Eric was one of the most astute accountants I had ever encountered but was close to the idiot level when it came to technology. He could send an email and use basic programs, and, on an occasion, could actually use his Blackberry for more than just a phone. But he was basically clueless when it came to other things, so I simply typed an email to CNN and ABC news that contained just enough information for them to investigate and run a story on the whole Sprigg merger issues, thus exposing Olin. I set it to automatically be sent at a pre-determined time and hid the draft in the newly created ‘archived’ folder on Outlook. I counted on the fact that Eric would never check it, and my gamble paid off: he never did. Sure enough, at the appointed time, the email was sent. I was a nervous wreck, wondering if I really could pull off the acting chops to portray my shock and dismay at not only Olin’s stupid business decisions but confusion as to who tipped off the press. I had a copy of the email that was sent from Eric’s computer already printed out and ready to confront everyone with once Olin was no longer managing partner, thus ensuring my plan to take over the firm. It would have worked, too, had that whiney little bitch not ruined it all.
The night that I overheard Kevin on the phone at the dive bar downtown, I had been drinking heavily and mulling over which diabolical and painful way I would dispose of the Warrior of Winscott. My God, the first time that I heard that spiteful wench referred to as that I thought I would vomit until the cows came home.
I already had all my assets liquidated into cash and plenty of foreign bank accounts opened around the world, just waiting for me to live my life under my real name, disposing of Nicole Simmons forever. But, when I overheard Kevin’s plans, I decided that I would let him take the fall for her death and then deal with him and whomever he was talking to later.
The one part of Kevin’s plan that I didn’t like was the idea of letting him and Piper kill her since the final part of that plan ended with my death and Kevin then taking control of Winscott. I wanted Winscott. Hell, I brought in more revenue on my own than the rest of the bastards: I deserved it. But the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea of figuring out a plausible way to kill both Piper and Kevin so I could keep my spot at the helm. Relying upon the law to bring justice to Kevin and Piper was a risk I wasn’t willing to take, even if I did have enough evidence linking the two of them to numerous deaths. What if they made bail and came after me? I would be forced to take matters into my own hands. Killing Kevin didn’t seem like too much of a difficult task to pull off, but Piper was a different story. That certifiable loon was someone I didn’t want to really mess with. It wasn’t that I was afraid of her, more just that her instability would be difficult to work around, so I formed a new plan.
A plan that ended with Audra dead and the body of Nicole Simmons never found and assumed to be just another victim in the twisted game that Piper and Kevin started. Once I decided that was the route I would follow, it was just a simple matter of picking what country I would end up living in. Hell, it isn’t like I didn’t have experience with disappearing and starting life all anew anyway since the last forty-three years of my life had been one big, gigantic lie.
I realized I was chewing away on the ragged edge of my fingernail when the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. It was a nervous habit that I abhorred and did subconsciously when I was about to flip my lid. A decision about what my next move was going to be needed to be made, and fast. Lingering in the infernal hospital room waiting to see if the bitch woke up and started talking was not the best option for me. Even though every fiber of my being wanted Audra in the grave—and her death to be from my more than eager hands—each moment that I remained closed the door to my freedom a bit more. The sense of being a trapped animal was not boding well with my soul.
I stopped pacing and looked at my horrific reflection in the small mirror that was over the sink by the bathroom door. Full clarity set in and right then, the decision was made that I would disappear and assume the life and the name of who I really was. Once things died down, and if the bitch ever did wake up and remember that I was the one that blew a hole in her side, only then would I come back and finish the job, then disappear once again. At any moment, the cops would show up anyway, asking me to give a more detailed statement of the events of two nights ago, and I wasn’t mentally prepared to handle that. Accounting and numbers were my game, but I knew enough about forensics to know that if they really decided to investigate what happened, the truth would come out. Risking that to snuff the bitch’s life out wasn’t worth it, at least not in the foreseeable future. My lips curved into a wicked smile at my pallid reflection and thought about what Scarlett O’Hara said: “After all, tomorrow is another day.”
I trudged back to the bed and scribbled my name on the release papers. I leaned over and rifled through the drawers next to the bed, hoping I would find a phone book so I could call a cab. My frustration grew when I realized that the drawers were empty. How in the hell did people in this dreadful town function? Was it so fucking small that everyone knew everyone else’s numbers?
Perhaps the nurse’s station had one, so I decided to go ask and to give them the signed discharge papers.
“Excuse me, nurse, I hate to interrupt you, but here are my release papers.”
The same idiot with the IQ of a banana peel smiled up at me from behind her desk.
“Thank you, Ms. Simmons, but you didn’t have to bring them out here to me. You could have just buzzed me and I would’ve come got them for you. Are you feeling better? You still look quite pale.”
I swallowed the vile comments I wanted to say before they erupted out of me.
“Yes, I am feeling much better now; thank you for inquiring. I am in a bit of a pickle though, and I was wondering if you could help me?”
“Well, of course I will try. What may I get you?”
“I need to call a cab to come get me and take me home please. My cell phone didn’t survive the, um, attack, and I am just lost without all my contacts. And could you please tell me where my clothes are? Leaving the hospital in this outfit just doesn’t seem like such a great idea.” I said, motioning to my rag that functioned as covering.
