The Vigilante (25 page)

Martha realized she did know! Deep inside of herself the acts her alter, Serena, had committed had already insidiously seeped into her consciousness. Some of the same activities had crossed her mind, and more than once. At this moment she realized that as Serena, she had the ability to act upon those thoughts, but as Martha, she did not.

She needed to have an in depth conversation with Serena, but didn’t know how.
I think I’ve done things
!
Terrible things
! No way could she let Jeannie know about them. Could she
tell Bob?

“Mom, you’re so quiet. What are you thinking?” A look of alarm crossed Jeannie’s pretty face. “What’s going on in that mixed up mind of yours?”

“Jeannie, I’ve had a big breakthrough in my treatment. I can’t spell it out, but I am dealing with my alternate personality now—Strange? Oh yes, it’s so very, very strange. They told me it takes a good while to complete the process. Let me have the time I need and I’ll tell you everything—maybe.” She managed a short chuckle. “What I learn may be too hard to tell anyone. I’ll have to let you know on that.” Martha looked around and changed the painful subject. “Where is the little guy, anyway? We need to get going.”

Jeannie called Will, and he came running. Martha settled him into the safety seat. “So, my little man, what’s happening with you?” she asked in a chirpy voice that sounded nothing like her.

Jeannie wrinkled her brow in a frown. “Mom, you don’t sound quite the same today. Is this part of what’s going on?”

“I suppose so—but I’m still me, Jeannie, don’t ever lose sight of that.” Mumbling under her breath, she added, “I think.”

She drove blithely away with Will, and several cars behind her an old maroon sedan followed.

CHAPTER 26

Ryan sat across from Officer Art Jarvis. “Anything on the Lavery woman yet? How’s Sammy doing with the surveillance?”

“She sees a doctor,” Jarvis replied. “We don’t know which one, yet, several specialties are located in that complex. She took her grandson to
Biggie’s Burgers
. Sammy Gill had that stake out, had a burger himself while in there. Said it all looked routine to him. The kid played and ran around for quite a while before she took him back to his mother and went home. Her activities look normal in every way. We haven’t done a wiretap. You want that?”

“Hell no. If that ever got out we’d be cooked, you know—up shit creek a whole damned mile.” Ryan scratched his thick mop of hair. “These things take time. Let’s see where the surveillance takes us before we do anything more. Patience, Jarvis, it’ll take us a while and she’s not going anywhere.”

“Yeah, if she did the deeds, she’s got a damned good reason anyway, at least in Callahan’s case.” Jarvis grinned. “Made her fuming mad at you, eh? I’d like to get a look at this woman, myself. Works at Mercy, you say?”

Ryan smiled. “Why? Going to check her out? Might be a good idea, just to get a close up look. How you planning that?”

“Not sure yet. I’ll run it past you when I sort it out. I know one of the aides, Jake Collins. He’s too big a talker for confidences. Might drop around to see if he wants to hit a night spot after he gets off—think I will.” Jarvis looked relieved with his idea. “I’ll ask the tail to tell me if she goes to work. Might just hit it lucky if they’re working together.”

He left Ryan’s office, his paunch shoving his shirt apart in the front. Jarvis always looked rumpled that way.

“Damn, what a dilemma if she turns out to be implicated some way. Hell, there’s only one way anyone could be guilty!” Ryan shoved his hand into his hair, pushed his sleeves higher on his arms, and reached for the phone.

“Hey, Dick, get me everything on a woman of interest. Go way back and dig deep. We need everything on her.” He gave the info he had on Martha Lavery. “And what do we have on Callahan? He came here for a reason. We’ve only scratched the surface on that dude. Find out. Okay?”

***

Martha took a shift, hoping to work with Bob. She wanted to see him later, and realized all too well that a part of her had the major
hots
for the man. With a bit of disgust, she knew it had to be her other self in addition to her own feelings.

“I’ll not give into that. She’ll just have to live with it!” Martha said, talking to Serena.
Is this the way I’ll get to know who and what she is and what she’s done
? She wondered.
“Maybe I’m stronger than her now, though she must have been strong for me back then. What a dilemma!” She shrugged, and got ready for work, wondering when she’d know what had happened to her as a child.

