Appalachian Intrigue

by Archie Meyers

  Morgan went back outside the cabin and slowly circled it, looking for any evidence that might help identify the abductor. Other than footprints leading to the front door, he only saw tracks that led to the small access door on the left side of the cabin. He noted the new hinges and the sawdust on the ground under the door. There was no way anyone could be seen from inside the cabin if they stood close to the cabin wall.

  The crime scene people fingerprinted the area around the door and then they all packed up and left the mountain.

  Chapter 33

  Marie had been given a light sedative, and she appeared to have finally drifted off to sleep. But when Dex got up from the chair beside her bed, she again started to cry softly.

  “Dex, I worried about Hoagie every day I was in that cabin. We were together when I was taken, and I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t being held captive with me. I just can’t believe he’s gone. What kind of monster could have done this?”

  Dex sat on the side of bed, and she sat up and buried her face in his shoulder. As he held her he repeated her name over and over as if trying to be sure she was really safe and in his arms.

  He finally said, “Sweetheart, we’ll talk about all of it later, but right now I just want to hold you. Thank God you’re safe. I’ve been so afraid that I would never get you back.”

  They held each other for a long time before he released her and she lay back in the bed. She was still feeling the effect of the sedative, but she obviously wanted to talk about her ordeal.

  “Dex, it’s my fault. I’m responsible for what happened to Hoagie.”

  “What are you talking about? You didn’t kill him. You were both attacked, and there was no way you could have prevented what happened to Hoagie.”

  “But he wouldn’t have even been at the restaurant if he hadn’t been trying to cheer me up. I feel responsible.”

  “Marie, that’s nonsense; you are no more responsible than I am. I really think you should wait, but if you insist on doing this now, just start at the beginning and tell me everything you remember.”

  When she started talking, it seemed to provide her with at least a momentary reprieve from her agony. She stopped crying.

  “Dex, I don’t remember anything about the actual attack. I remember walking out of the restaurant with Hoagie, but nothing after that except for a vague recollection of having something like a pillowcase over my head and someone carrying me over their shoulder. I didn’t fully regain consciousness until I was by myself and chained to the wall inside the cabin.”

  “So, there’s no way you can identify who attacked you?”

  “No, I never saw him, and I never heard his voice. I tried every way possible to get him to talk, but he never said a word. I honestly don’t have a clue about his identity. I wouldn’t even be sure it was a man rather than a woman except I don’t believe a woman could have carried me over her shoulder like that.”

  “And he never hurt you after the initial attack?”

  “No, but I was terrified every day that he would kill or sexually attack me.”

  Dex nodded at the bandage around her ankle and asked, “How badly did the chain damage your ankle?”

  “I was so angry the first few days that I drug the chain all over the cabin and it rubbed all the skin off my ankle. After that it bled every time the chain touched it. It’s raw, bruised, and swollen, and now the doctor says it’s infected. He applied a topical ointment and gave me an antibacterial injection for the infection.” She pulled her hair back and said, “This cut above my ear is actually the most significant injury. I was apparently hit on the head with something that knocked me unconscious. I had all the symptoms of a brain concussion. Since it wasn’t sutured when it should have been, I’m going to have a large scar above my ear but my hair will cover it. It’s too late now to do anything about the wound or the concussion, but it will all be okay.”

  Dex could see the effect of the sedative as Marie’s eyes became droopy, and he said, “You need to get some rest. I’ll sit here with you while you sleep.”

  He sat in the chair and held her hand as she drifted off to sleep. She had been sleeping for about an hour when her mother and father arrived. It was an emotional family reunion, and Dex stayed for only a few minutes before leaving to give the family some time alone. Her mother had already said she was going to spend the night with her, so he kissed Marie on the cheek and told her he would see her the following morning.

  Dex had been on an emotional roller coaster for days and had not taken time to collect his thoughts. When he reached the parking lot, he didn’t immediately start the car. He sat for a while and thought about everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Thankfully, Marie had been spared, but he had lost his best friend and he still didn’t know who had attacked them or what the motive might have been.

  Seeing Marie in the hospital and realizing that she was at least safe for now made him wonder all over again what in the world he would have done if she had been killed along with Hoagie. He could no longer imagine his life without her. He couldn’t understand why she had been spared and Hoagie had been killed.

  He once again started wondering why he had never felt romantically inclined toward Marie when they were younger. He had certainly been interested in girls before Marie moved away, but he had only thought of her as his buddy. Even today in the hospital when she was an emotional wreck, wore no makeup, and her hair was a tangled mess, she was still the most desirable woman he had ever seen. How could he have not recognized that when he was a teenager?

  Even though Dex had called Gigi shortly after he first saw Marie in the hospital, when he got to her house late that afternoon, he had to reassure her again that Marie was going to be okay. Then Gigi wanted to hear the whole story. They turned on the television to watch the evening news, and the lead story was about Marie’s rescue. He was surprised when the short interview with him in the emergency room lobby was featured in the story.

