Текст книги "Malevolent"

Автор книги: Jana Deleon

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-One

Emma awakened to the sound of commotion in the break room. So many voices, and all of them talking at once. It sounded more like a college dorm room than a hospital. She pushed herself up a bit, trying to make out the muddled words. Her head felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. She looked at her watch and blinked several times, trying to focus on the time. Damned sleeping pill.

Six a.m.

Too early for the day shift. So why all the racket? She struggled up to a sitting position and frowned. The noise level was that of a party, but the tone of the voices was all wrong—high-pitched and strained. Something was wrong.

The door opened and Clara stuck her head inside. “You’re awake?”

“Sorta. What’s going on out there?”

“Give me a minute.” Clara closed the door and Emma heard her giving orders to the staff.

Orders that included the police?

Emma stiffened. Surely she’d heard wrong. The medicine was messing everything up. A second later, Clara came into the room, and one look at the senior nurse’s face and Emma knew something was horribly wrong.

“What happened?”

“Someone attacked Miss Melody last night.”

“Oh no! Is she all right?”

“She’s still unconscious but stable.”

“Thank God. Who attacked her? How did he get in?”

“He killed one of the paramedics and took his shirt.”

Emma sucked in a breath, her head spinning. “He killed a…oh my God. Why would anyone want to hurt Melody?”

Clara shook her head. “The police are questioning everyone on shift last night but they’re not giving out any information.”

“Do you know anything about her?”

“Personal you mean?”

Emma nodded.

“What little bit I know I told the police. I know she’s got money. Her clothes are tailor-made and the jewelry she was wearing when they brought her in isn’t the kind you buy from a case. She was arguing with someone on the phone this morning about money. When I told her not to take calls that upset her, she told me her nephew was the most useless human God had ever created.”

“You think he tried to kill her to get her money?”

“I’d hate to think it, but it happens more and more these days.”

“That’s awful. I can’t believe it.”

“It’s hard to. I mean, you hear such things on the news but you never really think…” Clara looked at Emma. “But then, you know that better than most of us.” She gave Emma’s shoulder a squeeze. “I’ve got to make rounds. Why don’t you try to get another couple hours?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Emma said but she knew there was no way in hell she’d be able to sleep after what Clara had told her. She’d slept here thinking it was safe. She had no doubt Melody had felt the same, but look what had happened. If someone killed a paramedic just to get his hands on Melody’s money, there was no reason her stalker couldn’t do the same.

A chill ran through her and she crossed her arms across her chest. She’d even taken a sleeping pill. Stupid! She couldn’t remember lying down, much less anything that had happened while she was asleep. Not a single noise or movement. Not even a dream. She may as well have been under anesthesia.

She reached for the lamp next to the bed and turned the switch on, the small light casting a decent glow across the room. She threw the covers off her legs and felt something slip on her finger. She lifted her left hand and barely managed to cover her mouth with her right hand before she screamed.

The wedding band that had once fit perfectly sat loosely on her now-thinner ring finger. It glittered in the lamplight, mocking her with every glint.

She bolted from the bed and ran into the attached bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before retching. Over and over she heaved, until her chest and back ached. Finally, she yanked the ring off and dropped it into the toilet, then flushed it away. Her finger still tingled from where the ring had rested as if saying no matter what she did, she couldn’t erase her past.

She jumped up from the floor and hurried to the sink. The medicine cabinet next to it contained basic bathroom supplies. Fumbling through the items, she located a wire brush and alcohol. She poured the alcohol onto her hand and began scrubbing.

“I have to make it go away,” she said as she ran the wire back and forth and around her finger.

She didn’t even stop when it started bleeding.

###

Shaye burst into the emergency room and rushed up to the reception desk. “I’m looking for Clara Mandeville.”

“I’m sorry, but Ms. Mandeville can’t be disturbed.” The young woman looked completely rattled.

“My name is Shaye Archer. Ms. Mandeville asked me to come.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “Oh, Ms. Archer. Yes!” She grabbed the phone and spoke to someone, then hung up. “Ms. Mandeville is in intensive care room seven. Down the hallway and to the right.”

“Thank you,” Shaye said as she rushed through the doors and down the hall. Clara had refused to give Shaye details with her early-morning phone call. She’d simply said that Shaye needed to get to the hospital right away. That Emma needed her. The cop cars in the parking lot hadn’t done anything to decrease her fear.

