“Would you like us to call you?”
“No, I think I'll wait right here if that's alright with you. Until we know for sure what's going on I'd like to keep an eye on him.”
“Of course, Sergeant. I have my rounds to do, I'll check back in shortly.”
It sounded to me like it was a cop and doctor; talking about me most likely. I supposed I could open my eyes and get it over with, but it was awful nice to just lay here.
“Hank, I didn't expect to see you here,” someone said suddenly. This one was a voice I recognized at least, Novak.
“Shane, hello,” the first man responded. Hank, who was Hank? Then I remember that was the first name of the police sergeant that Novak knew on the local police force. “We're going on the assumption that this has something to do with the Cohen murder so they called me in to talk to the kid as soon as he wakes up. Those other two sure as hell aren't saying a word.”
“Tight as a clam, huh?”
“They've watched too many cop shows. I think those things are the downfall of our civilization. They just make smarter criminals. You should hear these kids going on about not talking without an attorney and their rights. Stupid fucks. Let's just hope your friend here remembers what happened and doesn't have some sort of amnesia or anything. I don't know how much longer I can hold the Byrne kid; his parents are raising a ruckus like you wouldn't believe.”
“Oh, I can believe it. Don't forget I worked the force for many a year. I've seen angry parents in full protection mode of their kids way too many times. But I don't think you'll have to worry about Killian here. He's sharp, maybe the sharpest I've ever worked with. The kid is only eighteen and he's amazing; has a natural talent for detection.”
“Not to mention a natural talent for almost getting himself killed. Wasn't he involved in that serial killer a couple years back?”
“Yeah, that was him.”
I decided that I'd eavesdropped enough. I blinked open my eyes and took in the room.
Novak and Sgt. Kaplan stood near the door of the room, off to one side. Novak was wearing his usual uniform of a rumpled button up short-sleeved dress shirt and a pair of casual slacks. Sgt. Kaplan didn't really look at all like I expected. He was huge, burly and blonde with a ruddy complexion. He looked like a Viking without the furs and horned hat. He wasn't wearing a uniform, but instead was dressed in a well-fitted dark gray suit, one that was surely tailor made for his enormous frame. Neither of them noticed that I was awake at first.
“So what's a kid like him doing out on a case like this on his own anyway?” Kaplan was asking. His voice held a touch of reproach. “Nasty business from the start.”
“He's gotta learn sometime,” Novak said with a shrug. “I've been supervising him closely, but he did this without letting me know. I wouldn't have let him go into something like this alone if I had known. You should know me better than that.”
“It's not Novak's fault,” I said in a croaky voice. They both spun around with twin expressions of surprise that would have made me giggle if my head hadn't hurt so much.
“Killian, how do you feel?” Novak asked in a concerned voice as Kaplan said, “I'm Sgt. Kaplan. Do you feel up to answering some questions?”
“I feel like I got hit by a tractor trailer,” I said truthfully, “but I can answer some questions. First, though, where's my family?”
“They are all waiting outside,” Novak said. “We've been taking turns sitting in here with you.”
“How long have I been out?” I asked.
“Not that long, just overnight. I'll go let the others know you are awake and let you talk to Sgt. Kaplan alone.”
“You can stay,” I said quickly. “You'll want to hear all this too.”
Novak didn't argue and Kaplan took over.
“I'm going to record this if that's ok,” he said pulling out a mini tape recorder. At my nod he added, “Please say yes or no for the recorder.”
“You can record it.”
He read off the date and time and a few other bits of official information then said, “State your name, please.”
I did and he asked, “Can you tell me what was going on when the police arrived at the Cohen barn?”
“Finn and Caleb were getting ready to kill me,” I said calmly.
The Sergeant's eyebrows rose at that. “Are you referring to Finnegan Byrnes and Caleb Cohen?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me why?”
“It would be easier if I started at the beginning instead of working our way back from the end,” I told him. “Is that ok?”
“That would be grand. Go ahead; tell it to me how it's easiest for you and if I have any questions I'll just interrupt, ok?”
“Ok,” I said. I took a deep breath and launch into the whole story, starting with my talk with Becky Haynes and my subsequent confrontation with Caleb. I left out Judy's warning about someone lying to me and just told them I had a hunch. When I told them about the plan I had come up with on the spur of the moment, Novak rolled his eyes, but I thought I saw a sense of pride and respect in there too. Somewhat to my surprise Sgt. Kaplan didn't interrupt me once.
“Well, that was certainly thorough,” he said when I had finished. “You're training him well, Shane.”
Novak smiled, “He only needed a little guidance.”
Well, that pretty much wraps up my case,” Kaplan said thoughtfully. “Nice work, kid. I'll have to get this typed up and back to you to sign to make it official, but we have what we need to go ahead and file the charges now. You'll probably have to testify in court unless they both cop to it or one or the other turns, but you'll make a great witness so I'm not worried. I'd better get back to the station now. You did a great job.” He shook my hand, and was surprisingly gentle considering his size, and then let himself out of the room.
“How did the police get there when they did?” I asked Novak as soon as Kaplan was gone.
“Mrs. Fields,” he said with a grin.
