See Tom Run

by Scott Wittenburg

  Doctor Wheeler replied, “You’ve been totally unconscious from the effects of the poisoning. Fortunately, you were not exposed to enough CO to do any permanent damage. We’ve given you oxygen to raise your O2 level. Basically, you have been in a very deep sleep all this time.”

  “So I can go home now?”

  Peg and Tom both stared at the doctor expectantly.

  “Actually, I don’t see any reason why not. Let us get a few more readings and if everything looks okay, we’ll turn you loose.”

  “Great, doctor!” Tom said, elated. “Thanks for everything.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Dr. Wheeler did a check of Tom’s vitals, spoke briefly to the nurse then left the room.

  “I can’t believe this!” Tom declared. “I wonder how long my Jeep has been trying to kill me.”

  Peg glared at him accusingly. “I don’t know, but I hope this has taught you a lesson, Tom. How many times have I told you that I smelled gas when we were out in that thing? And every time you said I was just imagining it.”

  “Hell, I was telling you the truth-I really haven’t ever smelled gas in it.”

  “Which is exactly why you need to do something about your sinuses! This just shows how important it is to be able to smell properly. It almost cost you your life!”

  Christ, Tom thought, does she ever let up on the I-told-you-so’s? “Okay, dear, you’ve made your point. I’ll go see an ENT specialist next week. So where is the Jeep now?”

  “At the dealership. I told them to tow it there so it could be getting repaired.”

  “Thanks. Will they give me a loaner, you think? I need a car.”

  “I’m sure they will.”

  The nurse returned with the discharge papers and went over them with Peg and Tom. He was to get plenty of rest and call 911 immediately if he felt any shortness of breath, heart palpitations, became nauseous, got a headache that wouldn’t go away or if he started hallucinating. Twenty minutes later, the Grayson family left the hospital with Peg driving her Accord.

  Tom was surprised at how exhausted he felt by the time they pulled into their driveway. He could barely keep his eyes open but insisted on helping Peg put the kids to bed. After kissing them both goodnight, he undressed to his shorts and undershirt, climbed into their king size bed and promptly fell into a deep, fitful sleep.

  CHAPTER 16

  Tom slept in until 10:30 the next morning. Although he had been asleep for nearly eleven hours, he still felt weak and somewhat out of it. He could hear the kids playing downstairs as he lay in bed, mulling over what had happened the day before.

  He was in utter awe of the fact that he had actually passed out in his Jeep while parked in the supermarket parking lot. How in the hell could he have missed smelling raw gasoline fumes for chrissakes? Granted, his nose was on the fritz with sinus issues, but to miss smelling raw gasoline? It was hard to fathom.

  But evidently, he had done just that. And he had been told that inhaling the potentially lethal cocktail of gas fumes and carbon monoxide (Jesus, were the gas line and exhaust system both leaking?) would have killed him if it hadn’t been for someone coming to his rescue. Tom now wondered who had discovered him and made a mental note to ask Peg so he could properly thank him or her for saving his life.

  He also wondered why the fumes had overtaken him so quickly-almost immediately after he’d gotten back into his Jeep, evidently. That didn’t make any sense at all. The doctor hadn’t elaborated on this phenomenon and had probably been wondering the same thing himself. It seemed as though he would have had to be inside the Jeep several minutes before the fumes would have enough time to knock him out like that. He made another note to ask Peg if she had an explanation.

  He thought back to his grocery run and recalled that he had been thinking about Tracy Adams and the rape incident the entire time, just as he had been for weeks now. In fact, he had been so engrossed in the matter that he was still racking his brains over it when he’d left the supermarket and got back into the Jeep That was it! He had decided to sit there in the Jeep and deliberate until he came to a decision once and for all on what to do!

  And in the process, he had breathed in enough noxious fumes to render him totally unconscious for six hours…

  Scary stuff, he thought.

