Authors: Karin Salvalaggio
This time the voice speaks to someone else. It twists around and calls out over an invisible shoulder. “Call upstairs and tell them we’ve found Grace in the men’s locker room.”
“What the hell?”
This voice she knows. Jared is there with her.
“Yeah, don’t ask,” says the stranger. “Came in and found her sleeping here. Nothing to do with me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll deal with it.”
12
Macy dips under the crime-scene tape stretched across the corridor and almost pitches forward when she tries to stand up straight. She rests a gloved hand against the wall until she feels steady on her feet. The area is alive with the hum of electricity buzzing through the overhead lights, and broken glass crunches beneath the soles of her plastic-coated shoes. She spots Warren and suppresses the urge to yawn as she makes her way toward him.
“Any sign of Grace?” she asks. It’s just past six in the morning and she’s already been working for a couple of hours.
“She was hiding in the men’s locker room down in the basement. They’re bringing her up now.”
“Thank God for that. I thought we had a kidnapping on our hands. Has someone called Elizabeth?”
“No, I thought I’d let her sleep a bit longer. Near as I can tell, she didn’t leave the hospital until after midnight. I imagine she’s exhausted.”
“Where’s she staying?”
“A patrol officer dropped her off at Martha Nielson’s house over on Spruce.”
Macy stares at the double doors leading out to the stairwell. Aside from the broken window she counts two bullet holes. There’s blood splattered on the walls and smeared across the floor. Dark shoeprints fade and then vanish as they move away from where Sam Fuller fell.
“Sam Fuller is still in surgery,” she says. “What was his actual role here at Collier County anyway? Grace told me he did a bit of everything.”
“Sam is an institution around here. I think he’s been working at the hospital since it opened in seventy-two. He runs errands, delivers food. He’ll do whatever is needed.”
“What was needed last night?”
Warren looks at his notes. “A patient named Candice Brown misplaced her reading glasses yesterday. Apparently, Sam spent all evening looking for them and after finally tracking them down in the cafeteria, was on his way to return them.”
“He must be well past retirement.”
“They can’t get him to stay away.”
“I wish I loved my job that much. How’s Gareth?”
“He has a concussion but they didn’t find anything alarming on his CT scan. He’s pretty pissed off that he let everyone down.”
“We’ve got three witnesses and they’re all still breathing. That’s a refreshing change.”
“Who do you want to speak to first?”
“Gareth, but, I need a cup of coffee first.”
* * *
Gareth is propped up in a hospital bed wearing a dark blue sweatshirt. He readjusts the ice pack on the back of his head and winces. “I was stupid. I should have called it in the moment I realized something wasn’t right.”
Macy observes him over her cup of coffee and decides he’d be better-looking with a beard. Without one his chin vanishes just below his lower lip.
She takes a sip of her coffee. “So you heard a noise in the stairwell and went to investigate.”
“Yeah, but he jumped me the second I walked through that door. I managed to hold my own for maybe a minute but then he smacked my head hard against the railing.”
“Was his face covered?”
“He was wearing a black ski mask.” Gareth removes the ice pack and frowns. “It was like getting hit by a linebacker.”
“So, he was a big guy?”
“No, I’d say he weighed less than I did. He was really wiry and very strong. I got the impression he was fairly tall but it was hard to tell.”
“How much do you weigh?”
“Two ten, give or take a few pounds.” He glances over at Warren. “It’s blind luck nobody got killed.”
“I don’t think you were in any real danger.” She writes down some notes in her book. “He just wanted you out of the way.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I’m almost positive he’s local. You might even know him.” Macy hesitates. “Was there anything he said or did that struck you as familiar?”
“He didn’t say anything so I can’t help you there. I’ll tell you one thing though; he had some pretty nasty BO. Really pungent.”
Macy looks over at Warren. “Does this sound like anyone you’ve come across before?”
“A lot of men in Collier fit the physical description. At the moment I just can’t think of any of them that stink.”
Macy circles the word “pungent.” “What happened when you came to?”
“The first thing I saw was Grace looking down at me. I could tell she was scared. She kept glancing at the door above my head. Seconds later the shooting started. She pulled the alarm and ran. When I checked the hall, the shooter was gone.”
