Red Julie (An Olivia Miller Mystery Book 2)

by J A Whiting

  Olivia’s body began shaking violently. Joe squeezed her hand as her eyes rolled back in her head.

  ***

  Joe and Brad rode in the ambulance with Olivia to York Hospital, Joe watching Olivia’s face and cursing the traffic all the way. An intravenous line was attached to Olivia’s arm and gauze sheets were pressed against the knife wound in her stomach. The paramedic had injected her with something and placed an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. Between the mirror shard, dog bite, Alexei’s blood spatter, and the switchblade, there wasn’t much of Olivia’s body that either wasn’t covered or dabbled in blood. She looked like she had just come out of a war zone.

  “We should’ve gotten there sooner,” Joe said, a hitch in his voice. He looked as if he had aged ten years.

  “She’s okay, Joe,” Brad reassured weakly. His eyes were wet. “She’s strong. She’ll come out of this fine.”

  “Been a hell of a year for her.” Joe shook his head.

  “Hell of a year for you too,” Brad said.

  “I’m not the one with my blood on the outside of my body.” Joe caught the sob that tried to escape from his chest. “My poor girl.” The words crumbled in his throat as he passed his calloused hand over his face. He leaned forward to see out the ambulance window. “Where’s the damn hospital?”

  The lights of York Hospital showed through the window. The ambulance bounced over a bump in the driveway leading into the emergency room entrance. The doors of the ambulance flew open and the stretcher was pulled out. Joe and Brad followed it into the hospital. People in scrubs were waiting and they shot questions at the paramedics as the stretcher was wheeled down the hallway into surgery. The doors slammed in Joe and Brad’s faces and they stood there, shell-shocked.

  A short, round woman with kind eyes hurried up to them. “You’re her next of kin?”

  “Well, in a manner of speaking,” Joe replied.

  “Sir?” the woman questioned.

  “This is her friend.” Joe gestured toward Brad. “I’m her neighbor and her….” Joe’s voice trailed off, not knowing how to explain that Olivia was as dear to him as his own child, that he would give his life for her, that if she died he did not know how he would go on. What was the word for that? “I’m her…”

  Brad said to the woman, “Her aunt passed away last month. She has a cousin, but no other blood relatives. This man has acted as her father for years.”

  The woman held a clipboard out to Joe. “Will you fill this in, then?” She led Brad and Joe to a small waiting room and explained where they could get coffee and that someone would update them on Olivia’s condition periodically. She asked if she could get them anything. They shook their heads.

  A long night and morning of waiting ensued. Joe sat like a stone for hours. He would not leave the waiting room. Minutes ticked by. A television hinged to the wall showed a sitcom but the sound had been muted. Brad bought coffee from a machine and the two cups sat untouched on the table. A few other people came and went.

  Around five o’clock in the morning, a tall auburn-haired woman dressed in scrubs entered the waiting area. Brad stirred from dozing in the chair and Joe’s breath caught in his chest when he saw the woman sit down across from them. Joe desperately wanted news of Olivia but now that this person was here to speak with them, he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what she had to say. At least while sitting and waiting there was hope, and he didn’t want that hope replaced with misery.

  “I’m Dr. Higgins,” the woman said, leaning forward in her chair. Her voice was kind. Joe met her eyes. “The surgery went very well. Olivia is doing fine.”

  Joe burst into tears.

  The doctor smiled at him and said, “I’m glad I have good news to share. Miraculously, none of her major organs was injured in the attack. She needed some blood and the wound required repair and stitching up. The tissue will heal and she will be as good as new in no time. She’s in the recovery room. She’ll be ready to go home in about forty-eight hours.”

  Joe wiped his cheeks with the backs of his hands. Brad swallowed hard and brushed at his eyes as he passed Joe the box of tissues from the side table.

  Joe managed a hoarse, “Thank you.”

  “She’ll be drowsy, but you can see her now if you’d like,” the doctor said.

  Joe nodded and they stood.

  “The nurse will show you where to go. I’ll be in to check on her later.”

