“Just a flesh wound as they say. I didn’t even feel it.”
“Shock,” she said. “You’re gonna feel it later.”
“Oh.” It was tricky talking to her from my position facedown on the floor.
She shrugged. “Things happen.”
“I guess so. They sure did happen here. Do you think anyone is going to try to catch up with those two? They might have split up. That would be smart.”
“How do I even know you weren’t behind the whole thing?”
“What whole thing?”
A sound at the bedroom door took our attention away from that little squabble. Gram was leaning against the door frame and gasping for breath. How had she gotten past those marbles and glass without injuring herself? She was holding the cane and I had to admire that spirit.
“Ma’am,” Officer Martinez said. “Let me help you back to bed. The ambulance is coming.”
“Help me back to bed? I don’t think so. Do you want to get killed by those marbles? I almost did.”
“What? Oh. But you—”
“What you should do, young woman, is uncuff my grandson’s fiancée, who just saved my life and was extremely resourceful and brave . . .”
Her voice had started to fade away. I said, “No, you’re brave, Gram. You did that amazing thing with the lights.”
Gram swayed. “I guess I do need my bed.”
“We’d better not go back in there, Gram. But you need to lie down until you’ve been checked by the paramedics. Where’s the best bedroom for you now? Yours is way too dangerous with all that glass and the police need to check that for evidence.”
“No DNA.” Gram slowly pitched over. The cop caught her in time. I couldn’t do a thing from the floor and in handcuffs. Gram added, “Masks, hats, leather gloves, plastic booties over their shoes.”
“Professionals, maybe,” the cop said, steering Gram toward the next door.
Gram said, “I’ll move to the front room, if you don’t mind. It was my husband’s. Best room in the house.”
I said, “But luckily those crooks did cut themselves, so you will get DNA. Perhaps including mine.”
The cop said, “Right. That and fifty cents won’t get you a shoe shine,” she said. “You know what the waiting time is for DNA results?”
Right. Maybe six months if no one had been killed.
“Now if you’d been killed, we could pick up the pace.”
“We were almost killed.”
“Not good enough.”
Gram put up a bit of a struggle, “You really have to let Jordan up. This is nothing short of police brutality, keeping my grandson’s fiancée on the floor. It’s the kind of thing that makes the news.”
I said, “It does appear that I am on good terms with the victim and, in fact, am a victim myself. Perhaps that will merit a twist of the key. As you pointed out, I am also bleeding.”
A thundering on the stairs caused us all to stop and stare. A blond head appeared at the top of the staircase and a familiar voice said, “What the—”
“Pet!”
“Tyler!”
“What the hell happened? Gram? Jordan? Zoya’s lying downstairs and—”
“Oh, we had quite the visit,” Gram said. “Can’t wait to tell you about it. Jordan’s a cracker in an emergency.”
“Very true,” he said.
I squirmed to get a good look at him. “Is Zoya getting help?”
“There’s an officer downstairs with her and the paramedics are on the way.”
“My partner,” the officer said.
Smiley bellowed, “Why are you cuffed, Jordan? Are you hurt? Is that blood? Why is she cuffed?”
Gram said, “You bet your fat fanny she’s hurt. She fought off two thugs and now this . . . official . . . refuses to take off the handcuffs, even though I have carefully explained she’s practically family. And she saved my life.”
This was not strictly true. Gram had actually saved my life. I said as much.
Gram said, “But if you hadn’t come into the room and you hadn’t known about the contents of the apothecary jar and you—”
Smiley—who wasn’t smiling—turned to the officer and gave her his name. He also produced his badge, not that the hallowed name of Town of Cabot would cut much ice in the City by the Bay. “This is my grandmother and this is my fiancée. Can you tell me why she’s in cuffs?” He reached down to help me struggle to my feet. I may have hammed it up just a bit.
“There was a lot of confusion here. I’m just following procedure. You know that.” The officer did have two little red spots on her cheeks, I was happy to note. She had been following procedure, but even so, I was glad if she was the tiniest bit embarrassed. After all the stuff that’s happened to me in front of Smiley and various other officers of the law over the past three years, I am well beyond humiliation. So my no-doubt bedraggled hair, the dust on my lovely clothes, the handcuffs and the bloody hands I hadn’t seen yet wouldn’t be enough to bring spots to my cheeks. I was immune.
Smiley said, “Keys, please.”
Although I was pretty sure it wasn’t procedure, she handed them over. “I’ll need to get a statement from her at the station.”
I took a leaf from Gram’s book and swayed ever so slightly. “We better give that statement here or at the hospital,” I whispered as he unlocked the cuffs. “Aren’t we the victims?”
“Better sit down,” Smiley said gravely. I noticed his lips twitched.
Luckily there was an overstuffed chintz chair in the corridor for me to plop into. I tried to keep my hands from leaving gory marks on it. Of course, the pink and fuchsia print was so busy, who would ever know? I stared at my palms, which did have a few new cuts on top of yesterday’s scrapes and one small gash that was bleeding freely.
“That might need stitches,” Smiley said.
“Oh boy. I was hoping it was nothing.”
“And what’s that about an apothecary jar?”