  And now, as he lay there, Tom realized that he wasn’t any further along on that matter than he’d been before.

  But he had a very good idea of what his decision was going to be: let the whole thing slide and don’t rock the boat. He would be a complete fool to get involved and jeopardize his marriage and his career.

  Case closed.

  Tom stretched, yawned and got out of bed. After splashing cold water in his face, he went downstairs and made a beeline for the coffee maker.

  “Morning, sweetie,” he said when he entered the kitchen. Kelli was sitting at the kitchen table eating cookies and milk.

  “Hi, Daddy,” Kelli said. “You slept really late!”

  “Yeah, I was pretty tired, I guess. How are you doing?”

  “Good. I wish I never had to go back to school, though!”

  “Why do you say that?” Tom said, pouring himself a mug of steaming hot black coffee.

  “It’s so nice to be able to play all the time-I wish we had Christmas vacation all year!”

  “But wouldn’t you miss your friends and your teachers?” he asked his daughter.

  “Well, my friends, maybe. But not my teachers!”

  “Not even Mrs. Edwards?”

  “Well, maybe I’d miss her, but none of the others.”

  “What about your old first grade teacher, Mrs. Burke?”

  Kelli gave him a pained look. “Oh, Daddy! Is this gonna be one of your teacher lectures, again?”

  Tom chuckled. “Nah, I’m just trying to give you a hard time. Where are your mom and brother?”

  “In the family room. Tyler’s watching cartoons and Mom’s cleaning, I think.”

  “Put your dishes away when you’re finished there, okay?”

  “I will, Daddy.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Tom carried his coffee into the family room. Peg was dusting the furniture and Tyler was lying on the floor, his eyes glued to the tube.

  “Morning, troops,” he greeted.

  “Hi honey. Are you feeling any better now? I hope I didn’t wake you when I got up.”

  “I don’t think a nuclear blast could’ve woken me. I feel pretty good-just a little tired and groggy.”

  Tyler got up, ran over to his father and gave him a big hug. “I’m glad you didn’t die, daddy!”

  Tom held him tight. “Thanks, son, so am I.”

  “Did you dream any while you were asleep in the Jeep?”

  Tom said, “Hmm. That’s a very good question. If I did, I don’t remember anything.”

  “The doctor said breathing gasoline fumes can cause hallucinations,” Peg said.

  Tom let go of his son and went over to give Peg a peck on the lips. “Is that so? I don’t remember doing any of that, either.”

  Peg threw her arms around him. “Tom, I’ve never been so scared my whole life! Every time I think of how close you came to dying, I realize how much I truly love you-and how I could never make it without you.”

  Tom hugged her tight. “I’m sure it was pretty frightening for you. But I’m fine, no permanent damage, and I’m afraid you’re stuck forever with my naturally deranged mind.”

  She laughed. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Tom went over and sat down on the sofa. “Who found me, anyway?”

  “One of the employees-a young man named Justin Spencer. He was collecting shopping carts out in the lot when he noticed you slumped over the steering wheel.”

  “I’d like to thank him for saving me. Is he a local boy?”

  “Yes, a Thomas Worthington High student. His family lives just a few blocks from us, over on Selby.”

  “I’ll
call him later today. I’d like to give him something for what he did, too. You know, a reward or something.”

  “I think that would be a nice gesture, honey.”

  “Man, what a weird thing to happen! I still can’t believe I couldn’t smell those fumes.”

  “Like I’ve been telling you, you need to get those sinuses looked at.”

  “I know, I know. I’ll make an appointment-I promise. Did the doctor happen to explain why I passed out so quickly?”

  “Actually, he never mentioned anything about that. He must have assumed that the fumes were strong enough by the time you got back into the Jeep that a few breaths was all it took to knock you out.”

  “Hmm, that must have been the case then.”

  “And how many times have I told me not to keep the car running while it’s parked, Tom? That was really a stupid thing to do!”

