New York City Murders

by W. D. Frolick

  In a tired but calm voice, Dr. Scott said, “I’m happy to inform you that the operation went well. We managed to drain all the fluid and release the pressure on Ms. Karlsson’s brain. She’s still unconscious and has been transferred to an ICU recovery room. When the sedative wears off, we believe she will gradually begin to regain consciousness. However, the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours will be a critical period. Nurses will be monitoring her around the clock. That’s all I can tell you at this time. You might want to go home, Detective, and get some rest. There’s nothing you can do by staying here.”

  “Can I go see her in the recovery room?”

  “Yes. Ms. Karlsson is on the fifth floor. I don’t advise staying too long.”

  When Buck stepped off the elevator, nurses were shouting and scurrying down the hallway. He approached the nursing station and said to the nurse in charge, “Hi, I’m Detective Woods, I’m here to see my partner, Kristie Karlsson. She’s in ICU. Can you please tell me the room number?”

  The nurse, anguish written on her face, said “I’m sorry, Detective, but I can’t allow you to go in there. The patient has had a complication, and they’re in the process of rushing her back for another MRI. Depending on what shows up, they may have to operate again. That’s all I can tell you at this time. Please wait in the lounge, and someone will update you as soon as possible.”

  After the initial shock had worn off, Buck asked, “What kind of complication?”

  “I’m sorry, Detective, but I don’t have that information.”

  Raising his voice, Buck said, “I’m her partner, I need to know what’s going on.”

  “Sir, please calm down. As soon as we know, a doctor will update you. In the meantime, please wait in the lounge. Please, sir.”

  “I’m sorry,” Buck said. Without another word, he headed to the lounge.

  Twenty minutes later, Dr. Swift came through the door, looking grim. She sat down in the chair next to him and said, “Ms. Karlsson has been taken back to the operating room. The MRI shows the bleeding has re-started. Dr. Scott is in the process of trying to stop it. As soon as he is finished, he will come by and update you on her condition. That’s all I can tell you at this time.”

  That wasn’t the news Buck had wanted to hear. “Thanks for the information, Doc. I appreciate you stopping by.”

  After Dr. Swift walked out the door, Buck called Captain Robertson and gave her the disturbing news.

  Although Buck was not a churchgoer, he believed in God. He said a silent prayer asking God to help Kristie make a full recovery.

  A few minutes before five, Dr. Scott entered the room. His face was grim, and he looked completely drained. Buck braced himself for bad news.

  “Sorry, you had to go through this again, Detective. We were able to stop the bleeding, and there hasn’t been any more fluid build-up. Ms. Karlsson is back in the same room and appears to be resting comfortably, and her vital signs are stable. As I mentioned previously, the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours will be a critical period. She will be monitored around the clock, and hopefully, Ms. Karlsson will regain consciousness within the next twenty-four hours. You can go see her briefly if you wish. After that, please go home and get some rest. Leave your phone number at the nursing station, and someone will call you if her condition should change.”

  “Thanks, Doc, but I prefer to stay here.”

  “As you wish.”

  When Buck walked into the room, he saw a young female nurse. She was sitting in a chair next to Kristie’s bed, writing on a chart attached to a clipboard. Kristie was lying flat on her back. Her shaved head was bandaged, her eyes were closed, and she was hooked up to machines and monitors.

  “Hi,” Buck said. “I’m Detective Woods, Detective Karlsson’s partner. Dr. Scott said it would be okay if I popped by for a brief visit. How is she doing?”

  “Oh, hi, Detective. Ms. Karlsson is still unconscious, but her vital signs are stable. So far so good.”

  “That’s great to hear. Do you have any idea when Kristie may begin to wake up?”

  “That’s hard to predict. It could be a few hours, or it could be a few days. There’s no way of telling for sure. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Buck moved to the bed and took Kristie’s hand in his, leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead. In her ear, he whispered, “Keep fighting, Kristie. You’re gonna make it. Don’t you dare give up.”