The only redeeming part was that if Emma needed her, then that meant she was alive. At least, Shaye assumed that meant Emma was alive. But what if the worst had happened and Clara didn’t want to tell her over the phone? She’d literally pulled on clothes as she ran out of Corrine’s house. Her mother was still asleep, thank goodness, and the housekeeper assured Shaye she’d keep watch on her until Eleonore arrived. Then Shaye had broken at least ten major traffic laws on the drive over.

She skidded around the corner to the critical care hall and burst into room seven. Emma sat on the edge of a hospital bed, Clara standing in front of her, wrapping her hand. Another nurse held a tray with bandages.

“Are you all right?” Shaye asked as she walked up. “What happened? Why are the police here?”

Emma stared at the wall in front of them, not even acknowledging Shaye’s presence. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her skin was pale and she looked several years older than she had the day before. Clara motioned to the nurse to finish wrapping Emma’s hand and headed out of the room and across the hall to a vacant room.

As soon as she closed the door behind them, Clara gripped Shaye’s shoulders and looked her up and down. “It is so good to see you, child. It’s been too long.”

Shaye nodded, but couldn’t meet Clara’s gaze. She’d always had good intentions of visiting Clara, but she’d spent so much time in the hospital, and all of it associated with negative things. She’d wanted to put it all behind her, and unfortunately, Clara had gotten lumped in with that part of her life. “I wanted to visit you but…”

“Oh honey, I understand. Sometimes a person’s got to pick a day to start their life over and never look back. I did it once myself and never regretted it for a moment. I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished, and I’m glad you’re helping Emma.”

Shaye sniffed. “Thank you. It means a lot. Really.”

Clara nodded. “It was a bad one here last night.”

“What happened?”

“A man killed a paramedic outside and stole his uniform to get in here. He suffocated another patient.”

“Oh my God. Is the patient all right?”

“She’s been unconscious but she’s starting to stir. We won’t know the extent of the damage, if any, until later.”

“What does this have to do with Emma? Why is she in shock?”

“At first, I didn’t think it had anything to do with Emma. The patient is a wealthy woman who recently cut a lazy nephew off the money train. I figured it was him behind it. Then I went back to the break room to check on Emma and that’s when I found her scrubbing her knuckles. When I tried to get her to stop, she took a swipe at me. Said she had to get the evil off.”

“The evil?”

“Took me a while to get it out of her. That man…if you can even call him that, killed that paramedic and suffocated that poor old lady to get at Emma.”

“How can you be sure?”

“For starters, the paramedic’s eyes were cut out. Jeremy didn’t see the face when we found Drew, but when the police told him about it this morning when they questioned us, he flipped and told them about the mice.”

Shaye’s hand involuntarily flew up to cover her mouth.

“Soon as I heard that, I hustled back to the break room, and that’s when Emma told me about the ring.” Clara looked visibly ill.

“What ring?”

“When Emma woke up this morning, she was wearing her wedding band. The one she swore she’d thrown away.”

She had to get the evil off.

“Oh my God.” Shaye’s stomach rolled. “She thought she’d be safe here.”

“Everyone thought she’d be safe here. How could anyone predict something like this? Even if someone had suggested it, no one would have believed it could happen.”

“Did Emma talk to the police?”

Clara nodded. “She came around enough to talk to them, and she managed to get the story out. It was when she found out about the paramedic that she went over the edge again.”

“Do they believe her now?”

“They seemed a bit skeptical, but with a dead paramedic, a patient who was attacked, and Jeremy’s story of the mice, they seemed to come around. It probably would have been better if Emma hadn’t flushed the ring, but I understand why she did. She told them about you, too. When they find out you’re here, they’re going to want to talk to you. I just figured you’d want to know what you were walking into.”

“Yes. Thank you.” Shaye blew out a breath. “What the hell is wrong with this guy?”

Clara shook her head. “I wish I knew. Maybe it’s as simple as what Emma said—evil.”

The door swung open and both of them jumped. Emma stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Color had flooded back into her skin, and instead of looking spaced out, Emma looked angry. “You said you could help me with my car situation?” she asked Shaye.

“Yes. I think so, but—”

“Can we do it now?” Emma asked. “I mean right now?”

“You can’t leave the hospital right now,” Clara said. “The police may need something and that…that thing is out there somewhere.”

“That’s exactly why I’ve got to leave,” Emma said. “Not just the hospital. I’m leaving New Orleans. And I want to do it as soon as possible.”

“But the police believe you now,” Shaye said. “They’ll be looking for Ron.”

