With her eyes closed, Kayla felt chilly air wrap around her. It was filled with a lot of talking about what could have possibly happened with the two people in the river. No one knew exactly what took place near the water’s edge, but Kayla knew something terrible took place because she was there in her dream state. Harris Green Blackwell showed her where his body was, and to close this case, more information needed to leak through. After that, Kayla would head home, but if what they told her isn’t the end, Kayla wanted to determine what took place with this deceased couple.
When she felt a hand fall to her shoulder, Kayla swiftly turned around and saw someone resembling Detective Tyler standing before her with dark eyes drilling through hers. “What do you know about this, Kayla? I feel you have some kind of odd connection to the two people found in the water.”
Kayla tried to speak when her voice evaded her. She stared at him, and he glared back. Nothing came out of her mouth when Kayla felt her headache. It felt as if this man were grilling her with an angry tone. “I have nothing to say.” Kayla went to walk away when he grabbed her arm. He began to squeeze it a little too tight.
“You’re hurting me!” Kayla cried when a tear raced down her face, but it wasn’t Detective Tyler at all. It was some strange guy holding onto her arm with a hoodie pulled over his head. She only saw his dark eyes shining through. “Let me go!” Kayla screamed. No one else was around when the man took off running over the road. Kayla looked down at Detective Tyler ascending the incline to where she was, and when he arrived at Kayla, she wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the ground.
“Are you hurt, Kayla?” Detective Tyler inspected Kayla, and when he removed her coat and looked down at her bruised arm, he asked the photographer to take photos of the finger marks.
Kayla held her arm out so this woman with olive skin could snap a few pictures. “Are you okay, miss?” She asked.
Kayla nodded. “I think so. My arm hurts.” She didn’t want to whimper, but it did hurt.
“Ice it when you get home.” She smiled and left Kayla to rejoin the rest of the officers.
Kayla put her jacket back on and covered up her arm. For some reason, it was definitely sore. Whoever that was meant business, and she wanted to know why this happened. Kayla did know, but she didn’t want to know. That man looked like Tyler, but it wasn’t. His eyes looked familiar, and Kayla couldn’t quite place him either.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Kayla? My boss is going to kill me if he finds out about this, and your father will come out here and strangle me to death.” Detective Tyler walked in a few tight circles before standing in front of her. He then looked deep into her eyes. This officer was concerned, and he was afraid he might lose his job, but why?
Chapter Six
Kayla stood before the bathroom mirror in her hotel room scrutinizing her bruised arm. With eyes staring at herself in the reflection, she didn’t have any other explanation other than, someone wanted to send her a warning shot to stay clear of this investigation, or it could have been a crazed man trying to tell her something. Either way, Kayla didn’t feel as safe now.
Soreness cropped up each time she moved, and after adjusting her eyes to gazing at the red and black skin, she seized upon it like someone glaring through a microscope hoping to understand what actually took place. After intent staring, she relented and backed up to gawk at her face in the mirror. With hand gripping the side of the sink, she gaped at what ogled back.
Kayla felt numb on the inside and couldn’t quite place how she felt about being attacked in broad daylight by a stranger dead set on harming her. Whatever he wanted, Kayla didn’t have anything to offer. Her mind whirled through what transpired, and after careful consideration, she released the counter and went to pull on her jacket. After fishing through her pocket, she felt something was missing.
“Where did that photo go?” Kayla looked all over the ground, and even under the bed for the photo of the Blackwell family. “Maybe, I misplaced it.” After dropping to her hands and knees, it was nowhere to be found. No place she searched had the picture. She used the bed to pull herself up, and once on her feet, she continued to look through the dresser, her suitcase, and her other pocket.
After a few minutes, not one sign of it cropped up. Exasperated, Kayla heard her phone go off, and after a few seconds of hesitation, she went to it and clicked the speaker on. “Hey, dad.” Kayla winced.
“Are you doing okay, sis?” His overprotective tone blared through the speaker.
