Blood Loss_A Magnolia Novel

by Ashley Fontainne

  Groaning, Karina replied, “Poor Betty! I was afraid she’d suffered a heart attack. I hate to hear she’s going to have surgery, but then again, that’s certainly better than the alternative. She’s going to have a difficult time recovering from this at her age.”

  “Yes, she will, and that’s where we all come in. Between us all, she’ll be just fine. So many people will dote on her I’m sure she’ll get sick of all the attention.”

  Glancing toward the door, Karina asked, “Did Cal come back with you too? Please tell me no. There’s too much going on for me to have to deal with him today, especially after what Cheryl told me a bit ago.”

  LiAnn cocked her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  Sighing, Karina responded, “Let’s shelve that weird topic for later. I’m not in the mood to discuss Cal or see him again. This morning has already sucked dirty balls.”

  “Nice mouth, daughter. Don’t worry, Cal isn’t here. He did mention he’d come by later. Aren’t you just so excited?”

  “Pft. Thrilled beyond words. I plan on leaving by noon and heading to Little Rock, so I’m glad I won’t be around.”

  “You are? Why? Are you actually taking a day off, er, well, a half-day?”

  Doing her best to control the tension inside her mind from seeping into the words, Karina responded, “It’s not for fun, trust me. Brice is at the burn unit in Children’s Hospital. Bo said it’s from a farm accident of some sort. Do you mind covering for me the rest of the afternoon?”

  “Oh no! Of course not baby. I planned on staying overnight anyway after what happened to Betty, so it works out perfectly. Mom’s pretty upset and, you know, just in case things take a turn for the worse at the hospital.”

  “Upset seems to be the word of the day,” Karina responded.

  Edging closer, LiAnn gave her the once-over. “How are you holding up honey? Looks like giving Betty CPR wore you out. You’re really pale.”

  “Okay, now I’m getting a complex. You’re the second person to inform me through a nicely concealed dig that I look like shit. I’m fine…just worried about Betty and Brice. A lot has happened in less than three hours.”

  LiAnn hugged Karina tight. “Breathe, baby. You saved her life you know.”

  Inhaling the scent of her mother’s flowery perfume, Karina asked, “Please tell me I didn’t break any of her ribs? I was a bit overcome with emotion before the paramedics arrived and might have used too much pressure.”

  “You didn’t,” LiAnn remarked as she stepped back to survey the room. She decided to change the subject. “Well, this certainly isn’t like Betty. She usually keeps things so clean and tidy.”

  Bending down, Karina picked up a fragile piece of old newspaper. “I thought the same thing. Let me tell you what happened because it’s sort of odd.”

  Karina pushed the door shut and lowered her voice, starting the tale with Wiley’s comments said at breakfast about Betty’s mutterings at night and finishing with Cecil’s reaction and Betty’s whispered warning about danger from someone.

  LiAnn scooped up the remaining clippings and deposited them back in the old folder on the table. “I see that look on your face, darling daughter. You want to start digging, don’t you? Because you think there’s a connection?”

  Smiling, Karina nodded. “Don’t you? Neither one of us believe in coincidences.”

  “True.”

  “For whatever reason, Betty’s been obsessed with these disappearances for years, judging by the volume of articles she’s hoarded. Maybe she’s a relative of one of them? I seem to remember Betty mentioning she was from New Orleans though, not Camden. Right?”

  “Yes, I believe that’s correct, though it doesn’t mean she’s not a relative of either one. People move around all the time. Look at us, Mom and Dad, even Betty!”

  “Exactly! And Cecil acted like he’d just seen a slew of the dead shambling around. I want to know why a cold case of over sixty-years freaked them both out. Like before, my guts are rumbling, and you know what that means.”

  LiAnn chuckled and said, “Uh-oh. The last time your stomach—and mine—got knotted up, we found ourselves in a nightmare. Let’s finish up and then go talk to Cecil.”

  Arching an eyebrow, Karina teased, “Aha! You feel it too! I knew it wasn’t just the nasty orange juice making my stomach jump! Guess I’m not the only one feeling amped up to solve a mystery, huh? Missing the chase, Mom? The adrenaline rush? The high? I won’t lie….I miss the hunt. Crazy, huh? After all we’ve been through and I’m looking for another adrenaline rush.”