“You’re going to hate this part,” I said.
“No he’s not,” Gram interjected from the doorway. “He’ll love it. It means there was a cosmic reason that we kept those marbles.”
“My marbles? You’re kidding. That is—I don’t even know what to say.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll pick them up. But you’re going to need another jar.” I know how much childhood treasures can mean to people so I reached out to reassure him.
He threw back his head and started to laugh. “Brilliant!”
“Well, they were going to shoot us, and I couldn’t see another possible weapon in the room unless we smothered them with flowered throw pillows. But Gram was the brilliant one. She shorted out the circuit by plugging in the humidifier.”
The next feet up the stairs belonged to the paramedic, who took a serious interest in Gram, now reclining in the four-poster in the huge front bedroom. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought she was having the time of her life. Gram did not want to be transported to the hospital or anywhere else. She was staying in her home.
Tyler made his way to the door of the front room. I edged up behind him. I was a bit shaky but that was all.
Gram told the paramedic, “I am perfectly fine and I value my independence. And I don’t think you can force me, young man. What would your mother say?”
The paramedic had a bit of trouble keeping the grin off his face. He’d probably stop trying after five minutes with Gram. The second paramedic arrived shortly after, apparently having taken care of Zoya.
“How is Zoya doing?” I asked. “The woman with the head injury.”
This paramedic was a cheerful woman with bright red hair and the freckles to go with it. She looked at me and said nothing in answer to my question. I said, “Sure, sure, privacy, I know, but we need to know. She took a conk on the head. That can be serious.
We’re worried about her.”
“They want to take her to Emergency for examination by a neurologist and scans. She’s refusing.”
Gram called out from her new room, “She’s scared about the money. Tell her I’ll pay whatever it is.”
Tyler said, “I’ll tell her.”
I added, “One of us should go with her unless she has some family around.”
Gram called out, “Zoya has no family. Just me.” And then to the paramedics: “What? Oh, all right. I’ll be still, but we have a situation to deal with. Zoya’s very high strung.”
I said, “Maybe I should go, although I don’t think she likes me much.”
Smiley said, “I’ll go with her, once I know that you and Gram are all right.”
“I’m all right. Like I said, just a flesh wound. Who knew this town would be so tough?”
The paramedic said, “Glad that’s all settled. Zoya will need someone with her. She’s pretty shaken up. Now, before you go anywhere, let’s have a look at that hand.”
“I was lucky. It could have been worse. There was glass everywhere.”
“What all happened?”
After I’d told the story of the cable car and the Prius and the home invasion, she said, “I guess you were lucky. What did they want?”
“We have no idea. Mrs. Huddy doesn’t know. It might be some kind of mistaken identity.”
“Huh. Well, I hope you’re planning to get an alarm system.”
Smiley said, “You bet we are.”
I said nothing. There was almost no chance that the attack on me in the hotel, the push from the cable car and this bizarre home invasion were not connected, but how? And why? And what the—
The paramedic inclined her bright red head in the direction of Gram’s room. “You can’t let her stay here.”
Gram called out, “I’d like to see someone try and make me leave.”
Smiley grinned. “I told you she was stubborn.”
I said, “But Zoya does need to go to the hospital, no matter what she says.”
“No! No hospitals.” Zoya somehow had made it upstairs, but she was leaning against the walls and even I—no medical expert—could see that her pupils were dilated, the left more than the right.
The paramedic who’d followed her up the stairs said, “You need to be seen. You need a scan and a doctor.”
“I will stay here.”
Gram raised her voice and showed her steely side, not for the first time in this memorable day.
“Zoya, you will go to the hospital with the ambulance now. I will cover your costs and you will not refuse if you know what’s good for you.”
Strangely, that did the trick.
* * *
IN THE END, the police were brought up to speed, we were all relatively comfortable again and Smiley was deputized to accompany Zoya to the hospital. I’d volunteered, but that got shot down. She had taken a strong dislike to me. That was okay. I was hardly crazy about her either, but she had definitely started it.
I was elected to stay with Gram until Zoya returned. I put clean sheets on the four-poster bed in the vast front room. I loved the feeling of the high-thread-count bed linen. Luxury.
Smiley poked his head in before they left and said, “Don’t be brave. Just stay safe and keep Gram company. I’ll be back as soon as possible. I’m used to emergency rooms. I’ll talk it up. Don’t investigate or snoop or try to be smart.”
“Smart? I have no idea what you mean.”
“Officer Martinez is still here. Let her know if there’s any issue at all,” he said as he headed out with Zoya.
I stared around the room. “This is an amazing room. It must be thirty feet wide.”
“Yes, we knocked out the wall for William when he was ill, so he’d have a sitting room and space for visitors. He spent the last year of his life here. He loved the windows and he had two beautiful ones with a view of the street. That was his recliner. He loved that too. He kept all the family albums in their own special case. He enjoyed the old photos. All those albums and even a box of spares.”
“And do you like them?”
“Not so much. I like the ones of Tyler because he’s dear to my heart. But there weren’t many photos of my family. My parents left England in the nineteen thirties when my father’s business went under. There were only a few pictures of them and a handful of me as a child. I was an only child too. And I have no idea about any relatives we left behind. No great ties there.”