“I’m okay, dad. I take it Detective Tyler contacted you about what took place near the river today.” She sat on the bed and babied her arm. After holding the phone up with it, she wanted to give it a chance to rest, so she allowed it to lay by her side.
“Yes, both he and his boss, Simpson informed me that a strange man came up behind you to warn you about not continuing this search. Someone needs to get a photo of him and dig deeper into who he is, Kayla. I suggested that to Detective Tyler, and he wasn’t objectionable to it.” Her father laughed after that.
“What’s so funny, dad?” Confusion lit her face after hearing a robust pursuit of suggestion, then a laugh.
“Muddles has a new favorite thing to chase now.” He grunted followed by a snicker.
“Is she still after your socks, dad? Muddles won’t do harm.”
“I will sit down with a breakfast burrito, Kayla, and after breaking off a piece of tortilla and tossing it to Muddles, she chases it all over the house. It’s hilarious. All Muddles wants to do is play with it, pick it up and throw it into the air where she catches it and slaps it around. This cat is keeping me on my toes.”
“That’s Muddles for you. That cat can keep herself occupied with anything fluffy paws can move over the floor. I’m glad you two are getting along.” Kayla cracked a smile thinking about her cat chewing on a piece of tortilla.
“She was the smallest cat at the rescue, and nobody wanted her, except me. I’m proud that I chose to bring her home for you, Kayla. My socks aren’t safe, but everything else seems to be, except tortillas.” Thomas cleared his throat.
“I wanted to let you know how happy I am you accepted my decision to be here, and for not flying out to protect me against whatever evil crawled out of numerous darkened dungeons with invalid attempts to halt my progression of the truth.” Kayla was on her feet when her phone chirped. When she looked down at it, Callie was texting her again.
“I’m always here for you, sis. Whatever you need. I should get back to work.” He said his goodbyes and hung up.
Kayla went to read what Callie wrote when she texted again.
Hey, Kayla, I’m not sure where you are, but please let me know you will pay the rent while you're gone. I need your half paid by tonight, please.
Kayla went to her online account and transferred her rent amount to the manager. Once done, she typed back to Callie. Consider it done. I just paid it right now.
Thanks so much. Callie blathered on about Stan, and that was when Kayla stopped reading her texts.
When Kayla looked up at the television, she wondered inside her head what happened to the photo she had hidden in her pocket. After giving the room another search, not one sign of it revealed itself. She huffed out loud.
Her phone rang, and this time it was Detective Tyler. “Are you okay, Kayla?”
“I’m good. My arm still hurts. I think I will need something for the pain. Later, I will need to walk down to the store and get aspirin.” She responded with a wince.
“Come downstairs so I can take you to the hospital and have it checked out.” His insistence told her Thomas Decker was the one behind this sudden intrusion, and it was loud and clear.
“I’ll be there in a minute or two.” Kayla went to the door, gripped the cold handle in one hand, and saw something keeping her door from locking. After pulling it off, sticky tape then wrapped itself around her thumb. “Someone was in my room, Detective Tyler.”
“What?” Tyler slammed his car door and added, “I’
m coming up right now.”
Kayla stood with her door held open, and when she saw Tyler racing over the floor, she held the tape on her thumb for him to see. “Someone stole something from my room.” She watched him investigate the clear sticky piece she had.
“What was taken that you know of?” He went to call someone when Kayla shook her head.
“It was just a picture, Detective Tyler.” She shook her head and went back into the room. “I had a picture of the Blackwell family in my pocket and last night, I heard something in my room. The thermostat had been messed with, and today, the photo is gone.”
“Did you happen to snap a picture of it on your phone?” Tyler let the door go as it slowly closed and locked itself.
“No, I didn’t think about doing that. I should have thought of that.” Kayla visibly scolded herself before him.
“It’s okay, Kayla. We will locate it. Let’s look around.” He dropped to his knees and looked under the bed and beneath every piece of furniture in the place.
