Blood Loss_A Magnolia Novel

by Ashley Fontainne

  “No, if you were fine, you wouldn’t keep asking me the same questions.”

  “Ms. Tuck? Ms. Summers?”

  LiAnn stood, and Karina froze as a young doctor stepped into the room. “Yes. How’s Mr. Pickard?”

  “He’s awake and talkative. He’s a very lucky man because the bullet missed his femoral artery by less than two inches. He informed me if I didn’t hurry up and let you both back there, he’d punch me in the nose. Feisty man, and one who wasn’t too fond of giving his statement to the police. They just left to head to Hot Springs, I believe, to talk to you two. I didn’t let on I knew you were here because he begged me not to before he spoke with you first. I hope I won’t regret that decision later.”

  “You won’t. That’s a promise,” LiAnn replied.

  “Good. Follow me.”

  “Will he be able to go home soon?” LiAnn asked, knowing if he said yes, then it meant Cecil wasn’t under arrest.

  “Tomorrow at the earliest. I want to monitor his blood pressure for twenty-four hours.”

  LiAnn and Karina exchanged relieved glances as they followed the doctor toward Cecil’s room.

  “Please, no more than twenty minutes and don’t excite him. Again, I’m concerned about his blood pressure.”

  Nodding in agreement, both women entered the room. Cecil looked tired and pale in the light blue hospital gown. His leg was swaddled in bandages and propped up on a pillow. Tears filled his eyes as LiAnn and Karina sat on opposite sides of the bed.

  “Why did you go out there, Cecil?” Karina asked.

  Unwilling to meet her gaze, Cecil stared out the window. “We had unfinished business, and it was time to wrap it up. God, it’s always the land! Everythin’ ties back to land!”

  “I don’t understand what you mean by that. How does land tie in to this?”

  “Explainin’ it is difficult. It’s such a huge mess, and I’ve spent every minute of my life tryin’ to forget it.”

  “Just tell us what you remember,” LiAnn urged.

  “I did it to protect Claire. Every bit. If it weren’t for that, I would never have let them get to me. Please, you have to believe me.”

  Karina patted Cecil’s quaking hand. “We know how much you loved your wife. We believe you. What were you protecting her from?”

  “The wreck. She was drivin’! I don’t know how he knew, but he did. He told me if I didn’t help him, he’d make sure she’d go to prison for killin’ those folks!”

  “Wreck?” Karina asked.

  “Claire was drunk, and so were the two soldiers and Betty! Bertrand said he saw Claire get behind the wheel when they left The Pines. He said if I didn’t help him, he’d tell. We’d only been married a few months and Claire was pregnant with Stephen! I couldn’t let them take her away and give birth in prison. What choice did I have?”

  Karina’s eyes lit up as another piece of the puzzle slipped into place. “You mean the night Betty Berle Carter died, right?”

  Cecil nodded. “Up until we got hitched, Claire rented a room at the Crawford house. After the terrible night of the accident, she changed. Gave up drinkin’ and carousin’. Started goin’ to church. Got real active in civic affairs. I met her at a community event hosted by the Bergs. We hit it right off and got married not long after. When she found out she was pregnant, she went into a depression and one night, spilled the beans about the accident. Claire struggled with what happened until the day she died.”

  “You know, er, knew, the Berg family?” LiAnn asked.

  “Yep. Everyone who had any land in Southern Arkansas did. You see, my pa, he made me promise to continue buildin’ what he started. I never bought no land in Ouachita County after the government took my grandfather’s land and others.”

  “Through eminent domain, right?” LiAnn asked, watching the monitors in case Cecil’s vitals took a nosedive. The revelation immediately took her mind back to one of the theories she read online.

  “Yeah, they surely did. They basically stole the land and then built an ammunitions base on it. Bastards. Anyway, just like I promised Pa, I steered clear of Ouachita County and only bought parcels in Dallas, Grant, and Cleveland counties. Some of my land in Dallas County butted up next to the Berg’s land. Even though I didn’t own no property in Ouachita County, it still ruined my life.”

  “Take a breath, Cecil. We’re in no hurry. I know it’s hard to let out something you’ve held onto for so long,” Karina whispered.

  Sighing, Cecil wiped his brow. “I told Claire to let the past stay buried, to show her repentance by continuin’ to be a virtuous woman. Guess it weren’t enough because on the night of March 2, 1957, the devil came for payment of her sins in the form of Bertrand Barton.”