Warren tips his hat back. “He must have used the stairs at the other end of the building. I doubt he’d have risked the elevator. A couple of guys are going through the security tapes.”
Gareth closes his eyes. “I’m not feeling so good.”
Macy starts to get up. “I’m not surprised. You shouldn’t sleep, though.”
“No chance of that happening. The nurses come in and prod me every ten minutes.”
Warren puts a hand on Gareth’s shoulder. “Have you called your wife yet? You don’t want her hearing about this from anyone but you.”
Gareth’s eyes start to well up. He rubs his face. “I’ll do that now.”
Out in the corridor Macy tries to fall in step with Warren and ends up trotting.
“I came across a guy named Brian Camberwell yesterday evening. He was here visiting his wife. I showed up just after he whacked Jared on the side of the head.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. Are you figuring him as a suspect?”
“According to Jared he was away when Leanne was killed. Ice fishing or something like that. I think we should do some further checking, though.”
“Brian weighs at least two hundred fifty pounds, and as far as I remember he doesn’t smell.”
“Does he have a record?”
“No, but he should have one.” Warren lowers his voice. “He’s assaulted his wife on more than one occasion.”
Macy pictures Hayley. She’d looked so vulnerable standing next to her husband. “Why doesn’t she report it?”
“I have no idea, but she’s going to end up a statistic if she doesn’t do something soon.”
“Anything else?”
“He’s probably dealing, but I’d say he’s pretty small time. He’s not too bright so it’s kind of surprising he’s not been caught yet. He somehow manages to stay just below the radar.”
Macy puffs out her cheeks. “Did they find any prints up at the house?”
“There was a partial on the back gate, otherwise it was clean.”
“That’s not much to go on.”
“No, it isn’t.”
* * *
Macy stares up at the cross above the altar in the hospital chapel and tries to be patient. According to the officers stationed at the door, Grace Adams has been on her knees praying for a half hour.
Macy slides into the pew next to Grace and picks up a copy of the Book of Common Prayer. “Grace, I’m sure Sam will be fine. You’ve done enough.”
Grace scoots up onto the bench seat and drops her hands on her lap. Her eyes are raw from crying. Macy hands her a tissue and waits.
“I feel like it’s my fault.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not responsible any more than Sam is.”
“I didn’t see his face. It was covered with a black ski mask.”
“Like the one your mother’s killer wore.”
“I think so.”
“Was it the same man?”
“It’s hard to say. It was dark and I didn’t have a great view. I had to peek through the crack between the doors. Sam was in the way most of the time.”
Macy thinks of the shattered glass and splintered wood. “It’s probably a very good thing Sam was in the way. Did you think he looked the same size as the man in the woods?”
“Maybe, the distance was different. He seemed tall.”
“What about his voice?”
“It was kind of high in pitch. He sounded really nervous.”
“Did his voice sound familiar?”
“No, not at all.”
“What was he saying?”
“I didn’t catch most of it, but he did yell at Sam to get out of the way.”
Macy puts a hand on Grace’s arm. “Warren will send in a detective and they’ll take a full statement from you. I’ll go check on Sam and let you know how he’s doing.”
Grace thanks her before once more clasping her hands together in prayer.
13
The elevator doors open on three and Carson is standing in front of Jared, a shit-eating grin on his face. Jared moves to the side and Carson squeezes into the crowded elevator.
“Darlin’,” cracks Carson, tongue firmly in cheek. “Which way are we going today? Up or down?”
“Down. The meeting is canceled. Want to grab some breakfast?”
“So I rushed to work for nothing?”
“Looks that way.” Jared and Carson step out of the elevator on the second floor and head for the cafeteria. “The sixth floor is a mess.”
“Yeah, I heard Sam got shot.” Carson grabs a tray and shuffles along the line with Jared.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
No sooner have they taken their seats than Lexxie appears, breathless and beaming from ear to ear. She sits in the chair next to Jared and takes hold of his arm. “What did you think of your surprise?”
Carson sips his coffee and winces because it’s too hot. “You should know by now that Jared hates surprises.”
“Well?” she says, ignoring Carson.
