* * *
“I hate to disturb you at this hour, ma’am,” Val said in a surly tone after awakening the woman.
“What is it now, Deputy?”
“I thought you might be interested to know that your daughter was wounded in the line of duty this evening. She’s in surgery now. I don’t have an update on how—”
“Not again.” Maria began to shake.
“I came here to offer you the chance to be there for her. I can take you the hospital.”
“I…”
Maria’s hesitation irked the hell out of Val. Unable to control her anger, she cut the elderly woman off before she could make excuses.
“Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t like you. For all your claims of wanting to make amends with your girls, here you are hesitating after being told your daughter is at the hospital fighting for her life. I’m heading down to my car. You’ve got two minutes before I’m out of here. The choice is yours.”
* * *
The small waiting area quickly filled up with a steady stream of cops and hospital workers, all eager to find out what was happening. Despite Leigh’s constant vigil, Jamie felt alone. Stevie finally burst through the crowd with Emma and Ricky in tow.
“Any word?” Stevie breathlessly asked. She handed Emma off to Ricky.
“Nothing yet. It’s too soon.” Jamie accepted the hug Stevie offered. “What happened?” she finally brought herself to ask Mulligan.
“She was grabbed here, in the hospital parking lot.” Mulligan cleared her throat. “It was, uh, she was right. Fisher was behind the whole thing.”
“Check with security. Caitlin always parks near a camera just in case,” Jamie heard herself saying in an overly calm voice.
“We’ve already done that,” Mills said gently. “Don’t worry about the case. CC pretty much wrapped it up. You just…”
“Just what?” Jamie almost laughed.
“I don’t know,” Mills confessed. “Seems like I should say something, you know, like don’t worry she’s a fighter. Hearing it out loud sounds lame.”
“No, it’s the truth.” Jamie graciously accepted the officer’s words. She sat there for a moment trying to digest everything. Her wife had been abducted at the hospital probably not long after they had made love in her office. It didn’t make any sense. Then again, at that moment, very few things in their lives made sense. “Who did this to her?” she finally asked. “And where can I find them?”
“Eunice Cockburn. You can find her at the morgue,” Mulligan said.
“Who in the name of God is Eunice Cockburn?”
“She is, or was, Simon Fisher’s lawyer.”
“Leigh, did you…” Jamie choked up, afraid to ask the question.
“No, it was Val,” Ricky said.
“Perfect kill shot.” Leigh gave Jamie’s arm a squeeze.
“The lawyer did it.” Stevie shook her head, clearly at a loss. “What is this world coming to when you can’t trust a lawyer?”
Mac C’s voice bellowed around them. “Who, what, when, where, how, and let me have a shot at the slimy bastard!”
Jamie watched in disbelief as CC’s uncle was wheeled in by Frank. He had an extra oxygen tank hooked up to his wheelchair.
“Lawyer. Already dead, Uncle Mac,” Stevie said, her voice devoid of emotion.
Jamie was concerned as she realized this was the second time Stevie sat vigil waiting to see if her beloved sister would live or die. At least this time she isn’t alone, Jamie silently reasoned. She felt a pang of guilt for her absence all those years ago.
Palmucci suddenly appeared, wagging his finger at Mac. “Where have you been?”
“Frank, wheel this sucker over this rude bastard’s foot.”
“Boys.” Stevie nodded towards her daughter, who had been sitting on Ricky’s lap watching the bizarre scene unfold. “If you can’t behave, take it outside.”
“Why wasn’t I called?” Palmucci’s softened tone did nothing to hide his disdain.
“We were a little busy,” Ricky said. “Not to worry, we cleared your case. Or I should say Calloway cleared all the cases. Got the whole story on tape.”
“Wait, I’m confused.” Stevie looked at him. “Where did this happen? Was it at the station?”
“No,” Ricky said with a hard swallow. “Pine Banks Park.”
“Malden?”
“Her phone,” Mulligan said. “Somehow she managed to feed us a live stream of the whole thing while the lawyer confessed to everything, including whacking her own stepmother when she was in college.”
