Are You Listening to Me? : A Detective Toby Mystery (9781927899403)

by Cushnie-mansour, Mary M.

  “Didn’t ask, but he looks around my age.” Brianna put down her fork after popping the final pieces of pasta into her mouth. “Why don’t we spend some time with the kids before they go to bed? I can help you clean up later.”

  “Why don’t you visit with them and I’ll clean up––I see them every day––every hour of the day and sometimes through the night. They’ll love spending time with Aunt Brianna.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m certain.”

  Brianna spent the next forty-five minutes with the boys. It wasn’t what she would have considered quality time––watching television––but it was time.

  “Time to get ready for bed, boys,” Caitlin announced.

  The usual bedtime complaining resounded through the room, but Caitlin remained firm. She had heard all the excuses and none of them worked with her anymore. Within half an hour the boys were all tucked into bed, and the two sisters were slouched on the couch. Caitlin flipped through the television channels. “This looks like it might be an entertaining movie,” she mentioned.

  But Brianna had started to feel unwell. Her stomach was queasy, and she was sweating. “You know, sis, it’s been a long week; I think I’ll call it a night. I’m not feeling well. Think we could do a movie another time?”

  “Are you sure? I was looking forward to spending time with you tonight.”

  Brianna stood shakily. Her legs felt like jelly. “I was too, but I really don’t feel well. I think the sooner I get home and crawl into bed, the better. I’m really sorry.”

  “Okay, if you must go, you must.” Caitlin followed her sister to the door. “Give me a call when you get some free time,” she suggested before closing the door.

  “Will do,” Brianna answered as she raced to her car. When she was inside the car, her stomach started churning, and she felt as though she were going to vomit. It couldn’t have been the casserole her sister had served, Caitlin and the boys weren’t sick. Maybe she had picked up a bug from one of the kids at school.

  By the time Brianna got into her house, she barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up. She felt her stomach churn again and staggered to the toilet: diarrhea poured out of her. When she stood, she noticed blood in the toilet bowl. “What the hell?” She stumbled to the sink and splashed water on her face. She felt as though her heart was pumping at three times the typical rate. She staggered out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. If she could just make it under the covers and fall off to sleep before the next wave of nausea, maybe she could sleep through this.

  ~

  Tyler left the gym and headed to the pool hall. He had arranged to meet his friend there and have a couple games of pool before heading home. The beer went down real smooth, and he thought he better order some wings before he got intoxicated.

  “You look pretty smug there, Tyler,” his friend Jason mentioned. “Got a hot date when you’re finished with me tonight?”

  “No, not really.” He paused for effect. “But I did meet someone really hot at the gym this evening.”

  “Get her phone number?”

  “Nah, not yet; she wouldn’t give it to me.”

  “Loser.”

  “Am not! She says she usually waits to get to know someone before handing out her number.”

  Tyler and Jason dug into the wings when they arrived at the table. Tyler washed his wings down with his last swig of beer. His stomach felt queasy. Maybe the wings had been too greasy, or maybe the beer hadn’t mixed well with the smoothie he’d had at the gym.

  “What’s wrong with you, man, you’re sweating?” Jason asked.

  Tyler wiped his forehead. He shoved his chair back and excused himself to the washroom. By the time he got there, his stomach was lurching, and he leant over the toilet and threw up all the wings and beer he had just consumed. When he returned to the pool hall, his face was as white as a ghost and he was shaking.

  “Holy shit, man! You look like death warmed over.” Jason looked worried.

  “Yeah … don’t know what came over me. Think I’ll call it a night and get home before I get any worse.”

  “You okay to drive, man? I could give you a lift.”

  “No, I’ll be fine.” Tyler grabbed his keys off the table and headed out the door.

  As he walked through his apartment door, another wave of nausea struck him; he headed straight to the bathroom and threw up again. He splashed water on his face and went and sat down at his computer. He was still sweating. He turned his computer on and waited for it to boot up. Before he could check his email, he had to hit the bathroom again––this time with diarrhea. As he went to flush, he noticed the blood.