Clara’s eyes widened. “You know who did this?”

“I have a damned good idea,” Shaye said.

“What makes you think they’ll find him?” Emma asked. “He killed a man last night and almost killed a patient, just to put that piece of gold on my hand. He’ll do anything. And there’s nothing anyone can do to stop him. I won’t be safe until he’s dead, not really. But the closest I can come is disappearing.”

Shaye couldn’t argue with her. The best thing Emma could do was leave New Orleans and do everything possible to cover her tracks. Without the benefit of the GPS tracking device that Shaye was fairly certain was on Emma’s car, Ron would have no way to locate her short of searching the medical facilities in every city across the United States.

“Okay,” Shaye said. “I’ll call my friend and ask him to meet us right now. Go get your things.”

“Thank you,” Emma said and hurried out of the room.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Clara asked.

“Not entirely,” Shaye said, “but in this case, yes. I’m pretty sure the stalker put a GPS tracker on Emma’s car. That’s how he’s been able to locate her even when she changed hotels.”

“So she needs a new car, but it’s Sunday.”

“The friend I’m calling owns a used car lot and he owes me.”

The “friend” was actually a former client at her previous job. While investigating him for insurance fraud, she’d discovered that his employees were the ones ripping off the insurance companies. He’d told her that any time she needed a favor involving automobiles, he would take care of it. She planned on holding him to his word.

Clara nodded. “I see what you’re thinking.”

“Yeah, it’s all good except for the part where the police are going to have a stroke when they find out Emma left with me.”

“I’ll handle them. You just get Emma out of New Orleans.”

“Absolutely.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Emma clutched the keys to her slightly used SUV and looked at Shaye. “I don’t even know how to begin to thank you.”

“No thanks are necessary. I’m glad I could help.”

Emma glanced back at the car lot owner, who was staring at the SUV, a rueful look on his face. “I’m not so sure he is.”

“Oh, I’ll bet he’s not losing any money. He’s just not making any. I was thinking I could pick up your stuff at the hotel and meet you somewhere.”

Emma was about to agree when her phone rang. She checked the display and frowned. “It’s Mr. Abshire.”

“Your nosy next-door neighbor?”

“Yeah.” She answered the call and knew right away that something was wrong.

“Are you at home?” he asked, his voice elevated several octaves. “I knocked and knocked but you didn’t answer.”

“No, I’m not. What’s wrong?”

“The street’s full of police cars. They were in Mrs. Pearson’s house, then they came to yours. When you didn’t answer, they came to mine, asking if I knew where you were.”

“They didn’t tell you what’s happening?”

“No. But I think you should come home.”

Emma clutched the phone. It wasn’t her home. Not anymore, but she’d never heard Henry sound so stressed. “Okay. I’m on my way.”

She slipped the phone back into her pocket and told Shaye what Henry had said.

Shaye frowned. “I don’t like it.”

“I don’t either, but if the street’s full of cops, like Henry says, then nothing can happen, right?”

“I guess not, but I’m going with you. I’ll be right behind you.”

Relief coursed through Emma. “Thank God.”

A million thoughts ran through Emma’s mind as she drove to Algiers Point. Why had the police been inside Mrs. Pearson’s house? Had she been robbed? But if that were the case, why wouldn’t they tell Henry? Why fix on her? And why all the secrecy?

By the time she pulled down her street, she’d convinced herself that Henry was probably overreacting. He was always fretting about, getting dramatic over the way people parked and how people walked their dogs. This was going to turn out to be nothing.

Three police cars and an ambulance parked on the street in front of Emma’s house changed her mind. The upbeat spirit she’d tried so hard to work up disappeared like vapor and her stomach churned. Something was seriously wrong. She pulled up behind one of the police cars and parked, Shaye pulling in behind her. Emma hesitated for a moment, then climbed out of her car and walked up the sidewalk with Shaye, fighting the panic that was starting to set in. Why was the ambulance here? Who was it for?

Two cops stood on the sidewalk in front of Mrs. Pearson’s house next to the ambulance. As they approached, Emma looked over at the ambulance and was shocked to see Patty sitting there, an oxygen mask on her face. She rushed over to the Realtor.

“What happened?” Emma asked. “Are you all right?”

Patty nodded and held up a finger.

“A little more,” the paramedic said to Patty.

“What happened?” Shaye asked the paramedic.

“I’m not completely sure. When we got here she was on the steps. Her breathing was so labored she was about to pass out, so I got her over here and got the mask on her.”