“Oh, Ms. Simmons, we don’t have a cab service here in Summerset.”
Of course they didn’t. Why did I even entertain the notion that they would?
Nurse Dumbass continued. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but my friend, Sherry, well she’s a nurse in the ER that worked on you and the others the night you all came in. She told me when I came on shift the first night that the detectives ‘bagged and tagged’ your clothes in the emergency room, so that’s why you can’t find them. We all kinda felt bad for you, so we took the liberty of getting you some new ones. I was just waiting until you were ready to leave to give them to you. I hope they fit. We guessed you are about a size six.”
She smiled, her goofus grin exposing her small teeth and enormous gums as she handed me a Walmart sack full of clothes. I wanted to smack her in the head with the plastic bag for that insult. Apparently I was not only pale, but fat as well. Stupid bitch.
Oh great, this just tops my day off!
“How very kind of you, thinking of me like that. That solves one problem, but I still need to figure a way to get home. But don’t you worry, I’m a resourceful gal.” I said, turning away abruptly before I blew my fuse. “I will find my way home.”
She mumbled a response, but I wasn’t listening. I closed the door to my room and hurled the sack of clothes across it, wishing I could scream aloud at the same time. My God, this day just was chock full of happy surprises. Haute Couture from the local Walmart. Yippee!
Since I was not only missing my cell phone but also my purse, it meant I had no way of getting into my house either. God only knows what happened to my treasured belongings. Some bumbling cop in Phoenix probably misplaced them in the evidence locker and I would never see them again. Shame, that was my favorite bag too. Then I remembered I had a spare key. There was one numb
er that I did know by heart, so I dialed it, even though it was the last place I wanted to call, even if it meant retrieving my key. The line was answered after two rings.
“Winscott & Associates, how may I direct your call?”
“Carl Denton, please,” I said, hoping the ditzy receptionist wouldn’t recognize my voice.
“Ms. Simmons, is that you?”
I let my breath out in a huff. “Yes, Denise, it is. I ‘m pressed for time, so connect me to Carl please.”
“Oh, my goodness! I’m so glad to hear your voice and to know you’re all right. We have been so worried…”
“Denise! What part of ‘pressed for time’ did you not understand? I’m fine. Connect me, now.”
Her voice sounded wounded when she replied, “Yes, Ms. Simmons. Right away.”
A few seconds later, Carl’s voice came on the line. After listening to him drone on and on about the tragic events of the last three days and inquire about the comatose bitch, I had heard enough.
“Listen Carl, I need to get out of here. This town doesn’t even have a taxi service! Could you please send a cab to the hospital to pick me up? I need to get my spare house key from my office. I will pay you back once I get home.”
“Say no more, Nicole. I will you do you one better and send someone from the office to come get you. No sense in riding in some filthy cab. Besides, you have been through a horrendous ordeal and don’t need some nosey cabbie asking you a lot of questions on the long ride back. Don’t worry; I will have someone up there before you know it.”
“Thanks, Carl. I appreciate that. It has been such a nightmare. Poor Audra, I just don’t know if she is going to make it or not. The girl has been through so much already.”
“If anyone can pull through, she can. I have never met a tougher woman than her. Besides, all of the country seems to be praying for her now—at least from what I have seen on the news channels. She is sort of a phenomenon.”
I wanted to hurl the phone across the room. Instead, I forced my voice to remain calm.
“Yes, she is a remarkable woman. If it weren’t for her, I would be dead. I owe her my life.”
“I would hate to be in your shoes and trying to figure out how to repay her!” Carl said, trying to lighten the intense mood with a sprinkling of humor.
“Oh, believe me, Carl, I have been thinking of nothing but appropriate ways to repay her for the last two days.”
“GOOD MORNING, STEVE.”
I lifted my head from its resting spot on my arm, which was draped across the edge of Audra’s bed. I blinked away the grogginess from a night full of broken sleep and constant nightmares.
“Good morning, Chas. What time is it?”
“Around 8:30 in the morning. Judging by the dark circles around your eyes, you must have had a rough night.” She said as she shut the door behind her and gave me a full once over.
I nodded in silence, my eyes never leaving the face of my sweet Audra.
“Why don’t you go grab some coffee and breakfast while I take care of her for a while?”
Shaking my head no, I responded, “I can’t leave her again. Food doesn’t sound too appetizing anyway.” I said, rubbing my hand across the heavy stubble on my chin, which was sort of numb from the awkward position it rested at all night.
Nurse Bray walked over to where I sat and put her cool hand on my shoulder. Chastity and I had known each other for years and grew to become strong friends after I worked her brother’s suicide in 1997. She was full of a kind heart and tender spirit, and I was so thankful that she was the charge nurse taking care of Audra.
“Steve, please. You look just awful. You need to eat and keep your strength up. When she comes around, she will need you to help take care of her, and you won’t be of much use in that arena if you are weak from lack of food. It obvious you are having difficulty sleeping, so not eating will just complicate matters more. Between the lack of rest and a full meal, your body could crash at any moment. How much help will you be to her then?”