“Sounds like a lovely woman,” Stevie said. “Remind me to thank Val later.”
“Her phone?” Jamie almost laughed that the expensive gadget CC fought tooth and nail not to own might have saved her life. “I can’t believe she figured out how to work it. Thank God, she did.”
Val suddenly appeared. “She said it was an accident.” A timid older woman was hiding behind her.
“What are you doing here?” Stevie shouted as she jumped out of her seat.
“Mommy,” Emma wailed, clearly frightened.
“Mommy?” Maria repeated with a shadow of a smile.
“You don’t belong here.” Stevie struggled to contain the anger that had been building from the moment she heard what had happened to her sister.
“You heard the girl, Maria,” Mac said with a snarl.
“I brought her,” Val timidly confessed. “I thought…” her words trailed off when Stevie’s glare clearly screamed I will kill you later.
“Who are you?” Jamie asked.
“Ricky, will you take Emma downstairs for a cup of hot chocolate?”
Ricky, who looked as if he couldn’t wait to flee the scene, complied.
“You have a child and a husband?” Maria asked in an excited tone.
“Half right. Ricky isn’t my husband. In fact, he’s dating Emma’s father.
“I asked for that,” Maria mumbled.
“Maria, why don’t you do what you do best and ignore your kids?” Mac struggled to get out of his chair until Frank placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
“From what I’ve heard,” Maria said, “you weren’t here the last time either. Bit of legal trouble?”
“Stop, all of you,” Jamie said. “Either you play nice, or you can get the hell out.” She was weary of the bickering.
“It’s not up to us, Uncle Mac. It’s up to Jamie.”
Jamie felt her bones ache when she stood to greet the stranger who she could only assume was CC’s mother. “I’m Dr. Jamie Jameson.” She offered her hand, half-tempted to smack this woman rather than greet her. The last thing she wanted at that moment was more drama.
“Are you treating Caitlin?”
“No, I’m her wife.”
“See, one of us got married,” Stevie said.
“Stevie.” Jamie gave her head a little shake. “Maria, please have a seat. Val, if anyone causes a ruckus, shoot them.”
“Okay,” Val readily agreed.
Jamie sat there slumped down, feeling defeated. She was uncomfortable sitting next to the woman who, for lack of a better term, was her mother in-law.
“Jamie?” Maria timidly said.
“Yes?”
“Would you mind if I prayed?”
“Not at all. A little prayer right now would be more than welcome.” Jamie was taken aback by the question. She was thankful when Maria pulled out a string of rosary beads and silently prayed.
There was an eerie feeling in the air as more and more people crowded the small waiting area with no one speaking above a whisper. Jamie flashed back to waiting by her mother’s bedside. The hardest part for her was the knowledge that there was nothing she could do. Silently she joined Maria in prayer.
“Emma.” Jamie cleared her throat when Ricky and Emma returned. Normally, after a hearty cup of hot chocolate, Emma would be skipping. Emma’s somber shuffle spoke volumes. She climbed onto her mother’s lap and hugged Stevie
tightly. She crawled off of her mother’s lap, apparently not caring who she was stepping on, and made her way into Jamie’s arms.
Stevie sat there bouncing her knee. For almost twenty years, she lived in fear of reliving the worst moment in her life. Now it happened again, and this time things were far worse. She felt a need to comfort Jamie, all the while she needed someone to comfort her. Someone to remind her that Caitlin was a fighter. Having her mother sitting beside her only made her more anxious. Her body relaxed slightly, when Val sat down beside her.
“Stevie…” her mother cautiously began to say.
“Don’t.”
“I was just going to say that your daughter is beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Stevie was still unable to look at her mother.
“No husband?” Maria sounded mystified.
“Oh for the love of—” Val’s hand caressed her thigh and effectively cut off the harsh comment that was forthcoming.