  Feeling slightly better, he returned to his computer and clicked on the email icon. He was shocked to see what came up on one of the subject lines … ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, “Dear Tyler: you are still being very, very naughty. I told you what happens to very naughty people. Did you think about it? Did you ridicule someone today … ignore someone just because … blame someone wrongfully? Were you nice to someone … really nice? Did you help someone today, just because … really help? I doubt you even gave my message a second thought. Oh, believe it, you are so pathetically naughty that I can’t stand it! You might still be able to turn this around and do something about it. I am being generous giving you another warning, but it is still up to you to seek reconciliation. If you don’t, retribution will come your way … and don’t forget all those selfish, naughty friends of yours who are just like you. Pass this on to them so they can get help too … for every friend you try to save the retribution on yourself might be lessened. You know the drill––six to ten, maybe you won’t die … one to five, you will … signed: 666.”

  “Who the hell would send something like this?” Tyler ran his fingers through his hair. It was obvious that the email was a follow-up to the previous one. He hit the delete button and headed to the bathroom for the third time. Tyler splashed more water on his face and then stumbled into his room and flopped on his bed. If only he could just close his eyes. Sleep finally came to him, but it was fitful and filled with pain. He could hardly wait for the morning when he would be able to call his mum. He thought a couple of times––when he woke slightly––that maybe he should get himself to a walk-in clinic. His heart seemed to be beating too fast, and he couldn’t stop sweating. But as he drifted off to sleep again, he reasoned that it would be morning soon.

  Saturday, May 30, 2009

  B

  rianna’s night hadn’t gone any better. She had gotten up several times and thrown up and had diarrhea until there was absolutely nothing left in her stomach. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t break down and call anyone because that was the kind of person she was––never wanting to bother anyone. But by seven o’clock in the morning, she felt like death had already taken her. Sylvester hadn’t left her side the entire night. She picked up the phone and called her sister.

  Caitlin answered on the third ring. “Hey, sis,” Brianna’s words were barely audible; “I need you to come and take me to the hospital.”

  “I’ll have to call someone to come and sit with the kids; Mitch got called into work. He wasn’t any too happy about it either because he sort of tied one on last night. But we need the money…”

  “Caitlin,” Brianna could barely talk. “Please … get here … soon … please.” She dropped the receiver.

  When the line went dead, Caitlin realized how severe the situation was. She also knew her sister didn’t ask for help unless she was on her last straw. She picked up the phone and dialled her friend Marny to come over and babysit.

  Marny’s voice was full of sleep. “Hello … this better be good, calling me at seven o’clock in the morning.”

  “I need you to come and watch the kids for me. Brianna called, and I have to take her to the hospital. She sounded horrible. Last night when she was here, she got sick all of a sudden and rushed home.”

  “Did she say what was wrong?
”

  “No, she could barely talk.”

  “I’ll be right there. Give me twenty to get out of bed and throw some clothes on.”

  “Hurry … please.”

  ~

  Tyler crawled out of bed at six o’clock. His stomach growled its displeasure, but the very thought of putting food in his mouth made Tyler want to pitch it up before it even left the dish. He noticed blood in the toilet again, and he was getting more than a little concerned. He felt drained, and he was still sweating. Tyler figured he should go to the hospital but knew he wouldn’t be able to drive in his shape. He had no choice but to call his mum; she was the only person he knew that would be up this early in the morning. She answered on the second ring.

  “Tyler? You okay?”

  “How’d you know it was me, Mum?”

  “I have call display now––too many solicitors calling.”

  “I’m really sick, Mum; can you come over and take me up to the hospital … don’t think I should be driving.” Tyler’s voice was nothing more than a scratchy whisper.

