“Emma!” Jack hollered. “Back here! Help me, Emma … call your dog off!”
Emma didn’t know where she got the strength, but she managed to get out of the van and made her way to the backyard. She called to Duke, who had Jack backed into a corner. Duke was barking and growling. Emma raced to her dog, took hold of his collar and pulled him away, freeing Jack to go after Cameron.
“It’s okay, Duke––it’s okay, boy.”
As Jack ran after Camden, Camden tripped and fell over a pile of weeds Emma hadn’t cleared away yet. “We need to get Camden to the hospital,” Jack hollered to Emma. “I saw him put something in his mouth. He picked it off that plant in the corner of the room.” Jack turned to Emma as he placed a set of handcuffs on Camden. “What is that plant, Emma?”
Emma’s face turned pale when she realized the plant Jack was pointing to. “That’s the castor bean plant,” she whispered.
“Castor bean … don’t they make castor oil from that?” Jack questioned.
“Yes, but the seeds and the rest of the plant are poisonous.” Emma turned to Camden. “Did you eat some of the seeds, Cam? What are you doing?” Then she shook her head. “What have you done?”
Camden hung his head and looked away. His stomach was already beginning to cramp.
“I need your van,” Jack said to Emma.
She nodded.
On the way to the hospital, Jack called first to Bryce to tell him what was going on and ask him to send a couple officers to the hospital. Then he called the hospital, identified himself and the situation, and requested to speak to the attending physician.
“I have an individual here that has just consumed the seeds from a castor bean plant. I understand from his sister they’re highly poisonous. I’m bringing him in right now. He will have to be under watch from the police because he is also our prime suspect in a murder case.”
“Castor bean seeds, you say,” the doctor said. “That means your fellow has ricin poisoning; you better get here as fast as you can. We will have to pump his stomach and then put him on an I.V. drip of saline and glucose. How far away are you?”
“Five minutes.”
“We’ll be ready.” The doctor hung up.
Jack turned to Camden who was sitting in the back of the van. He was staring out the window and rocking back and forth as much as the seatbelt would allow. He had a peculiar smile on his face, and his eyes appeared vacant. “Why’d you do it, son?”
Camden didn’t answer. He just kept rocking and staring.
Jack pulled up by the emergency door and got out of the van. He had to drag Camden out of the backseat because he had gone limp. Once Jack got him out, he literally picked Camden up and carried him into the hospital. A nurse came running up; Jack recognized her as Karen, the one he had talked to previously. She also recognized him.
“This way, Officer Nelson, we have set up for you in a private room. We thought it would be better that way.”
Jack followed Karen into a room and laid Camden on the bed. She asked him to take the handcuffs off so they could get the stomach pump going and hook Camden to an I.V. “You can handcuff one hand to the bed if you like,” she suggested when she noted the look on Jack’s face.
Jack did so and then left the room. Tessa was waiting for him in the waiting area. “Do you think he’ll make it?”
“Hard to tell; depends on how many he took. I didn’t see any signs of cramping or such starting yet, but he was looking really weird. The doctors didn’t know what they were looking for before, but the doctor I talked to on the phone, as soon as I said castor bean, he knew exactly what to do, so the possibility our perp will pull through is good.”
“Great, then we can find out why he has done this.” Tessa shook her head.
“How’s Andrew?” Jack asked.
“He hadn’t ingested too much of the drink, but they hooked him up to a saline and glucose drip just to make sure,” Tessa replied. “The doctor said he’ll be fine.”
“Thanks for dropping Toby at the vet,” Jack turned his attention to the hero of the hour. “What did they say? Or did you…” Jack was choking up and couldn’t finish his question.
Tessa laid a hand on Jack’s arm. “I dropped Andrew here and then took Toby straight to the vet. The old fellow is pretty broken up, Jack. Both his front legs are broken, and there is damage in the shoulders and back legs. The vet won’t know until they operate how much. She is also going to do an ultrasound to see if there’s internal bleeding. He’s in surgery now; she’ll call you when he’s out.”
