Twenty-one Year Rule

by Alaina Stanford

  The same bland smile returned, and she said, “I could use a new car.”

  Josh’s eyes narrowed, “What’s wrong with the truck I bought you?”

  “Nothing,” Joanne answered as she rolled her eyes. “It’s just not the kind of vehicle I usually drive.”

  “Joanne,” Josh couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across his face. “You haven’t owned a car in years. However, the truck is yours; it’s in your name. Trade it in for something else if you like. I don’t care. You should be able to get a car loan at this point, but if you need a co-signer. Let me know.”

  Something was different about her, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. She was lucid, and the house was clean. He decided to let it go. “Are you sure you can’t find one night this week for Jake to come and stay with you? He’d really like a little one on one time with his mom.”

  Joanne sighed and said, “I do have Wednesday night off. I guess it’s okay if he comes over. But I need you to pick him up early on Thursday.”

  “No problem,” Josh rose and smiled at her. “I’ll drop him by around 4 o’clock.”

  **********

  Grace lay across the end of the bed sleeping. Bash opened his eyes, took a deep breath and immediately regretted it. An IV hung over the bed connected to his wrist. He gazed up at it in confusion. His gaze moved to Grace’s sleeping form then to the young man who stood in the doorway. He moved slowly to the side of the bed and reached down to take hold of Bash’s wrist to take his pulse.

  “You’re incredibly lucky,” He said quietly, “You could have died. You should be in the hospital. If your fever is still high this evening, that’s exactly where you’re going.”

  Grace sat up quickly and slid off the bed. She hurried around the other side and sat down beside Bash. Glancing at the stranger, she placed her hand on Bash’s forehead. “You’re burning up.” Looking up at the stranger, she asked, “What can you do Liam?”

  He frowned at her and said, “Grace, I’ve given him an antibiotic and cleaned the wound. We’ve changed his bandages. I want to let the fever burn out the infection with the help of the antibiotics. I’ll administer another dose in a few hours then we have to wait. If he’s not better by supper we have to get him to the hospital, and they’ll be hell to pay for all of us.”

  Bash heard them speaking. They sounded as if they were standing at the far end of a tunnel. He gazed sleepily up at Grace. He tried to speak, but his tongue felt like sandpaper. Grace disappeared and returned a few minutes later with a cup full of crushed ice. She placed a small spoonful on his tongue and said, “Try not to talk Bash. Liam is taking good care of you and we won’t take you to the hospital if we can avoid it.” She placed a cool, moist cloth on his forehead. It felt good. She added, “Try to sleep, Bash. I won’t leave you, I promise.”

  **********

  Randy opened the door slowly and followed Kilo into the sheriff’s office. The small office was comprised of two cheap wooden desks a handful of filing cabinets and a couple of computers. Down a short hallway to the left was an old-fashioned barred jail cell that held two bunk beds. Ed sat at the far desk and slammed down the phone as Randy headed in his direction. He frantically jumped up from his desk to greet Randy.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” Ed began, “But we’ve got a murder at the old Cornwall place. It looks like a transient.”

  “Let’s go take a look.” Randy said grimly turning to head back to his truck with Kilo close behind.

  **********

  Josh’s foreman, Mike, called him to their current construction site. They were less than a week away from completing the three-story luxury log cabin. Mike met Josh out in front of the gorgeous stone and log home.

  “Hey Mike,” Josh asked stepping out of his truck. “What’s the problem?”

  “We got hit pretty hard last night.” Mike turned to head into the house with Josh. “Vandals took not only the copper pipes, but the Viking appliances.”

  Josh followed him into the kitchen. He couldn’t believe the chaos. The loss of nearly twenty-thousand dollars in luxury appliances wasn't enough for the vandals. They smashed nearly all of the granite countertops beyond repair. Josh shot Mike a look of astonishment.

  “There’s more,” Mike said grimly, “They took the marble Jacuzzi tub, all the light fixtures including the dining room chandelier. They must have used a truck and had a team of men to pull this off. We’re talking over forty-thousand in damages, possibly more. This is going to push us back at least four to six weeks depending on how fast I can get the new appliances and granite countertops.”