Stevie glared at her mother, who wisely chose to look down at her rosary beads. Every time a door opened or someone new appeared, Stevie jumped, anxious to hear something. She knew it could be hours before they knew anything. Jamie cast a weary look at her, and Stevie tried to smile in an effort to comfort her worried sister in-law.
Time clicked by slowly. Emma went from comforting to whiny. Hours had passed since CC had been wheeled into surgery. Jamie yearned to go up to the theatre and watch. Rudy had made it clear that his team would feel uneasy with her observing. All she could do was sit and wait.
Finally the doors swooshed open and Rudy emerged, covered with blood and looking as if he had aged ten years. Jamie bolted out of the hard plastic chair before he was noticed by the others.
“She’s going to be okay, Jamie.”
Jamie wanted to thank him. Instead, she burst into tears, not caring who was watching as she hugged him.
“Jameson, people will talk,” he teased, hugging her tighter. “Take a few moments and catch your breath, and I’ll take you down to recovery.”
“No complications?”
“None. It was pretty routine. I’ll go over the grisly details later.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. When she turned, Stevie, Leigh, and a half-dozen other people were hovering around her. “She’s fine. I’m going down to recovery. It will be a few more hours before they settle her into a room and she’s ready for visitors. Good God, Max. Put a robe on.”
“Do you know how hard it was for me to break out of that penthouse you locked me up in? So excuse my attire.”
“It isn’t your attire that disturbs me,” Jamie choked out, shielding her eyes. “It’s your flag flapping in the wind.”
“Sorry.” He blushed and tugged his hospital gown tighter around his rotund body. Ricky took pity on him and found him a blanket to wrap around his waist. “Thanks. How’s the kid?”
“She’s going to be fine. I’m on my way to see her. Stevie, she should be zonked out for a while. Why don’t you take Emma home and get some rest? I’ll call you when Caitlin is settled into a room.” Stevie blew out a heavy sigh. She thanked Jamie, gave her a quick kiss, and gathered up Emma and Ricky. Jamie endured everyone wishing her well before they left her with only Max, Maria, and Val. Jamie sensed that neither Maria nor Val had anywhere else to go.
“I’ll go in first when she’s responsive. You’ll have to go in one at a time.”
“I appreciate that, James,” Max said. “I don’t want to cut in on your time with her. I just want to see her to make sure she really is okay.”
“No worries, Max.”
* * *
CC was running. Distorted clowns were chasing her through a misty maze. Someone was singing Ring around the Rosy. The song eerily echoed from loud speakers. She had to get back and find her way home. Jamie needed her. She screamed Jamie’s name over and over again. Her screams were drowned out by a maniacal cackle and sadistic nursery rhymes. The mist swirled around her and made her legs feel heavy. Unseen hands clawed at her ankles. She fought to keep moving to find Jamie.
“Caitlin, I’m right here.”
“Where? Where?” Her search turned desperate as fun house mirrors appeared in the mist. The mirrors faded, and the mist turned to a calming fog. The sun came out. Somewhere in the distance she could hear the Beatles singing Long and Winding Road.
“Shall we skip the light fantastic?”
CC was more than a little surprised to see Helen Mirren standing before her in a simple, black, ball gown with the mist growing heavier.
“Okay.” She stepped into Helen’s open arms.
“I’m right here,” Helen promised as they danced around the low-lying fog. “Caitlin? Caitlin?” she repeated, her voice not sounding the same. It sounded husky, a hint of a southern accent. It sounded the way Jamie sounded when she was tired or stressed.
“Where’s Jamie?”
“Right here, baby.”
CC struggled to open her eyes. When they finally gave way, a misty-eyed Jamie was staring back at her. “Jamie?”
“I’m right here. I won’t leave you.” Jamie placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I can skip the light fantastic if the clowns don’t get me.”
“Okay, you’re stoned.”
“Thirsty.”
“Here.” Jamie fed her some ice chips. “The surgery went well.”
“Surgery?” CC still felt adrift. “The crazy lawyer shot me.”
