EMPulse

by Deborah D. Moore

  “Yeah, they recently closed it down and moved the few patients into a big house. The Walstroms had a pharmacy, but the sheriff got to it before we did, and moved it all someplace. At least, that’s the word circulating.”

  “You’re well spoken, Cal. I like that. You’re smart and I like that too. Have you ever been in trouble before?” Enno was thinking that a local boy might be a good resource. For now.

  “Have I caused trouble? Yeah, lots of it. Have I been caught? Never.”

  Enno laughed and slapped the boy on the back. “Now I really like you! I think we’ve got a good working relationship ahead of us. Let’s go join the others.”

  ***

  Cal walked calmly into the big house that was now the new hospital, and rang the bell on the desk.

  Dr. Cory came from behind the privacy screen that hid Kyle from view. “Cal, what can I do for you?”

  “Hi, Dr. Cory. Ever since my dad died, I’ve been having some really fierce headaches. I had started walking down to Walstroms, when I remembered it’s closed. I was wondering if you had any aspirin or something that would take the edge off so I could get some sleep,” Cal lied smoothly.

  “Of course, Cal, have a seat.” Dr. Sam opened a door and descended into the basement where the new pharmacy was located. Moments later, he brought up a bottle of aspirin and an empty prescription bottle. He poured a dozen pills into the small orange bottle and handed it to the young orphan.

  “Thanks, I’m sure this will help.”

  Cal’s mission was complete. He discovered where the new pharmacy was located, and as a bonus, he had interesting information. There was a patient handcuffed to a bed.

  ***

  Ellen Tibbs-Cory rushed into the sheriff’s office only to find it locked and empty. She quickly backtracked and went to Allison’s house and pounded on the door.

  “Oh, Claude, thank goodness I found you! There was a break in last night.” She stopped, trying to catch her breath.

  “Where, Ellen?” Claude asked.

  She took a steadying gulp of air. “Our place; the pharmacy was ransacked. Nancy… Nancy is hurt real bad. Sam is working on her now. You’ve got to come.” Ellen left without waiting for a response and ran back to the new hospital.

  ***

  “How is she, Sam?” Claude asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the other patients.

  “Too early to tell.” Sam sat heavily in the office chair. “Whoever did this came in real quiet. We were upstairs and never heard them. They knew exactly what they were looking for and where to go. Nancy’s room is downstairs. Claude, she was tied, gagged, and beaten. My medical opinion is she was punched hard enough to knock her unconscious, then gagged and tied. The beating was brutal and it was very methodical.”

  “What’s missing?”

  “Heavy drugs: codeine, morphine, methadone, valium, lunesta. I haven’t taken a full inventory, but those were obviously what they were after. It’s likely they didn’t know what Restoril, Librium, Naltrexone, Ativan, Klonopin, Tranxene, or Fioricet are, or those would be missing too. At a cursory glance, the synthetic morphines weren’t touched either.”

  “Did any of the patients hear anything?” Claude asked.

  “I don’t think so. You can talk to them if you think it will help.” Sam stood without another word and walked back into the new surgery to check on Nancy.

  “Hello, Mr. Polez, do you remember me?” Claude said. Kyle was sitting up in bed, trying to eat his oatmeal left handed.

  “Yes, I remember you. You’re the sheriff, the one who found me, right?”

  “That’s right. Did you hear anything last night, Kyle? Anything at all?” Claude started his interrogation with easy, non-threatening questions.

  “I heard the front door open and close. Then footsteps and another door open. That’s about it, Sheriff. I drifted away after I heard the second door. Nurse Nancy gave me a shot about ten minutes earlier and I was starting to fade in and out,” Kyle answered.

  “Do you know what time that was?”

  “I haven’t a clue; my watch doesn’t work anymore.”

  “Did you hear any voices?”

  “No, I didn’t. Sorry.”

  “Thanks for answering my questions, Kyle.” Claude started to leave and stopped. “Have you remembered anything about your past yet?”

