Dare to Trust

by R Gendreau-Webb

  “Did they give him something?” Grimes asked Mia.

  She shook her head. “He’s in shock. He needs to go home and sleep.” They headed to the car and once inside, rode back to the cottage in silence.

  Ignoring his earlier arguments, Mia gave Jason a couple pain pills with a sandwich. “For me,” she told him, “take the pills and eat some of the ham and cheese.” He stood at the counter and for her, swallowed the hydrocodone tablets and ate a few bites. Mia’s eyes never left him and when she realized he was finished, she led him into the bedroom. She helped him take off the sling and then his shirt. His pants came off next. “Get some sleep,” she ordered as he slid into bed. He wanted to protest; he had to unravel the mystery of who had set him up and who had killed his mother. But it had been over thirty-six hours since he had last slept. The adrenaline was long gone from his system. Jason was exhausted. He closed his eyes and Mia was sure he was asleep within a minute. She gently kissed his forehead before leaving the room. “I love you, Jay,” she whispered.

  Grimes left shortly after Jason had dropped off to sleep. He had only intended to stay a few hours, deliver Jannifer, spend a little time with Jason, and then return home. He had work in the morning and he had wanted to take his wife out to dinner. The day hadn’t exactly worked out as planned.

  It was almost two in the morning when Mia was yanked from sleep, in a cold sweat, heart pounding, from her dream. She glanced over at Jason, able to see his outline due to the full moon in the sky, and was relieved that he was still in a deep sleep. His body had craved the rest. As she got up and out of bed for a drink of water, Mia thought back to her dream. She had been back in the emergency room, overwhelmed with poisoned patients. And every one had died with the same sequence of symptoms and deterioration as Jannifer had. And in her dream, her last patient had been Jannifer. Before succumbing to the toxin, she had begged Mia to save her. There had been nothing Mia could do to stop Jason’s mother from dying. Mia sucked in her breath, realizing Jannifer had been poisoned.

  ***

  The coroner had autopsied Jannifer Howard late on the same afternoon she had died. The request for a speedy cause of death had been sent by the highest official; the state wanted closure on the arsenic poisoning case. With the speculation that the woman had died as a result of arsenic poisoning, that would be unlikely anytime soon. In fact, if she had been poisoned, there would be public concern and fear.

  After a thorough assessment of the old woman’s dead organs, blood and tissue, the coroner issued his findings. Jannifer Howard had indeed ingested arsenic, lots of it. The poison had rendered her organs useless. She had died from multi-organ failure caused by the toxin.

  The autopsy report quickly found its way into Lt. Ross’ hands. After reading the entirety, he cursed. What kind of coincidence would allow for a suspected murderer to get out of jail, and on the same day, his mother, whom he didn’t get along with, ended up murdered? Ross dialed the district attorney to see about adding another murder charge to Howard’s repertoire and re-arresting him. The prick deserved to rot in jail!

  XIII.

  Jason slept for almost fourteen hours. It was almost noon when he opened his eyes and immediately noticed the throbbing in his right hand. For a moment, he didn’t recall why he had such pain in his hand, but then the events of yesterday afternoon hit him. His mother was dead. He had reacted and broken his hand. He slowly got up out of bed, stretched and awkwardly slid on his jeans with one hand. Mia had heard him stir and headed into the bedroom.

  “Hey,” she smiled at him, “how are you feeling?”

  He didn’t smile back. “My hand hurts.” Jason glanced down at the splint. He sat back down on the bed, letting out a deep breath. “Still very tired.” Mia went over to him and gave him a kiss. His mind was reeling with the events from yesterday. His mother had seemed fine one minute, dying the net.

  “Let me fix you something to eat and then go back to bed.” Mia’s words interrupted Jason’s thoughts. “You still look exhausted.”

  “Not hungry.”

  “Do you need a pain pill?” Mia questioned. She didn’t like the flat affect Jason was exhibiting. He shook his head. “How about some coffee, then? And you should have some ibuprofen to decrease the swelling---“

  “Dammit, Mia, just stop!” Jason snapped. “I don’t want anything! You can’t fix this!”

