by B. L Wilson
Luminous dark eyes looked up into tired, red-tinged, hazel eyes.
Speechless, Liz nodded, then opened the blanket for Susan. I must be dreaming. Then she thought, If this is a dream, please, God, don’t let me wake up, she prayed silently.
Susan sighed and sneezed again. She sat down heavily on the sand. “I’m tired, Lizzie, and cold. Hold me, please.”
Liz put her arm around Susan’s shoulders. Susan rested her head against Liz’s chest. “Is that better?” she whispered and kissed her forehead.
Susan nodded, then drifted off to sleep.
Liz sat still for a good while without moving. She stared out at the lake as she listened to the sound of Susan’s breathing. She didn’t want the dream to end and find Susan dead.
Jake saw a ghostly figure emerge from the shadows and stand over his sister. He couldn’t believe it when Liz opened her blanket and the figure sat down, then snuggled against her shoulder. “I’ll be damned!” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. The figure was Susan Drummond. It had to be. The way his sister responded, it had to be Susan Drummond. “How the hell did she…?” Jake shrugged, then stroked his goatee. That wasn’t important. Susan was going to the hospital. He punched in the emergency number and told the operator where to send another ambulance. He strode over to his father’s car to point out Lizzie and Susan. “Dad, you’re not gonna believe this, but Susan’s right there.”
His father nodded. “Yeah, Son, I know. I saw her too.”
They watched Lizzie lean over to kiss Susan’s forehead. She put an arm around Susan to hold the blanket on her shoulders.
“I’m guessing she’ll need to see a doctor, Jake,” his father remarked.
“I already called it in, Dad.” Jake sighed as he watched his sister hold Susan. “Unless we want Lizzie to have a relapse carrying Susan, we oughta get over there before the ambulance gets here, Dad.”
Jake Sr. nodded. He and his son took their time walking toward the two women. “How are you doing, Lizzie?” he asked softly.
Liz put her finger across her lips as she stroked Susan’s shoulder. “Shush, Daddy, she’s asleep. You and Jake have to help me get her to the hospital real quick.” She sighed. “I wanna make sure she’s all right.”
They nodded as the distant wail of an ambulance disturbed the quiet night for a second time. When the ambulance drove along the shoreline to find the patient, Jake picked Susan up. He met the emergency service technicians halfway with Liz anxiously walking next to him.
Later at the hospital, Liz stayed with Susan throughout the ordeal of getting her stomach pumped and while she remained under twenty-four-hour observation for head trauma. The next morning, Susan awoke to find Liz sleeping facedown next to her. Liz was half on the bed and half sitting in the chair that she’d pulled alongside the bed. Susan’s hand stroked her soft dreadlocks and then traced a path lightly across her neck.
Liz stirred and rubbed her eyes. Sleepy dark eyes stared at Susan’s face. She recalled the events of the last twenty-four hours and her eyes filled with tears. “When I thought I’d lost you, Susan, I was going to…to…” Her voice faded and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “You look so good to me.”
“I know, Lizzie. I heard you and Johnny on the beach.” Hazel eyes gazed lovingly at Liz. She gently stroked Liz’s face as a finger traced her tears. “I’m glad you didn’t hurt him, Lizzie. He’s sick, so very sick. I wish I’d known he was my brother.” Her hand played with the hospital’s sheets. “I know I could have helped him somehow.”
Liz moved from the chair to sit on the edge of Susan’s bed and then kissed her forehead. “He needs more help than we could give him, Love.”
Susan nodded.
Liz sighed softly as she glanced at Susan. “Your father called last night. He wants to see you. I told him you’d see him this morning. Was I wrong?”
Susan shook her head. “No, Lizzie, you weren’t wrong. I have questions about my father. I mean, my real father and my mother.” She needed to understand why he’d never told her that he’d adopted her, if that was the correct phrase to use in this case. Most of all, she wanted to know why he’d let her think that she had no other relatives but him. God, she and Johnny Flint could have… he always wanted to sleep with her. Suppose they’d done it before she knew that she was his biological sister.