Emma and Shaye looked over at the house and Shaye tapped Emma’s arm when a young detective walked out. “That’s Jackson, the detective I’ve been talking to.”

Emma nodded. “I remember him. He came the night I…that night. He was kind.”

Jackson’s gaze locked on them and he gave them a brief nod.

“His partner must be here,” Shaye said. “He’s got seniority and from what I can tell, pretty much prevents Jackson from actually working.”

“The fat older guy with nose hair and a widow’s peak?” Emma asked.

“That’s probably the one.”

“He wasn’t kind. In fact, he was an asshole.”

“Definitely the one.”

“Emma,” Patty wheezed and Emma and Shaye moved closer to her.

“Don’t try to talk,” Emma said. “You need to get your breathing right first.”

“I’m okay,” Patty insisted. “It was horrible. I’ve never…I didn’t…Jesus, it’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”

Emma’s pulse spiked. “What happened?”

“Mrs. Pearson’s nephew called. They’ve been trying to reach her and she wasn’t answering. She leaves a key with me when she goes out of town, in case something happens. She was supposed to pick it up yesterday, but when she never called, I figured she’d stayed longer with her new grandbaby. I didn’t think… Oh my God.” Patty burst into tears and the paramedic handed her a tissue.

“Someone killed her!” Patty blurted out. “And took her eyes. What kind of person would do that? I don’t understand. She was such a nice lady, and she didn’t have anything much of value. Why would someone hurt her?”

As soon as Patty said “eyes” Emma froze. No. It couldn’t be. “I don’t know why, Patty,” Emma managed to force out. “I’m so sorry you found her. Is there anything I can do?”

Patty shook her head. “I just need to get my wind back and get home. I tensed so much my muscles are in knots.”

“I can help with that, ma’am,” the paramedic said.

“Shaye!” A man’s voice sounded behind them and they turned around.

Jackson hurried up to them and motioned them to the side.

“Patty said Mrs. Pearson was killed,” Emma said.

Jackson nodded and looked at Emma. “I heard there was trouble at the hospital last night. Detectives were waiting to talk to you this morning. They weren’t happy to find out you’d split.”

Emma felt her back and neck tighten. “I don’t really care that they were unhappy. If the police had listened to me, Mrs. Pearson and that paramedic might still be alive.”

“I know that,” Jackson said. “I’m on your side, believe me, but you’re going to have to talk to them. Your neighbor has probably been dead a couple of days, but with the eye thing…detectives have finally connected the dots and they all point back to you.”

Emma felt tears well up in her eyes. Every time she thought she was going to finally escape, everything got worse. “Why Mrs. Pearson? It doesn’t make any sense. We’re neighbors but we’re not particularly close.”

Jackson nodded. “Nothing in the house was disturbed but I noticed footprints in the dust in the attic.” He pointed at the small window on the front of the house near the roofline. “Right below that window. I think he was watching you from there.”

Emma stared at the window, then looked across the street at her house. Her skin began to itch. “When does it end?”

“Soon,” Jackson said. “Ron’s girlfriend is at the precinct right now filing a complaint. I told the lead detective on the paramedic murder about the domestic abuse complaint and what Shaye found out about David and Ron serving together. They’re looking for him. He’s exposed now. It will be over soon.”

Emma nodded. She could tell by his expression that Jackson was telling her the truth, and she wanted to believe him, but she’d invested too much hope in things that had never materialized, and she simply couldn’t afford to any longer. She’d celebrate when Ron was behind bars. Not a moment before.

“What do you need me to do?” Emma asked.

“Can you come down to the police station now so we can get everything documented?” Jackson asked. “It will take a while and we have uncomfortable chairs and horrible coffee, but you’ll be safe there.”

“You make it sound so enticing,” Emma said. “Once you have my statement can I leave? New Orleans, I mean?”

“Just leave us a way to contact you, and you’re free to go wherever you’d like,” Jackson said. “You’re the victim here, Emma. If anyone tries to make things hard on you, remind them of that.”

“Thank you,” Emma said. “I know you’ve been helping Shaye.”

“I’m afraid I wasn’t much help. Shaye put the entire thing together.”

Emma glanced over at Shaye, who looked slightly uncomfortable with the compliment. “I wouldn’t have made it this far without her,” Emma said.

“You’re stronger than you think,” Shaye said quietly.

“Then let’s get this over with,” Emma said. “Can we go now?”

