“How long have we been waiting?” Briana said, as she sat up.
Cyrus set his coffee down on the table in front of them and looked at his broken wristwatch. He shook his head and then retrieved his cell phone from his pocket. Water dripped from its seams. He threw it down on the table in disgust. Briana tapped his arm and when he turned his face toward her, she pointed to the clock on the wall.
“Oh,” he said, “Three hours, now.”
A loud commotion coming from the hospital lobby startled Cyrus out of his trancelike state. He noticed a nurse and an attendant wheeling a man in a stretcher behind large double doors. An obese, bug-eyed Asian man bled freely from his forehead, as a young doctor called out instructions to the nurse over the cries of a woman trailing behind.
Cyrus, Max, and Briana sat motionless and did not respond to the pandemonium. After the commotion died down, Max spoke, “Ironic isn’t it?”
“What’s that?” Briana asked.
“We were saved from the evil, renewable energy scientist by a few cans of good old, fossil fuel. I wonder if you can make Molotov cocktails with ethanol. ”
Cyrus and Briana groaned.
“The gasoline saving us from Moon wasn’t the most ironic thing that happened,” Cyrus said.
“Yeah, what was more ironic?” Max said.
Briana laughed.
“What’s so funny?” said Max.
“You, you’re more ironic, get it?”
They all laughed.
“But I want to know, what event had greater irony,” Max said as he cast a sideways glance at Briana.
“The most ironic event was Moon saving the life of the man he hated most of all, Dana Mathers.”
“How’s that again?” Max said.
“One of the EMTs told me on the drive over in the ambulance. Dana has wounds on the side of his abdomen he thinks could only have come from a shark attack.”
“So Dana was attacked by the same shark that Duncan was?”
“Had to be. When Moon dumped Duncan overboard, he probably distracted the shark and saved Dana.”
“I’m glad you saved Duncan, Cyrus. I’d have done all that undercover work for nothing if you had popped that shark before it swallowed him.”
“He can’t miss,” Max said.
Briana’s cell phone rang. She answered and after a few moments of listening she said, “All right, I am on my way.” She hung up and said to Cyrus, “Duncan’s regained consciousness, I have to go.”
Cyrus watched her enter the hospital lobby and then go around the corner to the elevator. Overcome by fatigue, he dozed off.
A moment later he was awaken by a gentle nudge on his knee. When he opened his eyes, the tall, lanky, form of Deidra Jones appeared before him.
“Hello Detective Fleming,” she said, “Is there any word on Dana Mathers?”
“You certainly have a keen interest in Dana Mathers for an ex-girlfriend.”
“Why wouldn’t I? We’re still friends and I am a member of the press after all.”
“Hardly, you’re a Senior Editor of a local paper that rarely does any hard news. So why are you doing the job of a reporter?”
“Whatever. As a Senior Editor I can like, do what I want. I am very familiar with the main subject, after all.”
“Yes, very familiar, that’s something I’d like to talk more about with you later.”
“And I have some questions for you I need answered right now. Why did you allow Dana Mathers to be put in danger? That’s the second time he has had to rescue you, isn’t it?”
“I have no comment.”
“Why was he in your custody, Detective Fleming?”
“That’s police business.”
“Wasn’t he supposed to be serving time for the murder of Mike Tanner?”
“You know, Miss Jones,” Cyrus said, “I don’t really mean to be rude, it’s just that now is not a good time. We haven’t had much sleep. I could give you my phone number and you could call me later. How about lunch tomorrow over at Parmeneli’s. I’d be glad to answer any questions you have about what happened.”
“Well, as long as you promise not to talk to anyone else in the press before now and tomorrow morning.”
“It will be an exclusive just for you… uh, could you loan me your pen?”
She handed the thick, ergonomic, writing instrument to him in an instant. He grasped it near the point, carefully avoiding the place where Deidra had held it. He observed that she was still wearing the large diamond ring on her right hand. He dropped the pen on the carpet floor; when he attempted to retrieve it, he nudged it softly under the sofa with his foot.
