Fuck!
He remembered her purse.
Can’t get caught with that.
He ran back to the truck, searched around, and finally found the purse on the floor, back under the passenger seat. He thought about going through her wallet for money, but the noises out in the woods were scaring him. Instead, he grabbed everything, went back to the make-shift grave. He scraped away some leaves, flattened the purse under one of her legs, and covered everything up again.
Inside the truck again, he tried to close the door as quietly as he could, but to him, the sound blasted out. Even his breathing seemed to echo back from the woods.
Gotta get the hell out of here.
* * *
Harry drove Jody’s mother home in her car. She never stopped sobbing during the whole ride.
“Why couldn’t she have told me?”
“Mrs. Simms—”
“Why? ... why?’
“Mrs. Simms—”
“It’s Annie. Please call me Annie.”
“All right, Annie. I know you’re going to be asking yourself that question for a long time. And with some help, I think you’ll come to terms with it. But right now you have a son who’s going to need you even more than before. For his sake ... and yours ... you somehow have to get it together to help him through this tragedy, too.”
“You’re right, Harry ... but I don’t know if I can.”
Jody’s family lived in the affluent St. Frances Wood neighborhood. But, as Harry had learned early on in his nursing career, wealth was never armor against tragedy. The loss of a child cut through the heart of the rich as well as the poor.
When they arrived at the Simms’ home, an outside light lit the walkway up to the double-door front entrance. Harry got out and opened the passenger door.
“Would you like me to come in with you, Annie?”
“No, I think I can do this now. I have to.” She touched his upper arm. “Thank you for all your help, Harry. You’ve been wonderful.”
Harry watched Jody’s mother disappear into the house.
He pulled out his cell and punched in Gina’s number. She didn’t answer, so he left her a message to call him. He then tried to reach Vinnie.
“Hey, Vinnie. Is Gina there?”
“You know, I was wondering about you two. Thought she was with you since she hasn’t come home yet.”
“I had to drive a woman home and Gina she said she would come pick me up. I tried her cell, but it went to voice mail.”
“Where are you?” Vinnie’s voice was low and tense.
Harry gave him the address.
“I’ll come get you.”
Chapter 35
The sharp crunch of dry leaves and the pungent smell of mold awakened Gina. She was flat-out on her stomach and something sharp was poking her leg. She tried to take a deep breath, but her nose was clogged and she had to gasp for air through her mouth.
Her throat was closing down; she began to cough, spitting out dead vegetation from her mouth and throat.
She pushed up onto her hands and knees, scattering dirt, leaves, and twigs in all directions. She paused only a second or two before twisting around into a sitting position.
It was very dark and everything around her was drenched from the rain. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see the outlines of trees and bushes against an almost hidden sky.
Where am I?
A sudden stab of pain pierced her head and brought with it a flash of memory. A man had grabbed her off the street, forced her into a pickup truck. A blur of a face, the smells of stale beer and sweat, and ... and turpentine?
That’s all she could remember.
Why had he brought her out here, half buried her in the ground? Did he think she was dead?
There was that sound again. The crunch of leaves. This time it was accompanied by the steady beat of someone walking.
She tried to retreat into a large, shaggy bush, almost certain her shuffling through the brush was too loud.
The footsteps stopped.
She froze, bit back a scream.
“Lady, are you all right?”
The voice was soft, kind, but she couldn’t bring herself to respond.
“Don’t be afraid ... I won’t hurt you ... promise.”
It wasn’t him, the man who’d snatched her from the sidewalk. That, she was sure of.
“I ... I can’t see you.” She backed farther into the bush, then saw that her feet and ankles were still exposed.
“I’m right here in front of you, lady.”
She wanted to scramble out and run.
And where are you going to run to, Mazzio?
“Are you hurt? Do you need help?”
She could hear him shuffling around someplace close to her feet.
“Take my hand. I’ll help you up.”
She squinted, could see a faint hand and arm moving down toward her.
She reached out and grabbed the hand, let the person pull her away from the bush. With another gentle tug, she was pulled upright. She saw then that her rescuer was an unkempt young man in dirty, scraggly clothes. Her legs were so wobbly, though, that she almost tipped over. He grabbed her by both arms and steadied her.
“Where am I?”
“Golden Gate Park.”
“Someone–”
“Yeah, I know. I saw him drag you in here.”
“Why didn’t you call the police?” she shouted. She was hysterical and couldn’t stop. “They might have caught a killer.”
“Okay, lady. I get you’re upset and probably mad, too, but I don’t need no police comin’ around here, understand? This is where I live, but the cops would drag me away. They don’t like us homeless squattin’ in the park.” He shifted around, kicking at the leaves. “Besides, I thought you was dead, the way he was draggin’ you. Hell, last thing I need is to get into it with some damn killer.”
Gina felt really stupid. Here was someone trying to help her and she was messing with him.
“You okay now?” He sounded worried about her.
“I think so.”
“Good!” He pointed to the place where she’d been buried. “Think there may be somethin’ of yours over there.” He stepped away, reached down, and came up with a large and floppy object – her purse. He came back with it and hung her it on her shoulder.