“Ye Gods, I don’t wear that much make-up!” Martha carefully re-adjusted her make-up to reflect her nurse persona and went to work.

When she got to the desk, Angelina, the staffing clerk for the evening, looked up from her paperwork with her lovely dark, expressive eyes. “I put you in med-surg this evening, okay? You wanna sign up for a few more?”

“Thank you. I’ll be glad to work there this evening,” Martha replied. “But let’s leave it at that for now. I never know when I’ll have enough time.”

She entered the staff room, stowed her stuff, and took up a report paper. As she headed for the report room she saw Bob putting his jacket in his locker. She smiled and felt the heat of a flush when he gave her a lazy grin.

“Hi, lady, how you doing?” What he really wanted to ask was,
Now what’s going on in your crazy mixed up life
? And she knew it.

Martha nodded and saw his interest spark. He’d be close behind when she left the hospital at eleven. She knew that, and was eager for it. She wanted to tell him the latest developments, hoping the information wouldn’t scare him away. She felt sure it wouldn’t. After all Bob was a nurse. He’d understand these things.
Wouldn’t he
?

The evening wore on, and during that time she noticed a new presence on the floor chatting with Jake. He was an officer she’d met once. She knew him by his unkempt appearance and big protruding paunch. Sergeant Art Jarvis had suddenly appeared on the floor, and though no overt action on his part told her, she knew it was her they discussed.

She gave no sign of her knowledge, but suddenly realized her interview with Ryan Mapus had gone against her, and part of that was because of her reluctance to discuss her farm background. The Serena part of her knew they looked for evidence regarding the emasculation of two pedophiles.
Why me
?
She asked herself.

Smiling, she went on her casual way, attending to her nursing duties, charting, calling doctors, and tending the sick. “I refuse to fear those fools who protect child predators but never the young innocents destroyed by them.”

She talked to calm herself, sorting things out in her mind. “If I had to spend the rest of my life behind bars, I would bear no regrets for what I’ve had to do.” She shook her head. Where had that come from? Suddenly, Martha became cognizant of her acts as Serena
. Holy Mother of God, what have I done
?

Reeling from this most recent shock, she disappeared into the nearest room. Looking at the patient, she realized it was Sykes, lying in his bed, groaning with pain, writhing in his dying misery.

The form of this miserable wretch stretched out before her, brought back the memory of him pulling her into the barn when she was six years old. Her past was now laid bare to her completely—in all its ghastly horror—every hideous detail of the tortures this ugly man had inflicted upon her as an innocent little girl.

Martha suffered again the pain, fear, and agony of those dreadful hours. Gasping in pain and disbelief, she understood what this man had done to her, not once or twice, but repeatedly over the course of a year. She ran to the sink and vomited forcefully all she’d eaten during the day, though it seemed to contain every bite of food she’d eaten in her entire lifetime!

“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Dimly, she heard Bob’s voice calling. “Darling, what’s happened in here? What on earth has made you this sick?” Worry tensed his fine features as he grasped her shoulders, held her out from him to look into her face—a face, she knew, had to look as stricken as she felt.

“Oh Bob, I’ve got to get out of this place—and now! I know everything. I’ve just realized...oh God! See that man lying on the bed? I’ll tell you all about him when we’re alone. I’m integrating with this other person inside of me, and it’s almost too much to bear.

“I’ll tell you everything, though, you’ll never want to hold me in your arms again.” Martha bit her lip, hoping the pain would stop her tears. “You won’t believe what I’m about to tell you.”

He grasped her shoulders. “Listen, Martha, can you make it to the end of the shift? It’s only another hour. Darling, I have the feeling you wouldn’t want to let anyone else in on what’s happening.” He shook her gently. “Here now, get hold of yourself. You can fall apart later. I’ll be there to catch you. I won’t let you down. I said that, and I meant it.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Martha said, but she planned to let him exit gracefully if he chose to leave her when he knew of her crimes. She slowly straightened her spine until she felt brave enough to ask, “Do I look okay, enough not to frighten my patients, or arouse the suspicion of Officer Jarvis skulking around out there?”