  Just before six, Buck received a call on his cell phone. It was Kristie’s brother Jake.

  “Hi, Jake,” Buck said. “Where are you?’

  “Janet and I are on the main floor in the waiting room.”

  “Come up to the fifth floor, I’ll meet you at the elevator.”

  “Okay. See you in a few minutes.”

  When the elevator door opened, Buck was there to greet them.

  Jake was a handsome man who looked a lot like Kristie. His blond hair was cut military short, his eyes were sky blue, he was physically fit, and he stood just over six feet tall.

  Janet was slender, with a long auburn ponytail, round chocolate-colored eyes, and she stood about five feet five inches in height.

  After shaking hands, Buck said, “Before going to see Kristie, why don’t we go to the lounge and I’ll update you on the current situation.”

  When they were seated, Buck asked, “How was your trip?”

  “We were making excellent time until we hit New York. Rush-hour traffic slowed us down to a crawl. It took a lot longer than we had expected,” Jake said.

  “Welcome to NYC. The traffic in this city is bad all the time, not just during rush hour. Once you live here for a while, you get used to it.”

  “I don’t think I could ever get used to it,” Jake said.

  “Just so you know,” Buck said, “Kristie has been through two operations. The first operation drained fluid from her brain to relieve the pressure buildup. Shortly after the first operation, they had to operate again to stop some bleeding that had developed. As far as I know, Kristie is still unconscious but is stable. Be prepared, she’s hooked up to monitors with several tubes attached to her. A nurse will be by her side around the clock, keeping a close eye on her condition.”

  “Thanks for the update, Buck, at least we know what to expect when we see her,” Jake said.

  When they entered the room, things were as Buck had described.

  “This is Kristie’s brother, Jake, and his wife, Janet,” Buck said to the nurse.

  “Pleased to meet you,” the nurse said.

  “How is she doing?” Jake asked.

  “Your sister is stable and resting comfortably. Everything appears to be heading in the right direction.”

  “Is she showing any signs of waking up?” Janet asked.

  “Not yet, but I’m hoping that may start to happen within the next twenty-four hours.”

  Jake squeezed Kristie’s hand, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered in her ear. “Keep on fighting, sis. We all love you very much. You’re gonna make it.”

  Janet, with tears streaming down her face, in a strained voice said, “You’re gonna make it, Kristie girl. We all love you.”

  Back in the lounge, Buck asked, “Where do you plan to stay while you’re in New York?”

  Jake shrugged. “I don’t really know. We came straight to the hospital. I guess we’ll try to find a hotel close by.”

  “Don’t worry about a hotel. You’re welcome to stay with me, but I’ve only got a one-bedroom unit.” Buck pulled out his keys and slipped one off the ring. “Here, take this, it’s the key to Kristie’s condo. I’m sure she’d want you to stay there. Her condo’s in the same building as mine. It’s located on the tenth floor, number ten-twenty.” Buck took a pen and pad from his pocket, and wrote something down and handed it to Jake. “This is the code to the keypad that will get you into the building.
When we’re ready to leave, you can follow me there.”

  “Are you sure?” Janet asked.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. Kristie would want you to stay at her place. It’s a nice two-bedroom unit.”

  “Okay. That sounds great,” Jake said.

  “Why don’t we go down to the cafeteria and get a bite to eat?” Buck suggested. “I’m sure you’re both famished by now after your long drive.”

  “Actually, I could use something,” Jake said. “How about you, Janet, are you hungry?”

  “Not overly, but I suppose a little food won’t hurt.”

  When they were done eating, they went back to Kristie’s room. Nothing had changed. Everyone was exhausted, so they decided to call it a night.

  CHAPTER 21

  Woods awoke in a cold sweat, his heart pounding in his chest. The nightmare had seemed so real. It was about Kristie. She had relapsed and was rushed to the operating room. A few minutes into the operation, her heart stopped beating, and the monitor started to beep loudly. A flat red line ran across the middle of the screen. All attempts by Dr. Scott to bring Kristie back to life had failed.