“Two set of eyes are better than one set as my father would say.” She looked elsewhere inside the room, and when she went back into the bathroom, she moved every item on the countertop and inside the cabinet. “Nothing here.”
“I’m not finding anything in here either. Whatever happened to it, that picture is not in this room anymore. Who was in the picture anyway?” His pad and pen were out about to write down what she said.
“It was a photo of a Blackwell family. A table came into our shop back home, and I found it stuck underneath one of the pieces. I put it into my pocket thinking it might be important, and now it’s definitely a critical component to this investigation, I believe. It could help you with knowing who those people are and how they are related to the deceased.” Kayla leaned against the wall and rubbed her cheek.
“Let’s get you to the doctor so they can check out that arm. They might give you some pain meds for it.” He encouraged her to walk before him out the door where he ensured the door closed behind them and that it was locked too.
~~~
Kayla sat on one of the hospital beds with crinkly paper beneath her. As the clock ticked by, she sucked in both of her lips and had the most bored expression running over her face.
“Sorry, I’m running late today.” A male doctor came in with a clean-shaven face, and he was wearing dark-rimmed glasses. It was all wrapped in short dark hair encircling his face.
“I had an incident today.” She bowed her head with eyes gazing at the floor.
“A man grabbed her arm today. We were on a case near the river, doctor. Can you please check out her bruised arm? I’m afraid it’s a little too sore for her to continue without any pain medication.” Detective Tyler watched the doctor’s mannerisms, and when he nodded back, Kayla’s eyes met his.
“Can you remove your coat, please?” This doctor watched as Kayla slowly took it off with much pain.
“It hurts a lot.” She allowed him to look at it and when he did a full check of her vitals, he called in a nurse to assist.
“Is everything going to be alright?” Her question was tainted with fear.
“Yes, I need a female nurse in here to help. It’s the law, Ms. Decker.” He waited for a dark-haired woman with gray streaks to enter with a smile.
“Okay, I’m here.” Her kind voice instantly put Kayla at ease.
“She was grabbed today while with the detective. We should look at her arm to ensure nothing below the skin has been torn. It’s what we need to look for to determine if more damage is beneath the skin. If that were the case, then we suggest further analysis.” His tone was filled with concern.
The nurse took hold of Kayla’s arm and held it while the doctor began to slowly push into the bruises. He apologized profusely even as Kayla’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry. It doesn’t feel as if anything below the surface has been severely damaged. Ice it twice a day, and I will write a prescription for a pain med. Are you allergic to anything, Kayla?”
“No,” she wiped her tears on a tissue the nurse handed her. After glancing down to see the nurse’s name, Kayla smiled at the nurse. “Thanks, Melinda.”
“I’m sorry this happened to you, young lady.” This nurse waited for the doctor to write out the prescription and hand it to Kayla. “Go downstairs to the pharmacy, and it will be filled for you. Did this happen with police presence?”
“Yes, it did, nurse.” Detective Tyler jumped into the conversation.
“It will be billed to the department. You’ll be okay. Take it easy for a while, and it will heal quickly.” She reassured Kayla.
“Thank you, both.” She slipped on her jacket with the nurse’s assistance and was helped off the table.
“I will take it from here, doctor.” Tyler walked by Kayla’s side to the elevator after giving them his card. “Let them know what was done today, please. They will take care of everything.”
“We will.” The doctor cleaned his hands at the sink as the nurse went back to her duties.
Detective Tyler pressed the button to the elevator that would take them downstairs where the pharmacy was located, and while they waited, he hummed a tune. It was ‘you are my sunshine.’
“I know that one. My mother would hum it to me at bedtime. It reminds me of her. Thanks for that.” Kayla felt the words on her lips when she followed along.
“My mother too. She would sing that song when she wanted us, rowdy boys, to settle down for the night. It always worked.”
