She went to the nurse’s desk and asked where she could find her family. JJ followed close with Kirkland and Stevens.
“I’m sorry, Ma’am, but I can’t give out that information. The police have given me specific instructions.”
“You don’t understand, Ma’am. I am Daniel’s sister, and I am a Deputy Director in the FBI.” Samantha held her credentials up for the nurse to see. “Now unless you want me to tear this place apart, tell me where they are.”
“Samantha, is that you?” Tristan called from down the hall.
Samantha turned. “Tristan, thank God!” She ran down the hall. She grabbed Tristan and held her close. “What happened? Do we know anything yet? Where is everyone?”
“Slow down, Samantha. Everyone is in the waiting room. Except Diane. She hasn’t made it in yet. Daniel and Adam are still in surgery. I don’t know anything else. Let’s go. Mom wants to see you.” Tristan led Samantha down the hall. The rest of Samantha’s team followed.
Everyone stood except Mom when Samantha walked in the room. Sam made her way through all of her sisters and family to her mother.
Mom didn’t look up. Her expression was dull and lifeless.
“Mom, Mom,” Samantha bent down in front of her. “Are you okay, Mom?”
Samantha’s mother spoke in a flat tone laced with rage. “You find who did this, Samantha, and you make them pay. All of you make them pay for this.”
“We will. I’ll find out who did this.” Samantha stood and looked into the faces of each of her siblings. Each of them gazed back at her with the same numb but determined expression that she imagined she had.
Samantha walked over to JJ and the rest of the team. “Find out who the doctor was when they were brought in. Stevens, get an update on Daniel and Adam. Kirkland, I need you to find out who is running this case. I want to talk to that person now.”
Each team member went in a different direction.
Samantha walked back to her sisters. “Do we know anything?” she asked
Karen spoke first. “All we know is that Daniel and Adam were shot several times at home. No one here knows anything or at least won’t tell us anything.”
Tristan walked to the center of the group. “Where is that psycho Amanda and her frigin’ mother? You know they’ve got something to do with this. I wouldn’t be surprised if that crazy piece of work shot them.”
“They’re not here?” Samantha asked everyone.
Kirkland walked back to Samantha. “Madam Director, excuse me, please. The detective on the case is Joseph Henderson. He is waiting outside for you.”
“Thank you, Kirkland,” Samantha said as she walked out of the waiting room. She groaned inwardly. She had hoped this would never happen. A point where they would both be involved in the same case.
Joseph was standing in the hall. It had been several years. Joe looked older. Maybe she did, too. He looked nervous and she was nervous.
“Joseph, I understand you have lead on this.” She spoke coldly but professionally.
“So hello. How are you? Oh, I’m fine. Congrats on the new job, Madam Director.”
“Cut the crap, Joe. There are a lot more important things than your ego right now. What do you know?”
“Fine, Sam. It appears Daniel walked in and was shot at least five times. He was unconscious when EMS arrived. Adam was shot several times. We are not sure how many times.” Joseph was fidgeting.
“What else, Joe. I know there is something you’re not telling me.” Samantha put her hands on her hips and walked closer to him.
“Sam, we have detained Amanda and her mother.” Joe was speaking as quiet as possible.
“What do you mean? Are you sure?” Samantha was stunned.
“Listen, Sam, I found blood leading from the back of the house and Clare’s handprint on the back door covered in blood.”
Samantha’s breath was coming in short bursts.
“How do you know it was Clare’s?”
“It does need to be officially verified. But she had blood on her hands when we arrested her. There was a smear on her hand in the same place that I found the print on the door.”
Sam shook her head. She never imagined Clare would stoop so low. Adam was her own grandson.
Joe continued. “There’s more. When the police got there, Amanda was sitting beside the bodies playing in their blood.”
Despite years of training and experience, Sam felt herself blanch at the mental image that filled her mind.
“But we have no real evidence, and if I don’t find some in twenty-four hours they go free.” Joe ran his hands through his hair.