  His mum didn’t wait for another word. She dropped the phone, grabbed her purse and keys, and headed for the car. Within ten minutes she was bursting through Tyler’s door. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the shape her son was in. “Let’s go!” she ordered. Tyler followed her. He didn’t even bother to lock the door. He bumped into the walls of the hallway and almost fell down the one flight of stairs that led to the parking lot.

  Tyler had never seen his mother drive so fast in all his life. She came to a screeching stop at the hospital’s Emergency doors, ordered him to stay put, and then ran inside. Within a few minutes a nurse, pushing a wheelchair, returned with her. Together they helped Tyler out of the car.

  “Hello, Tyler, my name is Karen. How long have you been sick, sir?” the nurse asked.

  “Started last night.”

  Karen pushed him through the Emergency doors and called for someone to help her get Tyler onto a gurney. She turned to his mum. “Come with me, and we’ll get the paperwork filled out. I don’t think your son is in any shape to answer questions right now. Lisa will take his vitals while we do that.”

  No sooner had she spoken, Tyler started to vomit. Lisa grabbed a dish and managed to catch most of it. When he was finished, she set the bowl aside and called for someone else to come and help get Tyler changed. By the time Lisa finished taking Tyler’s vitals, his mum and Karen had returned. Lisa pulled Karen aside.

  “I think we need to get a doctor over here, stat!” she said. “This young man’s blood pressure is exceedingly low, probably because he has been throwing up. He also mentioned he had diarrhea and it had blood in it. So does his vomit.”

  “I’ll page Doctor Campbell,” Karen said and headed for the nurses’ station.

  Doctor Campbell was just finishing up an emergency appendectomy, and his nurse told Karen he would be there within the half hour. He had passed a message on to put the young man on an intravenous drip to replenish some of his lost fluids.

  Lisa had a hard time finding a vein to put the needle and tube in. Finally, with a little luck, and lots of wiggling around, she managed one on the back of Tyler’s hand. As the liquid started seeping into his system, he began to relax and his blood pressure stopped plummeting.

  Karen came over with a clipboard. “I need to ask you some questions, Tyler. Answer the best you can, please.”

  Tyler nodded.

  “What did you eat last night?”

  “Chicken wings and beer at the pool hall.”

  “How long after you had eaten the wings did you start to feel ill?”

  “Not long.”

  Tyler’s mum intervened: “Do you think he has salmonella poisoning from the wings?”

  “Possible. But that doesn’t explain most of your son’s symptoms,” Karen added. “We will have to wait and see what the doctor says.”

  After another ten minutes, Doctor Campbell arrived. Tyler’s mum thought he looked as haggard as Tyler. Must have been a long night for him. She hoped he was on the ball enough to take care of her son. The doctor looked over the information on Tyler’s chart. He looked in his eyes, tapped his stomach, checked his breathing––the usual stuff doctors do.

  “Looks like he might have a touch of food poisoning based on the fact that the symptoms started after he ate the wings,” Doctor Campbell surmised. “Possibly has picked up a flu bug, as well, and that would explain the severity of what is going on. Keep him on the intravenous until it is finished and then send him home.” The doctor turned to Tyler’s mum. “Make sure he drinks plenty of liquids and gets some rest. This should pass through his system by tomorrow. If he gets worse, bring him back in, but I think he will be okay. He looks like a strong young man.”

  Tyler’s mum wasn’t too sure about the diagnosis, but he was the doctor. She nodded her head and then sat down in the chair beside her son and waited for the intravenous to finish. At noon they went back to his apartment. Tyler still looked dreadfully pale.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come and stay with me?” his mum asked him.

  “I’ll be okay. I feel a bit better. I’ll call you if I get worse again. Boy, whatever this is, it sure is horrible. I won’t be eating chicken wings for a while.”

  “I’ll bring over some chicken soup for you later if you like.”

  “That’d be nice. Thanks, Mum.”

