by Ann Mullen
“No, I think I’m quite finished.”
“Your dog did make me look like a fool, didn’t he? I guess I deserved it.” The detective smiled. “I was a little overzealous to make an arrest at first, but after an extensive chat with Sheriff Hudson, I decided that I was getting ahead of myself. The sheriff told me that Billy Blackhawk wasn’t the kind of man to hurt anyone and if I stepped back and examined all the facts I’d see that for myself. He assured me that Billy Blackhawk and his brothers weren’t going anywhere. When I found out that the blood on Jonathan Blackhawk’s clothes was animal blood, I knew right then I had made a mistake. So I took a step back and just let everything play out.”
“We tried to tell you.”
“I could’ve arrested you for disposing of evidence. What possessed you to do something so crazy?”
“What are you talking about?”
Detective Trainum didn’t say anything; instead he looked at me with lifted eyebrows.
“What is it with you men and this eyebrow thing? You guys are always doing that… eyebrow movement… what is that?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Don’t try to change the subject. And I don’t have some eyebrow thing happening. You’re guilty and you’re just talking hogwash. You know what you did was wrong. Admit it.”
“I don’t have the faintest idea…”
“Okay, you don’t have to admit it. Besides, it’s moot now and I don’t want to press the issue. Just remember that next time it might not work in your favor. You could be causing more harm than good.”
“What else did Sheriff Wake Hudson have to say? Did he say anything about me? He likes me. I can tell. I think we’ve formed a bond,” I joked.
“Actually, he said you’re going to make a real good P.I., because you have good instincts. But don’t let it go to your head. If he catches you crossing the line, believe me, he won’t hesitate to throw your butt in the can. He said you have a certain charm about you and that I should keep my guard up. I think he’s right, and I think you’re dangerous. You’re trouble.”
“I can’t believe he said all those nice things about me!”
“Yes, he did. He also said that you’re a pistol and difficult to deal with most of the time, and that I should avoid having anything to do with you.”
“That’s a coincidence. He said pretty much the same thing about you.”
We looked at each other... and grinned.
CHAPTER 20
Detective Trainum and I came to a mutual agreement: I wouldn’t interfere with his investigation if he’d stop jumping to conclusions. We both had a common interest in this case. We wanted to see justice done and we wanted to make sure that Sherry Lane got what she deserved.
“I hate to say this, but I think Carl’s innocent. He’s a jerk, but he’s not a killer. He doesn’t have what it takes. He’s gutless. My guess is he’s never fired a gun and wouldn’t know how to, if he had to. He’s been pampered all his life, first by his parents and then by my sister. He’s a spoiled rich kid who has never had to do an honest day’s work in his whole life. He invests other people’s money. How hard can that be?”
“I take it that you don’t like your brother-in-law very much.”
I chuckled. “That’s an understatement, if I’ve ever heard one. I could give you examples of why I despise the man, but I wouldn’t want it to get back to my sister.”
“You can trust me; I won’t say a word.”
I rolled my eyes at him and said, “I don’t know you well enough to be pouring my heart out to you. Give me time. You have to earn my trust.”
“I see what you mean. I’m the same way. In my business, if you put your trust in the wrong people, it could get you killed.”
“You don’t seem like such a bad guy after all, detective.”
“Why, thank you, Mrs. Blackhawk. You’re not so bad yourself, but you are a bit of a troublemaker. The next time you cross crime scene tape you’d better be absolutely sure that no one is watching. I could’ve hauled your butt off to jail right then and there.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I heard Sheriff Hudson’s words echoing in my ears about stepping back and letting the scene play out. He’s a very smart guy. I’ve learned quite a bit from him since we’ve met.”
“Yeah, I developed a fondness for him recently, too.”
“Hey, it looks as if they’re bringing someone up. Let’s go check it out.”
As soon as we got out of the state trooper’s car, we heard the sound of another helicopter coming in for a landing. It set down next to the police chopper. This time it was the Pegasus Life Support Chopper. They’re only called in when there’s a life and death situation.
One of the officers came up to the detective, whispered something in his ear, and then went back down the embankment.
I was about to panic when Detective Trainum said, “Before you get crazy on me, let’s go see what’s going on. I think your sister’s okay. It’s the other one who needs the transport. I was told that she’s in pretty bad shape.” He walked over, grabbed my hand and led me to the edge of the embankment. We stood huddled against the cold and the falling snow, waiting for the rescue workers to bring up the first person.
They struggled, but eventually managed to get the accident victim up the hill. As they passed by us I saw that it wasn’t Claire on the gurney. I almost screamed out for joy, but refrained because even though it wasn’t Claire, it was another human being who was in desperately bad shape. She had a neck collar on and was strapped down in every imaginably way. She was covered in blood and her eyes were closed. She looked dead to me. They loaded her into the Pegasus helicopter and lifted off.
“What an awful sight!” I started to cry.
“You’re crying for this woman? I don’t believe it. Your sister could’ve been her next victim, and you still have compassion for her? What is this world coming to?”