Jared hesitates. He can’t afford to be as honest as Carson. “It’s not that I didn’t appreciate it. It just seemed a bit too much.”
Lexxie’s laugh fails to convince. “I’m sorry, I guess I got a little carried away.” Her pager goes off and she reads the message. “I have to go. Everything is a mess here today. Did you hear that Sam went nuts and tried to shoot a cop?”
“Don’t go saying stuff like that. Gareth didn’t get shot, Sam did. The poor guy just got out of surgery.”
She lowers her voice. “Well, that’s the story that’s going around.”
Carson scowls. “You of all people should know that most of what’s said in this hospital is total bullshit.”
“What do you mean
me of all people
?”
“You’re a smart girl, you’ll figure it out.”
She reaches over and steals a piece of toast off Jared’s plate. “I’m going to ignore you, Carson,” she says, taking a bite. “So Jared, enlighten me, what actually happened?”
“I have no idea. I wasn’t there.”
She throws the rest of the toast back on the plate and gives him a quick peck on the cheek. “You’re tired. We’ll talk later.”
“Yeah, I’ll call you.”
Carson waits for Lexxie to leave the cafeteria before speaking again. “What’s she going on about?”
Jared no longer feels like discussing what happened. “Lexxie shouldn’t go around saying that stuff about Sam.”
“I imagine she’s not the only one. So, what did happen?”
“It looks like someone came after Grace Adams. They knocked Gareth out and took his gun. When Sam got in the way, he was shot.”
“Where was Grace when all this was going on?”
“Thankfully, she ran.”
Carson leans back in his chair and folds his arms. “All that happened on the sixth floor?”
“Yep.”
“That’s insane.”
“Speaking of insane, do you want to know what Lexxie’s surprise was?”
“She’s pregnant?”
“Don’t even joke about stuff like that.”
“So what did she do?”
“Cleaned my house.”
Carson’s spoonful of granola freezes midair. “Did she clean up your bathroom?” He puts down his spoon. “Seriously, did she clean up where Hayley…”
Jared says a quiet yes and attempts another stab at his breakfast.
“Damn, that’s some serious bunny-boiler behavior.”
“My life is a fucking mess, but at least my sheets are clean. To top it off Hayley’s dad followed me home.”
“Have you seen his latest commercial?”
“Came on while we were watching the game.”
“They showed it like five times. My kids already know the words to his new jingle by heart.” Carson starts singing, but so low that only Jared can hear him. “Do you think he writes this stuff himself?”
“Apparently his first love was musical theater. Inheriting a used car dealership from Pamela’s parents must have been a bit of a setback.”
“So what did Hayley’s old man want?” Carson gives Jared the once-over, noticing the bruise on the side of his face. “It looks like he popped you pretty good.”
“Brian did that.”
“Now there’s a guy that shouldn’t be left to wander freely.”
“Brian is a fucking criminal and everybody in this town knows it. Toby and Pamela are practically offering me their used car empire if I take Hayley back.”
“What do you want?”
“What do I want?” Jared looks up at the ceiling. “I have no idea.”
Carson raises an eyebrow. “Existential crisis?”
“Something like that. I sure as hell don’t want to run a used car dealership.”
“I imagine the commercials would take on a darker tone.”
Jared pushes his plate away. “You know Grace Adams hid in the men’s locker room last night?”
“Down in the basement?”
“Yep.”
“Why would she hide there?”
“She was scared. I doubt she was thinking straight.”
“Maybe she was looking for you.”
“Nah, she just needs a friend, that’s all.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Carson checks his pager and pushes out of his chair. “We’ve got a call out at the trailer park. We’d better scoot.”
* * *
As expected there’s a sheriff’s patrol car parked out in front of a double-wide unit, but even before they step out of their rig, Jared knows something is amiss. From inside the mobile home comes the sound of children screaming. A man dressed in nothing more than a white T-shirt and a pair of boxers runs out of the house and leaps off the porch. He’s covered in blood splatter and yelling something over his shoulder Jared can’t catch. It’s only when he comes around the side of the police car that Jared realizes the man is carrying a gun. Jared hears Carson shout
Jesus
but it’s far too late. The man is already on top of them, his gun trembling in a shaky fist.