josiah, you look the same,” Matt said.

  “I do? I thought I look better, even younger. Shaneika, don’t you think I look younger?”

  “Yes, now that you mention it, you do look younger.” Shaneika cocked her head in amazement. “I think you look fantastic. You really got this Scandinavian look going for you.” She looked over at Matt. “You need to quit being so traumatized, Matt. Josiah looks . . . ”

  “Put together?” I remarked.

  Matt opened his notebook. “Let’s move on to why we’re here. Shaneika, you start with the lawsuit and I’ll finish on the farm.”

  Shaneika shot Matt a protesting look and then raised an eyebrow at me. “Okay. The city has offered us 1.2 million to be paid in four yearly payments.”

  “Anything else?”

  “No.”

  “What are my medical bills up to now, including everything?”

  “You’re getting close to $900,000.”

  Jake, who was sitting behind me, let out a long low whistle.

  “Does that include the doctors, house in Key West, the RV rental and Jake?”

  “Everything up to two weeks ago. That’s when I got the last invoices.”

  I swiveled towards Jake. “How many more months of recovery do I have?”

  “For an accident like yours, I would say you’ve got another year to go. You will probably need some more minor surgery. After that, it’s as good as it’s going to get.”

  “Will I recover 100 percent?”

  Jake shook his head.

  “What about the limp and the loss of hearing?”

  “I’m not your primary doctor, but I would say these injuries are permanent.”

  “Might I have complications in the future?”

  “Yes, but it is hard to predict which system might be affected first. Anything could blow up – stroke, renal failure. Your body could even reject the new hip prosthesis and phosphocalcic ceramic bone replacement. I know this sounds unpleasant, but it’s the truth. But there is the other side – nothing could happen and you will live to a ripe old age.”

  Matt’s face was turning a shade of olive green.

  Shaneika leaned forward and stabbed a pencil in the air. “I know that Josiah is having problems with her pain management. Will her pain go away?”

  “She will always have a level of pain to endure.”

  “Prescriptions?”

  “She will be on pain medication of one sort or another until the day she dies according to the western idea of medicine.”

  “What else is there?”

  “Well, I’d like to take her to an old-fashioned medicine man from my tribe. I think he could help her, or she could try acupuncture.”

  Shaneika started to speak.

  I interrupted. “We’ll talk about that later.” I placed my hands on the table. “It looks like we are talking about an amount of money larger than 1.2 million dollars. That’s just the current medical bills for now and not what I’ll need in the future. What about my loss of income, damage to the house, Franklin’s injuries and Baby’s also?”

  Matt cleared his throat. “Franklin has been compensated. His suit with the city is over.” His blue eyes looked cloudy and dull. They would not remain on my face.

  “What did he get?”

  “I can’t divulge that.”

  “Has Kelly been reimbursed for taking care of Baby?”

  Shaneika spoke. “No. That is part of the settlement with the city. I didn’t want to reimburse Kelly with the money I paid for the ten acres thinking that the city might dismiss the claim.”

  “What about all these repairs to the house?”

  “Actually only a small amount of damage was done to the house by O’nan’s attack. The bills for those repairs have been given to the city.”

  Matt interrupted. “The repairs for both the house and farm are in my report. Shaneika and I thought it best to pay for those separately according to the CPA’s advice.”

  “I also included the costs for the security measures you installed when O’nan was hounding you,” said Shaneika, “but I’m sure the city’s attorney will try to get the judge to throw those out.”

  I thought for a moment. Not comprehending all the small details, I decided to concentrate on the big picture. “Shaneika, ask the city for twelve million to be paid in one lump sum.”

  “Josiah, be reasonable. Times are tough. The city doesn’t have that kind of money and I’m not sure, even for your extensive injuries, that you are entitled to such a large amount.”

  “These are my instructions. Ask them for twelve million dol
lars or I am going to give an in-depth interview to the Courier-Journal about my experiences with the police department and how I almost got framed for murder when the death was eventually ruled accidental. I assume the mayor wants to run for governor in two years. The mayor’s enemies will have a field day with it. Also I want some sort of health insurance the city will provide until Medicare kicks in.”

