by Amy Gaudette
“Nancy felt she would be better off moved to a residential home where she could get help twenty-four seven if needed. She had completely stopped communicating. She seemed to close up and shut down. I was glad to hear that she had come back. But it was hard to learn she was still struggling.”
“I can’t thank you enough for all your help. I’m sorry I have taken up so much of your time. Mr. Mayor, your lab reports. I understand if you want to discuss them with your private physician.”
“Oh yes. There is no surprise here. I’m in the best of care here at Mt. Blue Hospital, but I do thank you for coming here. I think that it has worked out the best for both of us. Please do me a favor, Doctor.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Keep us informed as to how Megan is doing. Either through my secretary, or even better, through Mr. Stanton. Here is his card. We only hand these out to a few. You understand?”
“Absolutely. And thank you again.” Just as Sam turned, his gaze snagged on a lavender, hardcover book lying under a stack of papers on the desk. What was . . .
He stared longer than he should have, and left shaken.
Doug walked him to the door. “Doctor. It’s heartwarming to see someone in your profession caring enough for Megan to come all this way. I do feel somewhat responsible for her, given her situation. You understand? I certainly wouldn’t want her to be taken advantage of.”
Before Sam had time to blink, he was standing outside the office door. Instantly, he knew how a speck under a microscope must feel. Small. Miniscule. Powerless.
He left trying to make sense of it all. By now his stomach howled, and his head groaned. If it wasn’t for catching sight of what looked like a journal hidden away on the mayor’s desk, he would be on his way home.
Had he really seen Megan’s journal?
What he had just been told was so believable. It could be true. Sam knew he hadn’t seen the whole picture. He knew Megan was deeply troubled. He also knew he must remain objective.
Still, Sam was going to go digging one more time. Nancy.
Chapter 18
Classical music wound its way into Sam’s dreams as the alarm sought to wake him. Irritated, he blindly reached to end the intrusion, his efforts only resulting in knocking the radio alarm to the floor. The concerto played on.
Sam leaned over, grabbed the nuisance and silenced it. Hope for any extra sleep was lost.
An hour later, he had his morning fix of an orange smoothie from the local juice and java shop, and he was on his way. It was time to find the elusive Nancy. He had an address, he had hope. Saying a quick prayer, Sam drove to the address given to him on the piece of paper. A sign greeted him. Mᴇɴᴅᴇʟ Mᴀɴᴏʀ Nᴜʀsɪɴɢ Hᴏᴍᴇ. He wasn’t expecting this. At least they wouldn’t keep a doctor from seeing her.
He headed to the receptionist and asked for Nancy’s room. He now also had a last name, so at least he sounded like he should be there. The receptionist looked up, surprised at his request.
“Are you family?”
“No. I’ve been trying to locate her for a friend. My name is Sam Timmons, Dr. Timmons from Rogan’s Pass Hospital. I was hoping for a chance to talk to her.”
The nurse shuffled a few papers before speaking.
“Dr. Timmons, you do know that communication with Nancy is severely limited, if it’s possible at all.”
“No, I didn’t know that.”
“She was in a car accident about seven and a half years ago. She had swelling on her brain, and it caused permanent brain damage. She’s been living here ever since.”
Sam stopped. They knew this. Mayor Richard and Mr. Stanton had to have known this. They set this up for him to walk into.
“Oh. Okay. Well, if it’s all right, I would like to see her anyway.”
“Certainly. Room twenty-eight. Just down the hall.”
Sam walked slowly to her room. The sharp smell of disinfectant permeated the air.
He entered immediately, as her door was wide open. Sam tried to swallow his disappointment. She sat in a chair, being spoon fed. Her face ancient, her eyes vacant. A nurse’s assistant wiped her face, glancing at him for only a moment. Sam watched and asked, “Can she understand anything?” The nurse made eye contact, no doubt wondering who he was.
“No. There’s nobody home.”
