Dancing In Darkness

by Sherrie Weynand

  No one said a word, but she could hear both of them crying and screaming. For the first time all day a smile crossed her face. Even though there was a long uphill battle and an even longer, tougher legal battle, this was sheer joy and happiness.

  “Detective, thank you. For everything. I knew she would be alive, she’s a fighter. Oh God, I can’t thank you enough.” Adam cried.

  Nina couldn’t speak at all, the tears had started and she was crying like a baby. The pain in her heart had lifted and even knowing there was much more to come, she was elated. Being alive now meant a damn good chance of surviving it all.

  “Det. Tony, I do have one thing and I don’t mean to ruin your good news, we have a slight problem and I’m not sure how to handle it.” Adam said to her.

  “What’s wrong?” She questioned.

  “Nancy Barnes showed up and she’s been starting trouble since she got here. Priscilla hasn’t seen or talked to her daughter in many years, her mother didn’t know she was missing until we told her and now she’s taken on the mother of the year challenge.” Adam went on, “She’s threatened to have us removed from anything to do with the case, not keep us updated on any new information, things like that.”

  “Here’s my take on it, she can do what she wants. Priscilla is an adult and she is conscious and able to make her own decisions. If she doesn’t want her mother involved, then the mother won’t be involved. If at that point the mother chooses to use this time in Priscilla’s life to try and reemerge, then she has a problem of her own. I would gladly remove the woman from the hospital myself if she starts shit and causes this young woman any more pain.” Beth told him.

  “Thanks. Not meaning to get you involved just wanted to give you a heads up on what was going on. Okay, we are taking off right now to get to the hospital. We will see you there at some point.” He told her.

  Hanging up the phone, Beth had one task down, now she had to focus and gather her thoughts before taking on the second one. If she lost control of her mouth, she could damage more than just her career. There was nothing she wanted more than to hang this fucking prick. She wouldn’t jeopardize that over her choice of words or direct threats of physical violence. For the first time in a long time, Beth Tony had to map out every single thing that she wanted to say. Keeping things somewhat scripted was going to be the only thing to save her ass. In fact, she had thought about handing over her service weapon to a superior until she was through with this initial interview.

  She could see him in the back of the squad car. His hair a mess, he looked dirty. Presumably from trying to find Priscilla after her escape. She had witnessed the rise and fall of a once great cop. She watched him climb his way from a street beat all the way to star homicide detective. Her family had shared holidays with him for many years and he had been one of the first outsiders to hold her children when they were born. This man had become family as much as her blood family was. They worked closely together, spent more time together than she did with her own husband. She loved him as she would any of her family. This not only had angered her and made her sick, it had literally broken her heart. How would she be able to trust another partner again? She knew that not all cops were good, not all cops were bad, but he was evil incarnate.

  Finding herself being overcome with emotion she excused herself temporarily and went to her own vehicle. She sat down on the hood of the car, laid her hands in her head and did what any human being would do. She cried. There had been many cases over the years that had made her shed a tear, this one was different than all of those combined. This one was on a personal level. She knew that she probably shouldn’t have been on the case do to the intense emotional nature, but inside she knew that she could handle it. He had put her in a position the likes of which she had never seen. If someone told her two months ago that she was about to question her own partner for multiple homicides, she would have laughed at them.

  Now here she sat trying to make a coherent sentence and making the attempt at not killing someone herself. Recent events were enough to push anyone over the edge. If she was going to do this, she had to get it over with. She needed to be at the hospital to check on their victim and to check on Adam and Nina.

  Jumping off of the hood, she walked back over to the car. She asked the uniformed officer whose car Ward was in, if he could open the back door for her.

  “Yes Ma’am.” He replied as he lifted the handle on the outside of the door.

  Ward looked directly at Beth and smiled. “I could have got away with it if that disgusting bitch wouldn’t have shown up.”

  “How could you do this? What were you even thinking, Ward?” She questioned him, the steely glare of her eyes burning through him.

  “When you figure it out, you let me know. You’re the detective now, not me. Right?” He smirked.

  “You not only ruined your life you fucking idiot, you ruined three families and possibly still a fourth. You took their lives away for nothing. Nothing!” She was getting louder the longer she continued. She didn’t care.

  “Let me ask you this,” He said, “Why would you even defend this scum?”

  Beth could not control herself any longer. She laughed at him. In an almost maniacal manner. He had nerve enough to call them scum because they tried to survive in this harsh fucking world?

  “You aren’t in control any longer, you have lost the right to ask me questions.” She snapped.

  “I also do not have to answer your questions.” He said plainly, sounding something akin to bored.

  Looking at the uniformed officer she said, “Get him the hell out of here.”