  Marie’s mother was still in her hospital room when the doctor came by just after seven the next morning. “How are you feeling this morning?” he asked.

  “I slept well for the first time since I was abducted. Thanks for the sedative.”

  “We’re running a culture to identify the bacteria in your ankle. The lab should have the results this afternoon, and we can start you on the appropriate antibiotic. I checked the X-rays we made yesterday, and you did not have a fractured skull, but the head injury still concerns me. I’d like to monitor you for another twenty-four hours before you’re released.”

  Marie’s mother asked, “Doctor, will it be okay if I get the hospital beautician to wash her hair today?”

  The doctor grinned and said, “Yeah, it is sort of in a mess, isn’t it?”

  By the time Dex arrived, Marie was sitting in a chair beside the bed with her hair shimmering and her usually flawless light makeup in place. The telephone had been ringing all morning. The media was clamoring for an interview with Marie, and her mother had been running interference for her. After Dex arrived, he called Detective Morgan to see if he had any suggestions on dealing with the media. He didn’t want Marie to do or say anything that might jeopardize the investigation.

  Morgan said he knew the media would be all over the story, and he realized that Marie would have to say something. His only request was that she confine her remarks to her captivity and rescue and not speculate about Hoagie’s death. That wasn’t a problem since she couldn’t remember the actual attack.

  Marie was started on an antibiotic that afternoon, and after the doctor checked her the next morning, she was released from the hospital. Dex pushed her wheelchair through the hospital exit and saw that the area around the door was stacked three deep with reporters and cameramen. Someone on the hospital staff had leaked her imminent release to the media. Questions were being yelled from all directions as microp
hones were shoved in her face.

  Dex stepped in front of her and said, “Folks, if you will back off for a minute, Ms. Murphy will make a statement.”

  Before leaving the room they had prepared a statement because they knew she would have to say something if she was confronted. However, they had not expected the size of the media blitz she now faced.

  Marie started by saying, “I want to read a brief statement, and then I will take a few questions. There are some areas that the investigating officers have asked me not to discuss, and I hope you understand that I don’t want to do anything to interfere with their investigation.” She then started to read the prepared statement. “I had dinner with my dear friend, Tom ‘Hoagie’ Hogan, and I remember leaving the restaurant and starting to walk across the parking lot. The next thing I remember was waking up in a cabin on the mountain. I was kept chained to the wall of the cabin for the entire time of my captivity. I was not physically or sexually abused while I was in captivity, but I was knocked unconscious by a blow to my head while being taken captive. The owner of the cabin, who had nothing to do with the abduction, found me and brought me to the hospital. I have no idea about the identity of my abductor. I never saw him or heard him speak. That is basically all I can tell you, but I will take a couple of questions.”

  An attractive brunette, whom Dex recognized from the evening news, asked, “Ms. Murphy, do you have any idea what the motive might have been. Did he threaten to harm you while you were held captive?”

  “I have no idea what his motive was, and he never said a word to threaten me or anything else during my confinement. He passed food and water to me through a small opening in the cabin wall, but I never saw him.”

  The next question came from a reporter whom Dex did not recognize. “Ms. Murphy, can you describe your injuries?”

  “I have a severe abrasion around my ankle from the chain, and it’s infected. I also have a rather severe cut above my ear where I was struck with some type of heavy object during the abduction.”

  A reporter in the back yelled, “Can you tell us why Mr. Hogan was killed, and you were not?”

  “I was knocked unconscious in the attack and didn’t know Hoagie had died until I was rescued. I don’t know why I wasn’t also killed. Now if you will excuse me, I really need to get home so I can start to recover from this ordeal.”

  One of the reporters asked, “Ms. Murphy, what can you tell us about your relationship with Mr. Hogan.”

  Dex started to push her wheelchair away, but Marie said, “Dex, wait a minute.”

  She looked directly at the reporter who had asked the question and said, “I’ve known Hoagie since we were in elementary school. He was a wonderful friend to Dex and I, and the three of us were very close. If your question was intended to imply some type of romantic involvement, I can assure you that Hoagie and I were never romantically involved and never dated. He was simply a very dear friend whose memory I will cherish forever.”

  Dex turned the wheelchair away and pushed her to where her father was waiting with the car door open. As she was being helped from the wheelchair, one of the reporters yelled the question they had both been expecting. “What’s your relationship with Dex Martin?”

  Before she got in the car, she smiled for the first time and said, “Very, very close.”

  Dex helped her into the car and kissed her good-bye while the reporters watched. She whispered, “Hopefully that will end any ugly speculation.”

  The plan was for Marie to go home with her parents for a couple of weeks to fully recover and stay away from the intense media attention in River City. Dex told her he would call her later that day and closed the car door.

  When Marie and her family drove away, the media descended on Dex. “Dex, how would you describe your relationship with Ms. Murphy?”

  “I have known Marie all my life. We grew up next door to each other. I care for her very much, and as she said, we are very close. Now I have to go.”

  The reporters continued to yell questions at him as he trotted to his car, but he left without answering them.

