Splintered (Mike Campbell Series Book 1)

by Rosemary Wilson

  Just as they settled in, the front door burst open and Mike’s sister Susan and her family burst through dragging all the paraphernalia parents needed to amuse two young children. Another round of introductions and Max was overwhelmed. Camille gathered the girls up and headed to the kitchen. Chris and Harry excused themselves from the ball game to check on the boys in the basement.

  “You’ve made a hit with the boys, Max. They both hate baseball and take any opportunity to not have to watch a game. They are more football guys and we usually have a small football pool during the season.” Ben smirked and added, “They study statistics and read everything they can about trades and injuries before they make their picks on Saturday. Me, I just pick my favorites. I won the pool last year. They’re still confused about it. Do you like football, Max?”

  “As a Philadelphian, I bleed Eagles green. I’ve bled a lot over the years.”

  “We’re a house divided here. Buzz and I are Eagles fans; Chris’s team is the Steelers and Harry’s is the 49ers.”

  Max asked the obvious, “Who’s Buzz?”

  Mike looked over and grinned. “That would be me. It’s a family nickname I’ve had as long as I can remember. Only family and the friends I had growing up call me Buzz.”

  Ben piped in, “Yeah, on his first day of kindergarten he came home crying because the teacher didn’t call his name at roll call. After probing a little Camille found out he was waiting for the teacher to call Buzz Campbell. She explained to Mike the teacher was calling him by his other name, Michael. That made sense to him and it was the end of the tragedy.”

  Max nodded. “Nicknames can be a burden for kids. My mother was an English teacher and loved Greek and Roman history. She did not want common names for her kids, but ones denoting strength and history. My older brother was dubbed Constantine, nicknamed Connie. In the section of Philly where we grew up it was like permanently hanging a ‘kick me’ sign on his back. He learned to cope and after putting his biggest tormentor down, they became the best of friends and the teasing stopped.

  “I lucked out with Maximilian. As long as guys never found out my real name, I could skate by with Max. Our sister was the luckiest. Mom was into The Trojan War by then, so my sister was named Helen. You can imagine we all had our own ideas of how to name children if we ever had them.”

  Mike chuckled as he got up to get a couple more beers. When he returned from the kitchen the game was in the top of the ninth, with the Phillies holding a three run lead for once. Mike informed his Dad and Max dinner was ready. In the dining room, Max was seated between Ben and Camille as the siblings and their families found their usual spots at the table.

  After everyone had food on their plates, Mike turned to his father and asked, “Dad, do you remember Dave Flanders and Sandy Powers?”

  “Yeah, he was the team’s quarterback and she was the typical cute cheerleader, and he always had her by his side. They graduated the same year you did. Why?”

  “Max and I were called out to their house on Friday night. Evidently they ended up getting married. Friday night Sandy was attacked and stabbed.”

  Camille gasped. “What? How is she?”

  “She’s recuperating at General. She had emergency surgery and was in SICU until this morning. She’s doing great and might be released by Tuesday. Dave confessed to the assault yesterday, and is out on bail.”

  After putting a spoonful of strained carrots into little Tracy’s mouth, Susan commented, “I never did understand what she saw in him. He was conceited, egotistical and mean. He thought because his father had money, he could have or do anything he wanted.”

  Mike smiled at his sister. Max knew Mike felt the same way about Dave so he knew he was teasing his sister when he said, “Why don’t you just tell us how you really feel?”

  “You know me, Buzz, I say it like it is. I’m not surprised his temper finally got the upper hand. I’m sure his father will bail him out of this one, just like he did so many times when Dave was in school.”

  Max was fascinated by the ebb and flow of the conversation. Each personality presented their points which either ended the current topic or ignited a bigger discussion. Max remembered these types of discussions around his parents’ table when he was growing up. He felt a little melancholy as he realized what he had lost with his divorce and the last year of self-imposed solitude.

  Ben leaned over to bring Max back into the conversation by asking, “What about you Max? What brought you to Lancaster?”

  He knew he would be asked a question like this, so Max tweaked the facts to give them enough information to hopefully curb their curiosity. “When my divorce was final, I realized there was nothing holding me in Philadelphia. My parents are both deceased, my wife moved on with her life and my son is living in California with his wife.

  “I was also getting beaten down by the increase in the workload. Budget cuts were becoming the norm and as a cop or detective retired, he wasn’t replaced. While I was going through the divorce process, working the long hours didn’t bother me, took my mind off my personal problems. Once everything was settled, I realized I needed to start over. After all those years as a homicide detective, I felt I was too young to retire and end up as a private investigator following cheating husbands or wives. I began looking at smaller police departments in the state. Harrisburg had too many financial problems, and I didn’t want to go through the threat of layoffs again. Lancaster seemed to be a good fit for me at the time. So here I am.”

  “How long have you been in Lancaster”, Ben asked.

  “I moved here about a year ago. My old partner, John Wagner, retired in March, so that’s how I got Mike. I’m supposed to teach him how to be as brilliant a detective as I am.”

  “Good luck”, Camille said. “He’s been watching all those detective shows for years, especially “Cops” and “48 Hours”. He already thinks he knows it all.”

