by Ann Mullen
She disconnected.
I called the sheriff and got his voice mail, so I called Captain Trainum, hoping he might know why the sheriff wasn’t answering his calls, or where he was. I thought they might be together. If Trainum didn’t know, I was going to ask him if he could handle the problem. Sheriff Hudson had once told me the neighboring police departments worked together, so there shouldn’t be any reason why Trainum couldn’t help me out.
“He’s standing right next to me, Jesse, here, talk to him.”
“What is it, Jesse?”
“Did you forget something… like telling your deputies that my mother was coming in with the coke? She’s fit to be tied. Your guys threw Shark in a cell.”
“Why did my deputy put Shark in a cell? There’re no outstanding warrants on him.”
“Well… Shark did come in fully loaded, if you know what I mean, and I think he spooked Deputy Doolittle. Mom said your deputy got in Shark’s face, and Shark may have bumped him, but he didn’t push him like the deputy said. Mom saw the whole thing, and that’s her account of what happened. Your deputy overreacted.”
“If it isn’t one thing or another with your family. How could such a simple act turn into such chaos?” Sheriff Hudson was silent for a second. “Tell your mother I’ll take care of it immediately and that I apologize. I forgot to call my guys. I’m so sorry.”
“I thought you might be at the hospital and had your phone turned off.”
“That rule doesn’t apply to us. We don’t ever turn our phones off.”
“So… why are you at the hospital? Stone didn’t escape, did she?”
“I’ll make the call, Jesse, but I have to go now. I have important business to handle.”
“One more thing before you hang up, Sheriff. You need to check your cell phone. It keeps going straight to voice mail.”
“Darn.”
“You rat. You’ve been screening my calls. That’s not a good idea, Sheriff Hudson. You never know when it could be important… like it is now.”
“Jesse, with you, everything’s important. I told you I’d take care of it, and I will.” He ended the call.
I looked up at Helene. “He disconnected without even saying goodbye.”
“I wonder why, Jesse. You and Billy have been a thorn in his side ever since you met. We all have to some degree. No wonder he screens your calls.”
“One day something’s going to happen, and he’ll wish he hadn’t screened my call. Then he’ll really be sorry, but by then, it’ll be too late. Mark my word.”
My cell phone rang, and it was Mom saying they were on their way home. Sheriff Hudson had fixed the problem, and the deputy was going to get a stern lecture for his unacceptable behavior. She was content. She asked the sheriff not to be too hard on the young guy. He was still learning.
When I managed to get a word in, I told her about Savannah, and about finding the wine bottle in Gavin Preston’s car. She had no response to the wine bottle, but she was thrilled to hear about Savannah.
“Change of plans.” She was talking to Eddie. “We’re going to the hospital. Savannah’s going to be all right, and I want to see her. Look Jesse, I need to hang up, so I can call Shark and tell him we’re going to UVA Hospital. I think he’s still a little ticked off at that deputy. He’s driving so fast, it’s all Eddie can do to keep up with him.”
“Shark might have other obligations, Mom. His job was to get you there and back in one piece.”
“He doesn’t have to go with us. He can…”
“Yes, he does. His job isn’t over until you’re safely back at home. I guess you could call him your bodyguard on a mission.”
Mom liked the idea of having a bodyguard—especially someone like Shark. She started to go into a tribute to the man, but I had to cut her off. “Mom, you need to call Shark. We can talk when you get home. Go to the hospital if Shark says it’s okay. He won’t let you go without him, so do what he tells you.”
When Mom said goodbye, I knew her next stop would be the hospital. Shark, a force of a man to be reckoned with, had a soft spot in his heart for Mom… so they were going where she wanted to go.
“That was fast. Sheriff must’ve gotten on the horn the minute after he hung up on me.”
“I guess he’s scared of your mama, too.”
“No, he’s not. He respects her. Too bad he doesn’t respect me. Oh, well… I’m going to check on Ethan, and then see if Billy has made any progress with Maisy’s computer. I’m sure he has.”