  “No, it’s very frustrating to me.”

  After the sheriff left his cubicle, Kyle rested his head against the pillow and stared at his bandaged hands.

  Oh, you’d be surprised at what I’m remembering, Sheriff.

  ***

  Claude parted the curtain around the prisoner and stepped closer, noting the blood soaked sheets and the efficiently sharp scalpel lying on the top sheet near the foot of the bed. He felt for a nonexistent wrist pulse, and backed out.

  “Dr. Cory, can I see you for a minute?” Claude said outside the door to the new surgery.

  “You can add murder to the robbery charges. We lost Nancy,” Sam said. Even his hardened medical demeanor couldn’t hide the sadness in his voice.

  “Make that a double murder. My prisoner has had his throat slit. Would you confirm death for me please?”

  The two stood within the curtained area, while Dr. Cory confirmed death.

  “I’m going to estimate the time of death to be approximately six hours ago. Cause of death is a severed carotid artery, and the weapon is right there, one of my own scalpels.”

  “Does this appear to you to be the same MO as the other murders?” Claude asked, wrapping the scalpel in a towel.

  “I couldn’t say if the murderer was known to the prisoner since we kept him sedated, however the sliced throat and leaving the locally acquired weapon in plain sight sure smacks of the same killer.”

  Claude ran his fingers through his thinning hair. “This last murder was pretty brazen. There are, what, six other people in the building? All of the other attacks were in private homes of single people. I’m wondering if this was a copycat murder.”

  “I don’t know, Claude. Without communications not that many know about the killings or the details. So if it is a copycat, it would be another close local.”

  “Now that’s even more disturbing. Two killers on the loose.”

  Kyle closed his eyes, feigning sleep, and concentrated listening to the talk on the other side of the curtain, wondering how he could use this information.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  “By my calculations, tomorrow is February first, right?” Adele asked the group over their usual soup for lunch.

  “Yes,” Chet answered. “I’ve been keeping careful track so I can plan holiday meals for us.”

  “That’s sweet, Chet, though it brings to mind something else. Has anyone else noticed how warm it is?”

  “I wasn’t going to say anything to jinx us,” Jeff said. “This is unusually warm for this time of year. I’m not going to complain though, and I’m hoping it means an early spring. I couldn’t have asked for better company to be isolated with.” He gave Adele’s knee a squeeze under the table. “I love all of you, but I’m ready to get out of here, even if it’s only for a walk in the woods!”

  ***

  “Did you hear that?” Chet asked. The three of them, Chet, Adele, and Jeff, decided to take a snowshoe walk around the resort to get some fresh air and to give Aaron and Beth some alone time. The low rumble sounded again.

  “Jeff?” Adele said in alarm. The last time she heard something similar was right before the avalanche weeks ago.

  He instantly understood what was concerning her. “It’s got a different sound to it and there isn’t the telltale ground vibration, so I’m pretty sure it isn’t another avalanche. Just listen.” They all stood still, eyes closed.

  Adele laughed. “It’s thunder!” She turned in a circle and pointed to the dark clouds in
the distance.

  “Rain will certainly beat down some of the snow, that’s for sure,” Chet responded.

  “We don’t want the snow to melt too fast; that could cause flooding, right?” Adele asked.

  “Yes and no. We are at such a good pitch on the mountain that any flooding would be minimal. That being said, the storm drains hold only so much. Combining snow melt and rain could overwhelm even the best system,” Jeff told him. “I’m not going to worry about it.” He took a deep lung full of clean mountain air and slowly let it out. “It’s got to be close to seventy degrees.” He smiled broadly. “Come on, let’s take a look at the road where the avalanche snowpack is.”

  The trio wandered around the compound for an hour enjoying the warmth from the high sun while inspecting various areas they hadn’t seen for two months.

  “Oh my, look!” Adele gasped and pointed. She had faced toward the office and spotted the tops of several domes that were previously buried.

