Roulette

by C. D. Bradley

“Pretty amazing that you can eat food that has a chemical that strong sprayed on it,” Olivia observed as they drove. She kept checking her phone. Nothing from Dominic or Piper. Though they were driving with lights and sirens, the twenty-minute drive felt like two days. Rows of corn and soybeans stretched out as far as the eye could see. The detective’s sedan finally turned off the highway and bounced along a secondary road. They left a cloud of dust in their wake. Olivia’s cell service was starting to falter. With two bars left she called Dominic again and gave him directions to the staging area. Up ahead Olivia could already spot the decon tents being set up at the staging area beside a large corn field. Other officers were already on site taking pictures of tire tracks along the edge of the dirt road. Another team was setting up drones to scan the field.

  They parked and walked up to the staging area. Olivia’s cell service showed no bars at all now. Her heart raced and ached at the same time. Who were they going to find in the middle of all that godforsaken corn. Mental images of her sister and Gwen kept flashing through her mind. Would Piper or Dominic be added to the collection? Olivia stood in the debriefing and watched them demonstrate the DuPont Tychem 10000 Commander EX Level A suit that was fully encapsulating. The suit was rear entry with gas tight zippers and two exhaust valves. They were encouraged to maintain slow relaxed breathing to maximize the amount of time an oxygen tank would last. Olivia’s tank weighed about fifty pounds and would last forty-five minutes to an hour. The suit would alarm when she had five minutes of oxygen left. The instructor stressed the importance of being at the staging area for decon at that time. They would have to undergo a series of showers before the suit could be removed. Since it was air tight without the respirator they could suffocate in the suit. Once in the suit they would not be able to hear each other so they had to learn basic hand signals for the field.

  Each team member dressing had an officer helping them get dressed. Olivia stood still while Officer Johnson strapped the tank on her back. She glanced around and looked for Dominic. She would have given anything to see that motorcycle roaring up the road. She took one last breath of fresh air and placed the respirator in her mouth. Once situated Johnson began to zip her up. It was like being sealed in a plastic bag. She looked around at the team. Detective Shaver’s brows were set in a determined line but his eyes had a hint of fear in them. Each one was armed with a camera and the tools they needed to process the scene. Olivia was not a crime scene investigator so she would only be there to take pictures and stay out of the way. As they started into the field Olivia took one last look toward the road and then at the empty suit that sat waiting for Dominic. Please, God, don’t let him already be here.

  The suit was heavy and restrictive. Olivia felt like an astronaut on a planet where the gravity was ten times our own. They walked single file down one of the aisles created by the corn. Every step a colossal effort that took her closer to finding the truth. Someone she had been with last night was lying dead in this field. She hoped it was Jake or one of his colleagues. Ahead they were approaching an area where there seemed to be a clearing in the corn. Dr. Mattis and the crime scene team signaled them to stop. She took photographs at every angle. Olivia was last in the line and could not see. Dr. Mattis moved to the right and the crime scene officers entered the space to the left. The closer she moved to the clearing the more her heart began to race. Slow your breathing. She reminded herself. The last thing she wanted to do was run out of air and suffocate in this field. Detective Shaver moved into the edge of the clearing and for the first time, she could see part of the victim. Her heart leapt in her chest and she broke out into a sweat. She brought her camera up to take a picture of the slender foot of a woman lying next to a purple sandal.

  Olivia forced several slow breaths through the respirator. She could not compromise the crime scene. You can do this. She tried to calm herself. Two more steps and she would know for sure. Just then she heard a commotion behind her and turned to see the missing yellow suit walking toward her. Dominic. She didn’t know where he had been but she was fucking thankful to see him now. She waited until he caught up to move. When he reached her she stepped back and let him go in first. He would actually be collecting samples. She was just an observer and she was afraid to move forward. Once she saw the victim’s face it would be final. It would be real and she knew there was no going back.