  Buck sat up in bed and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It read 2:17 a.m. He took a few deep breaths to slow his racing heart. After he had calmed down, he rolled over, but his mind wouldn’t shut down. He got out of bed and went into the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of Crown Royal from the cupboard, poured a generous shot and gulped it down. He returned to bed, but he still couldn’t sleep. Woods tossed and turned for a few hours, and just as he dozed off, he was jarred back awake by the sound of his cell phone playing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” He grabbed the phone out of its charger on the night table and glanced at the clock––6:05 a.m.

  It must be the hospital. I pray Kristie’s okay. He had visions of his nightmare coming true.

  Assuming it was the hospital, he didn’t check the screen.

  “Hello,” Buck said, anticipating bad news.

  Out of breath, and speaking a mile a minute, the panic-stricken voice of Shawna Barkowsky said, “Buck, I’m sorry to be calling you so early. It’s Jim, he’s unconscious. He seems to be breathing okay, but he’s out like a light. I’ve just called 911 and an ambulance is on the way.”

  “Whoa! Slow down, Shawna. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened.”

  Shawna took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and began.

  “Ever since what happened at your cabin, Jim’s been drinking heavier than usual, and he hasn’t been sleeping much. I told him I thought he has PTSD, but he won’t admit he needs help. When I woke up this morning, he wasn’t in bed. I came down and found him in the family room in his recliner. There was an empty whiskey bottle on the coffee table and an open bottle of sleeping pills next to it. I think he tried to commit suicide.”

  “Try to stay calm, Shawna. Don’t jump to conclusions, you don’t know for sure that Jim was trying to kill himself. It could just be an accident. The important thing now is to get Jim to the hospital and save his life.”

  “Is there any way you can come home, Buck? I know you’ve gone through PTSD. Jim respects you, and maybe you can talk some sense into him and help him get through this.”

  “I’m so sorry, Shawna. Right now I’m dealing with a crisis of my own. My new partner is in the hospital. She was injured in the line of duty and sustained a severe head injury. She went through two operations to remove fluid and blood from her brain, and she’s still unconscious. I should know more about her condition and her prognosis in a day or two. Call me as soon as you know more about Jim’s condition, and we’ll take it from there.”

  “All right, Buck. I’d better go, I hear the ambulance siren.”

  After they had hung up, Buck’s mind went into overdrive trying to process what Shawna had just told him.

  When I was home for Christmas, Jim appeared to be okay. Granted, he did more than his fair share of drinking. His mind seemed to wander, and he had a hard time concentrating. Jim had mentioned that he was stressed out by a homicide case he was working on with Detective Brad Strongman of the Maine State Police. Jim and Strongman didn’t get along. They clashed on previous cases they had been assigned to work on together. Maybe Shawna is right about Jim suffering from PTSD. Hopefully, Kristie will wake up soon and start to recover. Once I hear back from Shawna, I’ll have a better idea of what to do. If only I could be in two places at the same time.

  Buck could feel his stress level rising. Is my PTSD returning? He got out of bed and poured another stiff drink. After shaving and taking a relaxing hot shower, he began to feel better.

  As previously arranged, at seven thirty Woods met Jake and Janet in the lobby. Buck did the driving and treated them to breakfast before heading to the hospital.

  When they arrived in Kristie’s room at eight forty-five, a new nurse was on duty. Buck introduced himself, then said, “This is Kristie’s brother Jake and his wife, Janet. How are things looking this morning?”

  “I just came on duty at seven, but according to the chart, everything went well. All Ms. Karlsson’s vital signs are good, and she appears to be resting comfortably.”

  “That’s good news,” Janet said with a relieved sigh.

  “Is she showing any signs of regaining consciousness?” Jake asked.

  “Not so far. However, sometimes these things take time. On the other hand, Ms. Karlsson could wake up at any moment. We just don’t know.”

  “Good morning,” Dr. Scott said, walking into the room. “How’s our patient doing this morning, Ms. Jensen?”

