Ian

by Denise Irwin

  “Needless to say, she was not fond of anyone associated with the situation. Phil showed all of us that she couldn’t have committed the crime, because the knife wound was so high on the victim’s back. Leona lived in Fells Point, so she and a good friend would have coffee on Sunday mornings at about the time I walked the dog. I lived on a sail boat and asked her on a number of occasions if she wanted to go sailing and she always said no. One Sunday, her friend didn’t show up, so I asked her again. She shocked me when she said yes. We had wine and snacks as we sailed until dusk. She was a bit loopy, so I brought her here for dinner. The Grand Marnier did her in and I carried her home. The rest is history. This woman has put up with more of my shit than anyone I ever knew, so I had to ask her to marry me.”

  Everyone lifted their glass and toasted Sam and Leona’s first date.

  It was a wonderful evening, full of laughter and stories of old cases. The Macgill’s had a few of their own. When it was time to go, Leona felt sad that it had to end.

  There were a number of hug and kisses and well wishes for the flight home. Bonnie and Ivan said that if they came to Stonehaven, everyone could stay at the B&B for free. Ivan asked Sam to give him updates about the case, so that he could share them with the town.

  Brian and Phil drove them to the hotel. Amanda and Stefan drove home as well as Leona and Sam.

  During the drive home, Leona said, “That was such a great send off for Bonnie and Ivan. I think that they really enjoyed it.”

  “I thought so as well. Lee did we ever tell your mother about Macgill’s investigation?”

  “I don’t think so. The last time we had them over was for them to meet the dog.”

  “Yeah that’s what I remember.”

  “In that case, we need to get ready for the inquisition”

  Sam parked the car and walked around the car to open Leona’s door. He then took her hand and helped her up. They walked up the steps to the front porch and Sam opened the door for his wife to go in first. She sarcastically whispered, “So it looks to me that my husband is feeding me to the lion first.”

  Leona entered the kitchen first and her mother handed her a glass of wine. She then handed Sam a beer. Nancy said, “I didn’t fall off the potato truck yesterday. Did the two of you go out to celebrate winning a case?”

  “No we weren’t celebrating a case win. Since this is Sam’s case, I’m gonna let him tell you about it.”

  “Nancy, do you remember when it rained so hard that it flooded and the schools were closed?”

  “Yes I do.”

  “During the cleanup, an insurance adjuster was assessing the damage on the Meadow Mill parking lot. He found a body at the foot of the parking lot, so he called the police. The victim had no identification on him. In the end, we uncovered that his name was Ian Macgill. He was from Stonehaven, Scotland and planned to attend the University of Maryland School of Medicine and go back to his town to practice medicine. With help from a number of people, we located the murderer. Mr. and Mrs. Macgill flew to Baltimore to collect their son’s body. They attended the arraignment and probable cause hearing, so Gregory’s team went to Mike’s for dinner and I guess you I guess you could say, to wish them well.”

  “This never made the news, did it?”

  “No and we were grateful for that.”

  “What was his motive to murder a young man from Scotland?”

  “Ian volunteered in the University of Maryland Medical Center. He met a lovely young lady there. She told me that this guy, Mark Thompson had been stalking her and thought that she was his girlfriend.”

  “Will she have to testify?”

  “Gregory hopes not and he really has enough evidence for the trial.”

  “That’s an amazing case. Please keep me posted. I’m gonna go home and go to bed.”

  “Ma, how much wine did you drink?”

  “I poured a glass just as you walked into the house. I’m okay. I’ve been drinking coffee, so I’m wired, not intoxicated.”

  They walked Nancy to her car and then did the hugs and kisses goodbye. They watched until her tail lights disappeared at the bottom of the driveway.

  Sam asked his wife, “Are you up for a nightcap?”

  “Nope, I’m going to bed.”

  <>

  Thompson was strapped down for the night, he vaguely remembered someone exchanging his bags to feed him both glucose and drugs

  Chapter Eight

  Sam came into the kitchen after walking the dog. He told his wife, “Lee, it sure smells like snow out there. We just might have a white Thanksgiving.”

  She went out the back door and sure enough the smell of snow was in the air. She looked at the calendar and nearly fainted, “Sam, I wasn’t paying attention. Thanksgiving is just two weeks away and I’ve done nothing to get ready.”

  “Lee, settle down. Make breakfast and we’ll make a list of what the kids and I can help with.”

  Jack and Molly came into the kitchen for breakfast. When they sat at the table, Dad said, “Do you think that we can help Mom get ready for Thanksgiving by the three of us decorating outside?”

  Jack said, “Yes and it’ll be so much fun. We can’t help until Saturday, because of school, but Molly and I will help, right Molly?”

  “Yes Vinny and I will help.”

  After the kids left for school, Sam asked, “Hey, why don’t we go look for decorations today and get that off your to-do list.”

  “I think that’s a great idea. I’ll also pick up the indoor decorations while we’re out so that I can do the inside of the house while you and the kids work on the yard.”

