“Where’s Sunni? She should have Kristi’s kids. They didn’t kidnap her, did they?” Perri struggled to swing her feet to the edge of the bed.
“Lay back. Sunni didn’t get kidnapped. The police have her in custody because they found her and Miles with Carolina, who was standing over your bodies with a huge knife. They took everyone in until they could get it all straightened out.
“The police have been waiting for you to regain consciousness so that they can get your side of the story, and hopefully, release Sunni and Miles.” Gerald started motioning the kids out of the room. “Kids, let’s go get some dinner while they talk to your mother.”
“I don’t want to leave her,” the youngest whined.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m going to be right here. Go get some dinner,” Perri said reassuringly.
Once her family had left, the door opened to show two officers. “Ma’am, may we come in?” one asked politely.
“Do I need to have a lawyer present?” Perri leaned back onto the pillows.
“No, ma’am. As long as you haven’t committed a crime, then there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I honestly have no idea where to start with the information that you need, but here goes.” Perri started at the beginning, when Sunni first mentioned the subject, until the moment when she woke up in the hospital.
“There’s only one conclusion as to why both Sunni and Carolina would crash their vehicles. The people holding us must have thrown us out of the van and into the street. They both would’ve done anything to make sure that they didn’t run over us.”
“So you don’t feel that you were in danger from the lady with the knife?” The male officer tried to make certain that the crazy lady wasn’t a threat.
“Carolina was just trying to help. She has nothing to do with any of the kidnapping or drug dealing.” Perri knew that she wasn’t the most stable person, but that she would never intentionally harm someone.
“We just had to be sure, ma’am. I’ll make the call and have them released since their story seems to check out, based on what we know.” The officer turned back with his hand on the door. “In the future, leave the detective work to the professionals.”
“Yes, sir,” Perri agreed wearily.
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Sunni had been separated from Miles and put into an interrogation room.
After repeatedly stating the need for a lawyer, the officers finally left her alone in the room.
I don’t think I’ve been alone, truly alone, in years. This is so unusual, because there is always noise surrounding me. I’m going to take Miles’ advice and enjoy the silence while I have a chance. It’s not every day I’m held in an interrogation room.
The smile on Sunni’s face baffled the officers watching from the other side of the glass.
“It’s not often that we solve a case and get to see an entertaining show. Let’s go see what the crazy knife lady is up to with the other convicts.”
As she continued to sit in the empty room, Sunni began to miss the constant motion and noise that came from her children and family.
Three hours later, Sunni had been released and was driven home. She welcomed the noise and love of the little bodies, who had finally collapsed around her on the couch.
I wouldn’t trade this for all the quiet in the world.
------------------
Sunni walked in to the coffee shop two days later and surveyed the group of people who had come to mean the world to her over the past few weeks.
“So, did someone forget to invite Carolina?” Sunni joked as she approached their table.
“Nope. She’s still being held at the station.” Kristi hopped up to give Sunni a hug.
“Thanks for coming to find me,” Kristi whispered in Sunni’s ear.
“No problem, and I’d do it again.”
“Why are they holding Carolina when they let Miles and I go free?” Sunni sat down and waited for an explanation.
“Evidently, she had a few unpaid parking tickets, so when they processed her, it popped up in the system and she has to pay the tickets before she can be released.” Kristi shook her head. “She refuses to pay, so they’ll keep her the ten days it takes to work off the amount she owes.”
“She’s willing to sit in jail instead of paying her parking tickets?” Perri asked, confused.
“Well, she’s met a friend inside and thinks they might have something.” Kristi grinned at the thought of a man being able to handle Carolina. “She wants to see where it will lead. I mean, how terribly wrong could it really go?”
“Holy fried food! Are we going to have to rescue her from jail? We could just pay the tickets and they’d release her against her will,” Miles suggested mischievously.
“Oh, no, I’m not going to get on her bad side. She’s warm, fed, and seems happy. Who am I to take away her happiness?”
Everyone exchanged grins.
“Is there any word on the people who kidnapped us?” Kristi looked to Sunni for information, but it was Olive who answered.
“From what I understand from our lawyer, the police raided the school library and found all the drugs in the possession of a few students. Alexander Fine is dead. The police think that he committed suicide, but due to recent events, they’re having an autopsy done to determine cause of death.” Olive stated the facts without emotion.
“But what happened to Zach and the woman?” Perri asked quietly, mindful of the other patrons.
“He said he was undercover and they want to find the big shots who are bringing the drugs in and trafficking women out. He laced our coffee so that we wouldn’t get in trouble by trying to get out.”
“The woman upstairs wasn’t just living there, she was to keep us from leaving and had orders to kill us if we did.” Kristi shivered at the consequences of them escaping.
“I’m just ready to move forward and get into the Christmas spirit. The kids are going to be as spoiled as possible because I know how close we came to never coming home,” Kristi declared, putting on a happy face.
