Freezer Burn: A Maggie Mercer Mystery

by Jill Behe

  “We’re going home all right, sister dear,” Jarrod told her. “But our nephew is staying here, with his father.”

  “What?”

  William pointed. “Liar, liar, pants on fire, baby girl.”

  “You obviously escaped somehow.” Wyatt tried to head off the heated squabble that was about to erupt, if Sybil’s face was any indication. “Didn’t you look at the street signs?”

  She squinted at him. “Duh. I needed to get back to the main drag.”

  “Which was—?”

  “Something stupid. Foggy swamp something.”

  “Foggy Bottom, or—”

  “That one.”

  “You needed to get there, or that’s the one you were on?”

  “Um.” She stared at the blankets for a few seconds. “I, I don’t remember.” A frown formed. “I thought it was the one I was looking for, but maybe it was the one I was on.”

  “How far had you walked before you saw the sign?”

  “Seemed like miles. I was really really cold by then, and not paying much attention. My feet were hurting, and bleeding. I just wanted to get far enough away that he couldn’t follow me.”

  “Did you make any turns once you were away from the house?”

  “Not really. I snuck out the back door and ran through a bunch of backyards. Then I came out on that road.”

  “Do you remember anything about the yards you ran through?”

  “One of them had a clothesline that nearly decapitated me, and another had a big black dog that barked and snarled and lunged so hard I thought he was going to break loose.”

  Lots of people had clotheslines in their backyards, but who did I know with a black dog?

  “Other than when you first got in the truck, did the man hurt you at all?”

  She shook her head. “No. Mostly I was just mad. He wasn’t interested in me, really. Thank God!” She looked over, again. “You were his target, lady.”

  CHAPTER 52

  THE CALM BEFORE THE CHAOS

  I WAS LEANED against the wall, STARING BACK.

  “You’re sure he didn’t happen to say why?”

  She laughed. “Seriously? You think he was going to confide in me?”

  “Was this basement you were in finished all the way, or—?”

  She shook her head. “Finished? No. The room he put me in wasn’t even finished. There were lots of cobwebs, everywhere. I still feel like there’s crawly things in my hair.” Her whole body shuddered. “The place was hardly heated and it was damp.”

  I looked at Wyatt. Most of the houses in Mossy Creek had stone cellars. Creepy, dark, dank, musty, spider-infested cellars.

  There’d been one like it in the house where I grew up. My parents still live there. A creaky, wobbly, wooden staircase is just the start of what scares the crap out of me even today.

  My current house has a crawl space I won’t go near. Just saying.

  “All right. If you think of anything else, please call me.” Wyatt handed her a card and I pulled him aside. “What?”

  “That’s all you’re going to ask her?”

  “For now, yeah. Why? What else do you want to know about?”

  I shifted. My hip was starting to throb from standing so long. “Well, what about Bruce? What about … um, Blake? What about—”

  “All in good time, Maggie.”

  I bit my lips together and gazed at him.

  He winked.

  Guess he had a plan. “Okay. Then do you think…? Should she be left alone?”

  “Maggie, her brothers aren’t going to let her go after Blake. Besides, she can barely walk.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” I shook his arm. “She ‘escaped.’ What if the guy comes back for her? She almost certainly left prints for him to follow across all those snowy backyards.”

  That made him pause. “I see your point. But if his whole agenda was to keep me away from the office so he could get to you, I don’t really think he’s all that upset about it. I doubt he’ll risk getting caught by sneaking into a hospital ward. Besides that, her brothers aren’t going anywhere, and if anybody else shows up, I’m pretty sure they’ll take care of them, and then call me.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “It was a good point. I just don’t think he’s going to show himself.” Wyatt took my hand. “We should let her rest.”

  “Hmph. Looks more like there’s going to be a war. She’s really mad about not getting to take Blake back with her.”

  “She should count her lucky stars she’s alive. If Cletus hadn’t seen her fall, she wouldn’t have made it. As it is, she’s only got a mild case of exposure, and her feet are going to be sore for a while. No frostbite, though. She’s one lucky woman.”