  “Why didn’t we have any security up here?” Josh asked through clenched teeth.

  Mike explained, “We had the place locked up tight. There was no reason to expect a break-in. We’ve been here every day for the last two months. I was out here yesterday with a cleaning crew. We picked up the yard and did prep for the landscaping. It’s an active sight; I never have security at this stage.”

  Josh headed up the stairs to inspect the damage barking orders as he went. “Get the insurance company up here ASAP and get the security system installed and activated before you leave tonight. Once the replacements arrive, I want 24-hour surveillance until the buyers take possession. If we still have buyers, and where is the sheriff?”

  Mike followed quickly after him. “I contacted them before I called you, but they haven’t arrived.”

  Josh frowned and pulled out his phone. He punched in Randy’s number. It went straight to voicemail. They headed back outside. Grace’s brother Emmett moved toward them from the end of the gravel driveway.

  “Mr. Miller, Mike,” He began as he neared; “I found some tire tracks in the grass near the porch. It looks like they used a pickup truck. Judging by the tracks, they made several trips. I also found this beside the porch steps.” He handed them a pocketknife. “I checked with the guys and it doesn’t belong to anyone here. I’ve never seen anything like it. It looks expensive. It has a stainless-steel blade with tiger stripes. The handle’s made of titanium. It’s a Zero Tolerance knife.”

  Josh took the knife. They examined the ruts in the yard. Mike smiled at Emmett and said, “I think you’re right, Emmett. There are multiple ruts too close together to be more than one truck.”

  Josh offered Emmett his hand and said, “Nice catch,”

  Emmett’s face lit up then flashed to a business-like expression, as he added, “No problem, Mr. Miller. I’d be glad to stay here tonight in case they return.”

  Josh smiled at the young man. “Thanks for the offer Emmett, but Mike is going to get the alarm system up and running. If he has any problems, we will definitely take you up on that offer.”

  “Yes sir,” Emmett smiled back.

  Josh added, “By the way, I met your sister Grace last night. I hear she’s quite a skier.”

  “Yes sir, she made the finals for the Olympics last year. She’s going to take it all the way next time.”

  Turning to head back to his truck Josh added, “Let me know if she needs a sponsor. Beth and I would be happy to chip in on her expenses.” Josh turned to Mike and continued, “Keep me updated. Sheriff Connor isn’t answering his phone. I’ll head down to his office to find out why they haven’t been up here yet.”

  Just then, Josh’s phone rang. It was Randy. He held the phone to his ear and said, “What’s the deal Randy? Why am I standing here waiting for the sheriff to show up?”

  Randy’s voice was grim, “Josh, we’ve had a military veteran murdered in one of our vacation cottages. It has to take priority. Kilo went crazy and kept indicating drugs, but we haven’t found any. It looks like we had some squatters that ended up in a messy fight. I have the state police crawling all over the scene and am struggling to keep things under control. I’ll send Ed over to survey the scene in a few minutes. Just keep your people out of the house until Ed gets there to take photos. I’m sorry, Josh. You know I’d be there if I could.”

  Josh stopped and
turned back to gaze at the house. “I understand. I guess taking it slow on your first day back is not an option.”

  Randy chuckled softly, “Maybe tomorrow. Do me a favor and check in with Amy. She wasn’t happy I went back to work so soon, and she’s going to hear about this scene before I get time to call her.”

  “I’ll see if Beth and Molly can drop by for a visit.” Josh offered.

  **********

  Bash moaned and tried to roll on his side, but a jolt of stabbing pain stopped him. Grace was immediately at his side. Tears streamed down her face. Her eyes met Liam’s who stood at the end of the bed.

  Liam moved to her side and said firmly, “It’s after 5 o’clock; we have to get him to the hospital. He could be turning septic.”

  Grace nodded and said, “I’ll take him. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

  “I think they’ll know, Grace. I’m your brother.” Liam said with a sad half-smile.

