by Cat Connor
“Is the problem there also?”
“Oh hell, yeah, it ain’t going anywhere, either.”
“Is this related?”
No, we called you for fun!
“Yes, and Ellie stood in it.”
“Oh, gross,” Caine retorted. “Poem?”
“Uh huh.”
I swallowed hard to stop myself gagging. I couldn’t believe I’d stood in someone’s guts.
Oh yuck!
“I’ll send the police to secure the scene. You can go when they arrive. I’m sure Ellie needs to clean up.”
That was it. Even though there was little in my stomach, I retched violently out of the car door.
“Thanks,” Mac said to Caine then handed me the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”
I held the phone to my ear and listened to Caine. “I’ve been trying to get hold of you. We found the other half of McNab. He was left on the doorstep of a house in Fairfax with a pizza perched on top of his legs.”
“No word on his partner then?”
“Agent Kilby is still missing.”
“Thanks.”
I turned off the phone and handed it to Mac, he put it away. I lit a cigarette and watched him come around the side of the car toward me. Raindrops had settled on his black hair and shimmered like tiny crystal stars. He shook his head, dislodging the sparkling rain. Drops flew in all directions. They were cold and stung slightly as they hit my bare legs.
“You want me to gather your clothes and put them in the large paper bags?” Mac asked.
“Not really. Caine can deal with it. Unless you want to.” I could tell he didn’t – who in their right mind would want to touch that putrid-smelling pile?
“Okay?” Mac asked, and crouched beside me.
“Okay,” I repeated and nodded. “That body is old. This maybe the first victim, which means Carter wasn’t. And that discovery changes this into a whole new ball game.”
I watched the smoke from my cigarette twist and dodge the misty rain. “Can you think of anyone from the chat room who disappeared before Carter’s death?”
“Not offhand.”
“Me neither. Aidan may be carrying a tracker too.”
Mac nodded. “Yep. I was about to say that.”
I changed the subject. “It’s a small world, huh?” I saw the smile on his face and guessed he had followed my thoughts back to our fathers. “Funny to think how close we must’ve come to meeting years ago.” I gazed into his hazel eyes.
“Yup,” he replied.
“Guess there’s a reason we met when we did and not as kids.”
Mac smiled. “Maybe.”
I heard a siren. A few seconds later, two police cars rolled up beside us. Mac stood up to greet the officers. A tall and very overweight police officer swaggered towards us. I watched wondering how many donuts he’d consumed to reach that size and how he could pass the annual fitness test.
The exceptionally large officer stood beside Mac. “Are you Mister Cormac Connelly, or no?”
At that point, I was grateful he wasn’t talking to me. The feminine voice didn’t match the large man who spoke.
Mac took a second to respond, “Yes, I am Cormac Connelly, and this is Special Agent Conway.” He looked toward me.
Impersonating a statue, I gripped the seat and tried desperately not to think about anything. But the thoughts kept coming. How can such a big, swaggering police officer speak like a girly? Mac passed his credentials to the officer. The cop glanced at them then handed them back with a nod and a wink. It could have been a facial tick.
Oh, please don’t let him speak again.
“Everything seems in order.”
“The body is in the second dumpster over there.” Mac pointed. “We’re going to clean up. The FBI will be here soon. This is part of an ongoing investigation.”
“Are you from up north or no?” His voice squeaked as excitement took over. “Are you on the chat room killer case, or no? Is this all part of that, or no?” His eyes positively sparkled with interest or did he just fancy Mac?
“Yes, we are,” Mac replied.
The officer pointed to my clothes on the ground.
Oh god, he was going to speak again. I bit my lip hard.
“Are they evidence, or no?” He winked again.
If I’d closed my eyes, I’d have sworn that it was a woman speaking.
How was it possible for that effeminate voice to come from someone so large and seemingly masculine? Too much estrogen maybe? It was all too much. I couldn’t even look at Mac. I tasted blood in my mouth; in my effort not to laugh I had bitten into my lip. Maybe he suffered a truly vicious wedgie at school and parts of his anatomy never recovered. I visualized his underpants permanently pulled right up and tied in a bow on top of his head.
“They belong to Special Agent Conway. Let the FBI deal with them.” Mac opened the trunk and handed the cop the bag with the evidence. “Give this to SAC Grafton, and only him.”
I watched the officer. He was readying himself to speak again. Mac caught my eye and I glared at him.
He must’ve understood my panic. “SAC Grafton is on route ETA ...” Mac glanced at his wristwatch, “… approximately twenty minutes.”
He nudged my legs to encourage me into the car then shut the door with a bang. I had the impression he wanted to leave as much as I did. He slid into the driver’s seat. Another officer stood by Mac’s door. He smiled at us as Mac turned the ignition key and dropped the car into reverse. I could tell by the look on Mac’s face that it took immense control to drive without exceeding the speed limit. I knew he wished to be as far from the police officer with the dainty voice, and the dumpster, as fast as humanly possible.
We maintained a closed silence until we were almost at my parents’ home. I couldn’t take anymore. “I was afraid I would be pulled into his gravitational field – I’m only little – I may never have broken free!”
