Brought to Book

by Barbara Cornthwaite

  “There was something about a burglary in a paper. And being tired. I think I was being warned.” I paused. “No, I’m confused. That doesn’t make sense.”

  She patted my shoulder. “It’s ok. The doctor says you have a concussion. It may take a while before you’re totally back to normal.”

  “I have to get to class! Kim, how can I teach like this?”

  “Semester’s over, remember? No more teaching for a while.”

  “Oh, right. Right.” There seemed to be something else I was supposed to do, but I couldn’t think what it was.

  The nurse came in then and did all the nursey things—took my blood pressure and temperature and looked into my eyes with a light. I nearly cried out at the pain that caused.

  “You have a concussion!” announced the nurse, as cheerfully as if she were declaring I’d given birth to twins. “Just keep quiet, and the doctor will be in to look at you soon.”

  She bustled out again. I looked toward the window of the room; the light outside was dim.

  “What time is it?”

  “Seven in the evening. You’ve been here for a couple hours. Todd called me as soon as the ambulance came for you. He didn’t want you to wake up in the hospital alone.”

  “That was nice of him.”

  “He told me he would have come himself, but he needed to follow up on the incident.”

  “Yeah, he told me once that the first few hours after a crime are the most important. Only he was talking about murder then.”

  “Well, this could have been a murder. He said a blow like that on the head might have killed you.”

  “‘Mortal dangers around me fly, ‘till He bids, I cannot die,’” I said.

  Kim laughed. “There can’t be too much wrong with you if you can still quote poetry.”

  “On the contrary,” I said, closing my eyes. “that will be the last of my faculties to be lost.”

  The doctor, when he came, told me that I was very lucky I wasn’t more seriously injured, and also that I must keep quiet for a while. This command was repeated by every nurse who came into the room all evening, which made me wonder: did I look like someone who was likely to get up and start breakdancing? I was told I would need to stay in the hospital at least overnight for observation. Kim went home at nine o’clock and I braced myself for a sleepless night. I half wished I had Romola with me to finish reading, except that I was pretty sure reading would have made my head throb even more. It turned out that I fell asleep almost at once and didn’t wake up until the morning.

  My head ached less the next day, and light in my eyes wasn’t quite so painful. I tried to read a book I picked off a book trolley wheeled around by a hospital volunteer, but it quickly became clear that it was not an activity I was yet ready for. That was pretty horrifying. I’ve never not been able to read. I tried to pray but found it hard to concentrate. I ended up just lying there with my eyes closed for a long time.

  Visiting hours in the afternoon brought Kim, holding a giant bouquet of flowers.

  “Wow,” I said. “You really shouldn’t have. I know how much those things cost.”

  “I didn’t buy them,” she said guiltily. “These were at the front of the church this morning. Did you know they always donate them after the service to someone who’s in the hospital?”

  “No, but it’s a good idea. They do brighten the place up.”

  “How are you feeling today?”

  “Not too bad, but I’m still not much good for conversation. I seem to get confused easily. In fact, I don’t know if I’ll be able to drive home.”

  “You can’t anyway,” said Kim. “For one thing, your car isn’t here, and for another, I’m sure you aren’t supposed to be driving until you’re a lot better.”

  “I can’t just stay here for days on end!” I said.

  “No, and you don’t need to. I thought of bringing you to our house for a few days, but it’s hardly quiet there and you wouldn’t have your own room. But Becky said to tell you she’d love to have you at her place. It’s completely quiet and she’s got that spare room. She’s still teaching during the day, but she’s there in the evening.”

  “Oh, that would be perfect! I was thinking about everything this morning and I remember going into my apartment and I thought it was really messy. Is that right?”

  “Yep. Todd said someone trashed the apartment.”

  “I don’t really feel well enough to clean it up right now.”

  “No, and it’s a crime scene, or it was.”

  “Another one.” My hand plucked restlessly at the hospital blanket lying over my legs. “Kim, why am I suddenly involved in all these crimes?”

  “Todd thinks they’re probably connected.”

  “You talked to him?”

  Kim smiled. “He called me last night after I left you—wanted to know how you were. He said he’d be coming in today to ask you some questions.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’d say he was quite concerned,” she added archly. “I won’t ask you a lot of questions now, but I haven’t forgotten that you said you would call me and fill me in.”

  “I did?”

  “Well, I said ‘call me’ and you said you would, which means the same thing. You and Todd were absent for a long time on that mountain and I need some details.”

  It came back to me then—sitting on that rock with Todd and talking about his marriage. The sympathy I’d felt came back, too.

  A gentle knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

  “Come in,” called Kim, and the door opened to reveal Todd standing there.

  “Is it ok to come in and chat for a few minutes?” he asked.

  “Sure,” said Kim. “I’ll go take a little walk so you can talk about the case.” She offered her seat to Todd and he thanked her.

  “Hi Katrina,” he said as the door shut behind Kim. “How are you feeling?”

  “Ok,” I said. “Not back to normal but a lot better than last night.”

  “You look a lot better. Are you up to answering a few questions?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Thanks,” he said, flipping open his notebook and getting out a pen. “First of all, did you see who attacked you?”

