“Oh,” I said quietly, because I didn’t know what else to say.
“And you know I like you, as a friend, but we really have to stop meeting like this.I’ve seen way too much of you lately!. Let’s not turn this into a habit, shall we?” she said.
“I’ll do my best. Maybe if you put the word out to the bad guys not to hit me in the head anymore, that might help. Couldn’t hurt.”
Kim laughed. “I’ll get right on that.”
A few minutes later, the ambulance pulled into the new hospital off 287 and I-35E. As the ambulance backed up to the door, I couldn’t help but wonder if the killer had driven past here last night.
They wheeled me through the bay doors and down the hallway to a room. After being transferred to a bed, Kim and her partner wished me well and left.
The nurse came in, introduced herself as Tracy, and started asking a bunch of questions. She put on a pair of blue nitrate gloves before looking at the back of my head. “You’re going to need some stitches,” she said.
“That’s what Kim said.”
“And what else did she say?”
“Possible concussion.”
“I keep telling her she needs to go back to med school,” Tracy said as she snapped the gloves off. “She’s way too smart to be just a paramedic, not that there’s anything wrong with being one.”
As much as I wanted to hear more, I really just wanted to lay back and close my eyes. I asked her if it was okay to do so.
“You can, but Dr. Murphy should be here in a few minutes,” she said as she left.
Just as I started to close my eyes, Mac showed up.
“What do you want?”
“I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“If I was, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Lillian saw you fall down, and went to find me.”
“Did she see what happened?”
“The only thing she saw was someone hit you, then they grabbed some clothes and left.”
“How did they leave? Did they have a car?”
“She didn’t say.”
“We can’t talk here,” I said, afraid that someone was going to come in and see me talking to myself. “Can you and Lillian meet me at my house later?”
“I’ll see if I can get her to come. She doesn’t like to leave the theatre.”
Mac disappeared just before my parents walked in. “What happened?” Dad asked after they both gave me a hug.
“Just hit my head, that’s all,” I replied. There was no way I was going to tell them what really happened.
“The lady who called said you had been attacked behind the theatre,” Mother said.
“Does it look like I was beat up?” I squeezed her hand. “I’m fine, really.”
“That’s why you’re in the emergency room,” Dad said.
“It’s the new thing to do on a slow night, Dad. Catch up.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Mother said.
“Just a little headache, and the nurse said I might need a few stitches. Honestly, it’s nothing.”
Dad took a look at the back of my head. “Doesn’t look so little, sweetie.”
“It’s not,” Mike said as he came in. I glared at him, but he ignored the look.
“Thank you so much for calling, Mike,” Mother said, giving him a hug. Apparently, she had already forgotten about her upcoming interview and being a murder suspect.
Dad shook Mike’s hand. “What happened to our daughter?”
I shook my head at Mike, which was a mistake, because it made the room spin and my head pound. “I told you, Dad, I hit my head. That’s all.”
“I didn’t ask you, I asked him.”
“Are you implying that I’m lying to you?”
“I think you are being selective about the information you are providing.”
“So you think I’m lying.”
“Exactly.”
Mike shrugged, as if to say “sorry”. “She was on the wrong end of an unknown weapon.”
Mother gasped, and Dad looked angry. “So the dispatcher was right. Cam was attacked.”
“I’m afraid so.”
Mother glared at me. “Camille, what were you doing?”
“I wasn’t doing anything!” I protested. “I found some evidence that was overlooked last night, I called Mike, and was waiting for him to arrive when someone hit me. I was being a responsible citizen. Don’t make it sound like I was doing something wrong!”
“I did tell you to stay by your car,” Mike pointed out.
“Where did you find her?” Dad asked him.
“Behind the hospital.”
“And her car was where?”
“In the theatre parking lot.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” Dad said. “You’ve always been pretty stubborn, especially when someone is giving you good, sound advice.”
“What are all of you doing in here with my patient?” a man in green scrubs said from the doorway.
“We’re her parents,” Mother answered.
“I’m Chief Mike…”
“Yeah, I know who you are,” the man said, cutting Mike off. “Out, all of you. I need to examine the patient, and this room isn’t big enough for all of us.”
Mother leaned over, gave me a kiss on the cheek, squeezed my hand, and followed Mike out. Dad also gave me a kiss, saying, “At least do what the doctor tells you, okay?”
“I’m Dr. Murphy. I take it you don’t follow directions well?”
“What makes you say that?”
“I was standing outside looking at your chart, and overheard what Chief Penhall said.”
“Eavesdropping is not cool, Dr. Murphy.”
He shrugged. “It’s how we learn things that patients don’t want to tell us.”
“Telling you is one thing. Telling my parents is an entirely different matter.”
“Well, I’m the one who matters the most here, so tell me what happened.”
“Someone hit me from behind. That’s it.”
“Sit up straight and lean forward a little bit.”
I did as he asked.