  Chapter 34

  Marie loved her parents dearly, but after getting used to living by herself for several years, there had just been too much togetherness the last couple of weeks. She was bored to death. Her wounds were almost healed, and she was thoroughly rested. Her ankle was still sore, but she was tired of sitting and ready to get back to work.

  She missed Dex. They had talked on the phone every night, but it wasn’t the same as seeing him every day. Her car was still in River City, so she called and asked him to come pick her up. The two-hour drive from Atlanta to River City was the first time they had really been alone since before her abduction.

  During the drive, Dex cautioned her repeatedly about how careful she should be since whoever had abducted her had still not been apprehended or even identified. She had listened to this same lecture from her parents for two weeks, and she was ready for another subject.

  “Okay, Dex, that’s enough. I understand the danger and I promise to be careful, but we can’t let this idiot dictate our lives. What if he’s never caught?”

  “They’ll catch him. We’ve just got to give them time.” He said it with more conviction than the he felt.

  “Dex, I’m more concerned about you. You’re probably the one he’s really after. He had ample opportunity to kill me while I was helpless in that cabin, but he didn’t. Remember, it was you that got the threatening notes, had your tires slashed, and had a dead animal nailed up in your yard.”

  “That still doesn’t lessen your need to be careful.”

  “I thought a lot about this while I was in Atlanta. I don’t think he actually intended to kill Hoagie. He probably just hit him harder than what he intended. I think he was after me because he wanted to use me as bait to get to you. He just hadn’t figured out exactly how to do it before I was rescued. This guy’s a mental case, so it’s useless to try to predict what he might do next. I’m not going to let him control what I do or don’t do every day.”

  They were almost to River City when Marie said, “Before we go to the apartment, I want to visit Hoagie’s mother and go to the cemetery.”

  “Marie, you don’t have to do that today. You need to rest now.”

  “I’m tired of resting. I haven’t done anything but rest for two weeks. Stop by the florist before we go to her house.”

  Dex had talked to Hoagie’s mom regularly since the funeral, but Marie hadn’t seen her since she was in high school. She was on the porch when they got out of the car.

  “Marie, I would have never recognized you if I hadn’t seen you so many times recently on television.”

  Marie searched for the right words but finally just embraced her. When she stepped back, they both had tears in their eyes. Mrs. Hogan invited them to sit with her on the porch, and they talked for a while before Marie stood up.

  “Mrs. Hogan, we stopped by the florist and got some flowers. We’re going to the cemetery, and it would mean a lot to me if you would come with us.”

  Mrs. Hogan initially hesitated, but Marie and Dex both encouraged her and she finally agreed.

  Dex parked the car and they walked up the hill to the grave. Grass had been planted in the newly turned soil and straw had been spread to protect the seeds. There was a single wreath of artificial flowers next to the newly erected tombstone. Dex hadn’t been back to the cemetery since the day of the funeral, and when he saw the name on the tombstone, his eyes began to water. The two women were so consumed with their own emotions that they didn’t notice the tears slipping down his cheeks.

  Marie said, “We were all three so close when we were growing up. I loved Hoagie like a brother. That’s probably why I feel so guilty. This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t been entertaining me at that restaurant.”

  Mrs. Hogan was overc
ome with grief, but she said through her tears, “Marie, this was not your fault. No one can blame you for the action of a crazy person.”

  When Dex returned to the car after walking Hoagie’s mother to her front door, he said, “Marie, I love you for doing that. You will never know how much that meant to her and to me.”

  They drove in silence to Marie’s apartment, each lost in their own thoughts. Dex had gone by to check on the apartment several times while Marie was in Atlanta, but he wasn’t a housekeeper. Marie immediately noticed the accumulation of dust and started the housekeeping chores as soon as her bags were unpacked. They ordered a pizza for dinner, and Marie started dozing off while eating.

  “Dex, I’d love to spend more time with you tonight, but I’m exhausted from the trip. I’m still not used to staying up all day. Would you mind terribly if we wait until tomorrow to celebrate my homecoming?” She walked him to the door, and he kissed her good night.

  “Marie, before I leave I want to tell you one more time to be sure to lock—”

  “Good night, Dex. Go home.”

  Dex was in his office the next morning by 7:00 a.m. While Marie was in Atlanta, he had been working long hours trying to make up for the time he lost from work during her captivity. He had made several day trips to nearby towns and spent a lot of time with the marketing department on two new commercials that were almost ready to be released.

  EaseFast sales continued to exceed expectations, and the revenue was going to have a larger-than-expected impact on Argon’s quarterly earnings. Jim Mitchell, Dex’s boss and biggest supporter, made sure that Dex’s name was at the forefront of any discussion about the product that took place within the company. He made sure Dex was viewed as a rising star, because Dex’s success was his success.

  When Dex called Marie at noon, he got her answering machine. She was supposed to stay in and rest all day, but when he called RN4U, she answered the phone. He was both angry and relieved at the same time, and she picked up on his mood.