  “I don’t think so. It’s all a little hazy, but I think I went into my apartment and it was messed up. I don’t remember anything after that. Maybe someone hit me from behind?”

  “It’s very possible.”

  “Why do you think they wanted to hurt me?”

  “My guess is that you surprised them while they were looking for something. Do you have anything valuable at your apartment?”

  “No, not really. I don’t have any expensive jewelry or electronics or anything—I can’t imagine what they would want.”

  “It seems like either they were looking for something specific or they were just trashing your apartment to harass you. Do you know if anyone is upset with you? A student with a bad grade, maybe, who is unstable?”

  “I can’t think of anyone, I said. “The only people who might not be happy with me right now are the Wilkes family. I wrote them a letter a couple days ago saying that I was going to donate Matthew Wilkes’ journal to the Wilkester Museum. I thought I ought to tell them first, in case they wanted to make an announcement about the story before the museum did. I thought they might hate me for that, but I didn’t really expect to be attacked.”

  “Ok, we’ll look into that.” He wrote in his notebook for a minute.

  I sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t see who it was. Or if I did, that I can’t remember.”

  “Hey,” he lowered his notebook and looked into my eyes. “You are in no way at fault or responsible for any of this. You understand? Don’t feel guilty.”

  “I’ll try not to.”

  “There is actually a security camera out of the back of the apartment building, which is the way the intruder probably left. I didn’t see anyone come out the front when I was sitting there in my car waiting for you. We’re i
n the process of getting access to that footage now. Hopefully we’ll be able to get a glimpse of whoever it was.”

  “That’s good,” I said.

  He closed his notebook and stood up. He took my hand, almost as if he was going to shake it, but he just stood there holding it for a minute.

  “I wish I could stay longer and chat, but I need to get back and see if we can view the security camera footage. Is there anything you need?”

  “I wish I had my phone,” I said. “It was in my purse, which is probably back at the apartment.”

  “I can get that for you,” said Todd. “I’ll have someone drop it off here as soon as I can.”

  “I might be getting released today.”

  “Nope, not yet,” said Todd. “I just talked to the doctor and he says you can go home tomorrow if all goes well, but he doesn’t want to leave you to your own devices just yet.”

  “Oh. Well, I guess that will give Becky more time to get ready for me—that’s my friend that I’m going to stay with for a few days.”

  “I’m relieved to hear you won’t be staying alone right away. That’s a wise move.”

  “It was Kim’s idea. She thought their place would be too noisy for me and asked Becky if I could stay with her. Besides, I don’t feel up to cleaning up my apartment yet.”

  “I can imagine.”

  The door opened slightly.

  “Hello!” Kim’s grinning face popped in the door. Todd put my hand down. “I just came to say I have to go now—Josh needs the car to go to a concert tonight, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  I gasped. “Concert! That’s what I was trying to remember.”

  “Jason?” said Kim, cryptically, with a glance at Todd. “You want me to call him?”

  “Please,” I said. “I have no phone. Tell him I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t think he’ll be offended,” said Kim drily.

  “Don’t forget,” I said.

  “I’ll call him now,” she said. “See you tomorrow. Bye, Todd.”

  “Bye,” he echoed.

  He was silent for a minute after the door closed.

  “Is it nosey if I ask who Jason is?”

  “Oh, just a—a friend.”

  He smiled a little. “A friend you had a date with?”

  “Kind of. I mean, I was going with him and his daughter to a church concert. That’s all.”

  “I see,” he said. I thought he looked like he wanted to ask another question, but after a minute he only said, “Well, I need to get going. I’ll see if I can get you your phone.”

  “Thanks a lot,” I said. “Be careful.”

  “I always am,” he said, and the last sight I had of him was that charming smile going out the door.

  “This is your room,” said Becky as she showed me into her guest room. “Sorry it’s so juvenile.”

  I laughed. The bed had a teddy bear quilt on top of it and there were shelves filled with toys along the wall.

  “I was just so excited about getting a foster child or two I couldn’t wait to start getting ready.”

  “Not a problem,” I said. “It’s a lovely room. So much nicer than being in a hospital! I was brought my purse and my phone at the hospital last night, but I probably should go to my apartment and get some clothes, too.”

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you! Kim and Deirdre went to your place last night and packed a suitcase full of your clothes and toiletries. They’re in the living room.” She disappeared for a moment and returned pulling a wheeled suitcase behind her. “There. And later on I can drive you to your place so you can get anything else you need. Kim said she and Deirdre cleaned up as much as they could, so it shouldn’t be too bad in there.”

  “Never, ever could I get better friends than you guys,” I said. “I’m so blessed.”

  “Kim said that if you started going on and on about how grateful you were that I should remind you that you owe her information about someone named Todd.”

  I blushed.

  “Aha!” Becky said. “Well, I figure you owe me something, too, right? For letting you stay here and feeding you and everything?”

  “All right, all right,” I said. “But maybe after dinner.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that. Dinner should be ready in about an hour, is that ok?”