Sam waited a moment, turned and left. He would drive around and look for Megan today and tomorrow, then he would have to head for home. He needed to be back at work on Monday. He also needed a day to rest. Every day, he felt more and more run down. Maybe he shouldn’t have come. No. Sam knew he needed to try. He pulled out into the street and started back to the hotel. Lunch would help. If nothing else, it would give him some energy.
He pulled into the hotel parking lot, and, unable to find a place to park, drove out to the back of the restaurant. Must be a busy weekend coming up.
He parked the car and climbed out when something caught his eye. Someone, a homeless man, was digging through a dumpster for food. Sam was about to keep moving when a flash of red drew his eyes like a magnet. A woman, not a man, pulled herself out of the pile of garbage and stuffed something into her bag.
Sam stared, stunned. It was Megan. Sam saw she was heading for a well-worn path that made its way behind the business establishments.
“Megan.” Sam ran to catch up. “Megan, how are you?”
Megan’s face registered shock. “What are you doing here, Dr. Timmons?”
“You, Megan. I’ve been searching for you.”
“Why?” With one word, Megan’s face mirrored a kaleidoscope of emotions.
“We were worried about you. Rose and I. I needed to know you were okay.”
“But why?”
“We care about you. God brought you to us, and we wanted to help but you left.”
Megan broke down. Tears ran down her dirt-stained cheeks. Her hair had seen better days, and she wore dark circles under her eyes.
“Megan. I insist you come with me. I’m guessing you don’t have a place to stay. I think we could both stand a nice hot lunch.”
“I can’t go inside like this.” Despair was evident in her eyes.
“No one will notice. You need to eat.”
Megan allowed Sam to lead her inside the hotel. She was speechless and didn’t object as they made for the hotel’s small restaurant. Sam uttered a silent prayer of thanks to God, something he was doing more and more of late.
“It’s not as good as Rose’s, but it will do.” Sam ordered the day’s special. “Do you know what you would like?” He saw Megan was close to exhaustion. He ordered a club sandwich for her, and remembering she liked iced tea, he ordered that as well.
“Thank you, Dr. Timmons. I still can’t believe you’re here. I don’t know what I would have done. I’ve been staying in a homeless shelter.”
“I take it you haven’t had any luck.”
“Yes and no.” Megan didn’t volunteer any information.
“Have you been able to contact Nancy?” Sam wasn’t sure how he would tell her everything he had learned, only that he needed to tell her the truth. She’s not psychotic. He shoved the thought away. He still had to be objective.
“I haven’t been able to find her. No one will give me any information.” Megan’s eyes watered.
“Megan . . .” He stopped when the waiter interrupted them with lunch. Sam bowed his head, Megan followed.
After grace, the only sounds were that of food being consumed, and the chatter that filled the air around their table at the back wall.
Sam started again. “Megan. I found Nancy.”
Megan froze. “Where? How . . . where is she?”
“She is a resident in a nursing home not far from here. She was injured badly in a car accident a number of years ago. I’m so sorry. She sustained brain damage. She’s unable to communicate.”
Megan’s face fell. Sam’s heart broke for her. He didn’t know how much more she could take.
“Were you able
to spend time with your foster family?” Sam prompted her, knowing she had. He didn’t expect the response he got.
Megan’s face turned stoic. “I need to go back to the park. I need to return to the picnic area, and walk into the woods to see if it triggers the memories of what happened.”
Sam’s thoughts returned to what Mayor Richard and Mr. Stanton had told him. She certainly did not display typical signs of psychosis. Still, he wasn’t an expert in psychiatrics. He had been given a lot of information about what had happened to her. He needed to proceed cautiously.
“Has your return to Piedmont sparked any more memories?”
Megan hesitated. “Some. I remember living in North Adams before I was injured out at Rogan’s Pass. I had been in foster care for years, and even an orphanage, passed around like a piece of luggage.”
“North Adams? That’s a small town. How did you end up there?”