“Yes.” Jamie sighed, sounding relieved.
“Where am I?” CC fought not to go back to sleep.
“Hospital.”
“I feel like Monday morning in hell,” she choked out. Her throat felt raw.
“Do you remember?”
“Yeah, kind of. Cock…”
“Excuse me?” Jamie squealed with a wide-eyed expression.
“Eunice Cockburn.” CC struggled to speak. She fidgeted a bit and realized her left arm was restrained. “She…”
“Simon’s lawyer.”
“Did they…” CC felt lost. “They got her, right?”
“It worries me that was a question. Yes, they got her.”
“Brown, right?”
“Yes.” Jamie smiled briefly, and tears filled her eyes. “Don’t ever do this to me again.”
“I’ll try not to. Why can’t I move my arm?”
“It is in a sling. Hopefully, that will keep you from ripping your stitches out.”
“I love you, James.”
“I love you, Caitlin.”
“Have you slept? How long have I been out of it?” Panic suddenly seized CC. The last time something like this happened, she was in a coma for weeks. The thought of losing that much time and having her loved ones suffer through it terrified her.
“It happened last night.” Jamie’s voice was soft and reassuring. Her hand caressing CC’s thigh put the normally stoic policewoman at ease. “I have never been so frightened in my life.”
“Sorry, baby. It wasn’t planned.”
“I hope not.”
“She got me from behind.”
“I know. Caitlin, I don’t want to hear the gory details. I just want to look into your baby blues.”
“Hey, can I come in? They’re trying to drag me back up to the penthouse.” Max barged in, completely disrupting the moment.
“Why are you wearing a toga? He is, isn’t he?” CC wasn’t certain that the drugs weren’t still messing with her mind.
“It’s a blanket,” Max grumbled. “Apparently your wife isn’t fond of seeing my stunning masculine form.”
“Uh-huh.”
“He came down to the waiting area in one of those skimpy johnnies.”
“Eww. My wife doesn’t need to be seeing that.”
“How are you?” Max’s jovial tone dropped. “You gonna be okay, kid?”
“So they tell me. Right, honey?”
“She’s going to be just fine after some time off.”
“What?” CC tried to s
it up in order to protest, only to have her movements halted by Jamie’s gentle touch.
“Oh, did I forget to tell you that you, my lovely wife, are grounded?”
CC gaped at her, fully ready to protest, until Jamie held up her hand. CC understood by the cold gleam in Jamie’s eyes that she needed to tread carefully.
“Need I remind you,” Jamie said before CC had the chance to voice her objections, “that you were shot by a crazed lunatic?”
“Which means I have work to do,” CC said.
“It means you are going to rest and relax until I say otherwise.”
Max laughed. “I can see that things are back to normal. I’ll just give you some peace and quiet.”
“Don’t go yet.” There was something CC needed to know. “Is our ever-friendly deputy wandering around?”
“I’ll get her,” Max left the room.
“You can thank her later,” Jamie said.
“I’m not going to thank her,” CC wearily explained. “I need to ask her some questions.”
“Did you miss the part where I said you are grounded?”
“James?”
“No arguments. Two seconds ago, you were afraid that the clowns were going to get you. All I’m asking is that you put your feet up for a couple of days or weeks.”
“Weeks?”
“Caitlin, I’m not going to waste my breath arguing with you. The department isn’t going to clear you for active duty. Just suck it up and learn how to relax.”
“How about some coffee?”
“Good heavens, woman, you just got out of surgery.”
* * *
Val paced nervously. She had to get out of this town. Nothing about Boston made any sense to her. The roads, the plethora of Dunkin Donuts stores, and the women. She was convinced there was something hinky in the water. Nothing short of germ warfare could explain the drivers in this city or the way they move the letter R around willy-nilly. Standing there listening to Maria ramble on and on about nothing was the icing on the cake. The crazy old bat couldn’t decide if she should love her children unconditionally or pray for their salvation.
Checkmate (Caitlin Calloway Mystery Book 2) Page 45