  “This lightens my heart,” Chet said solemnly. He took a deep breath, and with tears running down his cheeks, said, “I miss Matthew. Maybe soon we can put him to rest.”

  The next rumble of thunder was much louder, and the now hazy blue sky took on a bruised look. The deep purple and black clouds moved in quickly.

  “I think it’s a good time to head back,” Jeff said, patting Chet on the shoulder. They slogged through the slushy snow and arrived at the dome as the first drops of rain came down. Setting the three pairs of snowshoes tail down into the snow so Aaron and Beth could see they had all returned safely, they hurried under the carport to watch the rain.

  “Never thought I would enjoy rain so much,” Adele sighed. She opened the unlocked door to her immobile car. Under the seat she found her umbrella and in the glove box was a couple of new, cheap rain ponchos.

  “Why do you have more than one poncho, Adele?” Chet asked.

  “Um, well, I consider them emergency supplies and therefore disposable. Now I guess nothing is disposable.” She handed Jeff and Chet a poncho and opened her umbrella. The wet onslaught still caused her to hurry to the dome.

  Moments later they saw Aaron and Beth making a mad dash for them and were ready to open the door to let them in. A loud thunderclap sounded as they stumbled inside.

  “Geesh, that came up fast,” Aaron said, accepting the towel Adele handed him. Another roar of thunder and a simultaneous lightning bolt followed. All eyes were focused on the dramatic change occurring on the other side of the triple paned window.

  “Oh, crap,” Aaron said quietly, “I just thought of something. The windmills aren’t grounded now that they are disconnected from the generator. They could easily get hit and that would direct the charge to the battery wiring and to the inverter. I’ve got to get over there and disconnect everything. Run some water if you need it!”

  Adele grabbed her big flashlight and handed it to him. Jeff tossed him one of the new packs containing a poncho. Chet put his poncho back on and the two headed into the storm.

  Inside the power dome, Aaron began flipping switches while Chet held the light steady. Another roll of thunder shook the building slightly. “I sure am glad these domes are as sturdy as they are.”

  “Are we in any danger of fires?” Chet asked, holding the light while Aaron opened the door to the feed box of the three windmills. He pulled a breaker to the off position.

  “Not anymore,” Aaron said in relief. “While we’re here, though, I think we should check the units, office, and the kitchen… just in case.”

  ***

  The two men took either side of the hotel hallway and scouted, mostly by smell, for any electrical fire. The snow melting away from the windows, adding hazy daylight, helped to speed the process as they made their way to the main building.

  Nearing the dining hall, Chet spotted something huddled on the floor and soundlessly raised his fist in a signal for Aaron to stop. He inched forward, and then knelt down.

  “Well, hello there, girl.” Chet cautiously stretched his hand out. The dog growled faintly. “That’s okay, you’re a good girl.” The dog lowered her head and whimpered. Chet gently pet her head and ran his hand down her side. “Aaron, can you get a bowl of water and anything for her to eat, even a cracker.” Aaron slipped past them and into the dining hall. He returned a few minutes later with the water.

  “I couldn’t find anything edible. Is she hurt?”

  “I don’t think so. What I’m pretty sure of is she’s starving and in labor.” Chet slid his hand under the dog’s head and lifted, so she could drink. “See what you can find for us to make a stretcher. She needs food and warmth or she and the puppies will die.”

  Aaron fashioned a large sling out of a sheet and lined it with a bath towel. Together they lifted the ailing dog onto the towel and Aaron tied it to Chet. Chet pulled the poncho down, covering the dog, protecting her from the rain.

  ***

  “Everything okay?” Jeff asked when the two arrived back at the smaller dome where the other three waited. He raised his brows in question when he saw the bulk under Chet’s raincoat.

  “We found another survivor,” Aaron said, helping to remove the poncho and then holding the weight while Chet slipped the sling off. He carried his package closer to the woodstove and opened the sheet.