Owen Drummond wheeled himself into his daughter’s room.
Susan hadn’t noticed before how thin and frail her father seemed until today.
Owen Drummond glanced at Liz. “Sergeant Gilmore, would you excuse us, please.”
“That’s no problem, Mr. Drummond.” Liz moved off the bed.
“No, Daddy. I want her to stay and hear this too,” Susan remarked, studying her father’s worried face.
Owen Drummond sighed. He hoped what he had to say wouldn’t push his only child further away from him. “You probably want to know how this mess started, huh, Suzie Q?” her father asked softly as he studied her frowning face.
Susan nodded.
Owen Drummond swallowed hard. He started to tell his story. “Almost thirty-two years ago, Old Man Flint and I were rivals for your mother’s affection. I didn’t know it at the time, but your mother’s one indiscretion with Flint led to your birth nine months later. You see, Suzie, John Flint was already a newlywed. He didn’t want to assume responsibility for you because he didn’t want his new wife to find out about his affair with your mother. We were competitors in business but friends outside business until this happened.” He paused to look at his daughter, who studied him as if she was seeing him for the first time.
“John Flint Sr. didn’t love your mother, but I did, so the three of us struck a deal. I’d marry your mother and assume parentage of you, while Johnny’s father agreed to provide support if you ever needed it. He willed 51% of his company to you if he died before you reached the age of thirty. If Old Man Flint were still alive when you turned thirty, the company reverted to his son, Johnny.
“We designed the agreement that way because we felt that at thirty, each child could run the companies. We could retire if we wanted. Nobody figured Old Man Flint would die before I did or before you turned thirty. He was a bigger health nut than I am. It surprised me when he died of heart problems. The only other living person who knew about the agreement was the lawyer who drew it up. Until he died a year ago, I’d forgotten about the damned will because I wanted you to run my company, not Flint Industries.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Daddy?” Susan demanded angrily.
Drummond squeezed his eyes shut and, when he opened them, Liz could see tears forming in the corners. “I was afraid I’d lose you, Suzie Q. Or that you’d look at me just like you’re doing now with so much anger.”
Owen Drummond wiped at his tears. He glanced at Susan, sighed, then continued, “As time passed, I forgot about the agreement. I loved you as though you were my biological child, Honey. As far as I’m concerned, you are mine. I was the one who stayed up with you when you were sick, worried about you, provided your education, gave you a roof over your head, and, most of all, loved you, Suzie Q.”
“What about Johnny, Daddy? Didn’t you think he deserved to know that he had a sister and that I had a brother?” Susan asked quietly.
Owen frowned. “I shoulda been nervous that you two could fall in love, but you never did. I wasn’t worried. When you two reached puberty, I could see he wanted a different relationship with you, but you always treated him like a brother. Once I realized that you were gay, I didn’t feel the need to tell either one of you about the other.”
Susan started to cry. “Damn it, Daddy! He’s my brother!” she yelled. “You shoulda told me! Maybe I could have helped him!”
Drummond sat back in his wheelchair. Her words stunned him. He felt helpless as he watched his daughter weep.
Liz was preparing to comfort Susan when Jake stuck his head in and signaled with a nod of his head to come outside. She excused herself and followed him outside.
&n
bsp; “I just thought you’d like to know. Uncle Ted found papers in Johnny’s things. He said it was a contract that gives Flint Industries to Susan.”
Liz nodded. “Yeah, I know. Owen Drummond just told us.”
Jake grinned. “Your men found some other stuff that links Johnny to the explosions at the site when the lab results come back.”
“Like what?”
“Two bank transfers of ten thousand dollars to a Howard Loomis a day after the old man’s lawyer died and another one the day of the fire at the Drummond site. They haven’t found the body yet, but Reeves thinks the bastard buried the body at one of the Flint sites. We also found this in his car,” Jake said as he handed Liz a plastic baggie containing a note that read:
You next!
“Uncle Ted and Dad think Flint killed the lawyer who created the agreement. Uncle Ted is getting a court order to exhume the lawyer’s body and run some toxicology tests.”
