The Edge of Murder (A Hank Reed Mystery, Book 3)

by Fred Lichtenberg

  She hesitated. “Yes.”

  “Kids?”

  Her eyes widened. “No, and you’re scaring me.”

  “You’ll have to tell your husband what’s going on, unless—”

  “He’s away on a business trip.”

  “Till when?”

  “A week or so. Do I need to call him?”

  I thought a moment. “Not unless you think he might return sooner.”

  She shook her head. “Probably not.”

  I was hoping we could resolve this Terry business before that. “I’d invite you to Nick’s place, but I’m afraid it’s not safe there either.”

  “And you’re staying there?”

  “I am.”

  “Is that wise?”

  My hand pressed against my ankle holster. “I have a weapon.”

  “So, you could protect me.”

  I laughed. “Thanks for the confidence. Let’s not take a chance.”

  Sixteen

  Coral Springs General Hospital

  At eleven that evening, Doctor Powers placed Nick Ross’s file back in the cabinet, locked the drawer, and took the stairwell to the second floor. By then, Nick had been given a normal saline IV drip for dehydration.

  He peered inside Nick’s room and found his patient lying in bed, staring half-dazed at the ceiling.

  He tapped lightly on the door, but Nick remained motionless. Powers eased himself inside and sat across from him on an upholstered chair.

  “Hey, Nick, it’s Doctor Powers. Martin. How are you doing?”

  Nick’s eyes remained unfocused.

  Powers peered down at the PI’s business card and asked, “Who’s Hank Reed?”

  Nick blinked for a second and turned his head slightly as though he had a moment of lucidity.

  “Says he’s a private investigator. One of the paramedics found it in your pocket. Is he a friend, or did you hire him for something?”

  Still no response. Powers waited a few moments longer before getting up to leave. When he reached the door, he heard Nick mumble what sounded like, “Need to find Elizabeth.”

  Colee Hammock Park

  Amanda made a call, presumably to Elizabeth. They spoke for a moment before she said, “You have Billy’s car? Okay, stay there. We’ll meet you at—hold on.” She checked the car clock. “Around eleven. I’m thirty minutes away and have Nick’s PI with me. Be safe.”

  I smiled. “So, you know where she is?”

  Amanda hesitated.

  “What, you don’t trust me by now?”

  She held up a hand. “Sorry, I’m just a little uptight. Where’s your car?”

  I looked past her and pointed. “It’s Nick’s.”

  “Okay, follow me.”

  “C’mon, Amanda. What if I lose you? Look, you guys need me more than I need you. If you’re going to play games, I’m out of here. Open the door.”

  “Wait!” She grabbed my arm. “Leave your car. We’re going to the airport.”

  Doctor Power’s Office

  Doctor Powers returned to Nick’s file, looking for any notation mentioning this Elizabeth woman. Finding her was what he believed his patient had mumbled. Was he to assume that Nick’s breakdown had something to do with her? The EMS folks found nothing on him that mentioned Elizabeth. He wondered if foul play was involved, but there was no hint of a dispute: blood, bruises, ripped clothing.

  Powers glanced up at the wall clock. He lifted Hank Reed’s business card from the file. Why hadn’t he called back? Powers was desperate and punched in the PI’s number one more time.

  Seventeen

  Fort Lauderdale Strip

  By ten-fifteen that evening, Terry Bash was majorly pissed. He hated Fort Lauderdale, not that he’d been there before. He loathed the slow traffic and the schmucks who refused to use turn signals.

  The beach road sucked more. Pedestrians strolling across the street like they owned it. He should run down a few. They’d learn. But bitching didn’t help. He needed to find Elizabeth again, and quick.

  When he first arrived in Fort Lauderdale, he went directly to Amanda’s house. He knew her all too well from New York when he tried putting moves on her. Unfortunately, she resisted, took off for Florida, and never returned.

  Terry chortled. Didn’t matter, he had Elizabeth. When he’d arrived at Amanda’s place, she was alone and scared shitless. Terry couldn’t blame her, especially after he and his sidekick had tramped through the house. He threatened, “If I come back and find her here, you won’t like it.”

