She brought up his data, saw all the times he'd been near her home, then found the day of Millie's murder. Gabe's had been the car the neighbors saw in front of her house.
Sophia dialed 911. When the operator answered, she said, "This is Sophia Burgess. I was kidnapped. I got loose. I'm not sure where I am, but the location services are turned on for this phone. The map says I'm about a block east of Coral Springs Drive on Wiles. I'm in the garage of an auto repair place."
"Keep the phone on, Sophia. We'll have someone there in minutes."
"Send an ambulance, too, please. I shot the son of a bitch."
"How badly injured is he?"
"I think the bullet hit the femoral artery. I put a tourniquet on. He's conscious and talking—and not at all happy."
Five minutes later, she heard glass shattering and assumed it was the front window of the shop. Why hadn't she thought to escape the garage? The frame around the door on the far side of the garage shattered, and the door burst open. The first man in, bless his soul, was Ray.
While the men behind him swarmed into the space, most of them heading to the storage room, Ray enclosed her in his arms.
"Sophie, Sophie, I was so scared I'd lose you. I love you."
They hugged and kissed, their tears mixing as they ran down their faces.
CHAPTER 37
Sophia
The doctor urged her to stay the night in the ED for observation because of her concussion.
Gabe was in the next treatment room. On and off though the night, as she held tightly to Ray's hand, she listened to snips of conversation about Gabe's situation.
Around nine in the morning, a voice she recognized as Deg's said, "Gabriel Silebi, I'm arresting you for the murder of Millie Peers, Lorraine Hoffman, the attempted murder of Ralph Hoffman, and the kidnapping of Sophia Burgess. Just so you know, other charges will be added as we go along."
"I didn't do those things."
"You have the right . . ."
Sophia quit listening as Deg recited the revised Miranda warning. She suspected Gabe did as well.
Gabe said, "I'm bleeding. I need my surgery."
A female voice she recognized as belonging to her friend and co-worker Alice replied, "Sir, the bleeding is under control, the artery was only nicked, and the surgeon is on his way to the hospital." She sounded annoyed. "He'll take you to the operating room and repair the damage."
"It hurts. I want pain medicine."
"When the detective is done speaking with you, I'll get you a shot." Alice sounded cold.
She smiled while thinking Alice saved her legendary kindness for people who didn't hurt her friends.
"I want my lawyer."
Gabe was demanding to the end. Sophia doubted he'd get his way so often in prison.
"You can have one after your surgery." She heard Deg's heavy footfalls, then he entered her room.
"I heard what you're charging him with," she said, feeling pleased. It was finally over. "I know he was in the area when Millie died, I saw it on his phone."
"We turned it over to Farber, and he confirmed what you found," Deg said. "Gabe was also at the hospital multiple times. He was your stalker, too."
"Did you find the information from Farber I left on your desk?" Ray said.
"The one where he poked around in Millie's computer again and found the letter threatening to report Dyer to the state and demanding the return of her funds?"
"Yup," Ray said.
"Something bothered Farber about the organization of her files, so he went through them again."
"Good man."
"The other thing in that letter," Deg said, "was a statement saying Gabe was Dyer's henchman. Millie wrote she would be including that in her call to the state as well."
"Did you find anything that ties Gabe to Millie's murder, beyond the letters and the phone?" Ray said.
"We found the murder weapon in the trunk of his car." Deg looked at me. "You weren't hit with a gun, you were hit with a pipe wrench. We found dark hair like yours in the wheel mechanism along with gray hair like Millie's. The lab will need to work on it. I suspect they'll find two blood types."
Sophia had to ask. "Is there more evidence of Gabe's assaults on his grandparents?"
"Yes and no." Ray said. "While I was off your case, Deg talked to Franco again. He swore he was the guilty party. Then Melinda came into the department. She wanted to visit Franco, which I allowed. She came back and told me Gabe was at fault in both cases. She took the blame, saying she had somehow convinced Gabe that image was everything. In her son's mind, having debilitated grandparents in the home was embarrassing, and he had no patience with them. Both she and Franco were there when the old folks went down the stairs. They even got together and agreed on the story that Ralph pushed Lorraine while trying to help her, then he fell down himself."
Sophia held Ray's hand tighter. "What's going to happen to Franco and Melinda?"
"We don't have that tied up at the moment. We can make a case that they covered up for Gabe murdering his grandmother and attempting to do the same to Ralph. Ultimately, it will be up to the state attorney to decide on charges."
"And Dyer?"
"Even getting hit in the head doesn't stop your curiosity. Thank God it didn't kill you like the proverbial cat." Ray laughed and kissed her forehead.
Deg's expression was serious. "We believe Dyer put Gabe up to breaking into Millie's house and destroying the original of that incriminating letter. Perhaps she caught him in the act. Perhaps he intended to kill her, given he had a pipe wrench with him. Last night, Gabe claimed Dyer sent him to Millie's house with orders to do whatever was necessary. I talked to the state attorney earlier, and he agreed to take the death penalty out of consideration if Gabe testifies against Dyer. We have Dyer on conspiracy to commit murder and on charges related to the Ponzi scheme."
Ray and Deg discussed the details, and Sophia's thoughts focused on the future and, maybe, happier times.
When Deg left, she said, "Ray, remember telling me you wanted to move in and make us forever."
"Of course, I do. I love you." He helped her sit on the side of the stretcher.
"I could have done that myself."
He wrapped his arms around her. "You were saying?"
"I love you, too. You know I do. Move in, please. Life is too short to be apart." She sought his mouth and sealed her intentions with a kiss.
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gregg E. Brickman was born in North Dakota. She migrated to Florida and completed her education, embarking on a varied career in clinical, administrative, and academic nursing.
Gregg has been active in MWA since 1999. She co-chaired SleuthFest in 2001, coordinated the moderators for several years, served on various committees, and was the Florida chapter treasurer and photographer in 2014 and 2015. She has also been an active speaker in the community, attending book fairs, signings, and other events.
Credits include Imperfect Defense, Illegal Intent, She Learned to Die, Plan to Kill, Imperfect Daddy, Imperfect Contract, Illegally Dead, Chapter 14 of Naked Came the Flamingo, a Murder on the Beach progressive novella edited by Barbara Parker and Joan Mickelson, and On the Edge, a short story [MiamiARTzine.com]. The Writers' Network of South Florida recognized On the Edge among the finalists in their Seventh Annual Short Story Contest.
Imperfect Defense Page 24