Jack was doing his best to hold back his tears. “He’s a tough old cat,” he whispered huskily.
“He is, Jack … if any cat can pull through, it will be Toby. Andrew said he owes his life to the old furball and said when he gets better, he’s going to buy Toby the biggest catnip mouse he has ever seen!”
“I have to go and check on Emma. She’s probably a wreck by now. Thanks again, Tessa.”
~
Emma was sitting on the floor in the middle of the living room when Jack showed up. She was rocking back and forth. Her eyes were red and swollen. Duke lay protectively by her side, his head on her leg. As Jack came through the door, Duke looked up and growled. Emma put her hand on his head and calmed him down. “It’s okay, boy, Jack’s a friend.”
Jack was touched by her words. He sat down on a nearby chair and leant toward her. “How are you doing?” he asked, even though he knew it was a dumb question.
Emma looked up at him. “Not good.” She paused. “I could never figure out why we had to move so much and always so suddenly. Camden was good at explanations, and I never questioned a great deal––until this time. Everything happened quickly here, but I don’t want to move. I had made a friend––Toby. And you,” she added.
Jack’s heart skipped a beat when Emma said Toby’s name. He wondered if he should tell her or if the shock of finding out what Toby was going through would damage her more. He decided to wait. “Once your brother comes out of the hospital, we will have to take him to a holding cell at the station. We will be questioning him. I need to see his room, if I could have your permission to do that.”
“No problem.”
“Did Camden ever see a doctor––a therapist of any sort?” Jack queried.
“When we were in Vancouver he was seeing a lady doctor. Her name was Lucy; I met her a couple of times. He told me he just needed to talk a few things out with her––about our childhood and stuff like that.” Emma hesitated. “Camden has not had it easy, you know, but he’s always been there for me. I don’t understand … I just don’t get it.” Emma began to cry.
Jack saw a tissue box and retrieved one for Emma. “Here,” he said as he handed it to her. “You wouldn’t happen to have Doctor Lucy’s number, would you?”
Emma shook her head. “No, I never knew it. Camden said I didn’t need to.”
Jack took out a pad of paper and wrote a note to get Tessa to call her friend in Vancouver. He should be able to find the doctor. Hopefully she can shine some light on what makes this guy tick.
“Would you like to stay at my place tonight?” Jack reached over and laid his hand gently on Emma’s shoulder.
“Will Toby be there?”
Jack’s heart fell. His face was sad as he began to tell Emma what had happened to Toby. “Toby must have known what your brother was up to, Emma. He was watching through the skylights at the gym, and when he saw Andrew exiting the gym with a drink Camden had just served him, Toby jumped from the roof right onto Andrew. He managed to knock the cup to the ground, but he landed hard on the pavement. Toby is at the vet’s right now having surgery. He’s a tough old cat; he’ll be okay.”
Emma began to cry again. “Oh no, oh no,” she moaned through her tears. Jack reached over and gathered the young woman into his arms. She buried her face in his shirt and let the tears flow freely.
~
Tessa waited until the police o
fficers who were going to guard Camden arrived before heading out to Jack’s place. When she walked in, Jack was just laying a blanket over a sleeping Emma. He raised a finger to his lips. “She’s exhausted, poor thing.”
Tessa nodded and walked to the kitchen. “Where’s her dog?” she inquired when Jack joined her.
“I made sure he had food and water and left him over there. I’ll check on him later.”
“Have you heard from the vet yet?” Tessa’s voice was full of concern. She knew how much the cat meant to Jack.
“No, I was about to call,” Jack answered. “Oh, before I forget, Emma mentioned something about Camden seeing a Doctor Lucy when he was in Vancouver. I believe she was probably some sort of psychologist because Emma said her brother went there to talk about things that had happened in the past. She didn’t know the last name. Maybe you could call your friend out west, and he could do some investigating for us.”
