by C. M. Sutter
My name was called, and I hobbled with my crutches across the waiting room. I promised Jack I’d call when my appointment was over so he could pick me up.
“Right this way, Jade,” the nurse said as I followed her to an exam room. “Have a seat.”
I sat and waited for her to begin the preliminary exam. Lisa, the nurse, took my blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. She patted the paper-covered exam table and told me to take a seat. She helped me up. With the cold stethoscope against my back, she said to take a few deep breaths. It still hurt to do that. She did mention that she didn’t hear any gurgling—a good thing, I guessed. Lisa gingerly removed the bandages from my foot and gave the stitches a long look, turned my foot slightly to the right and left, and commented on the bruising. She took a seat on the short, backless roller chair and scooted it up to the computer screen and began typing. On the screen, she entered my name, birthdate, and medications I used in my personal medical file, even though that information had been taken several days ago at the hospital. The doctor and hospital all had the same records since it was one gigantic network. I went along with it since I understood protocol.
She clicked off the screen and pushed the chair back. Lisa stood, smiled, and said the doctor would be in shortly. I hated sitting there with nothing to do so I pulled out my cell phone and texted Amber. I apologized again for not being able to join her at the gun range last night. I mentioned seeing the paper target she’d left on the kitchen table and commented on how well she did. I was proud of her.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and the doorknob turned. I put my phone away as the doctor walked into the exam room.
“Good morning, Jade.”
“Morning, Dr. Dumont.”
He sat on the same roller chair Lisa had used and scooted it up to my foot.
“Let’s take a look.”
He turned my foot left and right and flexed it up and down. “You’re lucky, you know.”
“Really, how’s that?” I hadn’t imagined getting my foot half chewed off as being something lucky.
“That dog missed your Achilles tendon. That particular tendon connects your calf muscle to your heel bone and is used when you walk, jump, and run. The stitches look dry and clean, which is good, but the swelling and bruising may take another week to go away. I still want you on light duty for a while, but I think the boot can replace the crutches if you’re ready to try putting weight on that foot.”
“Yeah, let’s give it a shot. I’m not a fan of crutches at all.”
The doctor put a clean gauze bandage on my foot and wrapped it so it looked like a club again.
“The wrapping is just to protect your foot from being bumped or getting dirty. The boot will feel more comfortable with the extra padding too.”
I nodded.
He slipped the boot onto my foot then pulled the Velcro straps snug.
“Okay, stand up and put normal pressure on that foot. Tell me how it feels.”
The doctor helped me off the exam table, and I stood without the help of the crutches. I looked at him and grinned.
“It isn’t bad. I think I can do this—anything to get rid of the crutches.”
“Okay, but I’m trusting you to take it easy, understand?”
“Yes, Dr. Dumont. I’ll behave.”
“Fine.” He smiled and shook my hand. “I’ll send Lisa back in to set up your appointment in ten days to have the stitches removed.”
“Thank you.”
I watched him exit as Lisa entered. We set the next appointment, and she told me to keep the crutches. They would come in handy whenever I wanted to give my foot a rest.
In the waiting room, I texted Jack to come and pick me up, then I went back to watching home improvement shows on TV.
Ten minutes later, the front door opened, and Jack walked in.
“Ready, partner?”
“You bet.”
I handed Jack the crutches, and I pushed off the chair. It took a second to steady myself on both feet with equal pressure. Jack stood with his hand out, ready to catch me if I fell.
I grinned. “I got this.”
“Okay.” He opened the door, and I carefully walked out to the car on my own accord.
Jack closed my door and put the crutches in the trunk. He climbed in and glanced my way.
“Don’t think this means you’re going to run a marathon anytime soon. No driving yet either.”
“Who are you, the assistant doctor?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly who I am. Today and tomorrow are office days for all of us anyway unless something urgent comes up. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that nothing does.”