  Shaneika shook her head as she wrote on her legal pad. “You’ll never get it.”

  “If they offer 3.5 million or above with health insurance included, take it. I want at least a million in one lump sum.”

  “But will you take 500,000 for a first payment?”

  “Yeah, who wouldn’t, but they don’t need to know that. The health insurance is non-negotiable though. Really good health insurance would make me all giggly inside.”

  “Well, I think they were trying to bluff their way out, thinking you might be nervous and take anything they offered.”

  “Why would I do that? The worst is over. I survived the fall and have nothing but time to be a thorn in their side.”

  Shaneika gave Matt a sly glance, but he looked away. They said nothing but scratched on their legal pads.

  There was something hanging in the silence that said – BEWARE! We sat for a moment as I looked into each of their faces. Behind me I heard Jake shift apprehensively in his chair. Something of the Sherlock in me screamed – the game was afoot.

  “What’s the unspoken truth here? And don’t say it is my imagination. One thing my accident has done is made me hypersensitive to my surroundings. Right now, both your auras are dancing around the rooms. What is it?”

  “You were supposed to have been told in Key West,” growled Matt, staring at Jake, “but the kid got called away on that Amsterdam case . . . and no one else had the nerve to tell you.”

  I think even then I knew what he was going to say, but I didn’t want to hear it; yet I couldn’t turn away. “You tell me, Matt.” I could feel the hair on my arms begin to stand at attention.

  “O’nan’s body was never recovered. Neither the police nor your daughter’s team could find him. In fact, the ferry was broken into that night. Its rowboat was stolen and was found across the river where a car was stolen from a driveway on down the road from there. He might have survived the fall. Being high, he may have been relaxed enough to have hit the water at the right angle . . .”

  I swung around to Jake. “Is that why you were assigned to me . . . to take on O’nan if he showed up?”

  “I was assigned to you because I’ve had special training in severe trauma like yours. You know that.”

  “What else did my daughter tell you to do?”

  “I was to keep you from danger.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I’m an expert in combat triage, small weaponry and martial arts. We figured if he came at you again, it would be at close range with a small pistol or knife . . . even his hands.”

  “You were the first line of defense. So if he got to me, you could patch me up long enough to get me to a hospital?”

  “Something like that,” agreed Jake. His eyes never wavered from mine.

  “And Cody is the second?”

  “He is the first line of defense. I’m backup.”

  “My life gets weirder and weirder. Why was my expensive electronic gate taken down?”

  “Those things provide no real security for someone who really wants to get in, besides Matt said the gate would scratch the tour buses.”

  I started laughing. “God forbid we mar the paint on the tour buses.” I rubbed my temples. I was getting a headache. I jerked my head up “Hey, what tour buses? What tour?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I need to talk to you about that,” said Matt giving Jake an annoyed look.

  “Let’s get back on track, guys. I’m sorry, Josiah,” said Shaneika, “but this issue about O’nan was tough to call.”

  “No, I’m sorry. Sorry for all the unpleasantness I’ve brought into your lives. I’m sorry for the drama and the extra work; the fear I’ve brought into your existence. Shaneika, I haven’t even visited your horse yet. And the thing is I don’t know when things will get back to normal.”

  I leaned back in my chair. My left arm started to tremble. I placed my right hand on it, holding it down. “I knew. Deep down, I knew he might still be alive. No one mentioned the findings of his autopsy. I couldn’t find anything about his funeral in the obits when I searched the computer. I knew. I just didn’t want to face it.”

  Matt impatiently untied his tie and unbuttoned his collar. He took a deep breath. “I think I can speak for Shaneika too when I say that dealing with unfortunate circumstances is what we do. Without tragedy, we wouldn’t have jobs.”

  “This is a little closer to home than I would like,” interrupted Shaneika, “but I can handle it. After all, I have ancestors who were war heroes in every war since the Revolutionary War. They’d be ashamed of me if I couldn’t handle one little white boy who acts like he’s got no people.”

  I smiled at the southern expression for no ’counts. No one to teach him right from wrong. No one to stand up for him. No one to love him. That’s what it means. A loner. Even though we Kentuckians have our share of kooks, a loner is still something to be mistrusted. People in Kentucky are family and clan-oriented.

