by Nancy CoCo
“You shouldn’t drink when you’re taking pain pills,” he said.
“I didn’t take any pain pills,” I said and took a sip.
“I want to walk through the hotel to make sure you’re locked up tight and the security cameras are working.”
“I’ll go with you,” I said. “The last thing I need is another encounter with a killer.”
Chapter 19
Saturday
The next morning, I was up early due to the pain in my hand. I swallowed some aspirin and went downstairs to start coffee before people got up. Mal needed her walk, so I put a jacket over my T-shirt and jeans and leashed her up to go out. I took my phone with me just to be safe.
Outside, the weather was perfect for a spring wedding. The sky was blue and the sun rose a lovely pink and pastel orange. The lake wind was gentle and flowers were blooming everywhere. It made me sad to think that Jenn and Shane were in the hospital. I wanted to go be with her, but I had guests and a killer on the loose.
Mal and I walked down by the beach. The sound of the lake waves calmed me. My hand throbbed. My fingers were swollen under the splint. A fine maid of honor I was going to make. The doctor said the splint needed to be on for at least six weeks. I had to wonder when Jenn would reschedule her wedding. Next weekend might be too soon for Shane, and she had the Wilkins wedding to think about.
A glance at my phone told me it was only seven a.m. Too early to call Jenn. I turned and moved back toward the McMurphy. Terra would show up with breakfast at eight. I wanted to set up tables and such on the roof. It was perfect weather for outdoor breakfast.
Mal started barking and caught my attention. A figure stood off in the distance as we walked down an empty Main Street. It was a man, and he stared at us as he stood three blocks away. I stopped and used my left hand to hit the button to dial Rex.
“Manning,” he said, his voice sounding gravelly with sleep.
“Rex, it’s Allie,” I said, my heartbeat pounding so fast I heard it in my voice. “I’m walking Mal and there’s a male figure on Main Street just staring at us.”
Mal barked and barked.
“Is that Mal?” Rex said. “I’ve never heard her bark like that. Can you see who it is? Is it Mike?”
“I would need to get closer to tell,” I said. “He’s shaped like Mike and wearing a baseball cap. Oh wait, he’s turned toward Market Street and is walking away. Maybe it was nothing.”
“I’m glad you called me,” he said, and I could hear him getting dressed. “Is he between you and the McMurphy?”
“I don’t know; he ducked down Astor Street toward Market and I’m not close enough to tell if he’s hiding in wait or walking away.”
“Mal’s still barking,” he observed. “I don’t like you out in the open like that.”
“I have to walk Mal,” I said. “Maybe if I cross the street? I mean, it could just be a fudgie.”
“Okay, cross the street and stay on the line with me. I’m coming your way.” I could hear his door open and close.
“I’m crossing now,” I said. “I’m about a block away from the street he turned up.”
“I’m coming down the other way,” he said.
“Great,” I said. I slowed down when I hit Astor. I realized it was the same street that fed the alley where Christopher was killed. Did Mike’s family have a home near here?
“Okay, I’m at Astor,” I said. “He’s not here.” There was relief in my voice. “He must have gotten to Market. Maybe he was just going for coffee.”
“Maybe,” Rex said. “I’m nearly to Main. There’s no one on Market.”
I crossed the street to the McMurphy side of Main and turned up the road that led to the alley and the stairs to my apartment. Rex was within sight when I hung up the phone. Mal barked again, startling me. A man jumped out from behind a dumpster and put a knife to my throat.
“Don’t say a word,” he whispered near my ear, sending fear spiking down my spine. I dropped Mal’s leash and she growled and bit at the man’s pant leg. He kicked her and she cried out as she tumbled away from me.
The knife was cold and razor-sharp against my skin. The edge stung like a long paper cut on my throat.
Rex had pulled out his gun. “Put down the knife,” he ordered.
“No,” Mike said. “You put down the gun or I’ll slit her throat. I’ll do it.”
“Rex, don’t,” I said.
“What do you want?” Rex asked Mike.
“Put down the gun and get me a boat off this darned island,” Mike said.
