“Whore!” Dove yelled at her. He gave her 'the finger.'
He then rammed the side of the Accord into the side of the Sonata. That action especially scared Peachy, since it was the passenger side of the car which was used.
“What the hell’s wrong with you, man!” he yelled.
Dove giggled with delight, his eyes planted on his victim. He rammed the car again, causing Peachy to scream. The ram also caused the woman to temporarily lose control of the car. She zigzagged between the road and the grassy area in front of the woods several times. She managed to get back onto the street and straighten up in front of them.
Dove sped up again and came side to side with the Sonata once more.
“Stop it, Dove. You losing your damn mind. You crazy fool.”
“Shut the hell up. I want the damn slut to hurt.”
“Well I don’t!” Peachy looked back to the woman, who seemed as though she were trying wildly to drive with one hand, while she reached down into the seat with the other.
A gun, Peachy thought. This fool was going to get them both shot.
“Damn it, Dove. You cut this shit right now. She’s goin’ for a gun.”
“She ain’t shootin’ no damn body.”
Dove rammed the Sonata even harder this time. The collision sent the Sonata spinning in a circle off the road and back onto the grass. The Accord went on past, but Dove hit the brakes suddenly, slinging he and Peachy violently forward.
“Dove, you idiot,” Peachy screamed. If he hadn’t had his seat belt on, he definitely would have gone through the windshield. Being bruised-up already, he didn’t need any more scars or pain added to his body. His anger, however, was only met by more sinister laughing.
But despite his own terror, Peachy was more concerned by the Sonata. He quickly unfastened his belt and turned to watch the troubled car. The car continued to spin, going past them again. It seemed as though it would never stop. The driver’s side door came open. Peachy saw the woman fall out and roll shoulder over shoulder for about ten yards back onto the street. The car came to a halt on the grass about twenty yards from her. She lay face down in the street, her arms thrown out over her head. She didn’t move.
“Damn, man. Damn. I think you done killed her . . . Damn!”
Dove stared at her for a few seconds. She was in the direct path of his car.
“Screw her,” he then said.
He then stepped down on the gas. He headed straight for her, speed building. He was going to crush her.
“No, man!” Peachy screamed.
He grabbed Dove’s arms and twisted the steering wheel. The car swerved to miss her just in time. Dove yanked himself free, jerking Peachy backward. Peachy fell against the passenger door. Afterwards, Peachy yanked himself up and looked through the back window. The woman disappeared further and further in the distance. Peachy frowned miserably. He just knew she was dead. He just knew it.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ava had had a long talk with Henry. He needed to pull himself together. He had been spending all his days doing nothing but drinking and sulking. He hadn’t been back to work since Susy’s attack. His leave time was still paying his salary, but he knew that wouldn’t last forever. Besides, he needed to get back into the world at least a little. He also needed to do a better job of coping with his daughter’s situation.
He sat next to Susy’s bed. His face had a small beard. He ran a finger under the large bags under his eyes. He looked terrible. And he had no intentions of improving things. This was the first time he had been in this room since the first day Susy had been brought here. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to visit her before now. In his eyes Susy was dead. It was only a matter of time before the hospital would call and give him the news. Susy wasn’t brain dead, but her situation was indeed bleak, as the doctors had told him. There wasn’t much chance that she would survive, though it wasn’t impossible. With such dire circumstances, Henry just hadn’t been able to bring himself to visit her. He couldn’t stand to see her in the state she was in.
However, Ava had convinced him to come. He reflected, on her attempt to bring him back to life. As part of her efforts, she had urged him to go out with her and buy a new axe. One of Henry’s ways of relaxing was chopping wood in the backyard. He would do that on the side for some extra money, and then he would sell the wood to a couple of friends who lived in San Francisco – where the weather could get chilly at times in the winter. Ava thought it would be a good idea for him to do it now, since he was at home and had plenty of time on his hands. His current axe, however, was in poor condition. So he and Ava had gone to the hardware store earlier and bought one. On the way back home, they had stopped at the hospital.
So there he was. Ava had decided to let him be alone with his child. She would be back in a few minutes to get him. She had to leave shortly, because she had a meeting to attend – one in which another large donation would be made to the Susy Edwards Medical Expense Fund.
Henry had done nothing but stare at the child. She looked so peaceful. There was so much that Henry wanted to say to her. He had some apologies he wanted to make. If only she could hear him, he wished anxiously. He reached to the bed and grabbed Susy’s bandaged hand. He put her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” he said. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. I love you so much. You got to believe that. I love you, baby . . . And . . . And I know, Ava would never do something like this to you. She loved you too. She wouldn’t have hurt you like this.”
He rubbed the back of Susy’s hand against his cheek.
“Maybe . . . Maybe I should have been a little more fair to you. I’m sorry about that. I really am. Please forgive me. Please don’t hold it against me – up there in Heaven. I love you. I truly do. I always will.”
A tear dropped down Henry’s cheek. It hurt so much, watching his daughter lie there. Would he ever get out of this pain? he thought desolately. The only thing that would end it, would be for Susy to live, and he knew that wasn’t possible.