“What a clumsy clown I am, Miss Jones. I am so sorry-”
“Don’t worry about it, Detective; I have my blackberry with me, just like, tell me your number.”
Cyrus complied. Deidra entered the number. As soon as she finished her phone rang. She put it to her ear and after a few moments she said, “All right, I’ll be over in a few minutes.” She put her cell back into her purse and left.
“Max, can you get me an evidence bag?” Cyrus said once he was sure Deidra was gone.
“Sure.” Max got up and started for the hospital lobby door. He stopped in the doorway and said, “Were you just now using your people voice with Deidra Jones?”
“Yeah, and she’s so vain she didn’t notice.”
Moments later Max returned with an evidence bag for the pen and a cop following him. Putting pen in the baggie, he passed it to the policeman and said, “Take this to forensics to get a set of prints off of them. Have them checked against the fingerprints on the bat.”
“Any bat in particular?”
“The one in the Tanner case, Thurston will know. Get back to us with the results as soon as can.”
As soon as the cop had left, Cyrus turned to Max and said, “We need to find out when exactly Deidra Jones stopped visiting Dana.”
“What are you talking about?” Max replied.
“After Dana had his accident, Deidre came to visit him every day for several weeks. I need to know the exact date she stopped.”
“I can tell you that, Cyrus.” Kelsey Tanner said.
Startled, Cyrus stood up. Kelsey hurried over to Cyrus and gave him a long hug.
“How is Dana, Kelsey?”
“The doctor says Dana is going to be fine. The Coast Guard men did a good job keeping his body core temperature warm with IVs. The bends he suffered are minor. His ribs are broken, but he can breathe. He’s asking for you.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No, he is awake and lucid.”
“Well I don’t want to keep him waiting, let’s go,” Cyrus said as he headed back to the hospital lobby. He stopped abruptly, turned to Max, who was following behind him and said, “Can your run a check on this phone number?”
“Sure,” Max said as he took the yellow sticky pad from Cyrus, “Where’d you-”
Cyrus cut him off when he rolled his eyes and gave him the dummy up sign. Max nodded his head, darted into the hospital lobby, and out of the front exit.
From the waiting room, Kelsey and Cyrus walked through the lobby, down a short hallway and into an up elevator. She punched the button for the fourth floor and said, “About that question you asked Max before I interrupted. Deidra Jones stopped visiting Dana six weeks to the day he was admitted.”
“How can you be so sure it was exactly six weeks?”
“It was the day the doctors had finished reviewing Dana’s full body MRI scan.”
“And?”
“They said he would be paralyzed for the rest of his life.”
“And they were wrong,” Cyrus said.
“Not entirely. Dana has recovered a lot more than the doctors ever imagined. But he is still paralyzed in his left leg. That poor Deidra. I really felt bad for her when she heard the news.”
“Why?”
“Every other day she would visit Dana, but he wouldn’t respond. He just stared at the ceiling, like
he was in a melancholic trance. I suppose he was. She would cry and then leave. It must have been awful for her.”
Once they reached the fourth floor, they got the elevator and walked down the hall to the ICU lobby. Cyrus punched the button next to the door. He looked through the small window and saw there was no one at the desk. Kelsey reached into her pocket and then shrugged her shoulders.
“I must have left my badge in Dana’s room.”
Cyrus leaned back against the wall.
“How bad is Dana?”
“He’s got to stay in the hospital for at least another week; that’s what his doctor said.” She frowned at Cyrus, “Are you going to arrest Jeff Moon or Maverick Duncan with the murder of my brother?”
“No.”
“You mean all this investigation into Moon and Duncan and you end up with nothing?”
“I wouldn’t say that. Moon was doing his best to kill Dana, as well as half the state of California. I don’t consider arresting him, nothing.”
“You’re right, Cyrus. That was a stupid comment.”
“You’re upset is all. Don’t worry, I am very close to making an arrest.”