  Tyler’s mum made sure he got into his apartment and that he had some juice and water beside his bed. He snuggled under the blankets and fell off to sleep. She left, content the worst was hopefully over.

  ~

  Caitlin paced in the kitchen. The clock’s ticking was annoying. What was taking Marny so long? Finally, she heard the car pull into the driveway, and Marny came racing into the house and threw her keys to Caitlin. “Take my car. Boys still sleeping?”

  “Yes … you know where everything is,” Caitlin said as she raced out the door.

  It should only have taken Caitlin ten minutes to get to Brianna’s place, but she ran into an accident at the bottom of West Street hill. She had come upon it before realising it was an accident, and by then she had passed any street she could have detoured down. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. “Damn!” she cursed.

  The police had blocked off three lanes and were directing traffic through on the one open lane. Finally, it was her turn, and once she was through, she put her foot down on the gas and sped up. She didn’t care if a police officer followed her; she wouldn’t stop for them. They would understand when she arrived at her destination. Lucky for her, they were all too busy with the accident to notice the little blue car that burned rubber through the intersection.

  In the meantime Brianna had gotten worse. After she had made the call to her sister, she managed to crawl to the bathroom. Her heart was going a mile a minute. She was sweating rivers of water, causing her clothing to cling to her body as though she had just climbed out of a pool. The pain in her stomach was excruciating. Suddenly her entire body began to shake. The ceramic tiles on the bathroom floor were cold. She felt herself slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing she saw was her cat, Sylvester, pacing back and forth at the bathroom door. The last thing she heard was his meowing mingled with her sister calling her name.

  ~

  About an hour after Tyler’s mum left him, he woke up with more throbbing in his stomach. He reached for the water on his night table, but it slipped out of his hand and crashed to the floor as his body was wracked with another pain. Nausea followed, but before he could make it to the bathroom, he began throwing up. Once again, he noticed blood. Tyler started to sweat. He wasn’t sure if it was from the illness or from fear. He had never been this sick in his life.

  “Why now?” he mumbled. “Just when things are looking up for me.” Tyler felt like he was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. He whispered a prayer. His bowels gave way, and he didn’t
care. His body went into convulsions.

  When his mother arrived at four o’clock with a pot of soup, Tyler was on the floor. At first she thought he was just sleeping, but when she realized that wasn’t the case she dropped the soup on the floor and it mixed with her son’s vomit. She walked slowly to the living room, picked up the phone, and called the hospital.

  ~

  Camden was having a good afternoon. He liked the new fellow Mr. Rawlings had hired and thought they were going to get along fabulously. His name was Graham, and like Camden, Mr. Rawlings had hired him from out of province. Graham caught on quickly, too, for someone who had never worked in a gym.

  At four o’clock Camden said goodbye and headed home. He was too happy to bother checking if Toby was sitting in Jack’s front window.

  When he walked into the house Emma and Duke were in the three-season room, so he headed straight upstairs to his room and turned on his computer. Once it loaded, he pushed the email icon.

  Camden leant back in his chair and smiled when he saw Tyler had opened his mail. He also smiled because if all had gone well, Brianna and Tyler should be history by now. Camden had given them just enough of his special powder to ensure their deaths but had not wanted their demises to be too quick. Drawn out and painful, but not enough time for anyone to figure out what was wrong so the illness could be stopped.

  When Emma walked into the house, the sound of Camden’s laughter sent a chill through her body.

  Monday, June 1, 2009

  J

  ack was reading the obituaries in the Monday morning newspaper. He was shocked to see that two young people, not even thirty yet, had passed away. “Can you believe this, Toby?” he exclaimed. “The woman, Brianna Gates, was a schoolteacher. She was only 28. The fellow, Tyler Acton, was in his thirtieth year. It doesn’t give a reason for death or anything––just says ‘suddenly’ for both of them. Strange. Not often this happens. Doesn’t appear from the relatives listed they knew each other either.”