“You got to believe it, Susy,” he said despairingly. “Ava wouldn’t harm you like this. And . . . maybe I let her get away with some things, but it won’t that bad . . . Tell me, it won’t that bad . . . Was it?”
Another tear dropped from his eye. Then another. He had cried so much over this situation. He really didn’t feel like doing it anymore, though most times, he had no control over things.
Henry stood. He couldn’t take it anymore. He had to leave this room. For him, it wasn’t like he was standing over a sick girl in a hospital bed. He was standing over a girl in a coffin.
He gently put Susy’s hand back at her side.
“Don’t ever forget me, baby. Don’t ever forget, I love you. I’ll always remember you.”
Henry felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned, and there stood Ava. She had tears in her eyes. The two embraced.
“She’ll be all right,” said Ava. “I know it. The Lord will take care of her.”
Henry felt that was already the case.
“We’ve got to leave now, sweetheart,” Ava urged. “I’ve got to get going.”
“Whatever you say,” Henry replied, his voice cracking.
“She was such a sweet child. It’s not fair something like this had to happen to her. But bad things happen to good people.”
Ava freed herself and then grabbed Henry by the hand.
“I love you, honey.”
“I love you too, Ava.”
Ava led him out of the room. Obediently, almost like a little child, Henry followed her, head bowed.
As far as he was concerned, she was the mother and father of the family now. She wore the pants completely. He didn’t care. And as for Tori, she was wrong. His wife was innocent. He knew it. He just knew it . . . She had to be.
Tori had worked out all the details of the incident in regards to Simone with the police, as well as with the hospital. She had also worked things out with the rental car compa
ny. The Sonata was in police custody currently, being inspected for evidence. Afterwards, she had had to rent another car. After giving the motel room a quick cleaning, she had then returned to New Port General. She came sluggishly out of the bathroom – the bathroom being a short ways down the hall from Simone’s room. She had her purse slung across her shoulder. She heard yet another siren going by outside the building. She had heard them practically the entire night. She hated sirens when her head was hurting, which was the case now. The squeaking sound made her pain worsen.
She slowly headed down the hallway back to Simone’s room. Earlier, her head had started to feel a good deal better, but then, she had gotten the call from the police in regards to Simone. Instantly, her head had started acting up again, though it wasn’t as bad as it had been yesterday. She knew, though, that it would only be a matter of time.
She felt horrible about what had happened to Simone. She had decided that she would take her off the case. This was an extremely personal case for Tori, and she felt that only she should be put in danger. She believed that she was probably taking chances she wouldn’t otherwise take. As a result, she would not get her best friend killed.
Tori thought it was horrible that a group of sick men could have so much power; and she had vowed that she would even things before she left this city. However, though she was intensely angered by this Benny character, she did currently have a little satisfaction. Dove’s license plate had been picked up by a car that had been on a side road. Dove had been arrested, and he had admitted to being the driver, quite proudly. There had been another person in the car according to the witness, but Dove had refused to give him up.
“Us brethren stick together,” the police had told her – was his comment.
But at least they had the driver, Tori was happy to know. She just wished she could have a few minutes alone with him.
Tori arrived back at the room. There was Simone again, lying in the bed, her head wrapped.
The police were gone now. Simone looked a good deal woozy. Tori walked up to the bed.
Simone had a broken leg. There were also several cuts on her face. Like the ones from the other day, they would heal. However, Tori was determined that her friend would receive no more injuries. From this point on, she was working the case alone.
“Boy,” Simone said. “I’ll just take up residence here . . . You be the one to stay at the motel. Makes more sense.”
“A sense of humor. You’re a good woman, Simone.”
“I have to tell you something. I –”
“No. Don’t talk. Just rest. Tomorrow, we’ll do some serious talking. I’ll sit here a while and keep you company. I’m not crazy about being alone right now.”
“You want to hear this. Believe me. I’m not in the best shape currently. It actually had slipped my mind.”
“Whatever it is, Simone, it can wait.”
“Let me finish, please. When . . . When I was at the store, when I got back to the car, there was a note on the windshield. It was about Robbie Riley.”
“ . . . Really? What about him?”
“I have no idea who put it there. It may not even be legit. But it told where Riley was supposed to be staying.”
Immediately, Tori felt her face lighting up.
“ . . . You sure?”
“Positive. I stuffed it in my pants pocket. My pants are hanging in the closet over there.”
The closet was next to the door. Tori hastily walked over there. She pulled the sliding door open. With just a touch of fanaticism, she pulled Simone’s pants off the rack. She quickly went through the pockets. She pulled out the piece of paper. She unfolded it and read it.
“Graviston Arms. We walked by there, when we first got here. This is incredible.” Tori had instant excitement building inside of her.
“I thought so too,” answered Simone. “If it’s for real.”
“Who would be so nice to us?”
“I have no idea. But I guess you’ll have to investigate it – by yourself.”
“I’ll investigate it, all right.”
Tori rushed back over to the bed.
“I need to get on this as soon as possible. You don’t mind if I go on and leave, do you?”
