Sinking Suspicions

by Sara Sue Hoklotubbe

  Charlie dropped several bills on top of the ticket the waitress had left earlier and together they headed for the door.

  Sadie could see Lance's truck sitting next to her house when Charlie turned off the main road and crossed the cattle guard onto her property. He was leaning against the driver's side, obviously waiting for her to return.

  “Looks like you've got company,” Charlie quipped. He looked at Sadie and grinned. “You want me to stay and referee?”

  “No, thank you,” she said angrily. “I can handle this by myself.”

  “Now don't be too hard on him. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for everything.” Charlie guided his cruiser to a place behind Lance's truck and rolled to a stop.

  “Yeah, right.” Sadie climbed out of Charlie's car and slammed the door.

  Charlie lowered his window and stuck his head out so both Lance and Sadie could easily hear him. “Don't you lovebirds be pulling any feathers out of each other. You all hear?”

  Sadie waved as Charlie reversed his vehicle and drove away. Lance grimaced.

  Sadie walked toward the back door of the house. “You're wasting your time, Smith. I don't want to talk to you.”

  Lance grabbed her arm as she walked past him, stopping her in mid-stride. Suddenly, Sonny appeared out of nowhere and headed straight for Lance.

  “Alewisdodi!” Sadie screamed. “Stop, Sonny. It's okay.” Lance instantly released her arm as Sadie reached out for the dog, grasping the back of his neck. “I'm okay, Sonny. Good boy.” She stroked the dog's head and then turned to Lance. “I think your welcome is worn out here.”

  “Sadie, I need to talk to you. Can I come in so we don't have to deal with this crazy animal?”

  Sadie let out a long sigh. “Oh, okay. At least this should be interesting.” She turned on her heel and headed to the door.

  Sonny followed her and Lance hesitated.

  Sadie turned. “You'd better get in the house while the getting is good.”

  Together, they walked into the kitchen and Sadie dropped her purse on the table.

  “You know, Sadie, that dog is dangerous. One of these days, he's going to hurt someone. Either that or someone is going to shoot him out of self-defense. And it may be me.”

  “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about—the dog?”

  Lance put his hands on his hips. “Where did you find Buck?”

  “I didn't find him,” she snapped. “Sonny found him.” She dug the keys out of her pocket and threw them at Lance. They hit him in the middle of his chest before falling to the floor and landing at his feet.

  Lance picked up the keys and looked at them.

  “Those are Buck's keys, Lance. They don't belong to some secret lover of mine like you seem to think they do. They belong to Buck Skinner.” Sadie's voice grew louder with every word.

  Lance looked confused.

  “Tell me something, Lance. When Sonny brought those keys to you, did he by any chance try to get you to follow him?”

  Lance closed his eyes and Sadie knew she was right.

  “All I had to do was show these keys to Sonny and he led me straight to Buck. That was pretty damned simple, wasn't it? Too simple for you, obviously, since you're such a seasoned lawman and you've been in law enforcement for such a long time.” Sadie wanted him to remember his own words, the words he'd told her on the phone.

  “You're kidding me.” Lance walked over to the kitchen table, sat down, and spoke in a quiet voice. “Where was he?”

  “About a mile beyond the old springhouse. At the bottom of the ridge. In a sinkhole.”

  “In a sinkhole?” He sounded amazed. “How'd you get him out?”

  “I called 911, since you wouldn't answer my call.”

  Lance ran his hand through his hair. “I'm sorry, Sadie.”

  “Is that all you came here to talk to me about?” she asked. “Where did I find Buck?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I've got a question for you. Where did you find the lovely redhead that looked like a leech stuck to your arm?”

  “Her name is Dee Dee Skinner. She's Buck's niece, and she came in from California because Buck was missing.”

  Sadie felt like the air had been sucked out of her lungs. “And you made friends with her that fast? Good grief, I was only gone four days.”

  “It's not like that Sadie. We are not friends. I questioned her about Buck when she arrived and she was clueless about her uncle and everything else around here. She's real citified and, I swear, she doesn't have the sense God gave a goose to come in out of the rain.”

