Authors: Maddie Cochere
He nodded to both of us, and Mick said, “Thank you.”
A few minutes later, Darby came into the room with a brown paper bag in his hand. He gave Mick a quick man-hug and then leaned down to hug me in the bed. He held on and didn’t seem to want to let go. I knew how he felt. I felt a tear slip out of the corner of each eye and saw he had lost a tear of his own. He kissed me on the nose and stood up.
“You brought food?” I asked.
Both men laughed, and Darby said, “No. Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” I said.
“You came here with essentially no clothing, so I brought some things you can wear home,” he said.
“Thank you,” I told him with a smile. “Where’s Nate?”
“He’s trying to get Joe -”
“Darby,” Mick interrupted, “why don’t you order Chinese for all of us? We can eat back at the apartment and fill in the details for Susan after we get home.”
“Ok, sounds good,” he said.
“Wait,” I said, “My stomach flops just thinking about Chinese. Do you have stuff for Reubens? And Kosher pickles? And java chip ice cream?”
“I sure do,” he said as he kissed my nose again. He opened the door to leave the room, and the nurse came in.
After cleaning the wound, and sectioning my hair so very little would have to be shaved for the stitches, the doctor came back in.
“We have the last of your test results now, Susan, and we need to talk about your blood test.”
Mick and I looked at each other anxiously. What else could be wrong?
“Congratulations,” he said with a big smile. “You’re pregnant.”
“This is one of the best Rueben sandwiches I’ve ever eaten,” said Detective Bentley with his mouth mostly full.
I smiled. It didn’t scare me to have him at our dining room table. I was happy he had come.
“These are really good,” said Nate, “but I think when Susan makes them, there’s just something a little extra to make them even better.”
Darby smiled. He didn’t care Nate was slightly dissing his sandwiches; he knew they weren’t as good as mine, but they were close.
It was nearly midnight, and we were in our apartment. Everyone was still too worked up over the events of the day, and Mick had called Detective Bentley and invited him to join us for the late dinner. He thought the detective could help to fill in the gaps as to what had happened with Lugnut.
“What’s up with you?” Darby asked me with a curious look on his face. “You said you were starved, but you’re barely eating, and you’re just sitting there.” He turned to Mick and asked, “Is she ok?”
Mick smiled and said, “She’s fine. Really. The doctor said the concussion was mild and she only needs an aspirin.” He looked at me with that wonderfully amused smile of his, and I wanted to squeal out loud with happiness, but we had agreed we would wait until after we had discussed everything before telling the guys about the baby.
After the doctor left the room, Mick helped me change into the clothes Darby had brought. He gathered me close to him and held me tight as he whispered into my ear, “I love you, Susan. You’re going to be a wonderful mommy.”
A few happy tears slipped out of the corners of my eyes as I said, “I already know you’re a great dad.”
He kissed me hard, and my knees went wobbly beneath me. The events of the day melted away as I melted into his arms. I loved him with all my being.
A huge grin spread across my face once again, and I saw Darby look at me with another puzzled expression. I quickly brought down the smile and took a huge bite of my sandwich. “See,” I muttered through the mouthful, “I’m eating.”
He laughed and shook his head. He knew something was up, but he didn’t know what it was.
“Well,” Detective Bentley said starting the conversation, “we all know what happened to Susan.” He looked at me and asked, “Susan, did you know Lugnut was behind both the robberies and the attacks at the mall?”
“I kind of figured it out when I realized he was wearing a blonde wig,” I said. “We’re the same height and build, and with the blonde wig, and the car like mine, it was easy for people to mistake him for me.”
“Yep, that’s right,” he said. His hatred of you ran deep, and after you and Mick didn’t let him rent one of the units in the building, and then his wife left him, he blamed you and started restoring a Chevelle to look like yours. He was setting you up for the robberies, and he was taking his aggression out on other women hoping to eventually attack you.”