  “Here, take a drink.” LiAnn offered Cecil a glass of water.

  After taking a few sips, Cecil continued, closing his eyes as the memories of the worst night of his life roared back. He was too weak to hold the gate back any longer. “It was late—nearly midnight. I’d been workin’ in the fields all day and drinkin’ heavy after I got home. Probably had half a bottle of whiskey before he pulled up. He got out and sidled up to the porch, chattin’ away like we were friends and he stopped by all the time. We weren’t, and he’d never been to my house before. Anyway, he said he had a business proposition…one that would take Mike Berg down a few notches from his high horse, and he asked me to go for a ride. Like a damned fool, I did. It’s not that I didn’t care for Mike, but he was the top dog when it came to land in our area, so the thought of maybe stealin’ a bit of his thunder seemed like a good one. Again, I’d been drinkin’. Makin’ decisions when drunk never did anybody a favor.”

  “So, at this point, you didn’t know what was in the trunk?” Karina asked.

  “Of course not! He said he wanted to show me some land that Berg owned right next to mine. Said a little birdie at the assessor’s office told him Berg was late on property tax payments. Said I could get it for a song. I’ll admit, I was a bit giddy, thinkin’ I could swoop in and snatch some prime farmland. I offered him some whiskey as a thank you for lettin’ me in on the deal. He downed quite a bit as we drove. It was dark, and we got turned around on the back roads. Took hours to find the right spot.”

  “Do you remember exactly where you were?” LiAnn asked, oddly excited about knowing the location of Maud Crawford’s final resting place.

  “Yeah, we were on the line separatin’ my acreage from Berg’s. But the more he drank, the more he talked and the meaner his words became about Mike Berg. Said he deserved what was comin’ because he’d been stealin’ money and land from his elderly aunt. I got the sense he really hated him. When we stopped and he got out, askin’ me to point out the property line, I lied. My gut told me somethin’ was wrong. I told him I was too drunk to remember. That’s when he snapped. I found out the real reason we was out there.”

  “To bury Maud,” Karina offered.

  “And Carolyn, yes.” Cecil nodded. “When I said no way, he grabbed me around the throat. Told me he knew what Claire did the year before. Said he’d been given an assignment from his superiors—people that sayin’ no to wasn’t an option. Said he had to get rid of a potential problem in Camden for an upcomin’ land deal and to pin the suspicion on Mike Berg. He needed to make sure he was on his land and not mine and knew I’d have no choice but to help since he held such leverage over my head. He laughed as though a child playin’ a prank on the neighborhood bully! I was backed into a corner, and there weren’t no escapin’! I pointed out the line divide and then puked when he opened the trunk and I saw the canvas. My God, I thought my heart would give out when I noticed an arm sticking out. But I didn’t help him bury the bodies! I didn’t! After I stained my hands by pointin’ out the property line, I went back to the car.”

  The machines started beeping. Karina leaned closer, noting the flush in his cheeks. “You don’t have to say any more. It can wait until tomorrow.”

  Cecil shook his head. “I went out to the Barton pl
ace the day Betty had her heart attack. To confront Brandon. Try to talk some sense into him. Make him see how goin’ to the police would end our worries and the guilt eatin’ us alive. He wasn’t home, and I didn’t know what had happened to Brice until later after I came back to The Magnolia. I snuck into the hospital and tried to talk to Betty to see why she was so interested in the case, but she wouldn’t wake up long enough to tell me. When she came home, Ruth wouldn’t let me in! I kept hittin’ roadblocks every turn until Brandon called me yesterday evenin’. I didn’t answer and let it go to voicemail. When I listened, I was shocked. Between that voicemail and the evidence at the scene, it’s why the cops didn’t arrest me. Brandon said plain as day on the message his boy dyin’ made him see the light, and he wanted to discuss some things, includin’ our land deal, so I went over.”

  “Brandon called you…to discuss a deal? What…wait, are you saying he’s the one who bought all your property?” LiAnn queried.

  Cecil nodded.

  “Why did you take a shotgun?” Karina asked, terrified of the answer.