  Joe and Brad found the floor and the room where Olivia was in recovery, and when they tiptoed around the corner and saw her, she was lying on the hospital bed with her eyes closed. Her brown hair was spread out on the pillow like a halo around her head and her skin was pale and luminous from the combination of the loss of blood and the glow of the room’s bright lights.

  She opened her eyes and saw them. The effects of the anesthesia made the edges of dream and reality blur, but she knew they were real. Her two men, standing solid before her. Her heart full of love. The corners of her mouth turned up. “Hey, you two,” she said softly.

  “Hey, yourself,” Joe whispered. He touched her hand with his fingertips like he was afraid she would break if he held her. She took hold of his hand. She looked up at Brad and reached for him. He was still carrying the tissue box and he put it on the bed next to Olivia and gripped her hand. A huge lump in his throat kept him silent.

  “Do you have a cold?” Olivia asked Brad. Her voice was heavy and her words slurred.

  He looked at her quizzically.

  “Your eyes. They’re red,” she said. “You brought a tissue box.”

  “Oh. No,” Brad said. “Just…allergies,” he lied and blinked back tears.

  Joe lifted her hand and kissed it. “You want anything, sweetheart?”

  “I’m a bit thirsty,” she said.

  He lifted the cup of water from the table and held the straw steady so she could place her lips on it. She sipped and rested her head back on the pillow. Some water dribbled onto to her chin and she lifted the tissue box to take one out to dry her face. Her movements were slow and sluggish. She held the box in front of her eyes and studied it.

  “Liv?” Joe asked, wondering why she was staring at the box.

  She put the box back on the bed. “Something came into my mind. But then I lost it.” Her voice was croaky from the tube that had been dropped down her throat during the surgery. Joe tilted his head and looked at her, questioning.

  “What were you thinking?” Brad asked.

  “Not sure,” Olivia said. Her eyes were half closed. “When can I go home?”

  Joe responded, “The doc said you can probably go home in forty-eight hours.”

  “Okay.” She nodded. “Don’t leave me.” She fought to keep her eyes open, but her body’s need for rest won out and she drifted away into sleep.

  Chapter 28

  Just before noon, Joe returned to the hospital from having gone home to shower and shave. He brought Olivia some pajamas, clothes and toiletries from her house and had her backpack and laptop and some flowers that he and Brad had spent quite a bit of time choosing from the florist shop. Brad had to return to work but he demanded that Joe call him every hour with updates. When Joe finally found the room Olivia had been moved to, he saw her sitting up in bed, her hair in a ponytail, talking to Detective Brown, who was sitting in the chair next to her.

  Olivia’s face brightened when Joe entered the room. “Joe!”

  “You look terrific,” Joe told her and kissed her head. “These are from Brad and me.” He set the vase of flowers on the window sill.

  “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

  “Detective.” Joe nodded to Brown and said to Olivia, “I brought your laptop and some of your things.” Joe put the bag on the floor and Olivia beamed at him.

  “You recovered my backpack,” she said.

  “I did indeed,” Joe said.

  “Detective Brown is questioning me about the other night,” Olivia told him.

  “So soon?” Joe asked, concerned abo
ut Olivia having to relive it all.

  “It’s best to take the information when it’s fresh,” the detective said. “Before she has a chance to hear things from others.”

  “Should I wait outside?” Joe asked.

  “No,” Olivia told him. “I’d like you to stay with me.”

  “It won’t take too long,” said Brown.

  Joe pulled up the extra side chair and listened as Olivia recounted the events of the previous night, explaining how Alexei had texted her from Hannigan’s phone and that she went to the house expecting to meet Hannigan there. Joe’s emotions alternated between horror for what Olivia endured and fury at the people who inflicted it on her.

  Brown wrote in his notebook. “I know it’s difficult to have to tell this. I appreciate your going through it with me.” He closed the notebook and looked at Olivia. His face was serious.

  “You should know that Alexei Siderov survived the gunshot.”

  Olivia’s eyes widened in shock. Joe looked pained.

  “He’s in no condition to give us any information right now, but we hope to talk with him soon.” He paused. “Most likely, we will need you to testify when we go to court.”

