Under the Willows

by Pamela McCord

  “He said he wanted to keep you another day or two.”

  “That doesn’t make me very happy.”

  “Oh, don’t grouse. You’re alive. Besides, I’ll be here.”

  “You will?”

  “There’s no place I’d rather be.”

  “Thank you,” he said, then his eyes closed and he was asleep again.

  Looking at our hands together, I felt happy.

  A sound from the doorway broke into my thoughts, and I looked up to see Jen and Jason. I stood as Jen rushed toward me. She pulled up short when she saw my bandaged arm.

  “What happened to you?” she asked in alarm. “And what happened to Rob? Is he okay?”

  “We’re both okay. Let’s go to the visitor’s lounge and let him sleep.”

  The three of us made it as far as the visitors lounge door before Jen grabbed my arm and looked at me expectantly. “Spill.”

  A laugh escaped before I could stop it. “I don’t even know where to start. You watched the news?”

  “You mean the Marilee Harmon story?”

  “Yeah, that one.”

  “She’s here, isn’t she? Coming through the lobby, we about tripped over all the paparazzi. There’s going to be a news briefing in half an hour or so.”

  “Really? I want to see that. I haven’t seen any of the news. What did the TV say happened?”

  “That Marilee was rescued, and there was a shootout. It said two people were wounded.”

  “No names or anything?”

  “No. I wasn’t sure why—” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Wait a minute. Don’t tell me it was you two.”

  “Guilty as charged.”

  “Tell us everything!’

  “It’s complicated. I’m not sure you’ll believe me.”

  “Why wouldn’t we? You saved Marilee!”

  “I know, but—”

  “But what?” Jen looked at me like she was frustrated by how long it was taking me to get to the point. “You’ve been shot! You’re standing here in front of me with a bullet hole in your arm. Of course we’ll believe you.”

  I started to tell her, but suddenly feared the real story getting out . . . getting back to Rob’s boss. So I changed directions.

  “I decided it would be fun to have a cabin on a lake. It’s so pretty up there. You know, Clarion Lake.”

  “So?” Jen raised her shoulders and tilted her head. “What does that have to do with finding Marilee?”

  I cleared my throat. “Well, um, so Mr. Brindleson told me about his cabin and how much there was to do at the lake. That gave me the idea to see if I could find one I could afford. It would be great for TJ.” I didn’t look straight at her, afraid she could see my story was a tall tale. “Anyway, I looked on realtor.com and did some research on the different lakes around here. Rob was kind enough to drive up to Clarion Lake with me.”

  Jen raised a questioning eyebrow. “Really? You haven’t mentioned anything to me about wanting a lake house.”

  Prickly sweat was creeping up my back. I’m not great at fibbing. I picked at a speck of blood on the bottom of my T-shirt. And Jen waited for me to continue.

  “It was spur of the moment. Having a cabin on a lake seemed like a pipe dream, but I thought it would be fun to go look at what was available, so we drove up there and poked around. We stumbled on a dirt road that looked promising and decided to see where it would lead. We followed it to where it ended. At a cabin. We started to turn around because we didn’t want to trespass, but right then we spotted someone walking toward the dock carrying a bundle. A moving bundle. That’s how we found her.”

  “What happened then?” Jen looked skeptical, rubbing her chin with one hand.

  Jason had been leaning against the wall outside the visitors lounge, listening.

  “I’m sorry, Kelly,” he said, pushing off the wall, “but I’m not sure I buy it. You’re too fidgety and don’t want to look at us.”

  Jen had those raised eyebrows going on. “He’s right,” she said. “Your story doesn’t ring true. If you don’t want to tell us about it, just say so.”

  Groaning, I said, “I do want to tell you. Everything. But you won’t believe me.”

  “Why?” Jen asked. “You found Marilee.”

  “Yeah. But we didn’t do it alone. We had help.”

  “From?”

  I couldn’t help dragging it out. How could I tell them that a ghost led the way?

  “You can’t tell anyone about this.” I ushered her and Jason into the visitors lounge and closed the door behind us. “It would be really bad for Rob if you did.”