  Tom shook his head from side to side. “I know. It was just so damned cold and I knew I wasn’t going to be very long in the store. I guess I really screwed up there.”

  “You sure did-you’re lucky you didn’t kill yourself.”

  “Honey, I admitted I screwed up, okay? I screwed up over my sinuses and I screwed up with keeping the car running in the parking lot. Now, can you just let it drop so we can move on with our lives and not badger me anymore about it?”

  Tom realized that he’d raised his voice and could see that Peg was pissed off now. She glared at him, glanced down at Tyler lying on the floor staring at the two of them then turned her back to Tom. She resumed her dusting without a word.

  “Sorry,” he said.

  “No you’re not,” she replied.

  Screw this! he thought. He decided to change the subject. “I wonder when the Jeep will be ready.”

  “Not today, it’s Sunday,” Peg replied with enough edge to remind him he was skating on thin ice. “Why do you ask?”

  “I need to go down to the school and catch up on some work. Mind if I take your car?”

  “Of course not. When do you think you’ll be home?”

  “Maybe a couple of hours or so.”

  “Eat some breakfast, first.”

  “I will.”

  With that, Tom stood up and returned to the kitchen. Kelli was putting her dishes in the sink when he entered.

  “Good girl,” he said.

  “I know,” she replied before heading out.

  Tom fixed himself a bowl of cereal, some toast and warmed up his coffee. When he was finished, he took a shower, shaved and got dressed. He kissed Peg goodbye on his way out the door.

  During his shower, Tom had come to the conclusion that he simply couldn’t take any more of this any longer. He backed Peg’s Accord out of the driveway, booted up his cell phone and punched in Frank Warren’s number resolutely.

  CHAPTER 17

  After filling Frank in with the details since regaining consciousness at the hospital the night before, Tom asked him to meet him at the Panera on High Street in fifteen minutes and not to tell Julie of their meeting. He said he would explain later. Frank, obviously intrigued by this unusual request, agreed and told his wife he was going to run a couple of errands.

  Tom was tired of the guilt he was feeling for not reporting the incident he and Tracy had witnessed on that fateful night. He wanted to-no, needed to get this off of his chest. He wasn’t sure yet if he was going to tell Frank the whole story-about Tracy being pregnant-he figured he would play that part by ear.

  After Tom went inside the popular cafe, he hung out near the entrance to await Frank’s arrival. Five minutes later, he saw his friend come through the door.

  “Thanks for coming,” Tom greeted him.

  “No problem. I’m dying to know what all of this mystery is about! I don’t suppose it has anything to do with your near-death experience, does it?”

  Tom led the way to the counter. “Indirectly, I guess you could say. What would you like-I’m buying.”

  “Just coffee. I’ve already had breakfast.”

  Tom ordered two coffees and the pair made their way to a table near the fireplace in the center of the shop.

  Frank took a sip and looked over at Tom. “So what’s up?”

  Tom wasn’t sure exactly where to start. All of a sudden, he wasn’t sure that this was such a good idea after all and nearly changed his mind about confiding in his friend. Then he realized it was too simply too late to turn back now.

  “First, let me ask you a theoretical question: if someone witnessed a crime and wanted to report it, could he do so anonymously?”

  Frank was clearly taken aback by the question and Tom knew that he was already itching to know what this was leading up to.

  “Well, yes. Of course he could. A lot of the tips the police get are from anonymous callers responding to public pleas for information on various crimes. Why do you ask?”

  “But what if the police wanted the anonymous caller to pick out a potential suspect from a lineup or a mug sheet? How could he do that without getting involved with any litigation that may eventually come up?”

  The attorney was clearly mystified about this line of questioning. “What in the hell has happened, Tom? And why do I have the sneaky feeling that you are this theoretical anonymous caller?”

  Tom smiled uncomfortably. “Okay, so I’m asking on my own behalf. Now, what about the question?”

