Sleeping Beauty

by Phillip Margolin

Cool air touched her skin, reminding her that she was nude, lying next to a naked man. She wasn’t uncomfortable or embarrassed. She felt free, unburdened. She smiled. So this was what sex felt like. She wondered if it would be different with someone she didn’t love.

  The word stopped her dead. Love was a big word, a very serious word. Did she really love Jerry or was she just a vulnerable girl who’d latched on to a man who had been nice to her? No, that wasn’t right. Jerry had been more than nice to her. He cared for her. She could tell when they kissed the first time. The kisses of Todd Franklin, her high school boyfriend, had been greedy and hungry. He said he loved her because he hoped that she would sleep with him. Ashley knew in her heart that Jerry would have been satisfied just to hold her, and that the sex was not as important as being together.

  She was so happy, and she hadn’t been happy in a long time. Maybe Jerry was right. Maybe her nightmare was over. Maybe Joshua Maxfield would never bother her again.

  Thinking about Joshua Maxfield brought unwanted memories of the attack in the parking lot. Ashley stopped smiling. Jerry must have sensed something because he turned toward her.

  “Are you okay?”

  She squeezed his hand. “I’m great, Jerry. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure. And I mean that.”

  “Was I okay?” Ashley asked, nervous that the sex had not been as good for him as it had been for her.

  “You are definitely a hot piece of ass.”

  “And you are a pig,” Ashley answered, slapping him playfully.

  “A pig who has to pee real bad.”

  Jerry pecked her on the cheek and got out of bed. She watched him walk to the bathroom. The door closed. Against her will, she started thinking about the attack in the parking lot. The only logical conclusion a rational person could draw was that Joshua Maxfield had tried to kill her, and Randy Coleman had saved her life, but something was still nagging at her.

  Coleman was supposed to be a small-time crook who had married Casey Van Meter for her money. Would someone like that risk his life to save her from an attacker? But he must have. No other explanation made sense. If Coleman attacked her, then Maxfield had rescued her. Coleman had a twenty-million-dollar motive to kill her, but what possible motive could Joshua Maxfield have to save her?

  An absurd thought occurred to Ashley. What if Maxfield wasn’t the man who killed her parents and tried to murder her in the dorm? What if Coleman was the killer? No, that made no sense. The attacks on her and the murders of her mother and father had to be linked, which meant that the killer had a motive to murder everyone in her family. Coleman didn’t know that she was Casey’s daughter and heir until the hearing, five years after her parents were murdered.

  And there was the boathouse. There was no guesswork there. She had heard the screams. She had seen the bodies. It wasn’t Coleman standing in the dark holding that knife, it was Joshua Maxfield.

  Jerry stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to the bed.

  “I’m going to my apartment to shower and change. Then I am taking you to the restaurant of your choice to celebrate Joshua Maxfield’s arrest and the loss of your virginity. How does that sound?”

  Ashley rolled on her side and touched his thigh. “Are you sure you want to leave?”

  Jerry laughed. “God, you’re a pervert. Is sex all you think about?”

  Ashley was about to answer when the phone rang. She was going to ignore it until she remembered that very few people had her number. One of them was Larry Birch and she worried that he was calling to tell her that Maxfield had escaped. She rolled to the other side of the bed and picked up the receiver.

  “Ashley?” a woman asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m so glad I got you. This is Ann Rostow from Sunny Rest.”

  “Yes?”

  “How are you feeling?”

  Ashley thought about the last two hours and couldn’t help smiling. “Thanks for asking. I’m fully recovered.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Do you think you’d have a problem coming to Sunny Rest tomorrow morning?”

  “No, why?”

  “There’s been a development here.”

  “What happened?”

  “Casey has regained consciousness.”

  “What?”

  “She woke up.”

  “Oh, my God!”

  Ashley sat up and Jerry mouthed, “What’s going on?” Ashley held up a hand to silence him.

  “Dr. Linscott wants to meet with the interested parties tomorrow morning at nine o’clock,” Rostow said. “Can you make it?”

  “Of course. Can you tell me how she is? Can she talk, is she…?”