  “Brice and Brandon were the ones who jumped me on my property near three years ago. One of them found an old journal of Bertrand’s when refinishin’ a piece of his old furniture. He took the secret to his grave but wrote down what happened that night on paper. That’s how Brandon found out what Bertrand and I did in 1957. They tried to make me take them to where the bodies were, but I wouldn’t do it. They suspected I lied that night about the property line and Maud’s body was buried on my land and not Berg’s since the search parties never found her restin’ place. That day in the woods, they insisted I sell all my land to them so Bertrand’s deeds would remain hidden. They beat me up, and I still said no. That’s when Brandon shot me and they left me for dead.”

  “Oh, Cecil, no wonder you told the police you couldn’t recall what happened the day you were shot!” Karina gushed.

  “Right. How could I? I’m just thankful Junior’s truck wouldn’t start that day or he’da been with me. So, when Brandon called, I took the shotgun for protection. I had no idea I was walkin’ into such a mess.”

  Karina forced her tears to remain inside as the story turned to the events of only hours before. “What happened?”

  “I pulled up and Brandon was on the front porch—armed—and Gail’s body was on the ground. I remember wishin’ the floodlight in the yard would magically turn off because seein’ her surrounded by a pool of red and half her face gone was awful. Brandon was pacin’ and ramblin’ on about how Gail turned on him, insistin’ their son died because of family secrets, and she wanted him to come clean…and then…he lit a match. The place went up fast, and then Bo arrived.” Cecil tried to stop the tears, but he couldn’t. “Poor boy’s heart broke when he saw what was left of his ma. He tried to talk Brandon down, but it weren’t no use. Brandon screamed at Bo, sayin’ he failed his assignment with…oh, I can’t. I just can’t say it! Brandon raised the rifle. Bo took mine away, and they shot at the same time. The bullet…oh God, Karina, just remember…remember Bo as…the man who saved my life.”

  The monitors beeped in response to Cecil’s soaring heart rate and blood pressure as sobs wracked his body.

  “Shhh, Cecil. It’s over now,” Karina offered, her voice low and soothing. “It’s over now. I’m so sorry you had to witness all that. So very sorry.”

  “No, it’s not over. I moved the bodies the next day when I read in the paper a search party was formin’. I remember stoppin’ to puke so many times I thought I was dyin’. The smell was awful. The only thing that kept me goin’ was they were lighter than I expected, so I pushed on until it was over.”

  “You did what? Why?” LiAnn gasped.

  “I had to…couldn’t let…Mike Berg…he was innocent…wasn’t right to let him take the fall…”

  “You moved Maud’s corpse to your land? That’s why Brandon wanted to buy it? To keep the secret safe?” Karina asked.

  “And Carolyn’s. God, what a tragedy,” Cecil whispered.

  “Cecil, Carolyn’s alive,” Karina replied. “You only moved Maud. Carolyn was there that night and saw what happened. She fled town and assumed the identity of Betty Berle Carter. We know her as Betty Dravis.”

  “No wonder the tarp was so light,” Cecil replied as the most intense pain he’d ever felt crushed his chest.

  “I’ll go get the doctor.” Karina jumped from the edge of the bed.

  Gripping her hand with all the strength he had left, Cecil fought through the pain and whispered, “No, don’t. I’m ready to go see my Claire. 1871. Tell Junior I’m so very sorry.”

  Cecil’s body jerked as searing heat tore through his body. The doctor burst in, followed by two nurses. LiAnn and Karina moved out of their way, watching them through their tears as they worked in vain to save Cecil’s life.

  Chapter 14

  Hot Springs, Arkansas – Early Saturday Afternoon, March 11, 2017

  “Thanks, Andrew. It’s a beautiful day outside. Good idea to take them out for a drive. We should be back in a couple of hours. I’m glad Betty’s up for a car ride.”

  “I told them I needed some help with picking out a tuxedo, so that did the trick. Played the oblivious man card. They’ll be down in a few minutes. I wanted to get them out of here before someone spills the beans. I told Cheryl to tell the rest of the staff to keep a lid on things. They all saw it on the news. How’s Karina holding up? You?”

  Sighing as she turned on to the road leading to her parents’ farm, LiAnn glanced over at Karina. Slouched in the seat, she looked pale and thin, her face stained with tears. She hadn’t said a word since they left the hospital. “As best as to be expected I guess, considering things. We’re at the farm. Figured the scenery might help.”

  “Good idea. The cops have already been here looking for you both. I told them to return around six or so. Hope that’s okay. I figured you two needed some time to pull yourselves together.”