  Mia ignored the outburst. “I have to work later,” she told him. “But I guess you don’t need me to take care of you.” She left the bedroom and headed into the kitchen. She knew she shouldn’t have let his comment bother her, but it had stung. Mia didn’t want to be pushed away.

  “Shit.” Jason hung his head down and sat for a few more minutes. He hadn’t intended to lash out Mia but he needed some space, some time to sort out the craziness that seemed to surround him lately. He slowly stood and put on a shirt. It took three times as long as usual to get his clothes on. He walked into the living room, grabbed his coat and wondered how difficult it was going to be to try and lace his sneakers with one hand. “Dammit,” he mumbled as he struggled with the laces. Mia watched from the kitchen but didn’t offer help. Once he finished, Jason disappeared out the front door without a word.

  The cool, fresh air woke him up. He walked towards the harbor, thankful that none of the media had figured out where Mia’s cottage was. His mind kept flashing back to the horror he had witnesses in the emergency room yesterday afternoon. His mother was dead. Was he supposed to be planning a funeral?

  He walked along the water’s edge until reaching the edge of downtown. Jason didn’t want to walk through the town center. He didn’t want to be around anyone and he didn’t want to risk being seen by a reporter. He walked back to the cottage, slightly chilled from the wind. It was the perfect day to build a fire in the fireplace, but he didn’t have the energy. Jason just wanted to sleep. Once he reached the cottage, he grabbed bottled water, a couple pain pills and crawled back into bed. Mia had already left for the hospital; the cottage was perfectly quiet for sleep. And he definitely needed more.

  Mia’s shift at the hospital went by in a blur. The emergency room was overflowing with complaints of colds, cough, pneumonia and flu. Tyler was working as well, but said nothing to Mia about Jannifer’s death the prior day. He only spoke to her when it pertained to patient care.

  She was feeling the weight of the past few days as she left the hospital. Mia had walked from home and she was glad she had the short jaunt back to her cottage to decompress. She had understood, but still had been upset by Jason’s earlier reaction. She wasn’t even sure if he was still there.

  On her way back home, her mother called. She rarely called.

  “Are you still with Jason?” her mother had asked in a frantic voice. “He’s all over the news!”

  “Yes, mom, I’ve seen the news.” This was not what Mia needed to be hearing; she needed the support of her family that she knew she would never get.

  “You need to leave, Mia. What about your career? What will the people we know think? And your safety?”

  “Jason would never hurt me,” Mia snapped. “And he isn’t guilty.”

  “And how do you know that, young lady?” Her mother used the condescending tone she had used so many times during Mia’s childhood. It made her cringe.

  “I’m not even going to answer that, mom. I just got out of work and I’ve got to go. Say hi to Dad. Bye.” Mia disconnected her phone.

  The cottage was dark inside. Mia flicked on the kitchen light and saw that the kitchen was untouched since she had left for the hospital. She checked in the bedroom and found Jason in bed. While sleeping, his muscles weren’t tense and his face wasn’t full of worry. She couldn’t remember when he had looked so relaxed when awake.

  She showered and started to move towards the kitchen for a cup of tea. And then she instantly recalled Jannifer unconscious on the kitchen floor, the tea cup shattered around her body. Had she been poisoned? If so, how?

  Jason disturbed her
thoughts as he walked into the kitchen. He stood, looking at Mia, quiet for several moments before he spoke. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

  “It’s okay.” Mia opened the fridge and took out a diet Coke. She had changed her mind about the tea. “How’s your hand?” She noticed he wasn’t wearing the sling.

  “Sore but I’ll live.” His tall frame leaned against the kitchen counter.

  “I showed your x-ray to one of the hand specialists who happened to get called in to the ER this afternoon. He thinks it will heal fine without surgery. He doesn’t even think you need to be seen in the office unless something comes up.”

  “Oh.”

  “I thought you might be worried, since that’s the hand you shoot with. Sometimes this type of fracture can significantly weaken the grip in the hand.” Mia stopped talking when she realized she had slipped into playing doctor.