  <>

  Delven drove to the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital to meet with her client. As soon as she walked through the door, she saw that some of the patients were locked in a room watching television. The scent of disinfectant cleaner filled the hall. She heard sounds that no one should ever hear. There were people screaming and crying. She walked straight to the register desk, “My name is Rebecca Delven, I’m Mark Thompson’s attorney and I would like to meet with my client in private.”

  “Ms. Delven, please take a seat while I call a nurse to bring him down.”

  Delven flipped through a magazine while she waited. She’d never had a client in a hospital for the mentally ill, so she wasn’t sure how long she’d have to wait. She read one article and was about to start a second one, when a nurse came into the waiting area, “Ms. Delven, my name is Sylvia and I am Mark’s nurse. Come with me. I’ll get you settled and then I’ll go get Mark.”

  She led Delven to a door and then said, “Ms. Delven, I’m going to lock you in so that you will be safe. Some of our patients are prone to violence.”

  If Becca thought the hall and reception area smelled bad, it was nothing compared to the stench in this room. She was close to vomiting, but she looked around and saw that there was no place that she could. The room didn’t even have a trash bin. She felt as though she was being held hostage even though logically she knew that she wasn’t.

  The door was unlocked and opened, Sylvia led him to the table and then said to Delven, “I’ll be right outside the door if you need me.” She then closed and locked the door.

  Thompson’s eyes spit fire at her and she saw the veins in his neck bulge out, “What the fuck are you doing here.”

  “I came to check on you. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life in a hospital like this?

  “It’s none of your business how I want to spend my life. Get the fuck away from me. I never want to see you again.”

  She stood and knocked on the door. Sylvia told Thompson, “Stay where you are while I walk your attorney out.”

  As they walked to the front door, Sylvia asked, “How did your visit with Thompson go?”

  “Meeting with my client is privileged information.”

  Delven was pissed as she walked out of the hospital. She knew that it was her job to defend him, but in her heart she despised him.

  <>

 
Leona and Sam were done at the decoration shop and his car was laden down with decorations. He parked the car and then asked her, “Lee, where do you want all this shit?”

  She turned about and asked, “Sam, did you just ask me something? I didn’t hear your question, so can you ask me again please?”

  He knew that might have just bought him a one-way ticket into the doghouse, so he said, “I asked you where you want me to put the decorations?”

  “What do you think if we put the outside decorations in the garage and bring the others into the house? I’ll call the guy who brings our mulch in the spring and ask him to bring us two bales of straw.”

  “I tell you what, let’s get everything put away and I’ll go see what he has. If it looks good, I’ll order two bales.”

  He drove to the landscape center to look at the bales of straw. He asked the sales person, “Will this hold up if it rains?”

  “It should. I’ve never had a complaint about rain.”

  “Good, can I ordered two bales for delivery?”

  “Of course you can. I can deliver it in the morning. Can I ask that Mrs. Marksman be there to show me where she wants it?”

  “You know my wife only too well. Any idea on the time?”

  “I can deliver it around 9:00, but if that’s a problem just give us a call and we’ll reschedule the delivery.”

  “Bill, it will not be a problem.”

  He drove home and parked the car in time for lunch. “I didn’t expect you home so early.”

  “Does the mean that I don’t get lunch?”

  She chuckled as she said, “Of course you can have lunch. Did you find the bales of straw?”

  “Yes I did?”

  “Bill asked that you be here to show him where you want them.”

  “Sam, did you go to just one shop?”

  “Yes, I went to the shop where you buy the mulch. I was not about to drive around comparing straw bundles.”

  “Don’t get testy because that’s okay, I was just asking.”

  <>

  After his attorney left, Thompson was strapped into a wheelchair. He couldn’t operate the chair, so an attendant rolled him into a community room where he was fed lunch. He craved the jail’s food over this shit.

  <>

  When the children came home from school, Leona told them, “We have decorations in the garage for you to decorate outside.”

  Molly asked, “What did you get?”

  “Some really fun stuff. Two bales of straw are being delivered tomorrow. Where should we put them?”

  “Well Mom, they’re probably too big for the front porch and they shouldn’t be too close to the house. What if we put them on either side of the driveway and we could put something really cool on top of them, like maybe pumpkins along with tied up horse corn. Molly what do you think?”

  “I think that’s a great idea, but what do you think if we had Mom and Dad go out and get some American Indian stuff to put on the porch, since they sat down with the pilgrims for the first Thanksgiving dinner.”

  Jack told his sister, “That’s an awesome idea.”

  After Molly and Jack went to bed, Leona and Sam met in the kitchen for a night cap. As Sam handed her a glass of wine, she asked, “What did you think about the decorating ideas that Molly and Jack had?”

  “I think they are really great ideas. I have to say that I was surprised by what Molly said about the American Indians, but it’s true, it started with them. I’m tempted to go out tomorrow to look for decorations, but the straw is being delivered.”

  “Tomorrow, I’ll go on line and see if I can find what we’re looking for while we’re waiting for the straw bales."

