Now Say You're Sorry

by Barbara Fournier

  “See you in the morning son. And Daniel…I love you.”

  “I know. Love you back.”

  Chapter 51

  Both detectives decided to meet with Andrew Kelsey in the morning. Reese dialed his phone, but there was no answer. She tried a second time, still no answer. “Now why wouldn’t he answer the phone? Maybe my fingers are faster than my brain.”

  “Reese, try it one more time before we go looking for this guy.”

  This time a machine picked up and started to spiel the recorded message and then Andrew answered. “What do you want?”

  “Andrew, this is Detective Clayton. May we meet with you? Maybe over breakfast? We could meet at the diner.”

  “Detective, did you happen to notice anything about me when we met yesterday? The last thing people want to see while having their breakfast is someone who looks like the bacon on their plate. Now what can I do for you?”

  “I apologize, really I do. Can we meet somewhere else? We really need to talk to you more about Tim Cole. Anything you have would be a huge help to us. A description, age, where the family lived. Please. We will meet you anywhere you wish. It’s time you help us find him and take him off the streets for what he did to you and the others.”

  Andrew, still a little cautious of what all of this would do to his life, decided to help. “Why not? What else could this maniac do to destroy my life any more than he already has?”

  Chapter 52

  On top of a hill, looking out over the town, feeling the breeze, and soaking up the sun, a very large man tried to understand just what to do next. He was exhausted from running, but knew this break would be short lived.

  I have to find a way to take back control of what’s happening, he thought. Who else knows where I am? How did these detectives manage to track me down? Unless it’s someone trying to destroy me back in Cromwell. His thoughts started to swell. Maybe the Boss or? His mind started to race and his hands contorted into tight fists. “I’m getting really tired of killing people,” he muttered through gritted teeth. “I know it’s wrong, but I will find out who is setting me up and they will pay! Just like those two who were hurting my friend. They were doing really bad things to her. I told her I would take care of them. I did, too! They can’t hurt her anymore.” His lips turned upward into a sideways grin.

  His clenched hands began to loosen and he started to pace. His thoughts racing, “Could the Boss have sent me away to get rid of me? Or, was the Boss afraid I’d get caught? That taxi driver was taking me to a place I didn’t know.” He crossed his arms around his own torso sat down on the grass and began to rock. “Somewhere I wouldn’t know anyone? I asked that taxi driver nicely if he could take me back to where I used to live a long time ago instead. At least I would know my way around there. But no, that stupid driver had to give me shit.”

  His arms dropped to his sides and his body stiffened. “I don’t like to be told what to do! He didn’t like it when I grabbed his throat from behind and told him to drive me to Jade.” He giggled to himself remembering how fun it was Also, listening to him choke and gag. “He did as he was told after that and drove me here. And he would’ve been okay too if he just let me out of the car just outside of town when I asked instead of speeding up.” His body softened as he noticed a squirrel sitting at the base of the nearby tree.

  “Why did he speed up, Mr. Squirrel?” he asked in a soothing voice. “Stupid driver was yanking the steering wheel back and forth and hitting his brakes real hard. He was trying to hurt me. So, I had to do something. We went for quite a ride after that, Mr. Squirrel! Veering this way and that. And then suddenly it was like we were floating in midair and then THUD!” he yelled startling the squirrel part way up the tree trunk. His tail flickering nervously. “It was like a crazy roller coaster ride,” he snorted. “People are stupid.” He gazed at the squirrel, “Gee, I hope the squirrel I killed when I was younger wasn’t your brother?” The squirrel scurried up the tree further.

  “I really don’t know why I would want to come back here. It was my home. Well, at least for a while, anyway. Until those doctors decided I needed to be put away. Mom and Dad didn’t know what those doctors would do to me or else they wouldn’t have sent me there. I love my mom. I told them both many times I didn’t like it there. I begged them to take me with them on vacation. I told them I would be good and not get into trouble. I was never going back to that place. Yet, here I am sitting on a hill looking out at the very site I burned to the ground. That awful, awful place. I don’t regret it at all. I think I’ll stay on this hill for a while and take a little nap. Don’t you worry one bit, Mr. squirrel. I won’t hurt you.”

  Chapter 53

  Daniel called in sick to his park ranger job. He didn’t know if he could ever view the park as anything other than a burial ground after all that had happened. He told his boss he would need a few days. His boss understood where he was coming from and told him to take whatever time he needed. The entire city was on high alert knowing there had been two home invasions and a creepy murderer on the loose.

  Minh Nyung decided it would be best if he drove his son to the hospital to visit with Kei Lien. He wanted to see just what was happening and offer to help if needed. He was quite sure she had no medical insurance, so he was ready to take care of the cost. This girl was important to his son. He couldn’t fathom watching him go through another tragedy. Minh knew the stress of losing his own wife. Money was never going to change what had happened to this poor girl, but it made Minh feel like he was helping to heal the wound in his son’s soul.

  They arrived to find doctors all around Kei Lien’s bed. She was awake and seemingly calm while they spoke with her about her ordeal.