  “That’s great. I’ll probably just lie down and rest until then. I’ve been lying down and resting so much. I can’t believe I’m still tired.”

  “It’s what your body needs,” said Becky.

  I had only been lying down for ten minutes when I heard Becky’s doorbell ring. The sound of muffled voices filtered through the bedroom door, and in a minute there was a soft knock on my door.

  “Katrina? There’s a detective here to see you.”

  “All right.” I got up, still a little unsteady on my feet at first.

  Becky was smiling when I opened the door of the bedroom and she whispered, “I think he said his name was Todd.” I gave her a weak smile and went into her living room. Sure enough, there was Todd.

  “I’ll…uh…just go finish making dinner,” said Becky, and slunk into the kitchen.

  “I hope it’s ok that I just dropped in,” said Todd, seating himself on the sofa and motioning for me to do the same. “I had something I needed to show you.”

  He pulled a black and white photograph out of his shirt pocket and gave it to me. It showed a man from above and behind him; all I could really see was a dark knit hat, some light hair and a dark hoodie.

  “Obviously this isn’t much, but we think this is the guy that attacked you. I don’t suppose you recognize the clothes? Or anything about him?”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t look familiar. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We’re circulating this picture around all the gas stations and small stores in your area to see if anyone remembers him coming in that day. If anyone remembers him, they might have security camera footage that would show his face.”

  “Oh, that’s a good idea,” I said, and then laughed feebly. “I’m sure the police department would be encouraged to know that I think standard police procedure is a good idea.”

  “They probably would, actually.” Todd took the picture back and slid it into his pocket. He rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands together. “I’m sure you must think by now that we’re pretty inept, and me especially—”

  “What?” I said. “I wasn’t thinking that.”

  He looked up. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did, honestly. You’ve been involved in several crimes—the murder, the manuscript theft, your store being broken into, someone breaking into your house and attacking you… and none of them are solved. And for the last one, I was even parked outside your house and I couldn’t stop it.”

  “Oh.” I’d never thought about it like that. “But I’m sure you’re doing your best. Really. I know that there aren’t very many clues.”

  “True, there aren’t, and it’s really unusual. Most criminals aren’t masterminds and they leave a lot of evidence behind them. I solve—I mean, we solve a lot of cases very quickly.”

  “I’m sure you do.” I was afraid that sounded patronising, but it was the truth.

  He looked at me a little shamefacedly. “I keep wishing you’d observed me working on my last few cases. I was a lot more impressive then.”

  “How about coffee?” Becky’s voice broke into our conversation from the kitchen. She appeared at the living room door. “Would you guys like some coffee?”

  “Uh, no. No, I have to get going,” said Todd. “Thanks anyway.” He stood to go.

  “Thanks for coming,” I said. “I really do appreciate all you’re doing. And I do think you’re doing a good job.”

  He smiled faintly. “Thanks, Katrina. It’s really good to see you out of the hospital.”

  He said goodbye to both of us, and Becky opened the door for him. When she shut it again she leaned back against it and said. “I can see why Kim wanted details.”
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  “He just came to discuss the case,” I said. “He had a picture of a suspect to show me.”

  “It’s not that. It was the way he looked at you.”

  “And how did he look at me?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll just say this: I’ve married off three roommates so far. I’ve seen that look before.”

  Chapter 14

  Three days went by slowly. I rested a lot in a darkened room, ate Becky’s food at regular intervals, and had nice long chats with her in the evening. Todd called once to tell me they had found footage of my attacker at a convenience store. They were trying facial recognition with known criminals to see if they could get a match, although it might take a few days.

  On Friday I woke up feeling so much better that I thought I probably should be moving back to my apartment before too long. I was beginning to feel like a leech. While I will never be in danger of working myself to death, my conscience begins to bother me if I do nothing for too many days in a row. I mentioned this to Becky as she was eating a bowl of cereal before she left for school. She’s one of those people that rises from bed looking perfectly put together, even in pajamas. If her hair isn’t perfect, at least it has the adorably messy look that women in movies have when they wake up. My morning reflection in the mirror reminds me more of those pictures of refugees you see on the news.

  “Well, don’t hurry away,” Becky said. “I like having the company. Besides, I think you ought to wait at least until you can drive again. That won’t be for a few more days if you follow the doctor’s orders.”

  “All right, but you’ve got to let me fix dinner for you tonight. I’ll be here all day with nothing to do.”

  “Well, if you’d really like to, you can. Raid the fridge and freezer—there’s plenty of stuff there. You can use whatever you want.”

  “Good. And maybe after you get home we could go get my laptop. Kim said she saw it in the apartment.”

  “Oh, I can get it for you on my way home from work, if that’s ok with you. I have to run a couple errands anyway. I need a few Frisbees for a game I’m playing with the class tomorrow.”

  “Don’t bother,” I said. “I have some in my car—at least five of them. I got them one time for a game thing the Coles’ were doing with some other families and I’ve just kept them in the trunk for outings with kids at the park. Actually, you can bring that whole crate here. I should be going through the stuff that’s in there anyway, and I ought to at least look at those books that have been sitting in my trunk for the last few weeks.”