Mac roared with laughter, “Yup, he could’ve sucked us both in, babe.”
I spluttered and choked, finally catching my breath enough to speak. “Imagine that, being trapped orbiting planet girly-man-cop for eternity.”
Tears rolled down my face as pure hysterical laughter overrode the horror of the dumpster episode.
Twenty-Five
Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
We ran across the parking lot. Water splashed up with each step soaking the legs of my jeans. Relieved to be in the main foyer of the hospital and out of the torrential rain, I leaned in towards Mac and planted a kiss on his lips. “I’m going to check on Mom, I’ll meet you back in Dad’s room.”
“You want me to come with you?” His hand still held mine, our fingers entwined. I smiled at him, knowing his father would be with mine by now.
“Nah, go see your Dad, I’ll be along in a few minutes.”
“As long as you’re sure.”
“I am. I just need to see that she’s settled.” I wanted to make sure she remained doped up and semi-conscious so there was no chance of her demanding to visit Dad. He wasn’t in any condition to deal with her.
Mac walked away. Holly’s observations were correct: he possessed a very fine backside. While watching Mac I dragged my wet hair back into a ponytail to stop it dripping down my face. I could’ve stayed there until he disappeared into the elevator but the sooner I checked on Mom, the sooner I could join him in Dad’s room.
Up in the secure psychiatric wing, I checked in with the nurse’s station, then asked them to buzz me through to the actual ward.
Her room was about halfway along the tunnel of doom. All the doors on this ward remained locked to keep the loonies contained. All rooms had windows from the corridor for observational purposes. I stopped at the window into Mom’s room. She was sleeping. I hit the red button on the wall that unlocked the door, then the green button to keep it from locking behind me. No way would I be trapped in there with her. Knowing I could escape at the first sign of movement gave me comfort, although my reflec
tion in the window caused me to decide the light was unflattering, so there was no way I could look as terrible as my reflection suggested. I fought to keep the dumpster body out of my conscious thoughts. Best not to linger on the reflection, next thing you know I would’ve lost weight and hiding behind my bangs as my mother so often accused. I turned my attention to Mom.
“Mama? You asleep?” She didn’t answer. I took that to be a yes and breathed a sigh of relief as I watched for a second or two. She was facing away from me. There was something child-like, even innocent, in the way her long blonde hair lay over her shoulder and across the white pillow.
I hiked up the covers as much as I could and tucked them closer to her, lifting her hair out of the way and letting it fall across the pink blanket. I moved around to the other side of the bed to leave her a note on the pad on top of the bedside cabinet.
Her open eyes startled me. “Mom?” I shook her shoulder. An arm flopped over the side of the bed. “Mom!”
I hit the emergency call button three times. A crash team barreled into the room. Some doctor spoke, “How long has she been like this?”
I reacted sharply. “I don’t know! I just came in myself.”
Do I look like a fuc’n doctor? No! I am like the anti-doctor – I take people apart instead of putting them back together. Where do these thoughts come from? I only shoot people who really deserve it. Mostly.
My gun wasn’t in my hand, so I didn’t shoot anyone this time.
In the flurry of activity, I left the room and stood watching through the window, unable to comprehend what had happened.
Time stopped.
Noise faded.
A cone of silence lowered itself over me. So thorough was the cone’s blocking ability that I could not hear the words spoken to me by the doctor. His lips moved, but no sound reached my ears. With a loud crashing of internal glass, all noise returned.
“Gabrielle, we were unable to resuscitate. Your mother is dead.”
I blinked. “What?”
“She’s gone.”
I looked through the window.
What the hell is he talking about? She’s right there. How could she be gone? I can see her.
“Gabrielle?”
She’s right there! I can see her. I can see her.
The window distorted, bending and blurring. My head spun.
She’s right there! Wake her up for God’s sake! How hard can it be? She only had one vial of valium. Wake her up!
Darkness fell with a thud.
Twenty-Six
Mac The Knife
“Mac, where’s Ellie?” my father asked, as I settled into a chair next to him. The Colonel, aka Simon, was sleeping. Aidan stared out of the window. Some days went on forever, and this was the longest Tuesday I’d ever lived through. A dinner tray sat on the bedside cabinet by Simon’s bed.
“Checking on Jenny,” I replied. “How was the drive down?”
“Was okay. The Colonel was pleased to see me. We’re planning a fishing trip once he’s up and around again.”
I seized the opportunity. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew Ellie’s dad?”
“It never came up.”
“Never came up?”
My father smiled. I knew I would get no more out of him.
I looked over at Aidan.
“Aidan, you okay?” He hadn’t spoken or moved his gaze from the darkening view outside.
“Yes. How long will Ellie be?”
“Not long I shouldn’t think. Did you talk to Simon?”
“No. I just stared out this window watching the rain, the entire time you and Ellie were gone.” His reflection smirked.
“I see smartass is a family condition.”
Aidan laughed. “Friend me on MySpace, we’ll go for a beer.”
“You have MySpace? Ellie reckoned you were technologically challenged and didn’t much like computers.”
He shrugged. “She doesn’t know everything, just thinks she does.”