  “Thanks for the support, Mom.”

  Max smiled because he was having fun while at the same time had managed to deflect the conversation away from himself. “Well, Camille, I’ll keep your advice in mind. So far he hasn’t tried to tell me the best way to handle anything. Of course, until Friday night, he was working on putting case files together so they could be sent to the DA.”

  “And since I did so well on Friday’s case, I should be moving on to more interesting cases.”

  “We’ll see what the citizenry cooks up for us.”

  As the plates emptied, the conversation also diminished. Carol and Mary cleared the table and put the leftovers into disposable containers for Mike and Max. The group broke up and said their goodbyes as they all had work or school the next day. Ben and Camille walked Mike and Max to Mike’s car. Ben told Max he watched the Phillies every Sunday and Max was welcome to hang out. “You’re also welcome to get into our football pool. The boys would like some fresh blood. “

  “Thanks Ben. It’s always more fun to watch the games when you don’t have to watch them alone.”

  After being dropped off by Mike with his “doggy bag” in hand, Max realized he had really enjoyed himself with the Campbells. Maybe it was time for him to move on and get back to living. He hoped so.

  CHAPTER 12

  Dave and his mother, Sarah, arrived at the hospital around three o’clock. They had decided Sarah would go in first and if Sandy was alone, she would text Dave while he waited in the lobby.

  Sandy looked at the door when she heard someone enter. She smiled when she saw Sarah.

  “I came to see how you were doing”, Sarah said as she walked to the bed and leaned over and gently kissed Sandy on her forehead.

  “The doctor told me when I was moved out of SICU that if I keep improving, I could be out of here on Tuesday.”

  “I don’t know what to say, Sandy. I was horrified when Dave told me what he did. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”

  “It’s not your fault. What happened is between Dave and me.”

  “He wants to talk to you.�
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  “I don’t think I want to talk to him.”

  “He was arrested and booked yesterday.”

  “I know. The police were here and talked to me. They said he was out on bail the same day.”

  “Yes. He’s been staying with us.” Sandy saw how desperate Sarah looked and when she asked again she was pleading. “Please talk to him Sandy.”

  Sandy looked at her mother-in-law with concern. She had come to love this woman over the years, but could never understand the relationship between Sarah and Jason. “I will if you answer a question for me.”

  Sarah frowned , caught off guard by the question but agreed to the unusual request.

  “Why have you stayed with Jason all these years?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’ve been around you both for a long time and you act like polite strangers when you’re together. I asked Dave once and he told me it was none of my business. So now I’m asking you. Why have you stayed with Jason?”

  Sarah sighed and said “Because of Dave. I tried to leave Jason when Dave was about five years old. I saw how strict Jason was with his son. He would not allow Dave to be a child. He had to be seen and not heard. He wasn’t allowed to play in the house. His manners had to be perfect. Above all, he had to show respect for his father and obey him immediately and without question.

  “I tried to talk to Jason about it, but he told me he was grooming his son to come into his growing businesses one day and Dave had to know how to behave.

  “I realized then I needed to take Dave and leave. I went to a lawyer and told Jason I was filing for a divorce. He told me I had two choices. I could stay and help raise my son, or I could leave and he would get custody of Dave. I knew no matter how hard I tried, Jason would eventually gain full custody. So I stayed. I couldn’t leave my son. He needed to know there was someone who loved him without reservation, no matter what mistakes, however trivial, he made.” When Sarah finished talking, Sandy saw the love this woman had for the man she raised. Sarah had put her son’s needs ahead of her own.

  “I can understand your staying when he was younger. Why did you stay after Dave went to college?”

  “Because I did not want him to have to make a choice.”

  “What choice?”

  “Between me and his father. Jason would have deemed it necessary for Dave to make a choice. I wanted to be there when he came home on breaks and not make him feel like he had to sneak around to see me. After you and he married, I was waiting for the grandchildren.”

  “It had to be hard for you.”

  “By the time Dave left for college I was used to the lack of affection from Jason. The only demands he made were simple and I had no problem keeping his house and going to events with him. I filled my days with volunteer work. Jason didn’t seem to care and I found a great deal of satisfaction in the work.”

  For the first time since she had known her mother-in-law, Sandy understood how deeply Sarah loved Dave. She decided she would at least talk to the man Sarah had given up her life to support.

  “Okay, Sarah. I’ll talk to Dave. Thank you for answering my questions so honestly. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

  “I’ll let Dave know you’ll see him.” The women embraced and Sarah left to sit in the family waiting room while Dave talked with Sandy.

  Several minutes later Dave peeked through the door. When he saw Sandy nod her head he approached the bed. She looked at him as he bent to kiss her she said, “Don’t you dare touch me.”

  Dave looked shaken by the tone of his wife’s voice, but he quickly straightened and backed up a step.

  “Sarah said you wanted to talk to me. I’m tired so you have five minutes. After that I never want to see you again.”

  “I don’t know where to start. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “Did you realize it after you hit me or after you stabbed me?”

  “I have no excuse other than the drinks I had. I got laid off at work. I came home looking for some sympathy. Instead, you asked me for a divorce. I snapped. ”

  “So it’s my fault? You ‘have a few drinks’, can’t control your anger, so you take it out on me?”