  “A dog!” Adele exclaimed joyfully and knelt beside her. “What’s wrong with her, Chet?” she asked when the dog was unresponsive to the petting.

  “I think she’s half-starved and she’s in labor.” He placed his big hand gently on her belly and felt another contraction. “Is there any rice left over from last night? Or pasta?”

  Adele got to her feet and checked the silent refrigerator to find it nearly empty. She pulled a can of chicken noodle soup and a package of noodles out of the cupboard and quickly fired up the camp stove to cook the pasta.

  Chet took the bowl from Adele and let the dog smell it. She struggled to half sit and gulped the food down and took more water. Her head dropped to the floor, exhausted, and her tail thumped a couple of times in appreciation before she fell asleep.

  ***

  “How did she get into the dome?” Jeff asked, watching the golden retriever sleep. “And what are you going to call her?”

  “I think Lucky would be an appropriate name,” Chet said, stroking the dog’s silky head with a wet towel to loosen some of the caked on mud and ice. “Or maybe Stormy. I like Stormy.” He continued to wash the dog. “I hate it when people let their pets loose to fend for themselves. I know these are desperate times, but it still isn’t right.”

  “Aaron, can you give me a report on the power status?” Jeff said, changing the subject from Chet’s justified ire.

  “Everything is shut down until this storm passes. I think we caught it in time. We checked each room for any electrical fires and didn’t find any, although we stopped looking when we found Stormy. I think we should go over things again tomorrow during the daylight,” Aaron said, glancing out the window at the deepening gloom.

  Adele and Beth lit the two kerosene lamps and placed them on the tables. Then Adele lit the large propane lantern and set it near Chet. It seemed dark inside. They had all gotten used to electric lights again quickly.

  “How long do you think it will be before she starts having the puppies, Chet?” Beth asked.

  “I don’t know,” he replied. Stormy let out a groan and another whimper and began panting. The first puppy made his appearance.

  Adele pulled Jeff off to the side. “I think we should have dinner here. I can whip up some chicken chili that should satisfy everyone and that way there is no pressure on anyone, especially Chet.”

  “Good idea. We won’t ask, just go ahead and make it. I’ll pour the wine. By the way, what kind of wine goes with chili?”

  “Beer,” she replied with a smirk.

  ***

  Adele le
ft a pillow and two blankets on the couch for Chet, though she wondered how much sleep he would get. There were now two adorable puppies and Stormy wasn’t done.

  ***

  Beth burst through the door while it was still pre-dawn. “How many?” she asked excitedly, kneeling next to the mound of towels that covered the new family.

  Chet yawned. “Three pups, two male, one female, and one stillborn. I think she’s done.” He reached over and stroked Stormy’s head. The new mother wagged her tail slightly and licked Chet’s hand. She nosed one of the pups back into the group when he wobbled away blindly.

  Adele and Jeff emerged from their bedroom, roused by the arrival of Beth. “It’s been an exciting night,” Jeff said sleepily. Adele moved to the kitchen and started heating water for coffee, something they were all going to need.

  “I tried to keep her at home, honestly,” Aaron said, following his wife. “She was too anxious to see the babies. I think it has her clock ticking.” He gave Beth a hug.

  “I put some extra water on to heat, Chet, in case you want me to make rice for Stormy,” Adele said. “What can we mix with it?”

  Chet stood and stretched. By the looks of the blankets, he had slept on the floor. “Thanks, Adele. The rice is good, and I’m sure she would eat it plain, although a cup of water with a bouillon cube will make it better and give her some fluids. I think she’s so hungry she’ll eat anything.”

  “Well, Dad, I think after coffee Aaron and I will go finish checking the domes. We need to find out how she got inside,” Jeff said. “And by the looks of it, you need a nap. When we get back, we need to figure out the next step.”

  “Next step?” Adele queried.

  “They can’t stay here. There isn’t any place for Chet to sleep except on the floor.”