by K. A. Davis
A doctor arrived with an ambulance and after checking her over decided all Jill needed was a sedative and some sleep. “Keep an eye on her, but I’m sure she’ll be fine once she gets some rest.”
Diane and Caroline helped Jill up the stairs to bed.
“What the hell’s going on here?” the doctor asked,
turning to Ed.
***
After settling Jill into her bed, Caroline and Diane returned to the first floor with the backpack and bags of blankets from the cave.
“You two need some sleep too,” Ed said.
“Not yet, Ed,” Diane said. “We have to show you something first.”
In the dining room, they reconstructed their investigation into the missing girls including the map on the wall and the pictures from the security cameras at the marina.
“Holy Hell,” Ed whistled. “This is major.”
Ed made a phone call to someone who, from Ed’s side of the conversation, was not happy about being awakened at dawn. Then he called the troopers into the room. “You are to guard this house and this information with your life. The FBI is on their way.”
Fatigue hit Diane and Caroline like death itself and, with the evidence in safe hands, they laid their heads down on the table and fell asleep. A smile crept across Ed’s face. Diane was going to hate it when he told her she fell asleep on a dining room table in front of state troopers. He motioned for one of the troopers to carry Caroline to her bedroom. He then lifted Diane in his arms and carried her to her room and laid her gently on the bed. He slipped off her shoes and covered her with a blanket and then took off his own shoes and lay down beside her. Taking her in his arms he whispered in her ear, “Thank God you’re okay. If it had been you, I don’t know what I would have done.” His eyes closed and for the first time in many years he was exactly where he wanted to be.
Four hours later Diane, Jill, and Caroline were getting caffeine kicks with black coffee in the kitchen surrounded by state police and FBI agents.
“Ed, will you drive us to Mass General?” Diane asked.
“Not just yet Diane. We have time for breakfast.”
“Ed! We need to get to the hospital.”
“Trust me Diane there’s time. Claire is out of surgery but in ICU. She’s heavily sedated so there’s no need to hurry.”
That was all Jill needed to hear; she was up and pulling frying pans from everywhere. “Okay. How does everyone like their eggs?”
Caroline and Diane looked at each other and laughed.
“She’s back,” Caroline said.
After breakfast, Ed spent an hour in seclusion in the dining room with the agents while the women cleaned up the kitchen and then took their posts in the rocking chairs on the back porch. They heard the sound of a helicopter, in the distance, and turned their attention to watch as it flew low along the shore line toward them. The chopper slowly lowered to the beach in front of them spraying them with sand that felt like millions of needles piercing their skin.
Ed stepped out the back door. “Come on, ladies. You wanted to go to the hospital didn’t you?”
Jill and Caroline looked at Diane. “How does he do all this Diane?” Caroline asked.
“I told you he’s the Attorney General.”
Jill jumped up. “No, you didn’t. You said he was ‘AN ATTORNEY,’ not THE Attorney General.”
“Well,” Diane said. “Minor difference.”
“Really?” Caroline said, collecting her handbag. “Just a minor difference?”
***
The chopper landed on the helicopter pad at Mass General and they were escorted to the ICU. Standing at the glass wall that separated them from Claire, they watched as a doctor and nurse administered to her. Claire’s face was black and blue, her right arm was in a cast from hand to shoulder, her left leg was casted and in traction, and there were tubes it seemed in every orifice of her body. Spence was fast asleep in a chair with his head on the side of the bed. His left hand was holding her hand with the IV and his right hand rested on her cheek.
Jill wiped her eyes and looked at Caroline who put her arm around her waist. Ed took Diane’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
The doctor, seeing them, made one last check and then left Claire’s room to speak with them.
“How bad is she?” Diane asked.
“You’re Mrs. McPherson’s friends who were with her on the Cape?” the doctor asked.
“Yes, Diane replied, introducing the women and Ed.”
“It’s bad. Besides the obvious broken bones, there are serious internal injuries. Luckily she had a helmet on or I’m sure she would have died. It was a long and intricate surgery. We repaired all the fractures and stopped the bleeding. She’s on a respirator to help her breathe. Now it’s up to her.”
“How long until we can see her?” Caroline asked.
“She should start coming out of the sedation in a few hours. We’ll check her then and let you know.”
The doctor started to walk away and then came back. “Who’s Betsy?”
Diane, Caroline, and Jill looked at each other and then back at the doctor. “Why do you ask?” replied Jill.
“Mrs. McPherson, talked to her through everything.”
When they did not respond, the doctor looked confused and continued. “Well, she must be her guardian angel or Mrs. McPherson would never have survived. I’m still not sure she will, but most people wouldn’t have made it this far. She’s going to be setting off a lot of metal detectors with all the screws and pins we had to put in her.”
A nurse directed them to a waiting room where they found Amy and Beth, Claire’s daughters. The girls rushed into the women’s arms. Once everyone was calm Amy and Beth wanted to know what happened. Diane, Jill, and Caroline did their best to explain what they knew and then there was nothing to do but wait. Eventually, a nurse came to the waiting room to tell Amy and Beth they could visit their mother for a few minutes. Addressing the others, she explained that until Claire was conscious and stable they would only be permitted to take turns visiting for fifteen minutes every hour. The day progressed, slowly, with a rotation of visitations to Claire’s side.