“I can get you the boat, but you have to put down the knife.”
“No,” Mike said and grabbed my arm, wrenching it behind me. I made a noise at the pain that radiated up my arm. The knife pressed harder into my throat. My left hand grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away from me, but he tugged on my right arm, bringing tears to my eyes.
“Okay,” Rex said. “I’m putting down my gun.”
“No, Rex, don’t,” I said.
But he slowly lowered the gun. I tried desperately to remember my self-defense class. I knew my left arm couldn’t reach anything vital. Maybe my elbow could connect with his solar plexus. My foot could stamp his insole.
I burst into action, jamming my elbow. It hit his side ribs, making a cracking sound. I stomped on his foot as hard as I could. The knife jerked off my neck. I bent from the waist, trying to flip him, and heard a crack in my arm. Tears of pain flooded my eyes. Then a gunshot, and Mike dropped behind me. The knife dropped to the ground. Once I realized I was free, I stumbled toward Rex as fast as I could. He rushed forward and grabbed me, putting me behind him, and held the gun on Mike.
Mal was at my feet and I reached down with my good hand and grabbed her by the collar, lifting her into my arm and behind Rex. Rex was the wall between me and the man who wanted to kill me.
“You shot me!” Mike sounded astonished as he held his shoulder. Blood pooled on his shirt.
“I’ll do it again if you move,” Rex said. He moved me a safe distance away, keeping his gun trained on Mike. “Stay here,” he ordered me. Then he left me and moved closer to Mike. Police came running from the administration building down the street. I couldn’t hear what was happening. My arm throbbed and my body shook. I slid down the side of the building and put my head to my knees, Mal in my lap licking my face.
“Allie?” It was Officer Lasko’s voice.
I lifted my head. My arm throbbed horribly and tears filled my eyes.
“It’s okay,” she said. “Rex has him. Can you stand?”
I nodded and she tried to help me up with my right elbow, but I winced.
“Sorry,” she said. “We need an ambulance here,” she said over her radio. “How’s your left arm?”
“Okay,” I said and she helped me up with my left elbow. I had Mal tucked firmly against my body. My left hand cradled her and I clung to the warmth and weight of her body.
“Did he kill Mike?” I asked, shaking violently, not remembering everything that had happened.
“No,” she said. “Rex shot him, but it’s not life-threatening.” The sound of the ambulance siren could be heard coming toward us. We were only a few blocks from the police station and the clinic. The ambulance was parked at the mouth of the alley and the sirens stopped. George hopped out and came toward me.
“Allie, are you all right?” he asked and studied the odd bend in my right arm. “She has a broken arm.” He took a look at my neck. “Get me my kit,” he called the other EMT. The kit was brought and he opened it up and grabbed fresh gauze, pressing it to my neck. “Come on, let’s get you to the ambulance where you can sit down before you fall down.”
One hand on my neck and the other around my waist, he walked me gently to the ambulance.
“Can you put Mal down?” he asked.
“No,” I said firmly. “No.”
“Okay, okay,” he said and hoisted me up on the back of the ambulance.
I gritted my teeth at the pain.
The other EMT was Billy Raven. He wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. Mal sat calmly in my lap. Her little head against my chest.
Rex came over. “Is she okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said and tried to smile, but tears spilled down my face.
“She has a broken arm and we need to take care of the cut on her neck. Luckily, it’s not very deep.”
The shaking had slowed down. “What about Mike?” I asked. “Shouldn’t someone look after him?”
“You first,” Rex said. “There’s someone with pressure on Mike’s wound. Raven is heading over there now.” He looked straight at George. “Take her to the clinic and come back for Hangleford. I don’t want them in the same ambulance.”
The island only had one ambulance. It usually was enough for the population.
“Will do,” George said. “Lasko, can you help me get her inside and stay with us on the way to the clinic?”
She glanced at Rex and he nodded, so she climbed up into the ambulance and she and George got me seated and buckled in. We took off.
“How badly is Mike hurt?” I asked. “Rex didn’t seem worried.”
