Secret Remains

by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

  She hung up on him.

  It would take the police at minimum ten minutes to arrive. And she wasn’t about to let Hendrick get away.

  Emily drew in a deep breath for courage and moved toward Hendricks’s truck, taking the screwdriver from inside her coat. White-knuckling the handle, she bent down next to the rear passenger tire. With all the force she could muster, Emily thrust the pointed end of the screwdriver deeply into the rubber. It tore a hole through the stiff material, releasing a hiss of air.

  After puncturing all four tires, Emily took a stand a safe distance from the garage but close enough so she could see inside through the half-opened door. Hendrick VanDerMuellen was kneeling by a pile of blankets that Emily guessed had been James’s makeshift bed.

  “You won’t find your son here,” Emily called into the doorway.

  Hendrick spun around to face her.

  “His body is on its way to the lake.”

  “Sonofa—” He methodically walked out of the garage toward her.

  Emily took a few steps back, still gripping the screwdriver.

  He lunged toward her, but Emily sprung back, maintaining her safe distance.

  He lunged again. She dodged him deftly, drawing him out into the open driveway. His ruddy face grew red. She had awakened the beast. A very unfit beast.

  “You’ve known since high school what your son was involved in. Haven’t you? You knew he killed Sandi Parkman. You managed to sweep it all under the rug. And you just kept sweeping, all the way to Pinetree Slopes.”

  The sins of omission stared back at her with steely bloodshot eyes. A guttural growl emerged from the back of his throat. Even though her heart was racing, Emily’s courage grew and she didn’t back down as he approached.

  “Your money and lawyers can’t buy you out of this now.”

  He put one relentless foot in front of another, locking her in his gaze.

  Emily raised her screwdriver, aiming it at his head, and took several steps back, drawing him from the garage. This wasn’t the first time she’d looked death in the eye and survived. She would not back down. For Sandi. For Nick. Even for Tiffani.

  “I will jab this right into your eye if you come any closer,” she warned.

  But Hendrick proved a coward. As soon as he was just feet from her, he buckled, rushed around her, and sprinted to his truck. Emily spun around, staying in place. Hendrick hopped into his truck and tried to drive off. Emily grinned as he got only a few feet on his squishy, flat tires.

  Police sirens peeled in the distance. Emily felt an inner relief as she watched Hendrick try to run across the expansive yard, thickly blanketed in snow.

  Hendrick ran and fell. Got up and tried to run again. It was comical.

  As the cop car pulled in, Hendrick gripped his hand over his chest and collapsed in the snow.

  The officers quickly subdued Hendrick, cuffed him, and pulled him up from the ground. He trudged along with them, slowly but showing no signs of a heart attack. It had all been a ruse.

  54

  Emily knocked on Mrs. Parkman’s front door. An outburst from a laugh track on her TV pumped through the exterior walls. Emily knew she couldn’t hear her, so she tried the door handle. It was unlocked. How unsafe and trusting of her. Mrs. Parkman didn’t see Emily until she was standing in front of her and nearly jumped at the sight of her.

  “Hi, Mrs. Parkman,” yelled Emily over a loud commercial for a new pharmaceutical treatment for eczema. “Do you remember me?” She reached for the remote on the coffee table and turned the TV to mute.

  “Oh. Oh … hello. Miss Emily Hartford? Of course.”

  Dr. Hartford. But Emily didn’t bother to correct her. “I’m sorry to barge in like this. I did knock.”

  “Did you? I didn’t hear it.”

  Emily sat down next to Mrs. Parkman on the couch. Outside the strobe lights from both cruisers flashed red and blue over the white yard. The woman had not been aware of anything outside.

  “How are you doing, dear? I hope you brought me more of that delicious coffee cake.”

  Emily shook her head. “I just wanted to let you know that I caught those rats. They won’t be bothering you anymore.”

  Mrs. Parkman reached for her glasses on the coffee table. She slid them on and batted her eyes into focus.