Jill tried Drew’s cell phone to let him know how Claire was and get news on Ike. Again, there was no answer. “What is wrong with him? Why isn’t he answering?” Frustrated she threw the phone in her purse.
Ed was busy making calls and finally called the three women into a private room used for family conferences with doctors.
With a serious look on his face, he asked them to be seated and then proceeded to ask them why they had started their investigation of Wendell.
Diane became the spokesperson and explained about Claire finding the clipping in the scrapbook, how she had known Betsy as a child and was compelled to find out what happened to her.
Ed listened quietly, at times looking down thoughtfully at his hands folded on the table in front of him. When Diane finished her story he looked up. “You ladies have no idea how dangerous this was. That being said… I have to tell you how brave and courageous you are. The four of you have exposed the largest, human trafficking ring in history.”
“What?” Jill said, starting to tremble. “Human trafficking? You mean those girls were kidnapped and sold.”
“Yes. Exactly. All over the world.”
“Have any of them ever returned home?” Caroline quietly, asked.
Looking directly at her, Ed slowly shook his head from side to side. “None that we have been able to determine.”
The women sucked in their breath and prayed Ed was wrong.
“The FBI has been working on some of the individual cases for years, but they never made the connection with the man you call Wendell. As it turns out, thanks to you, they have cracked the case wide open.”
“I don’t understand, Ed,” Diane said. “If the FBI has been working on the same cases, why didn’t they make the connection?”
“There was no evidence pointing to The Cape until you found it. The
trafficking began on a small scale over fifty years ago and grew to this horrible monster. You were right, Wendell’s father was involved early on and slowly brought in a few people, but it was still a small enterprise until they found the perfect piece to the puzzle.”
“And what was that,” Diane asked.
“Actually, it was two pieces. One was protection from suspicion, and that was Chief Peterson. He ran a tight little town where nothing ever happened because he extorted money from the business owners to guarantee their silence in return for the safety of their families and businesses.”
Jill slammed her hand down on the table. “Claire was right about him all the time. The good-for-nothing….”
Ed continued. “The second major piece of the puzzle was Swift Runner, the yacht.”
“Really,” Caroline asked. “How does that tie in?”
Ed stood up to stretch his legs and continued. “As I told you originally, the yacht is owned by a corporate conglomerate. We finally dug deep enough to locate the owners in the Middle East. They’re the other half of the equation. You got the pictures of the four Americans operating from Haworth. Wendell, Peterson, Johnson, and a man named Jeffries who captains the yacht. They abducted the girls and then turned them over to the Middle East connection. We believe the girls were held in the cave until they could make the transfer at sea. The forensics on the blankets will not be back for a while. We’re currently gathering as much DNA from the missing girls’ families as possible.”
Diane held up her hand to interrupt. “Ed, what happened to the children after they left here?”
Ed, who was looking out the window, turned to Diane. “They were sold to the highest bidders. Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing and most heinous crimes in the world. This was a huge ring, but there are many more out there.”
Jill was folding and unfolding a tissue in her lap. “Is there any chance of getting any of the children back?”
Ed looked at Jill with sad eyes. “It’s doubtful Jill, but we’re trying.”
Jill crossed her arms on the table in front of her and rested her head on her arms. Silent sobs shock her shoulders.
“I know how compassionate you women are,” Ed continued. “If nothing else, you can be assured you have prevented more girls from facing the same peril.”
“Where are the four men from Haworth now?” Diane asked.
“They’re in custody and the boat has been impounded,” Ed replied.
“And, what about the evidence from Wendell’s basement?” Jill inquired, dabbing at her eyes with her tissue.
“The night you saw them removing items from the house, they took it to the basement of the newspaper building. It’s all been recovered and will put these men away for a very, long time.”
Caroline who had been sitting quietly listening stood and walked around the table. “Okay,” she said, holding up her hands and ticking off the pieces of the puzzle. “But there’s one thing I don’t understand.”
Ed got a very strange look on his face and glanced at Diane who met his look with concern. “What’s that Caroline?”
“Who were the men who abducted Claire? How were they involved? Were they trying to get rid of her because she was getting to close to the trafficking?”
Ed walked back to the table and pulled a chair out for Caroline. “You better sit down.”
Taking her seat Caroline’s eyes searched Ed’s face. “What is it?”
Ed swallowed and looked at Diane and Jill. “The men who took Claire thought they were taking you, Caroline.”
“What!” Caroline exclaimed. “Why would they want me?”
“The man with the black Mercedes, whom Diane shot in the knee, is your husband, Bill.”
Caroline could only stare in disbelief. “This is ridiculous. You’re mistaken.”
Ed leaned over and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I wish we were, but it’s a positive ID. He hired the two men in the van to kill you.”
Diane got to Caroline just as she passed out. Lowering her to the floor, Diane asked Jill to get a nurse.