“Mrs. Fields?” I gasped.
“Yep. She saw all the traffic out around the barn and got suspicious, so she walked out and overheard them talking about killing you. So she went back inside and called the police. You'd better be glad the force here has such a great response time. From what you said it sounds like they were just in time.”
“I'll say,” I muttered.
“They caught Finn halfway across the field. Caleb was still inside the barn, hiding in the loft. You were, of course, unconscious in the middle of the floor.”
“So it's all over?”
“Looks that way.”
Just then the door burst open and in flooded my entire family: Adam, Steve, Kane, Micah, and, much to my surprise, Mom. A nurse flew in close behind. Everyone was talking at once and I couldn't understand a single word anyone was saying.
“Everyone, please!” the nurse finally shouted over the din and everyone fell quiet.
“We can't allow this many people in the room at one time. Two at a time, please.”
Everyone exchanged looks, but no one made any move to leave. Steve stepped forward and made the decision. “Adam, you and Meg go first since you're the parents, more or less. The rest of us will draw straws or something.”
All but Adam and Mom filed out of the room, leaving me alone with my mother and the man I thought of as my father.
“You know, there are easier ways of getting my attention than almost getting yourself killed. I'm really getting tired of seeing you in a hospital bed,” Mom said with a shaky smile.
“And trust me, I'm just as sick of lying in one,” I said with a smile of my own. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. “Mom, I'm fine, really. It's just a bump on the head, that's all.”
“If you weren't eighteen I'd ground you until you were forty,” Adam said. “I'm damn well tempted anyway.”
“Good luck,” I laughed. “I go to college in a few weeks.”
“Are you still planning on moving out?” Mom asked me.
>
“Well, if Adam and Steve don't mind I think I'll live at home for awhile longer.”
“Mind? Are you kidding? It's a dream come true. Just don't forget we may be moving into the Bates Hotel in the near future.”
“Not too near, where would we all live?”
“We've been talking about taking the third floor as our living quarters until we can figure something out. We've already installed bathrooms in most of the rooms so that isn't an issue and we have a state of the art kitchen. It wouldn't be that bad and you and Kane could finally have your own rooms.”
“Well, not too bad except for Amalie,” I pointed out.
“Judy seems to think she'll leave us alone once we move the baby.”
Since Mom seemed to be following this conversation with no problem I assumed someone had filled her in. “When are you doing that?” I asked.
“Whenever you are able to be there. Judy is insisting you be present.”
“No, really, don't wait on my account,” I protested weakly.
“We have plenty of time to talk about all this stuff,” Mom said. “Right now we have a bunch of other people who want to see you just as badly and you need your rest. Come on, Adam.” They moved towards the door as she called back, “We'll send the next two in.”
Steve and Kane came in next. They talked for a few minutes, mostly Kane wanted to hear all the gory details, and then Steve dragged him out to send in the next pair.
Micah came in alone.
“Hey there,” he said softly.
“Hi, I guess you got your story, huh?”
He waved my comment away. “I'm not worried about the story. I didn't even ask for it, let Walter's have it. I was just worried about you.”
“Really?” I asked, feeling very pleased.
“Really.”
“Isn't anyone else coming in?” I asked, realizing we were still alone.
“Mr. Novak said he'd already had his chance to talk to you and I could have some time alone with you.”
I was touched by his thoughtfulness, and grateful for the opportunity. I smiled and held out my hand. He came obligingly closer and took my hand in his.
“You really scared me, you know?”
“Scared you, huh? More than Amalie?”
“Dead people have nothing on the living,” he said with a smile.
“I'll be fine.” I smiled back at him.
“You'd better be, and soon! How else am I going to take you dancing again?”
“Just dancing?” I asked, my smile growing to a grin.
“We'll see.” He stared into my eyes and I felt my breath catch in my throat. We stood there for a few moments without saying a word, just gazing into each other's eyes.
“Well?” I said, ending the moment.
“Well what?”
“Aren't you going to kiss me and make it better?” I asked in what I hoped was a seductive tone.
I didn't have to ask twice.
Chapter 32
“I'll get it,” I said as the doorbell chimed.
“No, you stay there,” Adam ordered jumping to his feet. “I'll get it.”
“Adam! For God's sake, I'm not an invalid. I've been home for 6 days and I feel fine. I think I can open the front door.”
“The doctor said seven days,” he said stubbornly, but he did sit back down.
I threw him a grateful smile as I escaped from the room to answer the door. I was beginning to feel like I was in a prison. After I regained consciousness, the doctors had released me after another night of observation. I received instructions to take it easy for one week; I wasn't to do anything too strenuous or turn my head too quickly. If I hadn't developed any serious symptoms in that time, such as dizziness, poor coordination, memory lapses or vision difficulties, I was fine and could get back to normal. Otherwise I may have more serious damage and I was instructed to get my tail back to the hospital pronto.
I had relaxed at home until I was ready to scream. I needed a vacation from relaxation. A guy can only watch so much TV and spend so much time on the internet. Adam let me feed and bathe myself but that was just about it. He waited on me hand and foot, and Steve was almost as bad. The only person who acted normal around me was Kane. The ringing doorbell was a welcome change of pace. It meant I'd get to see someone new. Except for Micah, I hadn't seen anyone all week.