  “I’d rather have the doctor explain her condition. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Ashley hung up and stared into space.

  “Who was that?” Jerry asked.

  “The woman from Sunny Rest. Casey Van Meter has come out of her coma.”

  Jerry sat on the edge of the bed. “That changes everything,” he said.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  When Jerry and Ashley arrived at Sunny Rest in the morning, Miles Van Meter was waiting with Monte Jefferson, his attorney, in the reception area outside Ann Rostow’s office. Larry Birch, Tony Marx, and Deputy District Attorney Delilah Wallace also wanted to hear what Dr. Linscott had to say. Randy Coleman and his attorney, Anthony Botteri, were sitting as far as possible from everyone else. Coleman did not look happy. Now that his wife was awake, their divorce could proceed, and his chance of securing any part of the Van Meter fortune was disappearng.

  As soon as Ashley walked in, Delilah Wallace levered herself off the couch. She had a big grin on her face.

  “How you doin’, girl? You had me worried something fierce.”

  “I’m sorry I…”

  “No apologies. I’m just glad you’re safe.” She spread her arms. “Let me give you a hug.”

  Delilah engulfed Ashley, crushed her to her bosom, then let her go.

  “No more running, promise?”

  “I’m staying put.”

  “Just like Mr. Maxfield. The only place he’s going is death row. That’s a promise. He’s gonna be under guard twenty-four hours a day and chained up anytime he’s out of his cell. No more freedom for Mr. Maxfield, ever.”

  Miles had watched the exchange without expression, but he smiled as soon as Ashley turned toward him.

  “You must be very happy,” she said.

  “I should have had more faith.”

  “No one could have predicted this.”

  The door to the right of the receptionist’s desk opened and Ann Rostow walked out, followed by a short, bespectacled man in a brown sports jacket and gray slacks. The man’s red complexion extended across a bald pate over which he had combed his few remaining strands of hair. He looked uncomfortable facing a group.

  “I’m glad you could all make it,” Rostow said. “This is Dr. Stanley Linscott, who has been treating Ms. Van Meter. Let’s go into the conference room so he can bring you up to date on her condition and answer your questions. Then we can go to her room.”

  A long table dominated the conference room. Everyone assembled around it except Larry Birch and Tony Marx. The detectives stood against the wall. Ann Rostow and Dr. Linscott sat at the end of the table near the door.

  “Go ahead, Doctor,” Ann Rostow said.

  “Yes, well, I can tell you that I was quite surprised yesterday when the duty nurse phoned me. She said that she was in Ms. Van Meter’s room dealing with her feeding tube when the patient’s eyelids fluttered and she muttered something, which the nurse could not discern. Then Ms. Van Meter opened her eyes and looked around her room. She was confused and did not know where she was, but she did know her name. The nurse did not want to startle Ms. Van Meter, so she told her that she’d had an accident and was in a hospital. Then she phoned me. I came to Sunny Rest immediately and examined her.”

  “Doctor, how lucid is Ms. Van Meter?” Delilah Wallace asked.
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  “She is aware of her identity and she is able to carry on a short conversation. She tires easily.”

  “Does she know how long she’s been unconscious?” Miles asked.

  “Yes. I told her this morning. That has been very disconcerting for her, but I would have been surprised if she wasn’t upset.”

  “How much does she remember about being attacked?” Delilah asked.

  “I haven’t discussed the incident in the boathouse with her. It might be too traumatic at this stage of her recovery.”

  “Has she said anything about it?” Miles asked.

  “No.”

  “How long will it be before we can talk to her about what happened in the boathouse?” Detective Birch asked.

  “I can’t answer that today. It will depend on her rate of recovery.”

  “Is there a chance that waking up is only temporary?” Randy Coleman asked.

  “Could she suffer a relapse?” Miles asked anxiously.

  “Those are questions I can’t answer. As you know, Ms. Van Meter was part of a trial of a new drug that was developed specifically for this purpose. It seems to have worked, but I have no idea of the side effects that might be tied to the drug or how permanent her recovery will be. We can only pray that she’ll stay with us.”