  Olivia nodded.

  Joe piped up. “What about Mike Sullivan, Detective? Do you know how he’s doing?”

  “Mr. Sullivan has been in a medically-induced coma. He was in tough shape. He hasn’t been able to give us any information. He is expected to pull through.”

  “Thank God,” Olivia murmured. “What about Liz Sullivan?”

  “She’ll be fine. She’s been seen by a plastic surgeon,” Brown told them. “When will you be discharged?”

  “The day after tomorrow,” Olivia said.

  “I’ll have to collect the necklace that Andersen passed to you. As evidence.”

  “Of course,” Olivia said.

  “Why don’t I give you a call the afternoon you’re discharged and see how you’re feeling? Maybe I can come by to pick it up then. The sooner the better, I’m afraid.”

  “I could bring it by the station later today, if that would help,” Joe offered.

  “No, no. That’s not necessary,” Brown said. “I might need to ask Olivia a few more questions anyway.” He stood. “I’m glad to see you’re doing so well,” he told her. “Thank you for your time.”

  Joe stood and came around the end of the bed to shake Brown’s hand.

  As soon as Brown was out the door, Joe said, “For Pete’s sake. They can’t even give you a few hours to rest.” He shook his head. “I just don’t like that guy.” He took the seat that Brown had been in.

  “He’s okay, Joe. It has to be done,” Olivia said softly. She seemed to have lost her energy.

  “Can’t believe one of those bastards survived,” Joe muttered angrily. “He should have died.”

  “Joe…we shouldn’t think that way,” Olivia whispered.

  “A trial? God,” Joe said.

  Olivia was quiet.

  “Are you doing alright, Liv?” Joe asked, concerned.

  “Just tired from the telling, I guess.” She turned her head to Joe. “I need to hear how you and Brad showed up with the posse at Siderov’s.”

  “Not now, sweetheart. Why don’t you rest?”

  “I want to hear. Tell me. I can listen while I rest. Please, Joe.”

  “I’ll give you the condensed version. Then when Brad is here, you can get us to fill things in,” Joe told her.

  She closed her eyes and nodded. “Tell,” she said.

  “Brad came to my house looking for you,” Joe said. “He had been trying to reach you for hours. We went to the shop, went to your house. Brad had to go back to work the event at his bookstore, so I took the bike and went to Hannigan’s house to see if you were there doing surveillance. There was a light on in the living room and I decided to go up and knock. I saw your backpack on the couch and I got panicked. Detective Brown came into the living room just as I was about to bang on the glass. He was searching Hannigan’s house, looking for anything that could shed some light on Andersen’s death. I told him my concerns, grabbed your backpack, and we went to the Siderov’s to speak to them. Of course, while riding the bike to Hannigan’s my phone fell out of my pocket and Brad couldn’t reach me.”

  Olivia opened her eyes and chuckled, but had to clutch her stomach from the pain. “Ugh. You and that phone, Joe.”

  “So Brad called the Ogunquit police and made up a story that he saw a man dragging me into Hannigan’s house.” Olivia opened her eyes in astonishment.

  Joe continued, “Well, I wouldn’t answer his calls and he knew I went to Hannigan’s and he was worried. The police met Brad at Hannigan’s just when Brown and I were leaving for the Siderov’s so we all went together.”

  Joe paused and cleared his throat. “The housekeeper answered the door. She looked frightened, nervous. One thing led to another and we ended up breaking into the basement.”

  Joe looked over at Olivia. “The end,” he said.

  Olivia turned her head. “I’m surprised the police would agree to go to the Siderov’s based solely on your worries.”

  “They had some suspicions of their own as it turns out, and with you missing – well, it gave them cause.” Joe paused, then said, “There was a drug warehouse in the basement of the Siderov’s house.”

  Olivia’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “They were storing drugs, shipping them through Canada to couriers who took them overseas. Allegedly, of course. They were also suspected of money laundering, racketeering, theft of antiquities and major works of art. Not to mention the murder of at least nineteen people. Those are the things the police know about. There may be more.”