When the elevator doors opened, they stepped inside. It sat open for a few seconds, then closed and started moving down. Kayla’s stomach jumped, and when she grabbed the railing, she exhaled.
“Elevators are not your favorite, are they?” Detective Tyler asked.
“Just this one. I feel its bumpy movement, and my tummy doesn’t like it at all. I’ll get over it as soon as I get out.” She smiled when the doors opened, and she was able to flee the tiny steel box.
“That’s okay. I hate escalators. They drive me nuts.” He cackled with a low tone.
They entered the pharmacy when her name was called. “That was quick.”
“If it’s for our department, they are fast to respond.” Detective Tyler walked with her to the counter where a short woman stood wearing pharmacist attire.
“I was asked to get you in and out fast. Here are your meds. Take one twice a day for pain.” She handed Kayla a paper to sign, and when she gave it back, the meds were given to her.
“Thank you.” She turned and moved toward the door with delicate steps.
“Is it hurting right now?” The detective queried.
Kayla nodded. “They poked me.” With intense emotions, she held in what was about to burst forth.
“Let’s get you something to eat so you can at least take a pill now.” Detective Tyler hurried to the car after asking her to wait for him.
Kayla looked around at all the people who came in looking for satisfaction from their doctors. How many actually found what they were looking for? When a man exited screaming about something that took place inside the hospital, his wife’s eyes rolled when she asked him to keep his voice down. He refused and kept ranting about something.
Kayla met Detective Tyler at the car and got into it before he slowly moved over the road in the direction of the hotel. “What was that all about?” Tyler asked with a hand motioning at the couple still making a scene.
“The husband wasn’t happy with his service, and he caused a ruckus would give him satisfaction.” Kayla went to giggle and thought better of it when pain stabbed her with irrational intent.
“Some people will never learn. I’ll drop you off at the hotel after having room service brought up to you. That way you can take a pill.” Tyler wheeled the car over the busy streets with accuracy and speed.
They arrived to see another police car sitting near the front entrance. “I wonder who that is.” Kayla pointed.
“It’s Officer Randal. I’ll check it out.” He parked
behind the other car and got out with Kayla as they walked through the front door of the hotel. He spotted the officer standing near reception when he shouted, “Hey, Randal, what’s up?”
He waved Detective Tyler to him. “Apparently, there was a break in with one of the rooms upstairs.” He rolled his eyes and looked at the woman standing near reception.
“That’s Lizzie. We flew on the same flight here together.” Kayla went to speak with her.
“Hey, Kayla.” Lizzie appeared shaken up. “Something horrible happened.”
“Is everything alright?” Kayla wanted to reach out, but her arm wouldn’t allow it. “Are you okay?”
“No, someone broke into my room and ransacked it. Someone took things, Kayla.” She laid her face in both hands and sobbed.
Detective Tyler walked to a woman in reception and ordered lunch for Kayla, and when they slowly walked to the elevators, he whispered, “Randal told me no one broke into her room. Every camera revealed nothing. She’s not telling the truth, Kayla.” They got into the elevator and rode up to her room.
“Why would she do that? It’s weird. I’d never lie about that.” She felt stupid saying it. “Here I am telling you she’s a liar. I told you something was missing from my room.” She shook her head. “I’m no better.”
“I believe you were robbed. I don’t believe Lizzie was robbed. Something is wrong with that scenario. Randal will handle it. Let’s get you to the room and eating food so your arm will begin to feel better, and I will go back down downstairs and check out the surveillance to see who entered your room.”
They stepped out of the elevator and moved to her hotel room. “What if someone broke into both rooms, Detective Tyler? I’m just asking. Could it be possible?”
“It could, but I highly doubt it. The only way would be unless someone had a card to both rooms or a disgruntled ex-employee did this to show that staff guests aren’t safe. That’s a possibility. I’m going to leave you, are you sure it’s not going to bother you?” Detective Tyler had rolling worry moving through his eyes.
Kayla's Chronicles- Will Travel For Murder Page 7