Blood Ties

by Josephine Barly

  “It’ll be alright Kelly, just try to stay calm, okay?”

  “Do you think it’s got anything to do with that package you received? Maybe our whole family is being targeted; we should warn Noel.”

  “Kelly,” I said as soothingly as possible, “I’ve got no idea as to who or why could have done this to you; I’m sure the police will carry out the corresponding investigation thoroughly, and they’ll get to the bottom of it, but right now, you’ve got to rest and get better, okay? That’s all you should worry about; your priority has to be your well-being. Understood?”

  Kelly nodded, blinking back tears. I could tell she was scared, and she’d probably find a way to turn this into a profitable situation for herself, but I didn’t care; my sister had almost been killed, and this was a murder attempt too many. The police had to figure out who was behind this shit, whether it was all connected or not.

  “I’ll go and talk to the detective now, so try to sleep, okay?” I said softly as I stood up; Kelly grabbed my hand and pulled me down with as much strength as she could muster, which wasn’t much.

  “Did you call mom? I need her.”

  “I’ll call her now and make sure she’s here as soon as possible, okay?”

  Kelly nodded, let go of my hand, and closed her eyes, attempting to rest. I met Aidan and Jared outside the room; the policeman had been sent to check the nurses’ schedule.

  “We should go talk somewhere private. The policeman will guard the room to make sure Kelly remains unaffected. Let’s go over there,” Aidan said, pointing to a nearby door.

  We walked quietly and Jared shut the door once we were in the room.

  “Kelly told me she pressed the alarm button twice and her car exploded. I imagine that between the shock and medication she’s on, her narration lacks details and there’s probably more that you can tell me, right?” I looked at Aidan.

  “Riley is already going over the crime scene. As soon as she’s done, she’ll call me and fill me in,” he informed me.

  I could tell something was off because Jared remained silent and somber; not that I expected him to jump or crack jokes, but the mood was clearly tense.

  “What are you not telling me Aidan?” I demanded.

  Aidan hesitated, looked at Jared and shook his head. Jared shrugged.

  “If you don’t tell me, Jared will,” I stated, and Aidan knew I wasn’t going to remain ignorant about what was going on.

  Aidan looked at me, clearly annoyed due to my pushing for information and his reluctant spilling.

  “The fact that your sister was attacked and her survival are suspicious under the circumstances.”

  “What circumstances?” I asked, confused.

  “She’s a suspect in your assassination attempt. She knows Susan not only in a professional way, but on a personal basis. She was also close to Sandra; according to her own words, they were friends who hang out a lot together, and she’s admitted to knowing Sandra’s schedule and routine, which could complicate matters further for her.”

  “Excuse me Aidan, but are you implying Kelly blew her own car up, just to make herself a victim?”

  “I’m just saying it’s very convenient, Samantha. But that’s a theory; there’s no evidence, and Riley will be able to shine a light on Kelly’s situation, okay?”

  I stared in awe. Jared avoiding my gaze confirmed my suspicions that Aidan’s theory was more than that, it was what they were going after, what they expected was the solution to all the investigations that were going on.

  I shook my head, bewildered. Kelly wasn’t one to go to such lengths; she loved herself more than anything or anyone else. The fact that she’d be bruised for weeks was a matter of depression for her, I knew it.

  “Sam, listen to me,” Jared finally spoke, gently taking a hold of my arms and forcing me to look at him, “you can’t say a single thing of what Aidan’s told you to anyone. I know you want to clear your sister, but right now, keeping quiet is of the uttermost importance. You’re not supposed to know Aidan’s theories; if someone finds out you’re informed, the whole investigation will be ruined, understood?”

  I thought about what Jared said. He was right; I could blow the case in a matter of seconds, and that would stop Aidan, or anyone, from finding Susie’s killer if, in fact, it was the same person who had tried to kill Kelly. And me.

  I nodded, but my eyes showed my lack of enthusiasm regarding keeping my sister unaware of the police’s suspicions.