  Please, God. She prayed as Dominic passed her and she had no choice but to move the last few steps. One step. She took a deep breath from the regulator. Two. Oh. My. God. The body of one of the Lambda Sigma Delta girls lay mangled in a pile of dead bugs. Olivia noted the same ligature marks and defensive wounds that she had seen on Gwen. But the bugs. She was covered in them. Fat little grubs like Dominic had retrieved from the other scene. The kind he said didn’t show up until day twenty. They were everywhere on day one but they all seemed to be dead. Was someone playing games with them? The girl’s pale blue eyes stared lifelessly into the sky. Olivia hated that she had never even asked her name. She was wearing the same lavender printed dress from the night before and one purple sandal. Just above her left breast was the sorority pin that Olivia had noticed at Saltine. Wait. She looked closer. The small gold shield was surrounded by tiny pearls and rubies. But the ruby on the top right was missing.

  Olivia remembered the day it had disappeared. Grace had talked her into coming to Rhode Island to go horseback riding. Fucking horses. Olivia was more of a turtle or goldfish person. They had gone on a trail ride to the beach with Morning Star Horse Farm. Olivia still remembered freaking out while Grace loved it. She said she loved the freedom. They rode until the sun was setting and stood together in the waves to watch it disappear. On the way back something had spooked Grace’s horse and she fell off. A ruby in the sand, gone forever.

  It couldn’t be. Anyone could have lost a ruby. Olivia took another step and bumped into Dominic almost knocking him into the area they had roped off for the initial phase. Everyone stopped and looked at her. She couldn’t stop staring at the date on the pin. 2006, the year her sister should have graduated. The year she died.

  This girl would have been ten years old then. She tried to point at the pin. But no one seemed to understand what she was trying to say. Dominic was busy collecting bugs and taking pictures. She tried to motion again and Detective Shaver stared at her like she was a dancing monkey. Fuck they hadn’t made hand signals for this corpse is wearing your murdered twin sister’s fucking sorority pin. Olivia started to hyperventilate. Each breath she sucked in from the respirator burned in her lungs. She needed to get out of there. What the fuck was she thinking coming out here in the first place? Her breaths got shorter and her heart raced right out of her chest. She had to get out of here.

  Her head tried to tell her that it could be someone else’s. This could all be a big coincidence. But her heart knew better. That pin belonged to Grace, and the same hands that stole the life of her beautiful sister had killed this poor girl too. Olivia shuddered as she realized the killer had stood in this very spot. Had he held on to this little piece of her beloved sister all this time? Olivia’s heart broke all over again. Why? Why now?

  All of a sudden, a very loud alarm echoed throughout her suit. She had used too much oxygen! Olivia began to full on panic. She only had five minutes of air left in this plastic coffin. Ripping it off now would expose her to the chemicals in the field; she had to get back and go through decontamination before it was too late. She turned and started trying to run back down the row but she was still over a hundred yards from the decon area. Her legs felt like massive anchors making each step a monumental chore. The harder she tried the more air she sucked in and the suit began to expand and contract with each breath. She trudged on closer to the staging area but her fingers and toes began to tingle. Do not pass out! She was running out of air. She could see a group of people in suits waiting for her at the end of the row to start the decontamination process. They were still so far away. She wanted to rip off that fucking suit. It cl
osed in around her like an anaconda threatening to squeeze the life out of her.

  She was still about twenty yard away when she stumbled. Olivia’s head swam. She felt herself falling and grasped at corn stalks. This was it. With the force of a freight train someone hit her from behind and scooped her up. Olivia’s body crumpled in his arms. Through the thick plastic she could see Dominic in his yellow suit. He was looking straight ahead and running at full speed. The alarm continued to blare as Olivia began to fade in and out of consciousness. Her lungs were on fire and her eyes felt like they were going to pop out of her head. Her mind flashed to Grace. With the ligature marks and petechiae in her lifeless eyes. This is how Grace felt as the life was choked out of her.

  The world started to fade just as they reached the decon area. Olivia felt water hitting the suit. Dominic was shaking her and trying to say something but all she could hear was that damn alarm and the pounding of her heart.