“My last foster care family wanted me to find a job when I turned eighteen. On my birthday I packed my bags and headed out the door. The nearest town was North Adams. It boasts of a gas station, a general store, a liquor store for tourists passing through and a motel. I worked and lived at the motel.” Megan’s countenance dropped.
“I was saving up my money until I could purchase a tiny farm just outside of town limits. It has a beautiful view of the mountains and fixed up would be perfect.”
“Pretty isolated. But then I guess that’s what you preferred, wasn’t it?” Sam’s words were gentle.
“I have been in more homes than I can count. No one, other than Nancy, ever tried to keep in touch with me. I know now that it was partly my fault. I have lived locked away in fear for so long. I still don’t remember what actually happened in the woods that night. But I do know what spooked me to run again.”
“You saw the mayor somewhere?”
“Yes. I had worked all day at the motel. When I finished I took a quick walk to the general store to pick up some supplies. His road campaign must have stopped at the gas station, and I happened to walk right past his car on the way back to the motel.”
“What happened?”
Megan stopped.
“He was staring at me.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all it took. That night I swore he was in my motel room, coming after me. I don’t know if I imagined it, or dreamed it. Early the next morning I woke up in my closet, convinced something was after me. Bear was laying next to me, probably wondering what on earth was I doing in the closet. But I couldn’t think logically. I packed one bag, hired a cab who wouldn’t mind taking Bear, and left. Something seemed to take over. Some kind of survival instinct that I have lived with for years. Run. I must have been heading for the lean-tos on the west slope.”
Sam said nothing. Sighing, he reached out his hand, touched her chin and gently lifted her face.
“I take it you have decided to stop running.”
Megan’s eyes were moist with tears.
“I will never have what you and Rose have if I don’t face whatever it is. What is real, what isn’t, I don’t know yet. Maybe I am crazy. But I am going to find out. No matter what the cost.”
Her voice was more determined than he had ever heard. Something had changed.
He brought them back to the present. Sam spoke gently. “Did you see the Stantons?”
“How did you know their names? The journal?”
“Yes.” He neglected to tell her it had been stolen. That would have to wait.
She sighed, gazing down at her hands. “It didn’t go as I had hoped. At first, Beverly seemed glad to see me. For some reason, that changed, and I didn’t feel comfortable with them. Mr. Stanton works for Mayor Richard, who’s running for governor. They’re busy, as you could imagine. I probably showed up at a bad time . . . that and I am terrified of running into Mayor Richard. Megan tried to tame her hair, running her fingers through its unruliness. Her eyes spoke more than her words.
They ate their sandwiches and said little else. He could see Megan was beyond exhaustion. He paid their bill and rented a room for Megan for the week.
“Do you want to sleep for a bit? We can finish our conversation later.”
“No. I want to hear any news you have.” She gave Sam a tentative smile.
Sam and Megan sat on the couch in his room. He made sure not to sit too close to her. Mr. Stanton’s insinuations still echoed in his mind. The last thing he wanted was to do was make her feel uncomfortable or be accused of inappropriate behavior.
“Megan. I have to tell you what I have been doing the last few days here.” Maybe after that she would trust him enough to open up. The only way he could know if Megan was telling the truth or not was to hear her side of the story. Sam needed to hear everything. Maybe she still didn’t remember enough. He needed to fit whatever pieces of the puzzle together that he could. Conflicting tension was growing to figure out what was going on.
Sam rubbed his head. “I needed to deliver some lab results to Mayor Richard from when he was in the hospital in Rogan’s Pass . Also, I knew I couldn’t leave you here, fending for yourself. Rose wanted to come as well, but I talked her into staying home and taking care of Bear. I delivered Richard’s lab results, and he asked me why I was here. I told him I was looking for a woman named Nancy, and gave him the details that I knew. Within five minutes, his secretary handed me a piece of paper with the details of how to find her. Again, I’m really sorry about what happened. I know she was a true friend of yours.”
Megan’s face was unreadable.