Chapter 44
“Okay, the email is sent, so I’ll have to check for a response from Mr. Patel every now and then. Hopefully, his boss will be okay with the switch. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wants a photo of Jenna to see what she looks like first. Let’s get that out of the way just in case.”
Matt set down his glass of juice and rose from the table. “There’s no time like the present. Let’s just do it now.”
Jeremy grabbed his cell phone and followed Matt to the basement.
“Jenna, front and center, you’re having a few pictures taken. What do you think, just a head shot for now?”
Matt stared at Jenna with his head cocked to the right and his fists jammed deep in his front pockets. “Yeah. If they ask for more, we’ll clean her up later. We have to get rid of Carley first before she starts stinking.”
“Good enough. Open the cage.”
As Jeremy stepped into the bathroom, Matt knelt and unlocked Jenna’s cage. They didn’t allow her out, but when Jeremy returned, he had the hairbrush with him.
“Here, fix your hair so you don’t look like a mess.” He handed the brush to Jenna, and she ran it through her hair. Jeremy snapped five pictures of her, three from the front and two from the side. “Good enough for now. Toss a bottle of water in there for her so we don’t have to open the cage again.”
Matt nodded and gave her water, then he locked the gate.
Jeremy emailed the photos of Jenna to Mr. Patel then dropped his phone into his pocket. He raked his fingers through his hair as if he were deep in thought.
“What’s up?” Matt asked.
“I’m just trying to think of the best way to do this. The wheelbarrow and shovels are outside by the cellar doors?”
“Yeah, they’re ready to go.”
Jeremy shook his head in disgust. “Fine, let’s just get it over with. Go open the outer doors and come back down. I’ll pull her out of the cage, then we’ll carry her out.”
Matt returned to the basement a few minutes later. Jeremy had already pulled her out of the cage, and she lay on the floor, stiff, blue, and with her lifeless eyes wide open. Lividity had marked her backside with imprints of the cage.
“I swear I’m going to puke.” Gagging sounds involuntarily erupted from Matt’s mouth as he grabbed her legs. Jeremy hooked his forearms in her armpits and lifted her.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
The heavy thud of her body hitting the metal wheelbarrow was a welcome relief. The worst part was over.
“Beth needs some company,” Jeremy said as he picked up the shovels.
Matt pushed the wheelbarrow around the barn and behind the stone fence. He hit a few bumps and downed branches as he struggled to get her back through the woods to the area of Beth’s grave.
“This looks about right.” Jeremy noticed the somewhat visible mound that he had tried to flatten out with the shovel. “I’m not digging for long. It’s too damn hot outside. Three feet is deep enough, and we can’t get too close to Beth, either. If we do, we’ll stir up her rotting, stinking body. Start digging at least ten feet away.” With the back of his hand, he wiped his forehead, then he punched the shovel’s pointed scoop through the dirt.
“Okay, dump her in,” Jeremy said.
By nine thirty, the hole had been dug deep enough for their liking, and Carley
was going in the ground. Matt lifted the wooden handles of the wheelbarrow, tipping the front downward. They watched as she slid and fell into the hole.
“Damn it.” Matt groaned and climbed into the hole. Carley’s position was off. She needed to be turned on her side or her stiff arm would be sticking out. “Can you give me a hand?” He looked at Jeremy standing above him, his arms tightly crossed.
“Stupid bitch.” Jeremy held the end of the shovel for support and jumped into the hole. His bad knee was acting up.
They turned her body so she was completely sideways, then they climbed out and filled the hole with dirt. Jeremy sank down in the shade of a tree and checked his cell phone to see if there was a message from Mr. Patel.
“Here we go. This had better be good.” He pressed a few buttons until the email message opened. He read it silently then breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God, they’re going ahead with Jenna. The new owner likes the way she looks. All is well, bro, and the transfer is going forward. We’re meeting him at four o’clock, get this, at the Woodfield Cemetery. That’s different, but quiet and secluded. I doubt if the dead people will mind. He says he’ll be in a blue Explorer.”