“Absolutely. I assume you want to drive yourself and meet there?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Jackson said. “I’ll go let my superior know I’m heading back to the station.”

“Do you need me right now as well?” Shaye asked.

“We’ll definitely need you, especially once we have Ron in custody. The DA will need your testimony to build the case against him, but it doesn’t have to be today. If you need to get back to your mother…”

Shaye nodded agreement, but the expression on her face wasn’t one of concern for her mother. No, Emma had seen that look before—like a dog with a bone. There was something Shaye wanted to get away and do, but Emma would bet anything that it had nothing to do with Corrine.

“Go straight to the station,” Shaye said to Emma, “and call me when you leave.” She looked at Jackson. “Can you send someone to pick up her things at the hotel while she’s being questioned? I don’t want her returning there. In case he’s watching.”

“I’ve got it covered,” Jackson said.

“Thanks.” Shaye gave Emma a quick hug and headed off down the sidewalk.

Jackson stared after her several seconds and Emma felt a tiny quiver in her stomach when she realized his interest in Shaye was deeper than this case. She wondered if Shaye had noticed, but guessed that she hadn’t. A man would probably have to advertise in neon before Shaye paid attention. But still, a tiny sliver of happiness ran through her. Every day was an opportunity for something better. Maybe her horrible situation contained a silver lining after all, for Jackson and Shaye.

It was something she planned to daydream about on her long drive to California.

Only happy thoughts from now on. Even if they were about other people.

###

Shaye jumped in her SUV and took off. As she drove, she pulled out her cell phone. On the way to Emma’s house, she’d received a call from Charlie Evans. She hadn’t answered because she’d been on the phone with Eleonore, but he’d left a message that she’d listened to just as she’d pulled up to the curb at Emma’s house.

She pressed Play on the message and Charlie’s voice boomed over her truck speakers.

Hey, uh, this is Charlie Evans from Wellman Oil and Gas. You talked to me the other day about David. I thought of something I wanted to tell you. Anyway, I’m at home if you want to call.

She hit the Call button and Charlie answered on the first ring.

“This is Shaye Archer.”

“Oh, yeah. I remembered something…I don’t know that it means anything, but you said to call…”

“You never know what might be important. What did you remember?”

“One night offshore, one of the engineers got real drunk and was acting a fool. We were all laughing at him and David said he was dumber than Dugas.”

“Is Dugas another employee?”

“We ain’t got a Dugas working here. I didn’t think about it at the time because I got a cousin Toby that says the same thing, but then I remembered it and thought you might want to know.”

Shaye frowned. If there was a point to Charlie’s story, either he hadn’t made it yet, or she had missed it entirely. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Shit. I’m not explaining it good at all. Dugas was a half-wit that lived in the place Toby grew up. The people that live there say it, but I don’t see why David would know it, unless he was from there too or had been there at least.”

Shaye’s pulse quickened. “What’s the town?”

“I don’t know that it’s a town, really. More like a spot in the road a couple miles from Port Sulphur. My cousin called it Hamet, but I ain’t never seen it on a map.”

“Port Sulphur…Highway 23?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

Shaye pulled into the nearest parking lot and used her phone for a quick Google maps search. No surprise when Hamet didn’t pull up, but Port Sulphur was only a forty-five minute drive. She tossed her phone on the passenger seat, but when she went to put her SUV in gear, she stopped and reached for the phone again. This time, she searched “David Grange” and “Hamet.”

Then she gasped.

Bayou News, June 2000

Hamet Boy Drowns

A ten-year-old boy from Hamet drowned last week. A local fisherman pulled the body out of the bayou and identified the boy as David Grange Jr., son of resident grocery store owner David Grange Sr. and wife Abigail Grange. The family could not be reached for comment.

The next link was an obituary for David Grange Sr. His death was one week after his son’s drowning and no cause of death was given. The timing made Shaye wonder if it was suicide. Surely if there had been any indication of foul play, in either death, the police would have investigated. She did a search on the wife and came up with an address in Port Sulphur. No phone number, but then the questions she had weren’t the kind you asked people over the phone.

She pulled out of the parking lot and headed the opposite direction of the city. Emma was safely tucked away at the police station and would soon be far away from New Orleans. The police were looking for Ron, and with any luck, he’d be behind bars soon. The worst was behind her client, but if Shaye could get Emma answers about the stranger she’d married, it would be the icing on the cake.

Not knowing was awful.

Like a slow-moving cancer silently eating away at you.