I walked down the hall and looked in on Ethan, who was enjoying a peaceful slumber, and then went to Maisy’s room. I stood by the door and watched as the two of them laughed and carried on the way a father and daughter should every chance they get.
Maisy looked up when she saw me standing at the door. “Dad fixed it, Mom. It had a worm.” She looked back at Billy and giggled.
“A worm, huh? Did it eat up your hard drive?”
Maisy giggled again. “No, Dad killed it.”
“Yeah, we had a problem when the lightning started back up. The wireless reception was erratic, but I managed to save the day.” He kissed Maisy on the head. “Okay, I’m done here, unless you need more of my expertise.”
“No, I’m good for now, Dad. Thanks for the help. I need to get back on Facebook. My friend Julie said she was going to post a pic of her brother. I want to check him out.”
Billy got up and walked over to me. “I’m not even going to ask.” He rolled his eyes. “Did I miss anything in the last hour?”
I filled him in. “There’s no telling when Mom and Eddie will get back. You know she’s going to stay at the hospital as long as they’ll let her, and Eddie will do whatever she wants. That’s okay. She has her bodyguard, Shark, there to protect her.”
Billy chuckled. “Shark isn’t fond of hospitals.”
“Yeah, but he’s fond of my mother. Who isn’t?”
The thunder and lightning had slowly moved out again, but the snow continued to fall, carrying with it strong winds that whipped through the trees, bending them with their gusts, and blowing snow everywhere. The temperature gauge on the kitchen windowsill read ten degrees. The snow would remain until the temperature rose, which could be a while.
Because of the weather, Billy and I decided to stay home and hang out with our kids, something we didn’t get to do as much as we’d like. Our job kept us on the go, so when we got a chance to be with them, we took it. I wasn’t the best when it came to playing games, but I was good at watching TV. It was safe here, and unless something major arose, we weren’t going anywhere. The cops had Dakota, and all was well… until Mom called an hour later. She was crying so hard, she couldn’t talk. Shark came on the phone and said, “Jesse, you need to come to the hospital. Eddie had a heart attack, and your mom’s hysterical. I tried to calm her down, but it’s not working. She needs you.”
“I’ll be right there.” I disconnected and told Billy to grab his coat. “We gotta go to the hospital. Eddie had a heart attack.” I looked at Helene. “I’ll call you when we find out how he’s doing. You know the drill. Keep the doors locked.”
I grabbed my coat and purse while Billy set the alarm.
All the way to the hospital, I kept asking myself what else could possibly go wrong. Right when everything seemed to be going well, something else would happen to upset our lives. With us, the action never seemed to stop.
When Billy and I first got together, being a P.I. was fun, exciting, and adventurous, but now, it had become scary and dangerous. Our cases always seemed to find a way into our private life, our home, our family. The fun had worn thin a while ago, and the danger had grown too vast. Had I gotten old, or had reality finally set in?
An event was about to unfold that would put my doubts to rest. Danger had arrived, and it was knocking on our door.
Chapter 15
Eddie was in the ER at UVA Hospital, and the doctors were still running tests on him when we got there. Mom was standing in the hallway,
waiting to hear something, her eyes red and teary. Shark stood by her side, his big arm wrapped around her tiny shoulders.
“I don’t know what happened. One minute he was fine, and the next, he was on the floor clutching his chest. Oh, Jesse, he can’t die. He just can’t! I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“He’s going to be fine, Mom. I’m sure. He’s getting the best care possible. The doctors know what they’re doing. He’ll be sitting up smiling at you in no time.”
“You think so, Jesse? You think he’ll be all right?”
“I’m sure he will. Let’s go sit in the waiting room, Mom. There’s nothing you can do until the doctor finishes. By then, we’ll know more about Eddie’s condition and what they’re going to do to fix it.”
I wasn’t sure about anything, but I wasn’t about to tell my mother that. She was already worried out of her mind, and I wasn’t going to add to her worries by saying I had no idea what was going to happen to Eddie. She needed my encouragement, so I stood by her side, and kept my fingers crossed.