  “If there’s any possibility of a relapse, she should be questioned as soon as possible,” Delilah said. “She’s the only living witness who knows everything that happened in the boathouse.”

  “I understand your concerns,” Dr. Linscott said, “but my concern is for my patient. I’m not going to subject her to any situation, like reliving her assault, that might trigger a relapse.”

  “Which brings us to the ground rules for this morning,” Ann Rostow interjected. “Dr. Linscott and I have decided that we will only allow Ms. Van Meter’s husband, brother, and daughter in the room with her. You may stay fifteen minutes and you may not ask her any questions about the murder of Terri Spencer or the assault on her.” She looked at Miles Van Meter, Ashley, and Randy Coleman. “Is that clear?”

  “If you want to avoid trauma, you shouldn’t let Coleman in,” Miles said. “Casey was divorcing him because he beat her up.”

  “Listen, Van Meter…,” Coleman started.

  “Enough!” Rostow said. “If there is any problem I will cancel the visit.”

  “But…,” Miles started.

  “Mr. Van Meter, I can understand your concern, but Mr. Coleman is legally married to Ms. Van Meter. He has a stronger legal claim to visit her than you do.”

  Miles clamped his jaw shut, but he was obviously unhappy.

  “Mrs. Rostow,” Ashley said, “do you think it’s wise to let me in to see Dean Van Meter?” Ashley still could not bring herself to call Casey “mother.” “She doesn’t know that I’m her daughter. My presence might confuse her or make her remember my mother-Terri-and what happened to them in the boathouse.”

  “That’s a good point,” Rostow responded. “Dr. Linscott, as I understand it, Ms. Van Meter put Ashley up for adoption as soon as she gave birth to her and never learned who adopted her. When she went into her coma she did not know that Ashley was her daughter. Ashley only learned a short time ago who her biological mother was.”

  Linscott looked troubled. “Do you want to see your mother, Miss Spencer?”

  “Yes, if it’s possible. If she does have a relapse, this may be my only chance to talk to her. But I don’t want to do anything to harm her.”

  “Why don’t we do this,” Dr. Linscott said. “I’ll let you go in with the others, but don’t tell Ms. Van Meter that you’re her daughter.”

  “What should I say if she asks who I am?”

  “Tell her that you went to the Academy and that you’re a friend of her brother.”

  “Why don’t we go down to Ms. Van Meter’s room,” Rostow said as she opened the door to the conference room. They filed out of the room and Delilah moved next to Ashley as they walked toward Casey’s room.

  “This must be scary for you,” the deputy DA said.

  “A little. I’m more confused than frightened,” Ashley answered.

  “You think you and Ms. Van Meter are going to get along?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s worth a try.”

  “Sort of like a second chance.”

  “Sort of.”

  “That’s how I feel about getting Maxfield back. Unfinished business. I lost a lot of sleep after he flew the coop.”

  Dr. Linscott and Ann Rostow stopped at the nurse’s station nearest Casey’s door.

  “I would like everyone except Mr. Coleman, Mr. Van Meter, and Miss Spencer to wait here.”

  The doctor opened the door to Casey’s room. She was sitting up in bed watching television. A nurse was sitting by the bed reading a magazine.

  “Good morning, Ms. Van Meter,” Dr. Linscott said.

  Casey looked reluctant to turn away from the set and only gave Dr. Linscott a quick look before going back to her program. She did not look at anyone else.

  “I’ve brought some visitors with me. Do you recognize anyone?”

  Casey did not respond.

  “She’s been watching nonstop since it was connected,” the nurse told Dr. Linscott. Linscott flicked his fingers toward the nurse and she turned off the set with her remote. Casey looked upset.

  “There will be plenty of time for TV,” the doctor said. “We won’t be staying long.”

  Casey stared at the invaders. Her brow furrowed. Then she focused on her brother and her eyes widened slowly.

  “Miles?”

  Miles walked over to the bed. There were tears in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to hug his sister but he restrained himself.

  “It’s me, Casey. It’s so good to have you back.”

  Casey fell back against her pillow. She seemed stunned.