  “I’ll carry out the investigation and let Jared know how things turn out. Meanwhile, you two keep up appearances. Try to avoid moving your sister to your apartment, it’ll be too risky. She’ll have to stay here for a couple of days but will be released into someone’s care.”

  “I’ll call my mom and stepdad; they’ll either move to Kelly’s or move her to their place until she gets better.”

  “What about your brother Sam?” Jared enquired.

  “What about him?” I replied; Noel was the last person on my mind was on right now.

  “Wouldn’t it be a good idea to have him take care of Kelly? If he’s forced to look after someone other than himself, he may sober up, at least for the time being.”

  “Jared, I appreciate your efforts at making Noel change his ways, but just as he may sober up, he can fuck it up and end up hurting Kelly much more; Noel can damage her interior as much as her exterior, trust me.”

  Jared nodded, understanding what I meant. Aidan looked at us; he knew what we were talking about because Jared had briefed him, and he was simply adding our conversation to his knowledge.

  After a moment of silence, I sighed; Jared placed his arm around my shoulders, showing his support. I nodded.

  “I’m ready to go. I’ll call my mom now and then I’ll stay here, if it’s okay with you,” I addressed Aidan, who nodded and stood back.

  “The two of you better leave together; I’ll exit this room in a few minutes, in order to avoid drawing attention to the three of us as a group,” Aidan explained, and Jared and I, after nodding, left.

  I phoned my mom and she completely freaked out, as expected. She screeched Rod and her would meet me in twenty minutes, and I tried to ease her fear of Kelly dying before she got there by explaining she was out of danger.

  Once I’d hung up, I sat by Kelly’s side, even if she was asleep. Jared got me a cup of coffee and then sat on a chair by the door, gazing at us. And we waited for my mom and Rod to arrive.

  I could tell they arrived at the hospital because my mom’s screams demanding to know where her daughter was gave her away. I exited the room; she spotted me and ran towards me. For a sixty-three-year-old, she’s in fantastic shape.

  “Samantha! Where’s Kelly? Is she alright?” Rod asked, catching his breath.

  “She’s in that room,” I replied, pointing at the corresponding door. “Kelly’s okay now, she’s a bit bruised and her leg’s in a cast, but overall, she’s fine.”

  “Oh, my poor daughter! I was so worried when you called me Samantha,” my mom whined.

  “She’s resting now, but you can go in and sit by her side,” I suggested.

  Rod led my mom into Kelly’s room and Jared subsequently left it. I’d forgotten he was still in there.

  “They totally ignored my existence,” Jared said.

  “Don’t worry, they’re simply freaking out over Kelly; in a few minutes I’ll probably have to introduce you to them.”

  “I’ll be happy to meet them,” Jared replied, and I was slightly taken aback because he sounded earnest. “Anyway, Aidan’s gone back to the station to get together with Captain Nicholson, he sent me a text message. He’s going to call me as soon as Riley’s done.”

  “That’s great news Jared; I only hope she’s rushing with this investigation, I don’t think Kelly would do it.”

  “You really believe she’s innocent?”

  “Yes, Jared. Do you think Aidan’s capable of committing a crime? Even if you don’t know him to the marrow?”

>   “But I know Aidan. He would never do anything wrong. Your sister is…”

  “Yes, I know she’s superficial and honestly, sometimes I think she’s not the brightest light bulb in the room, but she’s not bad. I can tell you that much about Kelly, and I stand by my beliefs,” I said, not without guilt.

  “Okay Sam, I can only hope your intuition is correct,” Jared said, angst clear in his eyes.

  I nodded reassuringly; before further words could be spoken, my mom and Rod exited Kelly’s room. Jared smiled courteously, extending his hand for my stepdad to shake; confused, Rod shook it.

  “Hello, I’m Jared Davies, Sam’s boyfriend.”

  “Oh, Sammy hasn’t mentioned dating anyone, excuse my surprise. I’m Rod, Sam’s stepdad.”

  “Yes, Sam’s told me all about you. And you must be Sara. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, ma’am,” Jared said, shaking my mom’s hand and flashing a dazzling smile; I think she fell in love with him right then and there.