  “Stay. With. Me.” He mouthed as Olivia collapsed in the darkness.

  THE DAMN ALARM was still blaring as Olivia’s eyes began to open. Where the hell was she? Her vision began to clear and she tried to take in her surroundings. She was no longer in the suit. But lying on a cot that was jostling around with a white blanket over her. What the hell happened to her clothes? It wasn’t the suit alarm. What was that sound?

  “Ma’am . . . Ma’am can you hear me?” A man asked.

  She squinted her eyes? Why couldn’t she see better? He seemed to be in a blue uniform. Why was that alarm still going off?

  “My name is Eric. You are in an ambulance. Can you understand what I am saying?” the uniformed man was babbling.

  “Dominic . . .” She managed to squeak out of her burning throat.

  “Mr. Kain is in the other ambulance but don’t worry other than a few minor burns he’s fine. It’s just a precaution. The two of you doffed your suits before the decon procedure was complete,” Eric explained

  “I don’t . . . understand.” Olivia struggled with each word. She felt like she had inhaled razor blades.

  “Your suit ran out of oxygen and he literally carried you and your gear to the decon station. When you passed out he panicked and tried to rip you out of the suit. He couldn’t do it with his on so he shed his too. They were spraying you guys the whole time to help reduce the damage.” Eric reached over and adjusted her mask. “I need you to keep that oxygen on, okay. You inhaled some of the fumes and your throat is starting to show signs of a chemical burn.

  Olivia was no doctor but she had been working in violent crimes long enough to know that could mean her airway swelling and shutting off.

  “Is that why my throat burns so bad? Will they have to intubate me?” You have to get a hold of yourself. She could hear Grace scolding her as she had when they were kids. Calm down. Grace had always taken things in stride while Olivia tended to worry about everything. Grace was strong and brave . . . and dead. That carefree sense of adventure left her six feet under.

  “Just lie back and try to relax. We are giving you oxygen through the mask and I can give you something to help the pain if you need it.” Eric sounded like a calm and collected librarian. His soothing baritone urged her to remain calm and breathe slowly.

  Olivia conserved her voice and throat for the rest of the ride. Dominic had risked himself to save her. Of course he wouldn’t have had to if she hadn’t completely flaked out at the crime scene. She would never forgive herself if he was hurt. She kept thinking of the wild look in his eyes as he pleaded with her to stay. How was it possible to feel that connected to someone after just a few days? The thought scared the hell out of her.

  They pulled into the emergency bay at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and a medical team was waiting for her. Olivia was whisked into the trauma bay. The bright lights overhead seemed to blind her blurry eyes. She tried to talk but the razor blades in her throat had intensified. People were all around her but their voices were lost in a fog. The tall preppy doctor spoke to her with the same nonchalant baritone that the EMS driver had used until he looked in her throat. Then his whole demeanor changed.

  His eyes widened and the little vein in his forehead began to stick up as he began shouting orders that didn’t make any sense. Nurses and various people in uniforms began filling the room. Olivia’s heart was pounding like a piston in a race car. The sweat that broke out over her kept making the little monitor slip off her finger. Oh sweet Jesus, I am going to die!

  She could make out them telling her to calm down and breathe easy. Slim fucking chance. Another team in gray scrubs arrived with a machine that beeped like the Jetsons. What the fuck was that for? Her skin burned and itched intensely. They poked her like a pincushion and established new IVs.

  The tall doctor barked an order at a dark-haired nurse who pulled out several vials and laid them out. He stood before a tray of equipment. Wait! Stop! She tried to scream. This was supposed to be just for precaution. She was fine! The dark-haired nurse started putting one vial after the other into her IV. Her skin no longer burned. Her throat felt smooth as glass and everyone in the room floated away.

  “Miss Hastings . . .” She heard him say.

  My name’s not Olivia Hastings.

  DOMINIC TRIED TO jump out of the ambulance when they pulled up to the hospital. He had to find her.