  “No, we’ll take him to Layton General, it’s closer than Ogden anyway and they don’t know you there.” Grace gently pulled the sheet off Bash. “You can drop us off at the emergency room. I’ll call you later.”

  “You need to call the Sheriff. Don’t let him find out from the hospital.” Liam draped his arm across her shoulder. “Let’s call an ambulance, Grace. The time for hiding him from the law is over.”

  Grace began to sob. “I’m sorry, Liam! I don’t know what to do!”

  Liam hugged her and said, “I do, call 911 tell them you need an ambulance because your boyfriend has been shot. Tell them one of his friends, you don’t know who, dropped him off like this a few minutes ago. I’ll help you move him to the sofa.”

  *********

  Randy pulled his phone from his rear pocket and answered without looking at the screen, “Sheriff Connor,”

  “Randy, It’s Josh.” Randy could tell instantly by the tone in Josh’s voice; something was wrong.

  “What happened?” Randy said as he opened the back door of his white SUV to allow Kilo to jump inside.

  Josh answered in slow even tones. “Bash has been shot. I’m at his girlfriend Grace’s apartment now. They are taking him to Layton General. You better grab Amy and meet us there. It doesn’t look good.”

  Randy walked quickly around the truck and climbed in as Josh spoke. His heart sank when he heard Bash’s name. “How did it happen?”

  Josh spoke quickly; Randy could tell he was moving fast. “Grace doesn’t know, she says some guy dropped him off a few minutes ago. He’s was hit in the stomach; the EMT thinks he might be septic. It looks like he was shot sometime last night or early this morning.”

  Randy’s mind raced. He glanced at the small cottage as the CSI team secured and taped the door shut. “I’m on my way. Is Beth with Amy?”

  “Yes, she can stay and watch Emma. I called you first; they don’t know.” Josh answered. Randy could hear his truck door slam in the background.

  “I’ll call Amy and take care of it.” Randy said grimly and hung up.

  This was going to be the hardest call of his life, but he promised Amy she wouldn’t be the last to know.

  Amy answered the phone laughing. He could hear Molly giggling in the background. He clenched his jaw determined to say it quickly. “Amy, honey it’s me. Where’s Emma?”

  Amy frowned at the odd tone in Randy’s voice. “She just spit up on Beth. Molly’s cleaning them both up.”

  “Amy, Bash has been hurt; he’s on his way to the hospital. I’m en route to pick you up. Can you ask Beth if she can stay with Emma?” Randy pushed right into the heart of the matter.

  “What? Bash is hurt?” Amy stammered, “What happened?”

  Randy kept his voice calm as he flipped on his lights and flew down the two-lane highway out of town. “Honey, Bash was shot. He’s alive. I don’t know what happened, all I know is he’s on his way to the hospital. I’ll be there in about ten minutes. Do you want me to talk to Beth about staying with Emma?”

  “No, I’ll talk to her. How bad is it?” Amy finished in a whisper.

  Randy’s heart ached for her. “Josh is with him. He says it’s serious. I’m sorry honey, I wish I knew more; I’ll call the hospital when I pick you up, maybe they can give us more information. All we can do right now is get to the hospital. They took him to Layton General; we can be there in twenty minutes.”

  Amy was waiting for Randy as he drove up the driveway. She rushed to the truck when he stopped to turn around. She climbed in the truck and slammed the door without a word. Randy could tell by her red nose and swollen eyes that she’d been crying. He reached over and touched her shoulder. “I love you,” He said softly and she broke into sobs.

  Randy took hold of her hand and held it as he turned around and roared back down the driveway.

  **********

  Josh and Grace arrived a few minutes behind the ambulance. Grace ran ahead of him through the emergency entrance. Josh let her run inside; she'd cried the entire way to the hospital. When he walked in, she was frantically speaking with the nurse at the counter near the doors to the examination rooms. Josh pulled out his cell phone and called Mike.

  He turned as Mike answered to watch two state police officers walk through the door and move past him to the counter. “Mike,” Josh said quickly into the phone, “Tell Emmett to get to the Layton General Hospital. Grace’s boyfriend has been seriously injured, and she’s going to need her family.”