  In a voice filled with regret and fear, Dave said, “I am truly sorry. I don’t know what else to say. I know I’ve got problems and I’m going to get help.”

  “I’m glad to hear you admit it.”

  “They arrested me yesterday. I was in a holding cell. I was so scared, Sandy. I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to go to prison.”

  “I suppose you will find a way, or maybe daddy will arrange for you to get probation.”

  “You don’t understand. I won’t survive in prison. I’ve heard the stories about what inmates do to men who abuse women.”

  Sandy saw the naked fear on Dave’s face. Her determination to go forward with the charges against him started to waiver.

  “Please, Sandy. What can I do to get you to drop the charges? If you won’t testify, they don’t have a case against me.”

  Sandy was not a vindictive person. She could see Dave was shaken to his core by the possibility of going to jail. She wished it was because he attacked her, but she knew better. All she wanted at this point was to get out of her marriage and away from him. She wanted to start a new life. If she put Dave in jail because of her testimony, it would forever cloud her future. Sarah’s story also weighed heavily on her. She considered the pros and cons and finally said, “I’ll drop the charges with the following conditions: I want an uncontested divorce, half of the money in our joint bank account, my car and my personal possessions. I also want you to get professional help for your anger because I don’t want some other woman to go through what I’ve been through.”

  She watched Dave as he absorbed what she just said. The look of relief on his face was almost comical. “I’m so grateful. I’ll have Tom Wyatt work everything out from my side.”

  “One more thing, Dave. I don’t want to see or talk to you again. Our lawyers can handle everything. I’m going to find out what the statute of limitations is for what you’ve done and if you renege on any of your promises, I will have no problem filing the charges. Do you understand?”

  Dave told her he would follow through on everything, thanked her again and left the room.

  Sandy laid there, closed her eyes and hoped she had just done the right thing.

  CHAPTER 13

  Three days earlier…

  Mike was already at his desk when Max came in the next morning. After the usual greetings, Mike asked Max if they were going to General to see Sandy.

  “I think it would be a good idea. She can fill in the blanks and then we can finish our report and send this case to the DA so the lawyers can work out the details.”

  “Okay, I’ll drive” Mike said as he grabbed his phone and headed for the door. “You know she was moved out of Intensive Care yesterday?”

  “You mentioned it on the way to your parents’ house” Max said as he followed Mike. “I’ll drive this time. We’ll sign out one of the unmarked cars. I have a tough time getting in and out of that hot little number you have.”

  Reluctantly, Mike agreed and they headed to the garage.

  Within minutes they were walking down the hall of the hospital toward Sandy’s room. She was alone and looked happy to see them.

  Max smiled and said, “You’re looking a whole lot better than you did on Saturday. How are you feeling?”

  “Aside from some discomfort in my side, I’m starting to feel better. The doctor said I should be able to leave tomorrow. Mom and Dad are getting my old room ready. I’ll be staying there until I can find a place of my own.”

  “It sounds like a good plan, Mrs. Flanders” Max said. “We’d like to ask you a few questions about what happened Friday night so we can wrap this up and finalize the charges against your husband.”

  Mike watched as Sandy’s face lost all its joy. “Detective Davis, I am not going to be filing charges against Dave.”

 
; “I’m not sure I understand Mrs. Flanders. He assaulted you with a knife and then ran away. You could have died before he decided to return.”

  “Dave came to see me yesterday. He is really shaken by what happened. I’ve never seen him so upset. He apologized and told me it would never happen again.”

  Max tried to remain calm, but his concern was evident when he said to Sandy, “He was not supposed to come near you as part of his bail agreement.”

  “He was here with his mother. He said he had to see me. Wanted to make sure I was okay. We talked for a while, Detective. I have known Dave for many years and I’ve never seen him like he was yesterday. He’s a broken man. Prison would destroy him. I couldn’t live with knowing I put him in a place he can’t survive.”

  “You are the victim, Mrs. Flanders, not him. If you don’t press charges, he could very likely do it again.” Mike saw Max was starting to get quite agitated about Sandy’s decision.

  “Detective Davis, I appreciate your concern. Dave and I came to an agreement. If I don’t press charges he has agreed to let me file for divorce and he will not fight it. That’s all I want right now. I want to move on with my life and he understands he will not be a part of my future.”

  Mike could no longer stay quiet. He could not keep his growing concern out of his voice. “Sandy, he’s dangerous. He attacked you more than once. He may agree not to bother you again, but you don’t know he will keep his promise.”

  “I told him if he doesn’t give me an uncontested divorce and doesn’t stay away from me, I will move forward with the charges against him. He’s scared. I believe he will keep his promises.”

  Mike was upset by this turn of events and, although he was trying to cover it, he could tell Max was too, so he wasn’t surprised when Max asked, “Is he planning on getting any professional help for his anger problems?”

  “He said he realized he needed help. He’s been looking for a job for months, but his options are limited. Sarah will help him as much as she can, but I’m afraid Dave will go to work for his father, something he’s tried to avoid for years.”