“Oh, my homecoming was quite a surprise after being gone for almost four days. I didn’t even have to go back to school before they let out for the holidays.” Perri grinned. “The kids have brought me breakfast in bed and waited on me hand and foot from the recliner. I didn’t want to tell them I was fine when they released me from the hospital.”
“Miles, how did your wife handle having to bail you out of jail?” Olive’s aloofness came across as snooty.
“It did take a little bit of explaining, but in the end, she agreed that I had made the right choice. I’m not in the dog house, but that’s only because we rescued both of you.” Miles leaned back looking extremely comfortable.
“All of this wrap up is great, but it still doesn’t answer the question about where Aunt Marie is. The police have no clues.” Sunni gestured helplessly to the group.
“I’m out. No more detective work for me. Gerald is a very calm man, so when he puts his foot down, I generally listen.” Perri spoke unapologetically. “These people gave us back and we got rid of the drugs in our school, so I suggest that we let the police do their job.”
“She’s my family. I can’t just move on, not without knowing where she is.” Sunni put her head in her hands.
“Sunni, you might want to look at who just walked in the door.” Olive pointed at the couple standing in the doorway.
Sunni gasped as she took in the unharmed appearance of her aunt standing next to a man. She knocked over the chair in her haste to hug her.
“Where have you been? I’ve tried to call you for the past week.” Sunni’s face was streaked with tears.
“I called, but my calls never went through, and when I started calling the house phone, there wasn’t an answer until this morning when Dusty picked up. I need to talk to you and he sent us here.”
“Aunt Marie, you’ve been missing for over a week now. We have the police looking for you and my cell phone is working pe
rfectly.” Sunni finally let go of her aunt to look her over.
“Alex and I had to leave town in a hurry. My cell phone’s battery ran out, and when we got it charged, it wouldn’t let me call you. I have no idea what your number is because it was on the phone.” Aunt Marie waved to the others at the table.
“Who are you?” Sunni turned to the gray-haired man standing next to her aunt.
“Hi, I’m Alex Fine,” he replied as he disengaged his hand from Aunt Marie’s.
“Say what?” Miles asked, incredulous.
“Um, he’s my boyfriend,” Aunt Marie announced, blushing. “We met while I was trying to find out more about Alexander Fine and we hit it off.”
“So you mean to tell me that you’ve been on a cruise with this man, while Perri and Kristi were kidnapped, and Miles and I were sent to jail?” Sunni held it together as her temper continued to rise.
“Cruise? We’ve been up in Michigan. We came back because there wasn’t anything else for us to do there at the moment, and Alex has to check in with his business and make sure that all the projects are done in time for Christmas.” Aunt Marie walked to the table and sat down in the chair Alex had pulled over to join the group.
“The other Alexander Fine didn’t have you tied up in a basement until he could sell you to traffickers?”
“What? Oh, my gracious, no. I never heard from that man after he took me to that horrible movie and propositioned me about going on a cruise.”
“I though you told him you would see him on the cruise?” Sunni questioned confused.
“Phewy. I wasn’t going to go on the cruise with him. He kept suggesting it, but I had no intention of going with him. I said, ‘See you later,’ which I meant quite literally. As in, have a great life without me,” Aunt Marie explained easily.
Miles picked up Aunt Marie’s phone and started looking at it. “The reason you couldn’t call Sunni and she couldn’t reach you is because you had her blocked on your phone.”
“How is that possible?” Aunt Marie’s hand flew to her mouth as she turned to Alex. “He did that to my phone. On my date, he must have taken it when I went to the restroom at the intermission and blocked Sunni. He played me.”
Alex pulled her into a hug. “Shh. It didn’t hurt anyone and you’re safe. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“We heard about his death on the news, but it didn’t mention the women who were kidnapped. Otherwise, we might have had to drive all night to get here, and I’m getting too old for that kind of thing,” Alex explained to the eager group.
“I’m just thankful this worked out and we got you back. We’ll have to discuss this new boyfriend over Christmas,” Sunni offered a small smile.
“A Toast! To the first successful mystery solved by a bunch of MOMs.” Miles lifted his coffee cup. “And a dad.”
“Cheers!” Everyone lifted their cups in agreement and laughed.
The End
The Veteran State of Affairs
The Mommy Detectives book #2
Marie walked out to her mailbox to get some exercise in her day. Thumbing through the mail as she walked to the house, she found a hand addressed envelope that looked like a personal letter. Normally, she received bills and advertisements. There wasn’t anyone she knew that would write her a letter from Michigan.
Opening the letter as she closed the door shut behind her. Looking for the author, she let out a small cry as the letter fluttered to the floor, unread.
She left the letter on the floor as she made her way to the kitchen counter where her phone was sitting. She dialed the one person who would understand what the letter meant.
As she waited, Marie gathered the pages and placed them on her table while pacing back and forth, until she heard the truck pull up in front of her house.
Marie threw the door open to let Alex in, only to be swallowed in his embrace.
“Are you okay?” He asked the top of her head.