That’s what was poking me?
Gina rummaged inside the huge purse, searching for her cell. But a flash of memory brought back a vision of her attacker throwing it to the ground and stomping on it. Her cell was gone.
She covered her face and started to cry, hating herself for it.
“Hey, don’t cry, lady. Are you looking for one of these?” He handed her an older model iPhone. “Here, you can keep it. I’ve got lots of them.”
“You do?”
“People are always losing these suckers in the woods.”
She hit the flashlight app so she could see his face and was shocked.
“Jeez, you’re just a kid.”
“Yeah, well kids have to live, too.”
“I’m sorry ... I’m usually not this idiotic. Hey, I’m Gina ... what’s your name?”
“Does it matter?”
“It matters to me.”
“Look, I know the deal: I tell you my name and they come and haul me back to foster care. No way! Never again! Just call me, Dirk. That’s what everyone calls me.”
“Okay, Dirk. I’m going to call my fiancé and ask him to call the police ... actually an inspector I know. They’ll probably come out here.” Se made sure he was listening to her. “Just letting you know, okay?”
He started to walk away, but Gina found her wallet, pulled out all the money she had, along with her personal card.
“This is yours, Dirk. Seventy ... seventy-two bucks. It’s all I have right now. But I’m going to come back ... and find you ... and maybe there’s something I can do to help you.”
He took the money, rolled it up, and stashed it into a
pouch that hung from his neck; he pulled another iPhone from a pocket and read her card by its light. “A nurse, huh?”
“For better or worse.”
“Are you okay now, Gina?”
“I think so.”
He was fidgety when he reached for her hand and shook it, but he gave her a quick smile before disappearing through the trees.
She glanced at the iPhone’s clock: a little past 10:00. She punched in Harry’s cell number.
Busy!
Chapter 36
Thelma was mentally exhausted. She’d lived in fear all day, worried that she might get caught by Gina Mazzio ... or someone else.
It was time to destroy her deadly cultures, move onto another way to accomplish her goal, one that wasn’t so dangerous. She could infect herself ... or end up in jail ... or maybe both.
But she’d learned so much by studying about the different microbes and their silent worlds. It made her feel strong, made her want to go back to school to learn more.
She’d even mentioned it to Marvin; he’d laughed at her.
No, Marvin would never let her go back to school, even if they had the money or the time it would take. He only wanted her to do what he thought was important. To him, that meant continuing with what she’d started at Ridgewood, no matter what.
As for Amory, their Holy Eye leader, he wanted her to wait a little longer before she stopped using her microbes. But she still wasn’t sure she could stand working around a suspicious nurse, one who might catch her in the act of contaminating the jelly. That would mean jail. The thought gave her the shivers.
Amory sent out mixed messages, seemed noncommittal. Probably didn’t want anything dirty settling at his feet. Still, she liked him, and sensed that he liked her. Whether or not, he was a lot nicer to her than Marvin ever was.
Smells a lot better, too.
She continued preparing macaroni and cheese, Marvin’s favorite dinner, other than steak. Making it from scratch was a lot of work when she could buy a box and quick-like put it together. But cooking relaxed her and she’d made enough for leftovers for tomorrow’s dinner. That would be like a night off.
The smooth-as-silk white sauce was now heavily mixed with extra-sharp cheddar; it was starting to bubble and smell wonderful. She could almost taste it.
The quiet moment was fractured by Marvin crashing into the apartment.
She shoved the mac-n-cheese casserole into the pre-heated oven. He was much later than usual.
She looked across the kitchen and into the living room at her husband; her heart clenched. It wasn’t the mean leer that paralyzed her, rather, it was his wet hair and clothes, covered with dirt and leaves. He looked like a drowned rat that was ready to gnaw at anything that came close to him.
“Marvin, are you all right?” She took a step in his direction. “What happened?”
He thrust a finger at her. “Don’t say one more word. I’m in no mood to deal with you tonight.”
Thelma retreated. Usually when he bothered to warn her to leave the room, there was a fifty-fifty chance she could get off without a beating ... if she stayed away from him, far away.
She continued to fuss with things in the kitchen until she heard him rummaging around in their bedroom.
She left the kitchen and walked quietly to the bedroom door and listened. When she heard the shower start, she stepped into the room. He’d thrown his wet clothes everywhere, her just- cleaned, white throw rug was splattered with mud and leaves.
Where has he been?
She scooped up his dirty things and tossed them into the laundry hamper. The rug looked awful, but it was too wet to deal with right now.
Thelma heard him turn off the shower.
She needed to stay out of his reach, especially when he was so volatile. She’d have to find some way to quiet him down.
She rushed back to the kitchen, looked in the oven at the mac-‘n-cheese; it was starting to bubble, and the croutons on top were turning a golden brown. It would be ready in a minute. She set the table and took the salad out of the fridge.
Marvin walked in.
At least he’s clean.
He looked at the food. “Is this all we’re having ... salad?”
She opened the oven and pulled out the casserole. “I made your favorite dish,” she said with a smile.
“Shows how fucking dumb you are. Where’s my steak?”