Jack called the vet’s office and was informed Toby was still in surgery; they would call as soon as he was out … Jack was not to worry. They added that everything was going well, and, despite Toby’s age, he was very healthy. They would be keeping him at the animal hospital for a few days for observation.
Tessa placed a call to Cole and explained what had happened. She mentioned that, if it were possible, she would appreciate it if he could try and find a Doctor Lucy who would have been seeing Camden Gale, probably up until May. Cole said he would see what he could do. He also mentioned that if Camden pulled through, he would like to come to Brantford on behalf of the Vancouver police department and sit in on the interrogation. Cole was assuming Camden was the one who had left a trail of death behind him in the west, and he was anxious to close some of their open cases.
When they finished their phone calls, Jack asked Tessa if she would like a drink. “A nice peppermint tea would be great if you have it,” she replied.
“Sorry, no fancy stuff in this old bachelor’s cupboards.” He smiled and rummaged through his tea boxes. “Here’s some Earl Grey; will that do?”
“Sure.”
“I think I’ll just have a beer,” Jack said as he plugged in the kettle.
The two police officers––profiler and retired cop––sat looking at each other. Silence filled the room; it had been a gruelling time, and there was no rhyme or reason to any of it. They were both exhausted. They looked into each other’s eyes, noticing each other’s loneliness.
“Would you like to stay the night?” Jack asked. “I have a guest room.”
Tessa looked up and smiled. “That’d be great.” She wasn’t quite at the point where she could say what she was thinking––that the guest room wouldn’t be necessary.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
B
y the time Jack woke up in the morning, Emma was gone. He assumed she went home to check on Duke but decided it would be best to double-check. He slipped into some clothes and headed to her house. Just as he thought, Emma was in the backyard with Duke. She looked up and smiled as he entered.
“Did you sleep well?” Jack inquired.
“Well enough, I guess.” Emma threw a ball for Duke to chase.
“Would you like to come back over for some breakfast?”
Emma shook her head. “I’m not really hungry.” She noticed the look of concern on Jack’s face and added: “I’ll be okay; I’ll eat later––honestly.”
Jack hesitated. “Well if you need anything you know where I am.”
“There is one thing I’d like,” Emma said as Jack started to leave. “I’d like to go and see Toby.”
Jack thought it strange that it wouldn’t be her brother she wanted to see first. “I’ll be going later this morning; you are welcome to join me. And, if you like, on the way back I can take you to see your brother,” Jack offered.
Emma looked at Jack and he noticed the blankness in her eyes. “That won’t be necessary just yet. Maybe tomorrow.” She turned and threw the ball again. Duke bounded after it. Jack left and headed back to his place.
As Jack approached his back door, he smelled fresh coffee. Tessa must be up. “Good morning, Jack,” she greeted him. “I hope you like your coffee strong in the mornings … I do.” She had two cups waiting by the coffeemaker.
“Would you like something to eat?” Jack asked as he opened the refrigerator and took out a dozen eggs.
“Actually, just a piece of toast with some jam, if you have it, would be enough for me. I’m not much of a breakfast person.” Tessa poured the coffee and set the cups on the table.
“You don’t mind if I keep my cholesterol up and have a couple of eggs with my toast, do you?” Jack chuckled.
“You go right ahead, sir,” Tessa joined in his chuckle.
After breakfast they called the hospital to inquire about Camden and Andrew and were lucky to talk to Karen.
“Andrew is just fine. He didn’t ingest enough poison to make him sick. We gave him the saline and glucose anyway and then sent him home.” Karen confirmed what Tessa had already told Jack. She paused a moment. “As for Camden, he’s still critical, but I think he’ll pull through. It will take a few days. He has been talking in his sleep quite a bit.”
“Any idea what he’s saying?” Jack enquired.
