“I’m good,” Eli replied evenly.
“Then I’m heading to the station. I’ll meet you there. I want to get my hands on that bastard for what he did.”
“Don’t do anything, deputy. He’ll get his.”
“Sure thing, Chief,” Tom said as he got in his squad and reversed out of the driveway, spitting dirt, snow and gravel up.
Eli immediately made his way inside to check on Magda and Jane.
Magda waited in the kitchen. “Did Tom see me?” Her brows creased together and wrung her hands.
“Yes, but it’s okay. He thinks you’re here to help get rid of my mother’s clothes.”
Magda let out a heavy breath and slumped against the counter. “That’s good.”
“Where is she?”
“In the living room, on the sofa.”
Eli walked into the room and found Jane slumped over, her hands covered her face. “Jane,” he whispered. She looked up, her eyes were glazed with tears, almost lost. Her pupils were very large and dark but not like before.
“Are you all right?” Eli asked as he sat down next to her.
“You were shot.” Her lips quivered and tears streamed down her face. Her fingers touched his bloodied shirt. “I’m so sorry, Elias.”
“It was a graze. I’ll be fine. And you have nothing to be sorry about. You didn’t shoot me.” He shifted his shoulder away from her touch and wiped her tears with his thumb.
“Elias.”
“It’s okay. I want you to rest.” He kissed her cheek. “If you need me, call me on the cell.” He looked into her eyes and his heart fell. He was falling fast for this woman and he wasn’t sure if it was the right thing. Not now anyway.
He kissed her forehead. “I have to go get this checked out and head to the station.”
Jane wiped away the rest of the wetness. She leaned up and kissed his lips. “We’ll call if we need anything.” Her voice was jittery.
Magda, who stood in the threshold of the room said, “We’re fine.”
As Eli got up, the pain increased. Maybe it wasn’t just a flesh wound after all. He gave Jane a reassuring smile, headed upstairs for a fresh shirt to change into later and left.
Eli quickly made his way to the hospital without passing out. As he stepped through the ER doors, Caroline spotted him and ushered him into one of the examination rooms. No wooing or inclinations of sex were made. Thank fucking God.
She closed the curtain and told him to remove his shirt.
Once he took off his shirt and sat on the gurney, he examined the hole. Caroline kept quiet while she set up the necessary items on a small table to clean Eli’s wound.
For the first time, the blonde nurse focused on something other than marriage. Maybe he was wrong about her. But he wasn’t going to hold his breath.
“Chief, when I heard you were shot, I got really worried,” Caroline said with concern.
She put on a pout that resembled a little kid. Then the sincerity in her voice switched off.
“Ooh, you shaved. I like your face this way.”
“Caroline, what are you doing here?”
“The ER was shorthanded, so I volunteered. I’m all yours, Chief,” she said as she snapped the gloves on her hands and sauntered over to his side and began to clean the blood off his skin.
“Get me the doctor, Caroline.” He pushed her hands away.
“Sure, but not until I clean your wound. It’s my job, Eli,” she said with a smile.
Her pink lipstick was smeared on one of her front teeth.
Eli let out a small chuckle until she grabbed his shoulder. He cringed as the pain intensified deep into his muscles. “What are you doing?”
“I have to clean both sides,” she explained. “The bullet came in this way and out through here.” Eli felt her fingers digging into his wound.
“Caroline!” Eli shouted. He glared at her.
She licked the corner of her mouth. “Does this hurt,” she asked, sounding surprised.
“Hurry up,” he hissed out. The throbbing pain turned worse the moment Caroline touched it.
“I don’t want to hurt you any more than you already are. So stay still.” The way she cleaned the area, it was more like torture. Was it payback for not dating her?
Caroline took her time cleaning the wound in a slow circular pattern. When she dragged the wet iodine gauze over the wound, it felt more like sandpaper than cotton. He grounded his teeth from the intrusion.
“Are you done yet?” He was able to tolerate the intense pain. But he didn’t like the way she touched him with her free hand. Her gloved nails grazed his skin, up and down his back.
His patience was as thin as plastic wrap. Pain ripped through him as she cleaned the inside part of wound. “Damn it. Is that necessary?”
“You don’t want to get an infection, do you, Chief?” She smiled again and then dug her fingertips into both sides of the wound at the same time. “Almost done. I promise.” Her smile turned into a sneer. She was enjoying herself.
“Where’s the doctor? I don’t have time for this shit, Caroline. Go get him now.” He jerked free from her grasp.
To his surprise, she listened. While she stepped out, he gave his wound a better look. The blood was gone but the puckered hole was red. The pain seemed to ease, though there was a slight persistent burn.
Doctor Rollins walked in with Caroline right behind him. “Chief McAvoy, I heard you were in here. Let me take a look—Thanks, Caroline. That will be all.” Rollins ushered her out and closed the curtain. He gave Eli a thin smile. “Sorry.”
“Thanks,” Eli said.
“No problem.” The doctor leaned in and checked out the wound. “Well, from the looks of it, the bullet went straight through. Caroline cleaned it up quite nicely. I’ll have you sutured up in no time. You will have to be careful for a few weeks. No heavy lifting of any kind or it will tear the stitching and make it bleed again.”