“What the hell, the police?” Bob stared at her. “Martha, we’ll get out of here and get this business out on the table. Pull yourself together and get this shift over with.” He looked at the man lying on the bed. “What’s all this about an officer, and this poor wreck of a man?” He waved a hand at Sykes and looked at her in disbelief, his face tight and grim.

“He wasn’t always a wreck, Bob. It’ll wait until later, and I’ll tell you more than you ever wanted to know.” She looked in the mirror and saw her pallor, but otherwise appeared decent enough not to cause alarm. “Bob, you just saved me again. I was rapidly coming apart at the seams.” She dabbed a few tears from her face “Thank you.”

Martha returned to the floor, mechanically completed her work, and gave a detailed report for the oncoming shift. She regretted not being emotionally competent in giving care, and prayed she’d made no mistakes.

After the shift, she met Bob at his truck. Officer Jarvis wasn’t anywhere around, or at least they didn’t see anything of him. They left together in Bob’s vehicle. Hanging back several car lengths, an old maroon sedan followed.

They went to Bob’s home. He didn’t want a discussion of this nature in a public place. When they arrived, he settled her in a big leather chair and got her a drink.

“So, tell me what’s happening with you, Martha? I’m interested on so many levels, even clinically.” He looked worried, even fearful of what she would say. “This is all extremely rare.”

She looked him in the eye. “I’ve begun the process of integration. I couldn’t go on the way I was any longer and asked the doctors to get it started. It was time. This crazy business has gone on long enough. If I don’t see the end of it, I’ll go completely mad.” She felt her face tighten with apprehension, fearing the loss of this new and wonderful relationship, and with good reason.
What man could put up with this kind of insanity
?

His eyes were warm and filled with compassion for her dilemma. “I’m listening. I’ve read up on alternate personalities, or D.I.D. I have some understanding of the situation.”

Seeing that, Martha relaxed a bit and began. “At first, I felt a slight difference, even in applying my make-up. My daughter noticed a difference in my speech patterns, and attitude. Tonight, seeing the police—actually it was Officer Art Jarvis at the hospital—even as innocent as it may have looked, I knew it was me he was interested in.” She looked into his eyes, hoping to see continued understanding. “He supposedly came to see Jake Collins, like they were close friends, but instinctively I knew it was me he observed. I’m not just being paranoid—maybe it sounds that way, but my alternate, Serena, knew. She knew because of what she’s done, Bob.”

“You actually know her?” Bob looked incredulous. “You say you’ve met her? How?”

“I’m not sure. And maybe I’ll never know how this works. But she’s with me. I feel her trying to influence me in certain ways. She thinks you’re a real hunk by the way.” Martha smiled and shrugged. I have to agree with her on that.”

“Aw come on. You’ve spoken with her?”

“Yes, more than once. Can you believe it?” She shook her head slowly, trying to put it all in coherent form. “They said it takes time to get everything together. But tonight when I walked into Sykes room—and I did that to get away from the prying eyes of Jarvis—those terrible memories of the distant past came pouring into my mind. Those memories contained horrors long suppressed, hideous things, evil things that happened to me I’ll never tell a living soul about—not you, not anyone!”

Martha gasped in pain and broke into deep sobs. “It was that man, Sykes, lying on his deathbed, writhing in pain that brought some of it back to me. If there’s more than what I’ve remembered tonight, I’m not sure I can handle knowing it.”

She took a sip of her drink, before going on. “He used to work for my father. He was a predator, Bob, a pedophile. I know now what he was, but as a small child, I didn’t. I couldn’t have. My father didn’t believe me when I tried to tell him that Sykes touched me in bad places.” She paused to cry a moment. “The doctors told me Serena came into being to withstand the unspeakable things that man did to me.”

“My God! And now we have Pete Sykes in our care, to treat and make comfortable? I’d like to choke the hell out of the sick bastard. How strange it is. No wonder people believe in a higher power. We believe that God will bring justice if no one else can.” Tears sprang into his eyes. “Martha, I don’t know what to say, except I’d like to string the bastard up by his balls!”