  Sadie walked over and sat in a chair on the other side of the table.

  “I was on my way back to your house,” he continued. “I wanted to talk things out. But Charlie called and said he'd heard on the radio that Buck had been found and was being transported to the hospital. So, since I was so close to Buck's house, I stopped by to tell her. She followed me to the hospital. I have no idea why she acted the way she did there. I swear, Sadie, that's it.”

  Sadie dropped her head in her hands, fighting tears and exhaustion. Lance quickly moved to her side and knelt by her chair. He took her hands in his and pulled them away from her face.

  “I'm so sorry, Sadie. I jumped to so many conclusions and I was wrong. Can you forgive me?”

  Tears fell off Sadie's cheeks. “I guess I'm guilty of the same thing. I'm so tired, I can't think straight. I'm sorry, too.”

  Lance stood, pulled Sadie to her feet, and encircled her with his arms. She gave in to his passionate kisses until they could hear Sonny scratching at the back door. They began to laugh, and tension fled the room.

  “I love you, Sadie. Let's not ever be apart again.”

  “You have no idea how scary that sounds. I'm not ready.”

  “That's okay.” He pushed her hair away and kissed her forehead. “I'll wait,” he said. “I don't care how long it takes.”

  “You would love Hawai‘i.” She rested her head on his chest. “It is too beautiful for words.”

  They could hear Sonny whining at the back door. Sadie looked at her watch and pushed Lance away. Grinning, she said, “Okay, I'll buy you a ticket next time so you can go too. I'm going back to the hospital. Want to go?”

  He grinned and headed for the door. “I'll meet you there in a bit,” he said, “if you'll call off your dog.”

  Chapter 26

  When Sadie arrived at the hospital, the sun had already dropped behind the western treetops, tinting the sky pink. She parked and entered through the main door instead of going back through the emergency room where she had left Buck earlier in the day.

  Recognizing one of the ladies at the information desk, she approached and decided to make small talk before trying to extract information about Buck.

  “Hi, Hazel,” she said.

  The gray-haired woman looked over her glasses at Sadie and smiled. “Well, look at you.” Her southern drawl sounded as if she had just arrived from south Texas. “I haven't seen you in a coon's age. How are you doing?”

  The two women exchanged pleasantries, and before long Sadie had convinced the retired nurse that a Hawaiian vacation was exactly what she needed, and she highly recommended the island of Maui. Besides that, as the town's newest travel agent, she would be glad to give her a new-customer discount. Hazel laughed and agreed to come by and see her soon.

  Sadie began to pry. “By the way, Hazel, I came by to check on my neighbor, Buck Skinner. I came in with him through the emergency room earlier today. Can you tell me if he's in a room yet?”

  “Oh, my, what happened?” Hazel's face took on an animated air of concern.

  “He fell into a sinkhole. Can you believe that?” Sadie exaggerated her words.

  Hazel's lips formed a silent “Oh” and then she went to work. Without a blink, she tapped for several seconds on her keyboard with long, red acrylic nails, and then raised her nose so she could look through the bottom part of her glasses at the computer screen.

&nb
sp; “I can't tell,” she said. “Hold on and I'll call back to emergency and see where he is.” She picked up the phone, dialed, and waited. After inquiring, she hung up and looked at Sadie. “They just moved him into a room on the fourth floor.” She wrote on a small slip of paper and handed it to Sadie. “If they give you any trouble, just tell them you're family. They won't care.”

  “Thank you so much, Hazel. I know Buck will appreciate it too.”

  Hazel winked at Sadie. “You take care of yourself, you hear? And, don't be falling into any darned sinkholes.”

  Sadie smiled and was walking toward the elevators when Hazel called after her. “And I'll be in to see you pretty soon about the new-customer discount on a trip to Maui.”

  Sadie gave her a thumbs-up, got on the empty elevator, and after a quick ride found herself on the fourth floor. She looked at the paper Hazel had given her and quickly followed the signs to room 410. The door stood ajar, and she could hear the noise of a television coming from inside the room. She quietly knocked and pushed the door slightly open. She could see Buck lying in the far bed next to the window. He had an oxygen tube running to his nose and an IV running from a machine to his arm. Another elderly patient, snoring loudly, occupied the bed closest to the door, grasping a television remote in one hand and the bed railing with the other.