That afternoon, the brothers pulled Jenna out of her cage and gave her instructions. A freshly washed outfit on a plastic hanger was handed to her as she entered the bathroom.
“I want you to wash your hair and scrub that body good. Use the makeup on the back of the toilet tank. You need to pretty yourself up a bit. You can even take a toothbrush along. It’s a long flight to India.” Jeremy wiped the tear running down her cheek and flicked it. “You’ll be fine, Jenna. Consider this a great adventure. Who knows, you could have gone to somebody in a boring Midwest farm community. Oh, that’s right, you already live in one.” He grinned and smacked her butt. “Now get busy—you have fifteen minutes.” Jeremy locked the bathroom door behind her.
Shade from the large oak tree next to the house cooled the yard and brought welcome relief. The brothers sat outside, each guzzling a frosty can of beer. White ribbed wife-beaters and baggy cargo shorts were the attire for the day. They’d clean up and change clothes before the trip to Milwaukee. Cage lay panting on the grass next to them. A stainless steel bowl filled with water from the hose sat at his side. The well water at the farm was tasty and icy cold.
“Not a bad few months, brother. Liz will be in Tennessee soon, then all we’ll have left is Megan. Getting her sold should be easy.”
With careful precision, he lined up the blade of grass just right between his thumbs and blew on his knuckles. Whistling sounds made them both laugh. “I wasn’t sure I could still do that.” Jeremy chuckled with memories.
“Yeah, we had some fun as kids, fishing at the pond and swinging on that rope. Remember when I brought that frog home and forgot to take it out of my pocket?”
They laughed for a brief moment.
“Yeah, until Mom told Dad about it and he beat the shit out of you and—”
Matt interrupted the dark place where Jeremy’s mind was heading. “Let’s not go there, bro. I just hope that bastard dies in prison.” Matt went momentarily silent while he busied himself pulling clover out of the grass. “Did you buy gas for the lawn mower?”
“It’s in the barn.” Jeremy looked over his shoulder at the black outline on the lawn from where they’d spray-painted the van. “Yeah, we need to get rid of that outline. We’ll take care of it tomorrow.” He scanned the yard. “Humph… the grass does need cutting. I guess we’ve had other things on our minds.”
Chapter 45
“I’m ready to get started, and I’m not talking about cleaning the bull pen either. I think by tomorrow I can ride along for our door-to-door interviews. It isn’t that much work to walk from the cruiser to somebody’s front door, and I’d probably be walking that much anyway right here at work.”
Clark gave me a frown and rubbed the side of his nose.
“Come on, boss. Look around. We’ve cleaned our desks already. Yours doesn’t look bad either. Why wait an extra day to get started if we don’t have to?”
“What did the doctor tell you? And don’t lie to me.” Clark sat down opposite me and stared in my face. I grinned.
“She’s ready to tell a lie. I can see it. Every time she hands someone a line of bs, she smiles. Her face is turning red too.”
“Really, Jack? Can you put a lid on it and mind your own business? Come on, Lieutenant. I promise I won’t overdo it. We can extend the interviews over three or four days and be really thorough. You’re going to hate me if I have to sit at my desk for two more days. It’ll drive you nuts.”
Clark jerked his head toward me. “Let me see you walk around the room.”
“You mean right now?”
“Uh-huh, right now.”
I pushed back my chair and stood. Everyone was staring at me. “Wow… you really know how to put me on the spot.”
“Jade, you aren’t going in the field unless you’re capable.”
I walked slowly around the bull pen and gradually put a little weight on my right foot. It hurt, but I wasn’t about to admit it.
“See, I can do it. I promise, it will only be from the car to the houses and back to the car.”
“Fine, but Jack’s in charge. Jack, if she misbehaves, bring her back. She’ll be sitting it out right here at her desk.”
I felt like giving Clark a hug, but I didn’t want to press my luck. A simple thank-you would suffice.