  I sighed, and scrunched up my mouth. “I’d say she got what she deserved. If she hadn’t come here on a pretext, she wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

  “You’re absolutely right. But if that man hadn’t had her to snag, who would it have been? Someone you know? Or maybe it would have been you.”

  I shivered. “All right, already. Just hush.”

  He pulled me close, taking care to not bruise me, and turned to the group planted around the room. “We’re leaving now. Be sure to call if you remember anything more.”

  Sybil’s lip curled. “Yeah. Sure.”

  Abel punched her arm.

  “OW! What was that for, punk?”

  “You’re an ungrateful spoiled brat, that’s what that’s for.”

  “Why you—”

  “They shoulda left you in that snow bank.”

  Wyatt grabbed my good elbow and hustled us out the door.

  I thought about what Sybil had endured the past week. Someone was desperate enough to take a stranger off the street and hold her, until when? If she hadn’t escaped, how long would he have kept her?

  My brain was working overtime, trying to filter what Sybil had said, all the things that had been happening to me in the last couple of weeks, and trying to fit it into a plausible logical scenario. That wasn’t working so well, and the gray matter was getting slogged. Who in the world did I know with that much of a fixation? On me?

  Did I know who it was? Was my subconscious aware of who and why? I’ve heard of people who go through such horrible trauma their brains blank out what they saw? Was I in a similar mental state?

  As if he’d been reading my mind, Wyatt took my hand. “We’ll find out who he is, sweetheart. Never doubt that.”

  “I don’t. Just wish I understood the reasoning behind what’s happening. Maybe then I could figure out who it is.”

  “Me, too. Right now, though, we need food. Well, I need food, then sleep.”

  “Annetta’s is on the way home.”

  “So it is. I’m thinking a big bowl of chili might just hit the spot.”

  “You had chili last night.”

  “Not Wally’s chili.”

  “Well, none for me. I’m in the mood for creamy potato soup with cheddar and bacon.”

  “Hmm. That does sound tasty, but I’ve got my mind set on spicy fare, and some of those yummy biscuits.”

  “If you don’t hurry we’ll never get there. I’m getting hungrier by the second.”

  * * *

  “YOU TWO NEED TO bundle up tonight.” Annetta commented, as she set our food on the table. “Supposed to get another snow storm during the night.”

  “Holy crap. We’ve already had above and beyond our quota of snow and ice and cold.”

  “Right you are, my friend. However, it seems like Mother Nature is punishing us for something bad we did.”

  “Wish I could figure out what it was.” Wyatt hefted a steamy spoonful of meat and beans. “I’d try to fix it right quick, so we could get started on spring.”

  Annetta laughed. “Y’all enjoy your meal. I’ll be back to check on you in a few.”

  “Sure.”

  As always, the meal was excellent, and on the way out, Wyatt made a lot of noise about
how great it’d been.

  “I’ll be sure to tell Wally. By the way, we wanted to thank you for all the help.”

  “Just doing my job.”

  “That may be, but all the same, thanks. With that girl in the hospital, and those brothers of hers taking control of her, I feel a lot better. Those boys aren’t bad, she just had ’em twisted up with all her lies.”

  “I’m glad it worked out so well.”

  “You know, they called here, the brothers. Actually, Jarrod is the one I spoke with, but he was real polite, and asked if they could come by and see Blake before they left town.”

  “What’d you say?”

  “As long as Wally, or I, are there, too, I didn’t see any harm.”

  “Oh, good. They are aware of the damage that’s been done. I felt very strongly that they care a lot for Blake, and were sad that they might not get to have a relationship with him.”

  “Will you take Blake to see his mother?”

  “Haven’t decided. She’s not yet given me a reason to forgive her.”

  “Yeah. She came close to getting badly hurt, or worse, but I can see why you’d be reluctant. Does Blake want to see her?”

  “He’s wishy-washy about it. He doesn’t remember her much.”