  “Sir!” the paramedic yelled. “You have to wait. We have to take you in. You still need to be treated for your burns.”

  Two security guards were at his side in seconds as he tried to get through the doors. They set him down hard on a cart and the paramedics were at his side once more.

  “I am fine goddamn it! I need to get to Olivia. I have to see her,” he yelled at everyone who tried to talk to him but no one would listen. They wheeled him into a room and a young doctor rushed in to examine him. She seemed to be in a hurry as all hell was breaking loose in a room across the way.

  “My name is Doctor Windmiller, I’m going to check you out, okay?” The reddish brunette smiled at him with reassuring eyes. Her hands were very gentle and would have put him at ease if he just knew that Olivia was okay.

  “I feel fine. Have you seen Olivia Hastings? She came in by ambulance too? We were working on a crime scene and were exposed to chemicals in a field,” he asked, desperation ripping through his voice. Goddamn it he couldn’t watch her die again. He couldn’t do it.

  “I can’t talk about other patients,” she answered uneasily. She looked him over quickly and examined his ears and nose and throat then moved to his arms. “It looks like you didn’t inhale any of the chemical but your arms are another story. You have second degree chemical burns on a large percentage of both forearms. We are going to have to send you up to the burn unit to have this further evaluated.

  “The hell you are. Listen, ma’am, I am sorry to be rude but I am not leaving this ER till I know that she is okay. Please. I don’t care if my arms fall off. If she doesn’t make it I don’t need them anyway.” He barked louder than he meant to.

  Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard. “I . . . she’s . . .” The doctor stepped back and pointed at the room with all the commotion. People were moving in and out. A doctor was barking urgent orders and everyone was moving about quickly. He couldn’t see for the damned curtain. What the hell was going on in there?

  “Olivia?” he questioned and Dr. Windmiller nodded hesitantly. Before she could say anything, he jumped up out of the bed and ripped the leads off. He stormed across the large walkway to the trauma room and ripped open the curtain. What he saw nearly killed him.

  Olivia lay on the table hoses and tubes coming from everywhere. She looked dead. A woman in gray scrubs was handing intubation tools to a blond doctor who was doing his best to establish an ET tube in her throat. She must have inhaled some of the chemical. Goddamn it!

  “Someone get him out of here!” the doctor yelled and went back to his attempt. The two orderlies returned with force and dragged him back to his room.

  “Don’t worry,
” the young doctor was saying. “Dr. Holt is amazing. He will take good care of her.” Her eyes sparkled when she mentioned his name.

  “He better,” Dominic answered deadpan. All he could think of was the look on Olivia’s face when she was trying to tell him something in that stupid corn field. She kept pointing at something. A game of charades that he may never solve. Fuck! She had to be okay. He had bent over to collect the samples. That fucking spray. It killed all the larvae on contact. At that size they could have devoured the corpse in a week to fourteen days. The next thing he knew, Olivia was gone. He had finished with the current sample and then stood up and realized her suit alarm was going off. The sound was greatly muffled through his own suit and sounded far away. He turned and watched her going toward the decon tent.

  When he saw her stumble his heart lurched. He dropped everything in his hands and took off running down the aisle of corn at full speed. As she fell she reached out and grasped at a corn stalk she must have gotten that shit all over her suit then. Time was running out. He hit her without slowing down and scooped her up tank and all and sprinted the last twenty yards. The fear in her eyes. Fuck, he had seen that before. Jesus. He couldn’t lose her again. He pleaded with her to stay calm. To stay with him. It took so long to find her. He couldn’t lose her, not now. They were being sprayed. If she could just hold on for a few more rinses they would be free.

  Her eyes widened then closed and her body went limp in his arms. His heart shattered into a million pieces and he didn’t know what came over him. No one was helping and she was dying right in his arms. He started ripping her out of that damn suit. He got it open to get air in but couldn’t get it all the way off so he ripped his own off and finished cutting her loose. From the moment he broke his own seal until the spray of the hoses hit him he had held his breath. She had been unconscious and didn’t know any better.