Lin and Sue sat quietly and waited for Ellen to regain control of herself before they asked her any more questions. Finally she appeared calmer and Lin asked about her parents. “Have your parents been reached yet? Are they coming home from their trip?”
Ellen nodded and swallowed hard. Her crying had abated for the moment. “They called me from Germany this afternoon. The first flight out they could get leaves early tomorrow. They won’t get back to Charlotte until tomorrow night because they have lots of layovers—they couldn’t get a direct flight—but they should be up here by Wednesday morning. The doctor said I could probably be discharged by then, but I’ll have to do a lot of rehab on this shoulder so my folks will probably want me to leave summer school and go back home with them for that.” Ellen didn’t seem as if she wanted to do that.
“It might be easier,” Lin told her. “I had a bad shoulder injury myself about a year ago. After surgery I needed a good bit of help while I was rehabbing.”
Ellen nodded but didn’t say anything more for the moment.
Sue joined the conversation, “ Mark Scott, the park ranger working on your case, told us you couldn’t remember anything about how you were hurt. Have you been able to recall anything about that day?”
Ellen nodded, “Just a little. I remember that Pete and I had a picnic. It was a pretty day so we went up on the Parkway. I think I took a nap after we ate,” she shook her head, “the next thing I remember is waking up here in the hospital last night. The nurses had to tell me I’d been shot and then, just a little while ago, the deputy who came by told me Pete’s body had been found.”
Sue spoke up, “When we found you, you were still conscious for a few minutes; you were looking for Pete but couldn’t find him. Then you passed out and didn’t wake up again, not even when the medics came. It appeared to us that you had taken a tumble from the overlook, maybe landed on a rocky ledge about six feet below. Somehow you had managed to climb back up to the roadside.” Sue smiled, “you must be a very strong girl.”
Ellen could only nod. “The deputy really has a lot of questions for me to answer, but I can’t remember anything. The doctor says I have a skull fracture and a concussion. He says it may take awhile but my memories might come back—but sometimes they don’t.”
“I had a similar experience when I was hurt,” Lin offered. “Eventually I was able to recall what happened, with Sue’s help. Right now, you just need to try to relax and get well.”
“Was Pete your boyfriend?” Lin wanted to know more about the other victim.
“Not really, not yet anyway,” Ellen smiled sadly. “We’d only had a couple of dates. Pete and I went to high school together. We were always good friends. I just broke up with someone recently, and I think Pete asked me out the first time just to help me get over that. Then we went out a couple more times. I really liked Pete. He was a good guy, not like…” she didn’t finish this sentence.
Lin realized that Ellen seemed very tired. She was having a lot to deal with right at the moment. A nurse came in and injected some pain medication into her IV. She gave Lin and Sue a look that seemed to say it was time for Ellen to get some sleep.
“I think we should go and let you rest, but if it’s OK with you, we can come back tomorrow sometime.” Lin picked up on the nurse’s unspoken message.
“Please do,” Ellen managed a smile. “It really helps to have some company and I’m really glad to see you again Dr. …er, Lin. Hey, you never did tell me why you are here in Boone.”
Sue spoke up and explained that they were working as volunteers on the Parkway. “We met last year when we were both doing similar work out in Arizona.”
“That’s neat,” Ellen managed a sleepy smile. “I love it up here. That’s part of why I planned to go to summer school. I wanted to stay in the mountains.”
Lin reached over and gave the girl a gentle hug, taking care not to hurt the injured shoulder. “When you were in elementary school you were ‘Ellie’ if I recall.”
“I still am, that’s what my friends and family still call me,” the girl responded.
“Then Lin and I will be back tomorrow, Ellie,” Sue smiled broadly, “Is there anything you’d like us to bring you?”
“No, I have all I need,” Ellie replied, “except company, that’ll be the best thing.”
As they left the hospital Lin questioned Sue, “Do you think she might remember more if you tried that technique for recall you did with me last year? It really helped me remember important details of what happened.”