  “Sammy, you should have told us about Jared earlier. How long have you been dating?”

  “A few months, mom. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, I didn’t want to jinx it,” I explained.

  “Okay, I forgive you. Now, moving onto more serious matters, what can you tell me about Kelly? I’ll go and get the doctor to fill me in, but it can be a while before I actually find him. Did he, or the nurses, tell you anything?”

  “Kelly will remain under observation for a couple of days, but she’ll be released on Monday afternoon. She won’t be able to attend Sandra’s funeral. When she’s released, she’ll have to go under someone’s care, Sara,” Jared explained.

  “Thank you, Jared. Sara, we should bring her home,” Rod suggested. “Sammy is working and can’t take days off after the ones she asked for last week. You can take care of her during weekdays and I’ll help you out at nights, or I can ask for a few days off; either way, we’ll manage, and it’ll be less of an imposition on Sammy.”

  “That’s a great idea, Rod. I’ll help you move Kelly on Monday after I get off work. She’ll be sad because she won’t be able to attend Sandy’s funeral tomorrow; I’d like to go, so can you keep her company during the morning?” I asked my mom, and she nodded.

  “I’ll go and talk to the doctor now, to know about the medication I’ve got to get for her,” my mom said, looking around.

  “I’ll go with you, Sara,” Rod said, and after smiling tightly at us, they walked along the hallway up to a nurse and asked for directions.

  Jared and I entered Kelly’s room and resumed our previous seating arrangement.

  “Your mom is very nice,” Jared said, trying to start a conversation; I guess he wasn’t a fan of silence.

  “Yes, she’s freaking out because Kelly is her youngest and she’s always sort of been her pet. Anyway, you enchanted her, Jared. Your alluring smile made her like you immediately, which trust me, is no easy task,” I teased.

  “Have I allured you with my smile?” Jared asked grinning.

  I rolled my eyes and ignored him. Kelly moved around the bed a bit and I worried that her IV line would tangle up or come off, but the cast in her leg and actual size of the bed stopped her from getting on her side. She moaned, opened her eyes and sighed.

  “It wasn’t a bad dream?”

  “No Kelly, I’m sorry.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Almost dinner time.”

  “Did you get a hold of mom?”

  “Yes, she’s here now. She’s with Rod; they’re talking with the doctor regarding your release. You’ll be staying with them until you get better.”

  “Good, I could use the pampering. What about tomorrow? I want to go to Sandy’s funeral.”

  “I’m sorry Kelly, but that’s not a possibility. I’ll go and send your condolences to her family, but you’re on bed rest until Monday afternoon.”

  Kelly looked down and nodded; her eyes showed her reluctance to stay put, but the tone of my voice had made it crystal clear that she’d be going nowhere except our mom’s place on Monday.

  A short while later a nurse came in and checked Kelly’s chart as well as the monitor that controlled her heart rate and different measures shown. After reassuring us that Kelly would be alright, she left and returned a few minutes later carrying a tray. As if on cue, my mom arrived and, after shedding some tears, proceeded to feed my sister.

  Once Kelly was done, Jared and I took off. We stopped at a restaurant and ordered some food. Jared had insisted that with all that was going on, I deserved a break from having to do stuff; he didn’t get the fact that cooking relaxed me, but I decided to give in to his resolve, mostly due to my lack of energy and will to argue.

  “I know it’s a touchy subject, but won’t you call Noel? I mean, he deserves to know his sister is in the hospital,” Jared said slowly.

  “Look, I’m seriously done with him. If my mom or Rod want to call him, they’re free to do so, but if I know my brother, he’s probably wasted right now, so I’m not even going to try to contact him.”

  “Okay.”

  “Have you received any news from Aidan?”

  “No, I’ll call him when we get to your place if he hasn’t called by then.”

  “Great, thanks. Jared, do you think my sister could have done this?”

  “As a detective, I know it’s a possibility until the evidence exonerates her or confirms her guilt.”