“I’m crying because I’m glad it isn’t my sister who looks like she’s at death’s door.” I turned to him and asked, “Does that make me a bad person?”
“Of course, not.” He put his arm around my shoulders.
I guess he was preparing me for what I was about to see. I looked back down the hill and watched as they pulled Claire from the wreckage. Her jacket was covered in so much blood, I was afraid that she had lost a deadly amount. My fears were suppressed when they brought her up the hill and I made them stop so she could speak to me.
“I’m okay, Jesse,” she said, her voice barely audible. She reached her hand out to touch mine.
I grabbed her hand and held on, walking along with the rescue workers as they carried her to the ambulance. I cried the whole way.
“Don’t cry, Jesse. Most of this blood is Sherry’s. Call Mom.” She let go of my hand as they shoved the gurney into the back of the ambulance.
“Where are you taking her?” I asked one of the medical personnel. “I don’t want her taken anywhere near D.C. How far is it to UVA?”
“It’s not far at all,” one of the guys replied. “That’s where we’re headed. She requested that we take her there, and we have to obey a patient’s request if they appear to be able to make that decision. We’ve stabilized her, so she’ll be fine for the trip. Are you the sister she’s been talking about?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Would you like to ride with her?”
Detective Trainum walked up beside me and said, “If you want to ride with your sister, I’ll follow you in her car.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Yes, I will. I’m going to have to question her anyway, so I might as well do it now while I still have the use of the helicopter. They’ll give us an escort. They’ll be able to see traffic before we do and alert us to any problems on the roads.”
“Thanks,” I said as I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. I whispered into his ear, “Don’t think this gives you the right to snoop through our belongings.”
“You’re such a su
spicious woman!” he said.
I pulled the car keys from my pocket and tossed them to him.
The police helicopter lifted off a few seconds before the ambulance turned on its siren and started to proceed down the road. Detective Trainum followed right on our butt in Claire’s car. Behind him, two state trooper cars followed.
I could see the front end of Claire’s SUV and there wasn’t a dent in it. I was impressed with its durability and glad that I hadn’t smashed it to pieces. What a weird thing to be thinking, I thought to myself.
“You can sit here,” the EMT said. He pointed to a small, cushioned seat off to the side. You can talk to your sister, but please don’t get in my way.”
“I won’t, sir, and thanks for letting me ride in the ambulance.”
“No problem,” he said as he went about his job of taking care of his patient. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Jesse Blackhawk.”
“Blackhawk, huh? You don’t look Indian to me, not with that red hair.”
I looked up and out the back window of the ambulance. Even through the thick, falling snow, I could see Detective Trainum driving Claire’s SUV, and he was still right on our rear end. He waved to me. I waved back. He’s such an odd man, I thought to myself. One minute I hate him, and the next, he has his arm around me, trying to comfort me.
“The hair is dyed, and I’m not Indian. My husband is Cherokee. What’s your name?”
“Mark Fox.”
“Nice to meet you, Mark... under the circumstances.”
“Same here, Mrs. Blackhawk.” He continued to tend to Claire as he spoke to me. “It’s pretty nasty out there. We’ve been really busy for the last couple of hours… accidents everywhere. Your sister was lucky. She doesn’t appear to have sustained any broken bones. I’m sure they’ll do a full set of x-rays when we get her to the hospital.” He was obviously making conversation, trying to put us at ease. He probably learned that in his EMT training—Bedside Manners 101. I snickered at the thought.
“You can call me, Jesse.”
“Okay, Jesse. Your sister’s stable. She complained of back pain, but...”
“I don’t want any medication!” Claire said. “The pain isn’t that bad.”
“I guess that settles that,” Mark, the EMT, said. “I want to complete this form now, so if you’re up to it; I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
“Ask away,” Claire said.
“What’s your full name?”
I reached over, took hold of Claire’s hand, and held onto it as she answered his questions. Finally, we pulled up to the ER entrance at the University of Virginia Hospital. The ambulance backed up to the double doors and we were met by two men dressed in hospital scrubs. Neither one of them had on a coat, but they didn’t seem to be fazed by the freezing cold and snow when they opened the back doors to the ambulance. They helped Mark, the EMT, lower Claire down and then they took over as they rolled the gurney through the huge glass doors. Mark handed them a copy of his report and wished us good luck. That was the last I saw of him.
One of the two men transporting Claire motioned for me to go to the admitting desk. “You’ll need to take care of some paperwork and then someone will show you where to go.” He looked at the paperwork in his hand and said, “We’ll take care of her. Don’t worry. Someone will come and get you.” They rounded a corner and were gone.
I was standing at the admissions desk answering questions about Claire’s accident when Detective Trainum walked up to me.
“Is everything okay?”
I turned and looked at him. I think I was actually glad to see a familiar face. I don’t know what came over me, but I grabbed him with my good arm and gave him a hug. I think he was taken aback, or either embarrassed. His face turned red and he mumbled, “It probably wasn’t such a good idea for you to have been driving with that arm in a cast. You could’ve been in an accident.”