My appetite was instantly gone. I felt the color drain from my face, and I felt cold. All of those poor women, and it was all because of me. I pushed my plate away and sat back in my chair.
“Susan,” Detective Bentley addressed me sharply, “None of this was your fault. You didn’t cause any of this. This was a sick man.”
Mick stood from his chair and came over to stand beside me. He placed his hand on my shoulder. I reached up to hold his hand in mine.
“But why did he hate me?” I asked. “Why wasn’t he mad at Mick? Mick made the final decisions on the prospective tenants, and we put all of the names in a hat. It was the luck of the draw, and Lugnut wasn’t chosen. It wasn’t personal.”
“It goes back to over a year ago,” the detective said. “Lugnut said he always liked you. I think he said he had a crush on you in high school, but you never talked to him.”
“Why would I?” I asked somewhat incredulously. “I don’t remember seeing him around school. He was in a mechanics program or something, and he was always in the school’s shop or garage. It wasn’t like we ran in the same circles.”
“He’s carried some kind of torch for you all these years,” the detective said with a shrug of his shoulders. “When he gave his statement, he said you brought the Chevelle into the garage for servicing about a year ago, and he finally worked up the nerve to talk to you. He tried to let you know he was interested and that he liked you, but you turned your back to him and wouldn’t listen. He said he felt humiliated. After his wife left him, he went off the deep end and blamed you.”
“Oh my gosh,” I said slowly, “I remember that day. It was right after Mick and I first met. I dropped the car off and was waiting for Lugnut so I could tell him what I wanted done. When he came over, I was texting Sam about going out on my first date with Mick. I was excited, and we were going back and forth pretty fast with messages. Lugnut said something to me, but I told him to wait a minute, and I turned my back to him while I finished texting with Sam. When I turned back around, he seemed upset. I asked him what he wanted, but he brushed it aside. He didn’t say anything other than to grunt and say the car would be ready in two days. It was typical Lugnut.”
“And then you wouldn’t have an affair with him,” Detective Bentley said.
I felt Mick’s hand tighten on my shoulder. “He wanted Susan to have an affair with him?” He looked at me and asked, “Did you know this?”
“Yes,” I said a little sheepishly, “but I didn’t think anything of it. He asked a couple of times when I saw him at the racquetball club, but I always told him no. Last week, I told him to knock it off or I was going to tell his wife. He apologized to me when he walked me to my car at the mall.”
“What?” Mick yelled. “Lugnut walked you to your car?”
My shoulders slumped as I said, “Yes, twice.”
Mick grabbed his chair and pulled it over beside me. He sat down hard and put his head in his hands. He pulled his hands down over his face as he raised his head and said, “Susan, you were so close to being attacked by that, by that …” he fumbled for appropriate dirtbag words.
“I know,” I told him. “Barry showed up both times and saw us. I’m sure that’s what stopped him.”
It was quiet around the table. Darby was pale, and he had a frown on his face. This was hard news to hear for all of them.
Detective Bentley broke the silence by asking, “Do we want to do this another day? Susan has to come down to the station this week to give her statement, and I can fill her in on what happened then.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I want to know now.” I turned to Darby and said, “Why don’t you and Nate dish up the ice cream? We’ll finish over ice cream.”
While the guys went to the kitchen, I took a few minutes to run to the bathroom. Now that I knew I was pregnant, it explained the extra time lately in the bathroom and the unsettled stomach I’d been dealing with. It probably explained some of the crazy laughter and wild emotions in New Orleans as well.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Mick was sitting on the bed waiting for me. I smiled at him. He didn’t say a word. The look on his face was a mixture of distress and intense love. His eyes were misty. He stood up, pulled me into his arms, and held me tight for a few minutes.
I pulled back slightly, looked into his beautiful hazel-green eyes, and simply said, “I love you, Mick.”
He pulled me close to him again and whispered in my ear, “Susan, I love you, too.”