  “It’s difficult to say, really. I guess realistically, the police would plead with you to come to the station with the info and to testify in the case if it became necessary. It really all depends on the conditions of the particular crime in question. So level with me, Tom. Tell me what you are referring to here.”

  “In strict confidence, as my friend?”

  “Of course. Shoot.”

  Tom knew there was no going back now. He could only hope that Frank was leveling with him as well. “Well, remember the girl that was raped and dumped out of a car about a month ago?”

  “Yes, of course. They’re still working that case.”

  “I saw the guy do it.”

  Frank’s eyes widened. “No shit?”

  “No shit. I not only saw him dump off her body but I got a good look at his car, too.”

  “That’s great news. But tell me, why in the holy hell have you waited this long to tell anybody?”

  “Hell, Frank. I can’t tell you that. All I can say is that it certainly hasn’t been pleasant not coming forward with this before now, but unfortunately there are some, uh, complications that have made me hesitant to do so.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Can’t tell you. Let’s just say that there have been some personal reasons not to, and now that I have, I’ll probably regret it.”

  “I don’t understand. I don’t see how reporting that you eye-witnessed a crime in progress can be anything but a good thing. I’m sure the victim will attest to that after they nail the guy.”

  “Can’t we just drop the reasons why and go from there, Frank? I really just want to do my civic duty because it has gotten on my conscience. The rest is irrelevant to the case, anyway. Believe me.”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll back off. But if you change your mind, I’ll be all ears, okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. So where should I go from here?”

  “Well, if you really don’t want to get involved, I’d just go ahead and call the police, anonymously, and tell them whatever it is you want to tell them. Describe the vehicle-make, model, year, color. As for the suspect’s appearance, give them a clear description-approximate height, weight, build and so on. Tell them what you saw; be as thorough as you can. They will be forever grateful to you, I’m sure. They don’t have squat on this case from what I’ve heard. Your info will no doubt give them the break they’ve been hoping for.”

  “That’s great to hear. I feel better already,” Tom said.

  “Have you told Peg any of this?”

  Damn! Tom thought. Why can’t Frank just let it go?

  “No, of course n
ot. Why else would I be meeting you covertly like this?”

  Frank grinned knowingly. “Aha! Now I’m starting to get the picture.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Tom, it’s more than obvious what’s happening here. And I don’t know why you’re so worried talking to me of all people about it. The reason you don’t want anyone to know about your witnessing this incident is because you were somewhere where you weren’t supposed to be! Am I right?”

  Screw it. “You got me there, Frank.”

  Frank chuckled. “Gotta admit, I didn’t know you had it in you! Peg’s no slouch and you guys seem to be really tight for an old married couple. This gal must really be something special.”

  “She is, or I should say, was. So now that the cat’s out of the bag, can we just move on and never mention this again?”

  “Mum’s the word.”

  “Good. Well, I’m going down to the school and catch up on some work I put off before the break. Thanks for everything, friend.”

  “No problem. And don’t worry about any of this-things always have a way of working themselves out.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Tom killed the last of his coffee and stood up. The two left and Tom thanked Frank again for his advice before heading to campus.

  Alone in his office, Tom debated whether or not to call Tracy and tell her that she wouldn’t have to talk to the police after all. He could at least spare her that inconvenience-not that she would have followed through with it, anyway.

  He picked up the phone and punched the first four numbers to her apartment then promptly hung up.

  What am I doing, here? he thought. All he would do is stir everything up again. Tracy had decided to let him off the hook for getting her knocked up and told him to go fly a kite. Why couldn’t he just be content with that and be thankful that he could still have his life?

  Could this have come out any better, you nitwit?

  With a smug grin on his face, Tom decided to make a call after all, but not to Tracy. He opened his cell phone, pressed “send” and scrolled down to his home number. Kelli answered.

  “Hi, kiddo. Is your mother around?”

  “Hi Daddy. Guess what I did,” his daughter said.