  “I am too…a little. Let’s hope this time the information leads us to an easy conclusion. The last one was a doozy and almost cost me my reason for living.” On instinct, LiAnn’s fingers brushed over the scar on Karina’s cheek.

  Feeling a rush of love from her mother’s touch, Karina pulled away and winked rather than tear up. “No doubt. But the chances of stepping into a huge pile of shit like we did before are beyond slim. They’re non-existent. Ha, so much for a quiet retirement for you and a slower pace for our lives.”

  LiAnn paused while considering Karina’s response. “No kidding. Hmmm, and here I thought we escaped major crime and corruption when we left Cali! Care to place a wager on that thought? I mean, come on girl! If the case is sixty years old, there’s a reason it was never solved. It’s called a cover-up. You know, like Jimmy Hoffa?”

  “Gee, great example, Mom. It’s still a little too soon for mob jokes.”

  “Don’t you just love how kind and nurturing I am?”

  “Yep, it’s made me the crazy woman standing in front of you today! Now, enough of this banter. Let’s get the trash picked up and then go talk to Cecil.”

  “Talk to Cecil about what?”

  Karina and LiAnn turned to see Ruth standing in the doorway. The stern look on her face, mixed together with worry and stress, made both of their moods change from excitement to shame.

  LiAnn gave Karina a slight nod and then addressed her mother. “Just to check on him. According to what Karina told me, Cecil was quite upset after Betty’s incident.”

  Stepping inside, Ruth grimaced. “Don’t you lie to me. Either one of you. What’s goin’ on?”

  Karina moved to shield Gram’s view of the bulging folder full of newspaper articles. “Mom’s not lying, Gram. Cecil sort of freaked out. He, uh, was concerned about…”

  Ruth strode past Karina, making a beeline for the table. “What are you tryin’ to hide from me?”

  Sensing they were losing the battle with her headstrong mother, LiAnn said, “We think there’s a link between Betty suffering a heart attack and what she was looking at before it happened. Wiley told Karina this morning that Betty’s been having nightmares and muttering in her sleep.”

  Shushing LiAnn with a wave of her wrist, Ruth flipped open the folder and snatched up the clipping on the top. Letting out a small gasp, she dropped the aged paper, watching in stunned horror as it fluttered to the floor. “Oh, dear God.”

  Karina was immediately by Gram’s side. Her reaction was so close to Cecil’s it was eerie. “Gram, are you okay? Do you need to sit?”

  Ruth took several long intakes of breath while contemplating an answer. Bending down, she picked up the straggler and shoved it back into the folder, which she then clutched to her chest. With her gaze bouncing between daughter and granddaughter, she admonished, “What I need is a promise from you two. Right here, right now.”

  “A promise, Mom?”

  Clearing the lump of tears in her throat, Ruth responded, “That you two leave this be. Ain’t nobody’s business but Betty’s why she kept these nor whether this is what brought on her attack. I don’t want either of you snoopin’ around. You two hear me? I want a promise to trust me on this. I mean it.”

  Before LiAnn or Karina had the chance to respond to the strange outburst, Ruth turned and stormed out of Betty’s apartment, back ramrod straight. Karina moved forward, but LiAnn stopped her with a firm hand on
the shoulder.

  Pausing at the doorway, Ruth said, “I ain’t hearin’ what I need to.”

  “We’ll respect Betty’s privacy, just like you asked,” LiAnn answered.

  “Karina Ruby Summers? Don’t you disobey me. Promise?”

  Hearing Gram use her full given name made Karina’s instincts light up like fireworks. Cutting a quick glance to her mother, who looked just as stunned as Karina felt, the word “promise” wouldn’t leave her lips. It would be a flat-out lie because after all she’d seen and heard, there was no way Karina wasn’t going to dig faster than a frenzied mole to uncover the truth. A hard, boney elbow smacked into her side, courtesy of her mother, urging Karina to reluctantly say, “Yes, ma’am.”