“Understood.”
As the doctor set up needle and thread, he asked in a low tone about Jane.
“She’s good. Magda is taking great care of her.”
“I talked to Magda yesterday about Jane’s condition. I’m still concerned about her head. Has she regained any bits of memory?”
“Very minor details. Why?” Eli asked, his tone slightly gruff. “Is there a reason why you ask?”
The doctor stumbled on his words. “No. No, I was wondering how she was doing. Purely a medical concern.”
“Trust me, Doc. She is feeling much better.”
“I was curious. After the illusion about ghosts, I wanted to know if she is still having them. Or has she gotten worse? Delusions aren’t a good thing with head trauma.”
Eli paused, looked at the doctor and lied. “Not so far.”
The doctor nodded. “Good. Let me know if there are any changes.”
“Will do.” Eli looked away from the doctor’s intense stare. He wasn’t about to tell him anything further. Was he wrong about him? He could very well be the one who was after Jane. But if he was, Jane would have been dead many times over. No, it couldn’t be the doctor.
After Eli received a shot of local anesthesia, the pain and burn dissipated. It took ten minutes for the doctor to stitch him up. Once Rollins wiped the area up, he covered his wound with square gauze and taped it down.
“If anything happens to the stitches, or it starts bleeding, I want to see you right away,” Rollins said and then walked out.
“All right, Doc,” Eli called out. He threw the bloodied shirt into a bag as evidence and got dressed in the clean one.
Eli walked out of the ER exhausted. It was ten minutes past four in the morning and he had to go to the station and face his drunken ass father. He’d rather head home and slide into bed with Jane. But that wasn’t going to happen. He would have to settle for coffee before he confronted James.
As he headed out, he saw Caroline standing by the sliding glass doors. He should have expected this.
She ha
d a wide grin on her face. He could tell a fresh coat of lipstick was applied. The hue was brighter than before.
“Caroline, what do you want?”
“You’re hurt. And I’m here to help you. I just got off of work and thought maybe you wanted company.” She went to touch his hand but he pulled it away. Caroline’s brows furrowed and her lips thinned. “I know you are alone and I figured right now you need someone to tend to you needs. I’m here to lend my nursing services.” She sounded sincere, but he read her like a script.
“Thanks. But no thanks.” Eli walked past her.
She pulled his arm and stopped him. “But Eli, you’re not understanding me. I’m going home with you. You shouldn’t be alone right now. You were shot.” Her serious tone conflicted with the smirk.
He knew about her sincerity. “I appreciate that you are trying to help me out. But you need to get this through your head, Caroline. I don’t need you. Ever.” He said it loud and clear enough for the registration desk to hear.
Eli didn’t make it past the awning of the hospital when he heard the clip-clap of heels behind him. He didn’t bother to look back; he knew it was Caroline.
She met up with him by his truck. Her outrage was apparent by the way her nostrils flared wide and her sneer made her ugly. Her left foot constantly tapped against the pavement.
“Elias McAvoy. I was offering to help you. Why are you such a bastard to me?”
“I’ve been told that,” he said with ease. He opened the door of his truck, then sat inside. He shook his head at her. “Get back inside before you freeze off some of your body parts.”
Caroline gasped. “How dare you treat me this way! It’s that woman, isn’t it?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” He looked at Caroline while starting the vehicle.
She stepped closer to him. “Jane. She said something about our little talk. I wished she stayed dead and buried.”
If Eli’s scowl could kill, Caroline would have been dead right there. He had never wanted to hit a woman until he met this nurse. She could push him to that point.
She quickly took a couple of steps back as he jumped out of the truck.
He snapped out. “If I ever hear you say that again, I’ll make good on my promise and throw your ass in jail until you understand the meaning of harassment.”
“You know, you’re cute when you’re angry.” Her tone softened.
“Go away, Caroline.” Eli had wasted too much energy on her already. He was halfway back in his truck when she wrapped her arms around him. Pain sliced through his shoulder when she pressed tighter.
“Eli, I love you,” she cried.
He spun around, almost knocking her to her ass. “Get away from me. I don’t want anything to do with you. Why can’t you take that hint and run away with it?”
“You’ve changed since that bitch showed up. You’ve never acted like this before. What the hell did she do to you?”
Eli stood in front of her, tired of Caroline’s shit. Arms folded across his chest, he stayed quiet so not to goad her more. He hoped his silence would spur her to leave.
“I’ll kill her myself if I ever see her around you,” she yelled at him.
That was it. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her around, so her front was plastered to the vehicle. He rattled off the Miranda while she tried kicking him, but failed. He tightened his grip around her arms.
“Caroline, I warned you. Now you’re going to jail.”
“You have no right. Get these fucking handcuffs off me!” she screeched. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“This is twice now you have threatened a person’s life.”
“Please, Eli. I promise to not say a word.”
“Of course not. Because anything you say can be used against you. You have the right to an attorney. Enough said?”
“Fuck you, Chief.”
“Well, that’s a start.” Eli opened the back door and pushed her in. She tried to kick him again but stopped her bluster when he slammed the door on her.