“Perhaps,” Sue replied, “but she’s not ready for anything like that just now. She needs time to heal and recover from the trauma. She may even remember everything on her own eventually.”
“You’re right and I do hope, for her sake, she recovers quickly.”
“Mark Scott seemed to think she might need more surgery later on,” Sue recalled. “Her shoulder and upper arm were pretty well shattered and torn up.”
Lin winced at the thought, “You’re right, her injury was far worse than mine. Mine was mainly dislocation and torn ligaments. The surrounding tissue was bruised but that was all. I imagine she’ll have a long road to full recovery.”
When they arrived back at the lodge they found a note stuck to their door. Frank Leonard, their “landlord-to-be” had called. They decided to return to the lobby to call him back; the cell signal was stronger there.
“I hope nothing’s gone wrong with our deal,” Lin groaned as Sue dialed the number.
She watched anxiously as Sue reached Dr. Leonard. Lin couldn’t hear what he was saying, but Sue was nodding as he talked. Finally, Sue broke into a big smile. “That’s great news,” she had a big smile on her face, “I’ll tell Lin and we’ll make arrangements.”
“It seems that things are moving along toward our move,” Sue said as she ended the call. “Frank has been able to get someone lined up to clean the house thoroughly, even the floors and carpets, by the end of this week. He’s eager to get started on his journey and has finalized his travel plans for next weekend. He’s leaving town on Saturday evening so we can move into the house next Sunday if we wish. He wants us to pick up the keys before the weekend.”
“That’s wonderful news,” Lin almost shouted. “I’m supposed to work next Sunday but I feel sure I can swap a day to be off for moving. I’ll talk to Rachel tomorrow.”
“Hopefully, that will work,” Sue said. “I’m already off on Sunday but I have no desire to unpack all our junk alone.”
“We need to celebrate this,” Lin said. “ How about we go down to Applebee’s for a cold beer before we retire for the night?”
“I’m in” Sue said with a high five. “This lodge is a great place to stay, but I’m more than ready to spread out a little even after only a few days.”
Before leaving to celebrate, they told Sally Mackey that they would be leaving the lodge next Sunday.
“I’ll miss you ladies,” Sally smiled, “but I certainly understand your desire for a bigger place. I’ll enter your room availability in the computer right now.”
It was almost midnight by the time Sue and Lin crawled into bed but they quickly fell asleep.
Chapter 5
Tuesday evening saw Lin heading once more into the medical center to visit Ellen. Sue had decided to go out to the house to pick up their keys and check on a few last minute questions. The hospital was right on the way so Sue drove and dropped Lin off, planning to pick her up in about an hour.
Ellen looked much better than she had the day before. She was still quite pale, but her facial swelling had abated somewhat and someone had helped her put her hair in braids. Lin commented on her obvious improvement.
“I do feel better,” Ellie said. “They’ve cut back on some of the pain medication and I don’t feel so sleepy and groggy. My folks just called from the airport in Charlotte and they’re going to drive up tonight; they’ll be here first thing in the morning.” This last was said without much enthusiasm. Lin sensed that
Ellen was not altogether happy that her parents would soon be in town, but she didn’t say anything.
Instead, Lin talked about her day on the Parkway and their plans to move into the house the following weekend. “That’s why Sue’s not here,” she explained. “She went to get our keys and make sure we have all the information we need to look after things out there.”
“That’s a great deal you got,” Ellie remarked. “I know Dr. Leonard, he teaches Art History. I had him for a class last fall. He’s really interesting. I may major in art …if I get to stay in school here…”
Lin realized that Ellie was close to tears again. She pulled her chair closer to the bed and reached for the girl’s hand. “Why would you leave school, Ellie? I mean, you may have to take a break while you recover from all this, but that doesn’t mean you’d have to drop out.”
“No, that’s not it. I’m a rising sophomore and I have good grades and all that but it’s my parents. They were already after me to come home and transfer to UNC Charlotte before this happened. Now my Mom says that’s absolutely what I must do. I love the university here, and I really don’t want to leave,” tears were flowing freely now.