“So, in the course of our conversation, it turns out the gentleman who was with him was your Mr. Stanton. He mentioned that his wife had seen you, but you didn’t stay long, and they hadn’t seen you since. I had the feeling that they hadn’t been able to help you either. It hasn’t been easy being back, has it?”
“No. But some good has come from this. I met with Brady. He’s the boy I was telling you about that followed me everywhere. And he was the reason I went into the woods. He’s pretty burned out, too. He’s been living his own hell. We met in the park one day, and he pretty much bared his soul. I had no idea he had been living with all that stuff trapped inside. He couldn’t talk to his parents. His mom told him the quickest way to get over it was stop thinking about it.”
She exhaled, shuddering. “He begged me not to leave him again. We meet once a day in the park, and I am sure his parents don’t know. He tried to give me his allowance, but I talked him out of it. He’s a great kid. Brady wants to go back to the picnic area with me, he said he needs to face it with me. I hadn’t ever thought about what he had seen, if anything. But to a small boy it was just some kind of monster. I haven’t worked up the nerve to go back alone.” Megan’s eyes caught Sam’s. “I’m scared to death. And now with what you have told me about Nancy . . . do you think I could go see her anyway?” Conflicting emotions shot across Megan’s face.
“Are you sure you don’t want to remember her the way she was?”
“I need to see her. I want to thank her even if she doesn’t know who I am.”
“Okay. I don’t see why not. How about first thing tomorrow?”
“Good. I must confess, I am looking forward to a nice hot shower and a good night’s sleep.”
Sam chuckled. “Me too.”
“Thank you, for everything. Once again you’ve come to my rescue. I can’t tell you how embarrassing it was to be seen looking for food scraps in the local trash.”
Megan held Sam’s gaze only for an instant, then glanced away.
Sam was quiet for a moment. “I’ll bring you. I know how important it is for you to return to the park. I’m a little concerned that it may . . . make things worse for you. I really wish we had a counselor with us. And, if we go, we go without Brady. It wouldn’t be right for us to take him without his parents’ knowledge. Of that much, I am sure.” He tried not to let his concern show too obviously. What if this turned out to be too much for her?
“Okay. But
I have a peace about this that I’ve not had before. I feel more ready than I ever have. I don’t know what will happen, if anything, but I’ll get through it.” Megan stood up. “If you don’t mind I’ll head to my room, I could use some down time. Did you happen to bring my journal with you?”
Sam froze. “No. I’m sorry. I don’t have it.” There was no way Sam could tell Megan what he had seen in Richard’s office. He hadn’t figured it all out and there was too much at stake. At the same time, if there was a connection, Sam couldn’t afford to bury his head in the sand with this. Megan’s life could be at risk. Oh Lord, I need wisdom and help.
Gabe. Sam smiled. As soon as Megan left, he pulled out his cell phone and called Gabe.
“Hey, how’s my long lost fishing partner?” A familiar voice welcomed him.
“Gabe, how are you?”
“Fine. I was surprised to hear you were gone. Rose filled me in. How are things going?”
“I’m not sure. I need to call in a favor.”
“Sure. What can I do?”
“Can you look back through the archives of another precinct?”
“I have to get permission, but yes. What’s up?”
“It’s a bit of a long story. Do you have the time? And how private can you be about this, at least for now?”
Chapter 19
The silence in the darkened room played into the tension Richard was creating. Doug knew he was an expert at manipulating a soul without so much as leaving his desk. However, Doug was not prepared for the scrutiny to be turned on him. He was normally the observer, not the participant. He waited for Mayor Richard to continue.
“You had Megan in your house overnight, and you never knew about it until she was gone. Your industrious wife welcomed her with open arms, and if not for your cook, she might still be there. She walks freely about our streets, meeting daily in the park with your son, and I have to be the one to inform you about it. She remembers more and more, and hopes to return, with your son, I might add, to the woods in order to further her memory gain. I don’t need to mention that this is a delicate time in my run for governor, and having an insane woman raving about a wild and untrue encounter with me in the park would not go over well, would it? Have I left anything out?”