“That is a pretty big goose egg you’ve got back here,” he said. “Someone hit you pretty hard. I’m afraid we’re going to have to shave your hair in this one spot so I can give you some stitches. And I’m going to order a CT scan, just to be on the safe side, although I don’t expect to find anything.” He helped me lean back and picked up the chart. “I’d like to keep you overnight, but you’re pretty coherent, and able to answer questions clearly. You might need someone to stay with you tonight, just to make sure you’re all right. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Stitches and CT scan, then we’ll go from there.”
“Thank you, Dr. Murphy.”
“Do you want me to talk to your mother about spending the night with you?”
“No, thank you. I think I’d rather have my boyfriend stay with me. Mother will hover over me.”
“Mothers tend to do that, especially when one of their kids are hurt. Do you want me to contact your boyfriend then?”
“Just send him in when you leave. I’ll tell him.”
Dr. Murphy looked puzzled for a minute. “Wait, you mean the police chief? Interesting. All right, I’ll send him in, but I’ll ask your parents to wait a while. I’ve seen your father out here before. He’s a good man, and he makes great coffee.”
“Thank you.”
“Just relax. We’ll get you fixed up in no time.”
His definition of “no time” was actually four hours. My mother wasn’t thrilled that I wanted Mike to stay with me and not her, even though I explained that I didn’t want to be a burden to her. The disapproving look I got from both of them was because Mike was going to be staying with me, and we weren’t married.
“I have a question for you,” I said as we left the hospital.
“What’s that?” Mike said, helping me into his truck.
“How did you know that I was in trouble?”
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“Um...yeah…” Mike closed my door and got in on his side before answering. “Someone wrote me a note.”
“What do you mean someone wrote you a note?”
He looked embarrassed. “I was sitting at my desk when one of my pens floated in the air, and then started writing on a piece of paper.”
“Mac,” I said knowingly.
“Yeah. He’s got a weird sense of humor. He said something about Little Mary Sunshine.”
I tried not to laugh. “Well, I’m glad he was able to tell you something was wrong.”
I saw my car sitting in the driveway when we reached my house. “How did my car get here?”
“Officer Reagan picked up Randy, who drove it over here for you. He said to tell you not to worry about dinner; he’s bringing something over.”
“Dinner? I didn’t even have lunch,” I said as my stomach growled.
“It’s almost three. I’ll fix you a snack once I get you settled.”
“Honestly? I just want to lay down for a little while. I’m tired.”
“Dr. Murphy said I need to keep an eye on you, just to make sure your headache doesn’t turn into something worse.”
“I’m fine, really.”
Mike parked and got out. He came around the other side and helped me out of his truck. “Don’t get comfortable. We aren’t staying.”
“What do you mean?”
“Knowing your mother, she’s going to come over here at some point tonight, just to check on you. I thought it might be better if you stayed at my place instead. No one will bother you, and you’ll be able to get some rest.”
“Are you sure?” I said as he took my keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. “And how did you get my keys?”
“Randy dropped them off at the hospital after he brought your car here,” he replied, unlocking the door. “Let’s pack enough for tonight.”
I made my way slowly down the hall to my bedroom, Mike right behind me. When I started to bend over to pick up my overnight bag, he stopped me and grabbed it for me. While he unzipped the bag, I pulled out underwear, socks, T-shirts, lounging pants and jeans. I figured I should at least be comfortable. I put the clothes in the bag, and he got my things out of the bathroom. I stuck my iPad into the bag as well, although I didn’t think I was really going to be looking at it.
“Anything else you need or want?” Mike asked as he zipped up the bag.
“Just a couple of pillows,” I said, pointing to the two I wanted. “You know, I don’t really need someone to watch me. Dr. Murphy said I didn’t have a concussion.”
He pretended not to hear me as he took my things out to his truck, putting them behind the seats while I got in. After he turned on my security alarm and locked the door, he joined me in the truck. “How are you doing?” he said as he back out of the driveway.
“Tired and a little sore for some reason.”
“We’ll be at my place in a few minutes, and you can stretch out on the couch until Randy brings over the food.”
“I feel a bit guilty.”
“Why?”
“You need to be focusing on this murder investigation, not taking care of me.”
“I can do both. In fact, let me stop by the station right quick, pick up a few files, then we’ll be good to go.”
He whipped into the station parking lot, and I had to grab a hold of the handlebar on the passenger side to keep from falling over. “Um, hello, woman with a headache here. Are you trying to give me whiplash, too?”
“Sorry, sorry,” he said. “I almost overshot the entrance. Sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
What did he think I was going to do, take his truck for a joyride? I felt the back of my head, touching the bandage that covered the eight stitches I had needed. But I also felt the lack of hair. It had been a long time since I had worn my hair short, but I was going to have to get a haircut so my hair wouldn’t look uneven.
There was a tap on my window, and I looked over to see Officer Reagan standing there.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” she said after I rolled down the window. She noticed the bandage and winced. “I also wanted to apologize for what I said earlier.”