“Have you considered there might be someone else and they are just in the wrong place at the wrong time?”
“There were no cars that came in or out of the development. CSU has gone all over that place and the only fingerprints belong to Amanda, Daniel and Adam. We couldn’t even find any prints of Clare’s except the one on the outside door.”
“If you’re sure about Amanda and Clare, why haven’t you arrested them?”
“I told you, I don’t have enough evidence to charge them. I can hold them for twenty-four hours.”
“So you’re just holding them until they lawyer up.” Sam glared at him. “You have bloody handprints, Amanda playing in their blood – those are your words – and no one else going through security at the gate, and you have nothing to charge them with? And you want me to tell my family that you have nothing to hold the people who shot our brother and his two-year-old son?”
Joe walked away.
“This is now an FBI case, Joe.”
Joe waved a hand in surrender.
Samantha yelled for Kirkland. “No one is going to near the house. Kirkland, the FBI is taking over this case. There are two suspects in holding at the CPD by the names of Amanda Thomas and Clare Anderson. I want them charged and arraigned before morning. The charges are attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Also, I need an FBI crime scene team at the home.”
“Yes, ma’am. Where do you want me to pull the team from?” Kirkland ask.
“I don’t care, Kirkland, but I want the best.”
“If you want the best, you need my team.”
Samantha turned toward her sister Diane’s voice.
They hugged each other tight.
Samantha shook her head. “I know your team’s the best, but you know we can’t touch this case, Diane. Anything we do will be construed as planting evidence. “
Tristan and Lisa joined them. Tristan spoke. “We need to get some answers, Sam. It has been almost eight hours.”
“I sent Stevens to talk to the doctor and find out how they are.”
Samantha turned to see if she could find Stevens. She walked down the hall towards the OR. There were two doctors talking to Agent Stevens. Samantha walked to them. “Excuse me, I am trying to find out about DA Thomas and his son.”
“Samantha, it’s good to see you.” It was Dr. Murphy. He had been the family doctor all her life.
“Hi, Dr. Murphy.”
“Why don’t we go in the lounge and talk?” Dr. Murphy took her by the hand and led her into the lounge.
“Is it that bad?”
“Daniel is out of surgery. He was shot five times. The bullets punctured his left lung and kidney. One bullet entered on the left side of the head above the temple. He must have turned because one bullet was found near his spine on the right side. The last bullet only grazed his right shoulder. He has some severe damage to internal organs and he’s lost a lot of blood. We have him in a medically-induced coma.”
“Is that to keep the swelling in his brain down?” Samantha questioned.
“Yes, and because of the immense pain. We will monitor him in ICU and keep him in this state for at least twenty-four hours. He is critical, Samantha, but he has a good chance.” Dr. Murphy smiled shallowly and took a deep breath. “Now about Adam.” He took Samantha’s hand, the same way he had the day she lost Cody. “He is in much mo
re serious condition. One of the bullets entered near the ear cannel and is lodged in the base of the skull. We placed a shunt in the brain. He slipped into a coma. We just don’t know what his condition will be. If he makes it through the next eighteen hours, we will know more. But I’m not going to give you false hopes, honey. It doesn’t look good. All we can do now is hope and pray.”
Samantha’s heart exploded with grief. How many times had she sat with people in just this situation and explained the harsh realities of their new lives?
“Do you want me to explain this to your family?”
She shook her head and placed her hand on top of Dr. Murphy’s. “No, I’ll tell them. Thank you, Dr. Murphy. Is there anything else? Any idea what caliber gun was used?”
“Yes, it was a .45 caliber pistol. I have handed over the evidence to CPD. I am sorry, Samantha. I wish I had better news. I know you have POA for your brother and nephew. I will need you to sign papers for emergency treatment if necessary. Do you plan on being here at the hospital or do we need to sign them now?”
“I will sign whatever you need, Doctor, but I’m not leaving the hospital for a while.”
Dr. Murphy patted her knee and left the room.