  Then last Saturday night, Terry got lucky. One of his underlings, a guy named Blade—he loved Spyderco military knives—had stopped off for a drink at a place called Courtney’s in Fort Lauderdale and saw Terry’s wife sweet-talking with some guy.

  What luck!

  Blade had followed her and watched as she parked in front of a residential building not far from Courtney’s. She waited until the guy from the bar showed up and parked not far from hers. All smiles. They went inside.

  Blade planted a tracker under the car she was driving, and then took down the guy’s plate number. He made a few calls and bingo: Terry’s wife was doing some guy named Nick Ross. Doctor Nick Ross. What was up with her and doctors?

  Rather than barge in on the couple, Terry had pulled a stunt and with one call, scared the hell out of the guy! When the doc left his place—no cojones—Terry and Blade appeared. Elizabeth’s eyes bulged when she saw them. She must have thought the scaredy-cat doctor was returning, only she thought wrong. He swept her out of the place then had Blade fix up the condo, including replacing sheets, as though she’d never been there.

  Terry snickered to himself.

  And the call to the deli, how cool was that? He bet this Ross fellow peed himself when he returned home. Would he call the cops? If so, Terry would deal with it.

  He sneered through the windshield in his black Ford F-150 and pounded the steering wheel with his fist. He’d had the bitch, but she slipped out of the motel bathroom window a few hours after he snatched her.

  Stupid! He’d believed her when she swore she’d return home with him. Had to fix herself up in the bathroom first.

  Right! Last time he’d fall for that shit.

  Terry settled down, took a breath. I got your number, Doctor Nick Ross. Oh, yeah. One thing was certain: no more bad decisions.

  And then his cell went off.

  Blade. He listened intently and when his underling finished, he smiled. “Nice work, Blade Man. Remind me to give you a raise.” Terry snickered and hung up. He turned to his sidekick, Sammy. “We got her.”

  A wide smile. “Where to?”

  “Gotta make a U-turn and head east on Sunrise Boulevard, then shoot up to the Interstate. Christ, I can’t believe I’m beginning to get familiar with this place.”

  Interstate I-95 Fort Lauderdale

  Airport?

  Amanda drove south on I-95, and when she passed Broward Boulevard, I noticed a sign for Fort Lauderdale International Airport. She exited Marina Mile Boulevard instead.

  “I think you got off the wrong exit.” I pointed ahead. “You did say airport, right?”

  “Trust me.”

  I shrugged. I held my cell phone in both hands when it went off. Same unknown number as before.

  Amanda eyed me. “You going to take that?”

  “I’m thinking about it.”

  She shook her head.

  “Hello,” I said, annoyed.

  “Hank Reed?” Friendly enough voice.

  “Depends who’s calling. I’m not familiar with this number. Are you a telemarketer?”

  He chortled. “Afraid not. I’m a doctor at Coral Springs General Hospital. I found your card in one of my patient’s belongings.”

  “Nick Ross?” I said, my voice rushing. “Is he okay?”

  Amanda turned her head quickly, her face grave. “What’s going on?”

  I put up a finger. “What happened, Doctor…?”

  “Powers. Martin Powers.
There’s a limit to what I can discuss with you given you’re not family, but yes, he’s fine, well, let’s say comfortable. They found him at the beach.”

  “Beach? What the hell was he doing there?”

  “We don’t know because he’s not in a talkative mood. Did he hire you to find someone?”

  I held off a moment. “Let me call you back.”

  “But—”

  Amanda wove a path south then east, and I wondered if she was lost. “Give me a minute.” I Googled Coral Springs General Hospital, found the number, and called.

  “Doctor Martin Powers.” After several options, I got a live person.

  “Hold, please.”

  When Powers got on, I said, “Okay, now we can talk.”

  “Oh, a PI thing. I get it.”

  “Good, now let’s hear more about Nick Ross.”