  “Oh. Well. That’s awful kind of you,” she said as Emily took her plump, chapped hand. “I’ll tell Tiffani to cancel that exterminator.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” said Emily.

  55

  Emily wanted to go straight to the city jail to Nick, but Paul’s text changed her course.

  Tiffani arrested. James recovered. At hospital.

  Emily zipped down the country roads into Freeport, arriving at the hospital morgue first so she could confirm James’s body and start the death certificate paperwork. Of course, an autopsy would be mandatory.

  But when she got to the morgue, his body wasn’t there.

  Perhaps his body was still in the emergency room. They probably hadn’t transferred it downstairs yet. She took the elevator from the basement level to the first floor and hurried toward the ER. A handful of cops meandered near the entrance, watchful and wary. They stopped her when she tried to enter.

  “Excuse me, miss. You’re not allowed in there at present,” said one with gray sideburns and a paunch.

  “I’m Dr. Emily Hartford, Freeport County coroner. I’m here to transfer the body of James VanDerMuellen to the morgue.”

  “Body?”

  “Em! Em!” Jo’s voice cut through the crowd, as did her slender figure, now dressed in her scrubs. “He’s not dead! Come with me.” Jo took Emily by the arm and pulled her into the ER.

  “He’s not?”

  “He’s barely not dead.” Jo pointed to a curtained area, where two cops stood guard outside.

  Emily broke from Jo’s light grasp and marched over to the curtain.

  Jo swept up next to her. “One peek.” She turned to the cops. “Officers, this is Dr. Emily Hart—”

  “We know who she is,” said one Emily recognized from the jail.

  “Yeah, she’s Nick’s gal.”

  “What? No. I’m not Nick’s … anything …” She said with junior high impertinence.

  Jo pulled the curtain back a few inches. The cops stepped aside, and Emily took a look. An emaciated figure covered in bruises and gashes lay on the hospital bed. His hair was covered in dried blood, and he was hooked up to more tubes and monitors than Frankenstein’s monster.

  “Oh my god. What did that woman do to him?” said Emily, closing the curtain.

  Jo spoke in hushed excitement as she drew Emily to the nurses’ station. “When Paul got to the boat launch down by the river, Tiffani was already there. He saw her dump his body into the river! He dove right into that freezing river to pull James out. It wasn’t until the ambulance came that the paramedics discovered he was actually not dead.”

  “Will he make it?” asked Emily in a hushed tone.

  “He will. But there’s a lot of damage to his brain.”

  “How are you doing?” Emily said, knowing the ethical corner Jo was backed into in having to care for a killer.

  “You have no idea how much I’m struggling with this one.”

  Emily hugged her best friend. “You’re amazing. Thank you for trusting me.”

  “I’m just glad we can all put this behind us and start to heal.”

  Emily nodded. “Where’s Tiffani?”

  “Jail. She tried to bolt after she dumped the body, but Paul had already alerted the state police, and they chased her down.”

  “Wow. I’m just … so grateful.” Jo hugged Emily again. Satisfaction stirred in Emily. James, Hendrick, and Tiffani were going to be able to stand trial in the future.

  “Emily Hartford!” boomed a large male voice from behind her. “What have I said about letting the cops do their job?” She whipped around. Nick!

  He was charging into the ER with Paul at his sid
e, carrying a tray of to-go coffees and a bakery bag from Brown’s. When their eyes met, Nick broke into a relieved smile.

  It was so good to see him out from behind bars!

  She skipped a few steps toward him, and they met in an embrace.

  “See, I told you. Nick’s gal,” she heard the cop say behind them.

  “Did you lose weight in the slammer? You look a little gaunt,” she said, giving him a once-over.

  “Prison food. Goes right through you.” He pulled her close. “I don’t know if I should be grateful or hateful that you are so incredibly stubborn and strong-willed.”

  “I tend to bring out a lot of mixed emotions.” She grinned. “How’d you get out so fast?”

  “Due process works a little faster when you’re the sheriff.”

  “We are a pretty great team when we’re not quarreling,” said Emily.