  Ruth’s shoulders sagged. Without turning around, she whispered, “Thank you for savin’ my friend today, Karina. I mean that. But you know what? You’re just like your grampa—stubborn as an old goat. If you just lied to me and plan on openin’ this can of worms, we’ll all regret it. Ain’t we already been through enough? Sometimes dirt just needs to stay where it is. LiAnn, you’ll need to fill in for me at dinner. I ain’t up to cookin’ tonight.”

  “Sure thing, Mom.” LiAnn and Karina watched in silence as Gram disappeared down the hallway. “Okay, that was beyond weird.”

  Glancing over at her mother, Karina nodded. “Her reaction was almost an instant replay of Cecil’s. Cue the Twilight Zone theme. Whatever happened in Camden so long ago is still fresh on the minds of Betty and Cecil. And maybe Gram’s too? I mean, she didn’t seem in the dark about the names, or am I just reading too much into her response?”

  Motioning toward the door, LiAnn added, “No, I saw it too, and I agree with your assessment. And yes, my gut is screaming there’s a connection, but it doesn’t matter. Mom’s right. It’s none of our business. If Betty is a relative of either one of those women or knows something about the case and wanted help solving it, surely she’d have asked for some by now.”

  “Mom, are you serious? Betty obviously needs answers! What if Carolyn Singleton was her sister or Maud Crawford was her mother? Aunt? Cousins? I don’t know how she ties into this weird mystery, yet I suspect if the women were only strangers, she wouldn’t have—”

  “Karina, no. Gram and Grampa don’t need the added strain, and Betty certainly doesn’t either. Besides, we promised.”

  Sensing the discussion was over, Karina sighed and gathered up the remaining trash. As they walked out of Betty’s room and Karina locked the door, she thought I only said yes ma’am. That’s not exactly a promise in my book.

  At the edge of the stairs, LiAnn pulled Karina close in a warm embrace. Once finished, she whispered, “I’ll go check on Cecil and make sure he’s okay. I won’t ask him anything about the mystery in Camden, but if he offers, I’ll certainly listen. Now that we have a free moment, want to expound on the comment about what Cheryl told you?”

  “Not really, so here’s the down and dirty: Cal somehow managed to work a deal out with the powers that be and will now be responsible for watching over Lucas Hill, who by the way, is getting no time behind bars for his deeds.”

  LiAnn’s mouth dropped open from shock. “I…wow, sort of at a loss for words here. You’re sure?”

  “Well, I haven’t checked anything out online or spoken with Cal yet, though I’m guessing that’s why he showed up today—to warn me. Or brag. Dangle it in front of my face as some sort of relationship bait. Who knows? If it is true, which I have no reason to doubt Cheryl’s story, I don’t really know what to think or say. I mean, yes, I’m grateful Lucas was there or I probably wouldn’t be having this conversation with you.” A shiver ran up Karina’s spine. “Yet that doesn’t really make up for the years he was a courier of body parts. Again, that topic is on the backburner.”

  LiAnn shook her head. “Wrong. It should be on the front burner.”

  “What? Why?”

  “You need to take Ranger out for a walk. While outside, give a shout to Cal and thank him for taking Wiley and Seth to the hospital and then interrogate the hell out of him about Lucas. Perhaps drop a few names during the course of the conversation? Dangle a bit of your own bait.”

  Karina stared at her mother’s green eyes which were dancing with mischief. “Come again?”

  “We promised not to investigate. Calvin didn’t.”

  Grinning wide, Karina stifled a laugh. “Oh, you are so bad—and I love it! If Gram ever finds out, we’re toast.”

  “No, Cal will be, and he’s already on Mom and Pop’s shitlist,” LiAnn winked. “Now, go before lunch rolls around and you have to leave for Little Rock.”

  A brief hint of worry at whether she was stepping into a trap made Karina cock her head. “What made you change your mind?”

  LiAnn glanced behind her to ensure they were alone in the hallway. “It was a safety measure, just in case Mom was within hearing range. Those disappearances still haunt Betty, and she needs closure before she passes away. Sixty years is a long time to carry around a thorn in the side, don’t you think? If you’re correct and Betty is related to one of women, I can’t imagine the pain she’s suffered all these years of not knowing what happened. If we can help in a small way, you know, make her remaining years easier to bear by uncovering the truth, shouldn’t we?”