  We spent another half hour going over details before calling it quits. I was drained and so were Matt and Shaneika. Before she left though, I called Shaneika into my bedroom on the pretense of seeing my new Haitian paintings, which I had switched for the Bell landscapes. She loved them.

  “Do I have any money left in my account from the Ellis Wilson painting?”

  “Just about five thousand left. Everything has been spent on the lawsuit, of which I’m not taking a percentage; yes, thank you very much, Miss Shaneika.”

  “I do appreciate that you’re not making any money off my pain and suffering.”

  “Next time you sue someone, I won’t be so generous.”

  “Still paying off that favor you owe my daughter, huh?”

  My fussy lawyer pretended she didn’t hear me.

  “I would love to know what she’s got on you. Enough of that. Shaneika, do you know that Irene Meckler came to visit me in Key West?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you know that her nephew drowned last month?”

  “Where is this going I’m not going to get involved this time,” she protested.

  I gave her an exaggerated, sad face. “She’s asked me to look into it. The boy was only fifteen. A baby.”

  Shaneika took a pen from her breast pocket and began writing on her arm. “Good golly almighty! What do you want?”

  “A look at the police and coroner’s reports. Also any insurance reports. Things like that.”

  “Oh, you mean easy things to get,” she sputtered sarcastically.

  “I’m sure you have contacts in Jessamine County.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” She pointed a finger at me. “No promises though. I’ll call tomorrow and get the details from you.”

  “I just happened to have made a list of his name, address, Social Security number, school, you know, stuff like that,” I said, pulling paper from out from my cleavage. The paper was warm.

  “Can you please not store documents between your bosoms? It’s a filthy habit.” She held the paper by her fingertips and sniffed it. “At least it smells like Chanel No. 5 . . . and mint?”

  “Vicks VaporRub.”

  “Of course, Vicks always goes well with a French perfume.” Shaneika made for the door. “I’m going to see my baby, give him a good rubdown, feed him some grain and then flee back to the city where things are normal.” Her heels made a clicking noise down the tiled hallway.

  “Call me when you’ve got something,” I called after her.

  “Like I got time to snoop around about a dead boy,” I heard her grouse under her breath.

  Alone now, I looked around the room. Feeling uneasy, I checked the closet
area, looked behind the door in the bathroom, opened the patio door and called for Baby, locked same door once he was inside, closed the drapes, locked the steel bedroom door, caressed the panic button installed by my bed, made sure the baby monitor was on and repositioned the stun gun under my pillow.

  Matt softly knocked on my door. “Babe, we need to talk about the farm,” he said in his low husky voice, which used to thrill me.

  “Later, Matt. I’m drained. Gonna take a nap.”

  “Okay. What about dinner?”

  “Not hungry. Just need some time by myself.”

  After hearing Matt reluctantly plod away, I got out a little tub of ice cream from my miniature freezer, and sitting on the bed with my trusty legal pad, began making notes about Jamie Dunne. I needed something constructive to take my mind off my own problems, and to do something positive for someone else. Like most independent people, I felt guilty about relying on other people, but I had no choice at the moment. I could only do what I could. But I could help put Sarah Dunne’s mind at ease about her baby boy. Yes, that I could do.

  *

  It must have been 11 p.m. when the phone woke me up. I had fallen asleep on a pile of yellow sheets of paper.

  “Hello?” I answered groggily.

  “I’m sorry about O’nan,” said the voice on the other end of the phone.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s out of your hands.”

  “We looked for him everywhere. I still have operatives trying to track him down.”

  “He may be really dead. We have no real proof he is alive. Don’t spend any more money on me. Come back home.”

  “I . . . I’ll be home soon. I’m almost finished here. Then we can work on a plan to flush out O’nan if he’s around.”

  “We’re going to do no such thing. We are going to get back to normal, as much as we can. He’s dead.”

  “That is not a wise plan of action.”

  “Just come home. We’ll argue about this later. Oh, by the way, did you recover the stolen painting?”

  “Yes, I got it.”

  “Want to tell your old mother which painting it was?”

  “Can’t.”

  “Bad guys in jail?”