  “Team Doctor Death and …”

  “Good St. Nick!” She shook her head. “I’m retiring that nasty old nickname.”

  “Ho, ho, holy smokes, I’m so glad you saved me, Emily Hartford,” Nick said with a cheesy belly laugh as he slipped her hand into his.

  “Now we’re even,” she said, squeezing his hand.

  56

  “Delia told me that Pepper Cave Construction has decided to donate the Parkman parcel to the community and turn it into Parkman Playground. Complete with a swing set, slide, sandbox, picnic tables. There’s even going to be a memorial garden planted for Sandi,” said Emily as she and Nick walked hand in hand through the frozen cemetery a week later. She was grateful that a place of peace had been preserved in Sandi’s honor. A place where community could be nurtured. Where neighbors could get to know one another. Watch out for one another.

  “Paul asked if we wanted to join them for a bite to eat afterwards,” said Nick.

  “Sounds good.”

  Nick gripped Emily’s arm as they made their way through the packed snow to the grave. They were officially a couple. Doing couple things. Like going to funerals. And dinners with friends. And planning for Christmas in two weeks.

  “Do you think any of the other pack members will be here?” asked Emily.

  “As a matter of fact, yes.” Nick caught Emily’s cold glance.

  “They deserve jail time,” Emily said, burn in her voice.

  “They’re not exactly off the hook yet.”

  Good. “It’s going to be a while before I can forgive and forget.”

  “You forgave me.”

  “You were repentant.”

  “More than you know,” said Nick in a tone that revealed his heavy heart. “There’s something I still need to do. And I don’t know how it will affect my future. Our future.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’ll see.”

  As they wound up a small hill that led to Sandi’s grave site, Emily noticed how the sky had cleared and the sun warmed the earth, melting patches of snow. She looked ahead and was surprised to see trails of people heading toward Sandi’s burial plot.

  “This is incredible,” she exclaimed. “I had no idea so many people would turn out.”

  “Between the police department and Delia’s campaign, we raised over ten thousand dollars to give Sandi a proper memorial,” said Nick.

  “I’m stunned. The park. Now this.”

  “Small towns at their best.”

  Emily smiled and hugged Nick to her.

  Emily and Nick made their way to Delia, who had already arrived and reserved a few spaces for them near the casket.

  “Thank you for making this possible,” Emily said to Delia.

  “That’s what we do, doll.” She looped her arm through Emily’s. “I’m hosting a reception at Brown’s after the service. Spread the word.”

  A pastor dressed in a parka and heavy gloves stood at the head of the grave as several hundred mourners formed a giant crescent around Sandi’s gravesite. Dotted through the crowd, Emily noticed a few members of the pack standing solemnly with dutiful spouses or significant others at their sides.

  Emily shifted her gaze to Sandi Parkman’s casket and was saddened that Mrs. Parkman could not be here. She had suffered a minor stroke the day after receiving the news about Tiffani and was in the hospital.

  No mother and no sister to send a daughter home. But in their places, an incredibly compassionate community of people who would not let this unspeakable tragedy remain blemished with misery and suffering.

  At that moment, Emily renewed the vow she had internalized as a junior coroner watching her father. If there was anything she could do to prevent lives from ending like Sandi’s, she would seek to do it. It was essential to send the message that justice would be served. Everyone’s life had importance and significance. No one was disposable. No matter where they came from or what ill fortunes they got tangled into.

  For the next hour, under the high December sun, she and Nick stood hand in hand as the pastor gave his prayers and message. When he finished, he asked if anyone else had words to offer. Nick’s hand slipped from Emily’s as he stepped up right away to the head of Sandi’s casket. From the periphery, she saw the members of the pack trickle up to the front. Paul. Ross. Landry. Brett. Rick.

  They gathered in silence, and Nick stepped forward to address the town.

  “What I’m about to say is hard, but it has to be said. As your sheriff. As a son of this community. As Sandi’s friend. Over the years, you have all heard secret whisperings about Sandi’s life. We were part of the urban legends and stand before you today to confirm that, unfortunately, they were true. By manner of omission, I played a part in what happened to Sandi. I want to ask your forgiveness. I stood by when I knew Sandi was being abused and suffering and I did nothing.” He paused to clear the catch in his throat.