  <>

  He had undergone psychological testing all day; however he did not know that there were cameras in his room along with the dining hall and he’d been filmed since his arrival. An attendant rolled Thompson’s wheel chair to his room and helped him into bed where they applied the straps. He lay awake all night terrified of what he’d gotten himself into as he listened to other patients scream all night.

  <>

  During breakfast, Jack asked, “Did you think about the idea that Molly and I had about the American Indian decorations?”

  Sam said, “We think that it’s a great idea, so Mom’s gonna see what she can find today.”

  “Mom that would be great if you can find something.”

  “I’ll find something, so don’t worry about it.”

  After the kids left for school, Leona went into Sam’s office to look for American Indian decorations. She found that Party City had what she wanted. She went back in the kitchen, “Sam, you’re not gonna believe this, but everything we need is at a one of the Party City stores.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes I am. Do you want to wait for the straw bales while I go?”

  “No ma’am, Bill was pretty determined when he said that you had to be here. If you’re in a hurry to go to Party City, I’ll go and get what we need.”

  This was hard for Leona because she was a control freak, but she gave in and said, “Sam, go get the decorations and I’ll wait for Bill.”

  He drove to the store, but when he went in, he wasn’t sure what his wife wanted, so he purchased two sets of bows and arrows and two tomahawks. He then drove to the farmer on Harford Road where he purchased the pumpkins and the stalks of horse corn.

  He hoped that he’d made the right decisions since he didn’t want to disappoint his family. He pulled into the driveway to see that the straw bales had been delivered and were placed where the kids wanted them.

  He went into the kitchen where his wife was preparing lunch. He said, “I see that the straw bales were delivered.”

  “Yes, they were delivered just after you left. I hope that they are placed where the kids wanted them.”

  “Well, if they aren’t, we’ll figure something out.”

  She chuckled and then asked, “How did you make out?”

  “I bought two sets of bow and arrows along with two tomahawks. There really wasn’t much there, so I went to the farmer down the road and bought several pumpkins and several corn husks tied together. He also had the horse corn that was tied together, so I bought two, thinking they could hang on either side of the door. I put everything in the garage.”

  She chuckled, “Sam, it sounds like you did alright. This is going to be a busy house on Saturday.”

  When Molly and Jack ran into the kitchen, where Jack said, “That’s exactly where we wanted them. Did you get the rest of the decorations?”

  Sam said, “Yes and everything is in the garage until Saturday.”

  <>

  Before leaving the office, Gregory received a fax from Kavanagh. The first page indicated that he wanted to meet with counsel in his chamber at 9:00 am on Monday the 18th. Gregory sat to read the rest of the fax. It was the psychological report on Mark Thompson. According to the report Thompson is competent enough to stand trial.”

  <>

  Rebecca Delven received the same fax, so she marked her calendar for the meeting and read the report. When she finished she let out a sigh of relief because she never wanted to go back to that hospital again.”

  <>

  After the kids went to bed, Sam poured a glass of wine for Leona and pulled a beer out for him. She said, “Thank you. The kids are gonna have so much fun tomorrow decorating the yard.”

  “Are you gonna start on the inside tomorrow?”

  “I think that I’m gonna wait until I clean. I can work on one room at a time cleaning and decorating as I go. Have you heard anything from Brian yet?”

  “No, but I don’t know how long a psychiatric evaluations takes. He said that he’d call and that means that we have to wait.”

  “I guess that means that I’ll have to be patient.”

  “Yes you will. Your children are going to be up early to get started on decorations.”

  “Husband, I believe that you are in charge of the outside decorations
.”

  “That’s true, but the kids will have a cow if I cook breakfast.”

  “Touché. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  <>

  When Sam came in from walking the dog, his children were sitting at the table waiting for breakfast. He said nothing and just took his seat at the table. Jack told him, “Dad, Molly and I got up early since we might have a long day ahead of us decorating outside.”

  “Well Jack, I think that was a very good idea.”

  After breakfast, Sam and the kids along with the dog went into the front yard to decorate. Leona watched from the porch. Her family was laughing as they worked together. Even the dog appeared to be happy out in the yard with his family. He chased leaves as they flew through the air. She watched as Molly and Jack used the wheel barrel to take the pumpkins down to the bales.

  She called them in for lunch. Molly was so excited that she was doing her little girl dance. “Molly go use the bathroom and then come into the kitchen for lunch.”

  When she returned to the kitchen, Molly said, “That was so much fun. All that’s left is the porch and then we want you to come out and see.”

  “I would like that, but you need to eat your lunch first.”

  <>

  The doctor who had been working with him, came into Thompson’s room. “I’ve just notified the court that you are able to stand trial.”

  He then left, before giving Thompson a chance to speak.

  <>

  After lunch, the kids, Sam and the dog went out to decorate the porch. Even though she wanted to, Leona didn’t go out to see what they were doing. Instead she pulled items out of the freezer to defrost for dinner. Molly came in and said, “Mom, we’re ready for you.”

  Leona was close to crying when they showed her their decorations. “These are just right and I couldn’t have done better myself. Thank you.” Her children beamed with smiles.