We sat in the waiting area as the minutes slowly ticked by. An hour passed, and we were still waiting as other patients came and went. There wasn’t as much chaos as there was earlier today, so when I noticed the police scrounging the hallways, I asked Billy if something was happening.
“Look, Billy, the cops are everywhere. What’s going on? They act like they’re searching for someone. Maybe there’s a patient on the loose. As big as this hospital is, I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost someone.”
“I think calling in the cops would be a last resort… unless the patient that’s missing was one who was in custody and had escaped.”
We glared at each other.
“You don’t think Dakota Stone escaped, do you? I mean, she’s handcuffed to the bed. How could she get loose?”
Billy shook his head. “Nah, it’s not her. There’s no way she could’ve gotten out of those cuffs. Not unless she’s Houdini. It’s probably nothing, Jesse. The hospital’s always busy and it’s not unusual to see a lot of cops hanging around, filling out reports or the like.”
“Look over there, Billy.” I pointed to the entrance. The cops are checking everyone out as they leave. I’m telling you, something’s going on. I have a bad feeling about this.”
Shark stood. “I’ll check around. See what all the fuss is.” He walked down the hall, turned the corner, and then disappeared. A few minutes later, he returned. “Some kid wandered off from his mother, but they found him.”
Mom dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “That explains why there’re so many cops here. When a child goes missing, they jump right on it. When little kids get lost, they can’t find their way back like adults can. They might’ve thought the child had been abducted.”
Finally, after waiting for almost two hours, an intern walked out of the ER and called Mom’s last name. He talked and looked at his laptop at the same time. “Mr. Wilson had an anxiety attack, but he’s going to be fine. He’s been given a mild sedative, and Dr. Bryant has written a prescription for Diazepam. Your husband has the paperwork. Please make sure he reads and follows the instructions. If you have any questions, call your family physician, or if his symptoms worsen, bring him back to the hospital.”
“You’re sure he didn’t have a heart attack? He had really bad chest pains.”
“An anxiety attack mimics a heart attack in some cases. You were right to bring him to the hospital. Chest pain shouldn’t be ignored. Mr. Wilson should be out shortly.” The intern turned and walked back through the ER doors.
“Well, I was going to tell him we were already here when it happened, but he didn’t give me a chance. I guess it really doesn’t matter as long…”
The ER doors swung open and Eddie walked out, carrying a hand full of folded up paperwork. Mom ran up and threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re all right. I was worried sick. I thought you were going to die.”
“I feel so silly.”
I walked over and hugged Eddie. “No, no, don’t say that. There’s nothing silly about chest pain. Mom thought you were having a heart attack. I’m just glad you were already at the hospital.” I smiled, and then winked at Eddie. “If you fall out in the hospital, there’s no waiting line.”
Mom grinned. “That’s true. You should’ve seen how fast they reacted when Eddie went down. I said he had chest pain, and before you know it, they had him up on a stretcher and were pushing him down the hall. I don’t know why they wouldn’t let me go with him.”
Billy touched Mom’s hand. “Chest pain isn’t like getting a cut stitched up, Minnie. Something could go wrong, and you’d just be in the way. No offense, but family members have a tendency to get loony when they think their loved one is going to die. See, if you got all crazy on them, they’d have to sedate you, and that would take time away from their patient. It’s a good policy.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right, Billy. I never thought of it that way.” She looked back at Eddie. “You ready to go? I know I am”
“What about Savannah? I thought you wanted to see her.” Eddie took her hand. “I’m doing good. It wasn’t a heart attack, and the doctor said I’m fit as a fiddle, so if you want to go see her, I’m willing.” He chuckled. “We’re already here.”
Mom glanced around at us with a questioning look on her face.