  “I heard him mumbling the name Elizabeth as though she was lost or missing. Does that name mean anything to you?”

  When I hesitated, Doctor Powers continued, “I’m thinking maybe he hired you to find her. Just a guess, of course.”

  “He did. I’m hoping to connect with her tonight. Is it your professional opinion that Nick’s condition has to do with losing her?”

  Doctor Powers hesitated. “I’m sorry, but I can’t reveal very much. I’m hoping you understand and are open to a one-way conversation, at least for the time being. Your responses could help my patient, Mr. Reed.”

  “Call me Hank. To answer your question, at first, I didn’t know if Elizabeth even existed. I now know she does. There are complications of which I can’t reveal at this time. I hope you understand.”

  “Touché, Hank.”

  I turned to Amanda and nodded. “I’m with her sister. We’re on our way to meet her.”

  “I’m relieved to hear that. Nick has family nearby, so if his mother agrees, we can talk at length later.”

  “That works for me.”

  “And if you see Elizabeth, please impress upon her the importance of a visit. I believe it would help Nick.”

  “I plan on it, Doc.”

  Eighteen

  Inside West Perimeter Road

  Terry’s beet-red face reflected his anger. He jammed on the brakes then pounded the steering wheel. The headlights tunneled a glow into the narrow dirt path.

  “Shit, I can’t go any farther. Elizabeth could be anywhere. She’s probably calling the cops as we speak.”

  “You know she won’t call them,” Sammy assured. “She’s got too much at stake.”

  He backed out of the wooded area. “You’re probably right, only I don’t wanna take chances. Let’s get out of here.”

  “You think someone tipped her off? She ran off as soon as we entered the parking lot.”

  Terry remained quiet, but his grip on the steering wheel suggested he’d been defeated again. He mumbled, “Bitch.”

  When they reached the main road leading to the interstate, he said, “She probably saw us coming. Hell, if Blade hadn’t placed a tracking device on her cell phone when we first nabbed her, we wouldn’t have known she’d be here. Next time, Elizabeth. There will be a next time.”

  “You said Blade intercepted a call between Elizabeth and some woman.”

  “Probably her sister.” Terry narrowed his eyes. “I shoulda been more threatening when I raided her house. I’m not finished with those two.”

  Terry drove back to the Rustic Motel in Davie, the place Elizabeth had escaped from. He turned off the engine and gazed up at his new room on the third floor. Let her try jumping out of that bathroom window.

  West Perimeter Road Fort Lauderdale International Airport

  Amanda turned onto West Perimeter Road. “What was that all about?”

  I kept my eyes on the road, wondering where we were headed. “Nick’s in the hospital. Sounds like he might have had a nervous breakdown.”

  “Breakdown?” She jerked the steering wheel crossing over the dividing line, then pulled back and steadied herself.

  “What happened? Does it have to do with my sister? This is crazy.”

  “Take it easy.” I touched her hand. “It’s too early to ask the whos or whys, and the doctor isn’t saying much since I’m not a relative. He needs Nick’s mother’s permission, which shouldn’t be a problem.” I paused. “I doubt it had anything to do with your sister.” The less Amanda knew, the better.

  “You sure?”

  Of course, I’m not sure. But if there was any hope for a Nick—Elizabeth relationship, I sure as heck wasn’t about to mention Nick’s oddities, like trances and that stuff.

  “Pretty sure. The doctor thinks a visit from her might help. He said Nick mentioned your sister’s name.” I hoped Amanda wouldn’t continue asking questions, and she didn’t. For now. As we passed the Naval Air Station Museum, I noticed a plane approaching the airport and realized we were meeting Elizabeth somewhere outside the airport perimeter.

  “Ever hear of the Ron Gardner Aircraft Observation Area? Been here for years.”

  “Ron or the observation area?”

  Amanda laughed lightly. “He was an Aviation Department employee and airport friend. It was dedicated to him.”

  “Let’s hope Ron brings us good luck.”

  “We’re almost there.”

  Suddenly, from around the bend, an oncoming vehicle’s headlights almost blinded us, causing Amanda to pull the wheel hard to the right.