  “Fine, Dr. Scott. Everything looks good,” the nurse said with a smile.

  “Good morning, Dr. Scott,” Buck said. “I’d like you to meet Jake and Janet Karlsson, Kristie’s brother, and sister-in-law.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” Dr. Scott said shaking their hands. “Let’s see how our patient is making out.”

  Dr. Scott went over to the bed, and with a small flashlight, he raised each eyelid and looked into Kristie’s eyes. What he was looking for Buck, Jake, and Janet didn’t know. However, Dr. Scott seemed to be pleased with what he saw or didn’t see.

  When he had finished his examination, he smiled and said, “Things are looking good. There’s no sign of infection or any other complications. I’ll check back later this afternoon.”

  Without saying goodbye, Dr. Scott turned and left the room.

  “It sounds as if Dr. Scott is pleased with Kristie’s condition,” Jake said.

  “Sounds that way,” Buck agreed.

  “Maybe our prayers are being answered,” Janet said.

  “Would anyone care for a coffee? Buck asked.

  “Good idea,” Jake said. “Let’s go down to the cafeteria.”

  They were sitting at a table, sipping coffee and making small talk when Buck’s cell phone rang. The name on the screen showed Jim Barkowsky.

  “Hello,” Buck said, expecting to hear Shawna’s voice.

  “Hey, B.J.,” Jim said, laughing. “Just thought I’d call to let you know that I’m still above ground.”

  Surprise registered on Buck’s face.

  “Hey, Telly, you old bag of dirt, it’s good to hear your voice.” Jim was given the nickname because he looked similar to Telly Savalas, the actor who played NYPD Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak on Kojak, the hit TV series that ran from 1973-1978.

  Buck indicated to Jake and Janet that he had to take the call. He got up and walked away from the table.

  “Shawna called me a few hours ago and told me you were unconscious and on your way to the hospital.”

  “Yeah, I was. When I got here, the emergency room doctor pumped my stomach, gave me some medication, and within an hour I was awake and almost back to normal. The doctor is keeping me in for observation for a few days as a precautionary measure. In case you’re wondering, I didn’t try to deep-six myself. I mixed
booze with sleeping pills, hoping I could get some sleep. I went to sleep all right and probably wouldn’t have woke up if it wasn’t for Shawna’s quick action.”

  “I wish I could be there with you, buddy, but I’ve got a crisis here in NYC.”

  “Yeah, Shawna told me about your partner. I’m so sorry to hear what happened to her.”

  “At the moment, Kristie seems to be improving, but unlike you, she’s still in a coma.”

  “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay. I’ve decided to see a shrink. Maybe Shawna’s right, I might be suffering from PTSD.”

  “I think you’ve made a wise decision, Telly. You should take some time off from work and get your head straightened out. As you know, I’ve been through PTSD. It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it in the end.”

  “I’ve already spoken with the chief. I’m going on disability starting immediately. Chief Durham said when I’m ready my job will be waiting for me.”

  “That’s good to hear. Let’s keep in touch. I’ll fly home for a few days to see you and the family as soon as I can get away. In the meantime, take care and look after yourself. Give Shawna, Nicolas, and Kristina my love. I’ll be pulling for you, buddy.”

  “Will do. Thanks, Buck. Hope your partner makes a speedy recovery. And don’t worry about coming home, I’ll be fine. Take care.”

  When Buck returned to the table, Jake and Janet had finished their coffee.

  “Sorry for the interruption. That was my best buddy from Orono, Maine. He wanted to chin wag for a bit.”

  Woods had decided not to tell them about Jim’s personal problems.

  The duty nurse was smiling broadly when they entered Kristie’s room.

  “While you were away, Ms. Karlsson woke up. She was still very groggy, but she managed to say a few words.”

  “What did she say?” Buck asked.

  The nurse laughed. “Ms. Karlsson asked, ‘Where the hell am I?’ I told her she was in ICU at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She asked how she got here. I said I wasn’t sure and that maybe you could fill her in.”