Lin tried to provide some comfort and reason, “Ellie, I’m sure your parents are really upset about what happened to you this weekend. After all, you were shot, and Pete was killed. I’d be scared too if you were my daughter. Try to understand. Right now you need to focus on healing and rehabilitation. You’ll need help; it makes sense that they want to take you back home. Take things a step at the time. Maybe they’ll feel differently later. They just want what’s best for you.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but that’s not it,” Ellie was clearly upset; she was crying even harder. “They were already after me to leave here before this ever happened. They even threatened to not pay my tuition for the fall term unless I transferred. I was paying for summer school myself—I have a part-time job, or I did have one, and I had some money saved—a little bit anyway. That’s why I was going to summer school. I thought if I went home for the summer they’d never let me come back.”
Lin realized that there had to be more to this story than Ellie was sharing. Why were her parents so insistent she change schools if she was doing well academically? She wanted to ask but felt she shouldn’t. It was up to Ellie to determine what she wished to share.
Clearly, the girl wasn’t ready to say anything more. She gradually stopped crying and the remainder of the visit passed with more casual conversation. Finally, Lin rose to go downstairs. Sue would be arriving soon to pick her up.
“Are you going to be discharged tomorrow?” Lin asked. “Earlier you said you might be going home with your parents when they came.”
“I think I might be,” Ellie said, none too happily. “My Mom talked to the doctor. I think she wants me to see a specialist in Charlotte.”
“I’d love to see your parents again,” Lin said, “Please give them my regards.”
“Why don’t you come back when they come?” Ellie asked. “When I told her you’d been by to see me, my Mom said she’d love to see you again.”
Lin knew she had the next day off, but she wasn’t sure if she should be there when John and Hilary arrived. She didn’t want to invade their personal time with their daughter. “I’ll tell you what,” she finally said. “I’ll leave you my cell phone number. When your parents come, if they have time for a visit, they can give me a call. I’m off tomorrow and I’d love to see them, but I’ll certainly understand if they don’t really have time. Whatever happens tomorrow, you be sure and stay in touch. I’ll want to know how you’re doing.”
***
The next morning Lin got up early along with Sue. Even with a day off she didn’t sleep in because she wanted to have her car. She planned to drive Sue over to the Cone mansion and then return to pick her up later in the day. When Sue picked up their keys the previous evening, she’d made a list of things they needed to buy for the house. Dr. Leonard was storing all of his linens along with some of his better china and glassware. The dishes didn’t matter as there were plenty of everyday things available, but they hadn’t thought to bring sheets and towels from Lin’s place in Charlotte.
“I’ll make a run to WalMart,” Lin said. “We can buy enough to get by until there’s an opportunity to get back to my place. Then we can pick up more if we need them.” They’d also made a list of grocery staples they wanted to have on hand. These could wait, but Lin thought she might as well go ahead and shop for them as well. She’d never liked shopping at “WallyWorld”, but it was really the best choice for this type of shopping in Boone, and one trip would be quite enough.
She went early, as soon as she returned from dropping Sue off. The store was open twenty-four/seven and was less crowded in the early hours. She’d just finished loading her car with sheets, towels, and an assortment of groceries when her cell phone rang. It was Ellie calling from the hospital. Her parents were there and she was, indeed, going to be discharged sometime in the afternoon to return home with them.
“Mom and Dad would really like to see you, and we have to wait here for several hours. Could you come by?” Ellie was eager.
“I would love to see them,” Lin replied. “I just finished some shopping and I need to take these things out to the house first. I should be able to come in about half an hour if that’s ok.”
“Great, we’re just waiting on the doctor,” Ellie responded.
Lin drove out to Dr. Leonard’s and added her purchases to the stash of their stuff that decorated the corner of his garage. She was back at the hospital shortly thereafter. She was looking forward to seeing John and Hillary again, but still wondered about their apparent conflict with Ellie over her attendance at the university here.