A muffled sob didn’t really answer his question, so he guided her inside and over to the couch.
He simply held her as she let it all out.
“I’m okay. I mean, sort of. I’m crying and I haven’t even read the letter yet. The name signed John Walker, was like a ghost from the past standing in front of me.” Marie looked up at him with tearstained cheeks.
Alex looked around the room, spotting the box of Kleenex on the end table next to the recliner.
He stood and grabbed the entire box, handing it to her.
Smiling appreciatively, Marie took them. “The letter is on the table,” she informed him before he sat back down.
“Will you read it to me? I don’t think I’ll be able to make it through without balling again.”
He scooped up the pages of the letter and sat next to her again. He pulled her close so that her head was resting on his shoulder, instead of letting her be alone while they read the letter.
Dear Marie,
I realize this letter might take you by surprise. I never expected to find you again one day. As you can see by the date of the letter, I am alive, but I only recently regained parts of my memory.
Let me explain. I left you for the war, but I never told you the complete truth.
I was recruited at basic training for a covert mission. Since I was able to learn languages quickly, they wanted me to spy on the enemy.
They trained me well, and I was returned to my unit, which I worked with for over a year.
There were several battles, with wins and losses on both sides. What they didn’t tell us was that most of the men we started out with wouldn’t return home.
The enemy was very determined, and they seemed to have more passion to win than we did.
I was captured with several other men from my unit, because someone had leaked the information to the enemy. There was a covert operative in our unit.
My name was on their list, but during the gunfight, one of our unit, a John Smith, had been killed. So knowing the torture that was waiting for me, I switched dog tags with the dead soldier. I was hoping since we had the same first name, I would be able to assume his identity.
It made a difference, and the others that were still alive helped me keep my cover. Especially since whomever had been an informer must have died in the battle.
After years of malnutrition and years of mental torture, I was John Smith. I no longer even thought about John Walker. Not only did my life depend on it, but I was unable to even consider a future as John Walker after being captured.
They finally sent us home, but after everything, I didn’t even remember who I was.
I came home to John Smith’s family. But because I was so malnourished, they didn’t recognize me. We both left our families when we were so young, and the years had changed me, as well as him.
I started having flashbacks and could barely hold down a job. The VA has had me in therapy for years. But now a new therapist has been working with me, and I have been remembering your face and name.
We looked you up. I thought I could see if you knew who my family was, and if you knew what had happened to them. The Army’s information was a dead end, and I’m not sure I could handle being rejected in person.
If you remember me and have any information that you wouldn’t mind sharing, I can be contacted through my therapist.
Respectfully,
John
“Wow.” Alex sat back as the pages of the letter fell to his lap. “That poor man. The war took everything from him.”
Marie wiped the last few tears from her eyes.
“I have to go see him. I can’t just write him a letter. He needs to know I’m okay. I’m not in love with him anymore, but we thought he was dead.” Marie glanced at Alex. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I should go with you. This is something you need to do, and I already work with veterans, so this is not that far out of the realm of what I already do.” Alex placed a kiss on her forehead. “Besides, I need to keep an eye on this guy, and make sure he d
oesn’t try to steal my girl.”
“Your girl?” Marie wiggled out of his embrace. “Are we going steady?”
“You bet.” Alex grinned. “Go pack your bags, and let’s get this road trip started.”
Marie didn’t even have to think twice. She jumped up and headed to the bedroom for her things.
Within thirty minutes, they were on the way to Alex’s house to collect his stuff, and head to Michigan for Marie’s lost love.
Infected Waters: A Titanic Disaster
Turning a corner on the main deck, Jonathan ran straight into Nora as she raced around a corner, heading for the captain’s quarters.
“What happened?” Jonathan pulled her closer to help keep them both on their feet.
“Our patient died. I need to let the captain know so he can decide what to do about the body.” Nora took a deep breath to steady herself and instead inhaled Jonathan’s cologne.
“I’ll get him for you. Go back and stay with the body until we can get there.”
Relief flooded Nora as he took charge and went to inform the captain. Being the bearer of bad news was never something a nurse wanted to do.
“All right, but please, hurry.”
Nora turned and retraced her hurried steps.
The wait seemed to take forever before Captain Smith and Jonathan burst through the door of the infirmary.
Standing over the dead man’s body, no one spoke as the significance of what he might have been carrying aboard sank in.
“What do you suggest we do with his body?” Nora asked Captain Smith, hoping he had an idea.
Exchanging glances with Jonathan, he informed them, “I believe we should burn his body. There is no one to identify it, and if we wait until we land, the infection from him might move to some of the passengers. It’s a chance I’m not willing to take. Has anyone else been stricken?”
“Just one crewman, sir. He isn’t doing so well.” Jonathan affirmed.
“He was bitten when he and Jonathan tried to hold him down so I could disinfect his wounds. It was a fairly normal reaction from someone who was unconscious at the time.” Nora tried to explain in more detail.
The Mommy Detectives and the Bingo Hall Mystery Page 17