“I have gaps in my history too,” I said, almost to myself.
She didn’t seem to hear. “I suppose I should move in here permanently myself. Zoya thinks so, but I like to keep it as it was when William was here. He made me truly happy and I love his memory. Now let’s see, what can we do that will be fun?”
Gram was in unusually good spirits for someone who’d survived a violent break-in. “Nothing wrong with me at all,” she said with a gleam in her bright blue eyes. “Well, nothing that a G and T wouldn’t fix.”
“Oh I don’t think—”
“You’re not here to think, my dear. You’re here to look after me and keep me happy.”
“I believe I’m supposed to keep you safe.”
“I’ll be safer with a gin and tonic. Now, hop to it. I’m not getting any younger. Supplies are in the butler’s pantry. By all means, have one yourself.”
I headed downstairs to mix her drink. She seemed better than she’d been before the home invasion. Maybe the hits of adrenaline had been good for her. In fact, she hadn’t been injured. As I recalled, she hadn’t even been all that frightened. Unlike me.
We spent a few pleasant hours together, although breakfast and lunch had long worn off. Eventually, I decided to hunt for something we could have for an appropriate light meal after a home invasion. Nothing in the fridge or pantry called to me, maybe because everything was in the ingredient stage for dishes I didn’t know how to cook. But in the freezer I found a box of ice cream sandwiches. Sandwiches are always soothing. I made a pot of tea in a pretty china teapot with a pink flower design and found some matching cups and saucers. Tea made for a bit of extra soothing. I put it all on one of the many trays stored in the kitchen and headed upstairs.
Gram and I had two ice cream sandwiches each and left a few for Tyler and Zoya. We enjoyed the treat and the pot of tea. They were the kind of comforting snacks that help after a trauma. I am pretty sure we both catnapped several times in between long chats. The topic was usually how wonderful Tyler was and how much she still missed William. Occasionally, it veered into how glad she was to get to know me or how Zoya was really loyal and kind. There was still no sign of Smiley and the loyal Zoya, although the sun had now set.
Gram’s eyes popped open and she smiled at me. “I usually have a nightcap.”
I headed downstairs again to get her another G and T.
I could hear the squawk of anxious birds as I approached the butler’s panty. I veered off to the sunroom, where birds were sounding distraught and squawking. In all the chaos, nobody had covered them for the night.
“Bet you guys all want to go to bed.” A short hunt later in a cupboard, I found the sheets that must have been to cover the cages.
“Get lost,” said the little green parrot.
“No, you get lost,” I chuckled, flipping the first sheet over his cage. With a mutter and flutter of feathers, he settled down.
Next I covered the cockatiels, who both chirped in appreciation. The lovebirds were last, snuggled together on their perch.
“Good night, everyone.”
I stopped. Not quite everyone. Where was the cuddly pug? In all the drama, I hadn’t even thought of the poor creature. And there was no Zoya to fuss over her. I checked the pink chintz wicker armchairs, the sofas, under the tables and ottomans, behind the plants. No bug-eyed little dog.
That was weird. And troubling. Asta would have been traumatized by the intruders, for sure. Aside from Asta yipping down the stairs when I was on my way up, I hadn’t heard any dog sounds after I’d reached the upstairs when the intruders were there. I couldn’t even remember how long ago. It seemed like a lifetime. My heart rate shot up. I searched the downstairs area including the sunroom again, but found only plants, birds, pillows and chintz. Had Asta escaped when the thugs got out the back entrance? Or was she like Good Cat and Bad Cat back home, with plenty of secret places to hide? I stuck my head out the back door and called. Nothing. I did a halfhearted job of mixing the G and T. I rushed back upstairs and handed Gram her drink. I waited until she’d had a sip or two and then asked her if Asta had a favorite hideout.
Oops. There was panic I might have expected to see during the home invasion. One hand shot to her chest. “Asta! Where is my little dog? And the birds! What has happened to my birds?”
“They are all there. I covered all your feathered friends and they are snoring away. Asta is probably hiding from all the noise and fuss,” I said, but I was worried. If we’d been invaded by police at home, Walter would have yipped at them, but still managed to be around begging for handouts. Maybe Asta had a different disposition. “You stay here and relax. I’ll check again.”
I checked the other bedrooms, except for Gram’s. The police had closed Gram’s own bedroom door and marked it off with tape. Asta hadn’t been in there when they did that. Still, it had been quite a while since the police had left. I felt that if Asta had been around, she would have found Gram. Downstairs again, I peered through the back windows but there was no way to see. I opened the front door and glanced around. There was what must have been an unmarked police car just past the front of the house. I could see the uniformed officer sitting in the front seat. I waved.
I called, “Asta!”
Not a sound. No small traumatized dog. Back in, I double locked the front door behind me.
I headed for the back. Cracked open the back door a sliver once again and called, “Asta! Come for a treat.” My experience with Walter had taught me that this strategy would often work. But I didn’t know Asta and wasn’t even sure what word she’d understand. I tried again, calling “cookie” and “biscuit” this time. I listened. Was that a whimper?
The Hammett Hex Page 12