“All right, you guys, let’s divide up the county and get started,” I said.
“You can get everything ready today. The interviews won’t begin until tomorrow. Got it?”
“Yes, sir, I got it.”
That afternoon, Jack, Billings, Clayton, and I laid out on the lunchroom table the map that Todd had put together for us.
“Jack and I can take the top quarter of the county north of Highway 60 and Wayfair Road for the first day or so. You guys can mirror that same layout south of Highway 60. On Friday we’ll do the same at Division Road. If we cover a little over three miles each day, we’ll have our radius taken care of by Saturday afternoon.” I looked at each detective, waiting for a nod as an acknowledgment.
Jack spoke up first. “Are you sure you’re ready, Jade?”
“I’m more than ready. I’ll take along some ibuprofen and a bottle of water if I have to. No big deal.”
Clayton nodded. “Let’s do it, then. We’ll finalize our plans and head out after the morning powwow with Clark.”
The lieutenant rounded the corner and entered the lunchroom. “Did I just hear my name mentioned?”
“Yes, sir, Lieutenant. We’ve put together our interview grid and plan to start up after our morning meeting.”
“Show me your search strategy.” Clark leaned over the map on the table.
Jack took over and pointed out the search and interview grid we were going to cover each day. “If we narrow down a particular area that seems promising, we’ll base our focus there.”
“Okay.” Clark checked the time above the door. “Why don’t you guys call it a day? The bull pen is clean, you have a strategy for tomorrow, and I’ve already called Jamison and Horbeck. They know for the next few days they’re going to be pulling overtime. So are a few of the deputies.”
The four of us left and headed to the parking lot. I limped, but I was getting faster at it. I climbed into the passenger seat of Jack’s Charger and closed the door, then I waved to Clayton and Billings through the window.
“Can I have my car keys back now?” I stared at Jack, waiting for a response.
“How are you going to drive with that boot on your foot? Look how big it is.”
“If there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ll practice when we get to my house. You can even ride along and see for yourself if it seems safe.”
“Do you have any beer?”
“Yes, I have beer.”
Chapter 46
Matt looked at the GPS on Jeremy’s phone. “We should see th
e cemetery coming up on the right in a few blocks.” He turned in his seat and looked over his left shoulder. Jenna sat quietly in the locked cage at the back of the van.
She had been given the same choices Melanie had a week back. She would either sit quietly, get zapped every time she made a fuss, or get the needle. Jenna chose to sit quietly.
“I’m impressed,” Matt said as he rearranged himself in his seat and faced forward again.
“About what?”
“She’s accepting her fate pretty well. Hell, I wouldn’t want to end up in India. No thanks, too many rats.”
Jeremy spoke quietly, “Until she’s out of our possession, we have to watch her closely, especially when the transfer takes place. We may want to zap her before that.”
Matt pointed to the right. “This is it.”
Jeremy clicked his blinker and turned in. The cemetery sign was flanked by stone pillars, each holding a coach lamp at the top. Woodfield Cemetery didn’t appear large, but it was heavily wooded and had a long gravel driveway. They passed the maintenance building, which sat along a path that veered off to the left. Mr. Patel had mentioned he would be at the farthest end of the cemetery near the back fence. Beyond that, according to Google satellite images, were a nature preserve and a marshy pond.
“That’s got to be him,” Jeremy said. He jerked his chin toward a vehicle parked farther down the driveway.
“Yep, it looks like a blue Explorer.” Matt reached for the cattle prod under the seat. He’d have it ready when they opened the back of the van.
Jeremy slowed at the end of the driveway and pulled up alongside the Explorer. A man looking to be of Indian ethnicity sat behind the steering wheel. He glanced over and nodded. All three men exited their vehicles and introduced themselves. They walked to the back doors of the van, where Jeremy reached for the handles and pulled them open. Jenna sat quietly, wide eyed and trembling.