“Most of what he says is incomprehensible, except when he says Emma’s name.”
“Well, we will be up shortly. I have to go and check on my cat, Toby.”
“Yeah, Andrew told me how your cat saved his life––amazing.”
“Yep, Toby is pretty incredible,” Jack confirmed before he said goodbye and hung up the phone. He turned to Tessa. “If I could impose on you to drive me to a gas station, I can get some gas in the old beast I left on the side of the road. Hopefully, it hasn’t been towed.”
“No problem, Jack. I think I’ll go home and change and then meet you up at the vet’s, if that’s okay with you.”
Jack nodded. It was just fine with him. “We need to pick up Emma; she wants to see Toby.”
“Not her brother?”
“Not yet.”
“Hmm … strange.”
“I thought so too … want me to swing by your place after I get gas and pick you up? That way we don’t have to take two vehicles.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
~
Jack, Tessa, and Emma were asked to sit in the waiting room while the vet was retrieved. “Hello there, Jack,” the vet said as she came into the room. “Your Toby is a pretty lucky kitty. I think this jump he did probably used up a few of those nine lives. I still have him heavily sedated, but you can look in on him if you like. Follow me.”
Toby was sleeping on a blanket in a cage. Jack noticed how laboured Toby’s breathing was. He had a cast on both front legs, extending up into the shoulder area. One of his back legs was in a splint.
“There was not as much damage to Toby’s hind end because his front legs took the majority of the jolt when he landed. The ultrasound came back clear, showing no internal bleeding,” the vet informed. “You can talk to him if you like; he may not respond, but he’ll know you are here.”
Emma was the first one to approach the cage. She opened the door and reached her hand in and gently stroked Toby between the ears. “Get better, Toby … please,” she whispered. “I want you to come home. You are so brave,” her voice choked with emotion. She moved her fingers down to his side and then turned to Jack as she felt a small vibration from within Toby’s stomach. “He’s purring,” she smiled. “He’s going to be okay––he’s purring.”
Jack stepped forward and peeked in at Toby. “Come on, old man, there’s work to be done at the house; can’t have you slackin’ off now, can we?”
Tessa stood back and watched the two people at Toby’s cage. The sight made her feel warm all over.
~
On the way to the hospital, Jack asked Emma, again, if she would like to see her brother. Again, she said she would rather wait; she wasn’
t ready to see him. Emma said she would wait in the van––no need to go out of their way to take her home.
Jack and Tessa were only about twenty minutes in the hospital. Camden was still on the I.V. drip, but he was coming around. If he kept improving, they could probably move him to the police station by Monday or Tuesday. There was still a police officer posted outside his room; they weren’t taking any chances on an early recovery and possible escape. Things like that had happened before, even when prisoners were handcuffed to a bed.
On the way out of the hospital, Jack looked at his watch. “How say we stop for a bite to eat? I doubt Emma has eaten today.”
“Sounds good. If you wouldn’t mind dropping me at home afterwards, I have some tasks I need to catch up on this afternoon. I don’t expect to hear from Cole before Monday, but you never know.”
Emma tried to protest when Jack mentioned lunch, but he and Tessa insisted she needed to eat. Finally she relented. Jack drove to Swiss Chalet, which was close to where Tessa lived. Emma only ordered soup and a bun, but at least she ate. After lunch Jack dropped Tessa at her place, and then he and Emma headed home.
Emma was extraordinarily quiet. Out of the blue, she began to speak. “I always wondered if there was something wrong with my brother––us being twins and all––but he has always been so good to me. Maybe I turned a blind eye to what might be happening.”
“You had no way of knowing, Emma. Camden hid his secrets from you, probably because he does love you and wants to protect you from who he really is.”
“But how is it that I didn’t see what was going on? How many times did we just have to up and move with little or no notice? I should have insisted on knowing why … all those people…”
Are You Listening to Me? : A Detective Toby Mystery (9781927899403) Page 22