I knew there was more he wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come. I wanted to lie down on the bed with him, but as I was considering the thought, Darby called down the hallway, “Hey, you two, ice cream’s on the table.”
Mick buckled my knees with a kiss which left me lightheaded before we left the bedroom and headed back to the dining room.
“Nate,” Detective Bentley said, “You’re up. After Susan cracked her head in the closet, you and Joe were just coming home, right?”
“Yep,” Nate said. “We had just come back from the deli.” He looked at me and said, “The windows are all fixed there now, and Martin said to tell you that you can come back to the store. He’s not mad at you anymore.”
I nodded my head and smiled a little smile. I had been dreading going back to the deli, and had even been thinking of finding somewhere else to go. It was good to know Martin wasn’t holding a grudge.
“Well,” Nate said with a bit of dramatic flair,” I always let Joe off his leash when we come into the building, so he can run up the stairs. He always hits the third floor before I do, and I could hear him tearing into something up here, so I ran up the steps as fast as I could.” He looked at me and said with admiration, “Susan, I’ve seen you take those steps two at a time a million times, and I don’t know how you do it.”
I smiled, but everyone else looked at Nate as if to say
get on with it!
Nate continued, “He had Lugnut cornered on the landing at the bottom of the steps up here. Lugnut was yelling and screaming because Joe had sunk his teeth into his leg. I didn’t intervene right away, because I didn’t know what was happening. Joe has never attacked anyone, and I was afraid to go near him. Then I saw Lugnut had blood on him that obviously wasn’t from Joe. It was on his hands and arms, and some on his face. I knew then something was terribly wrong. After that, if Lugnut tried to move, Joe attacked him again. He has some nasty wounds now to both his legs and arms. I was petrified watching the dog assault him.”
“What did you do?” I asked flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe what Nate had just said. Joe attacking Lugnut was almost unbelievable, but I was secretly glad he had.
“I didn’t,” Nate said. “Mick and Detective Bentley came running up the stairs. The good detective didn’t bat an eye; he simply jumped in and threw Lugnut to the ground and cuffed him.”
My eyes were wide. I looked at the detective, and he had a slight smile on his face. I addressed him, “What did you do to Joe?”
“Nothing,” said Detective Bentley. “As soon as I had Lugnut on the ground, the hound ran off into your apartment with Mick and Nate on his heels.”
Mick took over the narration and said, “Nate and I ran into the apartment, but we didn’t get past the living room right away. There was some shredded clothing on the floor and some blood. The sofa and coffee table were moved, and everything was off and on the floor. I saw later that the giraffe from Ron had blood on it.”
“That’s how I managed to get away from him,” I said. “I was able to get a hand on it and crack him in the head. Then I ran into the library closet.”
“That’s where we found Joe. He was in the library barking at the bookshelf, and when I opened it and saw you there …” Mick smiled to show he could hold it together, but we waited for him to be sure he had control of his voice. “Susan, I didn’t know if you were alive. You had blood on your neck, your clothes were cut to shreds, and there was blood in your hair. I couldn’t tell if you were breathing or not.”
I put my hand on his leg. He grasped it and held it to his lips for a kiss.
“When I tried to go into the closet, Joe went ballistic. He pulled his lips back and growled. There was no doubt in my mind he was going to attack anyone who touched you,” he said.
“If I would have had my gun on me, that dog would have been dead,” said Detective Bentley. “Susan’s life was in danger.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. “I could hear you yelling for someone to shoot the dog,” I said. “I was trying so hard to come to my senses to stop you, but it was almost impossible.”
“Why didn’t you have your gun on you?” Darby asked.
“As a courtesy, I pack my service revolver in an aluminum case when I fly,” the detective said. “I just flew in from New Orleans today, and since my wife is out of town, Mick picked me up at the airport. I threw my bags and case in Mick’s trunk and didn’t have time to get them out when we got here.”