  “Dad, she looks so frail. It’s not fair what she’s had to go through. I should have done more. I should have stopped the Sergeant.”

  “This young woman was abused long before you even met her, Son. She is mentally torn and I’m not sure she can recover.”

  Daniel waited for the doctor and his students to come out of the room before asking questions so as not to alarm her. “What have you found out so far? Her condition? How bad are her injuries?”

  The doctor was surrounded by, what appeared to be, residents. Future doctors. Although Daniel knew that some of them would never make it that far. He knew from his own experience. His own attempt at a medical career. Apparently, this doctor thought he should make an example out of Daniel. A lesson for these students in short white coats.

  “Young man, certainly you are aware of a thing called a HIPAA law,” he said condescendingly. “It states that no one has the right to patient information – no test results, no diagnosis, no prognosis - without consent from said patient or if you have court-appointed guardianship.” He motioned to one of his white coat students, “You should be writing this down.”

  The students glanced at Daniel and then buried their heads in their clipboards furiously writing. This guy was a prick to say the least, thought Daniel.

  “I got the message,” Daniel sneered. “And apparently so did everyone else.”

  “I can’t give answers where there are none, young man.”

  He wanted to punch him square in the mouth for treating him like a child just to make himself look important in front of his students. He had seen this kind of lesson before in med school.

  “Arrogance, caused by a white coat,” he declared as he pushed past all of them into Kei Lien’s room.

  Minh stayed in the hallway so Daniel could see for himself how his friend was doing. She appeared to be extremely calm and he knew why. Heavy drugs. No one gave them permission to do this, a mild sedative maybe, but not this much. One thing Daniel knew for sure was they just didn’t want her to be trouble in their hospital, especially with all the media in the area. He approached her carefully. He didn’t want to frighten her any more than she probably already was.

  “Hi,” he whisper
ed. “Do you remember me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can I get you anything? Juice? More pillows? Anything at all?”

  “I do like orange juice. Maybe some of that.”

  Daniel opened the door and asked his dad to get her some orange juice.

  “Are you even sure she can have it?”

  “Dad, she is so medicated she doesn’t know her right foot from her left. She needs something to bring her back into focus. I don’t trust what’s going on here. Why is she on so much medication when a low dose anxiety drug like alprazolam would probably do?”

  “I will ask the nurse out here if juice is okay. In the meantime, you need to settle down a bit. Not all doctors are alike. Not all doctors try to take advantage of their status. They probably want to make sure she doesn’t feel threatened. So, the quieter she is, the better she will feel. She has had a very stressful time. You know that and you also know how quickly she can change into a scared little girl and run. Am I right? Now I will see about the juice.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  Minh just nodded his head at his son.

  “Is there anything you can tell me or want to tell me about all of this?”

  “All of what? Did I do something wrong?” She sat up on her elbows in the bed. “Why am I here? What day is it? I want to go home. Who are you?”

  “It’s okay, Kei Lien. I’m Daniel. I came to visit you. I’m your new friend. Remember me?”

  “Yes,” she replied and lay back down.

  Daniel’s theory was correct. Too much medication. She was becoming agitated for sure. Her mind was going in all directions. He went to the nurse’s station to get help, but they were already on their way. Bending her arms to sit up in bed had disturbed the wires she was attached to and set off the alarms. Daniel backed away while they hooked them back up. He decided it was probably better to leave and let her rest. He met his father in the hall and told him what happened.

  “Daniel, drink the juice. It might help you instead of her. Let’s go home.”

  Chapter 54

  “Mrs. Kelsey, this is Sara Hunter. Your husband’s body is ready to be released. Which funeral home would you like him sent to?”

  Sara had all the information she could get from his remains.

  “Well it’s about damn time, don’t you think?” Teresa Kelsey snapped. “The whole town has been waiting to pay their respects at my Martin’s funeral. Now I have to make all these arrangements that should have been done a week ago.”

  Teresa continued with her bitch-fest, rambling on and on. “I need people to speak at Church and decide who should be the pall bearers. I’ll need to get his nice suit ready for the viewing. Or maybe I should get out his dress police uniform.”

  Sara stopped her there. “Mrs. Kelsey, do what you need to do. I have another body here to tend to. Contact my assistant, he will have your husband ready for the funeral home of your choice. Thank you for your patience and I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Sara wanted to tell her what she really thought of her Martin, but decided that probably wasn’t a good idea.

  Chapter 55

  Lying in his bed, Andrew Kelsey decided before his meeting with the detectives he would do a little investigating on his own. He wanted to know more about this guy with the same last name as him. He wondered if this guy could possibly be his father. Where did he come from and why didn’t he stay with his mother when she got pregnant? What kind of a coward does that?

  He decided to jump on his computer to search for news on a murder in Cromwell, South Dakota. Turned out it wasn’t hard to find. The media had it all right there in front of him. At least their version of it. Andrew remembered how the media got it all wrong about the fire that destroyed his face and his life. Trust was not in his vocabulary. What he did trust though were the photos of the two victims. One was possibly his father.