I knew she was right, but the thought of leaving Audra’s side made me feel physically ill. Chas sensed my hesitation and continued.
“Steve, she is much better than she was yesterday; you know that. I was here when Dr. Kingston told you that the worst part was over and that it is just a matter of time before she regains consciousness. See how peaceful she looks? There are no lines of pain across her face, and look,” she said, pointing to the monitors sitting on the other side of Audra’s bed. “Her vital signs are stable and strong. What name was it that the news is calling her? Oh yeah, the Warrior of Winscott. Remember that, Steve. Your woman is a warrior, and she will beat this. Now,” she said, increasing the pressure on my shoulder, “you get yourself up and out of this chair and go eat something, or I will start an IV on you!”
Her deep brown eyes smiled down at me, full of sympathy, mixed with a heavy dose of authoritative air mixed in. My head told me she was right, but my heart, well, that was another matter. After watching the woman that I loved almost die, then her body being shot full of electricity to keep her heart beating, was too much for me to bear. It brought back too many repressed memories of my first wife, Kathryn, as she tried to fight off the cancer that tore through her insides. It was on this very same floor that Kathryn took her last breath after months of fighting the monster inside her, and she was all alone when that happened because I left her side only for a few minutes to stretch my legs.
“Steve, I promise. It’s okay for you to leave. I wouldn’t lie to you about her condition if I believed for one second that something could go wrong, given the past.”
Men aren’t supposed to cry, especially big cops like me. I didn’t want Chas to see my tears even though I figured she probably knew they were there. I knew she was right. I did need to get some coffee to fight off the cobwebs in my brain and start thinking with a clearer head rather than with emotional, knee-jerk reactions. Dr. Kingston had assured not only me but Audra’s mother and her doctor father late last night that she had “turned the corner”, and I remembered the questions that Dr. Tanner asked him about her condition. Dr. and Mrs. Tanner were so sure of her prognosis that they left and went back to the hotel to get some rest around 2 a.m., and although I didn’t care for the personality of the man, Dr. Tanner was a doctor and seemed satisfied with Dr. Kingston’s declarations, so who was I not to be as well?
“Take care of my gal there, Chas. She is my world, you know,” I said as I arose from my chair and walked to the door.
Chas smiled. “Of course Steve. You didn’t doubt for a minute that I would, did you?”
“Not for a minute.”
My stomach growled in protest, ready for me to hurry up and feed it. Just as I opened the door, Chas said, “Oh, listen, don’t take the elevators to the cafeteria. Take the back stairs by the nurse’s station. Security may be small here, but they have held all those nasty reporters at bay, keeping them all in the main lobby.”
“Thanks for the warning, Chas. Today is not the day for some nosey reporter to get in my face,” I said, forcing a smile as I exited the room.
I found the stairwell and made my way down to the first level. When I opened the door, I could hear a multitude of voices coming from the direction of the front lobby, each voice trying to outdo the other in their frenzy to report on this case. All those plastic faces and fake intonations of concern made we want to puke. My God, how did those people sleep at night?
I made it to the cafeteria unscathed and ordered some fresh coffee and a donut, the irony of that order not escaping me as I paid the cashier. Blasé, I know, but ever since I was a child, I had an affinity for chocolate donuts. Guess I was destined to be a cop.
Only a few minutes had passed, and I knew that Chas wouldn’t be finished with changing Audra’s dressings yet, so I grabbed a seat in the back of the cafeteria that gave me a clear view through the large, plate glass window in the front yet kept me hidden from view. That way, I could eat and drink in peace while
watching for any stray vulture that might need to dine upon real food.
I never was much of a praying man. I stopped talking to God when Kathryn died since I figured He wasn’t listening to my pleas for mercy on her. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in God anymore, I just didn’t trust Him to help me. But for the last forty-eight hours, I had spent most of my waking hours in silent prayer, begging and pleading for Audra to live. The intense guilt over not being there for her was weighing heavy on my heart, and the fear of living the rest of my life without her was more than I could stand to think about. It took me years to get past the death of Kathryn, and that only happened when I buried my emotions under layers of pain. My work became my lover, my source of satisfaction.
That is, until Audra Tanner walked into my life.
My thoughts about her were interrupted by a familiar voice.
“A hundred dollar bill for your thoughts. May I join you?”
Summerset Police Chief Ron Fortenberg was not your stereotypical cop. Short and rather small framed, he sure didn’t look the part. But his keen sense of crime solving and ability to tell when someone was lying or not made him invaluable to every department he had worked for. He came back to his hometown of Summerset two years before when our previous chief passed away and was welcomed with open arms. Although he was ten years older than me, I considered him one of my closest friends.
I motioned for him to sit, but that was not necessary since he already had.
He fiddled with stirring his coffee before he began talking.
“Dr. Kingston told me this morning that Audra is making vast improvements, so that can’t be why you are sitting here looking like a lost goat.”
“Actually, I was just contemplating the existence of God,” I said, a wry smile etched on my face.
Eviscerating the Snake - The Complete Trilogy Page 41