  “I don’t doubt it. He was pretty young when Wally brought him here.” Wyatt handed her the check and a few bills. “Well, lady, thanks again for an excellent meal. Don’t forget to give our compliments to Chef Wally. Keep the change.”

  “I will do that. Appreciate your business.”

  “Night, Annetta.”

  “Be careful out there.”

  Wyatt saluted her as we stepped out into the frigidness.

  Looked like Miss Annetta was going to be right about the weather, too.

  The air was crisp with the scent of snow. Heavy gray clouds hung so low, the light from the streetlamps bounced off them, giving the whole area an eerie orange-ish luminosity.

  We hurried home, to my house, and a garage for his Jeep.

  * * *

  THE SHARP REPETITIOUS clanging shocked me from a deep sleep. Disoriented, I rolled to silence the obtrusive noise, groaning as my hip screamed at me, only to smack into Wyatt’s shoulder.

  I really needed to change the ringer on that phone.

  Waking more fully, I heard Wyatt identify himself to the caller.

  A moment later he sat up. “Would you repeat that, please?”

  Crud.

  The lamp on his side of the bed blinked on.

  The clock was a blurry 2:47 A.M. Who in the world…?

  “Right. We’ll head over.” He hung up, flinging back the covers. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead. Duty before beauty.”

  Excuse me? The order was moot; I was already trying to pull on my pants.

  He pulled, zipped, and buttoned, in a hurry, then came to help me finish up. “Seems our Miss Sybil has disappeared again. This time from under the watchful eye of the hospital staff. According to the county dispatcher, it doesn’t look like the kid went willingly. And, among other things, there’s a nurse still out cold.”

  Holy freakin’ nightmares, Batman!

  CHAPTER 53

  THE AFTERMATH

  THE HOSPITAL WARD WAS BEDLAM. Nursing staff and doctors in scrubs rushed back and forth between bodies. Voices buzzed and hummed in tandem with the clinks and clangs of equipment. Blood spatter painted the walls….

  Okay, so it wasn’t as bad as all that. The blood part, anyway. There was some spilled red stuff, but not arterial spray.

  Two moaning females on the floor were being tended to by those doctors in green scrubs, and several medical personnel milled about carrying needed supplies back and forth.

  Above all that, Wyatt’s boots echoed with an air of authority as he strode towards Sybil’s room.

  Physically inhibited, I followed slower, but tried to absorb everything.

  As we neared the door, one of her brothers stepped out to meet us. Jarrod’s voice … his whole body shook.

  “Chief Madison, Miss Maggie—is it okay to call you that? Thanks for coming.”

  “Yes, that’s fine.”

  Wyatt waved his hat at the doorway. “Let’s go inside.”

  It was in worse shape than the hall, but … um, minus the bodies. Bedding was strewn about, IV bag and pole on its side on the floor, leaking saline. And blood, probably from having the lines ripped (shiver!) from her arm.

  Ashen-faced, the three men congregated in a corner as far as possible from the chaos and still be in the room.

  Wyatt blew out a deep harsh breath as he took in the mess, then focused on them. “What can you tell me?”

  They all started talking at once. Wyatt held up a hand, then pointed at Jarrod.

  “Not as much as the desk nurse, but we’ll tell you what we know.” He glanced at his watch. “We got a call about an hour ago. The woman said something had happened, and that Sybil was gone. She suggested we call you, but said she’d already contacted the county dispatcher who would do that, anyway.

  “We jumped in the car and got here as fast as we could.” He ran a hand through hair that looked like it wasn’t the first time he’d done it. “We’d gone home so she could rest. We left her here, here where she was supposed to be safe. Now she’s gone again. We shouldn’t have left.”

  “No, you’re wrong. Come on.” Abel wagged his head. “She was medicated, Jarrod. Couldn’t keep her eyes open. It’s not your fault. It’s not our fault.”

  “We shouldn’t have left.”