  “And risk the wrath of Gram?”

  “Don’t look at me like that. Do you think I enjoy lying to my mother? Trust me. I don’t. Just find out the basics, see what we’re dealing with, and then we can decide if it’s something we should pursue, and as you say, risk the wrath of Gram. Okay?”

  “Yes, I agree one-hundred percent. Text me if Cecil shares anything of interest.”

  “Of course. Go before I come to my senses and change my mind. I’ll see you tonight when you get back. Oh, and please remember to change your sheets before bedtime. I love Ranger, but I’m not fond of the smell of dog.”

  Nodding once, Karina bounded to her room, eager to get Ranger and let him do his thing. She still had to get cleaned up before heading to Little Rock. Though the rush of adrenaline flushed through her body as the investigator inside her took over, it was tempered by worry for Brice. The mental image of a room full of all of Bo’s extended family as they paced around while waiting for news about their loved one’s condition made Karina shudder.

  It wasn’t going to be a fun trip, but she wanted to be there for Bo. Glancing over at the mussed sheets, she smiled at the pleasant memory of snuggling against his body after a tender love-making session. A warm sensation wound through her stomach, and it wasn’t from an adrenaline rush. Thinking about Bo always made Karina feel safe, but the sensation sweeping through her was something other than safety. Besides her immediate family, she would want Bo by her side if something catastrophic happened, and that spoke volumes about their relationship. The waffling back and forth about continuing forward on their current path disappeared. What she felt stirring inside her wasn’t love, but it was so close it may as well be.

  He was a part of her life now, and Karina couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her years without Bo Barton by her side. Gram was right on target about her feelings.

  She fumbled with Ranger’s leash and then dashed down the back stairs out to the garden. Once they reached the outer edge by the tree line, way out of earshot or visual trajectory of anyone inside, she starting tapping keys while Ranger sniffed and sneezed his way through the dense underbrush.

  Sure enough, an article on the local news channel about Lucas Hill and the “deal” reached made her jaws clench. “It’s not going to work, Cal. I’m over you,” Karina whispered.

  She wondered if the two people originally charged with murdering Ray-Ray DeNucci were getting a similar deal since evidence had surfaced that the actual killer was Caesar Calvanio’s right-hand man. How sick and disturbing that the boy’s own uncle orchestrated his death, covered his tracks, and then left evidence pointing in the direction of two others? Oh, it wasn’t that the two lowlifes didn’t deserve to
pay for robbing Ray-Ray and then trying to hock some of the jewelry at a pawn shop. Being charged with robbery was one thing—being charged with murder you didn’t commit was quite another.

  The entire Calvanio and DeNucci clan had been full of deplorable people.

  “Those nasty people won’t hurt anyone else. Ding dong the dicks are dead!” Karina laughed while looking at Ranger.

  She was grateful he’d survived the attack too. Her furry beast didn’t seem fazed by what had happened to him the awful night on the farm. The only thing that changed about Ranger was he’d grown extremely close to Bo, which made sense. Bo had swooped in and rushed her beloved dog to the vet, saving his life.

  Shaking the disturbing memories away, Karina scrolled through the article about Lucas, giving it a cursory glance, and then clicked over to Google. With swift movements, she typed in “Maud Crawford” and “Carolyn Singleton” and “Camden,” hitting the search button.

  Several links popped up—way more than she’d expected. She clicked on the first one entitled “Arkansas Mystery: The Disappearance of Maud Crawford and Carolyn Singleton.”

  The words on the small screen made every hair on her body stand erect.

  No bodies were ever found. No one was ever formally charged though numerous people had been interviewed including Maud’s husband, Clyde, and Carolyn’s former boyfriend, Jefferson Osborne. Karina clicked on another link, taking her to a blog called “Justice for Maud and Carolyn.” The site was almost ten-years old, and the last, lengthy post entered almost four years prior. The anonymous site owner, labeled only as VoicesoftheVictims pointed the finger of guilt at a local multi-millionaire businessman and Arkansas State Police Commission member named Henry Myar “Mike” Berg. The man’s vast empire touched many sectors, including timber, oil, and gas.