“The bullet pierced his shoulder below the collarbone,” Lasko said. “It didn’t hit anything vital. They’ve stopped the bleeding. He’ll be fine until they can clean him up and repair the wound.”
“Good, good,” I said and hugged Mal. “I don’t want to be the cause of his death.”
“You aren’t,” Lasko said and patted my knee. “You aren’t.”
* * *
I arrived at the clinic to find Liz shaking her head at me. “Back again so soon?”
“They just can’t keep a good investigator down,” I said. “When do you get out of here?”
“I’m waiting for the doctor’s orders, but they said in an hour or two,” she said and yawned. “It’s a good thing because they don’t let you sleep around here.”
“We have to check your pupils every hour,” the nurse said. “You don’t want a brain bleed.” She took my vitals and tsked at my arm. “Looks like you really wanted a cast on that arm.” Then she lifted the gauze on my neck. “Lucky for you this is shallow. Some surgical glue should take care of it. The doctor is on his way.”
I nodded and clung to Mal. She covered me with a blanket.
“Okay, doggie visit time is over,” the nurse said and pulled Mal from me. “Aren’t you just the cutest thing?” she said in a sweet baby voice. Mal, of course, loved the attention, her stump tail wagging.
“What are you going to do with her?” I asked.
“Your parents are in the waiting room,” the nurse said. “They’ll take good care of her.”
Dr. Prost came in as the nurse left. He frowned at me. “You’re back too soon, young lady.” He picked up my chart, glanced at it, and then looked at my neck. “I can fix this right up, but right now the priority is your arm. We need to get you down to the X-ray room so I can see how bad it is.”
My arm was swollen and purple, but no bone showed. He shone a light in my eyes to check my pupils. “We need to get you in a gown so I can see where else you might be hurt. Cara,” he called.
“I’m here,” she said.
“Take her down to X-ray and then get her in a gown. I’ll also need a kit for the neck wound.”
“I’ve got that ready,” she said and put a sterile kit still wrapped in packaging on the rolling table by my bed. She left for a moment and came back with a wheelchair. Then helped me in as the doctor looked at Liz one final time.
As I was wheeled off to the X-ray room, I heard him pronounce Liz ready to go home. At least there was one happy thing happening this morning.
* * *
It was two hours before they let anyone come see me. I had a spiral fracture in my humerus. The doctor had finished gluing my neck wound and then cast my arm from the shoulder down to the forearm with my elbow at a ninety-degree bend. Apparently, I had contusions and scrapes as well. He told me sleeping was going to be fun. Then ordered me an IV painkiller and let me have guests.
Mom and Dad and Mal were the first to come in.
Mom gasped. “Oh, my poor baby! You look terrible.”
“I hope they throw the book at that guy,” Dad said and held my good hand.
“How did this happen?” Mom asked. “Did you go looking for him again? Did you learn nothing yesterday? That man is dangerous. We should’ve never let you go out by yourself.” She patted my shoulder.
“First off,” I said, “I did not go looking for him. He was looking for a way off the island and thought a hostage would help. Secondly, I’m a grown adult and am fully capable of taking my dog for a walk.”
“Honey, tell her that it’s pretty obvious from the cast and the splints that she is not fully capable of keeping herself safe,” Mom said.
I gave my father a look and he raised his hands. “I’m not getting in the middle of this. Allie,” he took my good hand, “are you okay?”
“I’m fine. They have me on some really good pain drugs,” I said.
“Oh no, she needs pain meds,” Mom said. “What if she gets addicted?”
“She’s not going to get addicted,” Dad said.
“Have you heard from Jenn’s parents today?” I asked. “How is Shane? How is Jenn?”
“Jenn’s dad called me,” Dad said. “Shane is doing much better and is being moved out of the ICU. Jenn’s good. She could come here, but she’s staying in a hotel with her parents until Shane is allowed to come home.”
“What did you tell the relatives?” I asked. “Did Terra come with breakfast?”