  “And personally?”

  “I honestly do not know. I’ve barely spoken to her, and I’m not a psychologist, so I can’t read her in a way that isn’t superficial.”

  A silence overcame us and we continued eating, without speaking.

  “Did you find out anything about the license plate from the car that almost ran us over?” I asked, remembering.

  “The car was tracked to a rental place. Whoever leased it was a woman who paid cash. Her driving registration was under the name Jane Smith, so this is a woman who’s resourceful enough to get fake ID’s and has for some reason planned this. Unfortunately, Captain Nicholson told me it was a dead end because the person who gave the car to the woman said she was wearing a wig and glasses, but as she paid cash up front and returned the car in perfect conditions, they didn’t ask any questions.”

  “That sucks,” I said, finding very annoying the fact that there seemed to be no answers to all the problems that were occurring.

  We continued eating silently.

  Jared’s cell phone rang; I looked at him immediately and, without removing his eyes from mine, he grabbed it. I was unable to listen to what Aidan said, but I realized Jared’s expression grew more somber by the second. He mumbled a bit and hung up.

  “What?” I asked, placing the fork and knife on the plate; my appetite was gone.

  “I’m sorry, Sam. The bomb in Kelly’s car was also home-made, and Riley compared it to the one you received. Some of the materials were the same; two pieces of wire were actually analyzed and Riley concluded they were originally from the same cord. Kelly is a suspect right now, both in your attempted murder as well as in the staging of her own attempted demise. Aidan just got a judge to sign a search warrant and he’s going over to her house tonight. I need to check your correspondence with Kelly urgently.”

  I felt the blood draining from my face. I blinked repeatedly and took in a deep breath. Jared asked me if I was okay and I nodded; I just needed a minute to let all the information sink in.

  Jared called a waiter, asked for the bill, and paid. He led me to the car and drove swiftly through the streets of Memphis. The lights flashed and looked like a blur to me; I was shocked.

  I felt like a puppet as Jared guided me through the garage to the elevator, into the hallway, through the door and towards my study. He snapped his fingers in front of my eyes and I woke up from the trance I’d been in.

  “Right,” I muttered as I turned on the computer.

  All the files were organized in folders, and I walked Jared through them. I opened my e-mail
account and let Jared sit on the chair.

  “Sam, go and rest. Tomorrow morning is Sandy’s funeral, right?”

  I nodded.

  “You’ll need some energy, so go to sleep and I’ll manage. Are there any passwords locking the e-mails?”

  “No, the passwords are used for my work files. All my correspondence with Kelly is completely accessible.”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  “Okay, right. Good night Jared.”

  “Good night Sam.”

  And with no further activities for me to do I walked, again in a trance, into my bedroom; without the force to change into my pajamas, I barely got out of my clothes, plunged onto my bed, and dozed off, exhausted after the emotional rollercoaster the day had been. And feeling almost as lonely as I’d felt the night after Caleb died.

  9

  I opened my eyes and blinked, focusing my sight. I’d slept like crap, so I was suffering a slight headache. I patted my bed, searching for my cell phone; I use its alarm clock, and now it was ringing annoyingly.

  I closed my eyes and breathed.

  Five minutes later, the alarm went off again, and I opened my eyes again. After turning the alarm off, I grunted and got up. I drowsily walked to the bathroom, peed, and got into the shower. The hot water ran down my body and eased some of the discomfort I felt all over.

  Once I was clean, I wrapped myself in a towel, brushed my teeth, disentangled and blow-dried my hair, returned to my room, and found a tray with coffee, yogurt and cornflakes waiting for me on my bed.

  “Thanks Jared!” I yelled from the door.

  “You’re welcome,” he yelled back.

  I changed into black pants, a white blouse, a black vest and black boots, had my breakfast succeeding in not getting food over my clothes—nothing short of a miracle—and met Jared in the living-room. He was ready to go and smiled tightly when he saw me. As we were running a bit late, I decided to leave the questions I had in my mind for the ride in the car, and just nodded, letting him know I was set to go as well.