  “You look so different,” she said.

  “I’m five years older. You’ve been asleep a long time.”

  “Honey,” Randy Coleman said, taking a step toward the bed.

  Casey looked puzzled for a moment. Then she looked agitated. Dr. Linscott put a restraining hand on Coleman’s arm. Coleman tensed but he stopped.

  “This is Randy Coleman, Casey. Your husband,” the doctor said.

  Casey’s hands opened and closed on her blanket. She pulled back toward the headboard.

  “Why don’t you step out, Mr. Coleman,” the doctor said.

  Coleman started to protest.

  “Please,” Linscott said firmly. Casey’s husband scowled but left.

  “I’ll go, too,” Ashley said.

  Casey turned toward her and stared. “Who are you?”

  “A friend of Mr. Van Meter,” Ashley answered.

  Casey put a hand to her forehead. “No, there’s something…”

  She looked lost and sounded frightened. Her breathing became shallow. Dr. Linscott looked worried.

  “Perhaps this is too much, too soon,” he said. “I think everyone should leave.”

  “Good-bye, Casey,” Miles said. “I’ll come back as soon as the doctor says it’s okay.”

  Ashley and Miles joined Randy Coleman in the hall outside the door to Casey’s room. A few minutes later, Dr. Linscott came out.

  “What happened?” Delilah asked.

  “I may have acted hastily in letting her have visitors,” Dr. Linscott replied.

  “She’s okay, isn’t she?” the DA asked, concerned about losing her witness.

  “Oh, yes. Just a little overwhelmed by her situation.”

  “When do you think I’ll have another chance to talk to Casey?” Miles asked.

  “It will depend on her rate of recovery and her mental state. It’s a good sign that she recognized you, though.”

  They discussed Casey’s condition a little longer. When the doctor and Ann Rostow excused themselves, Delilah turned to Ashley.

  “I’m going back to my office to start working on my case, but I’ll be in touch soon. You okay about going
through this again?”

  “I wish I didn’t have to, but I want Maxfield punished. I want him in prison.”

  “Good,” Delilah said, flashing a big smile. “That makes two of us.”

  “Is he talking?” Jerry asked Delilah. “Has he admitted killing Terri Spencer?”

  “Mr. Maxfield asked for a lawyer as soon as he was arrested and hasn’t said a word since. He may be evil, but he’s not dumb.” Delilah took Ashley’s hand in hers and patted it. “Not that it matters. I have you as a witness. Ms. Van Meter will just be icing on the cake.”

  They reached the reception area and the homicide detectives escorted Delilah out of the building.

  “I’ve got to get back to work,” Miles said to Monte Jefferson. “You coming?”

  “I’ll be right with you. I’ve got to talk to Jerry Philips for a second.”

  “Meet you at the car. So long, Ashley.”

  Miles left, and Jefferson turned to Jerry Philips. “Now that Ms. Van Meter is out of her coma, do you still need the files on Miss Spencer’s adoption?”

  “I’d better keep the motion alive. If she has a relapse, we’ll be back in court.”

  Jefferson frowned.

  “Is there a problem?” Jerry asked.

  “Maybe. We keep our closed files at Elite Storage’s warehouse. They have a record of the file but they can’t find it. It may be misfiled.”

  “I don’t want to drop the motion but you don’t have to keep looking. If Ms. Van Meter stays awake, I’ll dismiss the motion. The case will probably be dismissed anyway as soon as Dr. Linscott gives Ms. Van Meter a clean bill of health.”

  While Monte Jefferson was talking to Jerry, Ashley noticed Randy Coleman talking to his attorney in a corner of the room. He looked angry. The lawyer shrugged and held up his hands. Coleman swore and started to leave. Ashley intercepted him before he reached the door.

  “Mr. Coleman, please.”

  Coleman whirled around and glared at her. “What do you want?”

  “I didn’t get a chance to thank you yesterday for saving my life.”

  Coleman relaxed and forced a smile. “Glad I was there for you.”

  “Me, too. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you. You were very brave.”

  Coleman shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it. I saw you were in trouble and I just acted.”