“Well, what about my father? I know he had something to do with this. Why else would he have kidnapped me?”
Cyrus stood up straight and held Kelsey by the shoulders. He looked down into her green eyes and said, “I am going to find your brother’s killer.”
Kelsey took Cyrus by the hand and said, “Thank-you Cyrus, you are good friend.”
The desk attendant opened the door. When Cyrus entered the hospital room, Dana was sitting up in his bed. He had an IV hanging from each arm and special harness around his shoulders. It was designed to keep pressure off of his broken ribs. He smiled at Cyrus and extended his hand, which Cyrus shook gently.
“Thanks for saving my life, again.” Cyrus said.
“No problem.”
Cyrus sat in the chair next to Dana’s bed.
“How are you feeling Dana? You look a lot better than when the Coast Guard loaded you onto that chopper. You had us all pretty worried.”
“I am a lot warmer, thanks. I am not in any pain except for these ribs. The doctor says I can’t move for at least another week.”
“That’s fortunate actually. Rudy was on his way over to put you back in prison. Of course I am not going back on my promise. I called your lawyer, Martinez, and told him I’d have a written statement for him detailing the reasons for you innocence. Briana will back me up. So you’re a free man no matter what.”
“Thanks to you, Cyrus. I knew you were a good man.”
Cyrus turned to Kelsey, “Is he on drugs?”
Kelsey nodded, “Yes, for the pain in his ribs. But that’s not the drugs talking.”
Cyrus nodded and then to Dana he said, “How long have you known Deidra Jones?”
“About six years, we were high school sweethearts.”
“Did she surf?” Cyrus asked.
Dana laughed, “What are you talking about? You interested in taking her surfing?”
Cyrus smiled, “I don’t want to get anywhere near the ocean after the last three days. No, Dana, I just wondered if she knew anything about surfing.”
“No, she watched, mostly. She hated surfing; it made her nervous whenever I was in a contest. She couldn’t understand why I wanted to put myself in danger of drowning on purpose.”
“That sounds reasonable to me,” Cyrus said.
“She could have surfed if she had the urge; she could swim like a fish. She was a good life guard.”
“She was a life guard?”
“Yeah, she’s very strong and she is almost as tall as I am, six foot one I think.”
“Yes, I noticed that too. Do the lifeguards use those really big surfboards?”
“Yeah, they are more like small boats. They don’t usually ride the waves with them; they’re more for rescuing people.”
“So why are you so interested in Deidra Jones, Cyrus?” Kelsey asked, “You can’t possibly suspect her of anything?”
Cyrus shook his head. He did not like lying to Kelsey, but he did not want to show his hand to anyone just yet. Besides, there was one problem in the theory he was working on that he hadn’t worked out yet, so he didn’t want to raise Kelsey’s hopes in case he was wrong.
“No, I am supposed to meet her tomorrow at lunch. She wants to ask me some questions about our adventure out there on the Diane Marie. I like to know as much as I can about a person before I meet with them.”
“Deidra Jones is fine person, Cyrus. Everyone knows her. She’s been to see Dana in jail twice since my brother’s death. She’s a Senior Editor at The Messenger and a good friend.”
Cyrus nodded. After saying a quick goodbye to Kelsey and Dana, he hurried out of the room and back down the hall the elevator. As he pushed the button that would take him back down to the hospital lobby, the memory of Deidra’s painting at Briana’s cottage came to his mind. The strange, abstract, semi-cubists portrait of a blonde woman with a long jaw and thin, blue slits of eyes reminded him of Deidra. She had the same general facial features and the painting was titled “My Scarred Heart”.
My scarred heart, Cyrus repeated to himself, she didn’t call it my broken heart; she called it my scarred heart-and that scar on her heart was exactly the same shape of Dana’s scar on his back.
As soon as he reached the hospital waiting room, he spotted Max playing with Mike Tanner’s laptop. “Come on, Max,” Cyrus said, “We have to get back to the station.”