“I thought you might like to have this tonight.”
He sat down and waited for her to serve him. “Do you know where I was tonight?”
“No, dear, I don’t.” She kept her voice low as she spooned a heaping serving of the steaming macaroni and cheese onto his dinner plate.
“I was taking care of that nurse.”
“Gina Mazzio?”
“Yeah, that’s the bitch; the one you gave me a picture of.”
Thelma wanted to stay calm, tried to act normal, but under the table her legs were shaking. Whatever he’d done, whatever was eating at him, it would end up being her fault.
Now, she was really frightened; her injured leg started burning. She made herself sit docilely, waited for him to take a bite before she put any food into her mouth.
“How did you find her?”
“Damn good planning.” He gave her a smug smile. “Snatched her off the street, took her to Amory.”
“Amory? What did he do?”
“I’ll tell you what he did. He did squat! Treated me like dirt ... sent me away.”
“So what did you do after that?”
He filled his mouth until his cheeks bulged.
“I got rid of her, that’s what. And I did it for you! Now you can get on with our plan ... God’s plan.”
“Marvin, I’ve been thinking ... no matter what Mr. ... uh ...Amory says, we’ve done our part. It’s getting too dangerous. The hospital’s investigating those patient deaths.”
“Let them look all they want. They’ll never find you.”
“Maybe they won’t. If I stop now.” She paused a beat. “I don’t think Amory would mind, just so I found a different way.”
“You still going on about that quitting shit?” His fork clattered onto his plate. Without warning, he leaned across the table, spilling his water glass, and grabbed her around the neck and squeezed.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he screamed in her face. “You know that nurse, that Gina? I can plant you right next to her. Is that what you want?”
Something primal exploded inside her. She grabbed the edge of the table, pushed herself up against his hold as though her arms were made of steel. “Take your hands off me, you bastard!”
His eyes widened. He let go of her neck, pulled back a fist, and punched her in the eye.
“You ever mouth off like that again, you’re dead meat. Ya hear!”
Chapter 37
Gina was angry and humiliated by the cruelty of her attacker – he’d tossed her into the truck like a useless doll, a worthless nothing. The only consolation was that he hadn’t dug a hole and buried her alive.
She cinched up her soaking wet coat, but it didn’t stop the water from dribbling down her neck onto her scrubs. The rain never seemed to let up, even under the umbrella of trees where she sat. With Dirk gone, loneliness encircled her; she fought against the compulsion to brush at the debris clinging to her neck – the leaves seemed to come alive, crawl up and down her skin.
It was so cold that she could barely hold still long enough to once more try the cell Dirk had given her. She knew if it had been her phone, she would have had a string of messages, all from Harry, Vinnie, and Helen. The line was still busy; she waited a moment and tried again and held her breath.
He picked up. “Harry! It’s me!”
“Oh, my God, Gina! Oh, Gina, baby! Are you okay? Where are you? Can I come get you? Oh, my God, I’ve got to call Vinnie. He’s coming apart at the seams. Tell me you’re all right?”
“Other than being soaking wet, freezing to death, and having a bange
d up cranium, again, I think I’m going to make it.”
“Where in hell are you?”
“Golden Gate Park.”
“What are you doing there?”
“Can we fill in the details thing later? I’ve been buried under a pile of leaves for I don’t know how long and I’m not up for talking about it right now. I just want to come home.”
“Your car still at the hospital?”
“As far as I know.”
“No problem. We can use can use Helen’s car. Where in the park are you?”
“If I only knew. All I can tell you is that I’m surrounded by tall bushes and even taller trees. And I’m afraid that if I wander around looking for some recognizable landmark, I’ll become even more lost.”
“And you have no idea in which direction the nearest road might be?”
“Not a clue.”
“Got an idea. Call your friend Mulzini and get the police to do their GPS thing.”
“I would if I could remember his number. My cell got trashed and I’m working with one that some homeless kid gave me ... and it’s close to dead.”
“Check that phone for its number and I’ll call it in.”
She found the number and gave it to Harry. “You can try, but it’s pretty late for Mulzini to still be at the police station. You could also try his personal cell and home numbers; they’re in the address book in our laptop.”
“I’m on it right now.”
“I...I’ll be h-here w-waiting, damn it.” Gina’s teeth started chattering so hard she could barely talk. “And, H-Harry? Please bring a dry j-jacket. I’m fr-freezing to death.”
“Yeah, I caught that when you said it at the beginning.”
“Well, nothing’s changed ... and the warmer the coat, the better.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
“Hurry, Harry. It’s d-dark and I’m r-really wet ... cold ...r- really cold.”
* * *
Mulzini looked at the medium-size pizza and bottle of cold beer sitting on his desk at home. He’d called the neighborhood pizzeria to deliver this big, fat, artery-clogging Everything. He’d even cleaned off the desktop while he waited so the box would be the center of attention. All that remained in sight was the framed picture of his wife, Marcia, who would give him holy hell if she caught him eating pizza – or anything – at this time of night.
Bone of Contention: A Medical Thriller With Heart (The Gina Mazzio Series Book 4) Page 15