  “What are you talking about? You and Rob saved that little girl. He’s a hero. No one’s going to—”

  “They would if they found out a ghost told us where to look.”

  Jason’s face screwed up in a give me a break grimace. Even Jen looked confused.

  I took a deep breath. “Jen, I told you about the night we spent in a hotel after weird things happened in TJ’s room. And you made me tell Rob about it. At first, he was skeptical, too. But he then saw it, heard it, for himself. In fact, he installed a nanny cam in TJ’s room to document it.”

  Neither said a word, but Jen’s mouth was hanging open.

  “I told you how the ghost was crying and asking for help. Well, we decided to ask what it wanted. It turned out the ghost is a little girl named Emma who was kidnapped years ago by the same guy who took Marilee. Who happens to be our mailman, Mr. Brindleson.”

  Jen waved her hands wildly. “Wait a minute. Mr. Brindleson?”

  “Yes. Mr. Brindleson. Anyway, Emma gave us clues about where we could find Marilee. She told us Marilee didn’t have much time left. Brindleson had stopped going out to his cabin where he had her in a cage. And he’d stopped bringing her food and water. Emma’s the one who pointed us toward him. Thanks to her, we got there in time. Brindleson was just carrying Marilee, wrapped in a sheet, out to his boat when we spotted him. I think he was going to dump her in the lake.”

  “How awful!” Jen said. “But a ghost? Wow.”

  “Kelly, I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time swallowing this,” Jason said.

  “I figured you would. I probably wouldn’t believe it myself if I hadn’t experienced it.”

  We all looked at each other, at a loss. Finally, I said, “You can ask Rob about it, but only when you’re alone with him. I’m pretty sure he won’t want the real facts getting around, especially to his superiors. That wouldn’t be a good thing.” I stood. “Look, I know this sounds preposterous. Ask Rob. He’ll confirm all of it.”

  Jen’s mouth flattened in a thin line. She was clearly in a state of I don’t know what to make of this. “Can we say hi to him?”

  “We can go see if he’s awake.”

  Back in Rob’s room, Jen pointed to the TV. “I think the press conference is going to start soon. Should we watch it?”

  “Yeah,” I said, and switched the TV on. Rob was still out, so I kept the volume low.

  There were still five minutes before the press conference was due to start. The three of us sat in the chairs on each side of the bed, waiting to see what information would be released.

  “He looks really pale,” Jen said. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “He lost a lot of blood, but the doctor said he was lucky. The bullet didn’t hit anything vital. He might get discharged tomorrow or the next day.”

  Our voices were low, but after a couple of minutes Rob opened his eyes, squinting at the light in the room. “Kelly?” he said.

  “I’m here, Rob. Jen and Jason are here, too. They came to see how you’re doing.”

  With effort, he turned his head and groaned in pain. “Hey, you guys,” he croaked, his voice hinting at a dry, scratchy throat. “Did Kelly tell you what happened?”

  “Kind of. It was a pretty strange story, dude,” Jason said.

  Rob tried a small chuckle. “Tell me about it.�
�

  Jen leaned over the bed and rubbed his hand. “How are you feeling? You poor thing.”

  “I’m okay,” he said weakly. “Did she tell you she saved my life?” He glanced at me and smiled.

  “No. We haven’t heard the whole story yet. They’re doing a press conference. I think it’s about to start.”

  “Can’t wait to see what they have to say,” Rob said.

  Chapter 28

  O

  T

  he press conference was being held at the hospital entrance, and a crowd had gathered around the microphone stand. Rob’s boss, Harold Magnusson, made his way to the mic, nodding to dignitaries along the way, receiving pats on the back. When he reached the mark, he cleared his throat and introduced the parents, the mayor, a doctor and a few members of the task force who had been investigating Marilee’s disappearance.

  “Today, Marilee Harmon was rescued. She’s being treated here at the hospital and her doctor will fill you in shortly. The suspect has been arrested on kidnapping and other charges.”