  “I don’t care about my grip, Mia. Let’s be real. I won’t be going back to the police department.” There was defeat in his voice. “I’ll be lucky if I stay out of prison.”

  Mia flashed him an angry stare. “So that’s it? You’re just going to sit back and wait for the ride back to jail? You’ve given up?” Quitting was never a trait Jason had ever possessed and Mia didn’t think it suited him at all. When he didn’t answer, Mia abruptly left him standing in the kitchen alone, feeling sorry for himself. He heard the bedroom door slam moments later. For two years they had complemented each other perfectly. Now, it seemed with every turn, they dealt with exhausting conflict.

  ***

  Mikey had transformed into Michael once he had started at the police academy. He had been one of the best at the academy, excelling in all areas. Upon completion, he had been exuberant when he had been assigned to the same precinct as Jason Howard. His plan was falling into place. It would take time and patience, but in the end, he and Caroline would have their revenge on the Howard family. They had destroyed his family and Michael would do the same in return. Over the years, he become a decorated police officer, found a wife and found God.

  God would help him get revenge. God would help him get close to Howard. If he waited and showed patience, God would make it happen. So, Michael waited. He was an excellent cop, an excellent husband and faithful to his Master.

  Twelve years later, Michael couldn’t help but feel a little giddy after watching news coverage of the arsenic poisoning in the rural Maine town. God was finally answering Michael’s prayers! Detective Howard had been arrested and already released on bail. Michael hoped in the short time Howard has been in jail, that he had suffered and agonized over the fact that a similar cell might be his future. If Michael continued manipulating the evidence that is exactly what would happen.

  He had been more than upset when he had learned that the matron of the Howard family was going to go to Maine and bail out her son. Not part of the plan! He hated when people toyed with his well thought out plot. She had interfered, so she had to die. Even though Michael knew that Jason and his mother hadn’t gotten along, he hoped the death still caused Jason more misery. Hell, it was another homicide that the evidence could potentially be shaped to point towards Jason as the guilty one, just like with the church poisonings. Jason hadn’t been brought to his knees yet, Michael still had work to do.

  XIV.

  Jannifer’s lawyer had left a brief message on Jason’s cell. He was informed that his mother’s body had been returned to Boston. Jannifer had previously made all of her final arrangements. The funeral would be the day after tomorrow.

  Sparks also had left a message. “You need to call me as soon as you get this message. Your mother’s death has been labeled a homicide.” Jason dialed the cell number Sparks had rattled off in the voicemail.

  “It’s about time you called me back,” Sparks growled at his client. “First, I am sorry about your mother. Second, she was poisoned. Did you know that?”

  “You don’t hold back, do you?” Jason accused.

  “Look, my job is to keep you out of jail, not be nice. The police are going to be looking to you for her death.”

  Jason knew he was being honest, but ignored the statement. “I need to attend my mother’s funeral in Boston. I’m not supposed to leave the state. I need you to make it so I can go back to Boston for a few days.”

  “I’m sure I can arrange that. You are planning to come back?”

  “You think I’m gonna run?” Jason gave a sarcastic laugh. “I didn’t do this. I’m not running away from it. I am going to find out who’s setting me up.”

  “I already have a private detective digging into that for us,” Sparks told him. “Look, give me a few hours to arrange for you to go back home. I’ll call you when it’s set.”

  “Thanks.” Jason disconnected the call. He glanced at the digital clock on the microwave: 10:54 pm. He was surprised he had gotten through to his lawyer this time of night. Although he had spent the majority of the day sleeping, he knew he needed more. He showered first, finding it almost impossible to keep his splint dry as had been instructed. Then Jason went into the bedroom, quietly, trying not to awaken Mia. He undressed with an uncoordinated effort from his left hand and slipped into bed next to Mia. Her body felt warm next to his. Jason felt guilty with the way he had treated her today. She had been standing by him through all of the turmoil. He knew he owed her a bigger and better apology than he had offered her today.