Shark walked over and smiled down at Mom. “If you want to go see your friend and Eddie feels up to it, I’ll go with you, Minnie. It’s the least I can do before hitting the road. My job here is almost done. They got that bad woman locked up, and everybody’s safe now. This one’s over, and you won’t need me much longer.”
“I’ll hate to see you leave, Shark.” Eddie held out his hand. “I liked having you around. It’s been interesting, to say the least. Oh, and thanks for being there when we needed you. You’ve been a big comfort to Minnie throughout all this, and I’m not just talking about what happened to me here.” He leaned over and whispered. “I think she has a crush on you, but that’s okay. I know who she really loves.”
It was nice to see two men joke and carry on over my mom. The attention was just what she needed. The stress lines faded from her face, and the laugh lines took their rightful place.
“Well, he’s not leaving yet, Eddie. You act as if he’s leaving right this minute and this is goodbye.” Mom looked back at Shark. “You ready to take us to see Savannah?”
“Your wish is my command.”
Mom took the papers from Eddie and handed them to me. “Would you get Eddie’s prescription filled? He’ll probably need one when we get home. We use the Wal-Mart pharmacy.”
“Sure, I’ll take care of it, Mom. You said home. Does that mean you’re going back to your house or our house?”
“Our house is your house.” She beamed as she grabbed Eddie and Shark by the hand and walked off. She glanced back and said, “See you later, alligator.”
Billy and I hugged each other, smiling about how easily Mom could bounce back, change her tune, and then take control of the situation.
“She’s a keeper.”
“Yes, she is. I would say she’s come out of her shell since we all hooked up with the Blackhawks, but the truth is, I don’t think she ever was in a shell. She’s just been reserved about her actions. She and my father never experienced the kind of life she’s living now. Situations change and I think she’s done a fine job of keeping up with the changes. Well… shall we go home, or see if we can get in to see Dakota?”
“Like Eddie told your mother—we’re already here. Let’s give it a shot. We got nothing to lose. Besides, we know what floor she’s on. All we have to do is snoop around to find her room.”
I knew something was wrong the minute we stepped out of the elevator and saw Sheriff Hudson and Captain Trainum standing in the hallway, surrounded by their men.
“Oh, my God! She’s escaped, Billy!” I started walking towards them in a hurry. “She’s gone, isn’t she? You said you had everything under c
ontrol, but now she’s gone.”
Three deputies stepped out in front of us, stopping our approach, and then one of them said, “You can’t be here. You’re going to have to leave.”
Waving his men off, Sheriff Hudson walked over. Captain Trainum followed.
“Go home, Billy. We’ll find her. There’s no way she could’ve gotten out of the hospital. Our guys are stationed at every entrance and exit. They have been since last night. She’s not leaving this hospital.”
Captain Trainum added his input. “This is a matter for the police. There’s nothing you can do, so let us do our job. Do what the sheriff said and go home.”
“She got out of her handcuffs!” I was furious. “You let her slip through your fingers, and now she’s gone. How long has it been?”
“That’s not important.”
“It most certainly is! How long?”
“About two hours.”
I looked at Billy. “Two hours! Oh, Lord, she’s been gone for two hours! She could be anywhere by now. You know where she’s headed, Billy. She’s going to our house. She blames me for Olivia Swales’ death and wants revenge, and she’s not running until she gets it.” I looked back at the sheriff. “How did she get out of the handcuffs?”
“I can’t discuss this with you right now, Jesse. Just go home.”
“Did one of your men help her? Is that how she escaped? Did she pick the cuffs with a hairpin? What? I want to know!”
“If you must know, the deputy took the cuffs off so she could use the bathroom, and when she came out, she grabbed the telephone and hit him over the head.”
“Who was the deputy? I want to know who to blame after she kills one of us.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It wasn’t his fault. He was just doing his job.”
“You actually think she’s still in the hospital somewhere? You’re nuts. She’s gone. If I were her, the first thing I’d do would be to find the locker room, break into a locker, and steal some clothes and car keys.”
Sheriff Hudson glared at me. “We checked the locker room. No one is missing anything.”