A young nurse appeared in the open doorway and hesitated before approaching us. I glanced at Aidan. He wasn’t in any hurry to talk to the nurse. I rose to my feet and stepped into her path.
“Can I help you?”
“I hope so. I was asked to locate Mac Connelly … is that you?”
My heart stalled, then jump-started. “Yes.”
“Would you come with me, please?”
“Sure.” I shrugged at Aidan and Dad, and then followed the young woman from the room. She seemed nervous which made me nervous.
“Is there a problem?”
“Miss Conway is upstairs in the psychiatric wing. Doctor Dunn asked me to fetch you.”
He wouldn’t send for me concerning Ellie and why would he send for me regarding Mrs. Conway? It should be Aidan out here. “Did you mean to come and get Mr. Conway?”
“No, I was told Mac Connelly.”
Something’s up, and it doesn’t sound good. “Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Give me a minute to tell them where I’m going.” I nodded at the room with my head.
“I’ll wait here?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
She didn’t look as though she should be out alone and certainly didn’t look old enough to be wearing a nurse’s uniform.
I ducked back into the room. “Hey, Dad, I’m going to go find Ellie. Hold the fort.” I averted my eyes. He’d know in an instant something was up. The man knew everything.
“Sure, Mac. I’ll let the Colonel know where you are when he wakes from his nap.”
“Won’t be long.” I shot a quick look at Aidan; he was back to staring out of the window as if it held all the answers. I nodded toward him, knowing he could see me in the window. “Back soon with your sister.”
“Sure, I’ll be right here, with the old man.”
I heard Simon reply, “Watch who you’re calling old, boyo.”
I followed the young nurse. She said nothing. Just as well: I wasn’t in any mood to strike up idle chitchat. My mind ran an inventory as we walked, locating things that were very important of late. The cell phone was in my pocket, my credentials in my wallet. I patted my back pocket reassuring myself of the presence of my wallet, and my gun on my hip. I had all eventualities covered. Maybe.
The nurse stopped just outside the elevator doors and pointed to a room down the hall.
“They’re in there waiting for you.”
“Thanks.”
I returned the kid’s smile then turned to the door. The sign said “treatment room” which had an ominous ring to it. I knocked then opened the door. I recognized Doctor Dunn, sitting on a stool by a gurney where Ellie lay unmoving. My heart dropped so fast I expected to fall with it.
“She’ll be fine, Mac,” he said standing up.
She didn’t look fine. “What the hell happened?”
“She passed out.”
My mind shuffled pertinent information into order. “Did she hit her head?”
“Yes, I don’t believe the impact was significant enough to do damage.”
Oh, yes, it could. “She has a skull fracture.”
Dunn looked from me to Ellie. “That changes everything. I’ll order a head CT immediately.”
He slid over, grabbed the phone from the wall, and made a call. I brushed Ellie’s hair off her face. “When will you learn,” I whispered. “You’re not ten feet tall and bulletproof.”
The doctor hung up the phone.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Her mother died.”
Died? People don’t just die. She had a mental illness, not a medical condition that could kill her.
“Where is her body?”
“Still in her room.”
“I want you to seal the room until the FBI can get here and conduct an investigation.”
The doctor paled. “Do you really think that’s necessary? We conduct our own investigations into patient death.”
“Not this time, this time the FBI will c
onduct the investigation.” I dragged my wallet from my pocket and showed him my credentials, “It’s not only necessary, but essential.” I felt like an actual special agent, surprised how comfortable that felt.
He made another call.
I waited until he was done. “Can I use that phone?”
“Yes. Dial nine to get an outside line.”
I scrolled through the address book on my cell phone and found Caine’s number then punched it in to the phone on the wall.
It took him several rings to answer. “It’s Mac. We need you at the hospital.”
“Serious?”
“Ellie’s mother is dead. Ellie is unconscious. She hit her head again.”
He didn’t hesitate. “Where do I go?”
“Psychiatric wing.”
I heard traffic and an ambulance siren.
“I’ve arranged guards for her dad – military police – I don’t know who else to trust,” Caine said.
“Jesus! You can do that?”
“I know people. Simon is military … it’s no big thing, nor is it too much to ask considering all he’s done for this country.”
“How quickly can you be here?”
“I’m almost there now.”
I hung up and sat with Ellie while we waited for a call back about the CT and for Caine. A nurse came in and told me there was a call for Ellie. She transferred it to the phone in the room.
“It’s Mac, how can I help?”
“Mac? Is Ellie okay?” Aidan said.
“She banged her head.” I didn’t want to give him time to ask questions, “Hey, Aidan, has anyone shown up in the room?”
“Not in it, no, but we have two military cops on the door. They arrived a few minutes ago.”
“Okay.”
“What’s going on?”
“Has to do with the sonofabitch killer, Aidan. Ellie and I will be back as soon as we can.”
I wanted out of this conversation before he asked anything else. I said “‘Bye” and hung up. I looked at Ellie. There were things I needed to do. I removed her holster and her badge then went through her pockets and took the mascara, her wallet and her cell phone. All the small things fitted into my pockets, which left me with the gun and holster. There was nothing else for it, I would have to wear it.