Liz nodded. “That’s good, real good, Jake. I’m glad Johnny Flint’s off the street. He can’t hurt anyone else.”
Jake pointed towards Susan’s room. “How’s it going in there, Lizzie?”
Liz shrugged. “Rough. Drummond is trying to explain why he couldn’t tell Susan she had a brother. She wasn’t buying it when I left. Susan’s hurt and angry. I don’t think it has sunk in that her own brother tried to kill her, Jake. She treated Johnny Flint as a brother all these years. She didn’t know in reality he was.” She sighed. “He’s one evil bastard, Jake. You shoulda let me kill him when I had the chance. It would have been better for all of us.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose thoughtfully.
“Lizzie, you gotta stop talking like that!” Jake ordered. “You know Susan needs you more than ever. If you’d killed her brother, do you think you could still help her? You’d be in jail, charged with murder. I doubt she’d want you anywhere near her. Just chill with that kind of talk, okay? Go back in there and support your ladylove.” He hugged Liz and then rubbed her back. “It’ll be fine, Lizzie. She’s strong. You’re strong. You two will get through this.”
Liz hugged him back. “I hope so, Jake. I hope so. When I thought she died, I didn’t know what to do. I was so angry with John Flint for drowning her. I wanted to kill him, Jake.” She sighed. “Thank God, she made it. I still don’t understand how she managed to float to the surface, but she did, Jake.” She looked up at her brother with tears in her eyes.
He wiped them with a handkerchief and then patted his sister’s shoulder. “You two will be fine, Lizzie. I’m leaving later today. I can’t stay away from the city too long or I won’t have a job to come back to. I want to check on Jen and little Danny too.”
Liz nodded. “I understand, Jake. Tell Jen that I said hello.”
When Liz returned to the room, Susan was crying.
Owen Drummond held her hand. He was stroking her shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Suzie Q. I’m so sorry about Johnny. I should have told you. We all thought we were doing a good thing. We never meant to hurt you, Sweetie. Can you forgive me?”
Liz thought she’d never seen anyone look as lost as Susan did right then.
Susan shrugged. “I don’t know, Daddy. I need time to think. Lizzie, could I stay with you until I can find a place?” she asked quietly as she stared at her.
Liz noticed a dull look in her eyes that she’d never seen before. Susan was shutting down inside. The blank expression in them made Lizzie too frightened to refuse. She quickly glanced at Owen Drummond, who shrugged and then nodded slightly. “Love, are you sure you want to do this?” she asked as she gazed at Susan.
Susan nodded. “Lizzie, I need to get away for a while. Please, can I stay with you?”
Liz came over to the bed and sat on the edge. “Of course you can, Love. How could I refuse such a sweet request?” She opened her arms.
Susan moved into them and away from her father.
Her reaction wasn’t lost on her father. Owen Drummond sighed heavily and then touched Liz’s hand. “Sergeant Gilmore, take care of my daughter.”
“Yes, Sir, I’ll do my best.” Liz held his eyes for a moment and then squeezed his hand. “You have my word.”
Liz watched Owen Drummond wheel out of Susan’s room and sighed. “How do you feel, Love?”
“Cold and a little lost,” Susan said forlornly.
“You’ll be okay, Love. I’m here. You’re safe with me.” Liz stroked Susan’s head as she rested against a sturdy shoulder. “Are you ready to leave this joint yet? The little twerp doctor, I believe you called him, said you could leave whenever you want to. I filled out all the paperwork for you, so if you’re ready, we can go. ”
Susan nodded.
“Do you need help getting dressed, Love?”
Susan shook her head yes.
Liz slipped off the bed and opened the hospital’s locker. “Well, let’s see what we got here. I had your dad bring you some clothes.” She stared at the selection. “I didn’t know what you’d want to wear, so I had him bring you a dress, jeans, and some underwear.”
“Whichever is easier, Lizzie. I don’t care,” Susan said quietly.