  As he stretched out, trying to find a comfortable position for his hand, Mia unconsciously moved in her sleep, snuggling up next to him. Her thigh draped over his, her head resting on his shoulder. It made him smile in the darkness and gave him hope that everything might work out alright.

  ***

  “I called in a lot of favors. You have forty-eight hours and you better be back here by then,” Sparks told Jason over the phone. “Call me when you’re back from the funeral.”

  “Okay.” Jason paused. “Thanks,” he added.

  “That’s what you pay me lots of money to do,” Sparks replied before hanging up.

  Jason set down his cell and turned to Mia. They were sitting at the small kitchen table with coffee. He took a sip, still trying to adjust to doing even the simple things with his left hand, and filled her in on the conversation with his lawyer.

  “Good, so you can go. I’ll call the hospital and tell them I need a few personal days.”

  With a sigh, Jason shook his head. “You don’t have to go, Mia. It isn’t going to be pleasant, and I am sure there will be reporters and cameras everywhere. Stay here.”

  “Like hell,” she glared at Jason. “I’m not letting you go by yourself.” Mia got up and grabbed her cell phone off the counter. “I’m calling work and then packing a few things. I assume we’ll take my car?” Jason’s car still hadn’t been returned by the police.

  “I guess so.”

  The drive was long. The roads were congested and slick. It had been snowing intermittently for three days. Jason and Mia shared little conversation through the travel. Mia’s mind was on the conversation she’d had with Tyler earlier, telling him she wouldn’t be in.

  “Are you sure, Dr. Hitchcock? Because you are still on orientation and call-outs can lead to dismissal,” he had warned her. She hadn’t told Jason about it.

  Jannifer’s lawyer had informed Jason that his mother would be cremated and put to rest in the Howard family plot, with his father. The ceremony, inclusive of the Bible quotes and music, had been previously planned by her. The funeral would be at the church she had attended through-out her life in Boston. All Jason had to do was show up. She was even calling the shots from her grave, he thought wryly.

  When Mia stepped into the brownstone, she immediately thought of the last time she had been there, the day she had left Jason. From the look on Jason’s face, he was thinking about the same thing, as they stood in the foyer.

  “Is your hand okay?” Mia asked, trying to forget the ugly memory of leaving.

  “It’s fine. Can’t wait to get the splint off.” He tur
ned towards her; put down the bag he had carried in and pulled her into his arms. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I know all of this isn’t easy and I need you here with me. And you already knew that because here you are.”

  Since being released from jail, Jason had been distant. Mia hugged tightly, surprised by his sudden show of emotion. She knew this where she belonged. What if Jason was eventually convicted? She couldn’t lose him. Not now.

  XV.

  The funeral service was the next morning. Snow spit down from the gloomy, overcast Boston sky. Jason and Mia dressed in black and headed to the church. He had been annoyed that after Mia dressed, she had needed to help him with the buttons on his oxford shirt and then knotting his tie. He already felt so helpless due to the charges filed against him, and now he needed his girlfriend to help dress him. Pathetic.

  As he had predicted, media were out in full force. News cameras recorded the couple as they entered the private service, reported shouted questions to them. Jason silently condemned the First Amendment of the Constitution that allowed free speech as he and Mia entered the church.

  The service was brief. Mia was thankful of that. As she watched Jason through-out it, he had sat next to her, eyes squeezed shut, his jaw muscles twitched with tension and his breathing was ragged. She didn’t know how much more stress he could endure.

  He led her out of the church quickly, grasping her hand in his left. Several of the service attendees, most from the world of politics and high society his parents had lived in, had wanted to share their condolences with Jason. He didn’t stay to hear their sympathetic words. He didn’t even acknowledge Kate, his partner or his wife. He simply needed to get out.

  Back at the brownstone, Jason loosened his tie and threw it on the kitchen counter as he headed to the fridge to grab a beer. He needed something to steady his nerves today. Jason was used to controlling his world and the new unruliness of it was getting to him, especially today. He shouldn’t have just attended his mother’s funeral.