Eli purposely drove around the entrance of the hospital where a few nurses stood watching the scene play out. Caroline kicked the front seat until she saw the women she worked with. She then ducked down, but kept on yelling expletives at Eli.
Her ranting didn’t stop. Her screaming became louder as he dragged her out of the truck and into the station.
Chapter Twenty-Five
With all the shrieking Caroline did, Ryan, who was nodding off at his desk, jolted awake. He almost fell off his chair.
“Ryan. Where’s James?” Eli asked as he held Caroline by her arm.
“Cell one.”
“Good. Now book Caroline Weaver with the intent of bodily harm and stalking.” He winked at Ryan, who cracked a smile and nodded once.
Ryan cleared his throat and asked, “Should I set up the same transport to Madison?”
“Yes.” He loosed his grip on Caroline’s arm and pass her to the officer. “Behave yourself, Caroline.”
Her face contorted into a snarl. “Fuck you, Chief.”
“Take Miss Weaver to cell two.”
Ryan had to pull her all the way to the back. Her yells turned into sobs as he closed the doors. It took only a few minutes before he emerged from the holding cells.
“What a stray cat. She tried to scratch me.” Ryan wiped his forehead with the palm of his hand. “How’s your shoulder?”
“It’s good. Why don’t you head home?”
“Got it. Beth will be here in a couple of minutes,” Ryan said as he grabbed his hat and coat.
Within minutes of Ryan’s departure, there was yelling and wailing from the back. Eli opened the door a crack and heard his father telling Caroline to shut up.
Eli laughed. How funny to know that James was getting his reward with Caroline in the cell next to his. He closed the door and sauntered into his office.
As he switched on the light, the files which had been in the upper cabinets and the paperwork on his desk lay mangled on the floor. Pieces of paper were ripped up and scattered like confetti all over the room. “What the hell?”
Even Henley’s hunting magazines were torn in half. He radioed Ryan immediately. “Who was in the station when you got here?”
“No one. Why?”
“Just curious, thanks.” Then he remembered about Tom. “Did Tom come in?”
“He was here for a few minutes, then took off.”
“Ten-four.” He dropped the radio on his desk and looked around. Whoever trashed the office had to be looking for something specifically. They only went for one row of files that Henley had worked on and all the magazines he had owned. The second pile of paperwork was untouched.
What was in this office they were looking for? What was valuable enough to risk getting caught? The only thing Eli could think of was the map and photos of the unsolved cases found, and he had those with him.
If Eli was right about the connection with Jane’s case and all the unsolved murders, then that damn map had to be some key that unlocked the answers. As he did a slow pace around the room, he came to the conclusion that the next logical place to look for clues was at Henley’s house. But he had to do it discreetly. When? Eli wasn’t sure, but right at that moment, he needed coffee to clear his head.
Eli headed to the storage room when he noticed the metal door that led to a narrow alleyway out back was slightly ajar. He immediately took out his gun and carefully checked the doorway. It was empty and so was the alleyway.
He slid his gun back into his holster and took a better look at the jam and lock. The door appeared to have been pried open with a crowbar. Bits of splintered wood from the frame lay on the ground and the metal framing was scratched up and bent inward.
He turned his attention to the worn handle, which was also gouged. The intruder got in and ransacked his office. Eli rushed over and checked the gun case.
Eli let out a sigh of relief when all guns and ammunition were accounted for. There was nothing val
uable in the station except for those guns stored in the back. Whoever broke in had only his office in mind.
It made no sense. But lately, nothing seemed to. More things had occurred in Beaver Ridge in the past few months than ever before.
Beth walked in and disrupted his thoughts. “What the heck happened here?” she asked, shaking her head.
“Someone broke in through the back door and ransacked my office. Beth, get the fingerprint kit and check if you can get something off the door and frame. I’m going to have a talk with our guests.”
Beth let out a snort. “Yeah, I heard you dragged Caroline Walters in here. I would have loved to see that. She is such a b—”
Eli interrupted and frowned. “Beth. The kit?”
“Yes, Chief.”
He had to smile as Beth turned her back to him. She was right. Caroline was a bitch.
Eli headed back to cells, and heard someone vomiting. It had to come from James. He was glad that the cemented back room kept the noise contained.
The air was cool and dark in the three-celled room. The long fluorescent lights overhead flickered every few minutes, which gave the light green walls the hue of pea soup. There was a creep factor about the space.
Eli walked the length of the aisle while he kept his eyes on his father and Caroline. She was sound asleep, but his father was leaning over the toilet, throwing up. The green walls had an adverse effect on drunks. It was a sobering experience for most.
“Good, you’re up.” Eli stood in front of the cell door. No empathy was shown for the man.
“What the fuck do you want?” James said between gags.
“I want to know if you saw or heard something odd since you’ve been here?”
“Why would I tell you anything, pig?”
“Do you really want to start that?
“Fuck you,” his father jeered.
“Off the record. Your sorry ass will see bars for a long time. But you know that isn’t good enough for a piece of shit like you. If it was up to me, I’d kill you myself but not before beating you down like you did to mom. You should feel lucky to be alive.”
Forgetting Jane Page 18