“Douglas said breakfast went off without a hitch. He and Frances set up the rooftop with tables covered with white tablecloths and the buffet was brought up to the roof. They explained to the relatives what Jenn’s dad said about the kids. Rex stopped in and told them that they were free to come out of lockdown after you took the killer down.”
“Did you guys get any breakfast?” I asked.
“We’re not going to leave you for some breakfast,” Mom said.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Really. Why don’t you two go get something to eat? It’s after noon.”
“Are you sure you want us to leave you?” Mom asked.
The nurse came into the curtained area. “She’s fine if you want to leave for a while. Doctor said he was going to let her go home in a couple of hours. She just needs to rest a bit and get through her IV. Then she’ll be released by the doctor. It will be about six p.m. when we let her go.”
“All right,” Dad said, ever the pragmatist. “Come on, dear, let’s go get something to eat.”
Mom gave me a hug and I bit my lip not to wince out loud. Then they left with Mal.
Exhausted, I closed my eyes, and when I opened them time had passed. Rex was sitting in a chair nearby. “How long have you been here?” I asked. My throat sounded hoarse. He poured me a glass of water and handed it to me.
“About an hour,” he said. “Those pain meds really knocked you out.”
“What did I miss?” My voice was clearer after a sip or two of water.
“Hangleford is in Cheboygan to get the bullet wound repaired. It was a through and through and didn’t hit any major arteries.”
“Did he say anything about why he did it? Oh, what about Becky and Shane? They’re in Cheboygan, too. That has to be scary for them.”
“I’ve got police stationed in front of Shane’s room. Becky went home today to her parents’ house in Detroit.” Rex took the glass of water from me and put it on the bed table. “Jenn is okay. She’s a bit black and blue, but you and Shane took the most punishment.”
“Is Shane awake?” I asked. “Dad said they moved him out of the ICU.”
“He’s awake,” Rex said. “I’m going to go to Cheboygan tomorrow to see him. Then I’m going to see that the Cheboygan PD takes good care of Hangleford. Once he’s well enough for transport, we’ll drag him back to Mackinac County for trial.”
“Good,” I said and sat
up. It was hard to do with only one hand. Rex helped me. “I can’t wait to get out of this bed. I’ve got so much to do. We’re going to have to cancel the wedding vendors and reschedule them.”
“Frances told me to tell you not to worry, she’s taken care of it. Jenn and Shane’s new date is the weekend after the Wilkins wedding. Frances has rescheduled anyone who had reservations that weekend and offered all the friends and relatives to come back.”
“Are they going to?” I asked.
“Frances seems to think so,” he said. Rex took hold of my left hand and rubbed his thumb along it, caressing it. “Can you tell me what happened this morning?”
“I was up early, worried about Jenn and Shane. Mal needed her morning walk and there wasn’t anyone around. I knew you’d have a patrol coming by soon, so I thought it was safe. We wandered over to the shore for a bit. I was on my way back when I spotted him and called you. The rest you know.”
“Any idea how he knew where you were?”
“I don’t,” I said. “I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. Heck, even I didn’t know. I was lost in thought and ended up at the shore.” I shrugged. “He had to just be looking for someone, anyone, to take as a hostage to get him off the island.”
“Or he could have known you would walk Mal and lain in wait for you to do just that,” Rex said. “You shouldn’t have gone alone.”
“No one else was up and you have to sleep sometime,” I said and squeezed his hand. “I’m glad the wedding is rescheduled for two weeks from now. At least most of the bruises will be gone and my neck should be healed. I’d hate to look like Frankenstein’s monster in Jenn’s wedding photos.”
“You’ll always be beautiful to me,” he said and kissed my fingers
There was a sound of a man clearing his voice. I looked up to see Harry.
“Hi,” he said. “I heard you got hurt.” He lifted the flowers in a mug that he had in his hand. “Thought I’d bring you something to cheer you up.” He stepped into the curtained area and put the flowers on the bed table, then planted a kiss on my cheek. I felt Rex’s fingers tighten around mine.
“Hi, Harry,” I said. “Thank you, the flowers are beautiful.”