Samantha noticed someone else was in the room. It was Stevens. “Sam, I am so sorry. But you know they could be wrong. Your brother and nephew are strong. I believe they’ll come out of this.”
“Adam is only two. He can’t fight anything and shouldn’t have to. If he dies, we’ll lose Daniel. Whoever did this will pay with their life.”
“We’ll do everything we can. Do you want me to go to CPD and follow those bullets?”
Samantha stood up and started walking out of the room. “Yes, please track down that evidence. And then don’t let it out of your sight.”
Chapter 14
Samantha walked to the waiting room door. Her entire family was there waiting. How could she tell her mother her son was critical and we would probably bury her grandson? She opened the door and walked inside.
She walked to her mother and sat in front of her. “They’re out of surgery. They have put Daniel in a medically induced coma because of the pain. He has some damage to his lung and kidney. The doctor said he’s expected to make a full recovery. Adam has a bullet near his spine and they decided to leave it for now and let him heal some. He should be fine, but they want him in ICU for now. I’m going to put an agent outside and I’ll stay with them tonight.” Samantha was talking fast, trying not to cry and hoping her mother and sisters didn’t ask too many questions. “Why don’t you all go to the cabin? It is a little closer than the farm. That way you could be here faster if need be.”
Her mother looked up. “Samantha, I know you’re not telling me everything. I know you think I’m too fragile to handle this, but I also know you’re doing what’s best. So I won’t question you if you promise you’ll tell me one thing. Am I going to have to bury my son or grandson?”
Samantha looked at the floor. “Mother, I can only tell you that I believe they will recover. Right this minute both are stable. Now you’re all tired. Why don’t you go to the cabin and rest for a while. Please.”
“Okay, Samantha, but if anything changes you call. I’ll be back in a few hours.” Her mother stood and looked around the room. “My beautiful girls.”
They all stood and hugged each other. Taking their mother by the hand, Samantha led the way to the exit of the hospital.
Once everyone had left, Samantha was alone again. She hoped she hadn’t just lied to everyone. She turned and started down the hall to ICU.
“Sam, need some company?” JJ was standing beside her.
Her best friend had not left her. She smiled and walked towards her. “Yes, I sure do.”
They walked down the hall into the doctor’s lounge. Samantha sat down on one of the couches and JJ pulled a chair from the small table.
“How bad is this?” JJ looked solemn.
“Bad, JJ. Really bad. I am probably going to lose my nephew.” Shaking her head, she looked at JJ. “I can’t bury another child.”
“It’s too early for that kind of talk. Look, you have had one heck of day. Why don’t you stretch out on that couch and get some rest? I’ll make sure Daniel and Adam are okay and place a guard.” JJ jumped up and walked to the door.
“Thank you, JJ, but only for a few minutes, okay? I need to talk to Kirkland and we need an update from California and…” Samantha fumbled in her bag, looking for a pen.
“Shut up, already. All that can wait an hour or so. Just go to sleep.” JJ walked out of the room.
The discussion was over. Samantha sighed and laid down. JJ was right. She closed her eyes and tried to put away all the thoughts racing in her head. What a day. How could you pack so much crap into one day? She couldn’t even remember everything that happened.
Let’s see, she thought, I got a new job that I didn’t really want. My brother and nephew were shot. I lost Morgan after only one weekend and now I have lied to my family. Did I forget anything?
Samantha pushed the thoughts away, turned on her side, and closed her eyes.
Samantha sat on the side of the couch. She must have dozed off. She rubbed her face. She could not sleep. There was too much to do. She looked around the room. It was unfamiliar. She was sure she had laid down in the doctor’s lounge, but this was some other room. She could hear mumbling.
Standing up, she saw that there was someone standing in the corner of the room.
It was a child.
“Honey, are you lost?” Samantha asked.
The child turned and looked at her. It was a boy, no more than two years old.
“No, Mommy, I’m not lost. You know where I am, remember? I’m just waiting for Adam.” The boy was smiling at her.