  I’m going to get that DNA test like the detective mentioned. And when it comes back positive, I’ll be sure the whole town of Cromwell, heck the whole state of South Dakota, knows he ruined our lives when he left us. Martin Kelsey may have already paid the price for some other terrible things he did in his life, but that’s not good enough for me. He stared long and hard at Martin Kelsey’s photo until the screen timed out and went black.

  He was looking to see if there might be a resemblance of some sort. Of course, there wouldn’t be now, with his face so badly burned. He jiggled his mouse and the photo reappeared. Andrew saved the photo to his computer and continued to investigate this man’s life. Where he came from. How long he had been a Sergeant. Where he had lived. If there were any children. Pretty much a complete bio on him. The only thing missing was a mention of Andrew’s mother and his illegitimate son. Andrew grew more and more sure that this guy was his biological father. No proof yet, but in his gut he knew. He would have that DNA done.

  After spending so much time on the computer, Andrew needed some fresh air. He decided to pay his mom a visit. He stopped at the local florist and purchased a bouquet of assorted flowers. He then walked to the cemetery where she was buried. He cried for a few moments at the gravesite and made a promise to her that he would once and for all find the truth. Get the answers he so desperately needed and then he laid the flowers on top of her headstone.

  As he was leaving the cemetery, he crested the top of a knoll and saw a man on the adjacent hill lying in the sun.

  “God help me,” he whispered, the hairs on the back of his neck bristling. “I know who that is. It’s him. He’s much heavier now than I remember, but it’s definitely him.”

  Andrew turned slightly and continued walking away, pretending not to notice this guy. He kept his head down, as if he was mourning a loved one, keeping a handkerchief over his face. If this was Tim Cole, he didn’t want him to see his face, for sure. When he got back to the town line, he contacted the detectives.

  “I know it’s him!” Andrew shouted into the phone. He is a lot heavier now, but it’s him. Why is he here?”

  Andrew paused.

  “Detective Lake,” his voice trembling, “I left flowers on my mother’s grave. If this nut goes to see who’s in that grave, he’ll know it’s me who left them.”

  “Take it easy. Let’s not make hasty assumptions about someone that was just getting some sun. How far away was this guy when you saw him?”

  “I’m sure it was him! He was near the top of the hill, but I know it’s that prick. I saw that devilish smirk and the evil in his eyes as he lit that match. I won’t ever forget him, fat or not.”

  “We’ll inform the local authorities about your sighting and have them check it out.”

  The entire Jade force was on the lookout for this guy after Andrew gave them a description, as best he could anyway. It had been a long time since the fire.

  “We need to act quickly, but cautiously,” ordered Reese. “All we have is Andrew Kelsey’s accusation that this Tim Cole lit the match that caused the fire at the mental facility. There is no real proof of that fire being arson. The building is no longer there. We need concrete evidence before we can go after this guy for that fire.” Not going to be easy considering he was presumed dead.

  “I know, but if we can get him on taking the shots at us,” Emerson said, “then we got him. That’s if it is the same person.”

  Reese agreed. “Let’s start by looking at the files for this institution case and see what we can piece together. Of course, that will take some digging through a warehouse full of old files. I’m sure the records weren’t stored on a computer that long ago.

  “I would like to detain Andrew, Emerson. I’m afraid he is a loose cannon right now and would not think twice about putting a bullet in this Tim Cole.”

  “I get it, but we have nothing to hold him on. What I can do is have an officer stay with him as protection since he’s a possible witness to this suspected arson case. He w
on’t like it, but we have no other choice right now. Agree?”

  “Agreed.”

  Chapter 56

  Minh Nyung hired an attorney. Not to protect his son, but to see if he could obtain documents to become legal guardian for Kei Lien. Someone had to look out for her. Minh figured if there were other relatives alive then someone would have stepped in to help her by now. Or, perhaps they didn’t even know about her. The Chandlers adopted her or maybe this was not a legal adoption. Who knows where she was from originally? His attorney jotted down the details, informed Minh of the required documents needed to present a request such as this to a judge and told him he would be in touch. Minh decided it was best to not say anything to his son in case the judge turned them down.

  “May I speak to someone in charge of the murder case for Adam Chandler? My name is Denton Hollingsworth. I’m the attorney for Mr. Minh Nyung.” He handed the officer at the desk his business card.

  “The two lead detectives, Reese Clayton and Emerson Lake, are out of town on a case right now, can I help?”

  “Is there a number where I may reach them? It is very important that I speak with them.”

  The officer offered to send the detectives his information and have one of them contact him as soon as possible.

  Emerson’s phone rang about 2:30 pm startling him again. “Jeez! I have to get a new ringtone on that thing.”

  He answered, “Detective Lake.”

  The officer on desk proceeded to inform him of the attorney visit and gave Lake the number. “He said it was very important that he speak to one of you soon.”

  “Thanks, I’ll follow up.”

  Puzzled, Lake hung up. What next? Why would Minh Nyung need to lawyer up? After filling Reese in on the call from the office, he dialed the number.