  Josh hung up quickly and moved to Grace’s side as the police began to question her.

  **********

  Randy shoved his phone in his pocket and glanced as Amy. “He arrived about 10 minutes ago. The doctors are with him. They couldn’t tell me anything. I’m sorry.” He reached over and took hold of her hand as he took the Layton exit. A few minutes later, they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

  They rushed into the emergency entrance and found Josh holding Grace in his arms. Amy’s stomach lurched as she looked into Josh’s eyes.

  Chapter Eleven

  Beth pulled into the driveway, and Jake came running out of the house. He jumped into her white SUV and said, “Let’s go, mom said we can stay there tonight, but you have to pick us up early tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s no problem,” Beth said backing out of the driveway. “Did you pack Molly’s nightgown and a change of clothes?”

  “Yes,” Jake said buckling his seat belt.

  Molly leaned forward in the back seat. “What did you bring me? Did you get my pink shorts and purple princess shirt like I asked you to?”

  “Yes, Molly.” Jake looked at Beth and rolled his eyes.

  She smiled and asked, “Molly, how is Emma doing?”

  “She’s asleep,” Molly answered gazing over at Emma sleeping soundly in the car seat.

  “Good,” Beth said as shifted the truck into drive and headed for the state road that led back to town.

  ********

  Randy gazed past Josh through the doors into the exam area as they swung open. Two state police officers stood outside an exam room. Randy locked eyes with Josh as he walked past him and headed toward the officers. “Keep the girls here. I’ll come get you when I can.” He told Josh as Amy pulled Grace from his arms and gave her a hug.

  “What’s happening?” Amy asked Josh as she released Grace.

  “Bash was rushed into an exam room.” Josh began, “When the state police arrived they told us we had to wait out here. No one has been out to tell us what’s going on.”

  Amy looked past Josh as Randy disappeared through the doors. Randy stopped and spoke to the state police standing in the hall beyond as the doors closed. Moving to the nurses station Amy placed both hands on the counter and demanded, “I’m Bash Rothchild’s sister, his only living relative. I need an update on his condition right now. My friends have been standing here waiting, and no one has come out to speak to them.”

  The nurse glanced behind her at a second nurse who sat at a small desk typing on a computer. She rose and head
ed back into the exam area. The first nurse turned back to Amy and said, “We’re getting an update for you now. If the doctor can’t come out to see you, the nurse should be able to tell you what’s going on.”

  Randy walked back through the doors and came to Amy’s side. He took her hand and pulled her toward the waiting area. Josh and Grace followed them.

  Randy turned to face Amy when they reached the waiting area and said, “Bash is alive. He has a high fever; the wounds infected. He’s not septic at this point, and they think they can get it under control.” He shot Grace a stern look and added, “The State Police want to question him when he wakes up. I need to know how he got shot.”

  Grace’s face went pale instantly. She stammered, “Sheriff Connor I don’t know what happened. He told me some guys were going to stir up trouble, and he wanted to stop them. He dropped me off at my apartment and took my bike. I don’t know where he went.”

  Randy asked, “What time was that?”

  Grace took a deep breath and said, “Around ten o’clock last night.”

  “Where were you coming from?” Randy continued.

  Grace glanced back toward the exam room doors and said, “We went sky diving at Porter’s then stopped at Sadie’s for dinner.”

  “Beth and I saw them there.” Josh stepped forward, “We were just leaving it was close to 9 o’clock.”

  Randy turned to Josh and said, “Did Bash talk to anyone else while you were there?”

  “No,” Josh said turning to look at Grace.

  Her face lit up, “Yes, he did.” She said excitedly, “These guys came as Josh and Beth were leaving. Bash said he needed to talk to them, and he went over to the bar.”

  Amy stood frozen watching each one of them as they spoke. Randy squeezed her hand and said, “Did you recognize them”

  “No, but I’d never seen them before. I figured they were here for the holiday. They looked Latino.” Grace admitted softly.

  “Do you know why Bash wanted to talk to them?” Randy pushed for more information.