It was Cody. It couldn’t be Cody. But it was.
Samantha began to shake.
“Cody, is that you?”
She began screaming. She tried to run, but her legs wouldn’t move.
Chapter 15
JJ and Stevens could hear screaming coming from down the hall. They looked at each other and began to run towards the sound. Guns drawn, they reached the doctor’s lounge. Stevens burst through the door with JJ right behind him. There was no one in the room besides Samantha. She was on the couch sleeping but her legs moved restlessly and she was trying to speak.
JJ ran to her. She sat beside her and grabbed her arms. “Sam, Sam, wake up it’s okay. Wake up.”
Finally, Samantha woke up and looked at JJ. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Daniel, Adam?” Samantha was trying to sit up. “Where did Cody go? JJ, he’s too young to be wandering around here alone.”
“Samantha, everything is okay. It was just a dream.” JJ was still holding her arms and shaking her. “You need to wake up.”
Samantha was still screaming and struggling. “Cody, Cody, where are you? Come to Mommy.”
JJ let one of her hands go and started patting Samantha’s face. Nothing was working so she patted harder and harder until she slapped her.
Samantha gasped and pulled away with a jolt.
JJ released Sam’s hands and sat beside her.
Samantha sat up and threw her legs over the side of the couch. “Did you just slap me? Really?” Sam scowled at JJ. She stood and walked over to the small window in the back of the room. Silent tears formed in her eyes. Without turning, Samantha said, “Agent Stevens, can you give us a few minutes, please?”
“Certainly, ma’am.” Stevens walked from the room.
JJ walked to Samantha. “What’s going on, Sam?” JJ put her arm around Samantha’s waist.
“The nightmares have started again. I had them when Cody was kidnapped and then again when Dad died. Adam is going to die.”
“Wait a minute, Sam, now that’s nonsense.” JJ looked scared. “Just calm down. Adam is critical, but he will be fine and so will Daniel. I know you are scared, but don’t lose it, okay? You have had a lot to digest today and it’s just knocked
you off your game.”
“JJ, just stop.” Samantha held up her hand. “I know you think I’m going crazy and maybe I am, but I know what I am talking about.”
“Look, maybe you should talk to Dr. Murphy. He can give you something just for a while.” JJ was almost panicked.
“Yeah sure, and I will not only lose my new job, but the old one, too. I’m sorry, JJ. Like you said, I’ll be okay in a few minutes. Just old ghosts. You know, being home and in this hospital. Dr. Murphy, the whole thing.”
Samantha took a deep breath and looked hard out the window. “Can you get Kirkland in here?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It looks like we’re going to be here a day or two, and it’ll take our minds off things.”
Samantha walked back to the table.
JJ walked to the door. “It’ll be okay. Just take it slow and wade through.”
“Yeah, wade through one at a time. I got it. Get Kirkland and Stevens, okay? I’m going to check on Adam and Stevens. I’ll meet you guys here in ten minutes.”
Samantha crossed her arms and walked down the hall. She entered the ICU and walked to Daniel and Adam’s room. The guard was at his post. She nodded, then turned her attention to Daniel. “Hey brother, boy. I could sure some advice about now. This has been one hellacious day. I have a new job. It’s a big promotion, but I don’t know if I want it. You ever feel like that? And I saw Cody again.”
For the first time all day, Samantha began to cry. Sobs wracked her body.
Eventually her body stilled. She stared at her brother. He didn’t look like himself with all the tubes, the mask, the cords, and machines.
She and Daniel had always been close. Especially since she lost Cody and her marriage. They had decided to make each other POA over the other for just such a reason. Somehow it had always given her comfort. It had given her confidence, knowing things would be taken care of, if she couldn’t do it herself.
She turned towards Adam. Silent tears streamed down her face. She stroked his arm, the only part of him that wasn’t wrapped in bandages. Leaning over, she kissed his tiny hand and whispered, “Hold on little one. Don’t leave us.”
Alliance Page 6