  “You’re making this up,” Olivia said.

  “I kid you not,” Joe answered.

  “Good God,” she said.

  “You got that right.”

  Olivia struggled to sit up. “So what were Aggie’s and Martin Andersen’s connection, besides him being a customer of hers? What did they know? How was Aggie involved with the Siderovs?”

  Joe shrugged. “Unknown.”

  Olivia frowned.

  “I assume the police will try to link that necklace Andersen gave you to the Siderovs,” Joe said. “And as far as ‘red Julie’…no clue.”

  Olivia looked off into space and sighed. Her face brightened. “Joe! I almost forgot! When I was at Hannigan’s, I saw Aggie’s camera bag on a bookshelf. She had been at Andersen’s house. We need to get it. We need to look through the pictures on her camera.”

  “Her camera bag?” Joe stared at her. “Why was it there?” Joe wondered.

  “Maybe she and Andersen were watching the Siderov’s house?” Olivia said. “Would you hand me my laptop, Joe?”

  Olivia sent an email to Rodney Hannigan telling him that she was okay and that while she was being held at his house against her will, she saw a camera bag belonging to Aggie. As she would have to lie low for a few days to recover from surgery, Olivia asked if Joe might be able to borrow the key from Detective Brown and go by and pick up the bag sometime soon. She included Joe’s cell phone number in the email.

  Olivia shut down her laptop and Joe moved it aside. She leaned back on her pillow. “Joe, maybe we’ll find some pictures on Aggie’s camera that will give us some information.”

  Joe nodded. “And maybe that bastard Alexei can give some answers as well. And if I find out he had something to do with Aggie’s death…” His voice trailed off.

  Chapter 29

  By the time the hospital managed to discharge Olivia, it was well past noon. Brad and Joe loaded Olivia and all her things into Brad’s car and they made the short drive back to Ogunquit. As they pulled into her driveway Joe said, “I don’t know why you have to be so difficult.”

  “Well if I wasn’t, then it wouldn’t be me,” Olivia said.

  “I agree with Joe,” Brad said.

  “That is no surprise,” Olivia answered.

  “You shouldn’t be a
lone right after getting out of the hospital,” Brad told her. “The nurse said so.”

  “Joe is right next door,” Olivia said.

  This argument had been going on since they pulled out of the hospital driveway. Olivia wanted to be in her own house and in her own bed. She knew Joe and Brad had work to tend to - and anyway, she didn’t want to be fussed over.

  “Liv…forget it. I’m not going to Wells today,” Joe said. “And maybe not tomorrow either. If you won’t come to my house, then I’m coming to yours. I’ll bring my paperwork over and I’ll do it at your kitchen table. After that, I’ll leave you alone for a while, but I’ll be back with dinner and I’m sleeping in the guest room tonight. You aren’t going to be alone your first night out of the hospital. That would be just plain dumb.”

  Olivia sighed. “Fine.”

  They helped her into her house. Brad got pillows and blankets from the spare bedroom and made a nice nest on the couch for Olivia. Joe put her clothes away and freshened the water in the vase of flowers. He brought her some books and made sure her laptop was in easy reach. Brad made a pot of tea and placed it on the coffee table.

  “You’re both good to me.” She smiled at them as she settled on the couch and snuggled under the fleece blanket. Even though it was a warm day, she felt a little chilled. She sipped the tea. “Thank you,” she said. Brad put her cell phone and the television remote on the end table.

  “I’ll call you later,” Brad told her. “I need to get back to the store. Don’t give Joe a hard time.”

  “Tell him not to give me a hard time,” she said. “He’s like a clucking hen.”

  “I heard that,” Joe called from the kitchen. He carried in a plate of toast and jam. “I’m going home to get my paperwork. I’ll be right back. Try to stay out of trouble until I get back.”

  Brad and Joe walked to the door. “Call me if she gets too unbearable,” Brad said to Joe.

  ***

  Joe worked at Olivia’s kitchen table while she dozed, used her laptop, nibbled at whatever Joe brought her to eat, and strolled around the house a little.