  “Thanks, Andrew.”

  “Gotta go. Here they come. Love you. Oh, and LiAnn?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Me, too.”

  LiAnn pulled up next to the barn and shut the engine off. Karina was zoned out, her eyes glassy and vacant. Touching her cool arm, LiAnn said, “Come on, baby. I want to show you something.”

  Karina didn’t blink or move.

  “Karina Ruby, look at me!”

  “Screw this!” Karina yelled and then bolted out the door. In a frantic haze, mind close to the brink of insanity, she lashed out at the closest object near her, which was an empty paint bucket. “Why did we ever come to this fucking state? It’s been nothing but a nightmare since the day we arrived! We moved here to make Gram and Grampa’s lives better and all we’ve accomplished is to make everything worse! Their house—all their treasured memories—turned into a pile of rubble because of lies and our decision to stick our noses into the mess! A mess, mind you, that began with Cecil Pickard. Again! And now this? This sixty-year nightmare? It’s going to break Grampa’s heart! Lies, more lies, and then another heaping plateful of lies!”

  LiAnn jumped out and walked over to Karina. “Honey, please calm down. I know you’re upset but—”

  “Don’t, Mom. Just don’t.” A piece of two-by-four caught Karina’s attention. Picking it up, she hurled it the barn, laughing when it splintered into smaller pieces. “You lied to me too! I told you we needed to let it go because too many people would end up hurt in the end. You looked me right in the eye and promised to let it go, but you kept investigating anyway! Cecil lied. Gram lied. Betty lied. Cal lied. And Bo…my God…everyone lied except Grampa!”

  Realizing Karina needed to vent and release the torment inside her heart, LiAnn didn’t try to stop her by offering hollow platitudes. That never worked with her headstrong child before and she knew it certainly wouldn’t now until Karina unleashed all her fury. Rather than offering a comforting hug, LiAnn leaned against the hood and tossed out a bucket of
verbal ice water. “Yes, even you.”

  Spinning around, Karina glared at her mother. “I didn’t tell Bo about the baby because I didn’t want to add any more stress on him. That’s different and a low blow.”

  “A lie is a lie, Karina, no matter the reasons behind one because when hidden secrets are revealed, the end results are always the same: people get hurt. And you also didn’t tell Bo you still had feelings for Cal, that he moved down here, or that he came to see you the other night.”

  Pacing in circles, Karina’s vision blurred. White hot fury barreled through her as Cecil’s final words replayed inside her head. “Do not, I repeat, do not bring Cal Benson into this! God, it’s like I live in a fishbowl! Everyone knows every minute of my day. I can’t take a pee break without at least one person knowing about it!”

  “And every one of those seniors love you as though you were their own. Perhaps it’s only bothering you now because you’re the one holding secrets.”

  Ignoring the comment, Karina kicked the front tire. “It all makes sense now. I was Bo’s assignment. Ha, I bet his family freaked out when they heard a retired cop and former private investigator moved here and were close friends with Cecil! Oh, the dinner table conversations! Did they flip a coin to see which twin should make the move on me? ‘Heads it is! Lucky you, Bo! Now, go seduce that girl quick and find out what she knows. Make sure she falls hard and fast so you’ve got an in with the family. Work that southern charm, boy.’ Jesus, what a sucker I am! And I tried to offer him comfort last night! I…I’m glad I lost the baby! Can you imagine how hard learning all this would be if we’d gotten married and had a child?”

  “You don’t mean that, Karina. I watched you fall apart at the hospital. You’ve wanted a child for a long time. Bo cared for you. I know he did. I could see it—”

  “He was a great liar, Mom! It ran in his family!” Balling up her fist, Karina punched the side of the barn with all her strength. The sound and pain of her bones cracking barely registered. “My God, how are we supposed to deal with this? How do we tell Grampa his best friend is dead because my boyfriend’s father was a lunatic who shot a bullet into his own son that passed through him and hit Cecil? That we pushed Cecil to answer our questions and he suffered a massive coronary? That the man Grampa considered his brother helped hide a body and kept the secret all these years? That Cecil lied and really did know who shot him three years ago, and that Grampa would have probably died too had he gone hunting that morning? How do I come to terms with the fact that like you, my man radar is broken and I can’t tell the good from the bad any longer? How will I ever be able to trust anyone again?”