  He was interrupted by several reporters shouting questions about the identity of the suspect, but Chief Magnusson declined to release Brindleson’s name. He continued with the narrative, mentioning there was a shootout and that a detective and a civilian were wounded. Thankfully, he also declined to release Rob and my names, but indicated that none of the wounds were life-threatening.

  The doctor was up next. He had upgraded Marilee’s condition to stable. She was responding well to the nutrients and liquids she was receiving intravenously. She wasn’t awake yet, but indications were good that she would recover fully.

  “God, that’s a relief,” I said. “I still haven’t stopped freaking out over how close we came to not being in time.”

  “I know. But we were.”

  “So, how did you save Rob’s life?” Jen asked.

  “She tackled Brindleson before he could shoot me again,” Rob said. “I owe you one,” he directed at me.

  “Buddy, tell me this isn’t really a ghost story,” Jason said quietly.

  “Wish I could, Jas, but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Just make sure the true story doesn’t leave this room.”

  “We’re gonna have a beer and you’re gonna fill me in on this,” Jason said. “I’ll give you a week to recover, then you and me are gonna have a talk.”

  “I’ll tell you everything but, seriously, man, this can’t get out or I’ll be a joke at the station.”

  When Rob looked like he could hardly keep his eyes open, Jen and Jason said goodnight and said they’d check in with me tomorrow to see if there was anything they could do to help.

  I took a minute to call TJ and wish him goodnight. He didn’t mention Marilee but I needed to ask him to keep the story quiet. I could say nothing now and wait to talk to him when he came home tomorrow, but what if he saw it on the news tonight? Was it worth the risk?

  Finally, I said, “Honey, I just wanted you to know that we found Marilee today, and she’s alive.”

  He squealed in excitement and I could hear voices in the background.

  “Listen, you haven’t, you know, told anyone about Emma, have you?”

  “No, Mom. You told me not to.”

  “Could you still not tell anyone? I don’t think they’d believe you and they might think . . . I don’t know but they just wouldn’t understand. So, don’t tell, okay?”

  “Okay, Mom. See you tomorrow.”

  “Have a good night, honey.”

  Chapter 29

  O

  I

  stepped out of the bathroom in Rob’s room the next morning, surprised to find him awake. “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey,” he said back.

  He still looked so tired. Despite what the doctor had said, I couldn’t help worrying, but Rob assured me that he felt much better than the day before.

  “Captain Magnusson wants to take my statement,” he said. “I guess we should go over our story again.”

  “Yeah, we should. Do you think our story about looking at lakefront property will hold up to scrutiny?” I asked.

  “Maybe, but they’ll wonder why I was with you.”

  “Because we’re friends?”

  “Yeah. Friends.” His eyes searched mine, and I had to look away to keep him from seeing the flush rising in my face.

  “Well, that part’s true, at least,” I said. “And I think it’s plausible. After all, we did go to Bluebird Lake. They just don’t know we were on a mission and not on a—”

  “Date?” His eyes crinkled as he smiled at me.

  “It wasn’t a date.” I was growing uncomfortable, although I wasn’t sure why. Cold feet, maybe?

  “Of course it wasn’t.”

  “No, I didn’t mean—”

  Before I could continue, someone said “Hello” and I turned to see a man and woman of about my age standing in the doorway.

  The man stepped forward, his hand extended. “We hate to intrude. We’re Marilee’s parents, Jane and Nick, and wanted to thank you for bringing our daughter back to us.”

  “Oh.” I stood quickly and moved to take his hand. “I’m Kelly Harris, and this is Rob Porter.”

  Jane rushed forward and grabbed me in a hug, which I returned and started to cry.

  She was crying, too. “We can never thank you enough for what you did for us.”

  “You don’t need to thank us. We were just lucky to be in the right place at the right time.” I shrugged a little as I wiped my eyes.

  “I think I’m going to be sobbing for days,” she said, smiling.

  Rob shifted to sit up further and the Harmons moved to his bedside. Nick shook hands with him. “There are no words to convey our thanks to you. Both of you. I’m sorry you had to get shot while rescuing Marilee.”

  “It comes with the job sometimes,” Rob replied.