Max sat down at his computer and turned it on, once they arrived at their office. Cyrus flopped down in his chair and opened up the bottom drawer. He pulled out the last bottle of Dasani water, opened it and took a big swallow.
“Deidra Jones is blonde. She’s egotistical and cold hearted.”
“The blonde part is pretty obvious. How do you know about the rest?”
“Deidra Jones was in on Moon’s effort to sabotage old man Tanner’s oil rig.”
“How’s that?”
“Moon told me she is going to write up an exclusive story glorifying their attempt to sabotage the oil rigs.”
“Why?”
“Moon thinks it’s because she believes in the cause. I got a different take.”
Max shut down the computer and sat up, “Let’s hear it,” he said.
“Deidra Jones murdered Mike Tanner.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes, just like that. Mike was using her to get to Dana. He probably set her up with a new job, promised to marry her, and bought her that nice ring she flaunts around.”
“How did she find out Mike was using her?”
“She was there at the beach that morning and overheard their conversation.”
“That’s not possible. She has an alibi, remember, she was at the house of that special effects guy.”
“Which happens to be less than a three minute walk to where Mike was murdered, besides, the special effects man wasn’t with her the whole time.”
“He’s got a wrought iron fence all the way around the place and cameras. I checked the video, no one went in or out until she left at ten am.”
“She did get out, I’m sure of it. She went around the beach side and hid herself near the edge of the cliff. She knew Mike and Dana were going to meet there. She must have overheard Mike taunt Dana about romancing her just to get back at him.”
“This is good theory, but no proof.”
“Get his laptop and check through his emails. He’s got to have something in there about her.”
While Max set up Mike’s laptop, Cyrus sat back in his desk chair and thought about the psychotic nature of Deidra’s painting. The twisted features and grotesque looking expression of the woman in the painting were repulsive. It was as if she was channeling all her rage into the canvass. That would have been normal if it were accompanied by a sense of remorse or even pathos. Everyone feels some anger from rejection. But Deidra’s painting wasn’t normal; it was
stark and rigid, childlike. It was full of condescending judgment. Like the judgment that comes from someone with a tremendous ego. That seemed to fit the characteristics of the person he had spoken with less than an hour ago. Dana gets paralyzed for life and all she can think of is herself.
Then aloud he said to Max, “Kelsey told me she stopped seeing him the day the second set of MRIs came back. The day she was certain Dana would never recover. She was the one who ditched him, not the other way around. But she was clever enough to let him think that was the way it was, so she could hold it over him and stay in his life. She’s a lot cleverer than I realized.”
Max made no sign he was listening and remained focused on Mike’s laptop. The next moment he raised his head and turning to Cyrus he said, “Look at this Cyrus, it’s a draft email written by Mike. The subject is Deidra Jones’s dismissal. This is a very nasty letter. It’s written to his HR Director instructing her to disregard his previous email concerning the appointment of Deidra Jones to the editorial staff of The Messenger. It further instructs her to make sure she is escorted off The Messenger premises in the event she shows up.”
Cyrus got up from his desk and walked over to Max’s computer. “What’s the time on it?”
“It was saved at 8:15 AM,” Max replied.
“That’s the exact time the coroner estimated Tanner was killed,” Cyrus stood up and walked back to his desk and sat down.
“And it’s only a draft. Mike never got the chance to send it.”
“Deidra made sure of that.”
“I don’t understand. Diedra still loves Dana, so why would she frame him?”
Cyrus leaned over his desk, put his elbows on the top, and rested his head in his hands. “Deidra Jones stopped seeing Dana the day his MRI showed he was no longer going to be a superstar surf idol,” he said, “That’s why she stopped coming to see him.”
“Oh, now I see where you’re going. She quits Dana thinking he’s no longer worth the trouble and then he makes a miraculous comeback and gets engaged to the richest single girl in California.”
“Meanwhile she’s on unemployment, stripped of her former glory as a popular local columnist. Reduced to doing part time work for that special effects guy.”
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