“Let’s try the dress.” Liz helped Susan move to the edge of the bed. She removed the hospital gown, then helped Susan into her bra and panties. She tried not to think about how soft Susan’s skin felt against her fingertips or how glorious she looked in the colorful underwear. She found she was squeezing her eyes closed or breathing through her mouth to take her mind off the enticing sight and intoxicating scent of Susan Drummond. What she didn’t realize was that this was the beginning of a new relationship with Susan. This relationship was one that didn’t include sex or anything close to it.
Just as Liz had predicted, Johnny Flint hired the best lawyer his money could buy. His lawyers told him to plead guilty to all three murders because of diminished capacity. The lawyers were hoping for a lighter sentence from the judge. Liz hadn’t predicted that Sheriff Reeves would drop the charges against her during the Flint investigation, but he did and expunged her record as well. She decided to return to work until Susan was feeling better or something else came along. She delayed law school once again. She still loved police work almost as much as coming home to watch Susan, browned by the sun, happily working in the garden or roughhousing with Skipper. Somewhere in her heart, she knew Susan was only staying with her because she couldn’t bear to face Johnny Flint or Owen Drummond and confront what they’d done to her.
Since Susan wouldn’t speak to her father, Liz became the connection between Owen Drummond and his daughter. She gave him weekly progress reports on Susan. She was uncomfortable with their relationship. She thought that Susan should return her father’s calls, but what could she do? Susan adamantly refused to speak with him and so she took on the role of liaison between father and daughter. She couldn’t bear to witness a father and the child he loved so deeply estranged, so she took on the role as best she could.
Owen Drummond wasn’t happy with the arrangement either. At first, he and Liz tiptoed around his relationship or lack of one with his daughter. Liz figured they were feeling each other out and trying to decide how much they could trust each other. Once Drummond realized that Liz planned to stay with Susan for the long haul and was in the relationship because she loved his daughter, he relaxed. They established what was to become a warm rapport with each other and he appreciated any information that Liz could provide about Suzie Q.
Liz listened to the recording on her answering machine. She was standing in the kitchen sorting through the mail when she pressed the play button. Who is Agatha Phillips? she wondered as she stacked the bills in one pile and the junk mail in another. This was the third message from her in three days. She frowned. Each message simply said, “Please call me. I believe that I have some information that might interest you.” The Phillips woman left a phone number.
Curiosity got the better of Liz and she decided to make the call. “May I speak to Ms. Phillips please? This is Sergeant Gilmore.”
&
nbsp; “Good evening, Sergeant Gilmore. I’m glad that you finally decided to return one of my calls. As I told you in my messages, my name is Agatha Phillips.” She sighed and wondered how to introduce the rest of her relationship.
“Yes, you did,” Liz said, sensing her hesitation and wondering about it. “You also said you had information that I might find interesting.”
“Yes, I did say that, didn’t I?”
Liz sighed heavily and wondered when the Phillips woman would get to the point of this conversation. “Look, Miss Phillips, I just came in from a long day at the stationhouse, so I’d appreciate it if you’d just get to your point.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I’m used to stretching out my stories.” Agatha sighed. “What I didn’t say in my message was that I’m the attorney hired by John Flint Jr.” When she heard the silence on the line, she asked, “Sergeant, are you still there?”
“Yeah, I’m still here, Attorney Phillips,” Liz said, rubbing her temples as she felt a slow throbbing in her head and then looked out the kitchen window. She was searching for Susan. She spotted Susan weeding the flowerbed and blew her a quick kiss. Susan grinned and returned the air kiss. “What does that have to do with me, Ms. Phillips?”
“My client would like to see you.” Agatha Phillips wondered if the sergeant would refuse. It was more likely a question of how soon she’d refuse. Case records described how close Sergeant Gilmore had come to killing her client when she thought he’d murdered the woman who was his sister.
“Are we supposed to be talking, Ms. Phillips?” Liz asked, watching Susan pulling up more weeds. “I mean, your client hasn’t been sentenced yet.”
“It’s all right, Sergeant. I have the court’s permission to speak with you.”
“Okay, but why me? What does he want to see me about?” Liz asked.