“You’re probably right,” I said as I stepped back. “But I wasn’t in an accident. As a matter-of-fact, I saved the day. I saved my sister!”
“You sure did,” he said.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I wasn’t alone in rescuing Claire. “If it hadn’t been for that guy at the Miller Mart, I don’t think I would’ve caught up with Claire’s abductor,” I said, giving credit where credit was due. “I forgot my wallet and went back to the car to get it so I could pay for our drinks and chips. When I came back into the store, he told me he saw the woman I was with being forced into a car. He said that’s what it looked like to him. Fortunately, he was very observant and took notice that the car headed south. I told him to call the police, and then I took off down the road after them.”
“Yeah, the state police have his call on record.”
“You always seem to know everything.”
“That’s my job,” he said. He turned to the lady who had been taking down information about Claire and asked, “Is she finished?”
“I think we have everything,” the lady said. “You can have a seat in the waiting room and someone will be with you shortly.”
“I don’t think so,” he mumbled under his breath as he turned and led me by the arm down the hall. “Let’s go find your sister.”
“But the lady said…”
“Wait here if you want to.”
“No, I’m with you.”
We walked through a set of double doors and went down the hall until we came to the nurse’s station. Detective Trainum pulled out his badge and flashed it at one of the nurses behind the counter. “I’m Detective Frank Trainum with the D.C. Police Department and I’m here to inquire about a couple of accident victims: Claire Benson and Sherry Lane.”
One of the nurses went to a computer, punched in something and said, “Sherry Lane is still in surgery, and Claire Benson is down here on the left—third curtain. Let me check and see if it’s okay for you to see her.” She came out from behind the counter, went down the hall and then returned. “Follow me,” she said.
“I guess it’s about time you called me, Frank.”
“I guess it’s about time you called me, Jesse.”
We looked at each other and smiled.
“I don’t like you,” I said to him.
“I don’t like you either,” he said, chuckling.
“Liar.”
The nurse led us to Claire’s bed and then turned to leave. “The doctor will be back shortly,” she said as she pulled the curtain to close it, and then walked away.
I leaned down, kissed Claire’s forehead and said, “How’re you doing?”
“I have a little back pain and I broke a fingernail.”
“Heaven forbid!” I said. “You’re lucky to be alive.”
“I know I am,” she replied. “Thanks, Jesse. You saved my life.” A tear ran down her cheek. “You can’t imagine how horrible it was in that car with that crazy woman. It seemed like hours. She said some pretty bad things, Jesse. She’s sick.”
“It’s over now and you’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
She looked over at Frank and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“You can call him, Frank,” I said. “We’re buddies.”
Claire laughed and then flinched.
“Why don’t you let them give you something for the pain, Claire? You don’t have to suffer like this.” I turned to go find a doctor. “They can…”
“Stop, Jesse. I don’t want any medication,” she said. “I’m pregnant.”
You could’ve knocked me over with a feather. I was totally shocked and amazed. “How long have you known? You never said a word.”
“I haven’t told anyone but Cole. That’s what we were arguing about that night on the front porch. He wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea. He had his mind somewhere else.” She looked up at me. “He’s convinced he’s the father of your child. He’s still in love with you. He’s just been using me. He doesn’t care about me or this baby. But that’s okay, we don’t need him.�
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“I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m confused,” Frank said. “And I don’t think I want to know what’s going on here. I called Abigail and Isabel. I had to call them. Abby would kill me if I didn’t call and let them know what happened. Plus, I needed to let them know that Sherry Lane was no longer a threat. Randy was pretty upset and worried about his mother and his aunt’s safety. I owed it to them. I’m sure they’ll be here soon. Abby has a company helicopter at her disposal, along with a company jet, limo, you name it. I also called your mother. She said she would be here as soon as she could.”
“Did you talk to my husband?” I asked.
“No, I’m sorry, Jesse, but your mother said he’s been gone since early this morning and she doesn’t know where he is.”
“He’s got a new cell phone, but I don’t know the number. I’d have to go out to the car... in the nasty, snowy weather... and check to see if it comes up on my cell phone Caller ID.”
“I could go get it for you, if you want me to,” Frank offered.
“Would you do that for me?” I smiled.
“Sure,” he said. “We’re buddies, remember?” He laughed and then turned to leave. “I think you two might need a few minutes to discuss this weird thing about that guy, Cole. I don’t want to hear any more. This is just too weird.” He closed the curtain and then left.
“I’m so sorry about how Cole treated you. To be honest, I think he needs to see a doctor. He’s not himself. He’s changed. He’s weird.”
“I think it’s the medication he’s taking. He wasn’t like that in the beginning. When he was released from the hospital he was wonderful, but about a week later, his personality changed. He got ugly and mean. Then it got worse.”
“I’ll get Billy to talk to him.”
“No, don’t do that, Jesse. Right now, Cole hates Billy, and under the circumstances, I can see why. He thinks Billy stole you from him and he’s really mad about it.”
“I’ll talk to him and insist he see a doctor. I’ll even take him if I have to, but I refuse to let him treat you this way. You’re going to have his baby and you deserve better from him.”