“Like you said, I need to rest. But, what can you do this late?”
“I’ll work something out. I guarantee it.”
Tori was definitely getting energized. She even felt her headache starting to leave.
“Thank you so much,” Tori continued. “I appreciate everything you’ve done, Simone. I’ll never forget it.”
“Hey, why the finality act? That note may be a hoax.”
“True. But I’m still indebted to you for what you’ve gone through.”
Tori bent over and kissed Simone on the forehead.
“Thanks, friend. I’ll be back tomorrow. Call me on my cell phone if you need anything.”
“The only thing I need right now is to sleep. Me and concussions don’t get along too good –rather painful on the head."
“Tell me about it.”
Tori turned and rushed on out of the room. She hoped to God above that this note was the real deal. She privately prayed, that she would go to church every Sunday, if the note was indeed legitimate. She headed on down the hallway, passing nurses and orderlies. She couldn’t get out of that building fast enough. If Robbie Riley was still at that address, then she was definitely going to get to him. There would be no doubt about it.
Chapter Forty
Tori pulled her silver rented Nissan Sentra into the vacant space in front of the motel room. She had been so excited driving back from the hospital, that she had nearly run both a red light and a STOP sign. Fortunately, though, she had caught herself.
She had debated along the way whether or not to call Officer Gavitt. She finally decided to go on and involve the police afterall; it was best. But she had been so close to her motel, that she'd decided to just do it once she arrived. She hopped out of the car and slammed the door. She practically ran to the motel door and let herself inside. She turned on the lights and then hurried to the bed. On her smartphone, she tapped in the number Gavitt had given her. Blessed with an excellent memory, Tori hadn’t had to look the number up.
The phone on the other end rang several times. It was picked up on the fourth ring, though it had seemed three times that long to Tori.
“Bobby Gavitt residence.”
“Officer Gavitt, this is Tori Edwards. I need to talk to you about the proposal you made to me a couple days ago.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. You remember me, right? From the hospital.”
“I remember you, Miss Edwards. But what exactly do you want to discuss?”
“Our co-working together on the Robbie Riley case. If you can’t talk where you are, we can meet somewhere. I know it’s late, but I really want to do this as soon as possible.”
“The Riley case?”
“That’s right. I may have found out where he’s staying.”
“The Graviston,” Gavitt said coolly.
Tori was caught off guard by his knowledge. She didn’t want to give anything away, just in case he was bluffing. If they were going to do any kind of negotiating, she couldn’t let him know too fast, what information she had.
“What makes you think that?” she asked.
“That’s the place. Definitely. You know, Miss Edwards, you have perfect timing. Turn on your television. Make sure it’s on one of the local stations. You’ll learn everything you need.”
Tori was rather puzzled by that answer. She didn’t reply.
“Good luck to you, Miss Edwards,” Gavitt said, a finality to his tone. “I really do mean that.”
Gavitt hung up the phone. As for Tori, she looked at her cell strangely, as if it were to blame for Gavitt’s perplexing reply. She too hung up.
Tori picked up the remote off the bed. She flicked the television on; it was already tuned to a local station. The eleven o’clock news had just come
on, the digital time in the upper right-hand corner read: 11:01.
The scene on the screen was hectic. There were crowds of people on the street. There were a number of fire trucks on the street as well. Firemen used long hoses to spray thick lines of water into a building that was blazing with fire. A young, female reporter came on screen.
“The fire is under control now,” she stated. “But two lives have now been confirmed by police as having been lost – two men who lived in the building – next door to one another. They were believed to be members of a notorious club. The Women Haters. One has been identified as Johnny “Babs” Greck. The other has been identified as Robert B. Riley. Both men managed to get out of the building with the others. But they had inhaled too much smoke. They died shortly thereafter.
Tori dropped the remote to the floor. She was stunned. Her mouth fell open. She felt her skin tighten. She nearly went numb all over. What she had heard, could not have been true. However, the reporter reiterated things.
“Robert, or Robbie Riley, was hiding out here in New Port. He was the prime suspect in a murder in Del Toray, California. According to witnesses, the fire began in Riley’s apartment. Smoke was seen coming from under the door. Police haven’t confirmed it, but the buzz going around out here is that Riley had been drinking and smoking all day. He apparently fell asleep. Greck appears to have tried to save him.”
Tori began to feel light-headed, she was so shocked. She rocked forward, and then backward on the bed. She almost felt like she wanted to pass out.
“The Graviston Arms has been completely destroyed,” the reporter continued to torture. “Nothing in the building is salvageable. But then, that would be obvious to anyone.”
She turned and motioned towards the burning building behind her. The camera panned upwards the length of the building. The entire building was blazing away.
“Joan Myers, for Wavy TV news.”
The news story was over. Robbie Riley’s life was over. And with his death, Tori’s case was over. Tori sat there for several minutes. She was deadened. She was dizzy. She was empty. Almost as if at the snap of a finger, everything was over. She had been completely shut out. Robbie had been her only hope. In her short time here in New Port, she, as well as Simone, had suffered immensely. And for what?
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