  The officer closed the door, walked to the other side and slid into the driver’s seat. Within two minutes, Beth Tony watched as her former partner’s outline faded into the distance. She stood there in silence mourning the loss of a friendship and partnership while at the same time celebrating the arrest of a serial killer. It was a bad place to be emotionally, but she would have to learn to deal with it. Looking around at the nature around her she wondered to herself how people could be so cold. So cruel. Some things in this world she would never understand. This one she wanted answers to. She had a deep seated need to know why these women lost their lives at his hands.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Ignoring pretty much every traffic law known to the state, Adam sped across town toward the hospital. Nina had not stopped crying since they learned that Priscilla was indeed alive. Adam initially had cried but realized that he was going to have to drive. Not being able to see wouldn’t help either of them out right now. Driving Highway 1 at a high rate of speed during near peak morning traffic times was dangerous, he knew that, but he had to get to her. He was going to make sure she knew how much he loved her. They weren’t only words, he didn’t use those words and couldn’t remember the last time he had. He was sure that he was a child at the time.

  Nina was lost in her own thoughts and hadn’t said anything. She was going through tissue after tissue wiping away her tears. Nothing she did would make them stop. There was relief and pain and fear, anger that had built into a murderous rage. It encompassed her thoughts. She could kill that man. This was a man that any one of the girls, including Priscilla, would have willingly trusted and went with. Trying to see this through his eyes, she knew that is how he got each of them to go with him and not have a struggle. Except for Priscilla. She fought back, but Nina didn’t know what had taken place prior to her disappearance.

  Parking the car in the Emergency Room parking lot they noticed that the helipad was currently occupied by Life Flight. They also knew that very helicopter had recently transported their friend. Nina looked at Adam with questioning eyes but said nothing. There was no panic or extreme emotion that could take place inside these walls. Priscilla needed to know that they were strong for her.

  When they reached the registration desk Adam started to speak to the lady behind the glass window.

  “We’re here to see Priscilla Barnes, she was just brought in
by helicopter.” He told her.

  “Barnes? Give me one moment, sir.” She replied. “Sir, the doctors are with her right now. If you could take a seat and when she can have visitors I will let you know.”

  “Thank you. Oh, do you have any idea how she’s doing?” He asked. He was longing for answers that he knew she wouldn’t be able to give. He did so anyway, hoping against hope.

  “No, I don’t have any information at the moment. I can tell you that if she was brought in by Life Flight, it is very serious.” She said politely.

  “Thanks.” He mumbled as he walked away.

  All the joy that they felt momentarily had started to fade to the background. She had survived Ward, but would she survive the after effects or the injuries? What injuries did she sustain? Always questions. His brain was fried trying to find answers to everything and in light of the fact that she had been alive when she was brought in, he was terrified that it would claim her life as well.

  The two sat side by side in the waiting room, Nina picked up his hand and held it in his own. “You are a good man, Adam Linston. Priscilla is very lucky to have you.”

  “I’m not so sure she has me. I mean, she has me if she wants me, for the rest of my life, but I don’t think she wants that type of commitment. You know what I mean?” He asked her.

  “Yeah, I do. Don’t give up on her. She’s been through a lot and might need time to adjust to everything. Adam, she was stalked down and hunted. Terrorized. We don’t know what she’s going to feel.” Nina told him.

  “That is one thing that will never happen. I will never give up on her. If she needs time, then she can take all the time in the world. The only thing I don’t want to happen is that she builds up walls around herself and refuse to let anyone in.” He replied.

  Beth Tony made her way through the hospital doors and found both Adam and Nina sitting in the waiting room. “They won’t let you back?” She asked them.

  “No they said the doctors were with her. It’s been maybe a half hour or forty five minutes. Lost track of time.” Adam replied.

  “Give me a minute. I can go back, I need to try and speak to her anyway.” She told him.

  Approaching the window of the registration area, Beth spoke to the woman.

  “Hi, I need to see Priscilla Barnes. She was brought in maybe an hour ago by LifeFlight,” She said.

  “Ma’am, the doctors are with her right now, I am afraid you will have to wait.” The lady responded.

  Pulling out her badge and ID, she looked at the woman and said, “I am Det. Beth Tony, I’m here on a multiple homicide investigation. I need to see Priscilla Barnes, please.”

  Beth was polite and cordial to her, but the girl looked like she had been slapped in the face.

  “I’m sorry, one moment while I check with the staff.” She said.

  “Thank you.” Beth smiled.

  Instead of returning to her desk, the registration clerk opened the big double doors and asked her to follow her back to the room.

  Stopping outside of the obvious door, there was medical staff everywhere. Coming and going from the room, each of them with a job to do. She asked one of the passing nurses who the doctor in charge was. She needed to get as much information on Priscilla’s condition as she could. Both for her reports and for the two people waiting patiently outside.

  Dr. Randall Lyons walked out of the room and greeted Beth. “Hi, nice to meet you Detective. This woman was lucky to survive this. She has a couple extremely serious injuries.”

  “Nice to meet you too, Dr. Lyons. How is she holding up now?” She asked him.