“You mean when you accused me of hitting myself in the head?”
“Yeah, that,” she said, looking embarrassed. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“You were thinking that you needed to make an impression on your new boss. Solving a murder case is certainly one way to do it.”
“Accusing the boss’ girlfriend of injuring herself doesn’t help.”
“No, probably not. But Mike is a fair man. He won’t hold it against you. Nor will I, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“A little,” she admitted. “What did the doctor say?”
“Eight stitches and a headache. Nothing too serious.”
She saw Mike come out the front door. “I better go. I just wanted to apologize and to make sure you were all right.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. And don’t worry so much. Just do your best, and don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it. It’s better to ask than to accuse the wrong person of murder.”
“I’ll remember that,” she said as Mike got in the truck. “Good to see you, Chief. Thanks again, Ms. Shaw.”
“Cam, and you’re welcome.”
She nodded and walked quickly inside.
“What was that about?” Mike asked as I rolled up the window.
“Just girl talk.”
“Could you hold these for me?” he said, handing me a large stack of files.
“What’s all this?”
“Witness statements mostly. I’d like to construct a timeline of events from last night.”
“That’s a good idea. Have they made any progress today?”
“No,” he replied, “no one saw anything suspicious, and they didn’t hear anything last night. It’s like Susan just magically appeared behind the couch.”
“Well, if she was killed during intermission, there was a lot of noise in the main room. Coffee and desserts were being served, people were talking and walking around. All of that would have drowned out any grunting, groaning and a body falling to the floor.”
“Yes, but surely someone from the cast or crew would have heard something.”
“There is someone we could talk to,” I said cautiously.
“Really? Who?” Mike said as he turned down his street.
“Promise to keep an open mind?”
Mike groaned as he pulled into his driveway. “Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say.”
“Depends on what you think I’m going to say.”
“You’re talking about your ghost.”
“Ghosts, actually.”
He banged his head on the steering wheel for a minute. “Why can’t I have a normal girlfriend?”
I got out of the truck, slammed the door, and started stomping toward the front door.
Mike grabbed my bag and pillows out of the truck, then unlocked the front door and helped me inside. After making sure I was comfortable on the couch, he went back to the truck to get the files.
“Why don’t you change into something more comfortable?” he suggested when he came back inside. “It might help you relax a little.”
He had a point, so I went into the spare bedroom to change. I put my comfy clothes on the bed and slowly started to change. I had just taken off my shirt when I looked up and saw Mac standing on the other side of the room. I screamed bloody murder.
Mike came busting into the room, his Colt in his hand. “What’s the matter?” he said, looking around the room.
“What’s he going to do, shoot a ghost?” Mac snickered.
“Get out,” I said to the mischievous ghost.
“Who are you talking to?” Mike asked me.
“I keep forgetting that you can’t see him. Mac is standing over there by the window.”
“Great, a pervert ghost,” Mike muttered.<
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“Hey, I am not a pervert!” Mac replied. “I didn’t know she was in here changing.”
“Both of you, go wait in the other room,” I said.
Mac vanished, and Mike closed the door behind him as he left. I quickly finished changing clothes, hoping I could keep my balance and remain upright. I opened the door and went back into the living room, where I only saw Mike. “Apparently, you offended Mac when you called him a pervert,” I said as I sat back down. “He’s not here.”
“Does he do that often?”
“Do what?”
“Just appear out of nowhere.”
“Oh yes, all the time. He seems to enjoy scaring the heck out of me, although it’s the first time he’s walked in on me changing clothes. I hope he doesn’t make that a habit.”
“I would really appreciate it if he wouldn’t pop in at my house.”
“I can’t stop him from showing up, Mike. Besides, we need to talk to Lillian, and we can only do that if Mac brings her to me. Speaking of Mac, he came to see me in the ER. I asked him to bring Lillian with him on his next visit.”
“Why do we need to talk to Lillian?”
I tried to stifle a yawn. “Because she saw the person who hit me this morning.”
“Why don’t you lay down?” Mike suggested, handing me the pillows I had brought with me.
“We need to talk to Lillian,” I yawned again. “Maybe she saw something last night, too.”
Mike pulled the fleece blanket off the back of the couch and draped it on top of me. “You can talk to her later. Go take a nap.”
“Okay,” I said, closing my eyes.
“And then we’ll have a chat about that ghost of yours. He’s got to go.”
Good luck with that, I thought as I fell asleep.
Chapter 16
I woke up on my own, feeling a bit disoriented. I didn’t recognize anything in my living room, but then I remembered I was at Mike’s house, not mine. So where was he? I tossed the blanket aside and slowly stood up.
Walking into the kitchen, I found Mike sitting at the dining room table, files spread out everywhere. He was writing something down on a yellow legal pad in front of him, muttering about unreliable witnesses.
Who Invited the Ghost to Dinner: A Ghost Writer Mystery Page 11