  Sadie tiptoed into the room and approached Buck's bed. As she got closer, he opened his eyes, grinned at her, and then closed his eyes again. Sadie came closer and patted his arm. “Is there anything I can get for you, Buck?”

  Buck raised his head and moved his eyes toward the insulated cup sitting on a nearby rolling table.

  “Want a drink of water?” she asked as she instinctively reached for the cup and guided the bent straw to his mouth.

  He sipped and then pushed the straw out of his mouth with his tongue. “I'm going to buy your dog a tube steak,” he said quietly.

  Sadie smiled at his reference to bologna.

  “Me, too,” she said. “Do you mind if I stay for a little while, or would you rather sleep?”

  Buck nodded toward a chair in the corner. “Pull up a chair. Nobody can sleep in a place like this, except him,” he said, nodding toward his roommate. “They come in here every five minutes and poke on me somewhere.” His voice sounded surprisingly strong, considering the ordeal he'd been through.

  Sadie pulled the chair from the corner of the room to the edge of the window and sat in it. Buck turned his head and looked at her. “Wado,” he said. “I don't think I could have made it much longer.”

  “Don't worry about it. I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner. I was gone. But you're right about Sonny. He led me straight to you.” Sadie settled back in her chair. “He brought me your keys, you know. I can't imagine how he got your keys.”

  Buck shook his head again. “A miracle, I guess. I got angry and threw them at him. Damned dog's smarter than I thought he was.”

  Sadie could hear heels clicking in the hallway a few moments before the door swung open and the redheaded niece marched through it. Her eyes zeroed in on Buck as she walked up to his bed. “Uncle Buck. I can't believe you don't take better care of yourself. Look at the mess you're in now.”

  Sadie sat up straight, bristling at the woman's lack of respect for Buck.

  Buck looked at his niece without a hint of emotion in his face, and then looked at Sadie.

  “This is my brother's girl. I guess she's come all the way from Cal-i-forn-i-a just to see if I am still kicking.” He looked back at his niece. “This is my neighbor, Sadie.”

  “Charmed, I'm sure.” Dee Dee managed to force a smile. “They told me only family was allowed in here. Do you mind leaving us alone so we can discuss some family business?”

  Sadie started to stand.

  “No,” Buck said, his voice sounding even stronger than before. “Sadie is family. She saved my life. If you've got something to say, you can say it in front of her.”

  Dee Dee scowled. “Okay, fine. Did you draw up your will like I asked you to?”

  “What's your rush? I've got a lot of good years left in me.” Buck's voice trailed off as he mumbled something in Cherokee.

  “Don't call me that,” she snapped. “I changed my name to Dee Dee years ago, after I got tired of trying to explain such a stupid name. Dee Dee is my legal name now.”

  Buck turned his head and looked out the window into the darkness of the evening. “Your father would not approve.”

  “Yeah, well, he's dead, so it really doesn't matter what he'd think, does it?”

  Sadie sat in silence, horrified by the conversation taking place, wishing she could speak her mind to this disrespectful redhead and knowing it was not her place to do so, especially now that she could see the woman looked much older than she'd first thought. How could I have been jealous of her? Sadie squirmed in her chair and pushed her hair behind her ears when she realized how irrational she'd been.

  Buck spoke softly. “I swear there can't be a drop of Cherokee blood running through your veins. They must've got you mixed up with some unegv, some white baby, when you were born.”

  Sadie stifled a laugh.

  Dee Dee let out a grunt of disgust as she rummaged through her large handbag and pulled out a legal-size piece of paper. “I need you to sign this power of attorney so I can take care of some things for you.” She pulled the rolling tray near his bed, pushed his water cup aside, and laid the paper down next to it. She dug in her purse again and produced an ink pen. “Here,” she said.

  Sadie tensed again and stood.

  Dee Dee looked at Sadie and said, “What?”