  “She is stable right now. I think her prognosis at this point looks much better than it did upon her arrival. She was severely dehydrated and she had lost a lot of blood. There was a large laceration on her upper thigh as well as a puncture wound in her side.” He paused as Beth was writing frantically. “Once we had her cleaned up and irrigated the wounds, we were able to close both of them up. The combination of adding fluids and blood have helped her tremendously. Her stats are all fairly level and she looks better. I’ll say that she will be here for a couple days at least.”

  “Thank you for the update. I am so thankful that she survived this.” Beth said. It felt as if a weight had lifted off of her shoulders.

  “Is there any way that I can see her? I have to try and ask her a few questions.” She asked.

  “Yes, but please, if possible, be brief. She’s been through a lot and the best thing for her is rest.” Dr. Lyons told her.

  “I won’t take up much of her time.” She agreed.

  Using her hand to push back the curtain that enclosed the room, Beth smiled at the woman lying in the bed before her. She could still use a shower, but she was cleaned up and had some color back to her skin. The weariness wore on her expression though and her eyes were still distant.

  “Detective Tony.” She whispered.

  “Hush, don’t try to speak. I’ve got some questions to ask you if you feel up to it, but I will ask them in a yes or no fashion.” She told her. “Do you remember who took you out of your car?”

  Shaking her head, she replied with a no. “Did you ever see who had taken you from your car?” She shook her head yes and then no. Beth was confused.

  “I could see his shadow figure. He was the man from Adam’s parties. Watching me.” She managed to get out. It was then that realization dawned on her. “Adam.” She tried to call for him.

  “I’ll get Adam when the nurses let them come back. They are in the waiting room right now. Both he and Nina have been worried sick about you. Close your eyes and try to rest. They’ll be back before you know it.” Beth assured her.

  As Priscilla closed her eyes, Beth started to write in her tablet. She had only recently gotten used to using it instead of a notebook. It was more of a chore for her honestly. The time it took to unlock the screen or power it on, she could already have half of a page written in her notebook. As she was typing out her questions and answers, she looked at the woman now sleeping in the bed. “How do people get past something like this?” She wondered to herself. This woman had endured so much in such a short period of time. She had lost coworkers and friends, she almost lost her own life. No amount of life skills would prepare anyone to have the capabilities to deal with this.

  She had to hurry so she could get out to the waiting room and see about Adam and Nina being able to come back. The activity had slowed down and she was comfortable and resting. Beth didn’t see any reason why the two could be here with her. Obviously she had been alone for long enough. “You aren’t a doctor or a nurse, what do you know?” She questioned her own sanity at times. Walking the few feet to the nurse’s station she asked the young lady there, “Would it be alright if I brought a couple people back to see Ms. Barnes? Under the circumstances I think it would do her wonders to see people she cares about.”

  “Let me check with the charge nurse, Detective.” She said politely.

  While she waited for the girl to return, she stood looking into the room. Her thoughts playing over the events of the last couple of months. From the moment they had received the call about the first homicide until this very moment. She had always questioned something about this case. There were her instincts telling her that somehow someone who was involved with law enforcement was also involved in the crimes. She should have followed those instincts and started to look at other avenues sooner than she did. It made her question her own ability as a detective. Every case would have those questions to some degree, but this time it was different. It was burning her up trying to find something she could have changed. Would it have made a difference for at least three of the girls involved? Unfortunately, she would not have been able to help Zena Wilkins, the others might have had a different outcome if she had put more thought into it.

  “Her nurse said that it would be fine if they came back. No more than two at a time, not counting yourself Detective.” She smiled at Beth.

  “Thank you.” Beth retu
rned. She walked away shaking her head. These people that were perpetually happy and always smiling in the face of adversity made her ill in a way. Although it would be nice to be able to live life that way, it wasn’t in her job description. She had become jaded to many things. Happiness at every corner didn’t exist in Beth Tony’s world.

  Opening the double doors that divided the waiting room from the treatment area but not allowing them to close, she called for Adam and Nina. The pair almost jumped from their seats at the mention of their names. When they had crossed through and the doors closed behind them, the clean antiseptic smell of the hospital shrouded their nostrils. It was an odor that was instantaneously recognizable. Every hospital had the same odor.

  “She’s doing much better than when she arrived. Still, she is banged up and has some pretty serious injuries. Before I left she had fallen asleep and the doctor is right, the best thing for her body now, is rest.” Beth told them.

  Nina’s eyes again began to glaze over with tears. “These are happy tears.” She cried. Adam smiled at her only to hide the tears forming in his own eyes.

  Beth took them to her room and opened the curtain. She was still sleeping and for the first time since she had been found, looked peaceful. Adam immediately went to her side and gently lifted her hand. It fit perfectly inside his. Closing his fingers around it he squeezed. “I’m here Priscilla. I won’t ever leave you.” He told her.