  Having been around Rob enough to know he was feeling uncomfortable with the outpouring of gratitude, I indicated the two chairs to take the focus off him. “Why don’t you sit down for a minute.”

  Jane started to speak but was overcome with emotion and put her hand over her mouth. A hiccupping sob escaped. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t seem to get control of myself. We were afraid we’d never see her again.”

  I bent and put my arms around her shoulders. “Don’t apologize. I understand. I have a son, and I’d be devastated if anything happened to him. Just let the happy thoughts sweep over you. You can’t change what happened, but you shouldn’t dwell on the negative. Yesterday was a good day.”

  “Kelly’s right,” Rob said. “The what ifs can drive you crazy. I think fate led us to your daughter. It was meant to be.”

  “Thank you. Those words help.”

  “And I agree with Kelly,” Rob said. “You don’t owe us anything. Concentrate on getting Marilee healthy again.”

  We all turned toward the doorway at the sound of someone clearing his throat.

  “Captain Magnusson,” Nick said. “We just wanted to thank Rob and Kelly for saving Marilee.”

  “Mr. Harmon. Sorry to intrude, but I have some questions for Detective Porter. Would you mind excusing us?”

  “Of course not,” Nick said as he slipped an arm around Jane’s waist and escorted her from the room.

  “Do you want me to go, too?” I asked.

  “That won’t be necessary. I have some questions for you as well.”

  “Sounds ominous,” I said, but took a seat by the bed.

  “I wanted to get your statement. Do you feel up to it?” he asked Rob.

  “Of course, Captain.”

  “First, what were you doing at Mr. Brindleson’s property? You didn’t have a warrant, I presume.”

  “Uh,” Rob started.

  “He was helping me check out lakefront properties,” I said.

  Captain Magnusson shot me a look. “Lakefront properties. Hmm.”

  “Yes,” Rob sa
id. “It was pure luck that we stumbled on Brindleson carrying Marilee out to his boat.”

  “We were driving and spotted a dirt road that looked like it went down to the lake, so I asked Rob if he’d go that way. He parked and we walked toward the lake and that’s when we saw Brindleson with what looked like a bunch of sheets in his arms.” I watched the captain’s eyes as I spoke. “And then he put it in the boat and the pile of sheets moved and Rob yelled out what’s going on or something like that. That’s when Brindleson shot me.”

  “He’d put Marilee in the boat. When he heard us coming, he pulled out a gun and started shooting.”

  “That’s fairly convenient, wouldn’t you say? I mean, you just happened to pick the dirt road that ended at Brindleson’s cabin, and he just happened to pick that moment to carry her out to the boat?”

  “Yeah. Lucky for us. I think God sent us there,” I said, making my eyes wide.

  “God. Okaay,” Magnusson said. “So, you both got shot and you still managed to take down Brindleson?”

  “It wasn’t as easy as that,” Rob said. “He shot Kelly and I pulled my gun and returned fire but he was already moving. He got off a shot at me and headed for the boat. I jumped him and tried to take his gun away. Kelly piled into him and threw him off balance and we were able to overpower him. Then Kelly ran to the boat and found Marilee. I called it in. That’s about the extent of it.”

  “Uh huh.” Captain Magnusson seemed skeptical but said, “When you’re up to it, come in and type up your report.”

  “Do you want to ask me any questions?” I asked. He looked at me for a long moment, and shook his head.

  “We’ll be talking,” he said to Rob on his way to the door.

  “Captain?” Rob said and Magnusson turned back. “I think maybe you should send a team out there and see if you can find anything else. We don’t know if Marilee was his only victim. Can you just check?”

  Magnusson nodded. Then he was gone.

  “Was that too easy?” I asked.

  “Maybe. We have to wait to see what Brindleson’s story is. Whether it raises any questions.”

  “He has to remember that I asked him about properties on the lake. Told him I thought I wanted to find one, so that supports our story. I mean, really, it’s very plausible why we were there. And Melissa knew we went to Bluebird first because she watched TJ for me. No one can account for our miraculous timing.”