  “I should have intervened. I should have confronted James. I should have stepped up and said something to her mom, to teachers. I should have gone to the police. There are a million things I should have done to save her. But I didn’t. And I’m deeply sorry for my inaction and what it caused.”

  The next words came with calculated purpose.

  “Freeport deserves a better role model for your sheriff. You need to start this next chapter with a clean slate. So, I’m stepping down.”

  An audible gasp escaped from Emily, joining the shocked expressions of everyone around her. She glanced at Jo, whose face registered her own surprise at the announcement as she reached for Emily’s hand.

  Nick then stepped up to Sandi’s casket. Emily watched spellbound as he silently mouthed long sentences full of emotion. Little changed in his body movements, but she saw his lips quiver and a tear escape. He brushed it away with his sleeve and set a bouquet of yellow roses on her casket.

  After he stepped back in line with the others, one by one, the rest of the pack members made their public confessions. But Emily could barely concentrate on their words.

  When they were finished, Nick led them away from the grave site, and they trailed down the hill and out of sight.

  Soon, small clusters of families and couples peeled away from the grave in complete silence as they all pondered what they had just witnessed. Emily stood frozen in place, hand in hand with Jo.

  When they were finally able to remove themselves from Sandi’s grave, Emily and Jo walked together to the main drive to join Nick, Paul, and a few other friends, who they could see flocked together talking.

  Emily glanced up the hill to a barren maple tree that overlooked the west section of the cemetery.

  “I’ll be right back,” she told Jo, breaking away.

  “Want some company?”

  “No, it’s okay.”

  Her parents shared a gravestone under the maple tree where her father’s date of death had been recently chiseled in. She brushed the snow that had collected on top and stood there looking at it, still finding it hard to believe that her father had passed just weeks ago.

  “Hey … so, I was just in the neighborhood … couple plots down,”
she started, finding her voice. “It’s a pretty interesting story. For another time. Just thought I would catch you up. Um … Brandon and I are not engaged anymore … but it’s okay. Better a broken engagement than a messy divorce. Right?”

  She paused, imagining that her mother would be nodding her head in agreement right now as she fired a million questions at her. Are you sure? What makes you so sure? Is this something you might regret five years from now? How did Brandon take it?

  Emily laughed a little to herself.

  “Yes, Mom. I’m sure. And no, I’m not going to regret it.”

  She searched her brain for what to say next.

  “Oh, yes … how could I forget? Anna! We found each other. You would really like her, Dad. She’s smart and witty like you. But has a dry, sparse humor. Like you’re not sure if she’s joking. But then you realize she is … and she’s really sweet too. A total hostess. Like Mom. And her girls … your granddaughters are darling. We’re becoming family. So thank you. For her. I just wish … you would have told us a little sooner.” Her throat caught and she swallowed hard. Tears began to form warm trails down her cheeks and neck. She let them come.

  Sounds of friendly laughter across the cemetery drew her back to where Nick and his friends were huddled. Nick’s gaze left the group and caught hers. His smile absorbed a piece of her sadness as she turned her gaze back to the gravestone.

  “Oh, in other news, I’ve almost finished packing up the house. Mom, don’t worry. I’m keeping all your bakeware. I’ve made like four apple pies since I’ve been home. Of course, they taste nothing like yours. But I’ll keep practicing.” She laughed to herself and could hear her father butting in to inquire about more serious matters—like her plans.

  “My plans? Yes, my plans. Dr. Claiborne offered to sell me his practice. But I’m going to decline. I’m not ready to make any big decisions. One-year rule, remember?”

  She cracked a small smile, thinking about Cathy Bishop wearing a sombrero and drinking margaritas. They were all going to be okay. In their own time.

  “I’m gonna go now.” It came out all raspy. “Don’t worry. I won’t wait another twelve years to visit. Love you both.”