The Clark’s were delighted to see Lin, giving her big bear hugs when she arrived. Ellie looked better, although she was still quite pale and her injured shoulder was still strapped firmly to her side. She had dressed in loose fitting sweats and was sitting on the side of her bed as they awaited her discharge.
The four of them were soon chatting about events past, things that happened when Lin was still working and Ellie was in elementary school.
Finally, John turned to Lin with a sly smile, “I couldn’t help noticing that beautiful ring on your finger. Ellie tells me you’re getting married again soon.”
Lin realized she was probably blushing, “That’s true, probably sometime in early fall.” She continued to tell them more about Neal Smith and how they met.
“I hope you’re going to have the wedding in Charlotte,” Hillary broke in. “I for one, expect to be invited, and John and I would love to have a party for you and Neal. You’ll probably want to introduce him to some of your local friends.”
“That would be nice,” Lin replied, “The wedding won’t be big, but I do want my friends to be able to come. I think we may have it somewhere up at Lake Norman. I bought a condo there a couple of years ago, and that’s where we plan to live after we’re married.”
They chatted amiably about wedding plan possibilities for a few moments and then an aide appeared with a lunch tray for Ellie. She indicated that the doctor hadn’t yet arrived on the floor to make his rounds, which meant Ellie’s discharge wasn’t yet imminent.
“I think we should go somewhere and grab some lunch ourselves,” Hillary offered. “Ellie won’t be ready to leave for awhile yet.”
“You and Lin go out somewhere,” John responded, “I think I’ll grab a sandwich from the cafeteria here and keep my girl company. He winked at his daughter.
Hillary seemed eager to get away from the hospital. As soon as she and Lin entered the elevator she said, “I’m glad to have the chance to talk to you alone, Lin. I’m worried about Ellie, and you’ve always had a good head on your shoulders when it came to kids. I need some advice.”
“Well, with all that happened this past weekend—her being shot and her friend losing his life—it’s understandable that you’d be worried
.”
“True enough,” Hillary said. “Whoever did this has evidently not been arrested yet, so I am eager to get Ellie away from here, but it’s more than that. Over this past year I feel like we’re losing touch with our daughter.”
“That’s often the case when kids leave home and go to college,” Lin tried to be reasonable, “I still remember when Lucy and Ben first went away.”
“Well, in Ellie’s case I think it’s more than just getting away from home for the first time and feeling independent. If you don’t mind being a sounding board I’ll explain over lunch. Where should we go?”
“I’ll drive,” Lin offered, leading the way to her car. She really didn’t know much about the restaurants locally yet, but Sally Mackey had told her about a local spot called Peppers that wasn’t far from the hospital and had good sandwiches and a soup and salad bar.
They were able to find an empty booth near the back that seemed quite private. They decided on the soup and salad and were soon enjoying steaming bowls of clam chowder and crisp, fresh salads.
Shortly, Hillary turned to the topic that was obviously weighing heavily on her mind. “I’m really afraid we are losing touch with Ellie. She’s done very well academically, but her personal life really has me worried. Shortly after she arrived here last fall she seemed to ‘fall under the spell’ of a young studio art professor she had for a class. He’s a visiting professor from some European university and, apparently, quite the free spirit. I’m afraid Ellie fell in love with him, head over heels. We kept telling her it was inappropriate for a faculty member to date a student, but she wouldn’t listen—said things were different in Europe and we just didn’t understand, you know the drill. We met him only once. He was quite handsome and seemed nice enough, but he must’ve been at least thirty, and he was definitely not someone we wanted Ellie to be with. Things only got worse this spring when she started modeling for him—in the nude—at his home studio. Ellie won’t talk about it, but I’m sure they were sleeping together. I’ve lived in fear she’ll get pregnant. She has so much talent and promise, I just don’t want to see her ruin her future.” She finally paused in her story, close to tears Lin could see.
Fogbound: A Lin Hanna Mystery Page 6