That wasn't to say I had been kept out of the loop. Everyone had been careful to keep me abreast of what was going on. Caleb had been officially charged with the murder of his father, Finn had been charged as an accessory and accomplice, and they had both been charged with my attempted murder among a host of other, smaller but still serious charges. Caleb had apparently sung like a bird, placing all the blame for the idea behind the acts squarely on Finn's shoulders. Since what I had heard confirmed this, I had a feeling that it would be a long time before Finn was free, if ever.
The press was having a field day with the revelations, especially the local TV station. For the first few days everyone somehow managed to keep my name out of it, but it was too good to last. Soon we had reporters calling and knocking on the door every ten minutes. Thankfully that initial flurry didn't last too long and they had dropped off to one to two a day. My favorite headline was “Local Boy Wonder Does It Again!” Adam promised to have it framed for me.
There was always the chance that this was just another reporter at the door but I was getting good at dealing with them and honestly they weren't as bad as they seem on TV. Most of them were very polite.
I swung open the door, a polite smile on my face, and stopped cold. “Asher,” I said in a surprisingly calm voice.
“Hi, Kill. I hope it's ok that I just stopped by. I mean, I was…I'm…hi.”
“Hi.”
We stood facing each other for a few awkward seconds while Asher shifted from one foot to the other. Finally he spoke up again.
“Would it be ok if I came inside? I'd like to talk to you.”
“Yeah, uh, sure. Sorry.” I quickly stepped back to allow him in.
He moved into the hall where we once again stood staring at our feet while we tried to figure out what to say. It was once again Asher who broke the silence.
“I was going to come see you at the hospital but…”
“I wasn't even there that long. It's ok.”
“Still. Then I was going to come by here, but it's been a rough week.”
“Yeah, for a lot of people I guess.”
That uncomfortable silence rose up between us again and I wondered what it was that had brought him by here.
“Look,” he said at last, “Can we go somewhere a little more private? I need to talk to you about something important and I'd rather not do it in your front hall.”
“Ok,” I shrugged and started up the stairs. He followed behind me.
Once we were in my bedroom, I sat on the desk chair and swiveled it around to face Asher. He was standing in the middle of the room with his hands in his pockets and his head down.
“So what's going in?” I asked after a minute. These tension filled pauses were beginning to get old.
He took a deep breath and looked up. “I've been doing a lot of thinking this last week; about a lot of things but mostly about you and me and me and Caleb.”
I raised an eyebrow but kept quiet and waited for him to continue.
“What happened between us was partially both of our faults, but I think most of the blame pretty much belongs to me.”
“Ash…” I started but he cut me off.
“Killian, please just let me say what I have to say without interrupting me. Like I said, I've been thinking about this a lot and I need to say this, ok?” I nodded and he took another deep breath. “I know we both did some stuff wrong, neither of us is perfect and we're both young. I don't think we were ready for such a serious relationship, at least you weren't and I really wasn't either, although I thought I was. I expected too much from you and expected too much from our relationship. I was trying to push t
oo hard too fast and you simply weren't ready.”
I opened my mouth again but a sharp look from Asher silenced me as he swept on.
“When we broke up I felt really lost for a while. We'd been a couple for so long I'd forgotten how to be my own person. When I met Caleb he seemed so sweet and sincere…and scared and lonely. I felt like I could make a difference for him, be something that he needed. The whole time I was just being a fool, being used by a manipulative little liar.”
“You couldn't know…”
“Why not? Why didn't I know? Why couldn't I see it? Because I didn't want to. I wanted to be needed. I wanted to be a hero.” I didn't know what to say, but thankfully Asher didn't seem to expect or really even want me to say anything. “I don't even know if our friendship is even salvageable at this point,” he went on, “and I know I never want to see Caleb again, so I've made some really important decisions.”
“What kind of decisions?” I didn't like where this conversation was heading. It was starting to feel very final.
“Major ones. I've talked to Mom and Dad and they are being really supportive. Everything is already in motion. I just thought you deserved to hear it from me.”
“What's in motion? What are you talking about?”
“I'm moving, Killian, leaving the area. I need to get away from…everything.”
“Leaving? When? Where are you going?”
“I'm leaving tomorrow and I'll be going to my uncle's place in Alexandria. He's not really my uncle but he was Dad's best friend all through college and we've always called him Uncle Billy. He's like some big shot at one of the universities up there. He's trying to get me into classes there. I mean I know it's last minute but he seems to think he can pull it off. If not, I'll take the semester off and start in the spring. Either way I just need to get away, so…”
“I can't believe you're leaving.”
“Why not? What difference does it make really? I mean, you've moved on. You're happily seeing that Micah guy. We're not exactly buddies anymore.”
“But I didn't…”
“I'm not blaming anything on you, Killian. I just need to get away from here. I think it'll be good for me.”
“You mean you're running away.” I knew I was lashing out, but my thoughts were spinning and I couldn't seem to gain control of them.
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