  “Crazy bastard! He had to be going sixty.”

  I glanced back. It looked like a dark pickup truck. As we approached the parking lot, I noticed a handful of cars parked, all facing the runway. Great views.

  Amanda’s eyes swept the area, but the waning moon wasn’t helpful. All the car colors blended in like one big dark mass. “She should be here.” Amanda tucked her car in the back for a better view of movement, but there wasn’t any. She pulled out her phone and speed-dialed a number.

  “We’re here, Elizabeth. Where are you?”

  She turned to me. “It went straight to voicemail.” Amanda was about to jump out of the car when I grabbed her. “Hold on. What was she driving?”

  I could see Amanda was straining to find the car.

  “Amanda, make and model!”

  “Sorry. A black Honda Civic. It belongs to my husband.”

  The lights from the runway and planes queuing up parallel to us weren’t at the best angle to get a good view of the parking lot. I counted six cars. All but one had their lights off.

  Odd.

  “Stay here.” I got out and started for the one with its lights on, Amanda trailing. So much for taking orders. Twenty feet away, I realized it was a black Honda Civic.

  I turned. “Call her.”

  As I continued to the car, jet engines revved up behind me, and I struggled to hear a cellphone chirping. I dashed for the car and opened the driver’s side door. A phone on the seat, no driver, engine off.

  Amanda caught up. “That’s Billy’s car.”

  “Your husband?”

  “Yes. Oh, God, Terry must have taken her. He’ll kill her, I know it!”

  How did Terry know she’d be here?

  I held her by the shoulders, but she kept wailing. “He’ll kill her, I know it.”

  Thankfully, no one appeared to be interested in us. I activated my phone flashlight, shined it in different directions, then stopped. “You said Terry showed up at your house. What was he driving?”

  “Some kind of pickup truck. Why?”

  I kept my hunch to myself, but it had to be Terry’s truck that had passed us. And at his speed, he’d be long gone by now.

  My light shone on a wooded area behind where Elizabeth had parked. I looked back toward the runway. There was no way she could have climbed over the fence, given the barbed wire at the top.

  “Check with those cars’ occupants, see if they saw anything unusual.”

  “Where are you going?”

  I was already rushing to the woods. “Elizabeth,” I shouted. “It’
s Hank and Amanda. If you’re in there, it’s safe to come out.”

  I walked another twenty feet and called out again. Except for the wind slapping against the trees, it was quiet.

  Minutes later, Amanda called out to me. I ran back to the opening. She had her phone light on and directed me to her. When I caught up, she was conversing with a woman inside a Smart car. Her window was lowered, and I could see she was alone except for an alcohol flask companion. When she noticed my stare, she attempted to hide it deep in the seat.

  “Relax, I’m not a cop.”

  “Tell him what you told me.”

  The woman averted her eyes. “Like I told her, I must have fallen asleep. At some point, a car horn woke me up, and I think I saw someone running into the woods. Look, it could have been nothing.”

  “What about a truck dashing out of the parking lot?”

  “Think so. Like I said, I’d been nodding off and on.”

  Right.

  “Better ease up on that.” I nodded at the flask.

  She started the engine, powered up the window, and gave me the bird.

  “It had to be Elizabeth running away.”

  “I already checked. If she was in there, she would have heard me calling her.” I paused. “I think Terry was driving that truck and almost ran us off the road. He might have her.”

  The roar of an airplane engine drowned out what Amanda was saying, but I got the gist: “The crazy bastard is violent.”

  I wasn’t a fan of jet fuel, and with the evening breeze, it permeated the air and made me nauseous. “Look, there’s not much we can do here.”

  Back in the car, I told Amanda we had to get the police involved. Especially if Terry snatched Elizabeth.

  “No cops!” Her eyes met mine. “No cops.”

  There wasn’t fear in her eyes, just resolve.

  “What are you not telling me?”

  She gazed out the window. “Terry knows people.”

  We all know people. “Okay?”

  Amanda squirmed.