  Sadie remained standing.

  “What do you think you need a power of attorney for?” Buck asked.

  Dee Dee glanced at Sadie before she continued, the tone of her voice suddenly taking on a childlike tone. “Uncle Buck, we've got a chance to make a lot of money. All we have to do is bottle and sell water from your spring. I had a man look at it and he says we can bottle up to two hundred thousand gallons a day. Do you have any idea how much money that will generate?”

  Surprised, Sadie gasped.

  Buck sneered at his niece and pushed the paper away. “You are not going to sell my springwater…at least not while I'm still alive. You can go back to your fancy city life in California, and then after I'm dead and gone you can do what you want with it. But until then, it stays just the way it is.”

  “Uncle Buck, I've got an investor willing to help us get the company up and running, and he isn't going to wait around for very long.”

  Buck began to get angry. “Go on. Go bother someone else for a while.” Buck leaned back on his pillow.

  A nurse flew through the door. “Mr. Skinner. Your blood pressure is going up on my monitor. Are you okay?” She looked at Sadie and Dee Dee. “You might want to wind down your visit. Mr. Skinner needs to get some rest.”

  Dee Dee grabbed the paper and pen and shoved it back into her bag. “That's okay. I was just leaving.” She turned and left, leaving nothing but the sound of clicking heels behind her. The nurse frowned and followed her out.

  Sadie touched Buck on his arm. “Is there anything I can get for you?”

  Buck nodded his head. “Can you bring me a bologna sandwich? I'm hungry and I can't eat this stuff.” He pointed with his head toward an untouched dinner tray sitting on a table next to his bed.

  Sadie smiled. “Of course.” She turned toward the door, pulled the remote control from the other patient's hand, and clicked off the television. “I'll be right back,” she said, as she placed the remote on the man's bedside table and slipped through the door.

  Lance pulled into the hospital parking lot and immediately spotted Sadie's Explorer. As he parked next to it and started to get out, he froze. First he saw the Cadillac, and then, in the dimness of the parking lot security lights, he saw Dee Dee Skinner walking down the sidewalk, talking on her cell phone. He decided to wait for her to get in her car and leave so he wouldn't have to talk to her again.
She had caused enough trouble for him already. A few seconds later, the rental car he'd seen leaving Buck's house a few days earlier pulled in next to the Cadillac and parked. Dee Dee got in the rental car and closed the door.

  Lance remained in his truck, hoping they wouldn't recognize his vehicle, knowing they couldn't see him in the darkness. After a few minutes, he saw Dee Dee lean over and kiss the driver before getting out. She looked around, then walked to her car, got in, and followed the rental car into the night.

  Suddenly, Sadie appeared next to his truck, giving him a start. He rolled down his window. “Get in and we'll pick up where we left off earlier.”

  Sadie laughed. “I'm bushed, Lance, and I've got to go over to the store and pick up something for Buck to eat, then I'm going to go home and get some sleep before I pass out.”

  “He must be feeling better.”

  “He is. How about lunch tomorrow?”

  “Okay, I'll stop by the hospital and check on you two. I'm sure Charlie is going to want to question him about some things.”

  Sadie frowned. “I hope I'm there when he shows up.”

  “It'll be okay, Sadie. You want some help?”

  “No, I'll see you tomorrow.” She leaned through the window and gave him a kiss and then hurried to her car.

  Sadie stopped by a convenience store about a block away, where she bought two preassembled bologna-and-cheese sandwiches. In less than twenty minutes she was back at Buck's bedside. She unwrapped the first sandwich and handed it to him just as a very large nurse's aide walked into the room and looked at Sadie.

  “I'm glad someone finally got here who can translate for us. Trying to communicate by sign language isn't working too well for me.” The nurse went into the bathroom and returned holding up a plastic container. “Can you tell him we need a urine sample?”

  Buck looked straight ahead as if he didn't understand a word.

  Still holding the bologna sandwich in midair, Sadie looked first at the urinal and then back at Buck, and then tried to stifle a laugh. “Sure,” she said. “Leave it there and I'll take care of it for you.”