  “You’re right about one thing.” Will sat up on the edge of the chair. “This was supposed to be a safe place, man. No one could have predicted this would happen.” He stood to pace the small area.

  Wyatt squinched his eyes, blinked them a few times, and regrouped. “Okay. Did you notice anything odd, out of place, out of the ordinary, in the parking lot when you came back?”

  Jarrod shook his head. “No. But not because there wasn’t. We wouldn’t have noticed a circus elephant performing, we were so—”

  “Focused on getting inside and up here,” Abel finished.

  “How long were you home before you got the call?”

  “We left about 10:30 or 11, maybe. Somewhere in there. So, roughly four hours, give or take.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Wyatt was nodding and jotting, then shifted. “Just sit tight. I’m going to talk to the nursing staff.” He looked at me. “Coming?”

  “Sure.” I felt useless. Like a third leg on a Flamingo.

  He turned back. “If you think of anything, no matter how insignificant you think it might be, come find me.”

  Three heads moved in tandem. Wyatt and I went out and down the hall to the nurses station. I kept thinking I should be seeing cops with notebooks everywhere, talking to everyone, you know, like you see on TV. But then – huh - we’re the cops.

  Emma Brown, one of the night shift, gave us her observations. Still visibly upset—which was understandable—her voice vibrated with (I’m thinking) suppressed emotion.

  I’m sure all she wanted to do was go find a quiet corner somewhere and bawl. I would have.

  Been feeling a little like that for a week or so now. But that’s beside the point.

  “It was about two.” She began. “Lucy pulled a couple charts to start the rounds.”

  “Lucy?”

  “Yes, Lucy. Lucy Bender.”

  “What does she do on these rounds?”

  Emma gave a shrug. “We go in to patients’ rooms and take their BP, uh blood pressure, temperature, and pulse rates every couple of hours, as specified by their doctors. We give meds, too, if they’re prescribed.”

  “Go on.”

  “Well, I went to the file room, to pull a few more of the charts we’d need for the next round. I’d been in there for just a minute when I heard a scream. Then there was this crash and lots of yelling, and I hurried out. Lucy must have heard it, too, because she was running down that hall.” She pointed to the left. “A man with a
knife came out of room 212, Sybil Tolliver’s room.”

  Emma shuddered, but continued. “He had her, his arm was over her shoulder, across her body, and was dragging her with him. He was having a real hard time keeping hold of her, though, cause she was kicking and squirming and clawing at him, and screaming at the top of her lungs. Her arm was bleeding, too. Probably from when the IV was….

  “Patients all up and down the hall came out to see what was happening. I think that made him more mad, or maybe it made him nervous. Anyway, Lucy made a grab for Sybil, but the man side-stepped and moved his arm, sliced her right across the belly. Lucy didn’t make a sound when she went down, and went hard. Hit her head on the floor.

  “Our supervisor came out of the elevator just then, and started running this way as soon as she heard the commotion. The guy barreled right into her, knocked her back a couple of steps, then clocked her in the jaw. She started to fall, bounced into the wall, and slid down and over, and didn’t, hasn’t moved since.

  “He headed for the elevator and pushed the button, but none of them were on this floor, so he dragged that poor girl to the stairwell.” Emma began to cry then. “I’ll never forget the sounds she made. She might have gotten loose at some point, but fell down some of the steps. At least, that’s what it sounded like.”

  Emma shuddered again. “I’m almost ashamed to say, I just stood there and watched the whole thing. But I couldn’t move. When I got some sense back in my head, I called police dispatch and our security team, and then went to do what I could to help. A few minutes later, a couple doctors and some of the interns and nurses from the ER showed up.”

  Emma sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “Then I remembered to call her brothers.”

  “Can you describe this man? Had you ever seen him before? How big was the knife? Did he say anything? I’ll need the name of your supervisor.”

  “Everything’s kind of a blur, right now, but he never said a word. At least none that I heard. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before—and this might not make much sense—but as bright as it is in here, he was hard to see. I don’t know how else to describe it.