When Caroline came too, she looked around dazed. “Diane, what’s he talking about?”
Diane looked at Ed and nodded for him to continue. “Bill wanted to run off with his mistress and he needed to get you out of the way so there would be no monetary settlement through a divorce.”
“This is crazy. We were having problems, but you’re talking murder.”
“Apparently, your husband is a very, greedy man. He wanted everything,” Ed explained.
“But why did they take Claire instead of me?” Caroline asked, bewildered.
Jill answered before anyone else, “I know, I know… your appearance. You changed your hair, your style, and got rid of the contacts. Bill would have given a description of the way you used to look. The two goons thought Claire was you. Isn’t that it Ed?”
“That’s exactly right, Jill.”
“Claire is in there fighting for her life because of me?” Caroline asked, shaking her head. “This is insane. Where is he now?”
“He’s in the infirmary at the prison in Boston. He’ll be in prison for a very long time.”
“Do the boys know?” she asked.
Again, Ed looked at Diane and then back at Caroline. “Yes. They’ve been notified and are probably on their way here.”
Caroline slumped back in her chair. “Is it too late to stop them?”
“I can try,” Ed said. “But why?”
“They don’t need to be dragged through this. It’s between Bill and me. Please see if you can turn them around. Tell them I’ll be in touch when things are sorted.”
Ed left the room and the old friends sat and held hands without saying anything.
Finally, Jill broke the silence. “Well, I still hope the Marina Restaurant manager calls Bridgett.”
Diane cracked a smile and looked at Caroline.
“Leave it to Bill to come to kill me in a Mercedes. He always has to show off…,” Caroline said, with disgust.
***
Returning to the main waiting area, they found Drew. He was disheveled and looked exhausted with two days’ beard growth.
Jill ran to him and he took her in his arms. “How’s Claire?”
“Not good,” Jill replied. Pushing Drew back slightly, Jill looked up into his eyes. “Where have you been? I’ve been so worried.”
“I’ve been with Ike.” Drew put his face into Jill’s neck and wept. “He didn’t make it.”
To give them privacy, the others went to the cafeteria.
Caroline surprised them by getting a huge ice cream sundae.
“Caroline what are you doing?” Diane asked.
“Celebrating.”
“Celebrating what?”
“Not having to make the hard decision about divorcing Bill. He made it for me.”
Chapter Fifteen
Thursday
Diane, Caroline, and Jill returned to the hospital early to find Spence still at Claire’s bedside and two nurses working in the room. Claire didn’t look much better. Caroline tapped lightly on the glass wall. The two nurses turned around; one of them smiled and joined them outside the room.
“Carrie,” Jill whispered, in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
Carrie gave her mom a hug and then pointed to Caroline. “Caroline hired me as a private duty nurse for Claire as long as she needs me.”
Jill and Diane both looked at Caroline for an explanation.
“It’s the least I can do, I should be the one in that bed.”
“Spence is exhausted. Why don’t you see if you can persuade him to get some rest?” Carrie suggested.
Diane followed Carrie into Claire’s room and touched Spence on the shoulder. “Spence, Amy and Beth are staying at my house. When they get here, why don’t you take a break and go there for some sleep? We’ll let you know if anything changes.”
Spence looked at her not seeming to understand. “Spence, it’s okay. You can
come back as soon as you’re rested.”
Amy and Beth had entered the room without Diane hearing them. “Come on Dad,” Amy said, gently guiding her father out of the room. “Beth and I will take care of him, Diane. We’ll be back later.”
The vigil of rotating visits with Claire continued for the second day. When it was Caroline’s turn, she sat beside her friend and took her hand. “Oh, sweet Claire, I’m so sorry for this. I don’t know how, but I’ll make it up to you.”
While Carrie cared for Claire’s every need, Caroline stroked Claire’s arm and reminisced about their years of friendship. Carrie smiled at the stories she had never heard before and swallowed hard when Caroline re-visited the hard times the four friends had faced together.
The minutes stretched into hours and there was still no change in Claire’s condition.
Drew arrived and entered the waiting room where Diane, Jill, and Caroline were waiting their next turn to visit with Claire. “How is she?”
Jill slowly shook her head. “No change.”
“Can I take a turn with her?” he asked.
They hesitated, remembering how Claire had not been completely comfortable with Drew.
“I know she isn’t crazy about me, but I promise I won’t upset her,” he added, understanding their concern.
Jill took his hand and led him to Claire’s room. Together they stood beside her bed and Drew leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Come on, Claire, you can beat this. I know you, you’re the toughest woman I ever met. We all need you, and that includes me.”
Jill walked to the window and looked down into the parking lot. While she watched the cars driving in and out, and strangers going about their daily business, Drew lifted Claire’s good hand off the bed. Turning it over, he placed something in her palm and then closed her fingers around it and laid her hand back down on the bed.
Drew walked to Jill at the window and from behind put his arms around her and rocked her gently. She turned and laid her head on his chest.
***
Shortly after Drew left, Carrie hurried to the waiting room.
“She’s starting to come out of it. Please call Spence and let him know.”